Ok so while I was taking the browns to the superbowl I treated myself to some delightful reading of one of my favorite magazines: IEEE Spectrum (Yea yea, laugh all ya want.. its a good mag tho.. really...). Anyway, Pages 26 through 35 offered some of the coolest info on new cars I have read thus far. The following is a summarized compilation of what, in my opinion, were the highlights of the reading session (NOTE: that these are in the order that they appear in the magazine and are by no means categorized by any methods.):

1) 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR-1
"Developed under the code name Blue Devil, the ZR1 is built around a 6.2-liter aluminum V8 developing 462kW (620hp) of power and 807Nm(595 ft-lbs.) of torque. The aluminum block has the dimensions of the classic small-block V8, but this one is hand-built at a special engine shop with processes used only for racing engines. For instance, a deck plate is installed on the aluminum block, to simulate the pressure and minute dimensional differences created by the cylinder heads, before the cast-iron cylinder liners are pressed into it. A Roots-type supercharger crams air into the engine via an intercooler, providing a denser dose of oxygen that's nevertheless cooled down enough to fend off power-sapping premature combustion. Like most supercharged engines, it can deliver close to peak power over a wide range of engine speeds, from about 2500rpm to 6600rpm. To handle all that power, the clutch uses a pair of smaller discs rather than the single plate of other corvettes. This spreads the torque over a greater area and reduces inertia by 25%, letting the engine spool up or down more quickly. As with the highest-performance German cars, the ZR-1s brake rotors are made of ceramic silicone carbide reinforced with carbon fiber, which is less susceptible to the friction-induced changes that can cause brake power to fade temporarily after repeated high-speed braking. [B]Ride control on the ZR1 employs a suspension of magnetic particles in a fluid instead of mechanical shocks. The viscosity of the fluid changes in response to a magnetic field which varies every millisecond in response to inputs from sensors providing data on speed, suspension, and road surface conditions.

ill finish the rest later my friends are here.

wow thats intense. especially the suspension. good ol' GM :banana:

lol thats nothing look at the following:

2) 2009 Nissan GT-R
"The car's designers have always eschewed the V8 or V12 engines used in many of its two-seater rivals, instead using twin turbochargers to squeeze out all the power it needss from six cylinders. This year, though, they're set in "V" formation, a switch from the prior model's in-line six. The resulting 358kW (480hp) of power and 583Nm (437 ft.-lbs.) of torque are even more impressive, considering that the car also qualifies for the ultralow-emissions vehicle rating of the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency. The engine sits aft of the front-wheel centers, and it drives not a conventional attached gearbox, but a rear transaxle containing a dual-clutch transmission and transfer case, which then splits power among the four wheels. The dual-clutch transmission assigns seperate clutches for the odd and even gears, letting it preselect the next highest and lowest gear for almost instantaneous shifts. That unusual arrangement lets Nissan achieve a weight distribution of 53% front, 47% rear-close to the 50-50 ideal. The all-wheel drive system offers a torque split ranging smoothly from 100% rear to 50/50 front-rear. The driver can choose among three settings-Normal, Comfort, or R for ultimate handling-for several systems, including engine and transmission mappings and suspension control. How often a GT-R driver would select Comfort is moot. Nissan says the instrument panel display is "video game-inspired," not an analloyed gain for those who prefer drivers to focus on driving. As is fitting in a performance car, the panel shows acceleration, brake-pedal pressure, and steering angle; it even recordslarge blocks of operating data, like hte black box on a jetliner. When not showing such data the panel also controls the navigation system, audio equiptment, and mobile phone system."


However, I also read in a recent copy of Import Tuner that the GT-R will be, at first, near impossible, and eventually just a royal pain in the **** to upgrade. The reason for this being that every little aspect of the engine, transmission, etc.. is controlled by the computer, even more-so than the average modern car.

3) Next up is the 2009 Jaguar XF (Be prepared for some crazy **** **** in this one.. this one seems almost unreal...)

"It's a striking, elegant departure, the first Jaguar to break away from traditional styling cues in 40 years. It may be the most important car in Jaguar's history, the one that most proves there's a future for the storied marque after Ford sells it to Tata Motors, the Indian maker of the lowest priced car in the world (The 2009 Tata Nano). Of course, you wouldn't be reading this if the XF were mere eye candy-its tech credentials are solid too. The interior fittings emerge from hiding only when needed. Whena driver gets in, the car senses the proximity of the electronic key card and its "start" button pulses red. Pressing the button causes the rotary gear selector to rise out of the center console and into the driver's hand. On first demonstration, you can almost hear Q of the James Bond films saying, "Really, 007, just once I would like to get the car back in one piece!" Similarly, passengers can't see the dashboard vents until they wave their hands toward them, whereupon sensors trigger motors that rotate the vents into place. Overhead lights and the glove-compartment lid operate the same way. The goal is to reduce cabin clutter and increase the sense of soothing calm for all occupants; soft phosphor blue "halo" lighting heightens the mood. The wizards of Bowers & Wilkins, an audiophile favorite in Worthing, England, planned the acoustics of this high-speed concert hall. They worked alongside Jaguar's engineers, putting 14 custom designed speakers in the optimal places. The largest speakers have distinctive yellow Kevlar cones, for better linear response and reduced distortion; the four tweeters carry aluminum transducer domes that cut the weight of the one moving part, extending treble response an octave above that of standard designs. The 440-watt surround-sound system uses Dolby logic in the remote amplifier, with the de rigueur inputs for personal MP3 players and USB storage devices, of course, all controlled through the car's touch-screen display. The system continuously monitors interior noise, adjusting its equilization to compensate. Not all the tech goes toward creature comforts. There's a systme that uses radar to alert a driver to nearby vehicles he or she can't see. The optional adaptive cruise control-quickly becoming a must-have on luxury cars-keeps the car a safe distance behind the one that's just ahead. And Jaguar also offers an automatic speed limiter-handy for those already saddled with a few speeding tickets.


dayum, thats hawt!