Aircraft

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Insider: 4 Tips on How to Select the Right Tires for Your Vehicle

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When it comes to buying new tires for your vehicle, finding places to purchase them is fairly easy. What’s more challenging, however, is deciding which type is best for your car. While tire shop employees should be adept at steering you — pun fully intended — in the right direction, it’s still a good idea to be fully educated on the correct tires for your car. With that in mind, the following tips can help you select the right tires for your particular vehicle: 1. Determine What Size Tire You Need Much like you shop for the proper shoe size …

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2018 Bell & Ross BELLYTANKER Inspired By Bonneville vMax Racers

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Achieving top speeds with piston engines is almost all about aero.  Yes, thrust is key to get you above 100-mph.  And stability is critical for being able to comfortably reach 150-mph over the flat, but actually pretty choppy, salt flats of Bonneville.  Anything over 200-mph takes a seriously slippery shape.  The drag forces rise to exponentially with each extra MPH at that point.  You really need to be in as slippery a shape as possible. During the post-war maverick days of the late 1940s and 1950s, the engineers involved had to find the most sleek, ultra teardrop shape imaginable. Military …

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2017 ItalDesign x Airbus Pop

2017 ItalDesign x Airbus Pop.Up – Concept Debrief

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Maybe all those ‘flying car’ dreamers and visionaries were just too smart – by half. What if a self-piloted EV road module was left behind when your drone-copter arrives?  That self-driving EV skateboard could drive itself home or to meet you later at the office.  Meanwhile, your transport pod will be under the eight counter-rotating blades of the quad-copter above you? Pretty intense in how real this fantasy traffic-avoider feels.  Thrilled to have the big brains of Giugiaro and Airbus working together to flesh out the idea. Here is a crude animation of how this will work. The insight is rock solid: …

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1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster 8

RM Monaco 2016 – 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster – War, Peace and Speed Records

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You can almost sense that how much post-war Jaguar was still heady with knowledge and insights from designing torpedos, fighter planes and bombers. On the return to civilian life, that knowledge greatly enhanced the performance of their vehicles. Their insight into light construction, aerodynamics and pure, function-first aesthetics is clear to see on this XK120 Alloy from 1950.  We love how these weapons-designers applied a softer, lighter mood overall to this sports roadster.  Its baby blue color only reinforces the peace-making mission this car would tackle. The hints of brutality and war, however, are not hard to find in this iconic machine’s design …

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Top 7 Soviet Concept Cars – GAZ Streamliners, Armored Snowmobile, JetCar and HoverCar!

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GAZ is best known these days as the maker of the iconic Volga limousine, but the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (Gorky Car Plant) was also tasked with creating one-off prototypes and concept vehicles throughout the Cold War period. Their feasibility for mass production still remains questionable all this time later, but they are wacky and show clever ingeniuty.  And a willingness to experiment! Here are six extra curious models, starting with the most recent and moving back in time from 1962 to 1950.  You may note the striking evolution of GAZ vehicles in this same period.  From streamlined aero prototypes at first, …

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Range Rover Autobiography Helps Christen VIRGIN GALACTIC SS2 Unity

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The revised SpaceShipTwo from Virgin Galactic made its debut this week — towed into the glamorous launch ceremony by none other than the best 4×4-by-far! The Range Rover Autobiography is a dashingly tiny vehicle versus this rocket-powered space plane.  Towing in such a gigantic aircraft is a great showcase of the Rangie’s 7700-pound max tow rating. Speeds were considerably lower here than normal highway towing…. but there is no better-looking trailer… in the universe!   Range Rover Autobiography – Virgin Galactic SS2 Unity RANGE ROVER HELPS UNVEIL NEW VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIPTWO AT GLOBAL REVEAL AND NAMING CEREMONY 19/02/16   – Land …

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JOTA is Back in HUNT! 2016 Jaguar XJR Dragraces JetMan Dubai

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  XJ. Not XF or XE. This is the big daddy superlimo, the XJR, in rare form! Jaguar has really upped its content-creation budget, and we are all the beneficiaries! The new XJR driven by F1 legend Martin Brundle races aginst Yves Rossy in a 1.75-mile matchup. The four rockets of the ‘jetman’ are all fired and pushing hard as the new XJR stomps the gas, with the winner declared at a finish line deep in the sandy horizon. The XJR is showcasing its latest rear-drive power and launch traction, courtesy of a new ASPC (all surface progress control) that …

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Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Carbon Forgé Leads New Lightweight Timepiece Collection

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A new dream-watch just launched!  The Bell & Ross BR-X1 is named to honor the Bell X-1 supersonic test plane from 1947 — and employs tech just as advanced for 2015 watchmaking. Four initial styles of the BR-X1 are part of a very limited-release initial collection. The favorite of ours is the Carbon Forge model — as it has a very unique marbled finish, tinted sapphire crystal, and should be much lighter than the typical BR watches. Milled from single pieces of alloy, the heft of their watches makes you feel important. But does take time to get comfortable with …

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RingBrothers Carbon Fiber Mustang GT-R on HRE Wheels Hits Airbase for GORGEOUS Photoshoot

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This is the most stunning thing you will see all day! The ‘ESPIONAGE Mustang: a full carbon-fiber Mustang running gorgeous retro-mod HRE wheels in polished gunmetal grey. It is a stunning car — and the process of making it real is almost more fascinating than the end product!  Almost. RingBrothers Carbon Fiber Mustang GT-R on HRE Wheels   Construction Process – RingBrothers   Cabin    

Apollo Edition 2015 Mustang

627HP 2015 Ford Mustang APOLLO EDITION Wears CF Bodykit + Forgiato 21s

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Before you get too excited… this Apollo Edition Mustang is a one-off custom — not one coming to showrooms to rival the 2016 GT350. Created for this week’s Experimental Aircraft Association show in Oshkosh, Wisconin, the Apollo Mustang will be sold to benefit EAA AirVenture and youth engineering programs. The Apollo Mustang wears a variety of off-the-shelf Ford Performance parts, custom details, and designer features like the Forgiato wheels. The carbon-fiber body kit is beautiful with its functional strut supports looking great on the Apollo’s slammed stance. 2015 Ford Mustang APOLLO EDITION     FORD ANNOUNCES APOLLO EDITION MUSTANG TO …

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RM Monterey 2015 - 1938 Adler Trumpf Rennlimousine 7

RM Monterey 2015 – 1938 Adler Trumpf RennLimousine – LM ‘Racing Sedan’ with Airship Aero

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The fantastic convergence of aerospace and supercars has a glorious history! This Adler Trumpf Rennlimo from 1938 represented a fascinating view of automotive aerodynamics in a time before effective wind tunnels or computer simulations. The learnings and design principles of aerodynamics were far more theoretical in the pre-jet age. Yet Adler designers brought great insights from airship and Zeppelin design into the car world to great results. This ‘racing sedan,’ as the Rennlimo translates, was the first closed-cockpit racer to take on LeMans. Just six were produced for sale, all with unique spindle and wing tweaks to the bodywork. The …

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2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed BREITLING JET TEAM Special

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Bentley and Breitling have one of the most durable brand partnerships in the car business. There just seems to be never-ending relevance among Bentley owners and Breitling wearers. Seven examples of this Breitling jet team special will be produced – with polished alloy for the hood and roof, grounded by a bright cyan lower bodykit and interior detailing. The car will debut at the end of July at the Boeing air show in Washington state, with order books to open (and then close:) as fast as a control-tower flyby of seven top guns! 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed BREITLING JET …

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2015 Bell & Ross BR 03 RAFALE Is Ceramic Special With Fighter-Jet Tech Transfer

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Welcome to the latest Bell & Ross showpiece: the BR 03 Rafale. Revealed at this year’s Basel World convention, this 500-unit run takes the Bell & Ross aesthetic and identity well into the future via all-new style and military technology transfer. The most striking element of this $6,200 watch is its case, which eschews the typical milled alloys and stainless steel of most watches from this hot French marque. By swapping metal for ceramic, the Rafale promises to be a real featherweight on the wrist. The big-watch trend takes some time to get used to on your wrist. You learn …

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2015 Honda FCV Concept + Year of Honda Turbo VTEC and Turbofan HondaJet Arrival

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Honda is very re-energized lately. It will take time for the actual products to catch up with the mood inside the halls of America Honda these days, but when they arrive, they should be terrific. After years of a relatively glum and forlorn outlook, there is a palpable sense of future potential in Honda today. The FCV concept is still in its production-engineering mode, as Honda is keen to perfect every detail before the global rollout. This sense slightly delayed the new Acura NSX as well, but we now see it was worth the wait. Honda is diving head-first into …

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Porsche GTS Crew Lands Lufthansa Red-Eye To LA – Cayenne, Cayman, Boxster and 911 GTS LA Photos

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Frankfurt to Los Angeles — direct — is a long, long flight. 11-hours and 10-minutes, to be precise. The list price for a human is $4,000 on Lufthansa, and 10X that for a vehicle. Equipment? 777ER. Or more likely, the trusty 747-400. The trip feels especially lengthy when you are in the chilly cargo bay of a jumbo jet — which often has precious cargo in its below bay. Lufthansa is one of the only world airlines that flies cargo and humans on the same flights, at the same time. But the humans are kept warmer. At 35,000 feet over …

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2016 Toyota Mirai FCV Gets Race-Prepped As Japanese Rally Championship PreRunner

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  The world’s first hydrogen racecar? Not exactly. But certainly one of the first hydrogen rally cars — that is a sure thing. As the course pre-runner for the Japanese Rally Championship in Shinsiro, this TMG-tuned Mirai is a fresh take on the Prius EV and hybrid theme. So, if the Mirai did not actually compete, what is the point? The point is that the Mirai is absolutely ready for primetime. It has been exhaustively crash-tested and this rough-course racing environment is a huge vote of confidence from Toyota in the Mirai FCV’s essential Toyota-ness: the core tenets of Quality, …

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Travel Adventures – Aviation Hall of Fame – U2 Spy Plane and D-21 Recon Drone

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PART TWO – The U2 and D-21. In the days before satellite imagery, broadband and digital photography — it was all about actual aerial photographs in the military planning and intelligence worlds. The Blackbird program was accelerated and approved for use largely as a result of a U-2 being shot down and its pilot captured in the USSR. The U-2 was designed to fly higher than any Soviet missile could reach. It moved slowly, like today’s surveilance drones, because the thinking was that its altitude would protect it from any attack. Flying slower also allowed the Kodak large-format camera systems …

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Travel Adventures – Aviation Hall of Fame – 2,193MPH Lockheed SR-71A and SR-71B Blackbirds

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PART TWO – The Blackbirds. Has there ever been a plane more enigmatic and also enchanting in its design and capabilities? The Lockheed Blackbird is a true icon for the ages. Included below are two of the only SR-71 Blackbirds that are viewable by the public – anywhere on Earth. The first is the world aviation speed record-holder, and the second the SR-71B double cockpit model. They are both housed inside giant museum buildings, making photographs tricky. The lighting is atrocious, but their impact up close is unforgettable. Why inside? Well, despite having their engines removed and on display, these …

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Travel Adventures – Robins AFB Aviation Hall of Fame – B1 Bomber

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PART ONE – B1 Bomber There are a few signs you see on a road trip that are usually worth taking the next exit. One of those is an AFB Museum. Without any prior planning or knowledge of the Robins Air Force Base Museum on my way to Atlanta today, we pulled off the highway ASAP and set the navigation with this new destination. 24 minutes off the highway, and we are staring head-on with a B1-B Lancer and a Warthog A10 out front. This is the second amazing detour for an AFB museum — the other being in Kalamazoo, …

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