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BMW recalling 7 series for software problems

BMW recalling 7 series models over unintentionally opening doors. There are totally 7485 sedans involved in this software problem. Due to this software problem, door has got unintentional opening. The problem was found in Japan in 2007, covering cars from 2005 to 2007 model years, and it led to recall.

After the Japanese recall, the NHTSA asked about this matter in the United States in 2011. BMW replied that 80 percent of the car replaced with new software. After conference with the German company, BMW announces about this recall issue.

Press Release

Volvo’s latest Autonomous technology Car - watch video

The automakers are still working on developing self driving cars. The autonomous technology cars must be made for safety and convenience. Volvo continuing this research and currently made the new technology called TRAFFIC JAM ASSISTANCE system. This technology used to auto parking, braking or staying in an intended lane.

Volvo said, American drivers spend more than hundred hours per year in travelling, so it innovated this new technology to reduce the stress. This technology controls the car’s brakes, accelerator and steering, it automatically detects the obstacles rather than just being able to keep speed.

Volvo plans to embed this technology into upcoming production vehicles by 2014 as a part of Scalable Production Architecture(SPA) project. The Traffic Jam Assistance system will use the radars and cameras, just like current City Safety and Pedestrian Detection system.

2013 Porsche Panamera Platinum Edition

2013 Porsche Panamera Platinum Edition launched on the end of November a very exclusive version of the Panamera to market.

The Platinum Edition brings Porsche Panamera an even more luxurious and more exclusive version of its Gran Turismo on the market. The elegant special edition of Panamera, Panamera 4 and Panamera Diesel is distinguished by subtle unique design features in Platinum Silver Metallic.

Executed in platinum silver metallic, the exterior mirror lower shells, the air intake grille slats, the side Luftauslassblenden in turbo-specific design, the trim strip on the boot lid and the rear diffuser.

A particularly harmonious and elegant appearance is the interaction with one of the five available paint colors. Choose from plain black and white color and the optional Basalt Black Metallic paintwork, carbon gray metallic and metallic mahogany.

Many, frequently requested options with a price advantage of around 8% for the Porsche Platinum Edition Panamera already standard. These include the bi-xenon headlights, a front and rear park assist, auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors, and 19 "Panamera Turbo Wheels with colored Porsche crest.

The new bi-color combination black / Luxor Beige interior also provides for an especially noble ambience. It is exclusively for the Panamera Platinum Edition as standard as part leather trim and available as an optional full leather interior.

In addition, include also the power steering plus, heated seats and the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with navigation mode, and sound system with 11 speakers and 235 watts of power as standard.

2013 Opel Cascada

Opel Cascada starting the start of 2013 again a four-seater convertible in the program, which comes with classic soft top on the market.

The 4.70-meter long Opel Cascada is based on the Opel Astra, but will be positioned by finer materials and its four full-size seats as middle-class convertible.

Visually you can see the Cascada but of course the close relationship to the Astra, and also in the interior of the Cascada, despite higher-quality fabrics not deny the proximity of the compact Opel.

A classic fabric top will also underscore the exclusive touch of Cascada. Even when closed, the convertible looks very dynamic, and the ease which gives the fabric roof, fits perfectly to the contours of the vehicle.

According to Opel, the roof may also be perfectly insulated, so that the wind noise should be barely higher than in a coupe. In just 17 seconds to open the electric hood, and an opening and closing up to 50 km / h is possible. At market launch, there will be three different roof colors that can be combined with ten exterior colors.

Inside the car, the exclusive impression continues. Elegant fabric and leather upholstery in harmony with soft-touch surfaces. Provide for convenient traveling completely new seats, which are designed on request, in leather and feature a vent. The seats are awarded the AGR (Campaign for Healthier Backs) seal of approval and therefore suitable for long distances well.

Enough room also offer many bins in the doors have even 1.5 liter beverage bottles. The boot capacity is sized at 350 liters with the roof closed, also tidy, open the soft top still features 280 liters.

Enjoyable driving experience in addition to the new 1.6 turbo petrol engine with direct injection ensure that with its 170 horsepower allows (125 kW), an agile locomotion. As standard, the 1.6 SIDI turbocharged engine with a manual 6-speed gearbox, on request is also a 6-speed automatic transmission available.

Also a choice of manual or automatic 6-speed transmission offers the 2.0 CDTI diesel engine with an output of 165 hp has (121 kW). As a base engine of 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine comes with a power of 120 hp (88 kW) or 140 hp (103 kW) are used.

Of course there are also the elegant convertible FlexRide adaptive chassis control, which improves handling and again to adapt to the current driving style. On the topic of "security" to the Cascada offer, beside the standard rollover protection, ABS, ESP and six airbags are available on request and a rearview camera, parking assist, a lane assistant, a distance and collision warning, a blind spot warning system and also, the AFL + lighting system.

The new Opel Convertible will roll out the start of 2013 to the dealers and thus enjoy the first warm days in the new year already customers.

Hardbody How-To With Brian Meharry (Part 3)

Part Three - Body Finish and Drive Train Assembly

Most of the time I cut my own designs out of masking tape, but I found some nice 1/24 Parma paint masks that I thought would suit this car well. I'm going to keep the black plastic on the front of the car. I use blue masking tape to cover the area the pre cut mask doesn't cover.

After the paint dries, peel off the mask and recover from the paint fumes for a while...

I like the clean look of water slide decals, but the Lazy 8 is high speed and I've found that vinyl decals cut with an exacto knife hold up much better over time. These are Slixx Decals that sadly have been out of production for some time. Some raceways still have some left so ask and you might get lucky.

I rattle can sprayed a light coat of Tamiya TS Gold on the interior and layed some one-shot poster paint on with my artists brushes. With interiors, practice makes perfect.

Scribble scrabble with a fine black sharpie marker to bring out the details. Taking the time to detail a realistic interior makes the whole car look better I think.

I know this is a drag interior, I like this driver figure because he looks like he has a beer gut. I'm easily amused.

While I allow the clear coat applied on the body to dry I assemble the rest of the parts that make this thing go. 

The important thing is to bend the motor bracket down about 10 degrees on the chassis. the back of the motor should be at the top of the bracket, and the front should be on the chassis. Use of the angle tooth pinion makes it possible to obtain a smooth gear mesh in this set up. I opted not to brace this car. Mostly because I plan not to hit anything...not hard anyway.

The windows can be secured with your adhesive of choice- watch crystal cement or shoe goo (clear) are two popular choices. 

I clear coated the body with 3 very wet coats of future floor wax; after it was dry (usually overnight is best), I mounted the interior with strapping tape, and secured the body to the chassis with thin strips of velcro. You can use Parma's FCR body mounts or cut your own. I can't wait to get it out on the track.

Thanks to Brian Meharry for this informative how-to. If you have questions for Brian, you're invited to post them on the Mid-America Hardbody Racing Series page on Facebook.

Hardbody How-To With Brian Meharry (Part 2)

Part Two - Body Assembly and Reinforcement

Strip styrene; it's inexpensive and comes in many different shapes and sizes. I feel that it's probably the most overlooked building component in hard body racing. I use .020 thick plastic because it is strong, flexible, and fairly light weight.

I use a medium thickness super glue to tack parts in place. It's good to use an acc- elerant such as "zip kicker" so that the glue dries instantly. For final assembly of the hood, bumper and grills, I use a generous amount of contact cement.

It can't be stressed enough to take your time assembling the body and adding re-enforcement. I use .020 strip and sheet styrene that I buy at my local hobby shop. The purpose of using this is to back up and strengthen the assembled body against impacts during racing. Accidents do happen in racing, but my cars usually last a very long time because I take the proper steps.

Additional reinforcing tabs help secure the front bumper or nosepiece depending on the type of car that you're building.

I was actually satisfied with how the rear bumper fits to the body straight from the kit, but I decided to add small tabs on each side to make sure it stays in place.

Here's the view from underneath once I assembled the body with contact cement.

Once I have assembled and glued the major body parts into place, I secure them tighty with tape and allow the glue to dry at least overnight. The purpose of the tape is to insure that the adhesive doesn't expand and separate the joints.

That's it for now, let's work on finishing the body and putting in the drive train next time.

Stay Tuned to Slot Car News for Part Three of Brian's Hardbody How-to.  

Racers be sure to check out the Mid-America Hardbody Racing Series page on Facebook for race dates and more information.

Bugatti Veyron

One quickly runs out of superlatives when trying to describe the Bugatti Veyron. I'm not even sure if one should use the word "car" to refer to such a monster. Endowed with absolute power and a daunting maximum speed, the Veyron looks and sounds like it just came out of some impossible future inhabited by gigantic gas pumps.

50 years after Ettore Bugatti's death, Volkswagen used its magic wand to resurrect the legendary firm, and to say the least, the German carmaker did a mindblowing job.

Motorsports enthusiasts will instantly refer you to the mythical Bugatti Royale from the 1930s, a colossal and majestic masterpiece, sold at such a prohibitive price that only three people were able to afford to buy it at the time. The Royale turned out to be one of the most rare and prestigious automobiles of all times, but despite record-breaking performances, its endless and fairytale-like silhouette became above all a symbol of unequivocable luxury able to make any Rolls Royce look like your everyday sedan. Instead of trying to match the Royale's incredible legacy, re-Volkswagen decided to look for inspiration in Bugatti's racing history to design the Veyron, rightfully using the name of the famous driver who won at Le Mans in 1939 behind the wheel of a Bugatti Type 57.

We got to drive this exceptional vehicle for a few miles in the parking lot of a San Diego country club. It's easy to feel intimidated by this incredible machine, so we carefully and promptly handed it back to its official tutor, French race car driver PierHenri Raphanel.

The Veyron is unbeatable. Its wide and massive shape sets it aside from other supercars such as the sleek Mercedes McLaren SLR or the angular Ferrari Enzo. But the real thrill comes from the Veyron's unrivaled performances: with an engine delivering 1001 hp and a top speed neighboring 250 mph, the new Bugatti flies over the road like a rocket in the morning sky. The Veyron goes from 0 to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds, which is no less than a second faster than a Ferrari Enzo. Pedal to the metal, you can reach 200 mph in little more than 15 seconds. This is a first in the field of street-legal vehicles, and you would have to steal a Champ Car to have a chance to catch up with the Veyron. To be frank, at the end of the day, I still wouldn't put a dollar on you.

Revolutionary techniques were involved in the making of this 21st Bugatti. In order to gather the 1001 horsepower needed to establish a new automotive legend, Volkswagen has designed an 8 liter W16 engine by mating two narrow-angle V8s. Peak torque is 922 lb/ft at 2200 rpm No less than four turbochargers garnish this frenzied powerhouse and engineers had to come up with a special seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to allow for all this wild energy to be transferred to the road. Needless to say, fuel efficiency was never an issue in the process, and you'll be delighted to learn that the Bugatti Veyron has given a new meaning to the term gas-guzzler by settling for a little more than 2 miles per gallon at top speed. In this configuration, the tank would go from full to empty in less than 12 minutes. All kinds of rumors are surrounding this unbelievable ride: pushing hard on this monster will make a set of tires last about 125 miles.

It took several years of trial and error to achieve the Bugatti Veyron's final version. Launched by flamboyant CEO Ferdinand Piëch in 1999, the project started with a prototype equipped with a W18 engine (three flatV6's side by side).

Soon, engineers realized they needed a more compact structure, and the W16 was adopted and installed in a mid-rear position. Fine tuning the beast was a long and difficult task, and many incidents occurred during the testing. A lack of stability at high speed even provoked an accident and the destruction of a prototype. In 2003, Piëch was replaced by Bernd Pischetsrieder at the helm of Volkswagen, and the new leadership took the project back to the drawing board. Under the supervision of engineer Wolfgang Shreiber, the Veyron became more stable and drivable. Gordon Murray, the famous and brilliant father of the astounding McLaren F1 of the early 90s who had in the past harshly criticized the Veyron initial concept and prototypes, was recently revealing his thoughts on the Bugatti's final version: "One really good thing, and I simply never expected this, is that it does change direction. It hardly feels its weight. Driving it on a circuit I expected a sack of cement, but you can really throw it at tight chicanes.

Only 300 Bugatti Veyrons will be made over the next five years. It will cost you no less than $1.5 million to get your hands on one of them, but apparently, Bugatti has already received 70 firm orders. In a classy move, Volkswagen moved Bugatti back to Ettore's original headquarters at Saint Jean Castle in Molsheim, Alsace, and the resurrected firm should even increase its production in 2006 to meet the demand. Believe it or not, all in all, the Veyron is a good bargain: its manufacturing costs far exceed its selling price. Following the steps of its respectable ancestors, this unique automobile is first and foremost a magnificent and decadent study announcing the end of an era. Stepping away from the cockpit of this unforgettable machine, lost in a state of denial, it was almost hard to keep in mind that the days of gasoline engines are numbered.

Hardbody How-To With Brian Meharry (Part 1)

Since the Car Model magazine building articles of the early 1970's, there have been few illustrated step by step guides that walk the reader through the process of building a slot car in plain and easy to understand English.

This series of building articles attempts to do just that, with photos and instructions by master builder and national driving champion Brian Meharry.

The "build" is a so called "hardbody" car, the type run on figure 8 and oval 1:1 and slot car racetracks around the country. As far as I know, there has never been a step by step tutorial published for building this type of slot car.

Let's check in with Brian as he starts the build...

The first thing to do is gather the parts that are needed to build the race car:

The body I'm using here is a late '90's Monogram NASCAR Ford Thunderbird. Tires are by ProTrack; 27mm in the rear, and the ProTrack solid rubber .950" x .250" x 3/32" "Jail Door" retro fronts (stock number 528). This car will be powered by the new Fast Ones Demon Motor, but you could use any of the FK sized motors such as the Trinity Evil 9 or TSR Falcon 7.

I chose the BRP threaded retro axle in the front to achieve independent rotating fronts without soldering. The gearing will be for Mid-America's Chris Dadds' "Lazy 8", and for that track I recommend 30 tooth crown with an 8 tooth angled steel pinion for better gear mesh. Add to this your favorite guide flag- in this case I will be using the Parma guide that normally comes with the FCR ready to runs since these guides are harder to break than others on the market.

All these parts should readily available at your local raceway.

After making sure the chassis is flat (in this case we are using the Precision Racing FCR jig to make sure the car is built flat and true), use a Sharpie to mark the area that will be cut out to raise the bushings. This cutout is needed to set the correct ride height.

Cut away the marked opening with a Dremel cut off disk or a nibbler. File the edges and make sure that the bushing fits smoothly into the opening. Be careful not to cut away too much material.

I still sometimes build chassis on graph paper, and use .032 and .063 brass plate under the chassis to get the right clearance, but here I'm using a jig, jig wheels, and spacers under the guide tongue to get the correct bushing height.

Next the bushings are soldered in place. I used Parma 3/32" offset bushings in the front, and 1/8" centered bushings in the rear. 1/8" bushings are offered offset as well if you want build in more adjust-ability to the wheelbase.

For this car, I'm trying these Bud Bartos retro threaded front axles. the axles are sold with lock nuts to hold on the wheels. Usually I just solder brass collars on the end of the axle, but I thought these were neat because I can drill a hole through my wheel inserts, place the nut on the outside of my wheel inserts and can remove the tires easily if there is a problem under green flag conditions.

Here's the assembled roller. The hard part of this build is now complete. I trued and cut my rear tires down to 1" diameter, and rounded the inside and outside edges on the hard fronts.

Pre-cut metal and plastic axle spacers work fine, but I like to use set screw collars on the axle to maintain spacing and gear mesh when the racing gets rough. Du-Bro makes wheel collars in various sizes including the 3/32" and 1/8" collars shown here. If you can't find them, any well stocked hobby shop with R/C parts should have them or can order them.

Here's the front end set up, with a better view of the threaded axle. I chose to use the set screw collars again. It makes it easy to adjust side play for different track conditions.

Two hours into the build now- about half done. It's a good time to check the body for fit, turns out with this body I didn't even have to trim the wheel wells. If I do cut out the wheel wells, I use Parma lane stickers as a template before I get nuts with the Dremel grinding wheel.....

That's it for now, more to come.

Stay Tuned to Slot Car News for Part Two of Brian's hardbody How-to. 

Racers also check out the Mid-America Hardbody Racing Series page on Facebook for race dates and more information.

Bugatti Car

This Italian Sports Car was first manufactured in France by an introverted genius known as Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti had a legendary reputation for building some of the most expensive sports cars of the past century. The first Bugatti after the First World War did not fare well. The company had perennial financial problems all the way up to the 1950s.

The company underwent restructuring, refinancing and finally was sold to Volkswagen- who currently own the company. During the 30s, Bugatti did get a lot of help with engineering from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati.

The initial Bugatti were fancy cars- more a work of art than anything else. Each part of the car was individually crafted and from this evolved the modern day glossy Bugatti that we know of today.

As a racing car, Bugatti did do well in many European races but the car was chiefly designed to be enjoyed on the road for a casual drive.

The classic Ettore Bugatti Cars of the past included the Type 35 Grand Prix, The Royale, The Type 57 Atlantic and the Type 55 Sports car. Only a few of these classic cars exist today. It is estimated that there are about 2000 Bugatti cars in existence today.

In the late 90s, Volkswagen purchased the right to produce cars and soon manufactured the Bugatti EB 118 AND 218 Veyron. The Veyron was mass produced in 2005 and was found to be super fast car. It also consumed gas at an exorbitant rate. The original Veyron had many test failures. The latest Veyron 16.4 has fared better but is also costly and requires a lot of gas even for short distances. Because the car has always been bought by the super rich, sales of Bugatti have remained stable- untouched by the global recession.

However, when the gas prices peaked in 2008, all the Bugatti Cars remained in the garage. It was costing close to $250 to fill the car in late 2008- and for those who love to put the pedal to the metal, the Bugatti tank will last 20-30 minutes.