In order to revive a groundbreaking Jaguar racer, the Ecurie Ecosse LM69 asks “What if ?”. Built to dominate Le Mans, the XJ13 debuted in 1966. Not only was it their first mid-engine model, it arrived with a 5-liter V12 with quad cams. A last-minute change in the rules favored a certain Ford supercar, so Jaguar shelved this stunning supercar.
The Ecurie Ecosse team is a group of Scottish engineers and racers who won Le Mans twice in the 50’s fielding the timeless Jaguar D-Type. Now they are offering 25 examples of the LM69. With all specs being FIA-compliant for 1969, These street-legal cars offer the latest in composites, and they will be built-to-order by coachbuilders in the West Midlands. Jaguar still builds amazing cars using time-honored methods, so click the button to find one for yourself.
Adding electricity to your favorite 4WD is a recipe for fun, so we’re happy to announce that the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Hybrid pricing and specs have been revealed. Starting with the Sahara 4xe, you will have 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque sent to an 8-speed automatic.
In addition to Dana 44 axles, you will have 25 miles of electric range thanks to a 17 kWh battery. Looking at the torque specs, 470 lb-ft is the same amount of grunt offered by the new Hemi-powered Wrangler SRT 392. But you will have 50 MPG thanks to the thrifty 2-liter turbo. The Sahara starts at $47,995, and it arrives with a 2.72:1 Selec-Trac transfer case.
If you want to hit the trails, the Rubicon 4xe Launch Edition has their 4:1 Rock-Trac full-time 4WD along with Uconnect, 9-speaker audio, and LED lights. All that can be yours for $51,695. Click the button to find our dealer near you and Merry Christmas from all of us at duPont REGISTRY.
Interior of the 2021 Jeep® Wrangler Sahara 4xe includes standard 7-inch Uconnect screen.
Back in June we teased you with Ian Callum’s latest project. After retiring from Jaguar/Land Rover last year, he found himself unable to stop designing incredible cars. Since he is responsible for the original Aston Martin Vanquish, he decided to build his interpretation of the perfect example. The Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged is a mouthful, and also a stunning supercar. Since the concept was unveiled, the Swiss coachbuilders amassed 350 engineering and design tweaks to make it more practical and relevant.
R-Reforged logged over 20,000 test miles were used to dial in the Bilstein suspension, tire choices, and the sway bars. Head of engineering Adam Donfrancesco said: “There was a perception that much of what we planned was aesthetic but the way the car drives, feels, goes, stops and sounds is actually where a lot of our efforts have been focused. We’ve defined a set up that finesses the composed, big Aston Martin GT feel but sharpens and hones it in line the progress that new tyres, suspension and knowledge brings.
It’s got to be a car you want to use and be adaptable; laid back and comfortable enough to soak up a 300-mile trip across Europe but equally engaging and rewarding on a 20-minute run to meet friends at an informal cars and coffee meet. That versatility and accessible performance is something many contemporary GTs lack. We have all missed the chance to just go for a drive for pleasure in the past few months. This is now the car to make the most of those precious times.”
Under the bonnet is a 580 horsepower V12. Buyers can choose from a six-speed manual, sequential, or traditional automatic transmission. The exterior color palette is infinite, and the leather interior is from Bridge of Weir. Mulberry luggage and a Bremont Pocket Watch are just a few of the other included amenities also designed by Mr. Callum. Customers can spec their car via a video conference with him, or at the assembly plant in Warwick. This car raises the bar for coachbuilt English supercars, so stay with us for more updates from R-Reforged.
Ford took to Twitter on Saturday for a Red, White & Blue salute to their supercar. These renderings preview the 2021 Ford GT, which has traded dual stripes for a wider central graphic along with C-pillar accents. A contrast color of your choice will be found down the car’s centerline and on the mirror caps. If you missed the press release earlier this year, Roush-Yates unveiled upgrades to the engine and its software. This bumped the output to 660 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque, proving the virility of the EcoBoost V6. Click the button to find your Ford GT for sale and stay with us for all your Ford news.
An all-new graphics package with customizable colors will be available for the 2021 #FordGT, highlighting features that help deliver all 660 horsepower during the most strenuous track sessions. pic.twitter.com/dri2R8nDwX
Strategic Partnership To Develop Future-Proof Cars
Mercedes-Benz, one of the world’s oldest and most-respected premium automakers, is taking a big step into the future by partnering with super chipmaker Nvidia to create a new generation of software-defined cars. The plan is to embed a high-powered processor to power the software of all Mercedes, starting in 2024, allowing original software to be updated and new software to be downloaded, creating what potentially could be a 20-year-old car with state-of-the-art technology inside.
Starting in 2024 Mercedes cars will have a new operating system
Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG, joined Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, to make the announcement online today. They said this “perpetually upgradeable machine” will offer “endless possibilities” to the customer, eventually ranging up to full autonomous operation, and open up a new business model for the automaker. The companies added that thousands of engineers in Silicon Valley and Germany would be dedicated to creating updated software and new technology for the cars over the life of the vehicle.
The chip that is the foundation of this new system is the next-generation Nvidia Drive AGX Orin, which will have multiple processing engines for high-performance, energy-efficient computing and artificial intelligence (AI), and will come equipped with an array of sensors. It will be capable of processing 200 trillion operations per second (TOPS). As Huang described it, the chip will “solve problems that ordinary computers can’t solve.” It also is designed with built-in headroom “for things that haven’t been invented yet.”
Of course, for automakers 2024 is right around the corner given the timeline for new model development. For chipmakers like Nvidia, the development cycle is shorter, but in this case the chip is “still being designed.” The commitment promises a long-term involvement and further growth even after initial deployment. The joint vision of the companies is to offer “the ability to automate driving of regular routes from address to address” as well as deliver additional safety and convenience applications.
The New Car Business
In some ways this is a traditional automaker trying to catch up to a disrupter, in this case Tesla. The Palo Alto electric car maker has taken a different approach than incumbent auto companies, eschewing annual model changes (or even designating annual models), minimizing redesigns, but utilizing over-the-air (OTA) updates to add new software and features to customer’s cars. The most recent example was an OTA software change that extended the range of Tesla batteries to more than 400 miles on a charge.
The Nvidia chip that will power it all
When asked about this, Källenius deferred talking about a competitor, but noted that all new software from Mercedes would have a safety focus, be fully tested and meet industry standards, a not too subtle jab at Tesla’s pattern of rolling out beta versions of its software (and hardware) for use by customers.
Huang said with the advent of the 2024 Mercedes equipped with this new technology “the definition of a car will change forever,” with the newly purchased becoming the “starting point” for what a car could be.
Källenius added that the concept of “updates for the life of the vehicle” moves the automobile closer to the “iPhone on wheels.” Since Mercedes, working with Nvidia, has already created MBUX, the automaker’s proprietary infotainment systems that incorporate AI, this is logical extension of that relationship.
Mercedes is not worried about this new approach to automaking changing its sales cycle, although Källenius admitted it could impact things. In the same way this is a reinvention of the traditional automobile, he said Mercedes would need to continue to reinvent luxury in order for new vehicles to appeal to new buyers. In the meantime, older vehicles would be serviced by “engineering angles in the background” to keep customers allied to the Mercedes brand.
Changed Relationships
Not coincidently, I’m sure, Mercedes announced earlier this month that it was putting its joint work with rival BMW on autonomous vehicles on hold. Källenius said the major difference between the two German companies was a matter of timing. It seems clear Mercedes-Benz is ready to move ahead more rapidly.
The Perpetual Upgradable Machine
He also clarified the most recent direction from the company on its autonomous vehicle technology. While Mercedes had been working with supplier Robert Bosch on robotaxi concepts, Källenius said the company now believes full autonomy will first appear in its heavy-duty trucks used in hub-to-hub operations.
Similarly, Nvidia said the Mercedes relationship was not exclusive and the company would continue to work as it does today with a variety of automakers.
Nvidia engineers will be writing code and Mercedes engineers will be working on the first vehicles that will incorporate this new system over the next three years. Mercedes said it will roll out the Nvidia system as new models are introduced, but significantly that it will cross the entire product line, pointedly not a feature exclusive to the high-end models. It looks like cars of the future will be tied to the cloud as much as to any dealership on terra firma as auto companies continue their move to become mobility companies.
In these cars software will define them
Related Stories You Might Enjoy–Technology Coming ‘Round the Bend
Most luxury automakers have a high-performance division. While most performance cars are simply a sprinkling of chassis & engine tuning, Audi takes performance to an unprecedented level. Look in the door jamb of any R8 and you will notice something unique. Audi’s top-level cars are built by a separate company: Audi Sport. What began as “Quattro GMBH” has been the R&D center for all VW brands. By divorcing luxury and performance brands, each company is held accountable for their separate goals.
Of course, most of this is trivial to the average enthusiast. The only way to purchase Audi Sport models is at Audi dealers, but your experience will be more refined. Inquiring about an RS model alerts the staff that you mean business. You want a car that has been tested wide-open on the ‘Ring. Audi Sport Manager Oliver Hoffmann had this to say: “RS vehicles have a strong and unique character: spontaneous maximum performance wherever and whenever desired, and effortless performance on long journeys. An RS is a true Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde. It is important for every kilometer, no matter how it is driven, to be an experience. This is achieved thanks to breathtaking design, high-end look and feel, and outstanding quality.” Click the links below to find yours and stay with us for all your Audi news.
With the development in technology, most of the human labor has been replaced by technological solutions. Much of the goods transport service inside the industries has been automated over the years. Automation inside the industries has led to an exponential increment in overall production and has shortened the production times.
The transportation of goods is done by multiple courier services for now. They hire drivers and employees to handle and transport the goods from one point to another. Human labor tends to be slower in repetitive tasks and there’s a greater chance of mishandling.
Keeping a number of human employees, is also not profitable for a company, as human labor will require a greater pay, compared to maintaining an automated robotic system.
Automation for courier delivery can be aerial or land based.
An autonomous aerial service has its own pros and cons with it. As there is almost no interference for an Aerial vehicle at 25-30 m (80ft-100ft) above the surface in terms of a dynamic traffic. At these heights, they only face static obstacle which are easier to pass through and reach their destination. Hence it would take an aerial service to distribute goods much faster than a land based one. And such an Aerial service can be deployed easily due to the simplicity involved in its working.
Aerial autonomous courier service takes a hit due to the limited amount of mass it can carry. So it is only feasible for smaller items or documents.
Early deployment of Aerial services for delivering goods can be seen at Amazon air or at some food vendors providing aerial home delivery services.
Land based Autonomous Courier delivering service has the biggest benefit of possessing large load capacities. But as urban lands are filled with traffic, cyclists and pedestrians, it would be a huge challenge to optimize the system to work in such an environment.
Such systems use cameras, radars and lasers to sense their environment and act appropriately. But they need to be much more rugged and safety complaint before deploying them at such a large scale. But vehicle manufacturers have started to increase the level of autonomy in consumer cars gradually. This shows that sufficient research and development is actively being done in this sector and the deployment of an autonomous land-based courier service isn’t much far either.
In addition to the complexity, a land-based system faces from the on-road dynamic obstacles. It also needs a fancy loading and unloading mechanism to manage the increased amount of goods it can carry.
