Portal:Cars

The CARS PORTAL Welcome to the Australia portal! A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people over cargo. There are around one billion cars in use worldwide. The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced and mass-affordable cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II. In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialised countries. (Full article...) Selected article The Howmet TX (Turbine eXperimental) was an American sports prototype racing car designed in 1968 to test the competitive use of a gas turbine engine in sports car racing. Planned by racing driver Ray Heppenstall, the TX combined a chassis built by McKee Engineering, turbine engines leased from Continental Aviation & Engineering, and financial backing and materials from the Howmet Corporation. Although not the first attempt at using a turbine powerplant in auto racing, the Howmet TX was the first and is still the only turbine to successfully win a race, earning two Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) race victories and two qualifying sprint victories during its only year of competition. The TX later set six Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) land speed records for turbines after being retired from racing. (more...) Other selected articles Selected picture 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Did you know... ...that the racing version of the Dauer 962 Le Mans, winner of 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, is a roadcar converted from a Porsche 962 racecar, which dominated Le Mans, Group C and IMSA during the 1980s? ...that the 25 Millionth VW Golf rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in March 2007? The first Golf started production in 1974, 33 years later the 1.4 litre TSI version became the 25 Millionth car. ...that the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria was the last car to offer a cassette tape player as an option? ...that the first production turbocharged cars were General Motors' A-body 1962 Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile F-85? ...that Jeep introduced the 1993 Grand Cherokee and 2007 Wrangler in the same way — by driving them through a plate glass window? ...that a small number of Renault 20s, badged as Dacia 2000, were made in the 1980s by Dacia in Romania for Romanian communist dignitaries of that time? ...that the Autobianchi Primula was the Fiat's first automobile with the front-wheel drive, transverse engine setup and rack and pinion steering? ...that the Plymouth Sundance is a liftback, even though the outside appearance might suggest that it is a sedan? ...that the name Volvo really means 'I Roll?' That's how Volvo rolls. Main categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Cars Cars by country Cars by period Car-related lists Set index articles on cars Automobile associations Car body styles Car brands Car classifications Car crime Car culture History of the automobile Individual cars Car manufacturers Car-related mass media Car models Car ownership Car performance Auto racing Automotive terminology Images of cars Car news The McLaren Senna GTR will produce a tonne of downforce McLaren is now busying itself turning the Senna GTR track-only special from a Geneva show ‘concept’ into a finished item. A fast one. To mark the start of the car’s dynamic testing, Woking has confirmed big numbers for the Senna GTR. The headline is downforce: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of it, though the speed at which you have a tonne of aerodynamic grip available isn’t disclosed. Not that the Senna GTR will want for speed: its 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 will develop 814 bhp (607 kW; 825 PS) – up from 789 bhp (588 kW; 800 PS) in the road-going Senna. Torque output remains 800 N⋅m (590 lb⋅ft). Ridiculous downforce comes courtesy of the Senna GTR shunning road-legality, and employing active aero banned in the top echelons of motorsport. This sketch shows what to expect from the ‘production’ car – McLaren notes there’s a wider track, wider fenders, a ginormous front splitter (our word, not theirs) and a moveable rear wing ‘coupled’ to the rear diffuser. We’ve also been given more clues about the Senna GTR’s light-weighting inside. No airbags, no infotainment touchscreen, no folding instrument binnacle – the only concession to comfort is air-conditioning. McLaren’s also included an interesting sounding ‘radar-assisted rear collision avoidance system’, which presumably boosts the car forward if its bonkers braking performance catches out an over-keen track-day goer behind. Or, perhaps it has missiles. Though there’s no official weight for the Senna GTR yet, McLaren has promised it’ll be lighter than the 1,198 kg (2,641 lb) road-legal Senna. It’ll also cost £1.1m (around Rs 10.41 crore) plus taxes, but the 75 slated to be made are all sold, to brave individuals who desire a car with GT3-spec racing suspension, slick tyres and 3g capability. That’s 3g as in cornering G-force, not on-board internet. So, this thing’s going to be very much the antithesis to the slippery, equally sold-out Speedtail, then. Got a favourite? Source:[1] Selected biography J. B. Straubel in 2012 Jeffrey Brian Straubel (United States) is the Chief Technical Officer of Tesla, Inc. Straubel was born in Iowa on December 20, 1975. Straubel graduated with a B.S. in Energy Systems Engineering and an M.S. in Energy Engineering from Stanford University in 1998. He is on the board of directors with Solar City. On this day December 25 1878 — Louis Chevrolet is born 1909 — Zora Arkus-Duntov is born Selected quote It was Holden working at its best, doing a lot with a little. Some of the subterfuge we got up to to make things happen was probably more risky than we realised, but it was worth it. —Tony Hyde Things you can do to help Tasks clipboard If you wish to help, you can: Expand a short article - There are many short articles that require additional information. Update the car news - The car news needs to be up-to-date with current automotive events. Update the selected biography - Add a great biography to the portal. Find better selected pictures - We need pictures of the beautiful cars the world has to offer. - Upload picture for requested photographs of cars Join the WikiProject Automobiles - A place dedicated for enthusiasts dedicated to improving automobile coverage. Update the selected quote - Famous quotes from the past. Associated Wikimedia Find more information on Cars by searching one of Wikipedia's sister projects: Images and media from Commons Textbooks from Wikibooks Quotations from Wikiquote News stories from Wikinews purge cache