Jeep Rescue Optical Illusion

Jeep Rescue Optical Illusion, a photo by lee.ekstrom on Flickr.

I created a mash-up in PhotoShop of the Jeep Rescue Concept Vehicle and some tires & wheels that have a life of their own. Hope you enjoy this fun Jeep optical illusion.

Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop Optical Illusion

Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop Optical Illusion, a photo by lee.ekstrom on Flickr.

I thought the Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop concept vehicle by Mopar could use some new psychadelic tread. Hope you enjoy my down-and-dirty optical illusion PhotoShop mash-up!

Nissan DeltaWing as Sleep Aid

I appreciate Nissan in their “throw away the rule book” innovation applied to their DeltaWing racing car. The concept of the car is to half the aerodynamic drag, half the power, half the mass, half the fuel consumption, half the tire consumption, and still achieving the performance of our competitors. Technology gains from endurance racing the 24 hours at LeMans are said to translate into real-world benefits to the Nissan engine program. According to Ben Bowlby, Nissan DeltaWing Chief Technology Officer, "it’s about guilt-free high-performance motoring.” The industry is all about efficiency, but do we really need to move in this direction? So we can sleep at night?  

Nice article on Hemmings blog about the Jeep Wide-Trac concept vehicle of the 1960's. Still has the slotted grille - but tilted down at a severe angle. Nice bit of sleuthing with the help of Jeff Lakaszcyck as well. This unique cab-forward prototype was built by Crown for the International Vehicle Investigation program.

Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop

Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop, a photo by lee.ekstrom on Flickr.

LEAN AND MEAN
The Jeep Wrangler Pork Chop vehicle was introduced at the 2011 Jeep Easter Week in Moab, Utah. This sketch by Kyle Evans was used to help guide the design process. Interesting name - I like the vertical stripe - kind of reminds me of the 1971 Hurst Jeepster.

Mopar engineers cut the fat and lost nearly 850 pounds by dropping the doors, liftgate and bumpers. The Pork Chop name comes from this major trimming of JK.

The hood weighs a measly 8 pounds thanks to the carbon fiber and aluminum mashup. Who needs carpet - certainly not Pork Chop!

Interior designers gave the nod to the sporty Sparco Chrono Road bucket seats.

Off-Road Features Include:
* Custom roll cage
* Aluminum cold air intake
* Long-tube headers leading to a dual-exhaust with integrated H-pipe
* Bilstein two-inch shock setup
* TeraFlex air bumps
* 35-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw radials
* 17X8 E-T Vintage V wheels
* Dynatrac ProRock 44 front and rear axles with 4.88 gears
* ARB air lockers
* Aluminum differential covers

Now where's the applesauce?

Suburu Spreads its Wings

Suburu Spreads its Wings
Originally uploaded by lee.ekstrom

The Suburu Hybrid Tourer Concept uses twin gull-wing doors and steeply raked front windshield for a spectacular display at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Michigan. Look for future Subaru vehicles to take on the new front grille design.

The Hybrid Tourer was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2009. Nice wide-open door to the interior. I'm not sure how this would work in Michigan with snow, sleet, rain and other nasties.

The Hybrid Tourer will use a 2.0 litre turbocharged boxer engine along with two electric motors. Suburu is planning on using a Lineartronic Automatic Transmission (actually a CVT) and utilizes a rear motor that can be used at start up or during acceleration. A front motor would be used as a power generator and aid in acceleration.

Reminds me of a fresh vehicle that could easily be used in "Back to the Future X."

BMW's Secret Weapon

Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Arc of the Covenant was boxed up and put away in storage in the Smithsonian warehouse? (The government warehouse plot device even has its own website) It turns out that BMW sealed up a secret weapon of its own for long term storage.

Recently revealed in Issue #3 of BMW Motorcycle Magazine, is the 1934 R7 prototype. This stunningly creative, art deco concept was boxed up and shelved as World War II approached. With the economy the way it is, we all need lift. Perhaps with sales down, some engineers decided to see what was down in the basement. As the story goes, they opened up a crate and found this 70-year-old 800cc treasure complete with its innovative hydraulically dampened telescopic forks. Perhaps this is BMW's secret weapon hidden behind a glass plate that says “Break glass in case of economy.” This wickedly beautiful bike is just what the doctor ordered.