1. Mercedes-Benz Count Trossi SSK

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has named this “Count Trossi” SSK after the “aristocratic” Italian race-car driver Count Carlo Felice Trossi. This car actually has a very stylish set of wheels, despite having ‘weird car design’. This car had been extremely successful in the Le Mans, Monaco, and the Mille Miglia.

There are only four original models of the Count Trossi SSK in the world and each is a ‘holy grail’ among car collectors. Recently one model from 1929 sold for US$7.4 million!

2. Peugeot Honey-B

The Peugeot Honey-B like its namesake looks pretty much like a big honey bee on wheels! It seems like a Peugeot car designer must have got stung by a honeybee one day and he decided to immortalize his ‘honeybee experience’ and came up with this strange car.

Like bees, it is aerodynamic, but unlike bees, it is a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This Honey-B boasts of seats with techno-cool hydraulic arms that help various preset adjustments which means they retract automatically to your preferred position once you’re seated!

3. Hondo Puyo

The Honda Puyo can be termed as the “Weird-great Puyo”. The little information we found on this ‘weirdo’ car tells us that this is a concept car which runs on hydrogen fuel. Unlike the fuel-cell powered Honda FCX, the Puyo prides on “no sharp edges” and is covered in soft silicone so that it can absorb light collisions. If you are planning to ride this, you have to use a joystick instead of a steering wheel.

4. Nissan Moon Buggy

Fueled by imagination, designer Robert Hoffmann drew up this Nissan Moon Buggy concept for an auto magazine. This weird car is very unlikely to go into production. This strange Nissan Moon Buggy has been inspired by the Lunar Modules.

The car has oversize rear wheels that are supposed to provide more efficiency in maneuverability. Not only that, when it reaches high speeds, Ailerons are deployed for increased aerodynamics, Ailerons are commonly found on fixed-wing aircraft!

To be honest, the car looks like a cross between an alien and an iPod.

5. Nissan Pivo 2

Who says no car designers design cars for gals? The Nissan Pivo 2 is just not a ‘girlie-girlie’ car concept but a very urbane one in that! It is powered by advanced compact lithium-ion batteries and features a unique rotating cabin, which means no reverse gear is required! The four wheels are powered by electric engine and can turn through 90 degrees to allow the Pivo 2 to drive sideways as well as forward. The Pivo 2 looks as if it has come from the Pixar Studio!

To read more interesting car articles, visit Carazoo.com.

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At least when you went to buy your car you had a few more color options then perhaps your grandfather did in his day and age. Now today, not only do you have to decide on color, you need to decide if you want metallic, or rust free or even scratch proof finishes.

When you get down to wanting to paint a car with custom colors you have to really give some thought as to what you want. It isn’t cheap to custom paint a car. The paints are a very high grade poly urethanes.

When it comes time and you want to paint a car and you have decided to have a custom design put on it, then you are going to have to choose which type you want. A few years back the burning flame was the rage. To see a black car with those flames running down the sides was the envy of every avid car lover.

The flames are still very popular but the designs are somewhat different. They cover more of an area.

Another popular design is animals such as the wild mustangs or the flying eagle. Then there are designs that are just abstract in nature. The skulls and crossbones type art used to be more popular when it came to motorcycles, but it has sort of caught on with those car buffs that really want to paint a car with the custom designs. Another unique observation as well is that people like to just have the art painted as a mural on their trunks for example.

One of the newer type designs that really sort of fit in between the skulls and the flames is the dragons. These are becoming increasingly popular, and one has to admit they do look pretty impressive.

In today’s age if you have decided to paint a car and have a custom design then you may find that a automotive logo design is suggested to you.

Then there are individuals who want to paint a car all in metallic with a variety of colors as opposed to any type of graphic. These can be quite stunning when the color selection goes well together and the airbrush color application flows.

One thing to remember, it you want to paint a car and customize it with a design, its not cheap. It can get quite expensive the more defined and elaborate you go. So its well worth only having it done on a car you plan on keeping for a while, or at least selling at a good price.

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With new design allowances made by Formula One, the Drivers sitting so far behind are finding it exceedingly difficult to judge and ascertain the width of these new Changes on front-wing and have a tendency to clip the tire of their compatriots. However, both the Brawn Racing drivers have answered the early criticism and proved that the Brawn BGP001 – front-wing design is a fantastic design.

The designers may have carried out their research and may look at adjusting is to either the width by an inches on both sides or making it curved so that the corners of the wing don’t stick out so much. So the corners must be curved and the entire Brawn BGP001 – front-wing a couple of inches narrower. But this is subject to debate and no winning team likes to change or alter anything very quickly.

Its important that these design changes are approved only after a 100% test in race conditions as it could be very dangerous for the drivers, not forgetting the huge financial expense that may incurred in changing the design, development and production of any further new innovations on the Brawn BGP001 – front-wing! Well done The Brawn Team for winning the Australian Grand Prix 2009!

A Tea Master and A Marketing Expert in Gourmet Teas for the past 25 years is now pursuing the ‘Art of Marketing’ from Home products and specializing in promoting and setting up of Home E-Business networking programs for the people desirous of earning a comfortable income working from the comfort of their Homes. The Author is well traveled and has been involved with Marketing niche products from the Far East to the Far West with special emphasis to Gourmet Teas. http://www.smartdogincome.com

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El Car Designs Do Not Differ that much from Conventional

Electric cars look like conventional cars aesthetically, both when it comes to exterior and interior. The same great and pretty designs are available, and friends and family will hardly be able to tell the difference. However, some new and simmering are emerging even today that promise better efficiency because unlike conventional cars which essentially only stress their aesthetics, electric vehicles also focus on the insides.

A question many people ask is; what exactly makes electric car designs different from other designs of conventional cars? Well, most electric automobiles bypass the use of gasoline and an engine completely although some have a secondary engine and storage tank in case the battery dies. Rather than using gasoline as a primary source of power, electric car design call for the usage of electricity like the name implies. A huge battery, made from materials like lithium ion – which is similar to performance batteries found in electronics like notebook computers – powers an efficient electric motor. New designs allow electric vehicles to travel up to fifty miles or more on a single charge.

Neat Usefulness

While conventional cars can easily travel 250 miles on a tank of gas, electric cars don’t yet have the ability to go even close to hundred miles on a single charge. Keep in mind though that electricity is still much cheaper than gasoline. Nuclear power, hydroelectricity, and other sources of power, can power an electric vehicle indirectly by empowering the lines that the vehicle is charged from at a cost as low as about one cent per mile. The most fuel efficient conventional automobiles still cost around 7.5 cents per mile. It’s unlikely that conventional engines will become significant more efficient, which is why research and development has occurred with regard to alternatives such as fuel made of hydrogen and other chemicals as well as electricity

Electric car designs should not be confused with design of hybrid cars. Hybrid cars utilize technologies from both conventional and electric cars to achieve slightly better fuel efficiency while lowering emissions, but they will probably never be as efficient as electric cars. Several families own two or more vehicles, so they would still have a long range car for vacations and business trips. For a car that’s cheap and efficient for everyday transportation, an electric vehicle is the perfect solution.

Terry Bolton is an internet publisher of automotive stuff. Read his useful and popular articles about how to find cheap used cars [http://www.cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com/index.htm] and car parts [http://www.cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com/car_parts.htm]

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Cost:

Cost of the frame sliders must be appropriate to the items that they are designed to
protect. Price is not necessarily the best indicator of quality. Poorly designed frame
sliders made of the nicest shiniest materials may not serve their purpose as well as
well designed but less ‘bling’ ones.

Mounting Configurations:

The frame slider must be designed to mount securely onto a strong enough part of
the motorcycle so that impact forces can be adequately distributed or absorbed.
Here are some popular mounting configurations.

Fairing Mounted Frame Sliders

Sliders that mount onto the fairing with small fairing screws may provide some
protection in a minor tip-over but offer very minimal protection in a slide. These
sliders are not generally recommended for serious riders.

Frame Mounted Sliders – Direct

The most popular and viable mounting option is directly to a selected strong point
of the frame. Sliders with this design offer the most protection and impact force
distribution. The installation of this type of slider often require modification of the
fairing and in some cases like the Honda VFR800, as extreme as requiring the
modification of the coolant bottle. For this reason, many choose the first or the
third option as fairing modification can at times be quite intimidating. This option is
the most popular for serious sportsriders, amateur and semi-professional racers
alike as they provide the best protection for the money. One other thing to consider
when choosing these types of sliders is where they will be mounted to.

Many
models of sportbikes offer several places to mount them, frame slider
manufacturers all have their personal reasons for choosing the mounting location
for theirs and many of them make that choice for the wrong reasons. An example is
cost – a location that offers a two short bolt mounting location is cheaper than one
using a long through the engine bolt choice. The former being a much weaker
location. If you own an SV650 you will know what we mean. Another choice is the
use of a bracket so that cutting of the fairing is avoided – see below (Frame
Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts).

Frame Mounted Sliders – In-Direct

To address some of the concerns owners may have about modification of the
fairing, some manufacturers have opted for a design that allows for the slider to
mount onto an offset bracket that then mounts onto the frame. This offset
introduces a whole new set of variables into the mix. Depending on the degree of
the offset, impact forces now include amplified torque stresses which will be applied
to the frame mounting points. Offset brackets will need to be of beefier
construction, but not so beefy as to stay intact during an impact while severely
damaging the frame mounting points. This is often the most costly type of slider
configuration as most brackets require ingenious CNC work and design. In some
situations employment of a bracket is a calculated risk, in others it is just not
feasible. No cut sliders are attractive to most bikers so do your homework and ask
the manfacturer questions before you buy them.

Frame Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts

The third mounting option found only on certain models of bikes like the Suzuki
DL1000 Vstrom, TL1000S, SV650 and Ducati models of bikes allow for use of the
long, through-the-engine mounting bolt. This method is by far the strongest
available as impact forces are allowed to be distributed over a much larger area.
This is also the second more costly design as these long bolts are quite expensive
to manufacture. The design must be structurally strong enough not to break off
when encountering the various types of impact forces but not so strong that these
forces would be transmitted entirely to and damage the considerably more costly
frame mounting points. In other words you want to sacrifice your slider before your
fairing and then your frame in that order. It’s a delicate balance and there is no sure
way to ensure that any one design will accomplish this desired goal.

Frame Slider Material:

The choice of material used for the frame slider should be a balance of the following
3 requirements:

Abrasion Resistance – the material should be hard enough to be
able to slow the bike down in a slide and not be totally worn down to the bolt half
way through a slide

Structural Strength – the material should be strong but not brittle and snap off too
easily on impact

Energy Absorption-the material used should have some energy absorbing
properties but not be so hard that all impact forces are transmitted to the mounting
points or fasteners (solid steel or aluminum materials are examples of non-energy
absorbing materials).

Most high quality frame sliders today are made of some kind
of nylon or other for energy absorption and with aluminum inserts for strengthening
of the fastening points. The range of nylon types, with different levels of abrasion
resistance and “brittleness” used is also quite varied.

Fasteners and Components:

Quality of materials used, aesthetics and quality of workmanship should also be
considered when choosing the right frame slider for your bike.
Look for high quality anodized steel bolts. Black non-coated bolts will rust in a
week or less depending where you live. Stainless steel washers between your steel
bolts and aluminum inserts in the slider also reduce potential corrosion problems.
Socket head cap screws offer the smallest footprint allowing for a thicker and
stronger slider dimensions and are generally much more expensive then regular
hex-head screws. Nyloc lock nuts where applicable are another added safety
feature. True, these are all minor considerations in the overall scheme of things but
they all add up to the cost of manufacturing. One last thing to remember is to
always try to use some form of thread lock compound like Loctite and to properly
torque the mounting bolts to the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re not
sure check out our torque reference guide.

CONCLUSION:

Where does that leave you the consumer? Well, we all don’t want to think about the
day when we will be able to justify the purchase of frame sliders. The reality is that
as long as bikes have only two wheels, you can expect them to fall over sooner or
later. Frame sliders are one of the surest and least expensive ways to ensure some
protection for the expensive or sometimes irreplaceable parts of your bike. After all
some protection is still better than none. Think about broken rear brake levers, gear
shifters or even worse – punctured radiators or coolant bottles, when you’re miles
from civilization. The rule is the same in our opinion no matter what you’re
spending your money on – buy the best you can afford and don’t be afraid to ask
the manufacturer why their product is better than the plethora of other brands
available out there. Any good manufacturer will be very clear about what
differentiates their products form others so that you will be able to make the correct
purchase decision.

Author is the manufacturer and distibutor for US based frame slider and accessories company. http://www.motovationUSA.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roland_Lee

If you absolutely haven’t an inkling as to how to design your car and what design you actually want, let me give you some tips on how to do so:

Step 1: Search online for design inspirations. Go to Google.com and key in sports car designs and you can find some really cool concepts. Just use those designs as your guide to spark an idea from your mind. You can also try visiting showrooms and car shows where car sports enthusiasts gather to show off their cars.

Step 2: Print a sketch model of your car. Also search online for a top view, side view, read view and front view of your car model. If you are feeling a bit creative, you can manually draw the outlines of your car instead. But for those who are sketching challenged, there are a lot of pictures you can find online that you can print out.

Step 3: In your print out, use a pencil to sketch out the design you want. Be more detailed in your design. You can then use colored markers to see how well the colors will blend in. If you made a mistake, you can print it out again and do another design.

Step 4: When you are now ready to do some serious designing, get your tools ready. Purchase stickers and cut outs in a local automobile store. You can sketch the design first on a manila paper and use this as a guide to cut your stickers. This can help you avoid mistakes. Lay the manila paper over the sticker and outline it using pencil. Cut the sticker according to the outline.

Step 5: Carefully lay stickers or any designs on your car according to what you have sketched. You can see your vision coming to life now. You can ask someone to assist you so they can also give their own ideas.

So when you are feeling creative and you want to make your sports car a lot more unique, try the previously mentioned steps and you can have the car of your dreams. Nothing beats having a car where you have put much effort into.

For more tips and reviews on new sports cars, please visit http://www.newsportscars.org now.

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Los Angeles, the mecca of elaborate paint designs, has produced some cutting edge custom paint works that have been trend setting for the rest of the country. First, the tried and true graphic flames, without a doubt, continue to change the landscape of the custom paint designs on cars. The longevity of the flame can be attributed to its flexibility of use, as well as, its beautiful twisting, sharp red and yellow cascades of heat.

The LA designers have added sculls, angry dogs, hellish riders, and even heavenly artwork to the flame in order to change its landscape while keeping with the basic, awe inspiring flame.

The classic racing stripe is another of the most popular custom paint designs on cars. Although it would be difficult to pin this design on any one place, it should be noted that the Cunningham Racing Team began using the racing stripe in 1951. It was originally intended to serve as a guide on the racetrack or to distinguish the different racing teams; however, the racing stripe has evolved into intricate designs upon some of the world’s most common cars such as the MiniCooper, The Mustang, and the Camaro. Inspiring many boys and men, young and old, the racing stripe will be hanging around for many more years to come.

Finally, one of the most sought after custom designs of the past and present is the skeleton. It is the one design that can be implemented into any other paint scheme, particularly the racing stripe and the flame. Designs of the past have included a racing stripe flame, a skeleton riding a motorcycle with a racing stripe flame, and a skeleton with flames spraying from two over sized eye sockets.

There is no limit to the many combinations of custom paint designs on cars that the car industry may use. But, one thing is for sure, the flame, racing stripe, and skeleton are all considered some of the most popular custom paint designs on cars.

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Due to these injuries he was unable to join the armed forces in World War 2 so he went to work for Northrop Corporation as an aircraft technical illustrator. His immediate supervisor was Paul Browne who had previously worked on the design team for General Motors. Browne soon recognized Teague’s talent and encouraged him to enroll in night classes at the Art College of Design in Pasadena.

When the war ended, Teague moved to Oakland, California and started working for Henry Kaiser. There, he created a design for a pre-Henry J. economy car. He also illustrated covers for Road and Track magazine.

Then in 1948, Teague moved to Detroit and went to work in the General Motors Design Studio under Edmund Anderson. He gradually worked up to the Cadillac advanced design group. In 1951 Packard recruited Teague to replace Chief Stylist John Reinhart who had resigned. Teague had a keen eye for detail and an uncanny ability to make significant changes under tight budget constraints. He could re-style bodies so that they appeared new without altering the chassis.

Packard Motor Corporation was struggling during the early ’50’s and finally went under in 1956. Consequently, the entire design team moved to Chrysler Corporation where Teague started as chief stylist in their design studio. However, he soon became involved in conflicts with management and left Chrysler. He then began working for an independent design firm on non-automotive assignments.

However, automobiles were his passion and Teague missed working on them so in 1959 he went to American Motors as a member of Edmund Anderson’s design team. When Anderson left AMC in 1961, Teague became their principal designer. Teague was a unique individual in that he possessed a rare combination of artistic and managerial skills. He was an excellent administrator as well as a talented designer. Consequently he was promoted to vice President in 1964 and remained in that position until his retirement in 1983.

Some of Teague’s designs include the Gremlin Pacer, the Matador coupe, the Rambler American, the AMC Javelin, the AMX Hornet, the Rambler Classic and the Ambassador. He designed the AMX GT as a concept car that later went into production. His accomplishments and designs were particularly remarkable due to the physical limitations imposed by his inability to perceive depth in a normal manner.

Teague had a great sense of humor and often joked that the only automobile company he had never worked for was Ford. Automobiles were his work and his passion. He was a well-known historian and an avid collector of classic cars and rare models. He owned between 400 and 500 cars.

Rent a Car Marietta

Car Rental Marietta

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One thing that has always intrigued me was frame design. With out a frame we basically have a pile of random parts, but there’s more to it then just a place to bolt it all together. This is the beginning and end of how well your bike is going to perform. You can put the best suspension, biggest brakes, and lightest wheels you can afford on your bike, but if the frame is weak and twitchy all those killer parts are for nothing. In the day and age we live in, it’s hard to beat the quality and construction of the latest and greatest factory superbikes. Let’s face it. They have the time and money to put all the R&D and design into them they want until you have a super light, super rigid frame. Now that doesn’t mean we have to swear off the idea of designing our own. This is kind of the crème de la crème of building a special. A truly one off frame separates the men from the boys so to speak. For those of us with older bikes this can greatly help overall performance and handling by making the bike much more sturdy and responsive. But also on a styling note this is where you can really start laying out the look of a bike. The chopper crowd has been stretching and raking frames for decades. This was for a mater of style. But when you start building your own frame you can make it all work together. You can have the style and performance in one package.

Different Streetfighter Motorcycle Frame Designs :

Trellis Frames:

For those of you that have been around the fighter scene, you no doubt have seen the beautiful examples built by Spondon, Harris, RAU and some of the later builders such as Martek, Steelheart and PEST. The most common design of these frames is a trellis format, similar to Ducati and MV Agusta. Built from either large diameter aluminum tube or chromoly steel, they offer a very light and rigid construction, but also give the builder a range of adjustability in component placement and over all layout. Mounting points can be made to fit many different engine configurations and also allow for a range of suspension locations.

Backbone or Cradle-Style Frame:

The next form of frame configuration is the backbone style or cradle frame. Most commonly found in older bikes and traditionally styled cruisers. RAU has adapted a version of this to act as a stressed member frame. Instead of a full cradle frame that has mounting points for the engine to sit into, they use the engine to mount the frame. This style does away with the lower frame rails. It incorporates a large diameter tube for the “backbone” and a section of down tubes to connect to the engine mounts. Honda has also adapted this style frame on their Hornet line. This setup is not only very rigid but also allows to showcase the engine. The down side is the frame has to go over the engine witch can make the bike rather tall.

Twin-Spar or Twin-Beam Frame:

The twin spar or twin beam frame is one of the most commonly used frames among sportbikes. If you’ve owned a GSXR, YZF, CBR or ZX of the last 10 years you’ve ridden a twin spar. They are very rigid, and strong frames. They can be heavy and bulky compared to other examples but in recent years the manufacturers have come up with new technologies to help cut the weight while still maintaining the strength. Arguably not the prettiest of designs but can be made to work as eye candy if done well. Another advantage of this design is the ability to hold or hide some of your components or fluids. Case in point the Buell XB series with its fuel in frame design.

Monocoque Frame:

One of the most unique designs is the monocoque. This can be done a number of ways. A number of panels that bolt together, tubes that mount in triangulated shapes, even just bolting everything to the engine. It’s a complex structural design that pulls the machine together in a very unorthodox way.

As for materials these frames can be made from, the range is also large. Steel and aluminum being the most common, although there are examples that have been made of carbon fiber, stainless steel and titanium. All these materials require a certain amount of skill to work with. Steel is probably the easiest and cheapest although is the heaviest of materials. The up side is it is the most resilient to flexing forces and if designed right can weigh in very close to an Aluminum frame. Aluminum would be next up the scale but takes more skill to work with. Welding aluminum can be tricky. It melts faster then steel and you have to have a good working knowledge of this material for it to weld right. It is very rigid and strong though and also half the weight of steel to gain the same strength. Titanium is very expensive and hard to get in large quantities but is the lightest and strongest of the more common metals. Carbon fiber is also getting harder to get and requires a totally different set of skills to work with. It also requires quite a bit to gain the same strength as the aforementioned metals. It is brittle though and has been known to shatter under the right forces.

So how do we lay all this out and make it work? Well, like I said earlier, that’s what you have to figure out. I will say this. Start drawing lines from the steering head to the swingarm pivot and go from there. Look at some new bikes and how they are laid out. Specifically, look at there mounting points; steering, engine and rear end. Break out your imaginary pen, A.K.A. your finger, and start drawing lines from one point to another. I’m interested in what you’ll come up with. There’s a lot more to this as well, such as component positioning, center of gravity, rake, trail ride height etc., but we will attack these issues another time!

Shaun “Scrapyard” Kelly
Custom Fighters – Streetfighter Motorcycle Forum
Streetfighter Apparel, Art, and Project Bikes

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In a survey conducted by JD Power, an American firm which conducts comprehensive annual surveys of car owners to see who is happy, and who is not, with their new car, it was found that “the way in which technology is integrated into new car design, especially interior features and controls, is now considered to be as important to car buyers as defects and malfunctions”. Additionally Joe Ivers of JD Power says that “New vehicles today are often packed with new technologies that unfortunately can be complicated and frustrating for the average consumer when their integration is not well executed. This could explain why many car buyers have not been keen in the internal design of the car as opposed to external design.

In 2004 it was found that more and more Americans are paying attention on how their cars are designed. The way a car looks has become very important to car owners. The saying that “you are what you drive” has become more important than ever. Car designers have become celebrities overnight depending on how their design is performing in the market. The craze in car design has become intense such that car manufacturers have been rushing to link up supermodels and celebrities in an effort to up their sales.

Alex has interest in Internet Marketing, Network Marketing, Car Design and Personal Development. For more information visit web sites at http://comfortcars.blogspot.com and http://design-cars.blogspot.com

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