Autoblog

Car vs. Jet. It's an epic battle that never seems to end, with new contenders continuously lining up on the runway. And we love it. Top Gear raced a Bugatti Veyron down the runway and back against a Eurofighter, Lamborghini pitted its jet-inspired Reventon against a Tornado, Audi raced its Le Mans-winning R10 TDI against an RAF Harrier jump-yet at Goodwood and Spyker F1 faced off against a Royal Dutch Air Force F16 fighter. (Volkswagen even pulled a 747 jumbo jet with a Touareg V10 TDI.) Now meet the latest challengers: "Black Beauty", Team New Zealand's Zytek-powered Lola A1GP race car, against an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200ER.

The showdown took place on the runway at Auckland International Airport between Kiwi racer Jonny Reid and Air New Zealand pilot Dave Morgan as a publicity event to promote the A1GP races in Taupo, New Zealand this coming weekend. The promotional event seems a little at odds with the recent announcement that the series was switching to bio-ethanol for environmental reasons, but you know what? We don't care. (That's what AutoblogGreen is for.)

Neither did the masses of spectators, who reportedly lined up in the light rain by the terminal windows and alongside the airport perimeter to see the race. Two drag races were staged down the runway: In the first run, the A1GP car had trouble gaining traction off the line in the wet and the 777 won (with a light load and a head start, mind you), but in the second round the racing slicks gripped onto the tarmac and the car took the checkered wind-stocking ahead of the jet. A draw, then – we'll just have to wait for the next showdown.

Follow the jump for the video and press release.

[Source: A1GP]

Looking for something really exotic? Do your vehicular leanings include more than just cars? If so, have we got the auction for you. What you see here is the very last Sky Commuter Prototype in existence. While we would imagine that this vehicle will end up somewhere in a museum or in the clutches of a rich collector, the auction lister believes that it would be "for the most part functional after learning the power source," for whatever that's worth. Speaking of worth, at the time that this was written, the highest bid was $45,300.00, but we'd expect that to change soon enough. The Sky Commuter is registered with the FAA with a valid number, so it appears that the information in the listing is legit.

Our research is leading us to believe that each and every time one of these machines was lifted off the ground, it crashed. We don't say this very often, but our advice would be to leave this one a true, dedicated trailer-queen.

[Source: eBay]

In the mid-size sedan segment, there are few more benign engines than those that power the otherwise terrific Ford Fusion. That assessment may not be entirely true after Boeing has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) powered by an internal combustion engine of the Ford variety. While the article doesn't specify which Fusion engine is being used, we'd guess it's the 2.3L Duratec four-cylinder. Ford's Research and Advanced Engineering created the UAV's means of propulsion, which utilizes a multi-stage turbo unit powered by hydrogen fuel. A car engine was used because it has more modern materials than older aircraft engine designs, and they tend to perform well at high altitudes where turbocharging is involved. The Boeing concept performed well during three days of testing at a simulated 65,000 feet, and the ultimate goal is for the UAV to perform for seven days at a time. It seems Ford CEO Alan Mulally still hasn't scratched his aircraft itch after 37 years on the job at Boeing.

Thanks for the tip, Bill!

[Source: Defense Tech]

Imagine you're a Russian magnate with a globetrotting lifestyle. What could be more perfect than your very own Boeing 787? BMW Designworks USA was apparently picturing a cross between a James Bond Villain and a successful Gen-Xer when they dreamt up a custom interior, converting the sky-dwelling bus into a monster executive jet. The interior is ultra-chic with lots of clean white expanses. A window in the floor lets you check on the status of your four-wheeled executive transport -- A BMW, natch.

The jet probably has more square footage than most commoner's homes, and though the entire thing is a flight of fancy, studying the images for details reveals a mobile command post we'd never want to leave. There's hardwood floors, a multi-level foyer, a bar that looks like it came out of some trendy euro nightclub, a conference room, and a several chic living suites. The interior was created for the Hamburg Aircraft Interior Expo, to showcase BMW Designworks's abilities. A seperate entity from the car side of BMW, Designworks has had their hands in the design of tons of cool stuff, from cellphones to John Deere tractors. Maybe they should let Designworks try their hand at the next 7-series?

[Source: Gadling]

click on image to enlarge

This bit of news will no doubt be a big badge of honor for the few owners there are out there of the Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI. VW is hoping the number of Touareg TDI owners will grow, and demonstrated the diesel ute's mighty pulling power recently in a press event that pitted it against the standing weight of a Boeing 747. The Touareg was "lightly modified" with the addition of 7,030 kg (15,498 lbs.) of ballast weight (!) and the fitment of the 4.56 axle from Touareg V8 model. The latter mod turned out to be unnecessary since the driver, Uew Krieghoff, performed the stunt in the low ratio, second gear. Other than that, the Touareg was also fitted with a special tow adapter to marry the two vehicles together and wore outer body panels that made it look the same as the next gen Touareg being launched early next year. The engine, transmission, suspension, tires and brakes were all stock.

The plane used for the stunt was a decommissioned Boeing 747-200 that weighs 155 tons. VW had initially calculated the Touareg could successfully pull 200 tons, and had even done a dry run with a 190-ton Boeing 747-400. Unfortunately, the only plane that could be acquired for the PR stunt was this one that is usually used as a giant prop in films. Apparently it didn't put up much of a fight, as the Touareg towed the jet 150 meters at 5 mph before slowing itself and the plane to a stop with its stock brakes. Impressive indeed, and we think the Touareg V10 TDI has laid down the gauntlet for our domestic heavy haulers. Let's see what crazy objects the Ford Super-Duty, Chevy Silverado HD and Dodge Ram 3500 can tug around.

Follow the jump for more pics of the Touareg's towing exploits.

[Source: VW]

New Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally will make some mad cash according to the Detroit News -- at least $10 million clams in compensation, in fact. The high sticker comes as no surprise given the fact that Bill Ford has had such a hard time finding somebody to take over his job, including the likes of Carlos Ghosn and Dieter Zetsche. It also comes as no surprise since Mulally was Boeing's second-highest paid executive at a mere $9.9 million compensation package in 2005, and Ford had no choice but to offer him a better deal.

Among his Boeing perks was a 104-percent pay increase for 2005 over 2004, $83,000 in personal use of the company jet, company cars and club memberships for business purposes. His base pay in 2005 was $825,000.

[Source: Detroit News]

A Reuters article released today suggests that Ford's new CEO Alan Mulally could attract a whole group of defecting executives from Boeing Co., Mulally's previous employer. Apparently Mulally is a pretty good guy to work for, being described by Reuters as a charismatic leader with a loyal following accrued over his 37-year tenure at Boeing.

The jury is still out on whether or not Mulally's experience makes him the right man for the job, so one must also ask whether a team of Boeing ex-pats would be better capable of restoring Ford to its former glory or would only make things worse.

While everyone is saying Mulally has valuable experience in manufacturing, operations, labor and supplier relations, etc., in an interview with Bloggingstocks, Brent Wilsey of Wilsey Asset Management makes the very good point that Mulally has never faced more than one competitor: Airbus. Now Mulally will have to face the likes of General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, the Koreans and soon the Chinese in a market that's begin to resemble an overstocked coy pond.

Mulally's impact on Ford, whether good or bad, is at least a couple of years out, so sit back and get comfortable.

[Source: Reuters, Blogginstocks]

UPDATED - Ford has issued a press release announcing that Bill Ford will step down as CEO of the company his family founded over a century ago and that Alan Mulally, a man with a 37-year record at Boeing, who most recently ran the airplane manufacturer's commercial plane business as CEO and President, will be his successor.

Ford's resignation as CEO was forecasted not only in recent interviews in which he stated outright that replacing himself was a possibility, but also the memo he sent out to employees late last week that outlined three strategies that he felt were critical to the company's turnaround. One of the strategies detailed cultivating better executive leadership from outside and within. Mulally appears to be the outside help Ford believes can help return his company to profitability.

Mulally has faced challenges at Boeing similar to the ones facing Ford Motor Company in the present, including improving customer satisfaction, manufacturing, supplier and labor relations, and fluctuating fuel prices. He also knows what it's like to lead a company on the brink, as Boeing found itself in such a place after the events of 9/11 while facing stiffer competition from its rival Airbus.

Ford will stay on as executive chairman and be behind a desk everyday trying to turn around Ford's fortunes. He stated, "As executive chairman, I intend to remain extremely active in the direction of this Company. I'll be here every day and I will not rest until a prosperous future for this Company is secured."

Ford's complete press release can be found after the jump.

Check out Mulally's bio on Boeing's website here (thanks Speed42).

[Source: Ford]

At its Aircraft Interiors Expo 2006 exhibition in Hamburg next month, Airbus plans to release a mock-up of an interior designed by BMW for its new A350 twinjet. The decision to employ BMW to "help" design the cockpit takes a swipe at the Airbus twinjet's direct competitor, Boeing's 787 twinjet. We're not sure exactly how much input BMW had, but Airbus isn't giving up all of the credit for sure.

The new design is something out of Star Trek's Ten Forward Lounge -- new lighting schemes; futuristic, ergonomically-designed seating; star-strewn aisles; larger-capacity overhead bins, and even the ability to project images like a cloudy sky onto the ceiling, are all part of the package.

More photos courtesy of Airbus after the jump.

[Source: Flightglobal.com]