If you were fortunate enough to visit last year’s Detroit Auto Show, you may recall something special lurking in the Ford booth. The automaker featured an expansive slot car track with a variety of Ford Mustang racers darting around an immensely detailed course. As it turns out, the track was built by David Beattie, a slot car enthusiast who has turned his passion into a serious business. Beattie uses a CNC router to carve the topography of your favorite track before applying numerous handmade details. The track surface itself is airbrushed to mimic well-worn tarmac, and Beattie makes every tree and fence by hand.

The craftsman can create any track from Le Mans to Laguna Seca. You’ll need deep pockets to put one of these slot car venues in your man cave, however. Prices begin at ,000 and ratchet all the way up to ,000. Of course, that may be a small price to pay if you absolutely have to own a Porsche 917 shell that opens up to reveal an intricate figure-eight. Hit the jump to check out a few videos of Beattie’s handiwork, including an interview with Jay Leno.

Continue reading The ultimate in slot car tracks comes at a price [w/video]

The ultimate in slot car tracks comes at a price [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Investigators are currently expanding the scope of an automotive component price fixing probe. Officials in Australia, the U.S., Europe and Japan are collaborating to discern the breadth of the issue. So far, 20 automotive suppliers have been identified as being part of the investigation, though it’s thought that authorities are looking into a significantly larger number of companies. In fact, a government official has already declared this investigation the largest such probe in U.S. history. Those that have been identified so far are publicly traded and must disclose such investigation to their shareholders by law. Private companies have no such obligation. According to Crain’s Detroit Business, the companies in question supplied parts to both automakers and the aftermarket.

So far, only one company has been convicted of price fixing in the investigation. Furukawa Electric Company of Japan has been handed a fine of 0 million and three U.S.-based executives are headed toward incarceration. Sentencing has yet to occur for those workers.

The report says the scandal spreads across automotive systems, and subpoenas have been handed down for raids against at least 19 suppliers over six supply sectors. Even so, those subpoenas may be aimed at securing evidence against a company’s competitor, not the manufacturer itself.

Massive auto parts price fixing probe spreads to four continents originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Imagine your dream car. What might it include? Lightweight carbon-fiber construction, high-tech engine behind the seats, legendary Italian badge on the nose…. The thing is, that usually means a big fat price tag that runs well into the six figures, if not seven. But while this latest Italian sports car is set to include all those ingredients, its price point is set decidedly lower.

We’re talking about the Alfa Romeo 4C, the nimble-looking little number that debuted in delicious matte red at the Geneva show last year, and in liquid-metal finish in Frankfurt just a few months ago. Rumors have been circulating of its imminent production ever since its debut, but now the blokes over at Top Gear say that have the final details on good authority.

According to the report, Fiat has crunched the numbers and figured out how it can produce the 4C while neither breaking the bank nor spoiling the formula. And so the supercar is set to begin testing in the new year and hit the market in the next. And the price? £45,000, according to TG, which equates to about K at today’s exchange rates. To put that into perspective, consider that is the same starting price in the British market as the Porsche Cayman S – a model which starts here at K.

The Cayman is an ambitious target, but the 4C promises to be both smaller and lighter. A new direct-injection turbo four will drive 230 horsepower to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch gearbox for a 4.5-second sprint to sixty, but is tipped to yield more powerful versions with as much as 300hp on tap and even a roadster version later on.

That last bit promises to be easier to pull off thanks to the carbon-fiber tub – engineered by Dallara – to which aluminum sub-frames will be attached front and rear. The Italian chassis constructor is best known for its racing cars, but also developed the KTM X-Bow, which could in and of itself give us the best idea of what to expect if and when the 4C assumes the place originally reserved for the 8C Competizione in finally heralding Alfa’s return to the North American market.

Alfa Romeo 4C speeds into production with £45,000 price tag originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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