Did the Danish Build a Supercar that can Hang With the Big Boys

Every year a few small car companies come along and think they know better than Ferrari and Porsche when it comes to car building. Most of the time these car some up short with quality issues arising with parts that look like they are built by children. The in-dash navigation or car stereo, which in a normal car are built for the specific vehicle in most cases but in small shed built supercars they are pulled from other cars. In other words while the car may look amazing from a distance when you get up close things just don’t seems right.

The curse of all cars is that individual components cost a lot to have them custom built for a truly bespoke vehicle. Recently the Danish company Zenvo has decided to undertake the monumental task of creating a supercar and what’s really amazing it looks stunning. All of the parts for the car are built specifically for this one application hence everything looks like it belongs. The car is known by the name Zenvo ST1 and this beast houses a turbo and supercharged V8 creating over 800HP per ton. This means that this first time supercar can hit speeds of 60 mph in the low 3 second range and a top speed over 230MPH.

While the performance of the ST1 may be staggering the looks are what really sets this car apart in the current field of supercars. The striking looks are reminiscent of something from blade runner and there is nothing else on the road that looks anything like the Zenvo. Sharp angles and an unrelenting quest for aerodynamic style have made the body not only sleek but slippery enough to pass the super-duper car holy grail of 230 mph. So now that you are intrigued and want one, let us talk price. There is no easy way to say this…it’s 1.7 million dollars before options. While this may seem like a lot of money (and it is) keep in mind that the average Occupy Wall street offender can still afford it even though all we can do is dream. 

Porsche Goes to New Heights

One of the downfalls of living in a high-rise building is that you have to park your diesel turbocharged VW in the garage, and take an elevator all the way up to your floor.  How many times have you wished that you didn’t have to park in that dark concrete maze, which smells like someone’s old diesel fuel pump? Well, it looks like Porsche has figured out a solution.

A new building in Miami, Florida called the Porsche Design Building is about to take residents directly to their apartments.  It doesn’t matter if you are on the first floor or the 50^th.  The high-tech car elevator will take you right to your front door.  Think of the elevator as one of those claw machines at the local arcade that your kid wastes $100 bucks on to get a stuffed animal, but instead of a stuffed animal it’s your car.

The apartments are going to have windows in the front, so you can see your car while lounging in your living room.  This also means when you pull in, you can wave hello to your family. Just like all the people living out in the burbs. The only thing missing is the annoying neighbor, demanding that you trim you hedges.

Each car elevator ride to an apartment which may cost a mere $9 million, will last approximately 45 to 90 seconds.  That sure is one expensive ride.  For that amount a money they better have some really good elevator music.

Are Old Cars Safer Than New Ones

It is a common held belief that old cars are safer in an accident than a new modern car. This is simply not true but the thought that there is about 500 yards of metal between you and the car in front makes some people feel safer. Older cars with their steering gear box and steering rack units that had to handle a great deal more weight than newer cars had a much harder time avoiding accidents. The fact of the matter is there is no replacement for technology when it comes to being safe behind the wheel.

After watching a number of crash-test videos from new cars and seeing how much of a beating a new car can take I thought it would be a good idea to take back at the classics. What can be found by just doing a search on YouTube is a bit scary. Older cars seem solid and like they could take on a brick wall without flinching, it is just not true. Recently an independent company put a 59 Impala and faced it off against a modern one. The result is not as expected while the modern impala may have been totaled but seems to be just superficial. The damage looks bad but the cabin seems to be completely intact which means the passengers would be ok. The 68 did not fare as well, Not only did the car seems to completely collapse from the impact but the driver was subject to many injuries that would threaten their life. That is if they were not crash test dummies.

 

The fact of the matter is that modern cars have been built with safety in mind and the technology to back that up. Even though a new car may seem to be plastic and light the truth of the matter is that crumple zones and frame strengthening in key areas means that the car will disperse the energy of a crash more efficiently. This in turn means that the driver will be more protected from the force of the impact. After watching all the test videos of older cars it become clear that modern automotive travel is a much safer way to travel then the classics.