1971 FLAT CAT STEALTH BLACK JAGUAR XK-E

Sporting the same blacked out color scheme as the recently featured Camaro Street Fighter, don’t let the beauty of this 1971 Matte Black Jaguar XK-E  fool you as this vehicle is most definitely a beast.

Ditching the standard V12 from the 1971 E-Type, Ken “Posies” Fenical threw a more favorable small block Chevy V8 in this car, a ZZ383 crate engine by GM Performance parts to be exact. The vehicle was built for autocross, and competes regularly putting down 311 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a Tremec five speed gearbox. The vehicle was given the nickname ‘Flat Cat’ due to the DP50 flat black epoxy PPG paint job. The 18 inch gloss black Dayton wire wheels provide the perfect finishing touch.

1971 FLAT CAT STEALTH BLACK JAGUAR XK-E

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A 750-hp Isetta powered by a blown Chevy V-8 is just one of some 200 microcars being sold by America’s foremost collector later this month

It’s easy to like a Ferrari, or a Corvette or any given muscle car. It’s far harder to explain what makes a 20-hp three-wheeler not big enough to hold a typical high school lineman worth preserving. Yet one man’s two-decade quest to build the world’s largest collection of microcars has made him a hero among enthusiasts — and in two weeks, he’s putting his entire 200-vehicle fleet on the auction block.

Bruce Weiner made his fortune in the candy business, successfully reviving once dormant names like Dubble Bubble and selling his company to Tootsie Roll in 2004. That business grew out of a fascination with old machinery of any stripe, from watches to arcade games. Starting in the early 1990s, Weiner says he was captivated by the subculture of microcars — vehicles born mostly in Europe and Japan following World War II, when shortages of steel, rubber and consumer cash made tiny cars powered by scooter or motorcycle engines a necessity for families.

Weiner says chasing microcars offered far more satisfaction to him than kicking the tires on some Ferrari, because it required traveling the world to seek out like-minded collectors; in many cases, only a few copies of any given model were ever built, making it possible to own an entire production run. And the people who kept them were often less interested in top dollar sales than making sure their cherished car was going to an owner who cared. “The thrill of microcars,” Weiner says, “is that the size of your checkbook alone doesn’t determine whether you can acquire them.”

That said, a few of the cars and pieces of memorabilia RM Auctions will sell on Feb. 15 and 16 will still command a plus-sized price, thanks to Weiner’s meticulous research and restorations. This rose-colored F.M.R. Tiger, a four-wheel variation of the Messerschmitt three-wheeler, was one of a few offered as a “sport” edition that could reach 60 mph in 28 seconds, and could fetch up to $150,000.

Many of the cars are the only ones of their kind that exist, or like the Voisin Biscooter and BMW Isetta pickup, are factory prototypes. And while most date to pre-1965, a few modern editions have snuck through the gate, namely the Whattadrag, a recreation of a Hot Wheels toy mating a 1958 BMW Isetta with a 750-hp Chevy big block engine and dragstrip-sized rear wheel.

Although many of cars in Weiner’s collection will be offered at prices below $30,000, the sale could fetch more than $10 million — money Weiner says he will use to collect something else that catches his eye.

Via Autos.yahoo.com

A 750-hp Isetta powered by a blown Chevy V-8 is just one of some 200 microcars being sold by America’s foremost collector later this month

Continue

A 750-hp Isetta powered by a blown Chevy V-8 is just one of some 200 microcars being sold by America’s foremost collector later this month

It’s easy to like a Ferrari, or a Corvette or any given muscle car. It’s far harder to explain what makes a 20-hp three-wheeler not big enough to hold a typical high school lineman worth preserving. Yet one man’s two-decade quest to build the world’s largest collection of microcars has made him a hero among enthusiasts — and in two weeks, he’s putting his entire 200-vehicle fleet on the auction block.

Bruce Weiner made his fortune in the candy business, successfully reviving once dormant names like Dubble Bubble and selling his company to Tootsie Roll in 2004. That business grew out of a fascination with old machinery of any stripe, from watches to arcade games. Starting in the early 1990s, Weiner says he was captivated by the subculture of microcars — vehicles born mostly in Europe and Japan following World War II, when shortages of steel, rubber and consumer cash made tiny cars powered by scooter or motorcycle engines a necessity for families.

Weiner says chasing microcars offered far more satisfaction to him than kicking the tires on some Ferrari, because it required traveling the world to seek out like-minded collectors; in many cases, only a few copies of any given model were ever built, making it possible to own an entire production run. And the people who kept them were often less interested in top dollar sales than making sure their cherished car was going to an owner who cared. “The thrill of microcars,” Weiner says, “is that the size of your checkbook alone doesn’t determine whether you can acquire them.”

That said, a few of the cars and pieces of memorabilia RM Auctions will sell on Feb. 15 and 16 will still command a plus-sized price, thanks to Weiner’s meticulous research and restorations. This rose-colored F.M.R. Tiger, a four-wheel variation of the Messerschmitt three-wheeler, was one of a few offered as a “sport” edition that could reach 60 mph in 28 seconds, and could fetch up to $150,000.

Many of the cars are the only ones of their kind that exist, or like the Voisin Biscooter and BMW Isetta pickup, are factory prototypes. And while most date to pre-1965, a few modern editions have snuck through the gate, namely the Whattadrag, a recreation of a Hot Wheels toy mating a 1958 BMW Isetta with a 750-hp Chevy big block engine and dragstrip-sized rear wheel.

Although many of cars in Weiner’s collection will be offered at prices below $30,000, the sale could fetch more than $10 million — money Weiner says he will use to collect something else that catches his eye.

Via Autos.yahoo.com

A 750-hp Isetta powered by a blown Chevy V-8 is just one of some 200 microcars being sold by America’s foremost collector later this month

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Mercedes Ener-G-Force concept imagines the SUV of 2025

Every year, the Los Angeles Auto Show hosts a challenge among automotive designers to concoct far-flung ideas about the future of transportation. This year’s theme asked what the law enforcement rides of 2025 might look like, and the sketchers at Mercedes-Benz were so enamored with their design they built a life-size version, creating a Gelandewagon for the end of the world.

 

Dubbed the Ener-G-Force, the truck is in Mercedes’ own words “pure science fiction,” but it does provide a few hints as to where Mercedes designers see SUV styles heading. Based on the military-grade G-Class SUVs, the Ener-G-Force features built-in police lights, a bull bar integrated into the grille and 20-inch off-road wheels “guarantee the right-of-way even where no way exists.” Since this is 2025, power comes from a hydrogen fuel cell sending electricity to motors in each wheel hub.

As part of the design competition, Mercedes filled the Ener-G-Force with a few less realistic, imaginary tools. The hydrogen from the fuel cell comes from a more up-to-date take on Mr. Fusion that pulls hydrogen from any given source, and stores the water produced by the cells in roof tanks. The space where a spare tire goes on the modern G-Class is filled with tools. And the roof rack includes a “terrascan” topography sensor that adjusts the suspension for different terrain. Given that Mercedes already sells technology that attempts to sense the road and even the wakefulness of the driver, some of this sounds like it could be on a options list well before 2025.

Via:autos.yahoo.com

Mercedes Ener-G-Force concept imagines the SUV of 2025

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Dogs taught to drive by animal shelter; cats left to their own defenses

Because the world can’t get strange enough, an animal training school in New Zealand has set out to prove that dogs have enough smarts to drive cars at low speeds, given weeks of instruction and a special set of paw controls. This video suggests they’ve succeeded, finally answering the question of what dogs would do if they ever caught a car they were chasing.

Arranged by the New Zealand chapter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the stunt involved three dogs — Monty, Ginny and Porter — either found, roaming stray or given up by their owners. The SPCA, working with animal trainer Animals on Q, adapted a Mini Cooper to canine steering and put the pets through eight weeks of intensive training to teach them how to stop, go, steer and change gears.

According to the New Zealand Herald, SPCA hopes to use the driving dogs to showcase how intelligent its rescue animals are, and that they’re suited for work as helpers or just family pets. Next week, the SPCA will let the trio take a driving test on live national television in New Zealand, or as Down Under cats will call it, “armageddon.”

Dogs taught to drive by animal shelter; cats left to their own defenses

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