24-karat Gold Ferrari 250 GTO Sculpture

Swiss artist Dante will unveil his 24-Karat Ferrari 250 GTO sculpture at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2011 in California.

Based artist Dante Rubli is a veteran sculptor who has wowed the world with awe-inspiring pieces. His sculptures include scale models of iconic sports cars which are crafted in luxury finishes, like gold, white gold, and silver.

The sculpture will be displayed alongside a tribute to the Ferrari 250 GTO featuring several rare units of the model.




Press Release

Swiss Artist Dante to Bring Iconic Sports Car Series of Sculptures to United States

"24-Karat Ferrari 250 GTO to be Unveiled during World Famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Weekend"

BERN, Switzerland, July 25, 2011 - Award winning artist Dante has announced that the United States debut of his newest sculpture will take place next month in Pebble Beach, California. "I am delighted to have the chance to come to Pebble Beach to experience the finest Concours event in the world and exhibit my sculptures," said the artist. The highly anticipated third piece in Dante's Iconic Sports Car series will be unveiled during the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance weekend which gathers significant collectors and the finest examples of automobiles from around the globe.

"The iconic car sculptures are my tribute to the men who made the original cars: they were artists," said Dante. As a Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sponsor, a Design by Dante tent will be in position Thursday, August 18 through Sunday, August 21 on Peter Haye Hill adjacent to the Concours site in RetroAuto Plaza, amidst fellow Concours sponsors such as The Wall Street Journal, Porsche and Infinity to name a few. Dante will personally be on hand to meet with media and special guests.

Dante will reveal his newest sculpture, a Ferrari 250 GTO, coinciding with a special display of rare Ferrari 250 GTO cars which the Concours has assembled from all over the world. "One of the most important reasons for my coming to Pebble Beach is the celebration of the Ferrari 250 GTO and the number of original cars being shown. It is my favorite car of all time," said Dante.

About Dante

Dante Rubli is an artist based in Bern, Switzerland. He has been producing works of art for twenty-five years. Working with a variety of textiles ranging from wood and steel to gold and platinum, Dante has created custom furniture, sculptures and even automobiles for celebrities and collectors the world over. The Iconic Sports Car series delivers his most recent works in three scales, each of which can be supplied in traditional gold, white gold, silver and a selection of other luxury finishes. Each design in the series is limited to ten exceptional pieces. To date, the series includes the Aston-Martin DB5, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing and Ferrari 250 GTO. More

Fiat Rounds Out the Year of Art Cars at Exhibitalia

The Fiat became the canvas as renowned Italian artists used the new 500 as both inspiration and the canvas itself.
December 03, 2010

Exhibitalia is a 15,000-square-feet exhibit featuring a selection of Italian art, design, fashion and culture. Curated by renowed art critic and director of Italy's Lu C.C.A. Center of Contemporary Arts Maurizio Vanni, the pavilion showcases more than 200 artworks, 40 artists and 150 yards of mobile walls, a platform for video art and a bar lounge.

The exhibit is made possible due to the support from FIAT North America, Ducati Miami and SEA Milano Airports.

The Fiat 500 is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2011.




Press Release

The Fiat 500 Inspires Artists at Exhibitalia in Miami

December 3, 2010 , Miami - The new Fiat 500 serves as inspiration for artists participating in Exhibitalia, a four day live exhibition that features a selection of Italian art, design, fashion and culture and that takes place at the Art Basel in Miami. Renowned artists, as well as two student art teams from the University of Miami, use the new Fiat 500 as both inspiration and canvas. Christian Balzano takes his design inspiration to the entire body of the Fiat 500.

Cadillac Aera Concept wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge

The Cadillac Aera concept vehicle won the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, tying with Smart and besting entries from seven other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Maybach. GM Advanced Design has now won the honor more times than any other design team; this is its third victory since 2005.

Like other concepts of this year’s challenge, the Aera focus on weight. The concept is a an efficient four-passenger vehicle that maintained comfort, safety, driving performance and style while not exceeding the “1,000 lb. car” weight limit.

Aera's body utilizes a 3D lattice, mono-formed frame that was designed to be similar to configurations found consistently in nature. The structure is formed from unique, alloy-utilizing, semi-solid freeform manufacturing, creating a naturally strong, extremely lightweight frame. All major body parts, including interior components, are essentially "grown" into a single part lattice structure.

The interior is crafted with an ultra-light recyclable polymer that allows for HVAC channels, fully adjustable seating, storage and comfort features all in one mono-form structure. Generous storage space accommodates luggage for two people.

The concept was conceived in GM's North Hollywood Advanced Design Studio by Frank Saucedo, director; Phil Tanioka, vehicle designer; Brent Wickham, concept strategist; Shawn Moghadam, layout designer, and Timonen, the project manager. Earlier this week, GM commemorated 10 years of advanced design at the L.A. area studio.




Press Release

LOS ANGELES : November 20, 2010 – The Cadillac Aera concept vehicle won the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, tying with Smart and besting entries from seven other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Maybach. GM Advanced Design has now won the honor more times than any other design team; this is its third victory since 2005.

This is the seventh year for the contest, and this year designers were asked to envision the “1,000 lb. car” and tasked to imagine an efficient four-passenger vehicle that maintained comfort, safety, driving performance and style while not exceeding the weight requirement.

"The Cadillac Aera concept was designed to continue the forward-thinking imagination of Cadillac’s ‘art and science’ philosophy,” explains Jussi Timonen, lead designer for the project. “It's designed as a small city urban vehicle, but we approached this 2+2 touring coupe very much from the brand's luxury perspective. Every detail of the Aera was conceived to minimize the vehicle’s environmental impact without sacrificing the style, comfort and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the Cadillac brand.”

The Aera is powered by compressed air via a highly efficient Pneumatic Drive System that has a 10,000-psi composite air storage tank with capacity for a 1,000-mile range. Flexible, pressurized air cells in the exterior skin, similar to material developed for the NASA Mars Rover airbags, enhance passive safety and interior comfort. The flexible polymer skin optimizes aerodynamics and functions as an ultra-lightweight alternative to conventional body panels and glass.

Aera’s body utilizes a 3D lattice, mono-formed frame that was designed to be similar to configurations found consistently in nature. The structure is formed from unique, alloy-utilizing, semi-solid freeform manufacturing, creating a naturally strong, extremely lightweight frame. All major body parts, including interior components, are essentially “grown” into a single part lattice structure.

The interior is crafted with an ultra-light recyclable polymer that allows for HVAC channels, fully adjustable seating, storage and comfort features all in one mono-form structure. Generous storage space accommodates luggage for two people.

Additional technologies include an all-in-one wheel system that combines rotary actuator propulsion, steering and suspension functions. A drive-by-wire system decreases the mass of electrical components, while vehicle-to-vehicle communication promotes active safety.

The concept was conceived in GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Studio by Frank Saucedo, director; Phil Tanioka, vehicle designer; Brent Wickham, concept strategist; Shawn Moghadam, layout designer and Timonen, the project manager. Earlier this week, GM commemorated 10 years of advanced design at the L.A. area studio.

“This year’s design challenge was extremely difficult to judge because of the quality of all of the entries, but I believe that the executions that won exemplified everything that we were trying to achieve with this competition,” said Stewart Reed, chair, Transportation Design, Art Center College of Design. “The concepts that won were really spot on for their brands, which was one of many reasons for the victory.”

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers’ conference and has evolved into an integral element of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Design Los Angeles connects those working in the design industry with well-known automotive design industry leaders. Los Angeles is home to the world’s largest concentration of manufacturer design studios, representing automakers from North America, Europe and Asia. It is also the home of Art Center College of Design, one of the world’s foremost transportation design institutions where many of today’s leading automotive designers began their careers.

Porsche Cayenne Diesel by Lumma Design

The tuners at Lumma Design have just introduced their latest project, involving a 2011 Porsche Cayenne Diesel, which includes modifications brought both in terms of design and performance. The Lumma 2011 Porsche Cayenne Diesel power pack, called the D-Box, takes the output of the German SUV from 240 hp to 276 hp (203 kW) and the torque from 550 Nm to 630 Nm.

On the styling front, the company offers headlight masks and Mono alloy wheels (22- or 23-inches). Inside, the cabin can be outfitted with matt aluminum sill plates, aluminum / rubber pedals, and floor mats with leather edging.

The exterior of the 2011 Cayenne Diesel gets minimal adjustments as only headlight covers and light allow wheels are added. The wheels come in a choice of the Mono 10x22” sport with a silver surface or the two-tone Mono 11x23” wheels

The interior is also lightly garnished with matt aluminum door sill panels featuring the machined LUMMA logo, aluminum pedals and a special boot floor mat with foldable boot sill protector. Upon request they can make your mats out of genuine animal skin. I want mine made out of a grizzly bea

Furthermore, the pedal covers are said to combine style with safety. While the machined aluminium highlights the pedals’ sporty nature, the built-in rubber nubs ensure that the driver’s feet don’t slip off the pedals. The foot rests are also made from the same combination of materials .





Press Release

LUMMA Design combines style and elegance in its comprehensive range of accessories for the new Porsche Cayenne

• D-Box improves the performance of the diesel engine from 240 to 276 hp

• Mono alloy wheels available in both 22-inch and 23-inch versions underscore the car's sporty character

• Aluminium and leather give the interior a touch of class

LUMMA Design proves that style and functionality do not have to be mutually exclusive. With its comprehensive range of accessories for the Porsche Cayenne, the car customiser from Winterlingen in Germany not only enhances the appearance of the Zuffenhausen-made SUV but also equips it for everyday use.

The D-Box for the Cayenne Diesel brings both reason and driving pleasure to the table in equal measure. This plug-and-play solution increases the diesel engine's performance from 240 to an impressive 276 hp (203 kW) and raises the vehicle's maximum torque from 550 to 630 Newton metres. This increased torque allows noticeable savings in fuel consumption to be made because it is precisely at low engine speeds that greater efficiency can be achieved. If required, the D-Box can be completely retrofitted.

In order to also enhance the engine bay's aesthetic qualities, LUMMA Design offers an optics engine package consisting of red-coated covers and a crest logo made of metal, with the top-quality materials emphasising the increased power of the diesel engine. In addition, thanks to its headlight covers, the big Porsche now looks determinedly ahead.

The new light alloy wheels from the Winterlingen-based customiser appear similarly sporty - whether it's the Mono 10x22-inch sports wheels with silver surface or the two-tone Mono 11x23-inch wheels with powerfully moulded spokes. Not only does the complete wheel set look really racy, it also ensures excellent road holding.

The twin exhaust pipe deflectors made from burnished and chrome-plated stainless steel give the Cayenne Diesel an individual touch while the two 90 millimetre pipes give the vehicle an especially sporty finish.

With that bit of extra agility, the SUV's refined interior awaits the driver. Even as you open the doors, the matt aluminium door sill panels featuring the machined LUMMA logo showcase the classic character of the revised Cayenne.

The vehicle's best example of the combination of style and functionality is the boot floor mat, with the LUMMA Design crest logo enhancing its appearance and the boot sill protector preventing unattractive scratches. For those who find all this to be a bit too much in the way of functionality, some of the Cayenne models come with the boot floor mat minus the foldable boot sill protector. Recesses for the lashing eyes are provided too, even for the version with the real leather edging.

The set of four LUMMA car floor mats for the interior are also edged with genuine animal skin. The mats' black finish incorporating the crest logo helps keep the vehicle clean and gives the interior a personal touch. Alternatively, the mats are available with a nubuck edging.

The pedal covers from LUMMA Design manage to combine style with safety. While the machined aluminium highlights the pedals' sporty nature, the built-in rubber nubs ensure that the driver's feet don't slip off the pedals. The foot rests made from the same combination of materials serve this purpose, too.

With its comprehensive range of accessories for the Porsche Cayenne, LUMMA Design allows car owners to add the perfect personal touch to their SUV and, in the process, manages to achieve a harmonious combination of functionality and style.

LUMMA Design will of course supply all these accessories with a TÜV certificate to enable the vehicle owner to easily include the parts with the rest of the car's documentation. The parts can be fitted at any specialised service centre or at LUMMA Design's headquarters in Winterlingen.

For further information on LUMMA Design's entire customisation range, please visit www.lumma-design.com

1,000 MPH Bloodhound SSC Jet Car Unveiled [Video]

The Bloodhound project is aiming to build the world's first 1,000mph car - and this is exactly what it will look like. The technical lozenge pictured here is a full sized replica unveiled today, 19 July, at Farnborough International Air Show.

The model’s unveiling coincides with the news that the Bloodhound project team has signed a deal with aerospace manufacturer Hampson Industries. The firm will be responsible for building the rear of the real Bloodhound next year.

The Bloodhound SSC show car is 12.8 meters long and a result of three years of aerodynamic study with the goal to brake the current standing world land-speed record of 763 mph (1.228 km/h). If all goes the Bloodhound SSC will reach 1,000 mph (1,609 km/h)

The Bloodhound team has also confirmed two key developments in the project. Hampson Industries has been named as the latest sponsor to the project; the engineering firm will be responsible for building Bloodhound's rear fuselage.

Unfortunately, it's not the complete car, lacking the mechanical underpinnings and 133,000-horsepower drivetrain, but a 1:1 replica of the real deal. While it may be just a shell, it displays the aerodynamic work the team has done to attempt its maximum design speed of 1,050 mph, or Mach 1.4.

A further four Intel Atom chips will help the driver, Wing Commander Andy Green, keep the Bloodhound on the road. That's probably just as well for Wg Cdr Green -- our experience with Atoms is that when used in isolation, Atom chips get bogged down even when running something as basic as Internet Explorer.




Press Release

BLOODHOUND STARS AT THE FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW

The BLOODHOUND Project today announces the achievement of significant milestones in this iconic engineering and education adventure:

• 1.5 million school children in the BLOODHOUND Education Programme
• Life size Show Car makes world début at Farnborough
• BLOODHOUND Driving Experience - launched
• 50% of the fuselage build now secured thanks to key product sponsor Hampson Industries
• Three new sponsors sign up
• EJ200 record engine test 100% successful

The BLOODHOUND Project is a World Land Speed Record attempt aiming to inspire young people to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM subjects) by show-casing them in the most exciting way possible - by building a car capable of reaching 1,000 mph.

1. The 1.5 million pupils join the BLOODHOUND team

As of this week (19thJuly 2010), 3471 primary and secondary schools, 229 further education colleges and 40 universities are signed up to the BLOODHOUND Education Programme, gaining unique access to this world class research and development programme. The BLOODHOUND Education Programme produces curriculum resource materials for all levels of education. This means that circa 1.5 million primary and secondary school pupils are now exposed to real world case studies based on the jet and rocket powered car to bring their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) lessons to life.

An independent study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) concluded that the BLOODHOUND Education Programme provides a genuine hook to get children interested in science and engineering. The study found that children of both sexes engaged with the exciting subject material and that it helped inspire them to think about science and engineering in new ways.

"The Farnborough International Airshow provides us with an amazing opportunity to show young people, their teachers and the World's leading aerospace companies how the BLOODHOUND Engineering Adventure has started to influence so many pupils in a very short period of time." Said Dave Rowley, Education director, "The uniqueness of being able to share such leading edge technology with pupils from five years of age, when they are at their most receptive, is starting to have a positive effect on them considering STEM related career options."

Chief Executive Philip Harrison said ‘Protocol National is proud to be the official FE partner of The BLOODHOUND Project as it attempts to break the World Land Speed Record and reach over 1,000 mph. It's a journey that really engages FE learners and inspires a generation to pursue the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.'

2. World début of the full size show car

12 noon Monday 19thJuly at our stand, OE16

Today the BLOODHOUND team unveils, for the first time, the complete life size Show Car, which at 12.8m, is longer than four Minis parked end to end.

The 1:1 replica is the result of three years of aerodynamic study and ten exhaustive design evolutions to perfect the shape and aerodynamic package of the planet's ultimate car.

World class aerodynamic research using Computational Fluid Dynamics was conducted by Swansea University, MathWorks and EPSRC, and at key moments the Project utilised more computing power than the Met Office (courtesy of IT Partner Intel). The BLOODHOUND aerodynamic team, lead by Ron Ayers, generated millions ofmathematical equations to investigate how the air around the car would react as the car accelerates to its maximum design speed of 1,050 mph. Using this information they then designed the an efficient shape that would be stable at supersonic speeds, and controllable a sub-sonic velocity.

The Show Car started life as 5 x 2m3 polystyrene blocks, which were then cut into bucks and moulds using 3 axis machining by Baker Patterns of Birmingham. Fibreglass and resin was then laid over the bucks in a process that took many thousands of painstaking hours to hand finish. The work was done by CHW Composites and Mike Horne Design on the Isle of Wight, who previously worked on ThrustSSC - still the only car in the world to have officially gone supersonic. The BLOODHOUND model was then given the six coats of Akzo Nobel aerospace paint by Jon Benton and his team at Aero-Composites, who are more used to painting military and civil aircraft than forty-four foot long ‘streamliners'. The 950kg showcar, which separates into three sections, was then transported to Farnborough by hauliers G&J Lockwood Ltd.

3. The BLOODHOUND Driving Experience - launched

Imagine travelling ten miles in just one hundred seconds... Thanks to the BLOODHOUND Driving Experience, débuting at FIA, you can get behind the wheel of the world's ultimate racing car and find out just what it takes.

This immersive experience was developed with the help of IT Partner Intel, the Universityof Southampton, Cursive Simulation, The Race Centre, the University of the West of England Bristol (UWE) and Escape Studios. The BLOODHOUND Driving Experience is powered by an Intel® Core^TM i7 processor, specifically designed for multimedia applications and enabling the system to deliver stunning graphics accurately representing life at 1,000 mph.

The state-of-the-art graphics are delivered by the Gamebryo Lightspeed game engine from Emergent Game Technologies, an award-winning platform most commonly used in chart-topping console games and ultra-realistic military training simulators.

Taking Andy Green's place in the cockpit, visiting test drivers will face the ultimate multitasking challenge: monitoring and controlling three separate engines whilst keeping the 133,000thp (thrust horsepower) car on course on the way up to Mach 1.4.

Virtual land speed racers will have to balance the jet and rocket thrust, accelerating the jet and firing the rocket at precisely the right time to reach maximum speed in just four and a half miles. Drivers will need lightning-fast reflexes to mitigate the effects of crosswinds and surface changes, then juggle air brakes, parachute and wheel brakes to haul the 6000kg car down from fifteen times the national speed limit to standstill, to finish at an exact location in the desert.

4. Major new sponsors announced

BLOODHOUND is delighted to announce a NEW product sponsor: Hampson Industries. World leaders in the design and manufacture of close-tolerance tooling and assembly systems for composite and metallic aero structures, Hampson will manufacture the primary rear structure of the supersonic car from a combination of steel, titanium and aluminium. This will involve both traditional skills along with the latest high speed machining technologies and utilise some of the largest stretch forming capabilities in Europe.

"With Hampson Industries on board we have secured the build of half the Car's fuselage: this marks a huge step in the life of the project," said Richard Noble, Project director, "Hampson Industries is representative of the wealth of skills we have here in the UK and underlines the importance of maintaining this expertise."

The rear structure of the car is of critical importance: it has to handle the 9 tonnes of jet thrust from the EJ200, plus 12 tonnes of thrust from the Falcon hybrid rocket, the vibration and high temperature from both jet and rocket, the suspension loads. And then, when the thrust stops, there are 9 tonnes of brake chute drag.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has joined the Project as a stripe sponsor. Its strap line "Improving the world through engineering" fits very well with the BLOODHOUND Project ethos.

Stephen Tetlow, Chief Executive, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "We are delighted to be a partner in the BLOODHOUND project in what is undoubtedly a shining and leading example of the exciting, world-beating modern engineering going on in Britaintoday."

"This is all about inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists and it doesn't get more exciting than this. With over 90,000 of our members across the world, BLOODHOUND supports our own vision to encourage and build upon the incredible engineering talent we have, not just in this country but in all corners of the world. There is an untapped talent pool of young scientists and engineers out there and through this partnership we will be reaching out to them."

Promethean, a global leader in interactive learning technology, has become the official interactive education technology partner of the BLOODHOUND Project. The BLOODHOUND Education team will work closely with Promethean to deliver its international education programme, reaching beyond the 1.5 million pupils currently using BLOODHOUND education resources, Promethean is giving teachers and students access to a wealth of new curriculum-based interactive STEM educational resources on www.PrometheanPlanet.com/Bloodhound.

Promethean will be installing its ActivClassroom technology in BLOODHOUND's forthcoming education centres, creating the ‘classroom of the future' and will be equipping BLOODHOUND's education ambassadors with relevant software and resources for use in schools.

"In the 1960s, the goal of putting a man on the moon inspired an entire generation to take interest in STEM. We hope BLOODHOUND will have the same ‘Apollo Effect' for this generation," says Jim Wynn, Chief Education Officer at Promethean.

5. EJ200 record engine test 100% successful

Last week the Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine that will be used during the landspeed record-attempts successfully completed a rigorous test session.

The EJ200 will be used to power BLOODHOUND SSC from 0 to 300 mph during its desert runs in 2012. Prior to being put on show at FIA, it was driven to full power on reheat in a series of controlled bench-tests, producing a maximum thrust of 90 kN (20,000 lbf) with no problems.

Having completed its life as a development engine for the Typhoon programme, the 1.5 tonne engine is now on loan to the BLOODHOUND Programme. It will partner the largest hybrid rocket ever designed in Europe to produce a combined thrust of 212 kN (47,500 lb) - the equivalent to 180 F1 cars - and propel driver Andy Green from 0 to 1,000 mph in 42 seconds.

"Seeing our EJ200 run on the test bed was an amazing sight, and marks a significant milestone in the development of BLOODHOUND SSC." Said Mark Chapman, Chief Engineer, "There's a feeling in the team that everything is starting to become very real and that BLOODHOUND SSC no longer exists just on a computer screen."