1.
Ford Motor Company
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The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,1903, the company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV, in the past, it has also produced tractors and automotive components. Ford owns an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and it also has a number of joint-ventures, one in China, one in Taiwan, one in Thailand, one in Turkey, and one in Russia. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family, Fords former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010, in 2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938. During the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century, it was close to bankruptcy, Ford is the second-largest U. S. -based automaker and the fifth-largest in the world based on 2015 vehicle production. At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest automaker in Europe, Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the 2010 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion. In 2008, Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants, the company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights. The Ford Motor Company was launched in a factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John. During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue and later its factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on car, assembling it from parts made mostly by supplier companies contracting for Ford. Henry Ford was 39 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company and it has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. The first gasoline powered automobile had been created in 1885 by the German inventor Carl Benz, between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S. Hundreds or a few thousand of most of these were sold per year, in 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which totalled millions sold over nearly 20 years. In 1927, Ford replaced the T with the Model A, Ford launched the first low-priced car with a V8 engine in 1932. In an attempt to compete with General Motors mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobile market. The creation of a laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unfettered basic research
2.
Wixom, Michigan
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Wixom is a city that lies in the borders of northwest Novi and southwest Commerce Township in Oakland County in the U. S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,498 at the 2010 census, the city was home to the former Wixom Assembly Plant, which produced the Lincoln LS, the Ford Thunderbird, the Ford GT, and the Lincoln Town Car. The plant closed its doors on May 31,2007. S, the settlement of Wixom dates back to the 1830s. The establishment of Wixom as a place started in the early 1870s when the Holly, Wayne, willard Wixom platted land on either side of the railroad near the Novi and Commerce Township border. The construction of a depot and the naming of the area as Wixom fixed Wixom as a destination. The village of Wixom was incorporated in the 1950s following the announcement of plans to construct the Wixom Assembly Plant in Novi Township, prior to that time, Wixom was an unincorporated place. The village borders included portions of both Novi and Commerce Townships, efforts by the remainder of Novi Township to incorporate as a village prompted the newly established village of Wixom to incorporate as a city. The city largely follows the borders of the village although an area of parkland on the north side of the city was annexed from Commerce Township in the 1970s. Fleeing the plant, Atkins hid in storm drain tunnels while law enforcement surrounded the plant, the downtown area of the city is being developed with a new main street area on Pontiac Trail by the city offices called the Wixom Village Center. This was a $200 million project, the Village Center includes a pedestrian plaza, restaurants, and service shops. The residential development called Tribute of Wixom will contain 600 units that include ranch-style condos, town houses, the project was postponed in 2008 and construction did not begin again until 2014. Most of Wixom is part of Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, Schools located in the city limits include Loon Lake Elementary School, Wixom Elementary School, Sarah Banks Middle School, and Wixom Christian School. The districts Twin Sun Preschool is also in Wixom, Walled Lake district elementary schools serving Wixom include Loon Lake, Wixom, Hickory Woods, and Walled Lake. Most of Wixom is zoned to Banks Middle School, with a small part zoned to Geisler Middle School, most residents are zoned to Walled Lake Western High School. Some parts of the city are zoned to Walled Lake Central High School, the portion in the South Lyon district is zoned to Dolsen Elementary School, Centennial Middle School, and South Lyon East High School. St. Catherine of Siena Academy is in Wixom, the studios of WTVS are located in the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios. The police station is located in the developing downtown area on Pontiac Trail. The Wixom Police Department was formed in 1958, prior to 1958, Wixom received police services from the Oakland County Sheriffs Department
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Automotive design
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Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, the functional design and development of a modern motor vehicle is typically done by a large team from many different disciplines included within automotive engineering. Automotive design in context is primarily concerned with developing the visual appearance or aesthetics of the vehicle. Automotive design is practiced by designers who usually have an art background, the task of the design team is usually split into three main aspects, exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design. Graphic design is also an aspect of design, this is generally shared amongst the design team as the lead designer sees fit. Design focuses not only on the outer shape of automobile parts. The aesthetic value will need to correspond to ergonomic functionality and utility features as well, though not all the new vehicular gadgets are to be designated as factory standard items, some of them may be integral to determining the future course of any specific vehicular models. The stylist responsible for the design of the exterior of the vehicle develops the proportions, shape, Exterior design is first done by a series of digital or manual drawings. Progressively, drawings that are more detailed are executed and approved by appropriate layers of management, Clay and or digital models are developed from, and along with the drawings. The data from these models are used to create a full sized mock-up of the final design. With three- and five-axis CNC milling machines, the model is first designed in a computer program and then carved using the machine. Even in times of high-class 3d software and virtual models on power walls, here the emphasis is on ergonomics and the comfort of the passengers. The procedure here is the same as with exterior design, the color and trim designer is responsible for the research, design, and development of all interior and exterior colors and materials used on a vehicle. These include paints, plastics, fabric designs, leather, grains, carpet, headliner, wood trim, Color, contrast, texture, and pattern must be carefully combined to give the vehicle a unique interior environment experience. Designers work closely with the exterior and interior designers, designers draw inspiration from other design disciplines such as, industrial design, fashion, home furnishing, architecture, and sometimes product design. Specific research is done into global trends to design for two to three model years in the future. Trend boards are created from research in order to keep track of design influences as they relate to the automotive industry. The designer then uses this information to develop themes and concepts that are further refined and tested on the vehicle models
5.
Car classification
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Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for innumerable purposes including regulation, description and categorization, among others. This article details commonly used classification schemes in use worldwide, vehicles can be categorized in numerous ways. Regulatory agencies may also establish a vehicle classification system for determining a tax amount, in the United Kingdom, a vehicle is taxed according to the vehicles construction, engine, weight, type of fuel and emissions, as well as the purpose for which it is used. Other jurisdictions may determine vehicle tax based upon environmental principles, such as the user pays principle, another standard for road vehicles of all types that is used internationally, is ISO 3833-1977. In the United States, since 2010 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety uses a scheme it has developed that takes into account a combination of both shadow and weight. The United States Federal Highway Administration has developed a scheme used for automatically calculating road use tolls. There are two categories depending on whether the vehicle carries passengers or commodities. Vehicles that carry commodities are further subdivided by number of axles and number of units, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has developed a classification scheme used to compare fuel economy among similar vehicles. Passenger vehicles are classified based on a total interior passenger. Trucks are classified based upon their gross vehicle weight rating, heavy duty vehicles are not included within the EPA scheme. A similar set of classes is used by the Canadian EPA, in Australia, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries publishes its own classifications. This is a table listing several different methods of vehicle classification. Straddling the boundary between car and motorbike, these vehicles have engines under 1.0 litre, typically only two passengers, and are sometimes unorthodox in construction. Some microcars are three-wheelers, while the majority have four wheels, microcars were popular in post-war Europe, where their appearance led them to be called Bubble cars. More recent microcars are often electric powered, the size of ultracompact cars will be less than minicars, but have engine greater than 50cc displacement and able to transport 1 or 2 persons. Ultracompact cars cannot use standard, because of strict safety standards for minicars. The regulation about running capacity and safety performance of cars will be published in early autumn. Today, there are smaller than ultracompact cars, called category-1 motorized vehicles which it has 50cc displacement or less
6.
Convertible
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A convertible or cabriolet is an automobile body style that can convert between an open-air mode and an enclosed one, varying in degree and means by model. Convertibles evolved from the phaeton, an open vehicle without glass side windows that sometimes had removable panels of fabric or other material for protection from the elements. Historically, a retractable roof consisted of a frame covered with a folding. A lesser seen detachable hardtop provided a more weatherproof and secure alternative, as technology improved, a retractable hardtop which removes and stows its own rigid roof in its trunk appeared, increasingly becoming the most popular form. A semiconvertible also known as a coach has a retractable or removable top which retains fully framed windows on its doors. A landaulet is a convertible with a fully enclosed front cabin. Other common terms include cabriolet, cabrio, soft top, and drop top, and where the roof is more than emergency weather protection, open two-seater, rag top, spider. The erected top secures to the frame header with manual latches, semimanual latches. The folded convertible top is called the stack, a tonneau cover provides a solution. A range of materials is available for soft tops, automakers had problems in securing raw materials to fulfill orders after World War II, including canvas in various shades for convertible tops and limiting their manufacture. Polyvinyl chloride material was used for many convertible tops, the material consists of two layers, a top layer made of PVC, which has a specific structure depending on the vehicle model, and a lower layer made of fabric. Side windows were not existent in open cars, which may have detachable side screens, rear windows have evolved similarly, with plastic rear windows appearing as late as the first-generation Porsche Boxster. Plastic windows can degrade, fade, yellow, and crack over time, a windblocker or wind deflector minimizes noise and rushing air reaching the occupants. Mazda pioneered a version on the RX7 convertible which featured an integral rigid opaque panel that folded up from behind the front seats, current convertibles feature windblockers of various designs including detachable fold-up designs, vertically retractable glass, minimal flaps – or other integrated wind controlling systems. According to the responsible for the 2008 Chrysler Sebring, its windblocker reduces wind noise by roughly 11 to 12 dB. Mercedes and Audi currently offer a heating duct to the area of the seat on SLK, SL. Windblockers are also available on the aftermarket for use on convertibles that do not have them, the Volvo C70 retractable hardtop includes a door-mounted side-impact protection inflatable curtain which inflates upward from the interior belt-line – vs. downward like the typical curtain airbag. The curtain has an extra stiff construction with double rows of slats that are offset from each other
7.
Automobile layout
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In automotive design, the automobile layout describes where on the vehicle the engine and drive wheels are found. Many different combinations of engine location and driven wheels are found in practice, factors influencing the design choice include cost, complexity, reliability, packaging, weight distribution, and the vehicles intended handling characteristics. Layouts can roughly be divided into two categories, front- or rear-wheel drive, four-wheel-drive vehicles may take on the characteristics of either, depending on how power is distributed to the wheels. Front-wheel-drive layouts are those in which the front wheels of the vehicle are driven, the most popular layout used in cars today is the front-engine, front-wheel drive, with the engine in front of the front axle, driving the front wheels. As the steered wheels are also the wheels, FF cars are generally considered superior to FR cars in conditions such as snow, mud. The weight of the engine over the wheels also improves grip in such conditions. Electronic traction control can avoid wheelspin but largely negates the benefit of extra torque/power, a transverse engine is commonly used in FF designs, in contrast to FR which uses a longitudinal engine. This is another reason luxury/sports cars avoid the FF layout, exceptions do exist, such as the Volvo S80 which uses transversely mounted inline 6 and V8 engines, and the Ford Taurus SHO, available with a 60° V8 and front-wheel drive. There are some exceptions to this as rear engine designs do not take away interior space and it also has fewer components overall and thus lower weight. However, this may apply for cars with moderate power-to-weight ratio. According to road test with two Dodge Daytonas, one FWD and one RWD, the layout is also important for what configuration is the fastest. Weight shifting limits the acceleration of a front-wheel-drive vehicle, however, since front-wheel-drive cars have the weight of the engine over the driving wheels, the problem only applies in extreme conditions in which case the car understeers. On snow, ice, and sand, rear-wheel drive loses its traction advantage to front or all-wheel-drive vehicles which have greater weight over the driven wheels. Rear-wheel-drive cars with engine or mid engine configuration retain traction over the driven wheels. A rear-wheel-drive cars centre of gravity is shifted rearward when heavily loaded with passengers or cargo, on front-wheel-drive cars, the short driveshaft may reduce drivetrain elasticity, improving responsiveness. Instead, the tunnel may be used to route the exhaust system pipes. Weight, Fewer components usually means lower weight, improved fuel efficiency due to less weight. Cost, Fewer material components and less installation complexity overall, however, the considerable MSRP differential between a FF and FR car cannot be attributed to layout alone. Few modern family cars have rear-wheel drive as of 2009, so a direct cost comparison is not necessarily possible, assembly efficiency, the powertrain can often be assembled and installed as a unit, which allows more efficient production
8.
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
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In automotive design, an FR, or front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is one where the engine is located at the front of the vehicle and driven wheels are located at the rear. This was the automobile layout for most of the 20th century. Modern designs commonly use the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, the first FR car was an 1895 Panhard model, so this layout was known as the Système Panhard in the early years. The layout has the advantage of minimizing mechanical complexity, as it allows the transmission to be placed in-line with the output shaft. In comparison, a vehicle with the engine over the driven wheels eliminates the need for the drive shaft, in order to reduce the relative weight of the drive shaft, the transmission was normally split into two parts, the gearbox and the final drive. The gearbox was produced with its highest gear being 1,1. The final drive, in the axle, would then reduce this to the most appropriate speed for the wheels. As power is the product of torque and angular velocity, spinning the shaft faster for any given power reduces the torque, in an era when gasoline was cheap and cars were heavy, the mechanical advantages of the FR drivetrain layout made up for any disadvantage in weight terms. It remained almost universal among car designs until the 1970s, after the Arab oil embargo of 1973 and the 1979 fuel crises, a majority of American FR vehicles were phased out for the FF layout – this trend would spawn the SUV-van conversion market. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most American companies set as a priority the eventual removal of rear-wheel drive from their mainstream, chrysler went 100% FF by 1990 and GMs American production went entirely FF by 1997 except the Corvette, Firebird and Camaro. This configuration is referred to as a transaxle since the transmission. In Europe, front-wheel drive was popularized by small cars like the Mini, Renault 5 and Volkswagen Golf, upscale marques like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Jaguar remained mostly independent of this trend, and retained a lineup mostly or entirely made up of FR cars. Japanese mainstream marques such as Toyota were almost exclusively FR until the late 1970s, toyotas first FF vehicle was the Toyota Tercel, with the Corolla and Celica later becoming FF while the Camry was designed as an FF from the beginning. The Supra, Cressida, Crown, and Century remained FR, luxury division Lexus has a mostly FR lineup. Subarus BRZ is an FR car, currently most cars are FF, including all front-engined economy cars, though FR cars are making a return as an alternative to large sport-utility vehicles. In North America, GM returned to production of FR-based luxury vehicles with the 2003 Cadillac CTS, as of 2012, all but the SRX and XTS are FR-based vehicles. Chevrolet reintroduced the FR-based Camaro in 2009, and the Caprice PPV in 2011, Pontiac also had a short run with the FR-based G8 and Pontiac Solstice. A Chevrolet replacement for the G8 called the Chevrolet SS was released in 2013, chrysler and Dodge reintroduced the 300 and Charger on a FR platform
9.
Car platform
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It is practiced in the automotive industry to reduce the costs associated with the development of products by basing those products on a smaller number of platforms. This further allows companies to create models from a design perspective on similar underpinnings. Platform sharing is a development method where different products and the brand attached share the same components. The purpose with platform sharing is to reduce the cost and have a more efficient product development process, the companies gain on reduced procurement cost by taking advantage of the commonality of the components. However, this limits their ability to differentiate the products. The companies have to make a trade-off between reducing their development costs and the degree of differentiation of the products, one of the first car companies to use this product development approach was General Motors in 1908. A basic definition of a platform in cars, from a point of view, includes, underbody and suspensions — where the underbody is made of front floor, underfloor, engine compartment. Many vendors refer to this as product or vehicle architecture, the concept of product architecture is the scheme by which the function of a product is allocated to physical components. The car platform strategy has become important in new product development, the finished products have to be responsive to market needs and to demonstrate distinctiveness while — at the same time — they must be developed and produced at low cost. Adopting such a strategy affects the development process and also has an important impact on an organizational structure. A platform strategy also offers advantages for the process of automobile firms. Manufacturers are then able to offer products at a lower cost to consumers, additionally, economies of scale are increased, as is return on investment. In the 1980s, Chryslers K-cars all wore a badge with the letter K to indicate their shared platform, in later stages, the K platform was extended in wheelbase, as well as use for several of the Corporations different models. GM used similar strategies with its J platform that debuted in mid-1981 in four of GMs divisions and they were popular through the 1980s, primarily. Even Cadillac started offering a J body model called the Cimarron, a similar strategy applied to what is known as the N-J-L platform, arguably the most prolific of GMs efforts on one platform. Once more, GMs four lower level divisions all offered various models on this throughout the 1980s. For example, the Lexus ES is essentially an upgraded and rebadged Toyota Camry, after Daimler-Benz purchased Chrysler, Chrysler engineers used several M-B platforms for new models including the Crossfire which was based on the M-B SLK roadster. Other models that share platforms are the European Ford Focus, Mazda 3, differences between shared models typically involve styling, including headlights, tail lights, and front and rear fascias
10.
Ford DEW platform
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The Ford DEW platform is Ford Motor Companys midsized rear-wheel drive automobile platform. The D/E nomenclature was meant to express an intermediate size between D- and E-class vehicles, while the W denoted a worldwide platform, the platform was developed by both Ford and Jaguar engineers, and debuted in the Lincoln LS sedan. Fords use of the platform ended in 2006, but Jaguar continued to use DEW98 after Jaguar was sold to Tata Motors in 2008, jaguars use of the platform ended in 2015, with the introduction of the second-generation XF model, built on the Jaguar iQ modular platform. A less-expensive variant known as DEW Lite was originally to be used for the 2005 Ford Mustang, but the platform was significantly redesigned to become the Ford D2C platform, instead
11.
Jaguar S-Type
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The S-Type received a mild facelift for model year 2005. The S-Type was produced at Jaguars Castle Bromwich facility in Birmingham, the car was styled by Geoff Lawson in 1995 and is based on the Jaguar DEW platform/Ford DEW platform, shared with the Lincoln LS and Ford Thunderbird. The first S-Types are distinguished by a U-shaped centre console and optional touch-screen navigation system in the 2003, the traditional leaping jaguar hood ornament was optional even though it is approved by the US and EU standards and breaks away in the case of an accident. Subsequent models have the Jaguar logo incorporated within the radiator grille, in Australia, the jag bonnet ornament did not become available until 2004. The supercharged S-Type R joined the lineup in 2002, and the hope was that it would compete with BMWs M5 and the Mercedes E55 AMG. The R was powered by the newly revised 4. 2-Litre V8 with an Eaton M112 supercharger, producing 400 hp and it included 18-inch alloy wheels, wire-mesh grille, and monochromatic paint. The R also has an apron, side-skirts, and front apron with built-in fog-lamps, a rear spoiler, a brace located near the rear subframe. Later models of the S-Type R featured a revised system for the Eaton M112 supercharger. Also added on the 2003 model was an electronic parking-brake paddle-switch that replaced the manually operated lever for the rear brakes. For the 2003 model year, the Jaguar S-type was given a six-speed, the 2003 model featured a revised dash, centre console, and a grille with the Jaguar badge to give the vehicle a more Jaguar-like appearance, and a flip-open key was devised for the ignition. The windscreen washer jets were incorporated into the windscreen wiper arms, there were no changes made to the cabin interior. 2006 to 2008 models featured no fog lights, the S-Type was powered by a variety of petrol and diesel engines. At launch, the V8 S-Type was powered by the 4. 0L Jaguar AJ-V8 engine, variants of this engine are used in Ford, Lincoln, Landrover/Rangerover and Aston Martin models. V6 engines used are the Ford Duratec unit which is used throughout the Ford model range. The 2.5 L V6 engine was not available for vehicles exported to the United States, diesel engines are the Ford/Peugeot 2. 7L HDi Ford AJD-V6/PSA DT17 which is used in a number of Ford, Peugeot, Citroen, Jaguar and Landrover models. From model years 1999 to 2002, the rear-wheel-drive S-Type was equipped with either a manual or a five-speed J-Gate Ford 5R55N transmission. From 2003, the S-Type was produced either a 5-speed manual transmission or a six-speed J-Gate transmission that allows automatic gear selection or clutchless manual gear selection. The 2004 diesel saw the introduction of a 6-speed manual transmission, the S-Type was discontinued in spring 2008, replaced by the XF
12.
Lincoln LS
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The Lincoln LS is a mid-size, rear-wheel drive executive sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed under its Lincoln brand in a single generation. The LS shared the Ford DEW98 platform with the Jaguar S-Type and those nameplates were replaced with LS V6 and LS V8 after Toyotas Lexus division became concerned about the potential name confusion with its Lexus LS. Trim levels ranged from the base V6 model to the Special Edition V8 LSE trims in 2004, which featured revised front and rear fascia, taillights and foglights, and front grille. LS models were manufactured at Fords Wixom Assembly Plant until production ended on April 3,2006, approximately 262,900 LS models were manufactured, including 2331 manual transmission V6 models, and 1500 LSE editions. In 1999, the LS debuted as Lincolns first rear-wheel drive sport luxury sedan for the 2000 model year, under influence from the newly established Premier Automotive Group. This redefines the Lincoln brand, but we still had to make sure it was recognizable as a member of the family as the Town Car, Continental, Mark VIII. Heeding this insight, the LS featured an understated, well-proportioned exterior design with squared rectangular fog lights, the greenhouse of the LS offered spacious headroom and was accentuated by a smoothly arched roofline. Completing the exterior were chrome accents on the front and rear fascias, relative to the exterior, the interior of the LS bore a stronger resemblance to the S-Type, with a similar dashboard layout, gauges, and controls. The interior of the LS was simple, straightforward, and comfortable, the steering wheel could be wood- and leather-wrapped while wood accents continued around the interior on the door panels and dashboard area. Leather seating surfaces were standard and the front power bucket seats were bolstered for a feel like the LS European competitors. Some of the options included a six-disc in-dash CD changer, a power moonroof. As mentioned above, the Lincoln LS shared a platform and equipment with the Jaguar S-Type, the DEW98 platform on which the cars were based was a rigid chassis that featured independent double wishbone front and rear suspensions for excellent handling and ride quality. Enhancing ride quality further, as well as increasing interior space, was the LS large 114. 5-inch wheelbase, four-wheel antilock disc brakes were standard while Fords AdvanceTrac traction control system was available as an option for improved driving control. A number of components, as well as the hood, decklid. The LS came with standard 16-inch alloy wheels while 17-inch wheels were available through an optional sport package, the sport package for only an extra $1000.00, gave a stiffer suspension, 17-inch rims and a slap shift selecter. The battery of the LS was positioned in the tire well inside the cars trunk because too little room for it was left in the engine bay. However, moving the heavy battery and its interconnecting cables to the rear of the vehicle contributed to its weight distribution. The base LS was powered by an all-aluminum 3.0 L DOHC V6 that was a variant of the Jaguar AJ-V6 engine, optional in the LS was an all-aluminum 3.9 L DOHC V8, a shorter-stroke variant of the Jaguar 4.0 L AJ-26 V8
13.
Jaguar XF
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The Jaguar XF is an executive/mid-size luxury car and estate produced by British car manufacturer Jaguar. It was first unveiled in autumn 2007 as a replacement for the Jaguar S-Type, the XF was developed at Jaguars Whitley design and development HQ in Coventry and is built at Castle Bromwich Assembly facility in Birmingham. During its development the XF was known by its codename X250, the XF was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, following the public showing of the C-XF concept in January 2007 at the North American International Auto Show. Designed by Jaguars design director Ian Callum, it was a significant design change from its predecessor, the boot lid retained the S-Types chromed blade to its edge, but also included a leaper Jaguar logo as well. Another departure from the traditional Jaguar cabin ambiance is the use of pale-blue backlighting to the instruments, switchgear, some minor systems, such as the interior lighting, are controlled simply by touching the light covers. The glove compartment also opens to the touch, unusually the XF has no cloth interior option, with even the entry level model being fully trimmed in leather - even areas that have employed plastic on previous Jaguars. Real wood veneers are available, but have been joined by aluminium, carbon fibre, customer deliveries commenced in March 2008, with a range of V6 and V8 engines. The XF was launched with a variety of trims called, depending on country, SE, Luxury, Premium Luxury, Portfolio, SV8 and R. For the UK market, company car-friendly Executive Edition and SE Business models with a lower tuned versions of the 3.0 L and 2.2 L diesel engines respectively are available. The 20084. 2-litre supercharged engined was replaced by the new 5. 0-litre supercharged engine rated at 470 PS, a special version of the XF Diesel S was announced in 2009 for the UK police car market, with the first police force orders in 2010. The Sportbrake was formally revealed in March 2012, and went on-sale date in October of the same year and it is available with all of the saloons engines and has a loading capacity of 550 litres with the seats up and 1,675 litres with them folded. The maximum capacity surpasses that of rivals BMW 5-Series Touring, Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the extended roofline increases rear headroom by 48 mm and the rear bench includes a 60,40 split and remote-controlled one-touch folding function. The load area is fitted with rails and is 1,970 mm long and 1,064 millimetres wide. An R-S version of the XF was confirmed in 2012 following on from a picture that Jaguar released shortly before the Los Angeles Motor Show and it uses the same 5. 0-litre supercharged V8 engine as the XKR. The engine produces 550 PS and 680 N·m of torque, the XFR-S does 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. The XFR-S differs from the normal XFR as it has bespoke 20-inch Varuna-design alloy wheels, wider front grills, the front grills improve aerodynamic efficiency as does the large rear wing. Combined, they cut lift by 68%, at the back there is a rear diffuser and quad tailpipes. The suspension is stiffer by 30% and the differential and stability control are reprogrammed to take the extra power
14.
Engine
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An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy. Heat engines burn a fuel to heat, which is then used to create a force. Electric motors convert electrical energy into motion, pneumatic motors use compressed air. In biological systems, molecular motors, like myosins in muscles, use energy to create forces. The word engine derives from Old French engin, from the Latin ingenium–the root of the word ingenious. Pre-industrial weapons of war, such as catapults, trebuchets and battering rams, were called siege engines, the word gin, as in cotton gin, is short for engine. Most mechanical devices invented during the revolution were described as engines—the steam engine being a notable example. However, the steam engines, such as those by Thomas Savery, were not mechanical engines. In this manner, an engine in its original form was merely a water pump. Devices converting heat energy into motion are commonly referred to simply as engines, examples of engines which exert a torque include the familiar automobile gasoline and diesel engines, as well as turboshafts. Examples of engines which produce thrust include turbofans and rockets, the term motor derives from the Latin verb moto which means to set in motion, or maintain motion. Thus a motor is a device that imparts motion, motor and engine later came to be used largely interchangeably in casual discourse. However, technically, the two words have different meanings, however, rocketry uses the term rocket motor, even though they consume fuel. A heat engine may also serve as a prime mover—a component that transforms the flow or changes in pressure of a fluid into mechanical energy. An automobile powered by a combustion engine may make use of various motors and pumps. Another way of looking at it is that a motor receives power from an external source, simple machines, such as the club and oar, are prehistoric. More complex engines using human power, animal power, water power, wind power and these were used in cranes and aboard ships in Ancient Greece, as well as in mines, water pumps and siege engines in Ancient Rome. The writers of those times, including Vitruvius, Frontinus and Pliny the Elder, treat these engines as commonplace, by the 1st century AD, cattle and horses were used in mills, driving machines similar to those powered by humans in earlier times
15.
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine
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The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the new engine type in the history of the company. In 1997 it replaced both designs previously available on Jaguar cars, the straight-6 Jaguar AJ6 engine, and the Jaguar V12 engine. It remained the engine type available on Jaguar until 1999 with the launch of the S-Type. The AJ-V8 is available in displacements ranging from 3.2 L to 5.0 L, and a supercharged version is also produced. Ford Motor Company used this small V8 in other products as well, including the Lincoln LS the 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird as well as in several Land Rovers, the AJ-V8 was designed to use Nikasil-coated cylinders rather than the more-common iron cylinder liners. However, like the BMW M60, high-sulphur fuel reacted with the Nikasil liners, Jaguar replaced affected engines, and has used conventional cast-iron linings ever since. The engine originally used a two-state Variable Valve Timing system to switch the intake cam timing by 30°, newer variants use a more sophisticated system which can vary intake timing incrementally up to 48°. The Lincoln version was made in the United States, other engine features include fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods, a special one-piece cast camshaft, and reinforced plastic intake manifold. The AJ-V8 was on the Wards 10 Best Engines list for 2000, the AJ8 engine is manufactured in an all-new, dedicated Jaguar facility located within the Ford Bridgend Engine Plant in Bridgend, South Wales. The Jaguar plant-within-a-plant saved considerable investment costs by Jaguar and it is staffed by workers dedicated to Jaguar engine production and includes a linked flow-line of computer numerically controlled machines with automated loading and assembly. Component supply is on a just-in-time basis, the 4.0 L AJ26 engine was introduced in 1996. The number 26 comes from 12+6+8, because when the first ideas were sketched and it has a square 86 mm bore and stroke. It was updated in 1998 as the AJ27 with continuously variable valve timing, the AJ-V8 was updated again in 2000 as the AJ28. The naturally aspirated version produces 290 hp in the 2000-2002 XK8, the engine was updated with AJ27 specifications for 2000. It produces 375 hp and 387 lb·ft with the help of an Eaton supercharger.2 litre variant was the second to be introduced and it reduces the stroke to 70 mm and power falls to 240 hp and 233 lb·ft. Vehicles using this engine, Jaguar XJ The 3.6 L3.5 was used in the XJ series as well, output was 262 bhp at 6250 rpm and 345.0 N·m at 4200 rpm. Bore is 86 mm and stroke is 85 mm, the AJ35 version introduced for the 2003 model year added variable valve timing of the intake camshafts and electronic throttle control
16.
V8 engine
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A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder V configuration engine with the cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most banks are set at an angle to each other, some at a narrower angle, with 45°, 60°. In its simplest form, the V8 is basically two parallel inline-four engines sharing a common crankshaft, since the 1920s, most V8s have used the somewhat more complex crossplane crankshaft with heavy counterweights to eliminate the vibrations. This results in an engine that is smoother than a V6, most racing V8s continue to use the single plane crankshaft because it allows faster acceleration and more efficient exhaust system designs. In 1902, Léon Levavasseur took out a patent on a light and he called it the Antoinette after the young daughter of his financial backer. From 1904 he installed this engine in a number of competition speedboats, the aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont saw one of these boats in Côte dAzur and decided to try it on his 14-bis aircraft. Its early 24 hp at 1400 rpm version with only 55 kg of weight was interesting, Santos-Dumont ordered a larger and more powerful version from Levavasseur. He changed its dimensions from the original 80 mm stroke and 80 mm bore to 105 mm stroke and 110 mm bore, obtaining 50 hp with 86 kg of weight and its power-to-weight ratio was not surpassed for 25 years. Levavasseur eventually produced its own line of V8 equipped aircraft, named Antoinette I to VIII, hubert Latham piloted the V8 powered Antoinette IV and Antoinette VII in July 1909 on two failed attempts to cross the English Channel. However, in 1910, Latham used the VII with the engine to become the first in the world to reach an altitude of 3600 feet. Voisin constructed pusher biplanes with Antoinette engines, also, notably the one first flown successfully by Henry Farman in 1908, the V8 engine configuration became popular in France from 1904 onward, and was used in a number of aircraft engines introduced by Renault, and Buchet among others. Some of these found their way into automobiles in small quantities. In 1905, Darracq built a car to beat the world speed record. They came up with two racing car built on a common crankcase and camshaft. The result was monstrous engine with a displacement of 1,551 cu in, victor Hemery fixed that record on 30 December 1905 with a speed of 109.65 mph. Rolls-Royce built a 3,535 cc V8 car from 1905 to 1906, in 1907 The Hewitt Motor Company built a large 5 passenger Touring Car. It was equipped with a hefty V8 engine that developed 50/60 horsepower and had a bore of 4 inches, the Hewitt was the first American Automobile to be equipped with a V8 engine. De Dion-Bouton introduced a 7,773 cc automobile V8 in 1910 and it was produced only in small quantities, but inspired a number of manufacturers to follow suit
17.
Transmission (mechanics)
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A transmission is a machine in a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Often the term refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to provide speed. In British English, the term refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft, differential. In American English, however, the term more specifically to the gearbox alone. The most common use is in vehicles, where the transmission adapts the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels. Such engines need to operate at a high rotational speed, which is inappropriate for starting, stopping. The transmission reduces the engine speed to the slower wheel speed. Transmissions are also used on bicycles, fixed machines. Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios with the ability to switch between them as speed varies and this switching may be done manually or automatically. Directional control may also be provided, single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the speed and torque of motor output. The output of the transmission is transmitted via the driveshaft to one or more differentials, while a differential may also provide gear reduction, its primary purpose is to permit the wheels at either end of an axle to rotate at different speeds as it changes the direction of rotation. Conventional gear/belt transmissions are not the mechanism for speed/torque adaptation. Alternative mechanisms include torque converters and power transformation, automatic transmissions use a valve body to shift gears using fluid pressures in conjunction with an ecm. Early transmissions included the right-angle drives and other gearing in windmills, horse-powered devices, and steam engines, in support of pumping, milling, most modern gearboxes are used to increase torque while reducing the speed of a prime mover output shaft. This means that the shaft of a gearbox rotates at a slower rate than the input shaft. A gearbox can be set up to do the opposite and provide an increase in speed with a reduction of torque. Some of the simplest gearboxes merely change the rotational direction of power transmission. Many typical automobile transmissions include the ability to select one of several gear ratios, in this case, most of the gear ratios are used to slow down the output speed of the engine and increase torque
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Automatic transmission
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The number of forward gear ratios is often expressed for manual transmissions as well. The most popular form found in automobiles is the automatic transmission. Similar but larger devices are used for heavy-duty commercial and industrial vehicles. This system uses a coupling in place of a friction clutch. These systems have a set of gear ranges, often with a parking pawl that locks the output shaft of the transmission to keep the vehicle from rolling either forward or backward. Some machines with limited speed ranges or fixed engine speeds, such as forklifts and lawn mowers. Despite superficial similarity to other transmissions, traditional automatic transmissions differ significantly in internal operation and drivers feel from semi-automatics and CVTs. In contrast to conventional automatic transmissions, a CVT uses a belt or other torque transmission scheme to allow a number of gear ratios instead of a fixed number of gear ratios. A semi-automatic retains a clutch like a transmission, but controls the clutch through electrohydraulic means. The ability to shift gears manually, often via paddle shifters, can also be found on certain automated transmissions, semi-automatics, the obvious advantage of an automatic transmission to the driver is the lack of a clutch pedal and manual shift pattern in normal driving. This allows the driver to operate the car with as few as two limbs, allowing amputees and other disabled individuals to drive, the automatic transmission was invented in 1921 by Alfred Horner Munro of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and patented under Canadian patent CA235757 in 1923. Being a steam engineer, Munro designed his device to use compressed air rather than hydraulic fluid and they were incorporated into GM-built tanks during World War II and, after the war, GM marketed them as being battle-tested. However, a Wall Street Journal article credits ZF Friedrichshafen with the invention, zFs origins were in manufacturing gears for airship engines beginning in 1915, the company was founded by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Modern automatic transmissions can trace their origins to an early horseless carriage gearbox that was developed in 1904 by the Sturtevant brothers of Boston and this unit had two forward speeds, the ratio change being brought about by flyweights that were driven by the engine. At higher engine speeds, high gear was engaged, as the vehicle slowed down and engine RPM decreased, the gearbox would shift back to low. Unfortunately, the metallurgy of the time wasnt up to the task, and owing to the abruptness of the gear change, the next significant phase in the automatic transmissions development occurred in 1908 with the introduction of Henry Fords remarkable Model T. The pedals actuated the transmissions friction elements to select the desired gear, in 1934, both REO and General Motors developed semi-automatic transmissions that were less difficult to operate than a fully manual unit. These designs, however, continued to use a clutch to engage the engine with the transmission, parallel to the development in the 1930s of an automatically shifting gearbox was Chryslers work on adapting the fluid coupling to automotive use
19.
Wheelbase
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In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles, the wheelbase is defined as the distance between the axle and the centerpoint of the driving axle group. In the case of a truck, the wheelbase would be the distance between the steering axle and a point midway between the two rear axles. The wheelbase of a vehicle equals the distance between its front and rear wheels, at equilibrium, the total torque of the forces acting on a vehicle is zero. So, for example, when a truck is loaded, its center of gravity shifts rearward, the amount the vehicle sinks will depend on counter acting forces like the size of the tires, tire pressure, and the stiffness of the suspension. If the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, extra torque is placed on the rear or front tire respectively, so, as is common experience, when the vehicle accelerates, the rear usually sinks and the front rises depending on the suspension. Likewise, when braking the front noses down and the rear rises, because of the effect the wheelbase has on the weight distribution of the vehicle, wheelbase dimensions are crucial to the balance and steering. For example, a car with a greater weight load on the rear tends to understeer due to the lack of the load on the front tires. This is why it is crucial, when towing a single-axle caravan, likewise, a car may oversteer or even spin out if there is too much force on the front tires and not enough on the rear tires. Also, when turning there is lateral torque placed upon the tires which imparts a turning force that depends upon the length of the distances from the CM. Wheelbases provide the basis for one of the most common vehicle size class systems, some luxury vehicles are offered with long-wheelbase variants to increase the spaciousness and therefore the luxury of the vehicle. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair was given a version of the Rover 75 for official use. In contrast, coupé varieties of vehicles such as the Honda Accord are usually built on shorter wheelbases than the sedans they are derived from. The wheelbase on many commercially available bicycles and motorcycles is so short, relative to the height of their centers of mass, in skateboarding the word wheelbase is used for the distance between the two inner pairs of mounting holes on the deck. This is different from the distance between the centers of the two wheel pairs. A reason for this use is that decks are sold with prefabricated holes. It is therefore easier to use the holes for measuring and describing this characteristic of the deck. A common misconception is that the choice of wheelbase is influenced by the height of the skateboarder, however, the length of the deck would then be a better candidate, because the wheelbase affects characteristics useful in different speeds or terrains regardless of the height of the skateboarder
20.
Ford Thunderbird (tenth generation)
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The tenth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car that was produced by Ford for the 1989 to 1997 model years. On December 26,1988 a completely redesigned Thunderbird was introduced as a 1989 model alongside its sister car, the car featured a short-long arm four-wheel independent suspension, with a modified MacPherson strut assembly in front, that offered excellent handling and ride quality. Engine options fell to two for 1989 as Ford dropped the V8 option for the new Thunderbird. The base and LX models were powered by Fords 3.8 L Essex OHV V6. Producing 140 horsepower at 3800 rpm and 215 lb·ft of torque at 2400 rpm and this engine was mated to Fords AOD 4-speed automatic transmission regardless of trim level from the 1989 to 1993 model years. Thanks in part to its low coefficient of drag, the Thunderbird was relatively fuel efficient considering its overall size and weight. A more sophisticated, supercharged and intercooled version of the 3.8 L OHV V6 was used to power the high performance Thunderbird Super Coupe, the Super Coupe could be had with a Mazda-derived, M5R2 5-speed manual transmission or an AOD 4-speed automatic transmission. The Thunderbird Super Coupe was Motor Trends Car of the Year for 1989, which Ford proudly advertised. When running at a maximum of 5600 rpm, the supercharger provided 12 psi of boost, accompanying the more powerful engine, Super Coupes were equipped with a host of unique features underlining their higher performance demeanor relative to standard Thunderbirds. Among these were larger,16 x 7, in spite of the new Thunderbirds merits, it was considered a failure by Fords top management. On January 17,1989, Ford President Harold A and this criticism came as a surprise to the program staff who expected to be praised for the Thunderbird and Cougars technical achievements and positive reception. Falling out of favor with Ford management after the Thunderbird and Cougars launch, for the 1991 model year, Ford reintroduced a V8 option with the Windsor 5.0 V8. In 1993, the Thunderbird received some exterior updates, the front fascia saw substantial stylistic changes with larger air scoops in the bumper cover, new headlamps, and a new, slightly more curvaceous hood. At the center of this, the silver Thunderbird logo was moved onto the front bumper cover from the front lip of the hood where it was located previously, the Thunderbirds interior was completely redesigned with an emphasis on optimizing driver comfort and convenience to the utmost. The redesign featured a wrap around cockpit-style layout of instrumentation with a new steering wheel, radio, complementing the changes to the interior came added driver and passenger safety as Ford made dual front-side airbags standard on all 1994 Thunderbird models. Arguably the most dramatic change for 1994, however, was the new 4.6 L Modular SOHC V8 which replaced the 5.0 Windsor engine. The 4.6 L V8 produced 205 horsepower at 4500 rpm and 265 lb·ft of torque at 3200 rpm and brought with it an updated powertrain control module, the EEC-V. An electronically controlled 4R70W 4-speed automatic transmission replaced the AOD automatic transmission in all instances where it was used in the Thunderbird
21.
Ford Thunderbird
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The Ford Thunderbird is a rear wheel drive automobile which was manufactured by Ford in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005. The Thunderbird created a niche that eventually became known as the personal luxury car. The Thunderbird entered production for the 1955 model year as a sporty two-seat convertible, unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, it was not marketed as a sports car. Ford positioned the Thunderbird as a model and is credited in developing a new market segment. In 1958, the Thunderbird gained a second row of seats, succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again in 1983. Sales were good until the 1990s, when large 2-door coupes became unpopular, in 2002 production of the Thunderbird started again, a revived 2-seat model was launched, which was available through the end of the 2005 model year. From its introduction in 1955 to its phaseout in 2005, Ford produced over 4.4 million Thunderbirds, the Second to Fourth Generation Thunderbird convertibles were similar in design to the Lincoln convertible of the time and borrowed from earlier Ford hardtop/convertible designs. While these Thunderbird models had a convertible soft top, the top was lowered to stow in the forward trunk area. This design reduced available space when the top was down. The trunk lid was rear-hinged, raised and lowered via hydraulic cylinders during the top raising or lowering cycle, the forward end of the trunk lid contained a metal plate that extended upward to cover the area that the top is stowed in. With the top down and the trunk lid lowered, there is no sight of the soft top, the overall appearance was a sleek look with no trace of a convertible top at all. However, this design could present a challenge to one who is troubleshooting a convertible top malfunction, the system consists of a spiderweb of solenoids, relays, limit switches, electric motors, a hydraulic pump/reservoir, hydraulic directional valves and cylinders. While the hydraulics are not often a cause for trouble, the relays are known to fail. Failure of any of the relays, motors or limit switches will prevent the system from completing the cycle. Unlike hardtop models that utilized a conventional key-secured, forward hinged design, as a result of this design, the trunks of convertible models were notorious for leaking. A smaller two-seater sports roadster was created at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega, the completed one-off generated interest at the time, but had meager power, European looks, and a correspondingly high cost, so it never proceeded to production. The Thunderbird was similar in concept, but would be more American in style, more luxurious, the men and their teams generally credited with the creation of the original Thunderbird are, Lewis D. Boyer was lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had a hand in designing the series of Thunderbirds including the 30th Anniversary Edition
22.
Personal luxury car
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A personal luxury car is an American car classification describing a highly styled, mass produced, luxury vehicle with an emphasis on image over practicality. In the U. S. the four-seat 1958 Ford Thunderbird launched the luxury car as a major market segment. Personal luxury cars are characteristically two-door coupés or convertibles with two-passenger or 2+2 seating and they are distinguished on the performance end from GT and sports cars by their greater emphasis on comfort and convenience. On the luxury scale, by their appointments, features, and style, there is great variability within the market, however, however, they have additional styling elements and sometimes baroque designs. During the 1910s, the car took the form of a low-slung runabout, relatively light in construction. In the Twenties, these runabouts became roadsters, still with the light-but-powerful connotation, in the ultra-luxury segment, antecedents of the concept are the highly expensive, often custom-bodied sporting luxury cars of the 1920s and 1930s. The Great Depression and World War II temporarily eroded the market for these expensive bespoke cars before post-War recovery saw a reemergence in Europe. On the sedate end of the spectrum appeared such erect yet swift premium ultra luxury two-door sedans, such as the H. J. Mulliner bodied, on the other, performance oriented GTs, relatively comfortable low-slung cars intended for high-speed, long-distance travel. France, successful in this segment before the war, chose to exit the market by applying strict tax horsepower regulations. Italian marques such as Ferrari and Maserati took the GT lead, offering distinctive, often custom-bodied two-seat, in between could be found such combinations of luxury and performance as the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and 190SL, BMW507, Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint, and DKW 1000Sp. These were all very high price Veblen goods, GMs Buick division also offered the Roadmaster Riviera coupe as its top level luxury coupe in 1954. Packard introduced a large 2-door luxury coupe called the Packard Caribbean in 1953, in 1955, Chrysler introduced the 300 series 2-door coupe, with a powerful 300bhp engine, giving the car its name. There was a car aimed at this market as well - the 1956 Studebaker Silver Hawk range of two-door 2+2 performance hardtops in the GT tradition. The automaker Studebaker ceased operations in 1963, the first step to the evolution of the personal luxury car as a mass market segment in the United States was Ford Motor Companys two-seat 1955 Thunderbird. Ford termed the 1955 model a personal car, during the Second World War American servicemen stationed in Europe began to experience the benefits of the nimble sports cars, particularly in Britain, and many shipped them home on their return. The Thunderbird was a softly sprung car, with a powerful V8 engine, the model sold 53,000 units, achieving niche success for a two-seat car. Ford Motor Company also tried creating a vehicle with the 1955 introduction of the near bespoke Continental Mark II. The Mark II was only available as a 2 door coupé, nearly handmade, the Mark II sold for around $10,000, the equivalent of a new Rolls-Royce or two Cadillacs
23.
Motor Trend
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Motor Trend is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, issued by Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles, Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher EMAP in 1998, who sold the former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. As of 2017, it is published by TEN, The Enthusiast Network and it has a monthly circulation of over one million readers. The contents of Motor Trend magazines are divided up into sections, Motor Trend magazine provides its readers with written road tests of vehicles. There are two types of Motor Trend vehicle comparisons. Regular comparisons usually compare two to three vehicles, and what each is like to own, drive, etc. On Motor Trends YouTube channel, Motor Trend puts up their best comparison of the month on a series called Head 2 Head, big Test comparisons typically feature anywhere from five to seven vehicles, all being compared against each other. In a way, a comparison is like a large road test featuring many vehicles. The Trend provides readers with the latest whats happening in the automotive industry and this section may feature news about manufacturers, recalls, etc. Newcomers, along with short articles about them, can also be found in this section. Motor Trend keeps a fleet of long-term test cars at their headquarters in Los Angeles, the majority of the Motor Trend editors are each assigned a car, and their duty is to drive that car on a daily basis and report on whats happening. Each month, one to two new vehicles are added to the fleet, to replace the one to two vehicles leaving the fleet, each long-term test lasts approximately one calendar year. Not every vehicle receives a printed update each month, though the vehicles are still there and this section is typically located towards the end of the magazine. Other types of articles are sometimes featured in the Motor Trend magazine, there is typically one special feature per month. For example, in one issue of the magazine, there may be a feature about Motor Trends Real MPG testing. See also Motor Trend Car of the Year and it predates the European Car of the Year award begun in 1964. Nevertheless, it is still coveted by manufacturers and is covered by the mainstream press as the most important distinction awarded in the American auto industry. Some recent COTY award winners include the Chevrolet Volt, Volkswagen Passat, Tesla Model S, Cadillac CTS, Volkswagen Golf, the magazine releases a special edition every September and October listing the latest new vehicles
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Motor Trend Car of the Year
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The Motor Trend Car of the Year is an annual award given by Motor Trend magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year. Motor Trend, which debuted in 1949, was the first publication to name a Car of the Year, the inaugural Motor Trend Car of the Year award recognized Cadillacs V8 engine in 1949. The earliest awards were given to the manufacturer or division, not for a specific vehicle, the 1958 Ford Thunderbird became the first single model to be selected. In 1970, the Ford Torino won the COTY while Motor Trend selected the Porsche 914 for its first Import COTY award, in 1972, the low-volume imported Citroën SM won the overall COTY award. Between 1976 and 1999, the COTY award was split in two, Domestic COTY and Import COTY, the trophy was recombined in 2000 because the distinctions between domestic and import cars became increasingly difficult. The award has expanded to include a truck and a separate sport utility vehicle. Over time, other publications and organizations have selected various Car of the Year awards and these COTY designations may focus on regional markets, vehicle types, specific market segments, or other criteria. Motor Trends Car of the Year is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed in the auto industry, the trophy for the winner, a depiction of calipers, is often used in the winning automakers marketing and advertising. Most cars that win the award report a spike in sales, however, receiving Motor Trends recognition is no guarantee of success. This was the case of the nostalgic 2002 Ford Thunderbird, which did not meet expectations and was pulled from the three years later. Between the contenders, it is not a comparison test, trucks and SUVs add towing capacity and speed, plus an off-road course, to the normal regimen. This was discontinued after the 1999 model year when the line between what is a vehicle and what is not became problematic
25.
Car and Driver
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Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.23 million and it is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U. S. in 2011. Originally headquartered in New York City, the magazine has been based in Ann Arbor, Michigan for many years Car, in its early years, the magazine focused primarily on small, imported sports cars. In 1961, editor Karl Ludvigsen renamed the magazine Car and Driver to show a more general automotive focus,2005 marked the 50th anniversary of Car and Driver. Car and Driver once featured Bruce McCall, Jean Shepherd, Dick Smothers and Brock Yates as columnists, former editors include William Jeanes and David E. Davis, Jr. the latter of whom led some employees to defect in 1985 to create Automobile Magazine. Rather than electing a Car of the Year, Car and Driver publishes its top ten each year in its Car. Car and Driver is home to the John Lingenfelter Memorial Trophy and this award is given annually at their Supercar Challenge. Today, Car and Driver is also published in Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the Spanish version just makes use of the Car and Driver name, no editorial direction is shared. China had an edition called 名车志 Car and Driver, the Middle Eastern edition is issued by ITP Publishing based in Dubai. The magazine is notable for its irreverent tone and habit of telling it like it is, the magazine also frequently delves into controversial issues, especially in regard to politics. The editorial slant of the magazine is decidedly pro-automobile, however, the intrusion of politics into editorial columns rarely intrudes into reviews of cars themselves or feature articles. For example, the columnists have been critical of SUVs on the basis that minivans or car-based utes are almost always better. The magazine was one of the first to be critical of the American automakers. However, it has been quick to praise noteworthy efforts like the Ford Focus, in both cases, the manufacturers claims were proved wrong, forcing buybacks and apologies. Their tests of radar detectors often declare the Valentine One detector, a major Car and Driver advertiser, the magazine contends that its tests are accurate, while some question its objectivity. Yet, other major advertisers, such as Escort, the winner of C/Ds sister pub radar detector test, Car and Driver and Road & Track are sister publications at Hearst and have for many years shared the same advertising, sales, marketing, and circulation departments. However, their operations are distinct and they have separate publishers. Car and Driver operates a website, CarandDriver. com, that features articles, a blog, a buyers guide
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Retro style
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Retro style is style that is consciously derivative or imitative of trends, music, modes, fashions, or attitudes of the recent past. The term retro has been in use since the 1960s to describe on the one hand new artifacts that self-consciously refer to particular modes, motifs, techniques, but on the other hand, many people use the term to categorise styles that have been created in the past. Retro style refers to new things that display characteristics of the past and it is mostly the recent past that retro seeks to recapitulate, focusing on the products, fashions and artistic styles produced since the Industrial Revolution, of Modernity. The English word retro derives from the Latin prefix retro, meaning backwards, in France, the word rétro, an abbreviation for rétrospectif, gained cultural currency with reevaluations of Charles de Gaulle and Frances role in World War II. The French mode rétro of the 1970s reappraised in film and novels the conduct of French civilians during the Nazi occupation, the term rétro was soon applied to nostalgic French fashions that recalled the same period. Shortly thereafter it was introduced into English by the fashion and culture press, in Simulacra and Simulation, French theorist Jean Baudrillard describes retro as a demythologization of the past, distancing the present from the big ideas that drove the modern age. Most commonly retro is used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that no longer seem modern and it suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past. The concept of nostalgia is linked to retro, but the desire for things. Retro shows nostalgia with a dose of cynicism and detachment, the desire to capture something from the past and evoke nostalgia is fuelled by dissatisfaction with the present. Retro can be applied to things and artifacts, for example, forms of technological obsolescence and also the resurrection of old computer games. Since the 1980s the implications of the word ‘retro’ have been expanding in the application to different media, several fields have adopted the term retro from the design world. Thus next to design artefacts like objects, graphic design, fashion and interior design, ‘retro’ can be used for, music, art, videogames, architecture, television, sometimes, it can also suggest an entire outlook on life. Up until the 1960s, interiors were decorated with antiques, during the 1960s in London shops started selling pieces of second hand furniture. These shops were different from the antique shops because they sold daily life objects from the recent past. These objects used to be seen as junk, Victorian enamel signs, stuffed bears, old furniture painted with union jacks, a new way of producing and consuming the past emerged and a broader range of objects from the recent past was used for new designs. Before the word came into use in the 1970s, the practise of adopting old styles for new designs was already common. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, designers borrowed from the past, the difference is that since the 1960s people started to refer to the recent past. In the 1980s, design history emerged as a discipline and several histories of design were published, the access to these overviews and the ability to experiment with computer design programs has caused an increase of retro designed objects in the last decades
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Volkswagen New Beetle
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The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the front wheels, many special editions have been released, such as the Malibu Barbie New Beetle. In May 2010, Volkswagen announced that production of the current body of the New Beetle would cease in 2011, in 2011 for the 2012 model-year, a new Beetle model, the Beetle, replaced the New Beetle. It is often referred to as the New Beetle as well, at the 1994 North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the Concept One, a retro-themed concept car with a resemblance to the original Volkswagen Beetle. Designed by J Mays and Freeman Thomas at the companys California design studio, a red cabriolet concept was featured at the Geneva Motor Show, also in 1994. In 1996, the Volkswagen Concept Two was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show and this one had major restyling and looked a lot like the final production version, launched in 1998. The New Beetle is related to the only in name. For the 1998 model year, only the TDI compression-ignition engine was turbocharged, in June 1999, Volkswagen introduced the 1. 8T, which was the first turbocharged spark-ignition engine offered for the New Beetle. Volkswagen created a web site dedicated specifically to the 1. 8T, a convertible was added for the 2003 model-year to replace the Volkswagen Cabrio. However, the New Beetle Convertible was never offered with an engine in North America. It was assembled in VWs Puebla factory in Mexico, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the New Beetle a Good overall score in their frontal crash test. 2004 models come standard with airbags, however, the IIHS rated the Beetle Poor in their side impact test. Engine choices include the 115 hp 2.0 L inline-four for the model, the 100 hp 1.9 L TDI turbodiesel inline-four. The Turbo S model included the 1.8 L turbo and it also included a sport suspension, six-speed manual transmission, aluminum interior trim, revised front/rear fascias and bigger wheels and tires. A close relative of the Turbo S was the 2002–2004 Color Concept and this limited edition variant was available in limited exterior colors, with interior door panel inserts, seat inserts, floor mat piping and wheel opening inserts color-matched to the exterior paint. Wheel color inserts, diameter, and style varied with model year and it came standard with the 150 hp 1.8 turbo gasoline engine,5 speed manual gear box, speed-activated rear spoiler, power windows/sunroof/door locks, heated leather seats, and fog lamps. All 1. 8L Turbo and Turbo S inline-four models were equipped with a rear spoiler which was not available on the 1.9 L TDI inline-4,2.0 L inline-four and 2.5 L inline-five models. The New Beetle would not be given the upgraded 2.5 L engine that 2008 and later Jettas, the RSi is a limited 250 unit version of the New Beetle
28.
Chrysler PT Cruiser
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The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a front-engine, front wheel drive, small family car/Compact MPV manufactured and marketed internationally by Chrysler in 5-door hatchback and 2-door convertible body styles. Originally conceived as a Plymouth model, the PT Cruiser was ultimately marketed as a Chrysler model, by the end of production in July,2010. Worldwide production had reached 1.35 million, in the name PT Cruiser, PT stands for Personal Transport. The PT Cruiser is a front-wheel drive 5-passenger vehicle, classified as a truck in the US by the NHTSA for CAFE fuel economy calculations, a turbocharged GT model was introduced for the 2003 model year. A convertible was introduced for the 2005 model year, the PT Cruiser was manufactured at Toluca Car Assembly in Toluca, Mexico. On March 8,2006, DaimlerChrysler announced that it had built 1,000,000 PT Cruisers at the Toluca plant, the final PT Cruiser built rolled off the assembly line there on July 9,2010. A Chrysler spokesperson said the last model was Stone White and was destined for a U. S. dealership, in all, a grand total of 1,050,281 PT Cruisers were sold in the United States. The PT Cruiser was also assembled at the EUROSTAR Automobilwerk in Graz, Austria, for markets in 2002. European PT Cruisers built in 2001 or from 2003 onwards were built in Mexico under the PT production code, the US version came standard with a 2.4 L four-cylinder gasoline engine. In addition to standard model, a 2.2 L four-cylinder diesel engine built by Mercedes Benz was also available in Europe, Asia. A2.0 L engine was available outside the US. It produced 140 hp SAE at 6500 rpm with 130 lb·ft of torque at 4800 rpm, in July 2000, the PT Cruiser replaced the Neon in Japan as their small car offering. Chrysler sold over 10,000 PT Cruisers in Japan, both the four door sedan and the two door convertible, and the GT turbo engine package were sold in Japan in right hand drive configurations. Japanese versions were manufactured at the Austrian factory and were equipped very similar to European specifications, the PT Cruiser taxis augmented the Maihama Resort Line service to Tokyo Disneyland. Unfortunately, the PT Cruiser wasnt built for the rigors of taxi service, the PT Cruiser was offered in Japan until April 2010, when it was replaced by the Dodge Caliber. In 2001 Car and Driver acknowledged the PT Cruiser on its Ten Best list, in 2013, Top Gear named the PT Cruiser Convertible as the worst car of the last twenty years. The PT Cruiser was originally conceived as a Plymouth model, before Chryslers merger with Daimler-Benz, at the time, Chrysler had planned a new look for Plymouth, previewed by the Plymouth Prowler hot rod. Styling cues from the Prowler, particularly the grille, were used to create the Plymouth Pronto concept car in 1997, the look was refined, and in 1998, another Plymouth concept called the Pronto Cruizer directly previewed the styling of the PT Cruiser
29.
Plymouth Prowler
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The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a retro-styled production car manufactured and marketed in 1997 and 1999-2002 by DaimlerChrysler, based on the 1993 concept car of the same name. The Prowler was offered in a generation in a front-engine, rear-drive. Chrysler engineers were given free rein to design whatever they wanted in a hot rod or sportster type vehicle, gale, Chryslers design and international director love for 1930s-era hot rods inspired Chryslers latest design triumph, the retro-styled Plymouth Prowler. Gale, who has a hotted up 1932 Ford in his garage, the rod-inspired Plymouth Prowler as the companys follow-up show-stopper to the Dodge Viper. An early influence is credited to a Chrysler-sponsored project at the Art Center College of Design that resulted in a thesis by Douglas Chip Foose that included drawings of a retro-roadster, Foose designed it as a coupe for Chrysler to begin with but modified it to a roadster version. One of the most striking features of the Prowler are the open. The Prowler featured a powertrain from Chryslers LH-cars, a 24-valve,3.5 L Chrysler SOHC V6 engine producing 214 hp at 5850 rpm. For the 1999 model year, the engine was replaced with a more powerful, both engines were coupled to a four-speed Autostick semi-automatic transmission. The Prowler was the first rear-wheel drive Plymouth since the 1989 Plymouth Gran Fury, while criticized for having only a V6 engine, Chryslers High Output 3.5 had a horsepower rating similar to the companys Magnum V8s of that era. While not making nearly as much torque as a V8, Prowlers light weight helped to achieve rapid off-the-line acceleration, the car prominently featured aluminum construction, in many cases adhesively bonded, chiefly in the chassis. The body was produced in Shadyside, Ohio, and the car was assembled by hand at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, after the Plymouth marque was discontinued in 2001 the Prowler was sold as a Chrysler Prowler for the 2001 and 2002 model years. However, DaimlerChrysler marketed the Prowler as a Plymouth in Canada for the 2000 model year, the last Prowler was built on February 15,2002, and the model niche was later filled by the Chrysler Crossfire in 2004. These trailers resembled the end of a Prowler and had smaller versions of the five-spoke wheels found on the car. They could be ordered to match a cars factory color, in 1998, a Plymouth Prowler was sealed in a mausoleum as a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Experts believe the Prowler has a chance of looking how it did when it was sealed when the time capsule is opened in 2048. In 1999 at the Specialty Equipment Market Associations annual car show in Las Vegas, Nevada, inspired by hot rod trucks, and based on the Prowler, the Howler featured a small, truck-like bed with a tailgate and hard tonneau cover. Under the hood, a version of Jeeps new 4.7 L PowerTech V8 engine replaced the production models 3.5 L V6. A Borg-Warner five-speed manual replaced the production four-speed automatic, Chrysler Corporation hosted a 10th-anniversary celebration on August 16,2007, at the Walter P
30.
Mini Hatch
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A convertible version was introduced in 2004, with the second generation following in 2008. The Mini is produced in Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, at Plant Oxford, the Mini Hatch was the first model launched by BMW under the Mini marque after the original Mini was discontinued in 2000. The new model built by BMW is technically unrelated to the former, the first new generation Mini Hatch was introduced in late 2000, being the first model launched under the Mini marque after the original Mini was discontinued in the same year. In some European markets, the Mini One was powered by a 1. 4-litre inline-four version of the Tritec engine, since 2005, a soft-top convertible option has been available across the entire range. There are numerous styling and badging differences between the models, including the Cooper S having a distinctive scoop cut into the bonnet, the Cooper S also has twin exhausts which exit under the centre of the rear valance. The non-S Cooper has more chrome parts than the Mini One and has a single exhaust, the Mini One D has no visible exhaust pipes at all. In some markets, such as Australia and the US, only the Mini Cooper and Cooper S are offered. Other trim lines of note, sold in varying markets around the world, are the Mini Seven, Mini Park Lane, Mini Check Mate, the Mini Hatch was designed by Frank Stephenson, and drew inspiration from the original two-door Mini. Development of the car was conducted between 1995 and 2001 by Rover Group in Gaydon, United Kingdom and BMW in Munich, ultimately, BMW prevailed, and in 1999, they assumed control over the entire project following the departure of BMWs CEO, Bernd Pischetsrieder. When BMW sold off Rover in 2000, it retained the Mini project, the team of designers working on the 2001 Mini had finished the full-sized clay mock-up of the Mini in plenty of time for a presentation to the board of directors. However, the American chief designer, Frank Stephenson, realised that the model did not have an exhaust pipe. His short-term solution was to pick up an empty beer can, punch a hole in it, strip off the paint and push it into the clay at the back of the car, which took just a few minutes. The overall design for the mock-up was so good that the board told him not to change a thing, resulting in the distinctive exhaust tip seen in production cars. The first generation of the new Mini received a facelift in July 2004 for the upcoming 2005 model year and this was also when the new convertible was introduced, it was never available with the pre-facelift design. Aside from minor changes and improved equipment, the Rover R65 manual gearbox was replaced a Getrag five-speed. In November 2006, BMW released a version of the Mini Hardtop as a 2007 model-year vehicle. From March 2002, the Mini was exported to Japan and sold at Japanese BMW dealerships as well as Yanase locations. The names Cooper and Cooper S are the used for the sportier version of the classic Mini, which in turn come from the involvement of John Cooper
31.
Ford Thunderbird (first generation)
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The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible that was produced by Ford for the 1955 to 1957 model years. The Thunderbird was the first 2-seat Ford since 1938 and it was developed in response to the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, which showed the Chevrolet Corvette. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans, Ford created a completely new market segment around the Thunderbird, the personal car, forerunner to the personal luxury car. While a light car with a large V8 engine, the Thunderbird focused more on driver comfort than speed. The Thunderbird was not a rival to the European sports cars imported into the United States. Until the eleventh-generation Ford Thunderbird was unveiled in 2002, this was the version of the Thunderbird to be produced as a two-seat convertible. Ford unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20,1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9,1954, and went on sale on October 22,1954 as a 1955 model, while only 10,000 were planned,16,155 were sold in 1955. As standard, the 1955 Ford Thunderbird included a fiberglass top. The engine was a 292 Y-block V8, which got 18MPG, the exhaust pipes exited through twin bumper guards, which are bolted to the rear bumper. The car off-the-shelf mechanical components, and used the chassis and suspension design from Ford passenger vehicle, the frame was basically a cut-down version of the standard Ford Body-on-frame design with a 102-inch wheelbase identical to that of the Corvette, and a pre-existing 292-cubic-inch OHV V8. A total of 53,166 units were produced for the three model years 1955-1957 and it was produced with a Fordomatic automatic or manual overdrive transmissions, and featured four-way powered seats and pushbutton interior door handles. Other unique features were a steering wheel and a tachometer. Equipped with a V8 engine, the Thunderbird could hit 110-120 mph and it was a smaller two-seat personal car, compared to many other much larger cars that were on the road in the 1950s. It was designed to be a brisk luxury tourer, and not a sports car, to improve rear-quarter visibility with the removable hardtop in place, porthole windows were made available as a no-cost option. An optional 312 Y-block V8 was made available for those that wanted more performance,1956 production was 15,631 units, the lowest of all three 2-seater Thunderbird model years. For 1957 the front bumper was reshaped, the grille and tailfins were made larger, the spare wheel moved back inside the trunk, which had been redesigned to allow it to be mounted vertically. The side Thunderbird script moved from the fins to the front fenders, a new option was Dial-o-Matic 4-way power seats that, when you turned off the ignition, the seat would move back to allow easier exiting
32.
Forbes
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Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features articles on finance, industry, investing. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics and its headquarters is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Primary competitors in the business magazine category include Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. The magazine is known for its lists and rankings, including its lists of the richest Americans. Another well-known list by the magazine is The Worlds Billionaires list, the motto of Forbes magazine is The Capitalist Tool. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes, and its CEO is Mike Perlis, Forbes, a financial columnist for the Hearst papers, and his partner Walter Drey, the general manager of the Magazine of Wall Street, founded Forbes magazine on September 15,1917. Forbes provided the money and the name and Drey provided the publishing expertise, the original name of the magazine was Forbes, Devoted to Doers and Doings. Drey became vice-president of the B. C. Forbes Publishing Company, while B. C. Forbes became editor-in-chief, B. C. Forbes was assisted in his later years by his two eldest sons, Bruce Charles Forbes and Malcolm Stevenson Forbes. Bruce Forbes took over on his fathers death, and his strengths lay in streamlining operations, during his tenure, 1954–1964, the magazines circulation nearly doubled. On Malcolms death, his eldest son Malcolm Stevenson Steve Forbes Jr. became President and Chief Executive of Forbes, between 1961 and 1999 the magazine was edited by James Michaels. In 1993, under Michaels, Forbes was a finalist for the National Magazine Award. com, a 2009 New York Times report said,40 percent of the enterprise was sold. For a reported $300 million, setting the value of the enterprise at $750 million, according to Mark M. Edmiston of AdMedia Partners, Its probably not worth half of that now. The companys headquarters moved to the Newport section of downtown Jersey City. In November 2013, Forbes Media, which publishes Forbes magazine, was put up for sale and this was encouraged by Elevation Partners, of whom were minority shareholders. Sales documents prepared by Deutsche Bank revealed that the publishers 2012 EBITDA was $15 million, Forbes reportedly sought a price of $400 million. In July 2014, Forbes sold a majority of itself to Integrated Whale Media Investments, Steve Forbes and his magazines writers offer investment advice on the weekly Fox TV show Forbes on Fox and on Forbes On Radio. Other company groups include Forbes Conference Group, Forbes Investment Advisory Group, from the 2009 Times report, Steve Forbes recently returned from opening up a Forbes magazine in India, bringing the number of foreign editions to 10
33.
Special Vehicle Team
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See also Special Vehicle Operations Special Vehicle Team, also known as SVT, is an arm of Ford Motor Company responsible for the development of the companys highest-performance vehicles. SVT is the successor to the SVO division, the current SVT Director is Hermann Salenbauch. SVT was previously led by Hau Thai-Tang and John Coletti, the group mainly produces specially tuned versions of Ford production vehicles such as the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor which is based on the Ford F150. However, they do occasionally develop models independently of the rest of the company, SVT was founded in 1983 by John Plant of Ford Marketing, Janine Bay of Ford Mustang Program Management, and Robert Burnham of Ford Truck Program Management. Originally known as Special Vehicle Operations, SVO developed the 1984–19862. 3-liter turbo-charged 4-cylinder Mustang SVO, Ford SVT debuted the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor high-performance off-road truck. The Raptor is the only high-speed off-road performance truck offered by any OEM, using a completely re-designed suspension, with internal-bypass Fox Racing Shox and specially developed BF Goodrich all-terrain 35 tires, the Raptor is considered an OEM-style pre-runner. Pre-runners are reconnaissance vehicles used for high-speed testing of off-road race courses before a race, F-150 SVT Raptor also debuted the all-new 6. 2-liter V8 engine as an option for the 2010 model year. Ford reports horsepower and torque as 411 hp @5500 rpm,434 lb·ft @4500 rpm in the Raptor, all Raptor models will have a 6-speed automatic transmission, selectable 4WD, and rear E-Locker that stays engaged at high-speeds
34.
James Bond
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The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. The latest novel is Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz, published in September 2015, additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny. The character has also adapted for television, radio, comic strip, video games. As of 2017, there have been twenty-four films in the Eon Productions series, the most recent Bond film, Spectre, stars Daniel Craig in his fourth portrayal of Bond, he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also two independent productions of Bond films, Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again. In 2015, the franchise was estimated to be worth $19.9 billion, the Bond films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs having received Academy Award nominations on several occasions, and two wins. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bonds cars, his guns, the films are also noted for Bonds relationships with various women, who are sometimes referred to as Bond girls. Ian Fleming created the character of James Bond as the central figure for his works. Bond is an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is known by his number,007, and was a Royal Naval Reserve Commander. Among those types were his brother, Peter, who had involved in behind-the-lines operations in Norway. Aside from Flemings brother, a number of others also provided some aspects of Bonds make up, including Conrad OBrien-ffrench, Patrick Dalzel-Job and Bill Biffy Dunderdale. The name James Bond came from that of the American ornithologist James Bond, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies. He further explained that, When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be a dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened. When I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, is the dullest name I ever heard. On another occasion, Fleming said, I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, James Bond was much better than something more interesting, like Peregrine Carruthers. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is certainly good-looking. Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way and that black hair falling down over the right eyebrow
35.
Die Another Day
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Die Another Day is the twentieth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film follows Bond as he leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is betrayed and, fourteen months later, Bond is released as part of a prisoner exchange. Die Another Day, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the series began in 1962 with Sean Connery starring as Bond in Dr. No. Die Another Day includes references to each of the preceding films, some critics praised the work of Lee Tamahori, while others criticised the films heavy use of computer-generated imagery, which they found unconvincing and a distraction from the films plot. Nevertheless, Die Another Day was the highest-grossing James Bond film up to time if inflation is not taken into account. MI6 officer James Bond—agent 007—infiltrates a North Korean military base, where Colonel Tan-Sun Moon is illegally trading weapons for African blood diamonds. After Moons assistant Zao discovers that Bond is a British agent, Moon attempts to kill Bond and a chase ensues. Bond survives, but is captured by North Korean soldiers and imprisoned by the Colonels father, after 14 months of captivity and torture, Bond is traded for Zao in a prisoner exchange. He is sedated and taken to meet M, who informs him that his status as a 00 Agent is suspended under suspicion of having leaked information under duress. Bond is convinced that he has set up by a double agent in the British government. After escaping from the custody of MI6, he discovers that he is in Hong Kong, in Havana Bond meets NSA agent Giacinta Jinx Johnson, with whom he is intimate. Later, Bond follows her to a gene therapy clinic, where patients can have their appearances altered through DNA restructuring, Bond locates Zao inside the clinic and attempts to kill him, but Zao escapes. He leaves behind a pendant which leads Bond to a cache of diamonds, identified as conflict diamonds, at Blades Club in London Bond meets Graves, along with his assistant Miranda Frost, who is also an undercover MI6 agent. After a fencing exercise, Bond is invited by Graves to Iceland for a scientific demonstration, shortly afterwards, M restores Bonds Double-0 status and offers assistance in the investigation. At his ice palace in Iceland Graves unveils a new orbital mirror satellite, Icarus, during the night, Jinx infiltrates Graves command centre, but is captured by Graves and Zao. Bond rescues her and later discovers that Colonel Moon is still alive, Moon has used the gene therapy technology to change his appearance, assuming the identity of Gustav Graves. Bond confronts Graves, but Frost arrives to reveal herself as the traitor who betrayed Bond in North Korea, Bond then returns in his Aston Martin Vanquish to rescue Jinx, who has been captured once again. Zao pursues him in his own vehicle, both cars driving inside the rapidly melting ice palace, Bond kills Zao by shooting an ice chandelier onto him, and then revives Jinx after she has drowned
36.
Halle Berry
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Halle Maria Berry is an American actress. She won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama Monsters Ball, as of 2017, she is the only black woman to have won a Best Actress Academy Award. Berry was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s and has involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed. She is also a Revlon spokesmodel, before becoming an actress, she started modeling and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986. She then appeared in the X-Men sequels, X2 and X-Men, in the 2010s, she appeared in movies such as the science fiction film Cloud Atlas, the crime thriller The Call and X-Men, Days of Future Past. Berry was formerly married to baseball player David Justice, and singer-songwriter Eric Benét and she has a daughter by model Gabriel Aubry, and a son by actor Olivier Martinez. Berry was born Maria Halle Berry, her name was changed to Halle Maria Berry at age five. Her parents selected her name from Halles Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland. Her mother, Judith Ann, who is of English and German ancestry, was a psychiatric nurse and her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African-American hospital attendant in the psychiatric ward where her mother worked, he later became a bus driver. Berrys maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Berrys parents divorced when she was four years old, she and her older sister, Heidi Berry-Henderson, were raised exclusively by their mother. Berry has said in published reports that she has been estranged from her father since her childhood, noting in 1992 and her father was very abusive to her mother. Berry has recalled witnessing her mother being beaten daily, kicked down stairs, Berry graduated from Bedford High School where she was a cheerleader, honor student, editor of the school newspaper and prom queen. She worked in the department at Higbees Department store. She then studied at Cuyahoga Community College, in the 1980s, she entered several beauty contests, winning Miss Teen All American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas, in the Miss USA1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges and she was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986, where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobagos Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World. According to the Current Biography Yearbook, Berry. pursued a career in Chicago. Berrys first weeks in New York were less than auspicious, She slept in a homeless shelter, in 1989, Berry moved to New York City to pursue her acting ambitions
37.
FAB 1
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FAB1 is a pink, six-wheeled car seen in the 1960s British science-fiction television series Thunderbirds, its three film adaptations, and the reboot TV series Thunderbirds Are Go. In the original Thunderbirds, as well as the feature films Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6, owned by International Rescue agent Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, the car is usually driven by her butler, Parker. The driver sits in a position at the front of the passenger compartment. FAB1 was modified by Brains, the inventor of the Thunderbirds machines, to include weaponry and gadgetry such as front-, the car is also equipped with a smoke screen canister and oil slick dispenser, extendable tyre-studs, and hydrofoils. On the selection of the make, series co-creator Gerry Anderson explained, considering personality. A six-wheel drive was incorporated into the design to distinguish the appearance from that of contemporary vehicles, measuring seven feet in length, the plywood model cost £2,500 to build in 1964, post-decimalisation, this is equivalent to £30,000. Derek Meddings, the effects director, remembered FAB1 for its outrageous styling. Since it was the most expensive prop to be made for the series, Rolls-Royce supervised the models sculpting and also supplied AP Films with a genuine radiator grille, complete with Spirit of Ecstasy ornament, costing £100. This was used in close-up shots, in the 2004 live-action film, Thunderbirds, FAB1 is still seen to be pink and powered by six-wheel drive. Its glass canopy is tinted, and it is now capable of flight in addition to travel on land, prior to flight, the cars boot panels open, exposing the gas turbine engine, the wings then extend from the undercarriage. During flight, the set of wheels folds into the main vehicle body to prevent unnecessary drag. Ford Motor Company supplied the full-sized prop, which was a heavily modified, the vehicle was fully functional and roadworthy, and appeared in a segment of the motoring TV series Top Gear, during which it was road-tested by James May. May noted that it was not the most practical of cars, the car is currently displayed at the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire. The UK registration mark FAB1, originally issued in July 1946, FAB1 was temporarily assigned to a Rolls Royce Ghost during 2013. Rolls Royce donated the bespoke pink vehicle for a year to be used for breast cancer awareness. As of 2016 a check of the DVLA Car Tax records shows the registration is once again assigned to a Rolls Royce but this time a black, September 2012 year model and it was constructed by the company Toby Baxter Contracts in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire under Sylvias supervision. The replica was fitted with a Bedford six-cylinder petrol engine, connected to a two-speed Powerglide gearbox. The axles were widened to fit the width of the body, the wheels were supplied by Land Rover, and the aluminium bumpers by a specialist welding company
38.
British Motor Museum
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The British Motor Museum, formerly known as the Heritage Motor Centre, is a British motor museum in Warwickshire, England. It is affiliated to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, in 1979, the company became BL Heritage Limited, adopting a new headquarters at Studley, Warwickshire. Two years later, a museum was opened at the London Transport Museums former home of Syon Park, west of London, during the early 1980s, closer ties were made with other British motor manufacturers. Austin-Rover continued as the backer of the Trust, and gradually the other companies withdrew their support. Meanwhile, the continued to grow. In the late 1980s, it became evident that larger premises would be required as the collection developed, several new sites were considered for a purpose built museum. The present location was chosen, on the site of the former RAF Gaydon airfield in South Warwickshire, plans were drawn up and construction began in 1991 for the new Heritage Motor Centre. The site also includes conference facilities, when Rover Group was taken over by BMW in 1994, the British Motor Museum came under their ownership. Six years later, BMW sold the Rover Group, which meant that the Centre changed hands yet again, this time under the ownership of the Ford Motor Company. This latest change of ownership means that the Trust now had the opportunity to expand its collection to all of the companies that have formed part of Britains motor manufacturing history. Following Jaguars decision to close their Jaguar Daimler Heritage Centre, a selection of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Collection has been on display at the Museum. In November 2015 the Heritage Motor Centre closed for a £1.1 million refurbishment and this is not an exhaustive list — a complete list is provided on the centres website. Due to space limitations, not all cars are exhibited at all times and this can include such details as a list of the options the car was ordered with, the original paint colour and any identification numbers that may be missing. British Motor Museum Classic Car Collection Gaydon Series of photos of the cars at the British Motor Museum
39.
Oxford University Press
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Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world, and the second oldest after Cambridge University Press. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the known as the delegates of the press. They are headed by the secretary to the delegates, who serves as OUPs chief executive, Oxford University has used a similar system to oversee OUP since the 17th century. The university became involved in the print trade around 1480, and grew into a printer of Bibles, prayer books. OUP took on the project became the Oxford English Dictionary in the late 19th century. Moves into international markets led to OUP opening its own offices outside the United Kingdom, by contracting out its printing and binding operations, the modern OUP publishes some 6,000 new titles around the world each year. OUP was first exempted from United States corporation tax in 1972, as a department of a charity, OUP is exempt from income tax and corporate tax in most countries, but may pay sales and other commercial taxes on its products. The OUP today transfers 30% of its surplus to the rest of the university. OUP is the largest university press in the world by the number of publications, publishing more than 6,000 new books every year, the Oxford University Press Museum is located on Great Clarendon Street, Oxford. Visits must be booked in advance and are led by a member of the archive staff, displays include a 19th-century printing press, the OUP buildings, and the printing and history of the Oxford Almanack, Alice in Wonderland and the Oxford English Dictionary. The first printer associated with Oxford University was Theoderic Rood, the first book printed in Oxford, in 1478, an edition of Rufinuss Expositio in symbolum apostolorum, was printed by another, anonymous, printer. Famously, this was mis-dated in Roman numerals as 1468, thus apparently pre-dating Caxton, roods printing included John Ankywylls Compendium totius grammaticae, which set new standards for teaching of Latin grammar. After Rood, printing connected with the university remained sporadic for over half a century, the chancellor, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, pleaded Oxfords case. Some royal assent was obtained, since the printer Joseph Barnes began work, Oxfords chancellor, Archbishop William Laud, consolidated the legal status of the universitys printing in the 1630s. Laud envisaged a unified press of world repute, Oxford would establish it on university property, govern its operations, employ its staff, determine its printed work, and benefit from its proceeds. To that end, he petitioned Charles I for rights that would enable Oxford to compete with the Stationers Company and the Kings Printer and these were brought together in Oxfords Great Charter in 1636, which gave the university the right to print all manner of books. Laud also obtained the privilege from the Crown of printing the King James or Authorized Version of Scripture at Oxford and this privilege created substantial returns in the next 250 years, although initially it was held in abeyance. The Stationers Company was deeply alarmed by the threat to its trade, under this, the Stationers paid an annual rent for the university not to exercise its full printing rights – money Oxford used to purchase new printing equipment for smaller purposes
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International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
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Minigun
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The M134 Minigun is a 7. 62×51mm NATO, six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire which can also fire at a high sustained rate. It features Gatling-style rotating barrels with a power source, normally an electric motor. The Minigun is used by branches of the U. S. military. Versions are designated M134 and XM196 by the United States Army, Minigun refers to a specific model of weapon that General Electric originally produced, but the term minigun has popularly come to refer to any externally powered rotary-style gun of rifle caliber. The term is used loosely to refer to guns of similar rates of fire and configuration regardless of power source. The ancestor to the modern minigun was made in the 1860s, richard Jordan Gatling replaced the hand-cranked mechanism of a rifle-caliber Gatling gun with an electric motor, a relatively new invention at the time. Patent #502,185 on July 25,1893, despite Gatlings improvements, the Gatling gun fell into disuse after cheaper, lighter-weight, recoil and gas operated machine guns were invented, Gatling himself went bankrupt for a period. During World War I, several German companies were working on externally powered guns for use in aircraft, of those, the best-known today is perhaps the Fokker-Leimberger, an externally powered 12-barrel rotary gun using the 7. None of these German guns went into production during the war, the British also experimented with this type of split-breech during the 1950s, but they were also unsuccessful. In the 1960s, the United States Armed Forces began exploring modern variants of the electric-powered, although helicopters had mounted single-barrel machine guns, using them to repel attackers hidden in the dense jungle foliage often led to barrels overheating or cartridge jams. In order to develop a weapon with a reliable, higher rate of fire. The resulting weapon, designated M134 and known popularly as the Minigun, the gun was originally specified to fire at 6,000 rpm, but this was later lowered to 4,000 rpm. Other famous gunship airplanes were the Douglas AC-47 Spooky, the Fairchild AC-119, the U. S. government had procured some 10,000 miniguns during the Vietnam War. By 1975, production of spare parts had ceased with the Army in possession of a large inventory, by 1985, there were few spares left in the inventory. Units that received miniguns could not maintain them, so by the 1990s only Task Force 160, around 1995, the 160th SOAR began acquiring spare miniguns. Industry had a difficult time reproducing parts according to the blueprints, so models that were being procured were mechanically unreliable. This resulted in using a batch of working and unreliable weapons. This fact was unknown to the 160th SOAR, and the use of miniguns that would not work shook the confidence in the system
