Filed under: Coupe, Truck, Videos, Ford, Ferrari

The new Ferrari F150 is a single-seat Formula One racecar that will be the object of affection for millions of Tifosi around the globe. One Florida fan of the Italian automaker recently purchased a brand-new 2011 458 Italia. He wasn’t planning on turning his into an F150, but he did turn into an F-150… a Ford F-150.

The accident happened in Brandon, Florida, when the Ferrari driver allegedly decided that the yellow paint on the ground didn’t apply to him (investigation still pending…). When he went to pass another car, he found a Ford pickup heading straight for his front bumper. The F-150 didn’t stop at the low-lying nose and ended up with its left-front tire on the hood of the 458. Fortunately, it appears that no serious injuries resulted.

If you want to see the aftermath of a failed attempt at Ferrari F150 construction, all you have to do is click past the jump. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: YouTube via Examiner.com]

Continue reading Video: This is not how you make a Ferrari F150

Video: This is not how you make a Ferrari F150 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The advancement of technology in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector has cost “thousands” of jobs in the past few years, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) said on Monday.

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Filed under: Chrysler, Nissan, Electric

We’re recording Episode #215 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’ve put some topics below. Drop us your own feedback and questions or vote on your fellow readers’ submissions to help determine what we discuss this evening. You can subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already to hear your question answered.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #215

• 2012 Ford Focus first drive
• Chrysler S branding aimed at the youth market
• Rattner predicts 14 million sales for 2011
• Nissan Leaf wins ECOTY

Subscribe to the Autoblog Podacast and hear your questions asked:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #215 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology, Autoline on Autoblog, Design/Style

Making Stronger Steel As Light As Aluminum

The world’s largest steel maker, ArcelorMital, says it has come up with a new kind of steel that the world has never seen before. Thanks to nanotechnology, the company says automakers can now match the weight of aluminum cars, but do it in steel at far lower cost.

Specifically, ArcelorMital says it can take 188 pounds out of the body-in-white of a car. The body-in-white, or BIW, refers to the basic structure of a car, including the doors, hood and deck lid. That’s a big number. By taking so much weight out of the structure, other components such as the powertrain, drivetrain, brakes, etc. can be downsized as well. In other words, the total weight savings could be even bigger.

ArcelorMital is already showing this new kind of steel to automakers. It isn’t yet ready to publicly divulge any of the technical aspects of the steel or how it’s using nanotechnology to make it. The company says we’re still two to three years away before we get those kinds of details. And that’s about the time we’ll see this steel show up in production. No word yet on which car company may be the first to use it, but the rumor on the street is that Ford is all over this technology.

Continue reading…

John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

Continue reading Steel nanotechnology can reduce the weight of our cars

Steel nanotechnology can reduce the weight of our cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Ford

In the world of Hot Wheels collecting, there are two types of people: those who open and those who don’t. We tend to fall into the third, more populous category of those who demolition derby.

Clearly, we could never have demonstrated the kind of self-restraint it takes to purchase a brand-new 2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R and leave it in its original factory wrapping. Fortunately, there are people out there like the seller of this particular machine. According to the eBay Motors listing, there are a mere 11 miles on the odometer, and the plastic you see on the hood and fenders is the same garb that the mean Mustang wore off the production line.

Even the front splitter and brake cooling ducts are in their original bubble wrap in the trunk, and the interior is swaddled in plenty of FoMoCo plastic. That means that this pony is as close to a factory-new Cobra R that you could possibly buy today.

Ford famously minted a mere 300 examples of the Cobra R in 2000. The cars were bare bones, street-legal racers, and while the 5.4-liter V8 under the hood was supposed to churn out 385 ponies, owners typically found the engine to return those numbers at the wheels, not the crank. When launched, Motor Trend found the car capable of 0-60 mph runs in the 4.4 second range and a skid pad effort of over 1.0 g.

So, what’s it worth? Hard to say, but the auction has a Buy it Now price of $70,000, though the seller is also entertaining offers. Check out the auction here. Thanks for the tip, Brent!

[Source:

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The United States may soon respond more aggressively to Somali piracy following a warning to the United Nations Security Council that the pirates are becoming “the masters” of the Indian Ocean.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Renault, Racing

Team Lotus has had a busy off-season, principally dealing with the naming rights dispute with Group Lotus and its new Renault team. That issue is still far from resolved, with both teams laying claim to the name, but the Malaysian outfit is taking first blood by launching its new car online before their British counterparts unveil theirs at Valencia. In doing so, Team Lotus becomes the second team to launch its 2011 challenger (following the new Ferrari F150), and the team calls it a complete clean-sheet redesign over last year’s car.

Designed by Mike Gascoyne, the new Lotus T128 is a considerably more radical than the T127 it replaces, which was rushed onto the grid with a more conservative design in order to get the team a foothold in its inaugural season. Swapping the previous car’s Cosworth power for Renault, the T128 also uses a Red Bull gearbox and starts the season without the KERS regenerative braking system permitted for use once again under this year’s regulations.

The T128 sticks with the green and yellow livery after initial plans to switch to the JPS black and gold were aborted before Lotus Renault GP released its own plans for the same. It will be piloted once again by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, with its reserve/test drive still yet to be announced. The new car isn’t expected to make its on-track debut until the second day of testing at Valencia, but you can read more about it in the press release after the jump and take your first look in the high-resolution image gallery below.

[Source: Team Lotus]

Continue reading Team Lotus releases radical new T128 challenger

Team Lotus releases radical new T128 challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Chrysler, Design/Style

The average age of those who buy new Chryslers? Sixty-two. That’s not good for a brand that’s looking to expand into new markets and thereby increase sales. Invariably, such a strategy means younger buyers will need to be lured into the showroom.

In order to entice younger buyers, Chrysler reportedly plans to enhance its so-called ‘S’ sub-brand, starting with the refreshed 200 sedan (the old Sebring) and the more heavily revised 300, that Chrysler says will appeal to those who want something a little more “edgy.”

Exterior chrome will be blacked-out, interior wood will be replaced with carbon fiber and traditionally staid interior colors will now be offered in brighter red hues. There won’t necessarily be any modifications to the car’s driving characteristics, as this is intended to be a styling exercise only.

Automotive News reports that an S version of the 200 will go into production this spring, followed an an unspecified time by the 300. Think it’s a good idea? Let your opinion be heard in our completely informal poll below.

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[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Chrysler wants ‘S’ branding to appeal to youth market [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just before Christmas last year, South Africa was formally invited to join the BRIC group of nations. Brazil, Russia, India and China were identified in a Goldman Sachs report in 2001, “Dreaming with BRICs: The path to 2050″, as the most important emerging economies in the world and the ones, which would overtake many of the developed economies by 2050.

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Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Humor

It looks like Super Bowl fans will be enjoying a pair of Volkswagen ads between plays this year. The German automaker is returning to the greatest spectacle in the NFL for the first time in nine years with two 30-second spots designed to get people excited about both the next-generation Beetle and Passat.

We’ve had the good fortune of seeing both ads, and they’re equally entertaining. Unfortunately, the full pieces are being kept under lock and key until later this week, when we’ll be sure to share them with the world.

Until then, Volkswagen has decided to show off a teaser clip for the Beetle spot featuring a road-hugging black beetle. We dig his white racing stripes.

Don’t like bugs? No worries. The spot for the Passat centers on a Star Wars parody. Stay tuned for the full clips and be sure to hit the jump for a look at the teaser as well as the press release.

[Sources: Volkswagen, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Volkswagen teases ‘Black Beetle’ Super Bowl ad

Video: Volkswagen teases ‘Black Beetle’ Super Bowl ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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