Robert Bliss, the gentleman in charge of Strategic Operations for DiMora Motorcar was kind enough to send me a selection of renderings of the DiMora Natalia SLS 2. What you are looking at here is going to be two millions bucks of luxe with a V16 “Volcano” engine.

The car is being developed by Alfred DiMora and his management team based in California. DiMora is no stranger to custom built cars. He is responsible for two landmark neoclassics, the Clenet and the Sceptre (more on those in a future post). The Sceptre link has an excellent collection of build-up photos and sketches. One of DiMora’s other business is Star Bridge Systems, a company that builds supercomputers used by the likes of NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the National Cancer Institute.

The formula is relatively simple: take one part neoclassic, mix in some supercomputer, toss in the lobby of an ultraluxe hotel and you have the DiMora Motorcar Natalia SLS 2. The car is still just a rendering backed up by an idea, but there are a multitude of exotic features being touted by DiMora Motorcar.

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Leave it to the colloboration between Japanese wackiness and the Italian efficiency to create an electric car so quiet its a danger on the roads to pedestrians and other cars. With the addition of a sound track, the car is now safe on the roads, although pedestrians hearing the car now might be surprised to see the Girasole car approaching instead of a horse, considering that the sound track that plays is horse hooves, not the whir of an engine.
One would think that the Italians could come up with a better sounding track, F1 car maybe? [Read Reuters]

University of Tokyo researchers have developed a smart car seat that can detect when you are about to fall asleep at the wheel. Focusing on pulse and respiration, pressure sensors embedded in the seat detect these changes even with bulky clothing and without the need for physical contact with the drivers skin. While all fine and dandy, the system doesn’t have an alarm system built in to alert you to your impending accident, although they expect it to be commercially accessable within 5 years. In the mean time, maybe Redbull should offer to hardcode the chairs with a GPS unit that alerts drivers to the nearest Redbull-stocked vendor.

[Read PDF Press Release]

The Veron has been attributed as the worlds quickest production car that can also brake from 252 mph to zero in a mere 10 seconds, and was sold for $1.2 million . A private owner in the UK apparently  hydroplaned and ditched it outside of London. I can only imagine the call to the insurance company…

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German aftermarket suspension manufacturer Eibach has upgraded its class of project cars to an Austin Martin Vantage with 425 HP. Stating in its press release: ” It makes an appearance as stylish as a gentleman’s suit from London’s Bond Street, and its performance is as superior as the unbeatable cheese rolling races from Gloucestershire. ” I must congratulate the writer of this release on tossing the rules of business writing to the wind and creatively relating the rolling food to the performance of a car, in addition to more interesting facts on locomotives and high speed trains as well. Eibach has always turned out fantastic suspension products, and while most releases that come our way are as exciting as white bread, this one is a breath of fresh air. I think now I will be paying attention to actually reading their press releases in the future. Read the press release here.

This tri-wheeled electronically powered vehicle called the Shuttle Express was winner of the Dyson national student awards in Australia.  The three wheeled design is supposed to make it more stable and
headlights on each wheel act as a safety device to make it more visible on the road. Made primarily of recycled materials and was created by student Dimitrios Scoutas. A great idea, but that seat looks a bit iffy on comfort.

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We all have heard the joke about the last thing a bug sees before hitting a windshield, well one enterprising German photographer took it upon himself to let us see what those brightly colored squashed bits on our windshield really look like on impact. Check out the link below to see more shots of insect death.

[Spiegel Online]

The car driven by Tom Cruise in action film Minority Report is expected to fetch £64,000 (about $125,654 US dollars) when it goes under the hammer next month. The sleek red Lexus 2054 is just one of three models created for the movie and only has 38 miles on the odometer. It is set to go on eBay sometime soon.
[Source]

For those who want the ultimate Ferrari licensed gear for their garage, DVW has created a wireless and stand alone audio system that has Ferrari stamp of approval (and $20,000 price tag!). Coming in a range of colors, including Ferrari red, it comes equipped with a start button and a limited production run of 1000 pieces.  Apparently simplicity being key to its build, for those too busy to worry about tech manuals and equalizer settings. It has been marketed as a “lifestyle” product that can be just another bit of shiny expensiveness to sit in the corner of your garage.

Being a native of NW America, I can appreciate the necessity for these guys to go out and have some fun, no matter what the conditions. When good weather comes around only a few weeks a year, you change with your environment. In Counsel Grounds State Park, the Merrill Ice Draggers gather at the Upper Wisconsin River to stage their own 1/8 mile drag racing event, and have been doing so each year since since 1965. With records standing in the Outlaw class at 140.09 mph at 5.780 ET the only thing that slows down their time are wavy ice surfaces.

Check out the site for the Merril Ice Draggers. And If you want to race, don’t forget: “Nail class vehicles MUST have a fire extinguisher.”

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