New York’s Time Square closed off to cars

In attempt to reduce traffic and cut down on pedestrian accidents, sections of Broadway from 47th to 42nd streets and 35th to 33rd streets have been closed to cars making New York’s Times and Herald Square a little more people friendly.

The Department of Transportation has set up barriers around the two squares in Midtown Manhattan and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says her group will monitor the closed-off area during the setup period of the block.

Read more...

Bentley to Reveal High-Powered Flex-Fuel Continental GT - Car News

What’s the fastest and most powerful Bentley ever? Currently, that crown is placed atop the Continental GT Speed, capable of a claimed 202 mph courtesy of its 600-hp twin-turbo W-12 engine. Bentley will have a new answer come March, though—we just don’t know what it is yet.

The folks in Crewe are calling this new variant “the extreme Bentley” (they’ve even set up a teaser site at www.extremebentley.com), a description we’re not likely to argue with. Details are scarce at this point, with the few facts accompanied by a lone teaser image and a nearly information-free video (viewable on the aforementioned site). What we do know is that the engine will top the Speed line’s 600-hp W-12—likely using a reworked-again version of that 6.0-liter 12—and that it will be able to reach velocities of at least 203 mph. And while it is claimed to be the most powerful, we doubt it will beat the torque output of the Brooklands and its top-down mate the Azure T—both of which use a 500-hp, 738-lb-ft twin-turbocharged 6.8-liter V-8—as the Speed-y Contis crank out a mere 553 lb-ft.

Read more...

Mini Airstream caravan

The Mini Airstream caravan will be presented at the Milan Salone del Mobile (furniture design) event, though it is designed for “California dreamin” beaches, surf and girls. The Mini caravan design is as original as it is superfluous, designed to show off refined liberty.
Danish brand Republic of Fritz Hansen was employed to redesign the interior, and features include waterproof materials and the removal of the rear seats to make way for a scuba set.
© Source: eurocarblog

Read more...

Obama to unveil new fuel-economy standards tomorrow, calls for 35 mpg by 2016

Sources say that the Obama administration is ready to unveil a new fuel-efficiency policy that will resolve a dispute between California and the U.S. government over emissions.

The new proposal will run from 2012 to 2015 and will maintain a single national standard for fuel-economy. It will also give automakers flexibility for meeting the new standards.

Sources familiar with the plan say that the strategy calls for raising the fuel-economy standards of cars and trucks to 35 mpg by 2016.

Two months ago, the government said fuel-economy standards for U.S. light vehicles would increase 8 percent to an average of 27.3 mpg by 2011, costing the auto industry $1.45 billion to make the necessary changes.

Read more...

How To: Scandinavian Flick - Feature

Beginning in the 1960s, Scandinavian rally-car drivers popularized a technique that became known as the “Scandinavian flick.” The goal is to briefly unbalance the car enough to produce a spectacular drift. It’s done by inducing oversteer—the sliding of rear wheels—that in turn will carry the vehicle through a corner and scrub off speed in the process. The point of the technique, aside from looking cool, is to allow better car control by “steering” the car with the throttle. So here’s our Arthur Murray–inspired guide to the seven-step Scandinavian flick. One last thing, a mandatory mommy warning: It’s not a good idea for beginners to do this on public streets or in a nursing-home parking lot.

  

Keep Reading: How To: Scandinavian Flick - Feature

Read more...

Mayor Abolishes the Western Extension of the London Congestion Charge - Car News

Boris Johnson, the new mayor of London, has announced that the western extension of the London Congestion Charge will be abolished but not until 2010. The $12-a-day charge was introduced by his predecessor, Mayor Ken Livingstone, and at first, it applied to only the commercial heart of London. In 2007, the downtown area subjected to the charge was expanded to include the largely residential area west of London. The charge cannot be reversed immediately for administrative reasons. Johnson also has dismantled Livingstone’s scheme to increase the congestion charge for cars that emit too much carbon-dioxide, a plan that Porsche

fought in court until the new mayor took office.

Keep Reading: Mayor Abolishes the Western Extension of the London Congestion Charge - Car News

Read more...

Luso Motors reveals working LM23 prototype

Despite a plunging global economy and tough economic times for the car industry as a whole, there are small bright spots where innovation and development are still burning brightly. Luso Motors appears to be one of those, as it has recently unveiled a working prototype of its LM23 mid-engined track-day kit car. Ernesto Freitas, the design force behind Portugal's Luso Motors, released the design concept early in 2008, but instead of reviving the Ferrari Dino or the Avions Voisin brand, the new car was a self-branded track-focused two-seater.
Luso Motors LM23

Read more...