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An Australian entrepreneur and a Romanian engineer have designed and built the dream car of every five-year-old boy: a hot rod made of over 500,000 LEGO blocks. And it works!

Equipped with a compressed air system, 256 pistons, and four radial engines, this machine can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h.

Source: blog.caranddriver.com

On December 20th, 1928, the first international mail shipment using a dog sled left Lewiston, Maine; it arrived in Montreal on January 14th, 1929.

The 8' long, 200lb mushing sled was pulled by 6 blackhead Eskimo dogs, and averaged a speed of about 14 km/h.

A total of 385 letters were put in government-stamped, cancelled envelopes for this non-official trip. The sled returned to Lewiston on February 2nd after travelling 970 kilometres -- only 10% of which were covered in snow.

Source : trivia-library.com

From GMM

Luca di Montezemolo, one of the most powerful figures in formula one, thinks the highly-controversial new 'double points' rule might live a short life.

Reaction to the plan for double points in Abu Dhabi next year, to keep the championship alive throughout the season, has been generally negative.

And Montezemolo, the Ferrari president with an unique veto over key F1 decisions, warned: "I'm not a fan of the double points.

"It's too artificial," he is quoted by Germany's Sport Bild. "I would not be surprised if the rule is soon abolished."

Luca di Montezemolo and Bernie Ecclestone. (Photo: WRi2)

In a wide-ranging and fascinating interview, Montezemolo also tipped Fernando Alonso to live out his full Ferrari contract, despite McLaren's obvious interest.

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis this week insisted "never say never" when contemplating bringing the Spaniard back to Woking.

But Montezemolo said: "I will not argue with my friend Ron, although it would be good for the press -- Fernando has a contract until 2016. My only concern is giving him a better car."

However, he did have to "tweak" the ear of the obviously frustrated Alonso this year. Montezemolo urged the 32-year-old to take a leaf out of Michael Schumacher's book.

"It is important that you not only win together, but also lose together," he said. "Michael knew how to do that between 1996 and 1999. Fernando knows that he drives not for himself, but for Ferrari, even if I can understand his frustration at times."

Some believe it was Alonso's attitude in 2013 that triggered the decision - against the Spaniard's wishes - to sign world champion Kimi Raikkonen to be his new teammate.

But, fascinatingly, Montezemolo suggested the Finn is in fact the number 2.

"He knows that he is in the second half of his career," he said, referring to Raikkonen. "But he is especially strong in the race, and is able to take points from Fernando's opponents."

For the moment, then, Montezemolo ruled out making a move to sign F1's driver of the moment.

"Sebastian Vettel is very fast, focused, wants to win," the Italian said. "I like his attitude: no manager, no politics. But although I have a lot of problems, a number 1 driver is not among them. In two years time we can talk about it again."

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. (Photo: WRi2)

Finally, Montezemolo revealed that he has been approached by an American group, keen to acquire a Ferrari 'customer car' and race in formula one.

At present, the rules would not allow it.

"It's true," Montezemolo said. "We were contacted, and if the rules allowed it, we would like to sell them a car. It is extremely difficult for a new team to build a competitive car out of nowhere, so I would like to help."

Pros: The 2014 Acura TL is a midsize luxury sedan that offers typical Honda reliability, as well as a comfortable interior and dynamic handling. It comes with a long list of features, great V6 power, an excellent AWD system, and lots of everyday practicality.

Cons: Despite a few tweaks for 2014, the Acura TL still looks somewhat bland. Trunk capacity is below average, and its fairly tight opening makes it harder to load big or long objects. What's more, the plethora of buttons may overwhelm some drivers.


2014 Acura TL Price: There are no fewer than seven trim levels to choose from including the base TL ($39,990), TL A-Spec ($41,490), TL Tech ($43,590), TL SH-AWD ($43,990), TL SH-AWD A-Spec ($45,490), TL SH-AWD Tech ($47,590), and TL SH-AWD Elite ($49,590).

2014 Acura TL Fuel Economy: FWD models with the 3.5L V6 and 6-speed autobox average 8.6L/100km. Those with the Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system and 3.7L V6 burn a bit more fuel -- 9.5L/100km, to be exact. You should note that premium gas is recommended.

Improvements and Changes: The 2014 Acura TL has barely evolved since its last major revision (for the 2012 model year). There's been a few cosmetic changes, and that's about it.

Powertrain: As mentioned earlier, two V6 engines are available with the 2014 Acura TL. The venerable 3.5L unit is rated at 280 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque, while the more modern 3.7L variant produces 305 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The former can only be mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, while the latter also offers a close-ratio, 6-speed manual gearbox.

Cargo Capacity: Base TLs have a 371-litre trunk (smaller than most rivals), while those with SH-AWD provide just 354 litres.

Safety: The 2014 Acura TL's safety arsenal includes ABS, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control, Hill Start Assist, and six airbags.

Comparing the 2014 Acura TL: Potential TL buyers may want to take a look at the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac CTS, Hyundai Genesis, Infiniti Q50, Lexus ES, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Volkswagen Passat/CC.

Photo: Acura

Reference : L'Annuel de l'automobile 2014

Both Canadians Alex Guenette and Maryeve Dufault will be on hand starting this Friday to take part in the annual ARCA Racing testing session at the Daytona Superspeedway in preparation for the season opener in February.

For Guenette, it will be a first outing on the super-oval and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Rookie of the year is scheduled to take part in at least three races under the supervision of Mario Gosselin.

Alex Guenette at the annual NASCAR Night of Champion Touring Awards. (Photo: Alex Guenette)

The 17-year-old just came back from the annual NASCAR Night of Champion Touring Awards where he was also selected as the most popular driver in the NCTS championship.

As for Maryeve Dufault, she is back in action after more than a year hiatus in the ARCA Series where she will be joigning Strange Racing with which she will compete in every event of the upcoming 2014 season.

Maryeve Dufault. (Photo: ARCA)

Ferrari introduced the 059/3, the new V6 turbo engine unit, which will sit into the Ferrari, Marussia and Sauber cars next year.

"Being able to build the engine and chassis together is definitely a nice advantage," Ferrari's new technical director James Allison said on Thursday, as the Italian team's new V6 'power unit" was launched at Maranello.

"Other teams cannot do the same and this year, like never before, installing the new power unit in the car's chassis will be a complex operation," he added.

Allison is referring to the contrast between teams like Ferrari and Mercedes, who are both chassis and engine manufacturers, and 'customer' outfits like his former employer Lotus, who simply buy an engine from Renault.

"I've got direct experience of that from my time at Lotus: it's true the engine supplier tries to meet your demands, but it's never the same thing as happens here, where there is a historical culture relating to a common task of defining and developing the design of the new car," he said.

3D launch of the new Ferrari engine. Ferrari says the sound is real.

For the fifth consecutive year, OnStar is partnering with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to offer the “Track Santa” program.

From 7 a.m. on December 24th until 5 a.m. on December 25th, anyone with an active OnStar subscription can request a “Santa Update,” which an OnStar advisor will provide based on NORAD information.

“Our advisors really get into the holiday spirit when responding to these calls,” said Terry Inch, OnStar chief operating officer. “They put on their Santa hats and elf ears and wholeheartedly take advantage of the opportunity to spread such joy to the children.”

“The advisors are nothing but amazing when we call,” said OnStar subscriber Bethany Auth. “The kids constantly want to push the button, so we call in a few times to give everyone in the family a chance to ask the advisor about Santa. When my oldest son hears the update from the advisor, he goes right away to find the location on a map.”

Mazda has given a new lease on life to its rotary engine in the form of a Mazda2 hatchback reconfigured as an extended-range hybrid. The prototype runs as an electric vehicle, with an electric motor powering the wheels.

When hearing the term and#8220;luxury vehicle,and#8221; it's safe to say your mind doesn't automatically jump to phrases like and#8220;fuel-efficientand#8221; or and#8220;environmentally friendly.

Dealertrack Technologies, a leading provider of financial services software to auto dealers, has agreed to purchase digital-marketing giant Dealer.com for about $1 billion.

TI Automotive, the auto fuel-systems company owned by several hedge funds, is nearing a deal to sell itself to Bain Capital Partners for as much as $2 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Ohio new-car dealers aren't giving up in their fight with Tesla.

Mercedes-Benz will build a long-wheelbase version of its new C-class sedan for China, as part of ambitious plans to roll out production of its biggest selling model across four continents in six months.

Shares in Martinrea International, Canada's third-largest auto parts maker by market value, slumped after it warned one of its factories had misreported net income over eight years and said earnings would be lower than forecast.

Archie Lewis relaxes in his recliner at the open entrance to his warehouse in Moriarty, N.M., on old Route 66. He has been collecting for 60 years.

A fire department in Southern California said a garage fire may have been caused by an overheated charging system in a Tesla

Fisker Automotive, the bankrupt electric-car maker, won't use a shuttered GM plant it bought in Delaware even if its new owner resumes production, Delaware Senator Tom Carper said today.

News 19 Dec, 2013

Lexus has revealed the second in a series of teaser images for the BMW M4-rivalling RC-F coupe

Ken Block's alter ego Mental Block is back for Snowkhana 2: the ultimate festive course. The stop-action, Christmas-themed clip features Mental Block in a mini Fiesta hoon vehicle, playing with a box full of Christmas toys.

Airstream 2 Go recently announced their rates and promotional programs for winter 2014, running from Nov. 22, 2013, through March 14, 2014. Travelers can rent the well-known Airstream trailers for 25 percent off.