The Demo Site

Among the most iconic racing events held around the world, few American races have the clout to rival the 12 Hours of Sebring. Names like Andretti, Fangio and Moss have made it famous, and the annual "once around the clock" event continues as a mainstay of the American Le Mans Series calendar. But if you're going to count down the hours until the finish line, you're going to need the right equipment. At least, that's what the event's promoters figured when they teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Alpina Genève to offer an official timepiece of the race: the Alpina Extreme 12 Hours of Sebring.

The watch's case is made of black steel, with a matte black dial said to be reminiscent of the track surface with the requisite bit of carbon fiber at the center. The branding for a 12-hour race and a 12-hour watch practically creates itself, but we're impressed that the folks at Alpina resisted the urge to go all chrome and lacquer, opting for a decidedly subdued look instead. Only 257 examples will be offered, to commemorate the 57th running of the race this coming March 18-21, 2009.

[Source: TimeZone]

The Chery S16 is called a sedan even though it only has two doors, a hatchback, what appears to be zero rear headroom, and is about 22 inches shorter than a Chevy Aveo. From the front, the styling conjures words like "bizarre" and "Picasso" and "flounder," but -- and perhaps it is the hour -- we find it kinda cute. At the rear, things get confused with a host of grafted designs that don't blend so well together.

Regardless of whether it's a sedan or what you think of its looks, Chery plans to release it by May of this year. What the company needs now is a name, and is appealing to the Chinese public to provide it with one. We don't understand why Chery is still in the hunt -- the car came with the perfect name when it was launched at the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show: Chery Wow. Indeed.

[Source: Gasgoo]

Growing up in Canada, every kid knows what the Zamboni is. But for the poor, deprived children of warmer climes, we'll fill you in. It's not a lunch meat or a pastry you'd find in Little Italy, but the ice resurfacing machine you see put-putting around the rink before, after and in the middle of hockey games. Created by Frank Zamboni in 1949, the company's pretty much had a monopoly on the market ever since. But the times, as Bob Dylan sang from the penalty box, they are a-changin'.

Toronto, Canada's largest city, is slowly phasing out their Zambonis in favor of Finnish-made IceCats (pictured above). So is the National Hockey League. And the reason is carbon monoxide: while the Zambonis run on propane or natural gas, the IceCats are all-electric. In an indoor arena, that can make all the difference: it's no big surprise to read that a study in the American Journal of Public Health determined that replacing carbon-emitting resurfacing machines with electric ones would reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in indoor arenas by 87%, except to wonder where the other thirteen percent is coming from (flatulent spectators?). At a whopping $160,000 apiece - twice the price of a new Zamboni when many skating rinks already have their own - the IceCats aren't cheap (there are only four in all of Canada), but with carbon emissions on everybody's minds, Zamboni may get beaten to by the Finnish line.

[Source: Wired]

Huet Brothers Special

They don't build 'em like they used to. At least, most of 'em don't. But "most" doesn't include the Huet Brothers. The Dutch duo operates classic rallies and tours across Europe. But having grown up around vintage Alfas and Bugattis, Paul and Tino Huet wanted to recreate something special. The result is the HB Special, a neo-classic roadster with a modern twist inspired by events like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Le Mans, which hosted competitors like the Aston Martin DBR1, Maserati 300 S and Ferrari 412 S.

Based on a Triumph TR6, the HB Special uses carbon-fiber and aluminum to keep the weight down to just 750 kg (1650 lbs). The car is motivated by a simple inline-six engine, tuned to produce a modest 180 horsepower. But outright speed isn't the point: The HB Special, like the Creative Workshop's Sport Speciale, is a modern exercise in classic design. The Huet Brothers plan to produce 12 examples, but they won't be for sale; they'll be used for hire in their exclusive HB Experience tours. To complement the car and the experience, the Huet Brothers have crafted a selection of classic motoring accessories, all of which you can check out on their website, or click the images below to see the car in all its high-resolution glory.

 lunar rovers in action.

About the time Ford was developing the first Mustang, General Motors' Defense Research Labs was working on something more other-worldly. Man was about to go to the moon, and they needed some transportation when they got there. GM was chosen to develop the running gear along with the tires for the three lunar rovers that would travel to the moon.

Now, more than 40 years later, NASA is on a mission to return to the moon and again needs something to cruise the craters. As we've reported before, NASA is developing a new rover design, but wants to improve upon the original rover's wheels. Unfortunately, the original rovers are still on the lunar surface, and, in its infinite Cold War wisdom, NASA made sure nothing from the original design escaped the shredders.

Luckily, NASA called up one of the original rover tire designers to seek his insight. The 80-year-old engineer was more than happy to help, and even offered to bring in the original, 40-year-old lunar rover tire he had squirreled away in his closet. Made out of zinc-coated piano wire, the tire has been sitting in the retired GM employee's closet just waiting for its day to do its patriotic duty. Or end up on eBay.

So the engineer and his 40-year-old moon tire are helping NASA develop a new transportation system for future moon-exploring astronauts. Click here to listen to the NPR story. Check out the gallery for several shots of the piano-wire-mesh tires in action on the lunar surface. Thanks for the tip, Christina!

[Source: NPR]

Volvo S60 Concept

It may not be the same as attending the event in-person, but a live, interactive webcast of Volvo's press conference at the Detroit Auto Show, where the S60 concept and production XC60 for North America will be shown, could be the next best thing. The broadcast is intended for media types and members of the press, but the fact that it's being aired on DirecTV (channel 101, January 11 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM ET) means that anybody with a television and the satellite service can watch it live. Alternatively, users can register for a password to the online site, the location of which is not yet determined.

The coolest bit of tech that's making an appearance for this event is the capability to send questions to a live host who will then relay selected inquiries to key Volvo executives. These days, the global economic downturn is affecting everyone, including those who would normally cover these events for the media. This being the case and assuming the event is a success, we'd expect to more manufacturers to adopt a similar system at upcoming auto shows. Of course, we'll be there live and you can always direct your browsers to our pages for the best coverage available.

HUMMER

The swan song (or would that be swan hummer?) has come for HUMMER's involvement with Rod Hall Racing. HUMMER has announced it's ending sponsorship of the team that has brought it numerous race championships and victories. Last year's accolades include first in the stock full class in the Baja 1000, and season championship honors in SCORE's stock mini and stock full class, and the Best in the Desert series.

With General Motors a little light right now on the cash front, and with HUMMER up for sale, the move had to be expected. We had a chance to ride with Chad Hall in last year's Baja 500, and we can tell you that the Hall family and the trucks they drive are first class. The H1 and H2 SUT trucks are up for sale, so if you're keen to get in the dirt with some proven tech, there's probably no better place to start.

Kia cee'd

Stop/start technology is like a trial membership for hybrids: it lets drivers in on the fuel savings and lower carbon emissions without forcing them to become a card-carrying member of the hybrid brigade. Kia is will be offering buyers just such an opportunity by introducing ISG, or Idle, Stop, and Go (also called Intelligent Stop & Go) on the new cee'd.

The ISG will be available on the 1.4- and 1.6-liter gasoline-engined c'eeds, and unlike other stop/start technology, this ISG shuts the engine down not only when the car is stopped, but when it's moving less than four mph. To engage the ISG while the car is moving, the driver puts the car in neutral and depresses the clutch, the engine is shut down, and he or she will be rewarded with 15% better fuel economy in the urban cycle.

The frugal-ized cee'd also benefits from a lighter five-speed gearbox and low-rolling-resistance tires as standard fitment. Later in 2009, the 1.6-liter diesel c'eed will be offered with ISG technology.

2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD

Infiniti's FX first arrived on the scene in 2003. At the time, it looked like something transported into the showroom directly from the auto show concept car turntable. While other manufacturers were delivering boxy SUVs, Infiniti presented the world a futuristic four-door crossover that was available in vibrant "Liquid Copper" paint. Even in bland white, the FX turned every head on the road - and rightfully so. Now in its second-generation, the all-new 2009 FX arrives with a more powerful 5.0-liter V8, a new 7-speed automatic and a mouthful of electronic driving aids that are sure to stump even the team at Engadget. Is the all-new FX a worthy replacement to its predecessor? Has it turned soft to please the luxury crowd? What's up with all of that gadgetry? Find out after the jump.

homemade HUMMER H1

Life is stranger than fiction. If anyone tries to tell you differently, simply point to the Canadian man who built the truck you see above, from scratch. Francois Couture, known in his posts as "H150", showed up in the Full Size Bronco forum on September 17, 2004 with a simple query: "Since I'm a Ford nut but always wanted a HUMMER but don't have lots of money, I decided to fabricate my own [based] on Ford truck frame..."

As forum users do, there were soon people offering a multitude of answers to his questions. But what the other users discovered rather quickly was that this guy was, literally true to his word, was fabricating a HUMMER H1 from nothing but plans. Using steel from his job, he built his own sheet steel bending machine, and over the last four years has been welding together a HUMMER H1 practically out of thin air. And get this: before he started his project, Francois didn't know how to weld. He learned to weld in order to build the truck. And he's good. Like, awesome. His fabrication work is as professional as anything you'd see from folks with a lot more money than a dedicated husband and father in Quebec.

The H1 is being built on a donor frame from a 1987 Ford F150, with an engine from a donated E-350 Super Duty shuttle van, and a whole bunch of other ingenious swaps, all from Fords. If you have the time to read 45 pages, it is worth it. Our favorite name for the truck so far: H4d. After four years and a bit, he's still working on it, and he's taking donations at the behest of other forum members in order to get the truck finished this summer. The effort and the passion speaks for themselves in the gallery of photos below. Hat tip to reader Kiran!