-->
Drop Down MenusCSS Drop Down MenuPure CSS Dropdown Menu

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Ferrari Marks 60 Years in North America with Exclusive Limited-Edition Supercar

Heritage Ignited - There’s something almost magical about how certain milestones in history are celebrated—not with words, but with creations that roar to life. When a brand like Ferrari marks sixty years of its journey in North America, it doesn’t simply host a gala or print glossy brochures. Instead, it crafts a machine so rare, so bold, that it instantly becomes a legend in itself. That is exactly what happened in 2014, when Ferrari unveiled the F60 America, a supercar created as both a tribute to its heritage and a love letter to its most passionate enthusiasts across the Atlantic.
The Ferrari F60 America was created specifically to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ferrari in North America, serving as a rare tribute that combines Italian craftsmanship with the passion of its American enthusiasts. (Picture from: Otoblitz)
What makes the F60 America truly captivating is its exclusivity. Ferrari announced that only ten of these cars would ever exist, each one tailored for the collectors who had already secured them before the world even had time to take a proper look. Built upon the foundation of the F12 Berlinetta—a model that itself turned heads at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012the F60 America didn’t just replicate greatness; it elevated it with touches designed specifically for the North American spirit.
The Ferrari F60 America forgoes a conventional convertible roof in favor of a lightweight fabric cover usable at speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour, highlighting its purpose as a car to be experienced in the open rather than hidden away. (Picture from: Otoblitz)
From the outside, the car exudes character. A deep blue body is streaked by a crisp white line that runs from nose to tail, symbolizing Ferrari’s blending of Italian artistry with the dreams of its American fans. The iconic Ferrari grille at the front gleams with chrome, while carbon fiber flows across the cockpit and rear, adding both strength and elegance. Interestingly, the F60 America doesn’t feature a conventional convertible roof. Instead, it employs a lightweight fabric cover that is safe to use at speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour—emphasizing that this car is meant to be felt, not tucked away under shelter.
The Ferrari F60 America showcases a rear cockpit crafted from carbon fiber, adding both lightweight strength and a distinctive touch of modern performance elegance. (Picture from: Otoblitz)
Powering this rare masterpiece is a 6.3-liter V12 engine, the same heart that beats inside the F12 Berlinetta. Paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission sending power to the rear wheels, it unleashes 729 horsepower at 8,500 rpm, along with 688 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The result is staggering: a 0–100 kph sprint in just 3.1 seconds. For those lucky enough to sit behind the wheel, the F60 America is not just a car—it’s a force of nature.

Step inside, and the exclusivity becomes even more personal. Ferrari designed the cabin with an asymmetrical layout, making the driver’s side a vivid red, brimming with energy and focus, while the passenger’s side takes on a more understated black. This design choice isn’t just aesthetic; it’s symbolic, underscoring how the driving experience is the true centerpiece of this creation.
The Ferrari F60 America features an asymmetrical cabin design, with the driver’s side in vibrant red to emphasize energy and focus and the passenger’s side in understated black, symbolizing that the driving experience is the true centerpiece of this creation. (Picture from: Otoblitz)
When Ferrari announced the F60 America, its price tag stood at an eye-watering $2.5 million, roughly Rp. 30 billion at the time. Yet, that didn’t deter collectors. In fact, every unit was spoken for before most people even had the chance to dream about owning one. That’s the allure of Ferrari—not just engineering brilliance, but an aura that makes enthusiasts want to become a part of its story at any cost.

Now, looking back from today’s perspective, the F60 America holds a unique place in Ferrari’s timeline. It wasn’t just a car; it was a symbol of how far the brand had come in North America and a reminder of how Ferrari continues to blend tradition, performance, and exclusivity into creations that defy time. Much like a rare piece of art, the F60 America isn’t about utility—it’s about passion. And in the grand tale of Ferrari’s history, it remains one of those rare chapters written in limited numbers, but remembered endlessly. *** [EKA [14102014] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTORAUTHORITY | TOPGEAR | TELEGRAPH ]

Bandit comes more handsome and macho look

Suzuki Europe radically show a custom built motorcycle from Suzuki Bandit 1250 and named FatMile. The name behind this project is a Hans A. Muth, the legendary designer who rose to fame as BMW’s chief of styling.
Hans A. Muth and the Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
Muth relationship with Suzuki was first established at four decades ago. After he was leaving BMW, and immediately joined Suzuki for designing the original 1981 Katana, one of the most controversial motorcycles of all time.

Back to the Bandits,  actually it is not the icon of Suzuki's motorcycle design. However, this model is loved in Europe. Bandit is a competitor of Yamaha XJR1300, very powerful motorcycle that has large engine with a lot of character. The model has begun to obsolete because not many changes over the years. So, FatMile is a strong candidate to boost the Bandit performance in Europe.
Front three quarter of Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
Daniel Handler is a young designer who also Muth's subordinates who had a big hand in this motorcycle face revolution. The major changes are replacing the bike front section with the GSX-R components, ranging from the handlebar triangle, fork, and brakes. Its alloy rims taken from the PVM, a rim specialists from Germany while the brake device used is ISR, a Swedish brand.
Left side view of Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
Because the Bandit power output is considered too "conservative" i.e only 98 hp, so need to raised up to 120 hp by resetting the ECU and the header. And the exhaust of this custom bike used the Cobra, which is also a German's brand.
Handlebar section of Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
The motorcycle's rear frame is modified with iron that slightly soaring upwards, and then covered with a special ​​fiberglass tail. The bottom of the machine is made in harmony, but the tank is maintained from the original. A custom leather seats which will make comfortable while riding this motorcycle.
A custom leather seats of Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
The selected color is the typical Suzuki's classic color i.e the combination of blue and white. The lights components used Kellerman, and the gas handler and footrest using Rizoma. The original speedometer was removed and replaced with the Motogadget as a sweetener.
Right side view of Suzuki Bandit FatMile. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1w0HK8c)
FatMile being released officially in Glemseck101, the largest café racer motorcycle event in Europe some time ago. The bike maybe not as radical as Katana, but more macho and handsome also much faster. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | BIKEEXIF]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Legendary Dutch Police Porsche 356 Returns to the Spotlight

Heritage Reborn - Every once in a while, a car resurfaces from history that reminds us how vehicles can be more than just machines — they can be living pieces of a nation’s story. One such legend comes from the flat, scenic highways of the Netherlands, where the roar of a German sports car once echoed in the name of law and order. It’s not your everyday police cruiser — it’s a Porsche 356 Cabriolet, a rare relic that once patrolled Dutch roads with grace, speed, and unmistakable flair.
Porsche 356 Cabriolet as Rijkspolitie patrol car in its heyday. (Picture from: Jalopnik)
Back in the early 1960s, the Netherlands had a problem. With few speed limits on the roads, drivers often pushed their luck, and the result was a surge of tragic accidents. In an effort to restore safety, the Dutch police — known as the Rijkspolitie — decided to look abroad for inspiration. Their neighbors in Germany had already discovered an effective solution: since 1956, German highway patrols had been using Porsche cars to chase down reckless speeders. If it worked for them, why not give it a try?
Rijkspolitie's Porsche 356 Cabriolet. (Picture from: Jalopnik)
The Dutch followed the same path, quite literally. They ordered twelve Porsche 356 Cabrioletselegant, open-top sports cars built in Stuttgartto patrol more than 500 kilometers of Dutch highways. The cars weren’t just fast; they were agile, reliable, and surprisingly durable. These white convertibles, marked with the official Rijkspolitie insignia, became an unmistakable sight along the highways, turning heads while enforcing the law.
 

For four years, the Porsche 356 Cabriolet served with distinction. Each one clocked up to 190,000 kilometersa remarkable feat for a car originally designed for performance rather than police work. But despite the demanding duty, these cars remained in pristine mechanical condition. The open-roof design wasn’t just for style; it allowed officers to communicate easily with drivers and control traffic on the spot. It was functionality wrapped in elegance — a rare balance of speed, safety, and sophistication.
Dashboard and interior view of Rijkspolitie's Porsche 356 Cabriolet. (Picture from: Jalopnik)
Eventually, time caught up with the fleet. The Porsches were retired, and as they transitioned from state service to civilian life, the police stripped them of all official equipment. The sirens, stop signs, radio antennas, loudspeakerseverything that identified them as police vehicleswas carefully removed. What remained were pure Porsche classics, ready to live a new chapter as collector’s gems.

Among the original twelve cars, only one has survived in exceptional condition. This particular Porsche 356 Cabriolet, once a proud member of the Dutch highway patrol, resurfaced years later and was offered for auction in London by Bonhams in 2014. Experts valued it between $110,000 and $160,000 — a testament not only to its rarity but to the story it carried within its frame.
Rear three quarter of Rijkspolitie's Porsche 356 Cabriolet. (Picture from: Jalopnik)
Today, that very car stands as a reminder of an era when speed met service, and design met duty. It’s a piece of history that embodies both the innovation of Porsche and the forward-thinking spirit of the Dutch police. Beyond its gleaming chrome and timeless silhouette, it represents a moment when nations collaborated to make roads safer — with the help of one extraordinary machine. 
Decades may have passed, but the legend of the Rijkspolitie Porsche 356 continues to capture hearts. It’s more than a collector’s dream; it’s a symbol of how elegance and efficiency once joined forces to keep the highways safe. Somewhere, you can almost imagine it again — a white blur on an open Dutch road, engine humming, chasing not just speeders, but the thrill of history itself. *** [EKA [13102014] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | JALOPNIK | BOLDRIDE]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Treasure found on the Antikythera's ancient shipwreck

More than 100 years ago, the divers who searching the sponge sea in Greece discovered the ruins of an ancient ship that full of treasure, from the period of 70-60 BC. At that time the sea sponge divers found the wreck in 1900 off the coast of Antikythera, a small island in Greece with a steep cliff.
And from this place also in 1900, archaeologists have found a very interesting artifacts, such as statues of the heroes, 4 horse statue made ​​of marble and bronze, jewelry, furniture, glass furniture, and the Antikythera Mechanism - which is believed to be the oldest computer in Earth.
82 surviving fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1xIxG4J)
The device like an analog computer that is expected to come from the Greek culture that developed around 100 BC, it was used to determine the astronomical position of the heavenly bodies - and perhaps time the Olympics - with a complex mechanism, using a series of bronze gears.
Reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism by Allan Bromley and Frank Percival. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1xIxG4J)
The Antikythera mechanism is derived from a time long before the modern humans have an understanding of astronomy and physics. The artifacts were made ​​more than 1,600 years before Galileo Galilei was born, and more than 1,700 years before Isaac Newton was born into the world.
Greek diver Alexandros Sotiriou discovers an intact table jug and a bronze rigging ring. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1xIxG4J)
There is a lot of speculation about the ship. Many believe that the ship sailed from the coast of Asia Minor to Rome and sank between 70-60 BC. The ship may bring the bride and her luxury dowry.

Return to Antikythera project chief diver 
Philip Short inspects the bronze spear 
recovered from the Antikythera Ship-
wreck. (Picture from:  http://bit.ly/1xIxG4J)
However, to explore the site in the past is an act of huge risk and hazards. At least then, a diver was killed and 2 others crippled. And several decades later, in 1978, Jacques Cousteau back to ancient shipwrecks and raised a number of other treasures. And now, with advanced technology, the researchers are trying to uncover the mystery of the sinking of the ship: the story is also a puzzle about the existence of a second ship.

And now in the latest investigation, the archaeologists discovered tableware, ship components, and the giant bronze spear. The ancient weapons were allegedly attached to a statue of the goddess Athena or the equestrian knight. A number of previous expeditions to find a number of statues made ​​of bronze and marble.

"Evidence suggests this is the biggest ancient shipwreck ever found," said Brendan Foley, a marine archaeologist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, as quoted by LiveScience, on Friday, October 10, 2014. "It is the Titanic of the ancient world."
 
The excavation efforts conducted on September 15 to October 7, 2014, led Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of Greece, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from the United States. 
WHOI's diving safety officer Edward O'Brien pilots the Exosuit, suspended from the Hellenic Navy vessel THETIS. This one-of-a-kind diving outfit could eventually help underwater archaeologists explore deep sunken ships like the Antikythera wreck. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1niMwhq)
The shipwreck debris lies at a depth of 55 meters, and the divers are required to use a rebreather - the device that allows the recycling of the oxygen content of each breath that is substantially unused. However, time is on the sea floor is restricted only for 3 hours.
The expedition also fielded robotic submarine-like Iron Man that called Exosuit which could stay under of the sea for about 50 hours, to conduct exploration. This exploration also using a high-resolution 3-dimensional map.

The team plans to return next year. They believe there are many treasures waiting to be discovered. Brendan Foley admitted to the BBC, he hopes to find the missing pieces of the Antikythera Mechanism which can unravel the mysteries of the antique device. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE | SCINEWS]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Ferocious look of Lamborghini Sinistro

You're a fan of cool works of Lamborghini supercars like the Aventador, Gallardo, Sesto Elemento, Veneno or even their newest Variant Lamborghini Huracan? If yes, of course this 'Italian raging bull' supercar concept will steal your attention.
Lamboghini Sinistro Black Spec Concept by Maher Thebian. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1s4dMzs)
The car that has the ferocious look named Lamborghini Sinistro Black Spec. As if coming straight from the world of imagination, This Lambo is the rendering result alias the latest estimated future Lamborghini concept models made ​​by Maher Thebian.

As frightening and exotic aura radiated by itself when we saw the Sinistro Black Spec. Moreover, decorated with large dual vents on the front combined with an aerodynamic appearance adds to the fierce form of this 'Italian raging bull'.

The back is made slightly up with predominantly large-sized tires with fenders and distinctive wing of Lamborghini LP 670-4 SV. Unique impression can also be seen from the rearview design sharp and decisive.
Either the Lamborghini Sinistro Black Spec will be true or not. Clearly, if these Maher Thebian Concepts rendering works completely realized it was going to be one of the most vicious on the road. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Earth has 'Second Moon'

Over the past 4 billion years, the Moon orbits the Earth. However, recently, the human planetary satellite was not alone. Appear mysterious object, which acts as a 'second Moon'. What is it? Turns out it is Asteroid 2014 OL339.
Scientists hope to one day 'catch' a quasi-satellite which could offer a valuable sample of material largely unchanged since the dawn of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Pictured is an artists's impression of Earth rising above lunar horizon. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1siCkWy)
A 150-meter wide space rock that takes about a year to orbit the sun. The distance to the Earth close enough so it looks as satellites. The asteroid is the latest quasi-satellite Earth - space rocks that orbit the Sun but close enough to the human planet so it looks like its followers.
A new object, dubbed 2014 OL339, has been found masquerading as Earth’s ‘second moon’.The new ‘moon’, which is in fact a 490ft (150 metre) asteroid, takes about a year to orbit the sun and is close enough to Earth to look like its satellite. Pictured is its elliptical orbit. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1siCkWy)
As quoted by the Daily Mail on Friday, October 3, 014, a strange object was discovered on July 29, 2014 by Farid Char, an astronomers of the Chilean University of Antofagasta. "The asteroid near Earth hanging around 775 years. The space rock will continue to do so for the next 165 years," said Carlos dam Raul de la Fuente Marcos from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, as reported by the science site, Newscientist.

The asteroid has an elliptical orbit. It takes 364.92 days to circle the sun. That means 2014 OL339 and Earth are in a 'resonant orbits'. The condition occurs when two objects orbiting gravitational influence each other because their orbits are closely related.

For example, Pluto and Neptune are in 2:3 orbital resonance. That is, every 2 times Pluto around the Sun, Neptune took 3 trips around the star.

Asteroid 2014 OL339 orbiting the Sun in the same period with the Earth. However, our planet's gravity affects the movement. As an adult pushing a child on a swing. Viewed using sophisticated telescopes from Earth, 2014 OL339 looks as if orbiting around our planet, relative moving backward to the stars.

A number of other space rock ever go into orbit that makes them look as if circling the Earth. As with 2014 OL339, some of them takes about 1 year to go around the sun, in an elliptical orbit. Similarly, according to Phil Plait, who writes on the Bad Astronomy blog.
A number of other space rocks have fallen into orbits that make them look as though they are circling the Earth. The most famous is 3753 Cruithne, a 3 miles (5km) asteroid (animations shown above). The yellow orbit in the top animation shows Cruithne's orbit around Earth. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1siCkWy)
The most famous is the 3753 Cruithne, along the 5 kilometer asteroid discovered in 1986 - and in 1997, the scientists uncover the unusual route.

Our planet also has a number of 'minimoon' which is actually the small asteroids that sucked by the gravitational of the Earth and end up orbiting to our planet, although in a shorter time period. In a few months to a year.

The scientists hope to one day be able to 'catch' the quasi-satellite that may contain valuable samples, a material which is largely unchanged since the beginning of the birth of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. In 2012, a team led by the University of Hawaii at Manoa counted possibility that at certain times the Earth has more than one moon or satellites.
Our planet has also had a number of ‘minimoons'. These space rocks are often only a few feet across, and each tends to do a stint of around a year in orbit - before resuming their previous lives as asteroids. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1siCkWy)
They used a supercomputer to simulate the trajectories of 10 million asteroids that pass through the Earth. Conclusions they produce, at any given moment, at least one asteroid with a diameter of at least one meter orbiting to the Earth. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILYMAIL]
Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.