Here's the heavyweight storm chaser named Dominator 3

~STORM Chaser~ This following car has a lot of uniqueness ranging from its name, shapes to its unusual weight. Inevitably it is the impact of its duties that are not usually done. What's the job? Don't be surprised if this car is used to chase a tornado.

This is the Dominator 3 known as the 3rd Storm Research Vehicles (SRV) ever built by Dominator Team headed of Reed Timmer, based on the 2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty. (Picture from: TheDrive)

At first glance, this unique car looks like a giant snail crawling on the asphalt of American streets. It was built by a scientist who also works as a storm chaser named Ridd Timmer. To do his challenging storm chaser activities, of course he and his team needs a vehicle that is strong against the wind generated by the tornado. Therefore Timmer also modified the 2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty car into a vehicle that could survive against the tornado.

Ridd Timmer, PhD. Head of the Dominator team posed along with the Storm Research Vehicle (SRV) Dominator 3. (Picture from: IndoZone)

The car was then named Dominator 3, as You can see the 11,000 lbs (almost 5 tonnes) weighted vehicle comes with an unusual shape like a metal giant snail. The purpose of making Dominator 3 is a special purposed research vehicle that can survive the hard gusts of a tornado, so that the scientists inside are able to study the characteristics of tornadoes up close.

Accuweather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer and team along with its Storm Resarch Vehicle (SRV) Dominator 3 are in the area chasing tornadoes. (Picture from: KNOPNews)

In a video uploaded by Jay Leno from CNBC, you can see while the Storm Research Vehicle (SRV) Dominator 3 being tested for resistance to the wind generated by jet planes. As seen in the video, the car is able to survive the very strong gusts of winds.

Thank you @OutbrkGame for the awesome Dominator 3 visualization from their storm chasing video game! We are using this for a figure in the journal article on the May 28, 2019 rocket launch, sensor data collected on journey from EF4 tornado to 39,000' to church lawn 32 miles away pic.twitter.com/bTC8Lwd3e2

— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 6, 2020

As quoted from Motor1, in actual conditions it turned out that Dominator 3 was able to survive the tornado's gusts. This can be seen in an 8-minute short video titled "The Best Tornado Interception in History," which documents how the Dominator Team managed to intercept, then get into a tornado in Spalding, Nebraska, and could be withstand with the help of Dominator 3.

Due to protected by a military grade 16-gauge steel lining and is fully equipped polycarbonate shatter-proof windows, and aftermarket air suspension that lowers the body very close to the ground, the Dominator 3 could save everyone inside and keeps them safe during the adrenaline-filled seconds when challenging a storm.

It is known that this Dominator 3 comes with a 6.7-liter PowerStroke V8 diesel engine specification with 400 horsepower. It seems that Timmer is still using the default engine from the car. Apart from that, it turned out that Timmer had spent US$750,000 or approx of Rp. 11 billions to make this giant metal snail get into and studied a tornado and hurricanes. Cool isn't! *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | REED TIMMER | THEDRIVE | ID.MOTOR1 | KNOP2NEWS | WIKIPEDIA | SCOUTLIFE ]

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Factory Five provided a kind of affordable Do-It-Yourself supercar

~Do It Yourself~ As today we're living in sophisticated era, it seems that almost nothing is impossible for us to do. This also applies for those of you automotive enthusiasts who harbor a desire to own a dream supercar. 

Rendering image of the Factory Five Racing F9R (track-only version) featured with a track-only nose in front as well a large rear wing. (Picture from: BlackXperience)

If in the past we had to prepare hundreds of thousands of dollars to be able to own a supercar, and now we're already possible to assembly a supercar by ourselves in our own garage at a much more affordable cost. Just take a look at the car picture above, that is not a Ferrari supercar, nor a Lamborghini, or even premium ones made by another well-known brands. 

Rendering image of Factory Five Racing F9 (street-legal version) with a large rear wing by Factory Five Racing. (Picture from: JournalClassicCars)

This is the Factory Five F9R with a large rear wing available in a complete kit car package for you, thus allowing you to assemble it by yourself. So why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new supercar when you can build one yourself for a fraction of the cost?

The Factory Five F9 chassis with a V12 engine at the 2019 SEMA Show in November. (Picture from: JournalClassicCars)

Its maker is a Massachusetts-based automotive company named Factory Five Racing, that has previously been known for its AC Cobra and its DIY hot rod-style kits. Why called it F9R (R for Racing) because the supercar model featured with a track-only nose in front, not only that then the F9 its street legal version would be revealed soon, but apart from that what do you think of the look? Very wild right?

The Factory Five F9 prototype built by an American custom builder named Erik Treves at his workshop in Alabama. (Picture from: FactoryFive)

The bodywork is said to be designed by Phil Frank, who was previously known as the designer of the Saleen S7, and will apparently only be made of carbon fiber. While the chassis will be able to carry a scary 9.5 liter V12 engine, and is claimed to be capable of producing around 750 bhp of power and 950 Nm of torque.

The Factory Five F9 prototype is powered by a 9.5L LS engine in a V12 configuration and has body is 100% carbon fiber over Factory Five’s trademark tube steel space-frame. (Picture from: FactoryFive)

The result is the fastest supercar ever made from private garage with weighs under 1,100 kg. If you're feeling apprehensive and fearful about those engine performance numbers, don't worry Factory Five also said that they will be provided the smaller block of V8 engines of Ford and General Motors that could be mounted there immediately.

At the time (in 2019) production was expected to start late 2020 or even early 2021, but Factory Five says it hopes to produce a ready prototype by spring or summer 2022. That's all we know so far, and for the price, it is not revealed yet. If you consider yourself to be a good mechanic, this could be a good bargain for you.😎 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FACTORY FIVE | JOURNAL.CLASSICCARS ]

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It is said that the N Vision 74 Concept will be set into mass production

~HOT Rumours~ It hasn't been long since it was unveiled to the public for the first time last year, but Hyundai is again rumored to be announcing its plans to launch a production version of the Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept later this month as a tribute to the historic Hyundai Pony Coupe. Is it possible happened?😲

Rumoured that Hyundai's bonkers N Vision 74 Concept would go into production Lines. (Picture from: Carscoops)

As quoted from the Hyundai official website, that the Hyundai N Vision 74, which debuted last December is considered to be a "rolling laboratory" and used to try out various features and technologies. The manufacturer even states that the N Vision 74 is its high-performance electric hybrid vehicle that spans Hyundai's past, present and future.

The Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept offers a combination of retro style with a futuristic Cyberpunk look and is fueled by combining of the battery power with hydrogen fuel cells. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

This happened not only because of its epic appearance, but because the N Vision 74 seemed very promising to present a new era of EV performance that really had character and power. It's just that the Hyundai N Vision 74 is a complicated hybrid car that doesn't use a conventional combustion engine. Instead, it uses an unusual combination of hydrogen fuel cells and battery power.

The Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept is carrying forward the bold spirit of the Pony Coupe Concept into a futuristic design that realizes the dream of the company to create Korea’s first sports car. (Picture from: Id.Motor1)

The car has a pair of rear-mounted motors that produce 671 horsepower (500 kilowatts) and 664 lbs-ft (900 Newton-meters) of torque. With a fully charged 62.4 kWh battery and only 4.2 kilograms of hydrogen, the concept is capable of a range of more than 373 miles (600 kilometers). This highly intriguing concept promises to accelerate from a standstill in four seconds to 60 mph (96 kph) and reach speeds in excess of 155 mph (250 kph).

The Hyundai N Vision 74 Concept design's inspirated by an old-school Hyundai concept car called the Hyundai Pony which was launched for the first time to the public in the 1974. (Picture from: RobbReport)

However, it seems that automotive enthusiasts prefer a good combustion engine to be embedded in this Hyundai concept car if it go into production lines someday. And somehow this seems to follow by the manufacturer when the Hyundai N Vision 74 was unveiled, the South Korean automaker said its engineers were looking for ways to add a front motor for more power and better performance.

Turn out the Hyundai's bonkers N Vision 74 Concept had already exhibited at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023 and not heading for production line. (Picture from: Carscoops)

Again the question is whether this would be possible happen. Instead, it could be this is just speculative guesses. But that's for sure, this N Vision 74 concept had already exhibited at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este this year and not heading for production lines, as we've cited from Carscoops.

The 1974 Pony Coupe Concept (in pictured the car posed along with the Hyundai's top brasses and Giorgetto Giugiaro) is recreated by its original designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio of GFG Style design house. (Picture from: Carscoops)

Even as reported by Money Today a South Korean media, Hyundai is planning a "Pony Day" event at its Seoul design studio on May 27, 2023 to celebrate Hyundai's first mass-produced legendary car, the Hyundai Pony back in the 1974. As we could be seen also on the South Korean manufacturer announcement via the Twitter timeline as follow.

Back in the 70s, an ambitious designer sketched out the most mesmerizing car you’ve never seen – the #Hyundai #PonyCoupeConcept. It paved the way for progress, influencing our own vision of the future and ultimately inspiring the famous #NVision74 concept.#HyundaiPONY pic.twitter.com/WeenU0anhW

— Hyundai Motor Group (@HMGnewsroom) May 23, 2023

At the said "Pony Day" event, Hyundai is expected to reveal a refurbished version of the original Pony Coupe Concept done by original designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio of GFG Style design house. At the time, the design sketches would drawn how the car might evolve from 1974 to making its debut at the 2022 Turin Auto Show.

However, everything doesn't necessarily stop here, Hyundai recently again released new news that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Series is said to be one of its new EV performance is preparing for its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2023. Wow, this South Korean manufacturer must have been very busy this year.😎 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | HYUNDAI | MONEY TODAY | CARSCOOPS | ROBBREPORT | ID.MOTOR1 ]

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Lotus Envya aka Type 133 electric sedan caught by cameras in China

~SPY Shots~ In the previous article, we briefly discussed about the Lotus Envya aka Type 133. As quoted from CarNewsChina, it is the new electric-powered sedan that will be stand on the modified Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform and launched soon in the Lotus's EV range along with the Type 134, its SUV sibling, and even recently, this car was caught undergoing road test series in China.

The speculative rendering images of what it could be like the Lotus Type 133 or Lotus Envya performance sedan that shares many components with Eletre. (Picture from: WhichCar)

Of course it's still fresh in our memories, that since 2017, Lotus Cars has been acquired by Geely. Later, the Chinese auto giant established Lotus Technology Plant in Wuhan which was intended as a means to develop all-electric vehicles of Lotus.

The speculative rendering images of what it could be like the Lotus Type 133 or Lotus Envya supplied by Theottle. (Picture from: WhichCar)

Seems this also marks the end of the development of the Lotus's petrol-powered sports car in the UK, and after the current generation, there will be nothing new. So all actual development will only be done in China. For your info, the first electric vehicle developed by Lotus Technology was the Lotus Eletre which was previously known in internal circles as the Type 132, and launched in China in October, 2022.

The Lotus Technology Plant built by Geely in Wuhan, China to be a new production facility to develop all-electric vehicles of Lotus. (Picture from: CarNewsChina)

The Eletre built on the EPA (Electric Premium Architecture) which is based on Geely's SEA. As for the powertrain, it has power of up to 918 horse powers, based on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) it can cover a distance of up to 600 km.

The Lotus Eletre aka the Type 132 known as the first electric vehicle developed by Lotus Technology Plant. (Picture from: CarNewsChina)

And now Lotus Technology is working simultaneously on yet another interesting vehicle such Lotus compact electric SUV codenamed the Type 134, and that is the Lotus Envya aka Type 133 sedan. Even recently, a pair of Lotus Envya sedans were caught by camera during road tests in China.

The recent spy-shots shown a pair of Lotus Envya or Type 133 sedans were caught by camera during road tests in China. (Picture from: CarNewsChina)

Here are fresher leaked spy-shots on the internet. There you can see the Evya still wrapped in a heavy layer of camouflage, but we can still see its exterior features. It has an aerodynamic shape couled with a sloping roofline. So it looks like the Envya isn't just a sedan like in general, could be a mid-class sedan coupe.

Even though it is covered in camouflage it can still be seen that the Lotus Envya has an aerodynamic shape couled with a sloping roofline. (Picture from: CarNewsChina)

Unfortunately the taillight units look bare unfinished, probably it would made in line with the Lotus Eletre. Furthermore we can also see that there is a pop-out doorknob, and a camera pod very high up on the roof. On the wheels, you can see Envya wearing the R20. As for the interior, at first glance similar to the Eletre, it seen has the same steering wheel shape coupled with a slim instrument panel.

At first glance the Lotus Envya looks similar to the Eletre, it seen has the same steering wheel shape coupled with a slim instrument panel. (Picture from: CarNewsChina)

In here we've also included a freely speculative visualization of the Lotus Envya made by an enthusiast named Theottle on his Youtube channel as you can see below, whose its exterior appearance is close to that shown on the Eletre. So far the Lotus Envya's specification in details are not known yet, but automotive media in China are speculating that the powertrain will be similar to that of the Eletre.

So the entry-level, Envya will be equipped with two electric motors with 612 hp and 710 Nm. As for the highest trim level, it will have three electric motors with 918 horsepower and 985 Nm of torque. Well, it will hit the market in 2023 anyway, so we'll get to know it a little better soon. We'll be keeping an eye on it, so stay tuned! *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARNEWSCHINA | WHICHCAR | THEOTTLE ]

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Lotus will be released soon an electric SUV to rival Macan

~New SUV~ After over a year ago it launched its first electric SUV, called the Type 132 or Lotus Eletre, and now, Lotus Cars is rumored to be releasing such a compact electric SUV model which it says to be a rival for the Porsche Macan and many others.

The upcoming Lotus Type 134 is mentioned to be Porsche Macan-rivalling small electric SUV. (Picture from: BlackXperience)

Internally, the British automaker refers to its anonimous next electric SUV as the Type 134, which is planned to launch early next year along with the Type 133. So we can be sure that this is not the Eletre model was launched last year in China, and it said will have much smaller than it.

The upcoming Lotus Type 134 will have a strong focus on aerodynamics to optimise range and performance. (Picture from: BlackXperience)

Furthermore, Head of sales and marketing for Lotus, Mike Johnstone said that the company will produce the Type 134 around 75,000 units per year, which is expected to account a half of its annual sales in 2028.

The upcoming Lotus Type 134's dimension is said less than five meters long, and would be used a different platform, which likely a variant of the EPA architecture is aimed to the smaller car models. (Picture from: GiornaleDiSicikia)

So far the automaker company which has now been acquired by Chinese auto company Geely still hasn't revealed yet exact details of the anonimous model, but Johnstone hinted that it would be used a different platform, which likely a variant of the EPA architecture is aimed to the smaller car models.

The birth of the Lotus Type 132 or Eletre marks a new era of Lotus as an EV maker that draws on elements from the Evija electric hypercar and the Emira sports car. (Picture from: Autocar)

The Type 134's dimension will be less than five meters long, similar to the Polestar 4, so it's natural to be touted as a potential rival to the upcoming Porsche Macan. As mentioned above, the Type 134 will share technology with the Lotus Eletre and Type 133, though its more affordable position and more compact size could mean it has smaller battery options.

The Lotus Eletre's rear featured with its Lotus script and full-width light bar fading into triangular intakes along the sides, clearly comes from the sports cars. (Picture from: Autoblog)

It also stated that the Type 134 will be tasked with delivering the bulk of Lotus' planned sales growth, Johnstone is adamant that ensuring it maintains the company's core philosophy of performance and driving dynamics will be at the heart of the development.

The speculative rendering images of what it could be like the Lotus Type 133 or Lotus Envya performance sedan that shares many components with Eletre. (Picture from: WhichCar)

"A great deal of effort has gone into ensuring the future cars we introduce to market are in the way you would expect Lotus to handle them. Take Eletre for example: the attributes team has been involved in its development, people who understand what it's like to drive a Lotus," as Johnstone concluded.

The speculative rendering images of what it could be like the Lotus Type 133 or Lotus Envya supplied by Theottle. (Picture from: WhichCar)

It could be said that the Type 134 is Lotus's ticket to get into the smaller vehicle and more affordable segments where the company hopes to make a significant buzz. Like the Eletre, this SUV was built with a focus on aerodynamics to optimize range and performance, which is likely to result in a dashing coupé-esque roofline..

For your info, the Lotus Eletre has finally gone on sale to Europe after passing the last test together with the Type 133 or Lotus Envya (a performance sedan that shares many components with Eletre). Now, the Lotus Eletre is being in production, the results will be delivered to customers this summer. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LOTUSCARS | AUTOCAR | GDS.IT | WHICHCAR ]

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The Porsche's latest electric hypercar will only be here in 5 years ahead

~Wait&See~ Before we start discussing the hypercar that will be built by the German car manufacturer. As we all know, various world's top automotive brands have started preparing their newest, more sophisticated electric hypercars. But for Porsche to present their hypercar, they have to wait at least another 5 years to come.

2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, known as the hot hybrid that helped kickstart Porsche's EV movement. (Picture from: MotorTrend)

So, as reported by Carscoops, Porsche said that the German car manufacturer needed more time to develop their hypercar battery. According to them, the battery technology must match the character of a hypercar which also has a very high performance orientation.

The Porsche Mission R is the vision of an all-electric vehicle developed by Porsche equipped with a battery-electric drivetrain for customer motorsports.. (Picture from: MotorTrend)

Furthermore, the German manufacturer through Michael Steiner as the head of Porsche's R&D Departement said they were trying to adapt the right battery cell technology to be implemented into their hypercar.

"In the midst of our battery technology development, we noticed a dynamic change in battery cell technology that is suitable for our hypercars. So we have to ensure that this technology is suitable for our hypercars," said Steiner.

The new Porsche Taycan GTS now charges the Porsche electric driving experience with even more intense emotions. (Picture from: MotorTrend)

He also mentioned that the development of this battery requires at least 2 years. In addition, several technologies such as chassis, drivetrain, and several other developments also require a long development time.

Porsche itself actually already has a new hypercar model that will reportedly be used in the 24-Hour Le Mans endurance race called the Porsche 963 LMDh. It's basically uses a hybrid drivetrain configuration with an electric motor and battery that is made to last for endurace racing. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARSCOOPS | MOTORTREND ]

A glimpse of the Lamborghini's forerunner electric-powered supercar

~Wait&See~ The development of electric-powered vehicles are increasingly attracting the interest of players in the automotive industry, both old players and new players. Indeed today we are in the era of electric vehicles. It feels like just yesterday, we are amazed when we see electric-powered concept cars presented by the makers. But now, there were so many electric-powered vehicles had been milling about on the streets.

A German media AutoBild have spread unconfirmed information about the development of a new Lamborghini's electric hypercar (in pictured Lamborghini Diamante Concept by Thomas Granjard as an illutration only) dubbed as the Vitola. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

However, the automotive industry players do not immediately jump into it without conducting any research and development first, especially since the current supporting infrastructure for electric vehicles is still not evenly distributed. So that many automotive industry players, such as the Italian supercar manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., prefer to do it in stages by first conducting research and development on all supporting components, such as electric motors and battery systems, etc.

To this day the latest supercar from this manufacturer is the Revuelto which is mentioned as a replacement for the Aventador referred to be a High Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV) capable of generating power up to 1,001 hp, which consists of the new naturally-aspirated 6.5 liter V12 engine coupled to three electric motors.

Porsche Mission E Concept while sat in display at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2015. (Picture from: Autonews.Autoua.net)

As we all know that the supercar manufacturer under the auspices of the Volkswagen Group, the raging bull automaker has announced that 2022 is the final year for the launch of non-electric models and is preparing to switch to electric powered vehicles in 2028 later by giving a few hints about its first model being a 2+2 Grand Tourer (GT). 

As quoted from Carbuzz, instead of working on it alone, it looks like the development of this Lamborghini supercar will also involve Porsche, a fellow company under the Volkswagen Group banner. We can see this back in 2016 when it was rumored that the two of them would share an electric power technology platform. At that time, Porsche had just announced that it would launch an electric-powered supercar called the Porsche Mission E.

A German media AutoBild have spread unconfirmed information about the new Lamborghini hypercar would share an electric power technology platform with Porsche Mission E. (Picture from: Autonews.Autoua.net)

According to a German-language YouTube video by AutoBild, some of the Mission E's electric technology will be picked up by Lamborghini. Furthermore, the video also describes that the raging bull electric-powered supercar that will be developed dubbed as the Vitola that would ride on the Porsche Mission E's J1 platform. It will also steal the sedan's fast-charging system, which works with the Mission E's 800-volt battery to make charging times a breeze.

Not only shared same platform, the new developed Lamborghini Vitola electric supercar (in pictured Lamborghini Diamante Concept by Thomas Granjard as an illutration only) would also pinned the sedan's fast-charging system, which works with the Mission E's 800-volt battery to make charging times a breeze. (Picture from: OkeZone)

This is important for owners who may want to take the hypercar to a track and not be faced with the inconvenience of waiting for a lengthy recharge after a few laps. The Vitola will supposedly have a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds (matching the Tesla Model S P100D) and reach a top speed of 186 mph. The Mission E makes a combined 600 horsepower using two electric motors, which rockets the sedan from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

To reach its performance targets, the Vitola will undoubtedly be lighter than the four-door Porsche, but it will probably still gain more horsepower to keep it ahead of the competition. That will soon include an all-electric McLaren hypercar, and given the direction of the Volkswagen Group, an EV Porsche 918 replacement based off of the lessons learned from honing the Vitola is not out of the question.

It is still unclear whether the Vitola will be another Lamborghini with a very limited production run or an alternative to existing models like the Huracán or Revuelto which still has a typical sonorous roaring engine or the quiet of electric motor or even combination of both. Instead, what is currently circulating is a different matter, namely the prospected 2+2 GT model. Will it be Vitola or another one? Well, for sure we can only wait until the time comes in 2028. Yes, we'll wait and see.😎 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LAMBOCARS | CARBUZZ | AUTOBILD | DIGITALTRENDS  | AUTOEVOLUTION | ELEKTREK.CO | DRIVESPARK | AUTONEWS.AUTOUA.NET | IDMOTOR1 | MOTORMOBILE ]

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