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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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Donating Member
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The first autonomous car too. Heck, it/they does/do everything...except fly.
By Dave Cruikshank April 22, 2018 http://www.rodauthority.com/features...hara-surfaces/ Quote:
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![]() [IMG]Goodyear had been developing illuminated tires and found a perfect promo vehicle with the GS II. Photo: Life Magazine The electronic control system included voice command and a remote that could open the doors as well as start and stop the motor. The same remote could be used to accelerate and brake—effectively categorizing it as the first autonomous car, with no need for a driver.[/IMG] ![]() Quote:
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![]() Last edited by solarite_guy; 23-04-2018 at 03:26 PM. |
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#2 | ||
Limited supply
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,441
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Who needs reverse anyway, just have to park sensibly
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#3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Perth
Posts: 7,062
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That is stunning, love the rear end, and with that boat, sexy as.
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jaydee351 4DV8 |
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#4 | ||
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#5 | |||
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BTW, that boat picture is my favourite. Cheers. |
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#6 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Victoria
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Love it! see the TV in the centre consol!
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______________________________ 2015 Territory Titanium RWD Diesel - SOLD 2016 BMW X5 xdrive 30D Msport Seadoo Challenger 210SE 310HP |
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#7 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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Location: Victoria
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and Golden Phone!
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______________________________ 2015 Territory Titanium RWD Diesel - SOLD 2016 BMW X5 xdrive 30D Msport Seadoo Challenger 210SE 310HP |
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#8 | ||
Donating Member
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It has a lot of features many cars don't have today.
One of the features that convinced me to post the article are the sensing devices in the lower front for object detection. An early accident avoidance mechanism...the boat picture clinched the deal. Can't forget the reel to reel tape recorder and the "fridge". |
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#9 | ||
Off smelting
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: boyne island
Posts: 1,035
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looked up how much it would cost to build in 2018, over 600k in todays money.
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2008 FG falcon xr8 in nitro, 6 speed manual, Djr bobtail, 20's, growler intake and manta twin 2.5 inch exhaust. |
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#10 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2015
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So many guys these days just throw money at a car and actually think they are buying a show stopping winner. Usually the end result is the only competition they win is the award for spending the most money, if it even gets completed. Often all they end up with is a mess of either mechanically or visually non compatable components that just don’t work. Please don’t read that wrong, there’s a lot of amazingly talented people out here these days too.
If you stripped Sahara down to a pile of parts and told these cashed up guys of today to make a car out of it they would be totally lost...these guys who did Sahara have skills money alone can’t ever buy. These guys were true innovators. Sure there was big coin in it for the day but they had vision, fabricating talents and a plan..That’s how to build a true winner in my book and is often missing in many of today’s builds. Plus they started with a wreck ![]() Last edited by XByoot; 26-04-2018 at 07:38 AM. |
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#11 | |||
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Still, there are stories behind all these efforts that can be as entertaining as the end product itself. I think of a local fella I know here, Bob Rizzoli, "The Riz". My nephew worked for him for a while before moving on to Chic Denino's Fabrications. Ronnie Sox's long time fabricator and chassis man. So back in the early 90's Riz was in the position to build something he had thought about for a while. An un-sprung rear suspension in the conventional sense with a cantilever in the chassis between the front 3rd and back 2/3rds of the chassis. So he built this '92 Mercedes 560 SEL with this chassis concept under it. Pretty much standard drag race McPherson strut front suspension and the rear solid axle was managed by how the cantilever worked. I can only describe it's appearance when it launched. I can't diagram the cantilever. When it launched the car would appear to lift the front wheels as is normal, EXCEPT the front tyres remained on the track. For real. It won the 1995 Ridler Award. ![]() Ok, ok, ok, anybody can build a crazy show car. Except a good friend of mind Al, was going to drive it in real competition. Comp Eliminator C/Altered. They had a Rocket block with raised cam and a set of GM splayed valve heads (NHRA Pro Stock Truck heads) that Al was prepping. Al is a cylinder head guy. They were concerned about competing at some national level events with this completely new combination and really didn't want to mess with building an engine too. I asked Al one day, "who always wins in Comp Eliminator?". At the time David Nickens. So I told Al, call them up and tell them you want a motor. They struck a deal on an engine in need of a freshen up and went racing. Here's the car closer to race trim: ![]() Al set the C/A record a couple times with it. Look at that front end. Looks like it belongs on the street. Successful effort and car. A couple years later Riz had another idea up his sleeve. Kind of a reverse concept to what the Mercedes was. This time, something that, on the face looks like an old time Altered race car, but with all the modern conveniences of a modern road car. The one obstacle Riz had was the exhaust system. He didn't want the appearance of mufflers in the exhaust system. My nephew had maintained contact with Riz and we were talking about this one night. Of all things I had been researching some sound cancellation technology that was floating around at the time. We left it as, design a real race exhaust system and I will do the research on the sound cancellation. Not long after, Riz went "dark". No word. No nothing, to anybody, except his girlfriend. He became ill. Very ill. Something which threw a wrench into his autonomic nervous system. He was down for several years. Many years. Over time, he finally overcame things and resumed his project. Ridler award competitor? I don't know. Maybe someday. But it runs. Here's a couple vids. First one is with Riz driving the second with Al driving. Camera work is terrible, Riz is a little cautious with the power level in a 1600lb car and Al doesn't like a wobble in the steering. These were the first 2 shake down runs of the 37 Fiat Topolino. To go full circle, this takes me back Barris and his wreck. I'd love to know the story behind the scenes. |
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#12 | |||
Former BTIKD
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Location: Sunny Downtown Wagga Wagga. NSW.
Posts: 53,197
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Back then customising your car amounted to more than bragging about your new chrome exhaust tips or fitting big wheels with rubber bands for tyres.
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Dying at your job is natures way of saying that you're in the wrong line of work.
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#13 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2015
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That’s a great story Solarite. Love it
![]() So many innovations, guys that think outside the square and make it work. That Topolino is crazy! I’d love to see that chassis up close. The Merc? Tough and what an amazing concept for rear end design. I’m sure many top level sport bikes run similar systems by your description..if I got it right in my head. It was an amazing era, the golden days. Things were far from perfect I have no doubt, neither were the cars, but they were cool, had character, had soul, real people made them. You can’t buy that in the Summit catalogue. I still love the Munster rod he did..that thing was wild!! https://roadtrippers.com/stories/munster-koach Last edited by XByoot; 26-04-2018 at 02:28 PM. |
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#14 | |||
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Dying at your job is natures way of saying that you're in the wrong line of work.
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#15 | ||
Cabover nut
Join Date: Aug 2015
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These guys created some brilliant machines in their day.
loved that Munsters car. Often wondered if Barris had a hand in the design of Lady Penelope's Rolls.
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heritagestonemason.com/Fordlouisvillerestoration In order that the labour of centuries past may not be in vain during the centuries to come...... D. Diderot 1752
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#16 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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“If it don’t go just chrome it” I don’t recall who said this one but it stands true to this day. “Good engineering is doing for a dime what any fool can do for a dollar” Prob ol Henry I’d guess! |
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#17 | |||
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#18 | ||
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#19 | |||
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#20 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Perth
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The Munsters Koach I think they called it.
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#21 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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That’s cool with the tilt body, ala funny car style! Did they ever run it down the quarter? Looked like the chassis worked pretty good in those videos
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#22 | ||
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I doubt if it has run at a sanctioned track. Doubt it would pass tech given no doors for entry or exit.
Last night it occurred to me some Drag Race fans in Australia may still be familiar with some of the work Riz has done. If anyone remembers the Wild Bunch cars back in the 80s and 90s that came from the States to run in Australia, Riz made most of those cars. That's when my nephew worked for Riz. He was one of the fabricators of Tommy Howes 300ZX and Camp Stanley's Taurus Wagon. I don't remember if those were the cars taken to Australia. Both of them had different cars over the years. Now that I think about it, I am pretty sure Tommy took another car down there at some point...I have to go look for some pictures. |
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