Honda FUZ-O: Futuristic Flying Car Concept

A concept that is sure to beat commuter blues, this Honda hovercar (or perhaps a hoverbike, given the Honda Motorcycles wing logo in the images), called FUZ-O, is designer John Mahieddine’s idea of a flying car that would hit speeds of up to 644km/h (400mph).

The (VTOL) Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicle is a “futuristic fantasy with four high-powered turbines for high-speed horizontal flight and Iron-Man-like handling,” according to design news website Yanko Design.

Generating power from four turbines, resulting in high-speed horizontal flight and easy handling, the concept is finished with durable and lightweight materials, including carbon fiber, Kevlar and carbon nano-tubes and the bubble canopy.

The flying car accommodates three passengers, including the driver, comfortably. Of course, the high-tech vehicle turns its turbines into wheels to run like a normal car when on the road.

Designed to be controlled via a fly-by-wire system (using a Global Positioning System), the Honda FUZ-O claims a safe and luxurious ride for commuters.

The concept has two joysticks fixed on either armrest of the driver’s seat - the left spinning the car on its axis and the right controlling tilt and direction - together with two foot pedals that take care of power and brakes.

The FUZ-O also claims foolproof security, with internal and external airbags that open to protect the commuters, as well as the car, in case of a mishap.

Although, we’re not sure about protection if you plummet into the ground at 644km/h…

F1: Barrichello Threatens To Quit Brawn

Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello has threatened to quit Formula One if his team influenced the result of the Spanish Grand Prix through team orders.

Barrichello appeared on course to record his tenth career victory in Barcelona, capitalising on a stunning start to overtake team mate Jenson Button and streak away from the field before the first of his three pit stops.

However, the Brazilian’s lead was soon eroded after Button’s engineers switched the championship leader to a two-stop strategy from an initial three, enabling him to leap past the Brazilian in the pits.

Brawn team mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello at Spain this weekend.

Following the race, Barrichello was visibly frustrated to have missed an opportunity to end his five-year win drought, telling SpeedTV he is prepared to walk away from Formula One if he is relegated to number two status at Brawn GP.

“If I get the slightest sniff of the fact that they have favoured Jenson, I will hang up my helmet tomorrow,” he said.

“But I know Ross wouldn’t do that. He asked me to drive for him and he knows I want to race fairly with Jenson.”

Barrichello though is demanding answers for the team’s decision to switch Button’s strategy mid-race, querying the reason to leave him out on the slower stop sequence.

“We were both on three stops and they changed the strategy for him. Good for him, good for the team as we both covered one and two but I would like to understand why we changed that,” he said.

“After this evening we are going to have a meeting again and then we have some answers.”

During his six-year tenure with Ferrari, Barrichello was the victim of team orders on numerous occasions, most notably at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when he was forced to give up victory only metres before the chequered flag.

The lack of opportunities available at the Scuderia prompted Barrichello to move away from Maranello, steeling his resolve to never tolerate team orders again.

“I have had experience of that and if it happens I won’t follow any team orders. I’m making this clear now but we have a much more friendly situation in this team,” he said.

“There’s no way I’m going to be crying and saying I should have this or that. I had the ability to win and I didn’t.”

Lawsuit Alert: Chinese Manufacturer Planning Bentley Clone?

Little-known Chinese carmaker the Huatai Group is allegedly working on a high-end luxury sedan, which, as chance would have it, bears a striking resemblence to an existing model from another manufacturer.

You might not pick it from looking at the thing nose-on, but from the rear it all becomes obvious: this is nothing but a shameless copy of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and a very poor one at that.

The front features Bentley’s signature mesh grille flanked by a pair of the most mis-matched headlights ever to be haphazardly slapped on an automobile. The rear is almost a complete facsimilie of the Bentley, and the cherry on top is the BMW ‘inspired’ badge on the car’s rump.

We’ve little information to go on regarding when we’ll see this thing in the metal (or what hides under that copyright-infringing body), but we’re confident that once Bentley’s corporate masters at Volkswagen get wind of these images, the Chinese Continental will never see the light of day.

First the Geely GE, and now this. We understand copying other designs is a great way of minimising design costs, but poorly aping some of the world’s most recognised prestige brands is more than just a little bit silly and definitely trashy.

Volkswagen May Debut Hardcore Golf, Mini-Scirocco At Frankfurt: Rumour

Volkswagen is rumoured to be prepping not one, not two, but four new cars for unveiling at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, with a hardcore Golf expected to drop alongside an all-new pickup, a Golf wagon and a Polo-based and Scirocco-inspired hot hatch.

The Volkswagen Robust will essentially be a productionised version of the VW Pickup Concept that we saw at the Melbourne Motor Show earlier this year, which admittedly already looked showroom-spec when the covers were whipped off.

Meanwhile, the Golf Variant will be a stretched and enlarged version of the new Golf VI, and will sit above the Golf Plus in VW’s hierarchy.

But what if you yearn for something less practical and crave something more visceral? If the rumoured 132kW Polo-platformed mini-Scirocco doesn’t take your fancy, then we bet the 195kW ‘Golf R’ probably will.

The smaller of the pair is tipped to be powered by a 1.4 litre turbocharged four-pot pinched from the Golf VI, while the Golf R is expected to feature a two-litre turbo four with the wick turned all the way up.

Will we see any of them here? The Robust may eventually find its way to Australian shores, but at this stage it’s too early to say for the rest of them.

The two hot hatches may get nixed, but we’re hoping that won’t be the case.

F1: Ferrari Board To Meet Tonight To Discuss Future

The furore surrounding Formula One’s proposed 2010 budget cap is set to heat up after Ferrari announced its Board will meet tonight to discuss the manufacturer’s racing future.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo is opposed to the FIA’s new regulations and believes their introduction breaches an agreement signed in 2005 which hands Ferrari ‘veto’ rights on any rule amendments, according to Autosport.

A steamed-up di Montezemolo has hinted Ferrari may consider other options outside of Formula One, with a return to sportscars and Le Mans touted as a likely alternative, unless the FIA eliminates the potential for a ‘two-tier’ championship next season.

Despite Ferrari’s threats, FIA President Max Mosley has refused to back down, declaring Formula One “could survive” without the Italian squad, escalating tensions between the automaker and the sport’s administrator to an all-time high.

With the controversy now reaching boiling point, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has attempted to mediate the feud, suggesting Mosley’s remarks were unintended.

“I don’t think Max really meant what he said, he was just having a go at (Ferrari president) Luca (di Montezemolo) a little bit,” Ecclestone said.

“It’s one of those things where Formula One is Ferrari and Ferrari is Formula One. It’s just a marriage made in heaven, one of those super things that work well.”

Ferrari though is not alone in voicing concerns over the sport’s future, with Toyota and Red Bull prepared to boycott the May 29 entry deadline for next season.

It is believed members of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) are supportive of this stance, although backing isn’t unanimous throughout the grid.

Williams boss Sir Frank Williams has told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport his team is not prepared to risk its future by linking forces with the major manufacturers, despite opposition to the regulations.

“We race, what else can I do?” he said when asked about participating in a boycott.

Renault and BMW are also reported to be considering their options, although the former’s boss, Flavio Briatore, said the French manufacturer remains committed to Formula One at this stage.

“I’ve been to the President of Renault in Paris and he confirmed to me that F1 is a priority for the group,” he said to Spain’s Sport newspaper.

Ecclestone remains convinced however that an agreement will be reached before teams take any drastic measures and allow the situation to descend into chaos.

“We’re trying to save them (the teams) from stupidity,” he said. “All we’re simply doing is trying to reduce the necessity to spend to be competitive.

“They can pay the drivers what they want, have bigger motorhomes, but we don’t need them to spend money on racing unnecessarily.”