Computified

Gumpert Apollo – A car made to take on 911 GT3?

2007-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

It is beautiful, it is powerful, and it is the Gumpert Apollo. It goes from no to 100 Km/Hr (62 mph) in 3 seconds and from 0 – 200 Km/Hr (124 mph) in just 8.9 seconds and has 650 bhp. With a top speed of 360 Km/Hr (224 mph), this car sure is stunning. It uses a twin turbo V8 engine by Audi. It is made from a carbon fibre body fixed on a chrome molybdenum alloy and steel frame.

A Video of the Gumpert Apollo

Gumpert offers a variety of setups. Even a setup which has a better Power to Weight ratio than the McLaren F1 is available. It has a six speed sequential transmission with synchronization and oil cooling. Its wheels are made of aluminium to make them lighter. Though this car has looks which give an impression that this car is bulky (at least to me it looks bulky), it weighs less than 1100 Kg, which is quite light. It has a very low centre of gravity and has gullwing doors that open upwards. It also achieves very high standards of safety and has been homologised for use in a variety of racing series by the German Motor Sports Association (DMSB) and the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile (FFSA).

The Gumpert Apollo has 19 inch center-lock wheels. The brakes use 8 piston calipers and 15 inch discs. The concept was to create a high performance, street legal sports car which is also capable of winning on a Race track. Its interior is a mixture of a race car and an everyday car. Though I like the Koenigsegg interior more, this one is not bad. But you have so many options; they don’t give you a chance to complain at all.

A video of the Gumpert Apollo on a track. The car is not being driven fast though.

You can even get the padding in the seats of your choice and can transform your interior into a pure performance one or a bit luxurious one through the available options. Gumpert claims that the air conditioning is top of the line though it is available as an option. It includes a navigation system with DVD player. There’s a camera which helps in reversing, or as Gumpert says, lets you see how fast the overtaken cars disappear from the view. The car has downforce equal to any car in the DTM German touring championship. Gumpert hopes to produce 150 Apollos till 2008 and the production may start anytime. They call it the most exiting car to ever wear number plates. Now, that can only be verified when the car is launched. Here are its specifications:

Engine:

Type - Bi turbo V8
Displacement - 4163 cc
Power - 650 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque - 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) @ 4500 rpm
Max rpm - 7400

Performance:

0-62 mph - 3 seconds
Top speed - 360 Km/h (224 mph)

Dimensions:

Length - 175.6 in (4460 mm)
Width - 78.6 in (1998 mm)
Height - 43.5 in (1105 mm)
Wheel base - 106.3 in (2700 mm)
Track (front) - 65.7 in (1670 mm)
Track (back) - 62.9 in (1598 mm)
Boot Volume - 150 L
Weight - less than 1100 Kg (2420 lbs)

Gearbox:

Type - Six speed sequential
Gear Ratios - One/two - 287/177
Three/four - 126/100
Five/six/reverse - 83/71/300

The Koenigsegg success story.

2007-02-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

Koenigsegg, the company that made the car that broke the 10 year McLaren F1’s top speed world record. Started in 1994, this company was founded by Christian Von Koenigsegg. Von Koenigsegg always dreamt of making a perfect sports car - a two seater supercar that had a hardtop and with a mid engine layout based on Formula One technology. Von, in his early twenties started a trading company, the success of which allowed him to start his own car company and make the supercar he wanted to.

A video of the Koenigsegg CCR breaking the world record previously held by McLaren F1.

The Koenigsegg project was started in 1993. The design was by designer David Craaford following Von’s guidelines. A fully functional prototype was made in just 1.5 years. It was then exposed to the media and people. The car was tested in the Volvo wind tunnel and also tested on race tracks. The car was so smooth; it had a low drag coefficient of only 0.30 whereas the Mercedes SLR has a value of 0.37 and the enzo Ferrari a value of 0.36. A darker side was the low downforce of only 50Kg at the front and 70Kg at the back. A unique thing about Koenigsegg cars is that they have windscreen sorrounding the whole cabin. It also has a removable roof. It was shown at the Cannes film festival and gained much popularity very rapidly. A carbon fibre monocoque was added to the chassis. The car was made to comply with international certification regulations by making it go through 57 different tests. A new facility near Angelholm was set up.

A video of the koenigsegg making a new record on the Top Gear track.

In the year 2000, the production of Koenigsegg CC8S was started. The car won many awards and was chosen as the car of the year in Swedish magazine Automobil. In 2002, the first customer bought a red Koenigsegg CC 8S. The Koenigsegg Company moved an F10 Air Force Base near Angelholm due to a major fire in their production facilities. In the same year, Koenigsegg made the world record for the most powerful streetcar. In 2004, work on the CCR began which produced 806 hp @ 6900 rpm. The car broke the world record of the fastest car in history with a top speed of 388.87 Km/Hr which was later beaten by Bugatti Veyron.

Recently, the CCX has been launched which is the most advanced model of Koenigsegg. It broke the record of Pagani Zonda on the Top Gear Race track, beating it by 0.8 seconds. Presently, 7 vehicles can be assembled simultaneously in the Koenigsegg facility. The car uses more than 300 carbon fibre and other expensive components which is why Koenigsegg cars are so high priced.

A video of the Koenigsegg by Top Gear.

The Koenigsegg emblem was derived from the Coat of Arms of the Medieval Koenigsegg family of Schwaben, Germany.

The Koenigsegg Emblem:

The Koenigsegg logo:

Google TV?

2007-01-30T01:12:00.000-08:00

There has been news all around about this new Google plan. But guys at infinite solutions seem to have found it working. Anyway, here's a video of how to access this thing. But I have done it 700 times and still can't seem to make it work.
Nobody knows if it's hoax or real. I request you to find this out yourself and post comments here if you find something out.

Here are two videos of Mark erikson doing it:

Here's a video of another person who says he's done it after 114 tries:

Here's an update:
This is surely a hoax. I have tried it 2000 times with no result. A person who claimed that he had got a Google TV invitation, admitted that he was lying when I asked him to forward the e-mail to me.

Case Closed!

The Ultima GTR

2007-01-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

Which car goes from 0to 60 mph in the least time?
Which car goes from o to 100 mph in the least time?
Which car goes from 0 to 150 mph in the least time?
Which car goes from 30 to 70 mph in the least time?
Which car goes from 0 to 100 to 0 mph in the least time?
Which car goes from 100 to 0 mph in the least time?

And the answer to all those questions is just one:

The Ultima GTR

Yes, this car holds the most number of world records, that is six world records.

Here they are:

0-60 mph 2.6 secs.
0-100 mph 5.3 secs.
0-150 mph 11.8 secs.
30-70 mph 1.8 secs
0-100-0 mph 9.4 secs.
100-0 mph 3.6 secs.

This makes it the fastest accelerating and decelerating car in the world.
And guess what, this car is street legal.
The Ultima GTR car uses a 720 bhp V8 engine by Chevrolet. But the car used for these records used a 640 bhp engine which was the standard in this car until recently when it was upgraded to the 720 bhp one. This car is equipped with standard 5 speed G50 transmission and a standard production engine option from Ultima's official OE engine suppliers, American Speed. This car uses no traction devices or ABS braking assists.
Though this car may look ugly, it's shape is great and very aerodynamic with low volume and weight. Only the McLaren F1 was more swifter than this car is, says David vivian. This car can reach a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. And even after having such miraculous specifications and achievements, the Ultima GTR costs just a fraction of what other supercars cost. It's cost is just $89000 for the kit. Add to it the cost of the Chevrolet V8 engine and the Porsche drivetrain. The new design of the Ultima GTR has greater downforce, made possible by elongating the rear. It also helped to smoothen the airflow. It was put in the centre of the autosport international show at Birmingham in 2000. The Ultima GTR has big 18" wheels. Here's what people say:

Ted Marlow:
“ Quite frankly the Ultima has opened up a new league of road car performance with these new independently verified figures. The Ultima GTR with its superior power to weight ratio is now over two seconds quicker from 0-100mph-0 than the £750,000 McLaren F1 LM, and over one and a half seconds quicker than the £450,000 Ferrari Enzo. What’s more the GTR720 performed these world beating statistics consistently and reliably time after time. The mind boggling 30-70mph time of just 1.8 seconds is further proof that the Ultima is so far ahead of any other car in terms of outright performance."

David Vivian, EVO Mag.
“The Ultima GTR has God-like grunt, grip and responses by the standards of most production based sports cars.”

Danny McKeever, Fast lane Racing School
“You tell it what to do, and it does it!”
Here's video of the Ultima GTR breaking the 0-100-0 mph speed record:

It's comparison with other cars:

0-100mph-0:
Ultima GTR - 9.4secs
Ferrari Enzo - 10.9secs
McLaren F1 LM - 11.5secs
Porsche Carrera GT - 11.6secs
Pagani Zonda - 11.8secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo - 13.1secs
Ferrari F40 - 13.8secs
Lamborghini Murcielago - 13.9secs
Dodge Viper SRT - 10 14.6secs
Aston Martin DB9 - 14.9secs
Honda NSX Type - R 16.2secs.

0-60 mph:
Ultima GTR - 2.6secs
Ferrari Enzo - 3.4secs
McLaren F1 LM - 3.2secs
Porsche Carrera GT - 3.7secs
Pagani Zonda - 3.7secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo - 3.7secs
Ferrari F40 - 3.8secs
Lamborghini Murcielago - 4.0secs
Dodge Viper SRT-10 - 4.4secs
Aston Martin DB9 - 5.0secs
Honda NSX Type-R - 4.9secs.

0-100 mph:
Ultima GTR - 5.3secs
Ferrari Enzo - 6.7secs
McLaren F1 LM - 6.3secs
Porsche Carrera GT - 7.4secs
Pagani Zonda - 7.5secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo - 8.5secs
Ferrari F40 - 7.8secs
Lamborghini Murcielago - 9.0secs
Dodge Viper SRT10 - 9.5secs
Aston Martin DB9 - 10.2secs
Honda NSX Type R - 11.4secs.

100mph-0 braking comparison times(not including drivers reaction time):

Ultima GTR - 3.6secs
Ferrari Enzo - 4.0secs
McLaren F1 LM - 4.6secs
Porsche Carrera GT - 4.1secs
Pagani Zonda - 4.0secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo - 4.2secs
Ferrari F40 - 4.7secs
Lamborghini Murcielago - 4.4secs
Dodge Viper SRT10 - 4.7secs
Aston Martin DB9 - 4.4secs
Honda NSX Type R - 4.4secs

The Caparo T1

2007-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

In these times, finding a super car is not a difficult task. You see supercars almost everywhere. While buying one you have a variety of choices. New prototypes are being built continuously, but this one is from an entirely different breed. This car has no competitors. It is ahead of all other players in the market. It is yet to be launched but has already gained lot of popularity. It’s design has not been made by taking into account the looks, its design exudes performance, engineering, sophistication, and much more. It’s a prototype right now, but I’m sure when it come out of the showroom, it’ll be a monster. Oh and the car is Caparo T1.

Being built by the team that made the McLaren F1 and the Mercedes SLR, this car is gonna be a legend, just as McLaren F1 is. Ben Scott-Geddes andGraham Halstead took into consideration the performance first and then worried about the design in case of ML F1., it’s the same case now. With o to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.5 seconds, 0 to 100 mph in under 5 seconds and 0 to 60 to 0 mph in under 10 seconds, it’s going to be a lot of adrenalin. It weighs just 470kg and packs in 480bhp from a 2.4 liter V8 F1 specification engine. Hence giving it the power to weight ratio of 1000bhp/tonne which is twice that of Bugatti Veyron and is the most amazing part. And another thing, this car can has 3G braking and cornering ability. "It also features uncompromising safety features", says Graham Halsted. And here’s what Car Magazine says: "So much downforce, you can drive upside down in a tonnel ate 150mph." This car has no doors, just a sliding glass of the type used in fighter jets. It is a product of space engineering with a spaceframe, an aerodynamic space windshield. This car uses diffusers underneath and hence generates most of its downforse fom the lower part only. It features adjustable front and rear wings. It has a power to weight ratio of 500:1. It’s top speed will be 225 mph. It uses composite materials to reduce the weight and also the cost. It has a range of about 800 Km or 500 miles on public highways on a single fill of the 15 Gallon fuel tank. And yes, this car will cost just $260,000.

And before leaving, here are the specifications:

0-60 mph Description:

• Advanced technology composites
• Ultra high performance
• Fully tuneable
• 2 seater
• Rear mid-engined

Aerodynamics:

• Front cockpit road aero screen, other options
available for track use – TBA
• Ground effect diffuser
• Adjustable front twin element wing
• Adjustable rear single element wing
• Adjustable fowler flaps
• Low drag body design
• Range of wing options – road and track

Steering:

• Magnesium cased light weight high ratio
steering rack
• Bespoke removable steering wheel

Capacities:

• Dry sump tank 8 litres
• Fuel tank 70 litres

Body:

• Carbon fibre multi part body with tuneable
aerodynamics
• Designed in sections for easy repair
• Carbon/glass and nomex panel construction

Chassis:

• 2 seater carbon/aluminium honycomb monocoque
• Separate front composite crash structure
• Rear tubular aerospace grade steel spaceframe

Suspension:

• Streamline double wishbone front and rear
• Tuneable front and rear anti-roll bar
• Five-way adjustable race dampers

Engine:

• Aluminium V8
• Dry sump
• 480bhp @ 10,500 rpm / 1000bhp per tonne

Safety:

• Central safety cell with high strength steel roll hoop
• Composite front crash structure
• Head protection system
• 6 point harness for driver and passenger
compatible with HANS device
• Fire system

Electronics:

• Fully tuneable engine ECU
• Bespoke wiring aerospace grade loom
• Multi-function race dash including
data logging
• Speed sensors for traction and launch control
• Fly-by-wire throttle for optimum tuning

Gearbox:

• Magnesium/carbon 6 speed sequential gearbox
• Paddle shift gear change control
• Limited slip differential
• Equal length hollow tripode driveshafts
• Various gear and final drive ratios available

Brakes:

• 355 dia steel race discs front and rear
• Fully floating discs
• Front 6 pot billet machined race callipers
• Rear 4 pot billet machined race callipers
• Fully adjustable brake bias pedal box
• Pad compound options available

Equipment:

• Road legal SVA approved road version and full track
versions available
• Road and track parts fully interchangeable
• Wet weather canopy/bib screen or race screen
• Further options

Weight:

• 470Kg (dry weight)

24 Reasons for buying Playstation portable (PSP) over iPod Video

2007-01-11T13:35:00.001-08:00

I gave a try to both PSP and iPod and zeroed in on PSP. Sony’s PSP is a clear winner.
Don’t believe me? Read the following points and go and confirm it for yourself.

1. PSP’s audio quality is better than iPod.
2. Video quality of PSP is better than iPod.
3. The conversion of videos in PSP is much much faster than iPod.
4. Playstation portable has a bigger and wider screen as compared to iPod.
5. Playstation portable has better screen resolution than iPod and excellent screen sharpness and detail.
6. PSP is much less costlier than iPod.
7. PSP has Memory stick capability which is absent in iPod.
8. This provides it with the option of exchangeable memory - you can have different memory sticks for different types of content. Just put your desired stick and start off.
9. Playstation portable has UMD capability for Games and Videos.
10. The biggest advantage is that Playstation portable has the ability to play Playstation games whereas iPod can play only those simple and childish games.
11. It has Wi-fi (WLAN) 802.11b capability for wireless internet connectivity.
12. PSP has full and free web surfing and downloading at high speed and access to playstation.com.
13. PSP is more durable than iPod video with no rotating hard disks (like in iPod video) which are vulnerable to shocks and are much less reliable.
14. Playstation portable is less common and leaves a much better impression than iPod on onlookers.
15. Playstation portable has option for multiplayer gaming over the internet or otherwise through Ad hoc.
16. PSP has ability to transfer data to other PSPs through wireless connectivity or through the internet.
17. PSP has an external speaker which is not present in iPod.
18. Playstation portable can connect to Location free and gives you the ability to watch TV wirelessly over it whereas iPod cannot do any such thing.
19. iPod can only read data from its disk whereas PSP can also write data on a Memory stick.
20. PSP has very fast processing as compared to iPod video.
21. Playstation portable can connect to your computer wirelessly and can also access and be accessed through your home network whereas iPod, which the world is so fond of, cannot even dream of doing it.
22. PSP’s battery stamina is more than double the battery stamina of iPod video.
23. Playstation portable has a removable battery whereas iPod has no option of an additional power source.
24. The size of videos in PSP format is quite smaller as compared to iPod format.