WDWFreak53, car discussion

flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
wow... looks like they tried to stay 'true' to the old skyline interior... which makes it look incredibly dated and ugly by today's standards :(

The R32/R33/R34 look like a buick mated with a prelude. It's a beauty only a car nut can love simply due to the incredible potential of the car.
 
garyhoov

garyhoov

Trophy Husband
WDWFREAK53 said:
Only 160 miles?!?!?!? I drive that in 2 days! Does that mean you can go on 160 miles per charge? I don't get it...is it not a vehicle that needs to fill up at a Hydrogen station? hehe.
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I was a little surprised by that number because I know they made a big deal of a 300 mile trip they did in a fuel-cell Equinox a few months ago . . . but that's the big hurdle they're trying to get over right now. To get the magic number range of approximatley 300 miles per tank, they need hydrogen tanks that can withstand about 10,000 psi - and that requires high strength (and expensive composites). They must be using a 5,000 psi tank on this one which will be less expensive, but also limit the range.

That's why they're trying to find particles that will "hold" the hydrogen. They won't need pressurized tanks then.

flynnibus said:
wow... looks like they tried to stay 'true' to the old skyline interior... which makes it look incredibly dated and ugly by today's standards :(

The R32/R33/R34 look like a buick mated with a prelude. It's a beauty only a car nut can love simply due to the incredible potential of the car.
Click to expand...

I was a little put off by the interior, but it does look very "Japanese". That's probably the look they're going for, and people interested in this car, will probably want something that ties the car to it's history.:shrug:
 
garyhoov

garyhoov

Trophy Husband
Here's another good article on GM's Equinox fuel-cell project. Apparently they are using a 10,000 psi tank ( I did a quick conversion and 700 bar = 10,000 psi ), but they kept it small. It sounds like they could extend the range if they were willing to give up some interior space (if I was one of the people driving one of these things, I think I'd be willing to give up some space for fewer stops at the fueling station - 150 miles wouldn't even get me through the week):

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/10/gm-launches-pro.html#more

And here is an article that discusses the fifth generation fuel cell in the Volt (the Equinox uses GM's fourth generation, and they claim the 5th gen is half the size).

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/04/gm_unveils_seco.html

I remember seeing a fairly detailed technical article about the 5th gen technology, but I'm afraid I can't find it now.
 
DMC-12

DMC-12

It's HarmonioUS, NOT HarmoniYOU.
Oooo alternative fuels..... much better than ricer talk, IMO. :lol::lookaroun

What? :veryconfu:lookaroun


:lol::p
 
mkt

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
DMC-12 said:
Oooo alternative fuels..... much better than ricer talk, IMO. :lol::lookaroun

What? :veryconfu:lookaroun


:lol::p
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A Honda Civic with a wing and a fartcap is rice.

Nissan GT-R that will spank most other cars on the road is not rice, even with its country of origin.

:)
 
WDWFREAK53

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
garyhoov said:
Here's the first driving impression I've seen of the riceburner.:lookaroun

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/FREE/71017001/1065

3792 lbs :eek:

The main point of the driving impression seems about what you'd expect. Sounds like the GT-R will be smoother and more stable at speed and get there with less drama, but the Porsche's going to handle a little better.
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I gotta tell ya...My 350 handled like a dream...a tad bit of understeer but other than that it was a great car. I saw one this morning and Tina said, "You miss her...don't you," and I just said...Yep...I sure do.
 
garyhoov

garyhoov

Trophy Husband
WDWFREAK53 said:
I gotta tell ya...My 350 handled like a dream...a tad bit of understeer but other than that it was a great car. I saw one this morning and Tina said, "You miss her...don't you," and I just said...Yep...I sure do.
Click to expand...

They've got a $1500 cash offer until the end of October.:lookaroun

They really seem to be targetting Porsche with the GT-R, but it almost seems closer in spirit to a Lamborghini Gallardo to me.

I guess they may figure even if they get all the Lamborghini drivers, they still wouldn't sell many cars, but if they could put it against the Lambo and basically offere a competitive car at 1/2 the price, it seems like they could develop some interest.:shrug:

One cool thing that's happening with cars like the Audi R8 and GT-R (and even Corvette Z06), is they're starting to bring super-car performance down to the $100,000 range and below, so that may put some competitive pressure on companies like Ferrari to either offer higher performance or lower prices.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Lambo and Ferrari will always sell on 'exotic' though. They will continue to latch onto that and use that as a differentiator... rather then becoming 'another porsche'
 
garyhoov

garyhoov

Trophy Husband
flynnibus said:
Lambo and Ferrari will always sell on 'exotic' though. They will continue to latch onto that and use that as a differentiator... rather then becoming 'another porsche'
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I wonder if Audi is making a mistake with the R8 and cutting the legs out from their own Lamborghini division.

Apparently they're going to put the Lamborghini V-10 into the Audi, so unless they bump up the performance of the Gallardo, how are they going to claim it is "exotic" when there's a mid-engine V-10 R8 that can match the Lambo.:shrug:

At least for now, some people will still buy the Lamborghini for the name, but at some point people are going to stop and ask: "Hey, wait a minute. What exactly makes you 'exotic' anyway?"

There has to be something more than a bull logo.
 
WDWFREAK53

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
garyhoov said:
I wonder if Audi is making a mistake with the R8 and cutting the legs out from their own Lamborghini division.

Apparently they're going to put the Lamborghini V-10 into the Audi, so unless they bump up the performance of the Gallardo, how are they going to claim it is "exotic" when there's a mid-engine V-10 R8 that can match the Lambo.:shrug:

At least for now, some people will still buy the Lamborghini for the name, but at some point people are going to stop and ask: "Hey, wait a minute. What exactly makes you 'exotic' anyway?"

There has to be something more than a bull logo.
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You wait...Lambo and Ferrari are going to go the route that Porsche went...they'll offer a realistically priced vehicle and then the "true Lambo and Ferrari" drivers won't have anywhere to go.

Don't believe me? How about the Boxster and the antichrist-like Cayenne?

I can just picture it now...a Lamborghini SUV (I've actually seen a concept a few years back)...

The Lamborghini Ragno!!! (A small two-seater Lambo mid-engine...that is comparable to the Boxster) (Ragno is Italian for Spider)

How about...

The Lamborghini Spedizione! (Spedizione is Italian for Expedition)
 
garyhoov

garyhoov

Trophy Husband
WDWFREAK53 said:
Don't believe me? How about the Boxster and the antichrist-like Cayenne?
Click to expand...

I don't have a problem with Boxster - in fact it's mid-engine, 2 seat design makes it a purer sports car than the 911 IMO (though not as exclusive in price and performance), but yeah, I think we've discussed before how much I HATE the Cayenne.

And how anout the Panamera?

panamera-sep06-1.jpg


I can understand there's a market for the Cayenne. Soccer mom's like to brag that they own a Porsche. But the only reason owning a Porsche means anything is that historically they have been a manufacturer of purpose built sports cars.

10 years from now, I won't be surprised if they've diluted the image of the brand to the point that Porsche won't be seen as anything more interesting than Mercedes or BMW.

Of course I'm so old I remember a time when BMW was known for it's small, sporty European sedans, and now 90% of BMWs sold in the US probably weigh over 3500 lbs. . . and a large percentage of those are sold with automatic transmissions.

Oh, well. There are still a lot of great cars out there, but the brands are becoming more and more diluted - victims of their own success.
 
mkt

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
and ever increasing safety requirements. Safety equipment adds weight :p
 

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