Your Taxpayer Dollars at Work: DARPA wants a Roadable Aircraft for the US Military

The roadable aircraft is nothing new. It’s essentially an airplane with folding wings and four wheels, allowing it to be driven like a car. It’s so old, in fact, that working examples have been in existence since 1949 in the form of the eponymous Aerocar. Which begs the question: why haven’t we tried to militarize these things? After all, we’ve successfully militarized the motorcycle, the automobile and the airplane.
As anything is possible when you have a defense budget that rivals the GDP of East Timor, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is providing Terrafugia, builders of the world’s only (in more than one sense of the word) working roadable aircraft with US$65 million of funding to build a four-seat roadable aircraft known as the Transformer / TX.

The Massachusetts based firm is teaming up with AAI, a U.S. DoD contractor and builder of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and its Textron subsidiaries to build the TX, which will have a proposed range of 280 miles on land and air, vertical take-off capability and automated flight controls for operation by non-pilots.
Strangely enough, it sounds to me like the same thing Paul Moller has been working on for the last forty years in the form of his M400 Skycar. Somebody ought to give that man a DoD contract just for trying.
The three phase program expects to produce a working prototype as early as Q1 2015, with the TX being pressed into medivac, remote resupply and Special Forces insertion roles sometime after that (you know, if it doesn’t all fall by the wayside *cough* *cough* X-33 *cough*). Though it has to be said: what part of this can’t be achieved with a Bell UH-60 helicopter and a HumVee?
Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich is, as one would expect, very excited about the project:
"This DARPA program effectively leverages Terrafugia's core competencies and enables us to grow from a pure [General Aviation] company to an emerging aerospace company with both general aviation and defense development programs. Our strong team of Terrafugia engineers with recent experience designing and building a dual purpose vehicle will bring a unique perspective to the TX program that is highly valued by DARPA and the other contractors on our TX team."
But don’t think that all this talk about militarization will dissolve the dream of the roadable aircraft for John Q. Public; Terrafugia is still committed to producing its Transition Light Sport Aircraft with an expected launch after Q3 2011.

By Tristan Hankins

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Ford to Unveil New Concept Model for Kuga and Escape Successors at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show

Ford is gearing up for next year’s Detroit Motor Show with an almost production-ready concept version previewing a common replacement for the European market Kuga crossover and the North American Escape SUV. According to an inside source talking to Automotive News Europe, the new compact-sized crossover model will go into production in the second half of 2012 as a 2013 model.


It seems that Blue Oval hasn’t decided yet if the current names will be dropped in favor of a single moniker, in order to create another global car in the likes of the new Fiesta and Focus models.
Moving production to the U.S. is another point on Ford’s agenda. It’s likely that the new car will be manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky, while the German factory in Saarlouis will keep the European production of the new Focus.




Bernhard Mattes, the man in charge of Ford’s German factories, told Bloomberg this week that the Kuga/Escape successor could hit Deutschland’s showrooms as early as March next year and reach other European markets by the second quarter.
Also in March, Ford will debut a Fiesta-based small minivan concept at the Geneva Auto Show, meant to replace the current European-market Fusion crossover.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Automotive News [sub. required]

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Retour vers le futur: Renault's Amazing 800HP Espace F1 MPV Prototype

I don’t have children, but I bet school runs can become pretty boring. However, if parents could get their hands on a Renault Espace F1, I’m sure they'd sing to a different tune when they'd return back from school... Unveiled in 1995, this über-Espace was not your typical soccer-mom transporter. Created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the French MPV and Renault’s decade-long involvement in Formula 1, the concept was literally an F1 racer in disguise.
Power was sourced from the 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C single seater racecar. The 3.5-liter 40-valve V10 powerplant initially developed 700 hp, but engineers managed to squeeze another 100 ponies pushing output to 800 hp. As with the F1 car, the V10 was mounted in the center sending power to the rear wheels, through a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission.

Performance was simply mind-boggling: the Espace F1 could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds and 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.9 seconds. Top speed was pegged at 312 km/h or 194 mph.
Stopping power was equally impressive. Fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes, the special Espace could accelerate from 0 to 270 km/h (168 mph) and then brake to standstill in less than 600 meters (1,969 ft).
Is this the ultimate MPV or what? Check out the videos below to see it in action.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Renault / Youtube

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Ford Planning Fiesta Minivan Concept for Geneva Show, Production Model with Sliding Doors to Follow in 2012

Ford is getting ready to premiere a concept version of a Fiesta-based small minivan at the upcoming Geneva Salon next March. The design study will act as a pilot for the production vehicle that will follow in early 2012 and will replace the current generation of the European market Fusion, which is based on the previous Fiesta. 

The news comes from a Ford source in Europe who told Automotive News that production of the Fiesta MPV will begin by the end of next year at Ford's factory in Craiova, Romania. A Ford of Europe spokesman essentially confirmed the news by telling the publication that “It is a B-segment vehicle and will go into full production early in 2012.”


The report said Ford has no plans to offer the car in North America.

In Europe, the car will compete in the small MPV segment against the likes of the Opel / Vauxhall Meriva, Citroen C3 Picasso and Kia Venga Kia. It is believed that Ford will drop the Fusion nameplate and use the B-MAX moniker as it will be smallest model in Ford's range of MPVs that includes the Focus-based C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, and the Mondeo-based S-MAX and Galaxy.
The unnamed Ford source told the publication that the B-MAX will be a five-seat minivan with rear sliding doors. The 2011 Geneva Salon will run from March 3 to 13.

Via: Autonews Europe [Sub. req.]

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Idries Noah’s T2 Concept: E55 AMG Performance without the Guilt

Graphic artist and automotive aficionado Idries Noah wows us yet again with the T2 Concept: an eco-friendly hybrid electric supercar. The South African designer, whose previous creations include the Audi R8-rivalling BMW M Sports Coupe and Dodge Viper-esque Project Fireblade, envisions the T2 Concept as, the “world’s fastest environmentally-friendly car”.

Kudos must be given to Noah for creating something that doesn’t look like a mere hodgepodge of other supercars like so many other artists’ work. I especially like the mix of sharp corners and harsh curves that make up the design.

Powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine mated to two electric motors for a theoretical total output of 469 hp (350 kw), Noah estimates that the T2 Concept is good for a (imagined?) 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km/h) time of 4 seconds. This is roughly the same as a W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG.
And yes, I realize how silly it is to be talking power and performance figures for a car that is, in actual fact, non-existent. But just look at it and tell me you wouldn’t like one of these things in your garage in five to ten years.
You can check out more of Idries Noah’s work at his website and check out the T2 Concept in our gallery below.
By Tristan Hankins

Source: IDI3D

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Moon Regan Transantartic Expedition’s Concept Vehicle is Cooler than Ice [with Video]

Most people can get through the winter driving ordinary vehicles just fine as long as they follow some simple rules. But when the going gets tough and the snow hits the fan, you need a special ride, like this Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle (BIV). Built in 2008 with Lotus know-how, the BIV is currently used by the Moon Regan Transantartic Expedition for an epic Antarctic crossing.

The team reached the South Pole on December 3, after a week. Their resilience was put to the test by the bad weather, highly irregular terrain (known as sastrugi) and mechanical problems. Taking on the lead vehicle role, the BIV is “an agile route-finder”, according to the expedition’s official website. Two, six-wheeled Ford Econolines with 7.3-liter diesel V8s, handle the role of the support vehicles.

With moving parts kept to a minimum, the BIV is fitted with three skis and independent suspension, which allow for optimum weight distribution and increased stability. Weighing in at just 700 kg (1.543 lbs), the BIV’s biggest advantage over conventional vehicles is that it can be hauled by people in situations when moving on its own is impossible. Spiked brakes provide stopping power.

Inside, there's enough space only for the driver, who is greeted by a bucket seat and a sport steering wheel.
The initial concept featured a 1.2-liter BMW engine, modified to run on E85 bioethanol but it was replaced with a more powerful Rotax 914 turbocharged unit, better suited for low temperatures and higher altitudes. The engine drives a three-blade variable-pitch propeller that can push the BIV to a top speed of 84 mph (135 km/h) in ideal conditions.
The Antarctic crossing is expected to last at least 40 days and will cover a distance of 5,800 kilometers or 3,604 miles. You can check out the team’s progress using the live tracker found here. Also, don’t forget about the video below, in which engineer Kieron Bradley presents the highlights of the BIV.
By Csaba Daradics

Source: Moon Regan Transantartic Expedition

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Concept Flashback: Alfa Romeo’s 1996 Nuvola Prototipo V6 Sports Coupe

Welcome to the story of the Alfa Romeo Nuvola Prototipo, one of the most gripping concepts to wear the famous Visconti Serpent badges in the past two decades. Unveiled for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in 1996, the Nuvola Prototipo was named after Tazio Nuvolari, the legendary Italian motorcycle and racecar driver who competed for Alfa in the 1930s.
The Nuvola had all the essential ingredients of a proper Alfa Romeo sports coupe - a beautifully crafted body and interior, classic proportions, a dedicated chassis and enough power to put a smile on your face.


Of course we would have preferred a rear-wheel drive setup, but its four wheel drive layout is much less of a compromise (for a sports car) than if power was transferred exclusively to the front axle.


Unlike modern days Alfas that are built around less exciting (8c Competizione excluded) hardware pulled out of the Fiat Group’s parts bin, the Nuvola made use of a separate, tubular spaceframe to which the mechanical components were attached. The designers' plan was to use the same architecture on different bodies to cover various niches.
"A welded high strength steel tubing spaceframe brings the benefits of lightness, high torsional rigidity, excellent ride quality and maximum passenger protection as well as low cost of manufactures," Alfa said at the time.
Power came from a front-mounted, twin turbocharged version of Alfa's standard 2.5-liter V6 delivering 300 ponies to all four (18-inch) wheels, with the car said to complete the 0 to 100km/h sprint in the low five second-range.


The Nuvola was penned at Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under the watchful eye of Walter de Silva, who is currently Head of Volkswagen Group Design. As with any proper sports car, the goal of the designers was to stir emotions.

Measuring 4.29 meter (169 inches) in length, the Nuvola is sleek yet muscular, classic yet modern - all at the same time. The two seater show car made several references to Alfa Romeos of the past from the 8C 2900 to the 6C 2500 Villa d’Este, the Giulietta Sprint Speciale and the 1900 Sprint. Notable features include the futuristic luminous diode technology used for the slim, horizontal rear lights and the tires, which had a special pattern created for Alfa Romeo by Michelin.
The 'favoloso' exterior was matched by an equally stunning two-tone interior crafted in leather with aluminum and chrome accents. Sport pedals and a wooden steering wheel are also on the menu, with a finely crafted leather bag acting as storage between the driver and passenger.
While the concept never made it to production, it's styling legacy lives on as the Nuvola prefigured the shapes and surface treatments of Alfa Romeo’s -then- new aesthetics. Take a close look at the pictures and you’ll discover design cues that can even be seen in today's Alfa Romeo models.
Overall, we'd say it's pretty impressive how well the styling of the concept has withstood the test of time and a pity that Fiat's higher-ups never gave it the green light.
Unless you plan on visiting Alfa Romeo's historic museum in Arese, Italy, to see it in person, the closest you'll get to the Nuvola is through a die-cast scale model like the one we found on eBay Italy. True, it’s not the real deal, but probably better than nothing.

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