Happy Birthday, Michael Bolton! We Celebrate With Music’s Most Iconic Mullets

We know three things for certain about the '90s:
1. Michael Bolton was the era's quintessential singer
2. The mullet (the "business in front, party in back" hair style) was the quintessential haircut
3. One man had the quintessential mullet—you guessed it, Michael Bolton!
So for his birthday 59th birthday on Sunday, February 26, our friends at Snakkle.com found the best musician mullets to pay homage to the "Mullet Maestro" himself, Michael Bolton.
[Photos: Ron Galella/WireImage; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
Michael Bolton mullet in 1992 and today: The Grammy winning singer was born with the less mellifluous last name of "Bolotin." But with a name change, a few soft rock ballads under his belt and his infamous mullet hairstyle, Bolton was the man (and mane) that made women swoon in the 90s.
View the entire gallery at Snakkle.com
[Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns, Jason Merritt/Getty Images]
Jon Bon Jovi mullet in 1982 and today: Before Snooki showed off her signature pouf on "Jersey Shore", Jon Bon Jovi had his own version of the go-to Garden State 'do.
[Photos: Peter Still/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
Bono mullet in 1985 and today: Bono has been known to be very serious about his charitable work, but in the mid-'80s he might have been even more serious about his amazing head of rocker-chic hair.
Photos: TV stars who are older than you might think
[Photos: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Rick Diamond/Getty Images]
Billy Ray Cyrus mullet at The Grammys in 1993 and today: The same year Billy Ray Cyrus fathered this mullet, he became a dad to his little superstar Miley. Seven pounds nine ounces was the birth weight, and we're just talking about her hair!
[Right photo: Michael Tran/Getty Images]
Lionel Richie mullet in the mid-1990s and today: Lionel Richie's previous hairdo was once, twice, three times a mullet. And we loved it.

Click here to see more stars sporting mullets at Snakkle.com
Written by Kim Martin

Cheetah, the Legend of the Cobra Killer

The SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) production class championship races were stormed in 1962 by the introduction of the now fabled Cobra. Originally called the AC Cobra and then the Shelby Cobra, as many of you know the car was technically a marriage between a light British roadster and an American muscle car powerplant.

Although factory racing teams were banned because of a mutual gentlemen's agreement made between the Big Three in the 1950s, the Cobra was receiving unofficial support from Ford, mostly consisting in engines and transmissions.

Before the British-American Roadster had appeared, the SCCA production car races were pretty much dominated by customer-tuned Chevrolet Corvettes. One of these Corvette drivers/mechanics was Bill Thomas, who had somewhat outgrown his backyard mechanic credentials and had already started his own racing team.

When the ultra-light and ultra-powerful Cobra began to completely obliterate 
its competition, Bill Thomas approached General Motors with an off-the-record demand. Hence the Cobra was receiving help from Ford, Thomas made a request for a similar arrangement with GM. He wanted the company's support in building a true competitor for the Cobra by using parts from the Corvette bin.

His request was thankfully granted by, so Thomas proceeded to build what was to become the Cheetah, a groundbreaking racing car to dethrone the newly-introduced king of the SCCA production vehicle racing hill � the AC Cobra.

Designed by Bill Thomas and his master fabricator, Don Osmond, the Cheetah had a pretty unconventional look. The only somewhat normal quality of the resulting car was the fact that it still had four wheels and was rear wheel drive, but other than that it looked like nothing else before it (or after it, for that matter).

In order to achieve a perfect weight distribution between the front and rear axles, the Corvette engine was pushed as far as possible towards the rear. So far, actually, that it didn't even needed a driveshaft. Believe it or not, the main reason for that long hood and pushed back cockpit was the fact that the V8 lump and gearbox were directly connected to the rear axle via a limited slip differential.

Unfortunately, this odd arrangement also translated in a horrifyingly hot cockpit. On top of that, the engine's left-side exhaust ran right above the driver's feet, so you can probably guess it wasn't exactly the most comfortable to drive car on the race track.

The craziness didn't stop there though, because Bill Thomas didn't just want a Cobra or Ferrari 250 GTO killer, but a true game changer in American production car racing. The engine's displacement consisted of a massive 6.3 liters, with the maximum power achieving over 500 HP.

To truly comprehend the amount of performance the Cheetah was capable of, we should probably just let the following numbers speak for themselves. Compared with the Mark II version of the AC Cobra, the Cheetah weighed almost 300 pounds less and had over 100 more horsepower. There were some people who would vouch that it could obliterate even the mighty Cobra 427 in a straight line.

Unfortunately, the Cheetah project had a bad omen right from the start, which is why over the course of history it fell into the Cobra's shadow. In order to participate in the same SCCA sanctioned events as its arch enemy, at least 100 units had to be built in order for the car to be homologated.

Since the first Cheetah prototype was ready towards the end of 1963, it was pretty obvious that Thomas wasn't going to complete the required production 
run before the start of the 1964 season. With just a little over twenty cars finished, when 1964 came the feline was forced to race not against the Cobra, but in a special class along more advanced and better funded project cars.

On top of that bad luck, GM pulled out of the deal from fearing the racing ban instated a decade before. This in turn meant that the project no longer had a supply line for the parts required in its production.

Another bump in the road was provided by a new SCCA rule, which stated that for the 1965 season of the championship it was originally designed to compete in, at least 1,000 vehicles were supposed to be built. Even with GM's backing, there was no way for Bill Thomas to build so many cars.

If that wasn't enough, the small factory where the Cheetah was being built burned down in the same year, so the project had to be scrapped altogether. The car's fate was doomed even before it had had the chance to truly show what it was capable of. In the following years, several Cheetah-inspired kit cars have been built by various companies, but not even close to the Cobra replicas that are still being manufactured all over the world.

Since 2006, however, an Arizona company called BTM has started production of a Cheetah Continuation Coupe and Roadster, which apparently have the seal of approval from Bill Thomas himself, who sadly passed away in 2009. The cars are built to the exact specifications of the original feline and each is sold with an original letter of authenticity that was signed by the car's creator before him passing away. The starting price for one of the maximum of 100 units to be built currently stands at almost 90,000 US Dollars.

Wallpaper Gallery: Audi e-Tron

Wallpaper Gallery: Audi e-Tron

Porsche 911 991 DRIVING SCENES

Forgotten Wonders: Holden Hurricane Concept

 

 The Hurricane: Tomorrow's Holden Reborn
Refugee of trade school shop class lovingly restored by volunteer labor in five-year project
2011-10-18
MELBOURNE - Holden has gone back to the future, restoring its first concept car - the 1969 Holden Hurricane.
The futuristic research vehicle described as an experiment "to study design trend, propulsion systems and other long-range developments" has been restored to its former glory as a labor of love by a dedicated group of Holden designers and engineers.
Codenamed RD 001, the Hurricane is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat sports car incorporating a remarkable array of innovative features and technology, much of it years ahead of its time.
Features such as electronic digital instrument displays, station-seeking radio, automatic temperature control air conditioning, rear-vision camera and an automated route finder were all showcased in this ground-breaking vehicle 42 years ago. Many of these technologies have only recently made their way into mass production, demonstrating Holden's remarkable foresight into both design and engineering technology.
The Hurricane stole headlines and dropped jaws nationwide when it debuted at the 1969 Melbourne Motor Show.
Michael Simcoe, executive director GMIO Design, said it was fantastic to see such a significant vehicle restored.

"At Holden we have always prided ourselves on our ability to look into the future through our concept cars," Simcoe said. "It's amazing to think that the features we take for granted today were born out of creative minds over 40 years ago."

As its code name suggests, the RD 001 was the first product of the GMH Research and Development organization, staffed by a small squad of engineers working in conjunction with the Advance Styling Group at the Fishermans Bend Technical Center in the 1960s.

The team that designed and built the original Hurricane employed some advanced technologies and techniques when it came to the powertrain. Powered by an experimental 4.2-liter (253-cubic-inch) V8, this engine was a precursor to the Holden V8 engine program which entered production in late 1969.

The Hurricane's V8 engine featured many advanced design components such as the four-barrel carburettor - a feature which wouldn't be seen on a production 253ci Holden V8 until the late 1970s. The end result was approximately 262hp (193kW), a towering power output in 1969 and one that ensured the Hurricane had the go to match its show.

Perhaps the most innovative features were the "Pathfinder" route guidance system and the rear-view camera.

The "Pathfinder", essentially a pre-GPS navigation system, relied on a system of magnets embedded at intersections along the road network to guide the driver along the desired route. A dash-mounted panel informed the driver of which turn to take by illuminating different arrows, as well as sounding a warning buzzer.

The rear view camera was also a ground-breaking innovation. Engineers using a closed-circuit television system with a camera mounted in the rear bumper feeding a small black-and-white TV mounted in the center console.

Former Holden Chief Studio Engineer Rick Martin led the modern-day Hurricane team in researching the vehicle's components, systems and history.

"There are some genuinely remarkable ideas and technology in the Hurricane," Martin said. "From the automatic air-conditioning and magnet-based guidance system, to the inertia-reel seat belts and metallic paint, this was a car that was genuinely ahead of its time.

"The hand-picked team of engineers and designers who built the original Hurricane worked in strict secrecy and began Holden's now proud tradition of ground-breaking concept cars."

RD 001 stands just 990mm high and has no conventional doors. A hydraulically powered canopy opens upwards and forward over the front wheels, combined with twin "astronaut type" power-elevating seats which rise up and pivot forward, along with the steering column for ease of access. Occupants are then lowered to a semi-reclining position before the roof closes over them.

The wind tunnel-tested fiberglass body consists of three segments; the canopy, the engine hood and body shell and was finished in an experimental aluminium flake-based metallic orange paint.

Safety innovations included a foam-lined fuel tank, integrated roll-over bar, digital instrument readouts, ignition safety locks, interior padding and a fire warning system.

The project to restore RD 001 began in 2006 and has been a genuine labor of love for some very dedicated Holden designers and engineers volunteering thousands of hours of their time..

Paul Clarke, Holden's manager for Creative Hard Modelling, has been largely responsible for managing the restoration. He ensured as many of the original parts as possible have been used or remade using modern techniques to 1969 specification.

"The entire team has done a fantastic job in bringing this beautiful concept back to life," Clarke said. "The Hurricane plays a crucial role in Holden's story and the company has such a great sense of history and heritage that it was very important to bring RD 001 back to life. It's been a challenging but incredibly rewarding process."

Since the debut of the Hurricane in 1969, Holden has built a global reputation for envisioning and executing world-class concept vehicles. Holden is recognized globally within General Motors as a center of excellence for concept vehicle and show car development and is one of only three GM design studios capable of designing and building concept cars.

Design executive Simcoe added that the Hurricane holds a special place in Holden's history as it kick-started Holden's long love affair with concepts that has since seen the likes of the iconic GTR-X, Torana TT36, Coupe 60, the GMC Denali XT (requested specifically by GM for the North American market) and the award-winning EFIJY.

The Holden Hurricane will be on display to the public at the Motorclassica, car show at the Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building from October 21-23.

 

Hobi Ngebut Ki Joko Bodo dengan Mercedes-Benz SLK

Auto News, Dalam sibuk, Ki Joko Bodo paranormal memiliki semangat untuk mobil sport. Dalam nuansa mistik garasi, aman dari macam mobil sport. Ketika saya mengunjungi kediaman Ki Joko Bodo detikOto, terkesan bahkan elemen yang unik bahwa Borobudur ditawarkan. Ki Joko Bodo diam-diam melihat dia memiliki kendaraan mewah di garasi.

Menampilkan Jaguar hitam dan Mercedes-Benz SLK merah dalam garasi.

"Saya suka terutama kendaraan yang Mercedes Benz SLK, selain mobil kecil juga memiliki mesin yang baik. Penambahan, saya punya Ferrari diparkir di tetapi tidak dari rumah dan Hummer," kata Ki Joko Bodo.

KI Joko Bodo mengaku sangat menyukai program dengan koleksi mobil sport, tentu tidak ada takut.

"Ya, saya suka kecepatan, jadi saya sering mencari di jalan sering ngebut. Kadang-kadang saya suka dan kepancing dipanasin juga," katanya sambil

2013 Ferrari 620GT first photo leaks ahead of Geneva Motor Show

 

One of the big surprises from the upcoming Geneva Motor Show became a little less surprising today when a GTSpirit reader sent in this shot of the new 2013 Ferrari 620GT, which with an expected 740 hp from its 12-cylinder engine would be the most powerful Ferrari ever built for road use. Sleek, sinister or subpar?

Along with the photos come new and specific rumors of the grand tourer's performance -- namely, a 0-to-60 mph time of three seconds dead, thanks to the 740 hp engine mated to a seven-speed transmission pushing the rear wheels (no Ferrari FF four-wheel-drive here). It's always iffy to judge vehicle styling based on a grainy, underlit photo; a few online critics are already picking nits for some Aston Martin-esque details, but we'll reserve judgment until Ferrari gets on stage in Geneva.

50 Supercars Full Speed Accelerating!! LOUD SOUNDS

Here is an amazing video of +/- 50 super cars accelerating!

Marussia B1 - a russian supercar in Monaco

⇩⇩⇩⇩⇩⇩ All the info on this video can be found here ⇩⇩⇩⇩⇩⇩

Marussia is a hybrid russian-made supercar with a V6 engine developping about 420 horse power doing 0 to 100 km/h in 3,8 seconds. They opened a dealership in Monaco last year I think, which explains why they were showing this red and white model here (Monaco colors).
The Marussia is not the fastest thing in the planet, but I like the looks of it, especially when you know they're building them one by one!
From Russia and Monaco, with love! ;) The Marussia B2 is much much much better, trust me :)

Filmed with a Sony HDR CX700
Enjoy!

Porsche Carrera GT Burnout

Super car driver idiots [NO pics, only videos]

Toyota Tundra Laying body on 24"s

ARCO - 3D Concept Car

► BMW 328 Hommage unveiled

BMW GINA 2010 final

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Premiere

Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 vs Audi RS6 Evotech

BMW M5 vs Nissan GT-R

Amazing Future Truck

biggest truck in the world

Australia Day Cruise 2012 (M3 Burnout, Lineup)

Tron - light Bike

BatMobile - Dark Knight

Batmobile

Exposing Dangers in Automobiles

All of the political powers that be are focused on the chemicals that the vehicles of today put out into the environment. However, no one has made that much of a fuss over the dangers that are inherent in every vehicle that is manufactured today. This may be because people simply do not know about it in great enough numbers, but the scientific evidence is most definitely there.

Experiments in the United States and in Europe have all come to the same conclusion – the real dangers of vehicles are some parts and inside of the cars, not in what comes out of them. If you have become privy to the following situations, then you must take great precautions to try to remedy them before you drive again.

Many in older vehicles, asbestos was used and still around in car manufacturers. It was used in different automobile parts like brake pads, gaskets, drums, clutches, hood liners, etc. Asbestos exposure can lead to an aggressive disease called mesothelioma.

The chemicals that car manufacturers put inside of the plastics that comprise your armrests, door handles, dashboard, seat covers, and sometimes even your gear shifts, are filled with the same chemicals that plastic manufacturers put in their products in order to affect their textures and hardness and flexibility. The difference is that those plastic products cannot be ingested into the body. However, that dust on your dashboard and on the underside of your windshield can cause these chemicals to be ingested into your body and can cause a great deal of short-term pain as well as long-term, completely incurable health situations.

These health problems from the over exposure to these chemicals that are used in dangerous plastics include asthma, gastrointestinal problems, liver problems, and many others. All of these different conditions have no known cure, which means that you can reduce your quality of life immensely if you do not keep the inside of your car clean at all times.

Also, another phenomenon that many people are not aware of – that new car smell is really a conglomeration of chemicals that is very dangerous to your health. One of the chemicals that is in that 'new car smell' is Benzene. So if you're going to buy a new car, make completely sure that you roll with the windows down until that new car smell leaves the car.

On top of that, every time you pop the hood of your car or go under your car in order to do some sort of maintenance, you should most definitely have a gas mask. These same chemicals that are inside a car on the plastics and in the dust can also show up under the hood and under the car.