Automobile Trivia: Fun Facts

Automobile Trivia

BUGATTI EB 16.4 VEYRON

·         The fastest production car in the world is Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron. The etymology arises from the fact that it was named after Pierre Veyron who was the race driver for Bugatti in the 24 hours Le Mans Race in 1939. EB stands for Ettore Bugatti, who was the founder of Bugatti Motors. 16.4 stands for 16 cylinders in 2 V8 formations spliced together to form a W and each cylinder has 4 valves which makes it a total of 64 valves. The Supersport version of the Veyron is the fastest production car in the world with a certified top speed of 431 km/h.

MAYBACH 62

·         The Mercedes Maybach has two variants to offer, the Maybach 62 and the Maybach 57. The reason is that the Maybach 62 is 6.2 metres long while the Maybach 57…… you guessed it right, is 5.7 metres long. Both of them are powerful enough to pull a jumbo jet with ease and have sufficient space in them to organize a tea party.

·         The Rolls Royce Company was found in collaboration between Frederick Rocye, an automobile engineer and pioneer along with Charles Rolls who was aviation and automobile aficionado in 1904.

ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM

·         In the First World War, the Americans in-built a vehicle which was supposed to be a functional, go anywhere vehicle. They called it the General Purpose vehicle. It finally was shortened down to Jeep, which is now a brand under Daimler-Chrysler and a major SUV manufacturer.  

·         An airbag inflates at a speed of 4500 mph within a second on impact. A force of 200G is generated. They are designed to explode at a collision speed of 19 mph. The bag inflates within 40 milliseconds of a crash.

THE ALL ACTION HUMMER H1

·         The Hummer originally started out as an US Army Project when it was decided that the USAAF needed a robust vehicle which will redefine the established norms of the traditional Off Roader Vehicles. The project was named HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle). The Military personnel started pronouncing it as “HUMVEE”. Needless to say, the project was an astonishing success in the USAAF circles. It was inevitable that a civilian version would follow and then, came HUMMER from the stables of GM. The Hummer is the Ultimate SUV anybody could have ever dreamt of. It was for people who found Jeeps, G-class, Toyotas and other such SUV’s too soft. The HUMMER stands true to its Tagline, which says “Like nothing Else”.

  

HUMMER H2

 



GM: An Experience of a Lifetime

GM India- One of my most learning experiences

This blog is dedicated to all my mentors at General Motors India Pvt. Ltd.

It was the spring of 2009 when I joined GM as an intern for a period of one month. The internship was a part of our curriculum at MSU BBA.  I was one of the fortunate few who had a chance to do their internship in one of most respected MNC’s in the field of Automobiles.

 The dates were fixed, formalities taken care of and I was ready for a month of solid learning and prolific experience. I joined GM on 18^th of May 2009. I was excited and ready to take the plunge into the big bad corporate world. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, my excitement began to turn into nervousness as I entered through the main gates of the GM plant. The atrium was beautiful and had various posters of cars and SUV’s manufactured under the GM consortium. Among them was a poster of a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette which was amongst the first proper American Muscle Cars of its time. The image of the Corvette is still etched in my mind.

 Thereafter, I went and met Mr. Ranjan Kumar, who was the Asst. Manager HR and was looking after the interns in the organization. He was my friend, philosopher and guide for the entire duration of my internship. On my first day, I was introduced to fellow interns and the rest of the HR Department. The first few days gave me the same feeling as a 6 year old child might have when he leaves the comfortable precincts of his\her parents and goes to school. Over the days, I began to develop a rapport of sorts with my colleagues and the rest of the staff. The first week was very boring as I was instructed to look after the performance appraisal sheets and upload them on the SAP system along with their analysis and updation.

The fun started in week two because that’s when I was given a Guided Tour of the manufacturing facilities of GM India. It’s extremely difficult to believe your eyes when you see a Chevrolet Tavera getting manufactured from scratch to completion in less than two and half minutes on the assembly line. Amazing, isn’t it?? Another memorable moment when I saw the engine of Chevrolet Cruze being dismantled and checked for tribulations in the gearbox and the Drive train. It was simply beautiful. The sights and sounds in the manufacturing plant were nothing less than a feast for the senses.

Although I am not at a liberty to go further into the details and technicalities of the manufacturing process, I would have loved to show a complete diagrammatic representation of the entire process, so that all of you would have realized the sheer beauty of the whole experience.

Vision and Mission of GM India:

Vision:

GM's vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services.  GM earns customers' enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork and innovation of GM people.

 Mission:

To profitably sell 200000 vehicles in 2010, achieve top 3 ranking in JD power and be amongst the 50 most admired companies in India.

All in all, My Days with GM have proved to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life and remain to be so………….

The all New Bentley 2011 and the Bentley 2011 Supersports Convertible

It has been eight years since the original Continental GT started a dramatic revamp of Bentley, and the new, 2011-spec Continental GT has just been announced. In exterior terms, Bentley had made a lot of detail changes - the twin headlamps now have echoes of the Mulsanne what with the outer lamps on the wings being much smaller while the tail lamps sit in the same surface as the bumper. The creases and haunches are gorgeous to behold and the edges of the front flow smoothly over the headlamps. On the sides, the lines are sharper and the car looks smarter and fresher in the process.

Under the hood, the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 has been breathed on to make 567PS and 700Nm of torque. Bentley also expects to offer a more eco-friendly 4-litre V8 powertrain next year. The car also features a new faster transmission that also shifts down two gears at a time if needed. The car promises a 0-100 time of 4.4 seconds and will be limited to 318kmph. The W12 has been given flex-fuel capability to handle any combination of normal fuel and E85. Further refinements include the shift from 50:50 all-wheel drive to a more driver-friendly 40:60 and the promise of an even sharper, more responsive chassis with active suspension.

Inside the car, Bentley have created an interior with an eight-inch touchscreen unit with Google Maps based navigation and a series of detail changes. Bentley will be offering the new Continental GT in India and an official announcement should come shortly detailing price and delivery schedules.

Bentley has dropped the details on its newest creation ahead of its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show, and claims that it's produced the world's fastest four-seat convertible and the quickest drop-top Bentley in the automaker's history.

The 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible is the soft-top sibling to the marque's latest coupe, packing the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 as the hard-top and putting out 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Also like the fixed roof variant, the Supersports Convertible can run on either gasoline or E85, returning a 0-60 mph run of 3.9 seconds and a top speed on 202 mph no matter what fuel you choose to top up with.

Other carryovers include the all-wheel drive system and ZF-sourced six-speed automatic that sends power to four, 20-inch, 10-spoke wheels shod in high-performance Pirelli rubber (275/35Z R20). However, unlike the hard-top, the rear seats remain, along with carbon fiber buckets and matching trim, Alcantara and a host of interior amenities.

Bentley hasn't released pricing on the Super sports Convertible yet, but considering the coupe starts around $270,000 you have to be super rich in order to apply for one, and even then Bentley MAY have some reservations against you!!! So, most of us can only dream or fantasize about owning a Bentley.

The Showboat Syndrome-The Concept of a Concept Car

Every year, just about every motor manufacturer on the planet produces at least one new concept car. These are often the highlights of various auto shows in and around the world. They are big and bold, sometimes outrageous, which fall anywhere between exciting and risible in terms of the effect they create. Some are masterpieces and some are the automotive equivalent to bad karaoke. They have solid backing to work to and the underpinnings are concrete, but the finished results are excruciatingly embarrassing to behold. But regardless of their success or failure what is the point of the creation of these exotic machines? The answer would be to reflect the ability of the company to transform from a niche manufacturer to one of the players in the premium car segment.



Jeep Renegade Concept



This provides a long term insight into the philosophy, reaffirming the commitment to create cars that stir the sentiments and emotions of the people. Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case. Sometimes it seems that the masterworks are produced for a completely different reason; the desire to show off. These are cars that will never become production realities, but which just show how clever the designers draftsmen and the prototype builders with various manufacturers really are. The mentioning of the show off stuff mostly goes on inside the car. This is where the designers can take off into flights of fancy because they know they probably won’t ever have to make it work.

Audi Future Concept

Regardless of their raison d’etre, show cars still fulfill a vital role in the world of automobiles; they provide a respite from the relative monotony of regular road cars. They give the visitor something to ogle at (and maybe dream about) for a minute or two and offer the manufacturers with more or less guaranteed media attention. This is the reason more than any other that the cars will continue to be fanciful and enrapture the audience at the auto shows around the world.

BMW M5 Concept

But these concept cars sometimes also draw the flak of the media and other auto experts. My earlier Blog was on the repercussions when the concept cars unveiled by these particular automobile giants didn’t go too well with the critics. Therefore, the idea of  an automobile manufacturer while designing a new concept car is to simply go beyond the ordinary; in terms of design, features, utility etc.

So it won't be long before you see an Indian auto manufacturer coming up with some out of this world concept car which will not only make you drool but also compel you to think whether your eyes are functioning properly or not.

Till the next post

Ciao..... ;)

     

Here's to all the fabulous automakers around the world.... Pun definitely intended

What your automobile name REALLY means??

Audi: All Unnecessary Devices Installed


BMW: Born Moderately Wealthy

Camaro: Can't America Make A Real One?

Chevrolet: Clutch Hangs, Every Valve Rattles, Oil Leaks Every Time

Dodge: Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere

FIAT: Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation

Ford: Failure Of Research & Development

Honda: Hell Of a Nice Damn Automobile

Hyundai: Hope You Understand Nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive

JEEP:Jumps Everything Ever Parked

Mercedes: Most Every Red Cent Eventually Dissipates, Extinguishing Savings

Nissan:Never In Sync Screeching Awful Noises

Oldsmobile: Overpriced, Leisurely Driven Sedan Made Of Buick's Irregular Leftover Equipment

Porsche: Proof Only Rich Suckers Can Have Everything

Toyota:Taking Our Yen Out -- Thanks All

Volvo: Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object