The Social Side of the Automobile

As people used automobiles for transportation, their way of life began to change. They traveled longer distances and took more trips than in the past. Social life began to include many more activities. Shopping habits changed. Education and health care improved.

On the Road

Good roads or bad, Iowans took to the highway venturing far from home in their automobiles. One family traveled to see relatives in New Hampshire; another went to visit a brother in South Dakota. Carloads of summer vacationers headed for Lake Okoboji and even to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, camping along the way and cooking their meals by the roadside. Most people had lived their whole lives within a few square miles, acquainted only with a few neighbors and those in the nearby town. These same people could now travel to visit faraway relatives. They could also travel to other areas of the country to see firsthand how others lived.

The choices seemed to end only at the ocean's shore. By the 1920s motor outings and vacations had become a national activity, and Iowans jumped into their autos right along with the other travelers.

Upcoming Bikes in India in 2009

Yamaha R125

The most advanced 125 production super sport machine that Yamaha will launch in 2009 will be YZF-R125. This radical, high-revving, fuel-injected 125 is the work of the same engineers who created our legendary YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 super sport bikes.

Main Features of Yamaha R125:

• -Liquid-cooled single-cylinder 4-stroke
• -SOHC 4-valve cylinder head
• -Wet-sump lubrication system
• -Fuel injection
• -Electric start
• -6-speed transmission
• -R6-style mid-ship muffler
• -Dual catalysers
• -Air Induction system

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14


Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 is created to do everything right from the beginning. Its aerodynamics reminds users that Kawasaki is indeed an aircraft maker. The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 is based around Kawasaki motorcycles 1352cc four-stroke engine.
It is an advanced version of Kawasaki’s unique aluminum monocoque frame, lightweight and very strong.

Yamaha Gladiator 165

Yamaha's 165cc Gladiator will develop around 16.5 PS and complete a 0 – 60 sprint in less than 5 seconds and it believed that Yamaha has already sent the bike for homologation and will launch its mid Next Year. Bike was first displayed in last year’s Auto Expo.

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
Displacement: 165cc
Engine: Air-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve
Maximum Power: 15 Bhp (Expected)
Maximum Torque: 14 Nm (Expected)
Gears: 5 Speed

DIMENSIONS
Length: 2065.00 mm
Width: 730.00 mm
Height: 1100.00 mm
Ground Clearance: 155.00 mm
Fuel Tank: 13.00 liters
Wheelbase: 1300.00 mm

New details on Ferrari’s upcoming small car

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There seems to be no end to rumour of Ferrari building a small car to take on the likes of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911. The new car, possibly carrying the Dino nameplate, will be priced under $150,000 and will boost Ferrari’s annual production well beyond its current rate; something purists fear will dilute the brand’s exclusivity.

Our previous report suggested that the new car would feature a folding metal roof and this latest rendering sourced from Autobild/Huckfeldt seems to support the rumour. Platform sharing with Maserati is a likely option with the Dino utilizing design work shared with the upcoming Coupe and Spyder replacements.

Previous reports have stated that the Dino will be a 2+2 seated, but this rendering clearly shows a strict 2 seater. Under the new sheet metal, the car will follow a front-engine rear drive layout with a 4.2L V8 as the power plant of choice, although there’s talk of a small capacity V6 engine also on the cards. Look for a conventional steel monocoque chassis with the engine placed well behind the front-axle for improved weight distribution.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Naturally aspirated mid-rear 90° V8, 4308 cc
Maximum power: 375.4 kW (510 hp) @ 8500 rpm
Maximum torque: 470 Nm (47.7 Kgm) @ 5250 rpm
Max engine speed: 8640 rpm (at limiter)
Compression ratio: 11.9:1
Bore and Stroke: 92 mm X 81 mm
Specific power output: 118.4 hp/liter

The Open-Source Green Car (VDS Vision)

Two years ago, MIT whiz-kids Robyn Allen and Anna Jaffe set their sights on India, where a $2500 car is just the beginning. "Over the next 30 years they'll buy an extra 90 million cars," Jaffe says. "So our thought was, well, what if we could develop a vehicle that was much, much more efficient—that maybe hit 200 miles per gallon that plugged into a grid, which was really designed around Indian needs and expectations and wants."

The two organized the Vehicle Design Summit, a global consortium of students working in teams to build a better car from the ground up, leveraging the collective brainpower of a new generation of engineers and the massive resources of their respective educational institutions. This summer, teams will rendezvous in Torino, Italy, to flesh out a final prototype for the VDS Vision 100, a six-passenger electric car powered by a gas generator. It's expected to get 100 miles per gallon and could be production ready in 2009.