100th Post: Explosion In Porsche 911 Factory

That's a bit of a problem... As Leonidas might say in 300. More importantly, it's a big problem when you are making some of the amazing sports cars in the world, namely the Porsche 911.

Unfortunately, the plant at Zuffenhausen suffered a gas explosion because of the setup in the paint room. Two people were hurt. This is pretty bad, but luckily no-one was killed. No count of how many Porsches were damaged or killed during the blast. Production should begin again in three days. In the meantime, enjoy the picture above to ease those 911 pains.

The 240MPH WOODEN Supercar

Yes, you read it right. The picture above is of a 240MPH wooden supercar, named Splinter (ha ha). It is a plywood, maple and MDF dream come true and clearly has the lines of a Murcielago if you ask me.



MSN had the following to report on the project:

It is the brainchild of designer Joe Harmon, a North Carolina State University student who worked with fellow undergraduate designers to create the world's first wooden supercar. Wood is used wherever possible, and that includes the chassis, the body and in the majority of the suspension components and wheels. Harmon said: "We aren't trying to sell anything, we aren't trying to save the world, and we aren't advocating that everyone should drive a wooden car. This project is a scholastic endeavour in which we are simply trying to explore materials, learn, teach, share ideas and stimulate creativity."



Powered by a V8 600BHP rocket of an engine you'll hit 60 in around (or possibly even under) 3 seconds. One thing I wouldn't recommend is either being in the car if it ever has an accident. I'm fairly sure that plywood and such don't take a serious collision very well...

The Wooden Supercar - Splinter

Yes, you read it right. The picture above is of a 240MPH wooden supercar, named Splinter (ha ha). It is a plywood, maple and MDF dream come true and clearly has the lines of a Murcielago if you ask me.

MSN had the following to report on the project:
It is the brainchild of designer Joe Harmon, a North Carolina State University student who worked with fellow undergraduate designers to create the world's first wooden supercar. Wood is used wherever possible, and that includes the chassis, the body and in the majority of the suspension components and wheels. Harmon said: "We aren't trying to sell anything, we aren't trying to save the world, and we aren't advocating that everyone should drive a wooden car. This project is a scholastic endeavour in which we are simply trying to explore materials, learn, teach, share ideas and stimulate creativity."

Powered by a V8 600BHP rocket of an engine you'll hit 60 in around (or possibly even under) 3 seconds. One thing I wouldn't recommend is either being in the car if it ever has an accident. I'm fairly sure that plywood and such don't take a serious collision very well...

Mercedes SL63 AMG

Yes, the SL55 is going to be leaving us soon in favour of the new monster, the SL63 with a naturally aspirated V8 6.2 litre and a rather interesting look.

The 518BHP makes it a huge power monster, something which is to be expected in the SL range. The 4.6 seconds to sixty should see most cars being burned off rather quickly, while they look at the styled rear of your vehicle with lust in their eyes.

Of course there's a 'multiclutch' meaning that you have the paddle shifts and four different options in shift speed, which should reduce any neck jarring when you're hitting the road hard. It should also mean that you can actually park the thing - something that's always a challenge when you have an automatic.

The look of the car might not be for everyone - it's actually extremely aggressive and nicely curved at the front. Moreover, the interior shows the usual style that Mercedes is known for in their top range models.

The bottom line is if you can afford this you're one lucky person. You get the best of both worlds in terms of performance, exotica and luxury...

The Mazda RX-8

This is of course the Mazda RX-8. A car in fact that I had the genuine pleasure of driving at the weekend. It's pretty much the only production car left on the road that has the rotary engine. This is smaller than a standard unit but more powerful, and thirsty to boot. To put this in perspective you'll find that the 1.3 performs more like a 2.5.

Anyway, let's get straight to it. Performance is, well, interesting. I say this because yes, the RX-8 does have a lot of power to offer, however you'll find that the delivery of that power is fairly unique. The reason I say this is that the engine needs to be revved to get performance. The top end version in fact goes even beyond the normal 9,000 RPM limiter. Sheer madness, but amazing to use.

On that note, if you're a Sunday driver keen to upchange well before 3,000 RPM this is not the car for you. If on the other hand you actually like to drive a car then you could well have some fun with this.

The RX-8 is one of the few sports coupes that features usable back seats and they even have cool suicide door access. Certainly something that will make it eye catching. The big boot is another great feature, making it a solid performer in the space stakes as well.

Overall, I can't complain at the RX-8, but given the high fuel consumption of that engine (think about 20 MPG) and the fact that fuel costs are rising, I'm not sure yet I could justify the purchase. Then again, I was looking at a Nissan 350Z and this is rather more practical...

Finally, there's a 40th Anniversary version of the RX-8 coming out. It features bespoke 18” alloy wheels and an exclusive Alcantara® seat trim. Look for it in an amazing white finish on forecourts soon.

Oil Companies - Rolling In It Right?

Well, Royal Dutch Shell's profits have been announced as £13.9 billion during 2007. This, as I'm sure you agree, is rather more than chump change. In fact, if you're a shareholder, you're probably expecting a nice little windfall now. Which is fine, you deserve the money if you bought the shares. What annoys me though is the amount of people complaining about it.

The average man on the street is really annoyed when they hear about the profit levels of such companies as Shell as they feel that it is their fault that petrol is now above £1 per litre in just about all of the UK. However, they're not really to blame now are they?

The fact is that you pay duty on fuel, and lots of it. You then go on to pay tax on the fuel that has duty levied against it - something which in my opinion should be illegal - but hey, there we are. A breakdown of the profit from 1 litre of petrol is something like this...

66p - goes directly to the government
10p - goes to the retailer
24p - pays for the petrol in various ways

So, who's really responsible for the fact that petrol is so bloody expensive? Well, look again at the breakdown. It's clearly only one organisation - the government. The problem is several-fold. First, to reduce congestion 'they' (the grey men in Parliament) think that the cost is acceptable. Second, the cost is further justified these days as a 'green tax' - ironic given the fact that it was hardly a concern just a few years ago.

What can we do then? Well, unfortunately not a lot. Those of you who can use LPG are rather lucky. The rest of us should make sure that we support businesses who lobby the government to maintain (or even god forbid, lower) the level of taxation we pay on this most necessary of substances.