New Fast and Furious 6 Story Featurette Reveals the Letty story
All along we’ve been wondering how Letty could possibly be back in Fast and Furious, when she was very clearly killed in an earlier episode.
Now this new featurette has been released.. and the story is in here. It’s the only spoiler in the video that is new.. otherwise the previous trailers (trailer #1 and trailer #2)have revealed several elements of the storyline. If you don’t mind the spoiler, or can’t help yourself, watch the video.
Set your system to full screen, turn up the volume – and enjoy!
Fast and Furious 6: returning stars!
At the beginning of Part 6, we find Dom doing “what any man would do out there, after pocketing 10+ millions dollars”.
We’ll find out more on May 24, 2013, the North American premier of Fast and Furious 6!
Fast and Furious 6: introducing two new characters
Introducing Owen Shaw, played by Luke Evans, and Riley, played by Gina Carano.
Owen Shaw is the bad guy in the film, whereas Riley is the good girl – as usual in this series a tough girl, but on the right side of the law.
If you are following the news about the movie, you’ll note that Jason Statham also has a small role in this film, as the brother of Owen Shaw. He’ll be back in Fast and Furious 7.
Second trailer for Formula 1 movie “Rush”
The second trailer, longer than the first, was released this week for Ron Howard’s new movie “Rush“.
The movie tells the story of the 1976 Formula 1 points championship battle between Kiki Lauda and James Hunt.
Will this film end up on our Top 5 list of the all-time great movies for car enthusiasts? It’s looking better for inclusion – we’ll let you know when the movie opens in North American on September 20th (and one week earlier in Britain).
Watch the trailer for Formula 1 movie “Rush”
Ron Howard’s labor of love opens September 20th in the United States, and a week earlier in Britain. The movie tells the story of the 1976 Formula 1 points championship battle between Kiki Lauda and James Hunt.
Fast and Furious 6: Nathalie Kelley (Neela) returns?
We’re eagerly awaiting the North American premier of Fast and Furious 6 on May 24th next month. Not only it is the car movie of the year (and maybe the only car movie this year), it’s one of three major movies that start the summer blockbuster season (joining Star Trek and Iron Man).
We already know Michael Rodriquez returns – she’s been shown in previews shooting Dom (!). Nonetheless, to keep it a secret, the studio has left her out of the movies posters – so far.
Taking a closer look at the latest poster, below, we have to ask who the woman to the far left is?
Could that be Nathalie Kelley, reprising the Neela character from Fast and Furious 3 (Tokyo Drift)? Look the lines of her face, her jaw – that sure doesn’t look like Michelle Rodriquez.
BREAKING NEWS: Ford Innovation Takes New Direction
The staggering announcements from Ford continue today: first the merger with BMW and now this new announcement with Honda. With strong U.S. sales and the promise of being rid of the idiot idiot U.S. President in 2016, Ford is determined to position itself to become the #1 auto maker in the world.
Ford Press Release follows:
—————————————————————-
FORD INNOVATION TAKES NEW DIRECTION
Contact: Hero-san
Honda OEM Technology (HOT) 011-81-3-438-3278
Dearborn, Michigan. April 1, 2012 - Ford Motor Company has a long history of necessarily turning to OEM technology when the company’s own engineering and research labs have been effected by the latest reorganization. Past examples of this include Manly for H-beam connecting rods, Recaro seating, Brembo braking, and more. By partnering in the aftermarket instead of innovating at home, the net result is better products all around.
Today, Ford announces a new partner: Honda OEM Technology (HOT). HOT will supply Ford with i-VTEC (Intelligent Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) technology for use on selected Ford engines beginning in the 2011 model year.
“Ford performance vehicles, particularly SVT products, have historically sucked. The addition of i-VTEC to legacy Ford engines is the single best strategy for Ford to pursue. I am also pleased to announce today that we are in early negotiation with Ford for licensing HOT suspension technology as well”. – Motoharu “Gan san” Kurosawa, HOT Consultant.
The idea to partner with HOT was the brainchild of Billy Ford, chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “I like the idea of revving higher and higher”, said Billy, “Normally my ideas run out of oxygen but now we can go to new heights and stay high longer.”
Ford turned to Honda OEM Technology as part of its comprehensive reorganization plan, known as “Waaaay Forward”, to revitalize the appeal of its North American products. Ford Product Planners conducted extensive market research and found to its surprise that the demographic it had been building performance products for – known in the planning department as “straight-liners” – does in fact represent less than .000001 of the marketplace and that the vast majority of the remaining market prefers vehicles that are fun and dynamic over a wide range of driving conditions. Thus the benefits of the partnership with HOT will revitalize Ford products for mainstream buyers. An added bonus to consumers is the extensive engineering testing that HOT technology is subjected to, leading to extraordinary quality and longevity.
“We’ll never appease the pushrod snobs” – Hau Thai-Tang, former head of SVT and currently living under a bridge near the former site of the Ford Atlanta Assembly Plant.
Ford engineers have been testing the new-to-Ford technology for the past 2 years on public roads. One particularly popular car with young Ford engineers is a test mule built from the concept car formerly known as the “BOSS 604”, now painted a stealthy green. The car is popular with Ford’s young engineers and is usually the first car requested for weekend use. Except for the none-too-stealthy badge on the rear trunk lid, the public would be hard pressed to identify this as a manufacturing test vehicle.
In fact, that car is a test bed for Ford’s first product built with HOT – a 5 liter double-overhead cam (DOHC) V-8 engine producing 500 horsepower @ 8000 RPM (100hp/liter) under the rigorous Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) test procedure J2723. Furthermore, the engine meets tough Tier II and ULEV emissions standards. The engine will debut in 2015. Future evolution – particularly in the underpinning Ford legacy parts – is expected to yield as much as 120HP/liter.
“The development costs associated with adapting HOT technology to legacy Ford engines is the reason we had to cancel our product plans for all but one special-edition Mustang. We needed so many funds to totally re-engineer that car and get it right for 2015 that I ended up cancelling myself as well” – Phil Martens, former group vice president, Product Creation, North America, Ford Motor Company.
Charts explaining how i-VTEC technology contributes to emissions and drivability.
PRESS MATERIALS
Ford Engineering Technician performing fuel economy calibration in Prototype #1 near Allen Park, MI
Note VTEC badge on trunk lid
;-) April Fools!
BREAKING NEWS: 2015 Mustang product plan revealed
A question foremost in the minds of motoring enthusiasts around the world is what direction Ford will take for the next Mustang. It’s an open secret that a new Mustang will be released in April 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the original Mustang.
A key element in Ford’s strategy was announced today: the outright purchase of BMW. BMW will be folded into Ford as a new division. And, in keeping with the “One Ford” plan, BMW’s existing product plan will be modified to use Ford chassis technology and parts.
The new BMW division has also been ordered to adopt Ford “muscle” styling clichés in order to appeal to the market demographic known as “old fat guys in their 50s”. These are former straight-liners who have reached their economic plateau and seek the appearance of sophistication, but because they have passed their physical and mental prime, need the comfort and reassurance of familiar Ford styling and technology. The SVT M4 will feature wide flat seats, special door hinges for ease of ingress, a “tried and true” inline 6 cylinder engine from Ford of Australia, raised white letter tires, and a 4-link solid rear axle with “quad shocks”. It will be the first product on the market from the new BMW division.
Conversely, spy pictures reveal that the new 2015 Mustang will borrow upmarket BMW styling “influences” in an attempt to retain anxious Mustang buyers who have been leaving for Hyundai and Kia. To speed the new product to market, and as part of Billy Ford’s continued campaign against all things “Jac Nasser”, the Mustang will go back to the SN95 platform. The tooling for the SN95 had been sent to Venezuela in 2005 to be used for a new product there, but the dictator Chavez stopped shipment at the entry port and sent it home saying he didn’t want a “Yankee hand-me-down”. A plan was then formed to use it as the basis of a new Jeepney in the Philippines in 2008, but that plan failed as well. As did a sale of it to the Chinese in 2010, where Hau Thai-Tang, Chairman of the Peoples Original Superior Car Company (POSCC), was quoted as saying “we’ve already copied it”.
So it was conveniently available for use by the 2015 Mustang, and handily met the financial budget as well. The following spy pictures show a final production sign-off prototype, parked outside the palatial suburban Detroit home of returning Team Mustang Chief Janine Bay. When told that the secret plans had been revealed by the press, Ms. Bay was quoted as saying that “the SN95 platform, an update of the FOX platform designed in the middle 70s, ain’t broke and will continue to provide a loyal and faithful basis for the Mustang at least into the 22nd century”.
;-) Happy April Fools Day (or is it?)
Breaking news: Subaru announces Twin-Turbo BRZ!
Incredible news from Subaru, released just this afternoon in time for April. Everything everyone around the world wanted for our favorite new sports car, all delivered at once and in a single package.
How’s that for responsiveness to their customers? And Subaru certainly understands the power of the Internet!
Subaru Press Release follows:
April 1, 2013
SUBARU SURRENDERS AND CONFIRMS AWD TURBO CONVERTIBLE TWO-SEATER DIESEL HYBRID BRZ
- Maker Gives in And Admits Everything
Cherry Hill, N.J., – Bowing to continued media and internet speculation, Subaru of America has confirmed that it will launch an AWD Twin-Turbo Convertible two-seater Diesel Hybrid BRZ for sale in 2015. The new model essentially takes all of the media and internet rumors surrounding the highly successful BRZ sports car and delivers them in one fell swoop.
A spokesman for the company said: “Having just launched the current model to widespread critical acclaim, we are tired of fighting off the constant speculation about what’s “next” and so we are just giving in and delivering all the speculation in one vehicle.”
The new model, which is expected to have a starting price, will however NOT come with a much anticipated rear back-up camera. The spokesman confirmed that after shoehorning two convertible switches (up and down) onto the fascia there just wasn’t room for any more instruments. The AWD Turbo Convertible two-seater Diesel Hybrid BRZ will come in a single color, noseeum black and will be hand produced at Subaru’s Brigadoon facility.
More denials about future BRZ variants can be found at media.subaru.com
Happy April 1.
Book Review: P.J. O’Rourke “Driving Like Crazy”
We’ve all made mistakes when we were younger… part of getting older for most of us also means getting wiser and understanding the difference.
Not so for P.J. O’Rourke. At 62 years old, you have to wonder if he has gotten any wiser. He never looks back at his indiscretions as exactly that. We all had these kinds of “adventures” in our earlier days of the car hobby… but most of us have out-grown them and learned from them. P.J. apparently has not – he seems merely to have moved on without recognizing them as childish and irresponsible. Some of us, now both older and wiser, came to realize that we didn’t need to do everything we did – we just needed to grow up and part of growing up and wising up is recognizing past mistakes and learning from them.
If you’re a long-time Car and Driver reader you’ll recognize many of these stories from articles there many years ago. PJ was never one of my favorite writers – his stories were rarely about the car and were more often about the abuse.
Drunk driving is a big part of this book: drunken trips to Mexico, drunken press jaunts, drunken trips across the desert and on motorcycles. The first chapter is titled “How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink” (first published in National Lampoon in 1979). This sets the tone for the rest of the book, although unfortunately it’s also the best-written chapter and it’s all downhill from there. After the first few chapters the book becomes very hard to read and by the half-way mark it’s all a repetitive haze (no pun intended) and you just don’t care.
PJ also laments what he calls the “Death of the American car” – not recognizing the parallels to his own life. In reality the excesses of the “American Car” (and especially gigantic trucks and SUVs) have finally caught up with it. The difference is that American cars will have to finally “grow up” and PJ will just continue to target his writing to the subset of people who never did and probably never will.