Morgan LifeCar Concept

The Morgan LifeCar Concept with hydrogen fuel cell will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Spending more than two years working with Oscar Automotive, Cranfield University, QinetiQ, Oxford University and Linde AG, Morgan has develop the LifeCar concept for auto world. Based on the Morgan Aero Eight, the Morgan Lifecar Concept powered by a QinetiQ fuel cell, which converts hydrogen and oxygen (taken from the air around it) into electrical energy.

The purpose of Morgan Lifecar concept is to demonstrate that a zero emission vehicle can also be fun to drive. With combination of performance, range and fuel economy will allow a sporting driver of the future to demonstrate a concern for the environment. It will demonstrate that a new step in vehicle architecture is enabled by the use of a fuel cell hybrid power train, going far beyond the incremental adaptation of traditional car designs as seen in current hybrid vehicles. The approach is one of whole system design in which the architecture is generated from the characteristics of the fuel cell, in a light-weight vehicle coupled with a high hybridization level.

With this combination the fuel cell cost will be minimized and will providing the fuel economy for a 200 mile range. An objective of the project is to lower the entry barriers for a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Core to the success of the project will be collaboration between partners to achieve system-level innovation in the design.

Dodge Challenger Vapor – The Rolling Jet

Dodge Challenger Vapor – The Rolling Jet

Well, it looks like someone is still interested in Dodge, and fortunately (or unfortunately depending on which side of the political fence you live on) it is the US Air Force. Galpin Auto Tuners along with the United States Air Force have come up with an interesting recruitment tool. No, it’s not a video game – it’s an actual automobile. The Dodge Challenger Vapor is half car, half space ship – and all horse power.

The Challenger Vapor features radar-absorbing stealth-black paint, not unlike what is used to mask stealth bombers. The Vapor is set to run almost silently, thanks to “stealth exhaust” – whatever that means. Reminds us of when KITT used to go “Silent Mode” on Knight Rider. You need biometric verification to enter the cockpit via gull wing doors. The driver can view night/thermal vision projections on the windshield while sitting in a compartment that looks like something out of Crimson Tide.

If the driver doesn’t feel like getting out of their bunker he or she can command Vapor from a remote control system (even through internet) modeled after the Air Force’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The car reportedly gets somewhere around 500 horse power – but it’s true specs and top speed are being kept a tighter secret then what’s inside Area 51.

Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veryron is, by every measure, the world's fastest production road car. It's the quickest to 60, it has the highest top speed, and it can absolutely dominate a track.

With a claimed 1001 horsepower, the Veyron is a major technical achievement. Its engine has 16 cylinders, essentially formed by joining two V8 engines at the crank.

This W16 powerplant displaces 8.0 liters and features ten radiators for everything from the engine cooling systems to the air conditioner.

The $1.3 million Veyron will reach a top speed of 253 mph - a speed it can maintain for 12 minutes before all the fuel is gone. Power is transmitted to the pavement via four-wheel-drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission.

The car can hit 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, 100 mph in 5.5 seconds, and 150 mph in 9.8 seconds. Getting to 200 mph takes 18.3 seconds, and 250 mph takes 42.3 seconds.

A special key is required to "unlock" the Veyron's top speed of 250+ mph. The car is then lowered to just 3.5 inches from the ground. A hydraulic spoiler extends at speed, and it can also serve as an air brake.

The Veyron weighs a hulking 4,160 lbs, but even its harshest critics admit its handling is surprisingly sharp. Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 was very skeptical of the Veyron during its development, but after driving the finished car, he conceded it is a "huge achievement."

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson also publicly stated the Veyron was ridiculous and would never be built, only to call it "best car ever made" after he drove it. He famously characterized it as "utterly, stunningly, mind blowingly, jaw droppingly brilliant."