We're here at Milan Dragway for the 2nd annual Ford Racing invitational and just like the guys at Indy, drag racers don't run in the rain. Ford invites the a bunch of Michigan-based media out to Milan during NMRA weekend so that we can try out our…
Category: Autoblog
Volt system integration chief Nick Zielinski talks about progress on E-Flex
Lyle over at GM-Volt.com had the chance to chat with Nick Zielinski of GM about progress on the E-Flex development. Nick is the Vehicle Chief Engineer for Advanced System Integration on E-Flex. Lyle and Nick discussed the A123 announcement that was…
Volkswagen delivers 250 bifuel CNG Golfs to Avis in Milan
Volkswagen has just delivered 250 of its dual fuel natural gas Golfs to Avis in Milan, Italy where they will join the rental car fleet. VW's dual fuel system allows the engine to run on either gasoline or compressed natural gas. Each fuel has its own…
Aston Martin unveils the first completed One-77 in Italy
Prominently featured on the Aston Martin stand on the first day of this year's Geneva Motor show was the rolling chassis of the very first One-77 prototype. By day two it had been be removed and replaced by the unfortunate Lagonda concept. The…
Audi's new TT TDI is going on sale this spring in Europe
Click for a high res gallery of the TT TDI
Audi announced their first diesel-powered production sports car back at the Geneva Motor Show in March and now it's going on sale. At least European drivers get a crack at the new TT TDI. The compression…
What's old is new again: VW developed auto start/stop, DI in 1980
The great risk in predicting the future is that the odds are great that you will be wrong. Every once in while, though, you nail the ideas almost dead on. For some amusement, it's always fun to go back and peruse old issues of magazines like Popular…
Audi produces 10,000th TT TDI
Audi TT TDI – Click above for high-res image gallery
After two years in production, Audi has just churned out the 10,000th example of its diesel-powered sports car, the TT TDI. The compression ignition TT is propelled by a higher output version of…
University of Michigan starts engineering grad program for energy systems
It now seems a lifetime ago since I was studying mechanical engineering and it's amazing how things have changed. Back then, there were no hybrids on the road, and the GM Impact was still just a concept with no firm production plans. A substantial…
Paul Newman takes last laps at Lime Rock
In the world of Hollywood where so many people are vacuous prima donnas, Paul Newman is one of the great exceptions. He is considered one of the greatest American actors and one of the classiest human beings. However, after 83 years, the Newman era…
Spy Shots: 2010 Ford Fiesta Sedan spotted on I-75
Another one of our eagle-eyed readers wielding a camera has attacked, this time along I-75 near the boundary between Michigan and Ohio. The car in question is the upcoming 2010 Ford Fiesta, which is due to hit to the U.S. market in 2010 and will be…