Monster Tajima All-Electric Racecar at Pikes Peak
2012 Acura TL
2012 Volvo S60
Red Bull Racing Showcar
Luke Skywalker, your racecar is ready. Actually, this is “Monster” Tajima during a practice run for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The car is all-electric, and the absence of engine noise lets you hear the squeal of the tires in corners, and the gravel pinging off the bodywork as Tajima gets too close to the edge of the pavement.
Luxury cars come equipped with the best of everything—at least that’s the theory. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says some luxury cars don’t come with enough protection in a new test that evaluates a car’s crashworthiness by slamming it into a fixed barrier so that only part of the front end absorbs the impact. Eight 2012 model luxury or high-end cars were rated as marginal or poor in the test. Acura TL and Volvo S60 were the only cars to pass the new test.
What if the famous tunnel that’s part of a lap at the famous Monaco GP were longer? Say, 1.5 miles? How fast would a Formula 1 car get up to in that distance? About 190, if this video is any indication. That’s how fast ex-F1 driver David Coulthard took the Red Bull Racing Running Showcar through the Lincoln Tunnel that links New York and New Jersey. The tunnel, by the way, is just over 21 feet wide.
The test drive, long a highlight of the car-buying process, is fading away as more and more buyers choose cars based solely on magazine and website reviews, and buy them without ever driving the car first. This trend worries dealers, who see the test drive as their most effective tool for swaying undecided buyers, and also point out, apparently with a straight face, that you can’t always believe what you read, in contrast to what you hear from car salespeople, who are renowned for their unflagging honesty, integrity, and detailed product knowledge. More...
