Well this is a damaging blow to the “vorsprung durch technik” aka progress through technology line spun by one German manufacturer. The EU has expanded on the VW Group emissions testing scandal by laying more charges against VW, Audi and Porsche along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in other words, pretty much all of Germany’s mainstream manufacturers! In the original issue, … [Read more...]
Variable Valve Timing
Engineers and designers have spent decades trying to figure out ways to get more power out of an engine. One question that all engineers have is what the motor will be used for - will it be for an economical commuting car, will it go into a supercar or will it be used in a wagon where torque is more important than raw power. Subsequently, the design of the motor will differ … [Read more...]
Hybrid Power
For this weeks technical article, I thought that it would be good to cover the current and ongoing trend for hybrids. Nearly every time I talk technology I start with a comment that the subject is not new. Well, guess what - hybrid cars aren’t new and are certainly not 21st century vehicles. Back in 1901 the famous engineer, Ferdinand Porsche designed and drove a prototype … [Read more...]
Max Friz
The name Max Friz is probably not a well known one, however, he was a pioneer in the aeronautic, automotive and motorcycle industries! Born in southern Germany in 1883, he became an apprentice at a steam engine company before enrolling at a trade school in Stuttgart to study engineering. That extra knowledge secured him a job in the design offices of Daimler Motors where he … [Read more...]
Abarth
Karl Abarth was born in November 1908 in Vienna and as a boy became a very competitive bicycle racer who could maintain his own bikes and as he got older he started to look at the new motorcycles that were hitting the market. By the time he was 16, he was working for a motorcycle chassis builder and a tuner and he designed his first full motorcycle at the age of 20! The … [Read more...]