Ferrari and Peugeot to collaborate on KERS?

Ferrari and Peugeot to collaborate on KERS?

Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Ferrari, Peugeot

Put a Ferrari and a Peugeot side-by-side and you'll struggle to find any similarities, but on the race track, the two share more in common than you might think. Before masterminding Ferrari's rejuvenation, former CEO Jean Todt was head of Peugeot's competition department, and brought with him some of PSA's top racing engineers. Peugeot's renewed Le Mans racing operation employs several F1 drivers, including Ferrari's own test pilot Marc Gene. Now reports are suggesting that the two outfits, both seeking top honors in their respective motorsport disciplines, may be cooperating on the joint development of their Kinetic Energy Recovery System.

KERS is nearing implementation in Formula One, and several teams are pursuing external expertise to get their systems ready. But joining with Peugeot would allow Ferrari, whose system is being developed with its technical partner and sister company Magneti-Marelli, to circumvent the tight restrictions on development and testing, restrictions which are only getting tighter each year. Peugeot, meanwhile, is preparing to implement a similar system on the Le Mans circuit in its new 908 HY prototype, which it hopes will edge out Audi at both the finish line and the green front.

[Sources: F1-Live and GrandPrix.com]

Ferrari and Peugeot to collaborate on KERS? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: Abarth Roadster stings again

Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Euro, FIAT, Rendered Speculation

The prospect of a stand-alone model from Abarth has been an on-again, off-again proposition. Currently, the revived label is backed by two models, Punto and 500, essentially upgraded performance versions of existing Fiat models. Interests were piqued, however, when the Fiat performance sub-division opened the doors on its new factory that incorporated space for a small assembly line, said to be earmarked for a standalone model. But then Abarth spokespeople said that wouldn't have been enough to build even a small run of road cars. Rumors then surfaced that the Scorpion marque was to collaborate with Lotus to come out with an Elise-based roadster. Now the rumor-millers at Auto Express have rendered their own idea of what form a dedicated Abarth sportscar could - or in their view, should - look like.

Rather than outsourcing to Lotus, AE thinks producing a unique two-seater based on the existing 500 would be more on the money. That'd mean a front-engine/front-wheel-drive setup, with the 1.4-liter turbo four carrying over in both standard (135hp) and "esse-esse" (158hp) spec. A lower center of gravity, lower curb weight and even more compact body, complete with removable roof panel, would keep the standalone Abarth nimble, while Ferrari-esque gizmos like the Fiat group's Torque Transfer Control (TTC) e-diff and shift-lights on the flat-bottomed steering wheel would help the fortunate driver keep the power under control. Of course this is all speculation and a bit of wishful thinking, but that doesn't remove it from the realm of possibility.

[Source: Auto Express]

Rendered Speculation: Abarth Roadster stings again originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoblogGreen for 01.07.09

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

click to visit AutoblogGreen

Sometimes, we wish two posts on different topics would somehow magically merge together. The story of Hertz winning out against Zipcar for carsharing at the Ohio State University would be so much cooler if one of the cars you could rent by the hour is the Lotus-developed biofueled Antarctic speeder you can see on the left up there. I mean, who wouldn't want to go cruising over a frozen Ohio lake in that thing, and for nine bucks an hour, too? As for two things that should just not go together, check out this coal-powered Caddy. Yikes.

• It's not clean and certainly not green - it's a coal-powered Caddy
• Toyota halts all Japanese production - that means the Prius, too - for 11 days
• All new cars in California now carry smog, global warming scores
• Hertz puts the hurt on Zipcar at OSU
• Chery QQ gets sequential gearbox and a boost from the government
• Mercedes may pop smart fortwo clone lawsuit against the Bubble
• Car and Driver hosts hybrid hoedown, hearts Ford Fusion heaps
• Detroit preview: Cadillac SRX is direct injected but not flex-fuel
• Bond would kill for this Lotus-developed biofueled Antarctic speeder
• Dale Vince's wind-powered car could be the Storm, the Zero or the Nemesis
• Honda advertises cars with green hybrid billboards
• Honda S2000, CR-Z convertible follow Acura NSX and V8 to scrap heap
• India getting Porsche Cayenne Diesel
• Gordon Murray talks about his 80 mpg T25
• Consumer Reports tests plug-in Prius conversion, finds it lacking
• Montana gives grant to make great green goo from CO₂

AutoblogGreen for 01.07.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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