http://www.bugatti-configurator.com/

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quote:

Ferrari boss confirms hybrid program Posted on Sunday 6 July 2008 Governments around the world are bowing to public pressure to reduce greenhouse gases, and more often than not the first sector they look at is the auto industry. The European Council has proposed a ruling that could see carmaker’s forced to limit their fleet average CO2 levels to 130g/km by as early as 2012, something that could have disastrous effects for niche players like Ferrari. The supercar company is now working on cutting its vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half and is working on several different strategies including building lighter cars and implementing new hybrid technology. Speaking with Germany’s Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo told reporters the carmaker is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% between now and 2012. “We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1,” he revealed, referring to the new Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS) that works on the principle of brake-energy-regeneration. The KERS is basically an efficient CVT gearbox joined to a flywheel that rotates when the cars undergo braking. The stored energy can then be used to boost acceleration for overtaking and cornering. Montezemolo insisted that any future hybrid Ferrari would still be “fundamentally a Ferrari”. However, the first models aren’t expected to be available for sale until around 2015. In a further effort to reduce emissions, future Ferraris could also come powered by smaller and more fuel-efficient turbocharged V6 engines. A company spokesman revealed last week that Ferrari has ruled out nothing in terms of technology as it works to keep high-performance a priority while accommodating strict emissions rules.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/...hybrid-program/

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^^^
I think that's nothing but a good thing. Lots of people seem to think that more power is better, but that's not really the answer. It's all about power and torque to weight. Make the car super lightweight, and super aerodynamic, and you won't need nearly as much power to push it around.

Lotus is your prime example. Any of the high spec Lotuses (Loti?) is a weapon, but only has a FI 1.8 litre engine in it.

If the supercar manufacturers focused on cutting down the weight and imrpoving their aero, I'm sure they'd get cars that could perform as well as their predecessors with a smaller engine and with greater engine efficiency.

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quote:

Originally posted by marcusus ^^^ I think that's nothing but a good thing. Lots of people seem to think that more power is better, but that's not really the answer. It's all about power and torque to weight. Make the car super lightweight, and super aerodynamic, and you won't need nearly as much power to push it around. Lotus is your prime example. Any of the high spec Lotuses (Loti?) is a weapon, but only has a FI 1.8 litre engine in it. If the supercar manufacturers focused on cutting down the weight and imrpoving their aero, I'm sure they'd get cars that could perform as well as their predecessors with a smaller engine and with greater engine efficiency.

^ God, that looks hot.

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1 HP??lol

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T-Rex

Saw one of these recently driving down Yonge St.. Incredible.

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Originally posted by Dr. Z

Meh

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Originally posted by love_child Meh

lol

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/24...lo-gets-150mpg/

Hungary is not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about cutting edge green vehicles, yet. If the creators of the Antro Solo have their way, the country will be synonymous with green machines by 2012. The Antro Solo is a solar, human and gas-electric hybrid vehicle. It looks like nothing else out there, and has a fuel efficiency of more than 150 miles per gallon!

The Antro Solo is a three seat gas-electric hybrid prototype made entirely out of carbon fiber. This material choice allowed the graphic designers to lower the weight of the vehicle to a measly 270kg. This also allowed them to achieve phenomenal fuel efficiency and a pretty decent top speed of 87mph. All of this is impressive enough, but the Solo’s designers were not content to stop there.

In order to maximize the efficiency of the vehicle, the designers installed solar panels on the roof. These solar panels store energy in the car’s batteries which can be used for short 15-25km trips. If there hasn’t been enough sun to power the batteries, each passenger’s seat comes equipped with pedals that can power the vehicles generator. If you are by yourself, or everyone gets tired, the car can switch to its small combustion engine that is capable of running on petrol or ethanol.

The prototype was shown at the Budapest Museum of Transport. It is set to go into production in 2012, and expected to cost around $20,000 dollars.

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"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

I wonder how the pedalling works, and indeed whether anyone would actually use the pedals unless they absolutely had to. Although I guess there's a much bigger cycling culture in Europe than there is in Australia (or Canada for that matter )

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