YouTuber colinfurze has taken Star Wars fandom to the next level by building a full-sized replica of the land speeder Luke Skywalker drives in A New Hope.Showcasing some old-school metal-forming techniques used by coachbuilders, Colin is able to bring a small model of the iconic craft up to 1:1 scale.In fact, he uses the toy speedster replica to get the real things proportions and details right.The body sits atop a stripped-down golf cart, which he bought on eBay for 1,300 pounds (about $2,200). In fact, most of the parts used for the build were sourced from eBay, which sponsored the build.The final product is incredible, and the detail Colin managed to translate into the full-sized replica is immense, right down to the exposed engine cover and the interior. Colin doesnt mention how long it took to build the land speeder, but were guessing it was more than a few days. According to Colin, there have been other fibreglass reproductions, but this is likely the first steel speeder replica ever made.This isnt the first Star Wars build hes done, either; previous projects include an AT-AT tree house of sorts; and Darth Vaders TIE fighter. However, this is the first project hes done that actually moves, and can be driven.The channel is not limited to Star Wars stuff; hes also built a jet-powered go-kart, a hoverbike and a hot tub BMW.Still to come from the YouTuber is a video of the vehicle being driven, and he also says that it will eventually get a paint
Origin: This guy built a working ‘Star Wars’ land speeder in his garage
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Dodge’s next-gen Journey could be built in Italy, not Mexico: report
2020 Dodge Journey CrossroadFCA Weve been promised an updated Dodge Journey for a while, but the next-generation one could reportedly be even more car than we expected: built in Italy, ready for a V8 and rear-wheel-drive.Well believe it when we see it, but thats the scoop currently being served up by a number of sources. Autoblog reports the next-generation Journey could arrive in 2022, be around the size of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, have only two rows of seats and borrow styling cues from the Dodge Charger.It would use the Stelvios 2.0-litre four-cylinder, making 280 horsepower and 306 lb.-ft. of torque, but be available in a Scat Pack edition with a Hemi V8. All engines would likely carry an eight-speed automatic. That rumoured rear-wheel-drive would no doubt also complement an all-wheel-drive variant. If so, that’ll be a far cry from the current Journey, which has been slowly winding down. Its available V6 and all-wheel option are no longer available, just a 2.4-L four-cylinder making 172 horsepower, fed only to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic. Only two trims are available, and Dodges biggest draw has been that its likely the cheapest three-row minivan/crossover in Canada.Beefing up a Dodge with Alfa underpinnings wouldnt be a surprise, because FCA has been gradually shifting its brand focus Chrysler is the family-vehicle brand, while Dodge is all about performance, and the current Journey is the very square peg that doesnt fit into that round hole. But Dodge also only has one SUV in its lineup, the Durango, and thats not enough at a time when other automakers have them in every possible shape and size.The Journeys currently made in Mexico, and switching production to Italy would fill empty space in the factories there, as well as free up room in North America to build more trucks. And the Journeys already familiar with Europe, where its sold as the Fiat Freemont and those are folks who would likely prefer a newer and hotter version of it,
Origin: Dodge’s next-gen Journey could be built in Italy, not Mexico: report
Audi’s forthcoming electric range will be built on the backs of these four platforms
MLB evo (e-tron), J1-Performance Plattform (e-tron GT concept), MEB (Q4 e-tron concept), PPE (Designmodell Sportback-Layout).Audi Audi is on a power surge that will see 30 new electrified rides launched by 2025. Ten will be plug-in hybrids like the upcoming Q5, A7 and A8 vehicles. The other 20 new products will be pure electric. This side of the future portfolio is based on four new platforms that will underpin everything from the outrageous e-tron GT to future SUVs like the Q4 e-tron, as well as new sedans, coupes and wagons.The first of the core platforms already sits beneath the Audi e-tron. The modular longitudinal platform or MLB evo will also sit under the e-tron Sportback thats set to be shown at this years Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The 95-kilowatt/hour lithium-ion battery gives the current e-tron a range of 400 kilometers.Moving ahead, the platform will be used for future SUVs and sedans with different outputs and battery capacities there will be two different battery sizes and electric motor outputs offered when the e-tron Sportback lands. The second J1 platform is a joint venture between Audi and Porsche. It was designed specifically for high-performance cars. Currently, it underpins the Porsche Taycan and will sit beneath the e-tron GT when it arrives.The concept car, shown at last years LA Auto Show, clearly points to the production version add door handles and remove the illuminated e-tron badge on the front splitter and you have the production-ready version. It has two electric motors with a combined output of 582 hp and 612 pound-feet of torque from rev one.The instant-on performance delivers a run to 100 kilometres an hour of 3.5 seconds. It also has a battery capacity of more than 90 kW/h. In a different move, the e-tron GT has two cutouts in the battery to make room for the rear seat riders feet. The e-tron GT also uses a new 800-volt system. This allows the charging times to be much faster than with a system with a lower voltage rating think Ohms law. This high-voltage system is going play a big roll in Audis future.Moving forward, derivatives with different electric motor outputs and battery modules with allow the future lineup to expand quickly. The third platform is the modular electrification toolkit, or MEB platform that underpins the upcoming Q4 e-tron. This platform, which comes from VW, represents the future of all Audi compact and mid-size pure electric models. Its a scalable architecture that supports SUV, sedan, coupe and wagon body styles. It will arrive with a rear electric motor, but allows for the addition of a second electric motor at the front. This gives it a quattro extension. As with the J1 platform, its designed to accommodate different electric motors and lithium-ion battery packs.As used in the Q4 e-tron, the MEB platform delivers the exterior dimensions of a Q3, but it has the interior space of a Q5. It will have 301 hp. There was no mention of battery size.The Premium Platform Electric or PPE is another joint Audi-Porsche venture and it will be used for future luxury cars arriving in 2020 and beyond. It is a rear-drive platform, but has the ability to accommodate a front electric motor, which, again, gives it quattro all-wheel-drive. Its a curious decision given Audis current crop of high-end sedans and SUVs arrive with standard quattro. The Audi e-tron GT Concept Audi The PPE platform is fully scalable it supports different wheelbases, track widths and ride heights so it will be used for SUV, sedan, coupe and wagon derivatives. Again, it uses the 800-volt electrical system.The PPEs dimensions and overhangs are shorter than those of the current gas engine models. The real plus is that as electric cars do not need a central tunnel to accommodate the rear driveshaft and exhaust system, theres significantly more interior space. Other features include active torque vectoring when there are two electric motors aboard, air suspension and available four-wheel steering.As envisioned, the sports car based on the PPE platform will be a low-slung speedster with a long wheelbase and an oversized wheel/tire package. While the secret concept shown at the mobility workshop was a pure design exercise, if the production model picks up the key styling cues, the future looks seductively
Origin: Audi’s forthcoming electric range will be built on the backs of these four platforms
Trans-Canada Highway may be built right over Nova Scotia sinkhole: report
In this file photo, construction continues on the Connecting Link section of Highway 101 in northern Ontario.Len Gillis / Postmedia Network Back in May, this publication wrote about a sinkhole threatening the main road leading into the town of Oxford, Nova Scotia. At the time, your author also included an image from Google Maps, highlighting a trio of areas that seemed to indicate the problem could spread to the nearby Trans-Canada Highway.Now, nearly half a calendar year later, it seems other people including the Department of Transportation have begun to pick up on the problem as well.According to aerial photographs collected by the CBC dating back to the 1930s, there is the potential for sinkhole calamity to rear its head underneath a busy part of the Nova Scotia highway.Looking at the CBC photos, its clear that stretch of highway was built over something whether it was a sinkhole or small pond is currently up for debate. However, the general understanding is that when the link was built nearly fifty years ago, common roadbuilding techniques would have had construction crews simply fill the offending area with rocks and gravel. An animation of aerial photographs of the affected area, compiled by the CBC National Air Photo Library and Brett Ruskin / CBC If the spot is indeed a sinkhole a reasonable assumption given the topographical challenges nearby that decision could spell disaster if the floor of the sinkhole shifts, something sinkholes tend to do.These days, building around or over a sinkhole isnt too much of a problem, as construction of a special bridge will shift the roadways weight away from the trouble spot. This author travels this section of highway several times a month, and can confidently assert there is no bridge of any kind on the main part of the TCH in this area, sinkhole-proof or otherwise.Local politicians are calling on other levels of government to step up and help solve this issue before it becomes a problem. The provincial transportation department has committed to an in-depth geotechnical investigation over the next few weeks, but asserts there has been no significant changes in the topography over the years. Its worth noting that the nearby community of Springhill was a mining town for ages.Alert readers will note there rarely are significant changes before a major sinkhole event, given that the significant change usually rears its head at the moment all the ground gives way. Caretakers at the Corvette Museum can attest to that
Origin: Trans-Canada Highway may be built right over Nova Scotia sinkhole: report
The Porsche Taycan is built in the ‘factory of the future’
A proud moment for factory workers during the grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart.Andrew McCredie STUTTGART, Germany Electric vehicle skeptics delight in dismissing the zero emission claims of EVs by citing the significant carbon footprint from the manufacturing process.Porsche AG is well on its way to eliminating that specious argument with its brand new Taycan production facility here in the very heart of Porsche country.Porsche is pursuing the goal of a Zero Impact Factory production without any negative impact on the environment, explained Albrecht Reimold, member of the executive board for production and logistics of Porsche AG.With a projected annual output capability of 20,000 vehicles, the facility is using electricity from renewable sources and biogas to generate heat. In addition, the new production buildings are designed to be extremely energy efficient. Further efforts on the way to zero emissions are the electrically powered logistics vehicles, the use of waste heat in the paint shop, the greening of roof areas and what the company calls a continuous and holistic approach to other potential resource savings.Porsche has committed to invest more than $8.75 billion in electromobility by 2022, and spent $1.1 billion in the new Taycan production facilities alone; $1.46 billion if you include the new body shop, which will also be used for the current generation of the Porsche 911.What is also significant about the new factory is its location in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, literally just a few hundred metres from the still-utilized, brick workshop where company founder Ferdinand Porsche built the first-ever 911 (and years earlier the prototype for what would become the Volkswagen Beetle). When the company first set out planning to produce the Taycanbased on the Mission E concept vehicle displayed at the 2015 Frankfurt showPorsches global headquarters was not even considered, the thinking being there was not enough space to build the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen nor did it make financial sense in comparison to other sites in Eastern Europe and even China.But as the project evolved, Porsche decided the place where it all began for the company was the exact place where its ambitious plans for electromobilitya so-called new era for Porscheshould start. In addition, building the Taycan in the same place where all the companys sports cars are produced underscores the Taycans sports car aspirations.The Taycan is a clear sign of our commitment to this traditional site, which were leading into the future by preserving jobs here and even creating new ones, said Reimold, noting that employees are participating financially in the project by putting a quarter of a per cent of their negotiated pay raise into a fund, an arrangement he said is a first in the automotive industry.Once in full production mode, some 1,500 workers are expected to be involved in the manufacturing
Origin: The Porsche Taycan is built in the ‘factory of the future’
Mesmerizing time-lapse shows the Ferrari F8 Tributo engine being built
Behind-the-scenes footage of an assembly line in action might not sound like the most compelling television ever, but when that assembly line is in the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, it suddenly becomes a lot more watchable.The video above, sent to Driving by Ferrari, shows one of the most glorious engines ever designed coming together on the highly efficient and surprisingly photogenic line.The engine being lifted and flipped about in the clip is the F154 V8 from the Ferrari F8 Tributo, which debuted at Geneva earlier this year.Its mostly machines that bring the V8 together at first, with twists and turns from human hands here and there. But as the engine grows, Ferraris meccanici play a more involved role, adding the final pieces before the engine is taken away and fit into the F8.The twice-turbocharged V8 makes 710 horsepower for the Tributo, which means tribute in Italian. The supercar uses it to race up to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds; and 200 km/h in 7.8 seconds, making it faster than Ferraris 488, and, in the opinion of David Booth, who got to take the first drive of the F8, superior in most
Origin: Mesmerizing time-lapse shows the Ferrari F8 Tributo engine being built
World’s first armoured Bentley Bentayga is built in Canada
Are you secretly a James Bond villain or international despot jockeying for world domination? Does your commute regularly take you through Downtown Eastside Vancouver a firing range? Do others routinely use your car for target practice? Then one Canadian company has the answer for you.Just be sure to bring half-a-million dollars.Inkas, a Canadian-based company specializing in the design and production of armoured vehicles, has built what it claims to be the worlds first bulletproof Bentley Bentayga.Said to be armored to meet CEN 1063 BR6 ballistic standards, it provides protection for fuel, battery and electronic control unit compartments. Ballistic protection encompasses the vehicle with 360-degree, floor-to-roof coverage.According to the company, this armoured Bentayga can withstand fire from high-power rifles like AK47s and AR10s; as well as the simultaneous detonation of two DM51 grenades placed beneath the vehicles floor.In case youre wondering, heres what a brace of those puppies can do.Additional equipment includes emergency lights mounted behind the vehicles front grille, as well as a siren and PA system to made sure those pesky dissidents move out of your way.Additional upgrades include tailpipe protection; smokescreen system; engine bay fire suppression system; and electric door handles that presumably give a surprise jolt to those daring to rudely intrude on your personal space. Inkas seems to leave the powertrain basics alone, which is fine since Bentley factory-installs a 6.0-litre W12 making 600 horsepower in these things. Its interior doesnt give up much in the way of comfort compared to a stock truck, either, with 24-way climate-controlled seats and a signature surround sound system.Unsurprisingly, Inkas also makes armoured Escalade and Land Cruiser SUVs it even plies its trade on the pedestrian Toyota Sienna. Hey, you never know when an early morning hockey practice will get out of
Origin: World’s first armoured Bentley Bentayga is built in Canada
These complex model movie-car replicas are ‘subscribed to’ and built piece-by-piece
So you think you’re a film buff, do ya? How far would you go to prove it? Would you spend thousands of dollars and dozens of hours to reconstruct physical totems of your fandom? If you’re nodding along enthusiastically, then you might just be among Eaglemoss’s target demo. It’s a purveyor of licensed collectibles and models that includes one of the coolest, most involved sets of automotive film model cars we’ve ever seen. Eaglemoss’ Die-Cast Club Garage currently features 1:8 models of the Aston Martin DB5 from the James Bond classic Goldfinger; the supercar forefather, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing; the Nissan GT-R from The Fast and the Furious; and the most iconic movie car of all time, the DeLorean from Back to the Future. The DeLorean model measures in at over 50 cm long, featuring metal body panels, gullwing doors, a detailed interior complete with flux capacitor, and working lights that glow blue like all good time machines.The model Bond car is similarly complex, with Q-approved features like rotating tire slashers, an ejector seat, hidden machine guns, rotating license plate, functioning horn and a concealed radio telephone. But what sets these models on a whole other level of nerdiness isn’t their attention to detail – though that’s impressive ,too – but the way in which fans purchase them. Because you can’t just up and buy any of these cars. Eaglemoss has positioned the collectibles as “build-up” models, with subscribers getting shipped “issues” each month that include parts to add to the vehicles along with various other memorabilia and collectibles. And none of the builds is cheap or super-expedient. The DeLorean comes together after 130 monthly issues at, totalling US$1,646.75. Or for the real BTTF fans, there’s an extra 30 issues to bring the machine up to spec with that of the third and final series instalment. The Bond car is a little more affordable, with 86 issues and a total build price of US$1,081.35.The collection has another pair of scale vehicles coming soon, too. The Batmobile from the vintage TV series starring Adam West is on its way, as is the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance from the original Ghostbusters
Origin: These complex model movie-car replicas are ‘subscribed to’ and built piece-by-piece
The final, brand-new Saab 9-3 ever built will be auctioned off
Saab may have folded in 2012, ending an era of vehicles that were quirky and safe, but now, the final brand-new 9-3 sedan will be going up for auction later this year. According to Autocar, the 9-3 in question is a 2013 model-year car powered by a 217-horsepower, 2.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine. It was supposed to be crash-tested, but somehow survived the concrete wall before the tests were conducted — meaning it only has 3.1 miles on the odometer. When National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) acquired Saab’s assets after their collapse in 2012, this 9-3 came along with it. The vehicle will be on display at the annual Saab Car Museum Festival celebrations in Trollhattän. Production of the 9-3 ceased in 2011, and there were plans to build a new-generation 9-3, as well as a BMW-powered two-door coupe, but neither materialized due to the company folding. Final production of all Saab models under NEVS stopped in 2014 with 420 units having been built, leaving the crash-test model we see here hidden away. According to a NEVS spokesperson, discussions are being made to determine if the profit from the sales will go toward a
Origin: The final, brand-new Saab 9-3 ever built will be auctioned off
Tesla’s upcoming Model Y SUV could be built at Fremont plant
Elon Musk is notoriously cagey when it comes to details about his automotive empire. Delivery numbers? Cost estimates? Time frames? Where most other auto manufacturers get their feet held to the fire over such minutiae, Musk and company seem to thrive on a foundation of sand and fog. After introducing the Model Y small crossover earlier this year, questions centred around where exactly the thing would be built. Since it shares much with the Model 3, a logical guesstimate would be for it to share assembly space with its smaller brother. Back in Q4 2018, however, the company stated it would likely utilize the Gigafactory 1 space in Nevada for Model Y production. That seems to have changed, according to a report from CNBC. Citing those in the know, Tesla is looking at pressing its Fremont facility into Model Y production, a plan Musk may have alluded to on an April call with investors. Nothing’s been publicly confirmed. In order for that plan to work, the company would need to shuffle a series of deck chairs at Fremont, a plant which currently produces all three of Tesla vehicles on sale today. Adding the Model Y to that mix would likely require new equipment, gear for which the company has barely begun to place orders, according to sources cited by CNBC. Those same insiders say that making way for the Model Y would necessitate consolidating Model X and Model S production onto a single line. And yes, Tesla’s four vehicles are called S, 3, X and Y. That ‘3’ would have been an ‘E’ if not for the Ford Motor Company crying foul over trademarks and copyrights. Keep in mind that Tesla is planning extensive upgrades to the Model S this year, including an interior that is said to mimic that found in the Model 3. If it utilizes some of the same forms and parts, it could reduce costs, or allow for more flexible manufacturing options at Fremont. The company recently cut production staff and, according to insiders speaking to CNBC, now makes the X and S on weekday
Origin: Tesla’s upcoming Model Y SUV could be built at Fremont plant
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