The Ford Fairlane and the Rise of the Midsize Car
One of our biggest challenges in writing these articles is that we sometimes become fascinated by something for reasons that aren't easy to articulate. Some of our subjects have obvious interest, like the Ford Skyliner or the Jaguar XK120, but others may be puzzling to the casual observer. That is certainly the case with this week's subjects, which are thoroughly unexceptional in engineering and design, and have styling that could charitably be described as ordinary. However, they were at the forefront of an emerging debate that is still going on: the question of exactly how big an American sedan ought to be.
|
Stink Bombs, Sticky Nets And Foam
Police could soon be issued with stink bombs to disperse rioters and hi-tech glue guns designed to trap fleeing criminals, according to a Home Office report. Government scientists are testing a range of exotic new 'less lethal technologies' to help frontline police officers tackle offenders without using firearms. Gadgets undergoing trials include 'sticky nets' which can entangle crooks while deliver a powerful electric shock, and low-powered lasers which cause severe pain when fired at an offender's skin, but without serious injury.
|
The Origin Of Lambo Doors
Now installed on everything from European superminis to SEMA tuners, the Lambo-style scissor doors were first featured on Marcello Gandini’s gorgeous 1968 Bertone Carabo concept. Gandini, perhaps the greatest supercar designer ever, designed the Carabo after he did the classic Miura and before he got to work on the Countach, which was the first production Lamborghini to feature the now iconic doors, suspended precariously from the A-pillars by hydropneumatic struts.
|
Airbus Concept Has Weird Wings, Morphing Seats
This is what aerospace engineers come up with when they let their imaginations run wild. Airbus says up front the Concept Plane, unveiled Monday at Farnborough International Airshow near London, is more of an “engineer’s dream” than anything we might ever see. It’s unlikely a real aircraft might look like this. Instead, it reflects what experts in aircraft materials, aerodynamics, cabin design and engines came up with after considering what air transport might look like in 2050. Aircraft manufacturers, like automakers, periodically engage in these flights of fancy. Charles Champion, Airbus executive vice president of engineering, says the technologies in the concept are feasible but “not likely to come together in the same manner.”
|