E3 Spark Plugs News

The Lamborghini Egoista concept, debuted at the company’s private 50th birthday celebration in Italy, is creating quite a stir.

In what’s being touted as an epic midlife crisis, iconic automaker Lamborghini unveiled a one-off design that beats any superhero ride you ever sketched in bout of boredom during your high school civics class. Officials debuted the aptly named “Egoista” (which translates to “selfish”) at its 50th birthday celebration in Italy – and immediately revved up a global controversy.

Drawing love-it-or-hate-it coverage, the Egoista was designed by the famed Walter De Silva and inspired by the look of Apache helicopters. It’s powered by a 600-hp V-10 and seats just one passionate and unapologetic driver.

Says DeSilva: “I wanted to pay homage to and think up a vehicle to underline the fact that Lamborghinis have always been made with passion, and with the heart more than the head… This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum. It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world. It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word – egoista, or selfish.”

That whole heart vs. head thing is evident in the Egoista, many say. Reviews point out the stealth fighter jet-like cockpit, fitted LED warning lights rather than headlights, and a front end that one reviewer said “looks as if it could julienne a pedestrian.”

The orange-tinted cockpit canopy slides forward and requires the driver to remove the steering wheel, open the dome with an electronic command stand up in their seat, sit down on a precise point of the left-hand bodywork, then swivel their legs 180 degrees to exit the vehicle – Top Gun style.

“Whoever drives this assault on the pupils must be dominated by ego,” one auto journalist wrote. But we here at E3 Spark Plugs think perhaps one (many) doth protest too much. Admit it – aren’t you just a little bit envious that you’ll likely NEVER drive the Egoista? After all, Lamborghini officials are adamant that they’ll never build or sell the Egoista. So there! Egoista, indeed.

What do you think of the Egoista? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.

• Lamborghini Egoista

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• Lamborghini Egoista

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• Lamborghini Egoista

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• Lamborghini Egoista

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• Lamborghini Egoista

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• Lamborghini Egoista

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Team E3 Racing winner Bobby Brown owns the Wild Gator Racing team and plans to build a off-road motorsport park and race track in Northeast Florida.

It all started with a 1969 4X4 El Camino he began building in 1980 at age 16. A family, a few moves and multiple custom-built trucks later, Bobby Brown is a regular on the mud truck competition circuit’s winner’s podium. He’s also the latest Team E3 Racing winner.

Brown began competing in mud racing in the 1980s while also working as a shrimper and scallop fisherman in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and later as a mechanic at a Texaco service station in his hometown Fernandina Beach. In 1998, he won his first competition at the Monster Jam in Jacksonville, repeating in 2001. He continued racing the Monster Jam, plus other events in the United States Hot Rod Association National Pro Stadium Points Series and Family Events’ 4-Wheel Jamboree Mickey Thompson Tough Truck Series, racking up 22 first-place wins with Chevy trucks alone over the course of his career.

Among the most memorable career moments was racing the TNN Monster Jam in March of 2001, just weeks after the death of NASCAR great Dale Earnhart.

“It was the third month, third week, third day and the number I drew for my truck was number eight,” Brown says. “I raced my Chevy S10 to semi-finals and was barely edged out of the finals. But as luck would have it my opponent’s truck would not crank for the finals. I came back as the fast loser and won the race.”

Other accomplishments include creating a GM / Chevy Colorado 4X4 and Silverado 4X4 pro stadium concept vehicles for the 2005 and 2008 SEMA Shows.

This season, Brown and his Wild Gator Racing team are gunning for the 2013 4-Wheel Jamboree Mickey Thompson Tough Truck Championship. Brown aims to complete his next competition ride – an S10 MEGA truck, and begin developing other Chevy concepts for future SEMA shows. Apparently, racing runs in the family. Brown also plans to help his son into a V8 Pro Lite to race in The Off-Road Championship series. And he’s developing plans for an off-road motorsport park and race track in Northeast Florida.

Brown has big plans and we here at E3 Spark Plugs are proud to support his efforts. Welcome to the team, Bobby!

Are you attending the New York Auto Show? Show us your pics.

E3 Spark Plugs is stoked about the start of the New York Auto Show next week. Billed as “Ten Days of Triumph,” this year’s show revs up Friday, March 29 and runs through Sunday, April 7. Here are a few of the features we’re most looking forward to:

• Debut of the new 542-HP Jaguar XJR: The highest performance Jaguar ever is expected to demand a $130,000 price tag. Other NY Auto Show debuts this year include the 2013 Chevy Camaro, Corvette Stingray and Rolls-Royce Wraith.
• Gartel Art Cars exhibit: Including the Mercedes Art Car hand-painted by Lawrence Gartel, considered the “father of digital art.”
• EV Pavilion: An indoor ride-along track where fans can take a spin in a few of the newest electric vehicles hitting the market.
• Camp Jeep Outdoor Off Roading Ride Along: An outdoor track for Jeep enthusiasts.
• Dub Show Tour: The ultimate in custom cars, along with concerts and celebrity appearances.

Are you headed to the Big Apple for the show? Be sure to post your thoughts and pics on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.

The Concours D’Elegance and Festivals of Speed take place this weekend at Amelia Island.

Hey speed enthusiasts – Got plans for the weekend? If you’re in the area, E3 Spark Plugs recommends you take a joy ride to Amelia Island, Florida for the Festivals of Speed and Concours D’Elegance.

The Festivals of Speed revs up with a Luxury Lifestyle Cocktail Reception at the tony Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort on Friday evening. Smooth jazz, premium handcrafted cocktails, luxury product displays and some casual conversation with fellow car buffs.

But the real draw begins on Saturday with the Festival of Speed’s display of dozens of the world’s most exotic cars, motorcycles and watercraft on the resort’s 9th fairway. This year’s event celebrates 50 years of Lamborghini and a full century of Aston Martin. Special displays will feature some of the most beautiful Aston Martins and hottest Lamborghinis around. And it all benefits the Spina Bifida Organization of Jacksonville.

Throughout the weekend, the Concors D’Elegance goes on at the uber-ritzy Ritz Carlton and the Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach. The area’s most exclusive auto show this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Porche 911 and the Ford GT40, as well as the cars of Harry Miller, the designer and builder called “the greatest creative figure in the history of the American racing car.”

Miller was most active in the 1920s and 1930s and his cars were much more than beautiful works of automotive art. They were powerful, too. Miller-built cars won the Indianapolis 500 nine times and others using his engines won three more. In fact, Millers accounted for 83 percent of the Indy 500 fields between 1923 and 1928.

On display this weekend are two Miller-built race cars, Edsel’s Ford, a prototype of the first Cadillac to bear the Coupe de Ville not displayed in public in 64 years, and the only original Lamborghini Miura Roadster ever built. Some new rides will be displayed as well, including the 2014 Corvette Sting Ray.

The 2013 event’s honoree is Sam Posey, a retired American racecar driver and sports broadcast journalist.

Will you attend the Festivals of Speed or the Concours D’Elegance Amelia Island? Post your pics and thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.

BBC’s “Top Gear” host Jeremy Clarkson recently unveiled the Peel P45, touted as the world’s smallest car. Would you drive it?

Once upon a time, a single computer took up the space of a huge room. Now, we can hold them in our hands. The first cell phones were a bit like holding shoe boxes to our gourds, but today’s fit in our pockets.  And those unwieldy 8-track cassette players have given way to tiny MP3 players. That’s the way it goes with so many of the products that we use every day. So why wouldn’t the automobile also experience a devolution of sorts?

Enter Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson and his P45. Touted as the world’s smallest car (actually, the Peel P50 lays claim to being the world’s smallest street-legal production car, but we digress), the P45 sports a look described as resembling “a gas-powered Hoveround topped by lights, mirrors and a modern version of the armor worn by the Knights Who Say Ni.” And it just might take a Monty Python fan to truly love this… vehicle.

No need to actually exit the P45 to carry on daily activities, like checking out a library book.

Clarkson took the P45, with its 2-stroke engine and 1.7-litre (0.449092-gallon) gas tank, out for a spin through the London streets on a recent episode of Top Gear. His experience offers a few tips for future drivers. Skip gas stations with minimum purchase requirements. And drive with your face already on the windshield, so as to lessen the shock should you – Heaven forbid – hit a pothole. But it does make for easier passing of cars ahead in a traffic jam – Never mind the jam you’re causing behind you. And you don’t have to get out of the P45 to pump gas. Or shop the mall. Or check out a library book.

To us here at E3 Spark Plugs, the Transformer toy-esque P45 would be far cooler if it morphed into something actually useful. Like a giant IPod recharging station or portable cappuccino dispenser. But to each, his own.

Would you drive the P45? How small do you think a car can be and still catch on with the masses? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.

Zombie lovers, movie goers and “fixie” riders all have surprises waiting for them at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.

The 2013 Chicago Auto Show is underway. And the sights are amazing! Founded in 1901, it’s the nation’s largest auto show with more than 1 million square feet of interactive exhibits. But here at E3 Spark Plugs, we’re most taken by some of the coolest concept cars we’ve seen in a while.

The newest on the show floor is the Turbo Camaro Coupe, based on a character in DreamWorks’ new high-velocity 3D animated comedy, Turbo. In theatres July 19, the film centers on a speed-obsessed snail bent on winning the Indy 500. Of course, it’s a Chevy Camaro that helps him chase his dream. The real-world version of the cartoon car equipped with a supercharged 700+ horsepower V-8 topped off by a serious intake assembly for supercharger housing. Body modifications include rockers and fender flares in a wide body design configuration, a front splitter, rear diffuser and a GT concept rear wing spoiler. The body is painted black with a vinyl chrome wrap, dark tinted to look like black chrome and the front headlights sport a multicolor halo effect.

The Hyundai Veloster C3 Roll Top concept is influenced by the colorful minimalist single speed bikes seen zipping through traffic at breakneck speed every day. These fixed-gear bikes, called “fixies” by those in the culture, are half built by the manufacturer and half by the customer. So, the Hyundai Design North America team worked a few of those free spirited elements into this three-door convertible. Most notable is the dual-function power-retractable canvas roof. Roll it forward, open the tailgate, fold down the rear seats and you’ve got a recreational platform perfect for biking, photography or camping. The high gloss white painted exterior boldly contrasts with the flat back spoiler and front wheels, teal rear wheels and red mirror housings. Inspired by the proverb, “A rolling stone gathers no moss,” the Veloster C# sports a 1.6 liter GDI four-cylinder engine with twin scroll turbocharger and 201 horsepower.

Though it debuted six months ago at the 2012 Comic-Con, we’re still in awe of Hyundai’s Elantra-based Zombie Survival Machine. Designed by Robert Kirkman, creator of TV’s The Walking Dead series, it features a spike-laded cow catcher plow up front, spiked tires, armored window coverings, a CB radio system, front and rear floodlights, a roof hatch to allow passengers to fend off attacking walkers and a trunk full of electric and pneumatic weaponry. Hyundai and Kirkman partnered up to celebrate the 100th issue of The Walking Dead comic and Design Craft handled fabrication.

Are you attending the Chicago Auto Show? Post pics of your favorite sights on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.

• Turbo Camaro Coupe

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  Based on a character in DreamWorks' new high-velocity 3D animated comedy, "Turbo," in theaters July 19.

  

• Hyundai Veloster C3 Roll Top

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  Influenced by the colorful minimalist single speed "fixie" bikes seen zipping through traffic at breakneck speed every day.

  

• Hyundai's Elantra-based Zombie Survival Machine

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  Designed by Robert Kirkman, creator of TV's "The Walking Dead" series in celebration of the 100th issue of "The Walking Dead" comic.

  

The original Batmobile, used in the 1960s “Batman” TV show, sold at auction for $4.2 million.

Were you the lucky bidder? E3 Spark Plugs has just learned that the original Batmobile has a new owner. Other than the bandied-about phrase “some rich guy from Phoenix,” there’s no official word on just who dropped the $4.2 million final purchase price last weekend at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 19-foot-long black, bubble-topped car was used in the 1960s Batman TV show and boasted all sorts of futuristic features including lasers, a batphone, the official Bat Ray projector and the ability to lay down smoke screens and oil slicks. The car’s base is a 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept that seller George Barris bought from Ford for a grand total of one dollar. Holy ROI!

Barris kept the car in his garage for a few years, until late 1965 when he got a frantic call from 20th Century Fox Television and William Dozier’s Greenway Productions. They needed a super hero-worthy ride for the new show and they needed it in 15 days. With short notice and a $15,000 budget, Barris created what has become arguably the most iconic of all Hollywood rides.

The Batmobile sale was undoubtedly the most anticipated deal of the auction, which featured Barrett-Jackson’s much-touted 5,000 series and famed Salon Collection of 50 unique and rare automobiles, and no doubt helped to attract the record attendance.  But it wasn’t the only crowd pleaser at the January 19 affair in Scottsdale. Two new world records were set with the sales of a 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport for $2,035,000, making it the world’s most expensive T-26; and a 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Convertible for $1,375,000, a record for a Chrysler Concept car.

Did you attend the auction? Post your pics and thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page. And check out these vintage images of the Batmobile undergoing its super hero transformation.

• Original Batmobile Created for 1960s "Batman" TV Series

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• 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport

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• 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Convertible

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Self-driving automobiles like CARS’ “Shelley” could hit America’s streets within five years, industry insiders say.

While they’re years away from commercial availability, and perhaps decades away from mainstream acceptance, self-driving cars are now street-legal in Florida, Nevada and California. And car manufacturers such as Lexus, Mercedes Benz, and Volvo are introducing self-driving features such as self-parking, radar enabled adaptive cruise control, and automatic collision avoidance on new models. Industry insiders say fully autonomous vehicles may be commercially available in as little as five years.

The thought of sharing the road with dozens of driverless vehicles is enough to completely unnerve some. But others are looking forward to making like New York subway riders, checking their email messages, reading their gossip magazines or taking a nap while leaving the driving to someone, or something, else. But while self-driving cars can get from point A to point B and may even have the ability to negotiate traffic and follow traffic rules on city streets, can they impress on the racetrack?

Sacramento, California’s three-mile Thunderhill Raceway loop recently was the scene of a pretty remarkable experiment. The Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS)’ autonomous vehicle, a robotic Audi TTS dubbed “Shelley” took a few fast laps around the track to help prove whether it could beat, or at least compete with, a pro racecar driver.

Before you place your bets on which would win a race, consider this: When a professional racer visits a racetrack for the first time, his mind and muscles are at work, first figuring out the quickest route around the track mathematically, then negotiating it with some seriously adept muscle memory that allows him to handle sudden changes in friction on the road without a second thought. Right on cue, CARS developers used that kind of bio-research to program Shelley with algorithms that replicate human thought, movement and intuitive reaction.

The results? When the track dust settled, researchers concluded that in a race, a human driver would win – but only by mere seconds.

“What the human drivers do is consistently feel out the limits of the car and push it just a little bit farther,” said CARS Program Director Chris Gerdes at The Atlantic’s recent Big Science Summit in San Jose, California. “When you look at what the car is capable of and what humans achieve, that gap is really actually small.”

So what do you think? Is that gap small enough to make you comfortable sharing the road with driverless cars? And would you welcome the freedom of a self-driving car that allows you to eat breakfast, check your Facebook messages and read your copy of 50 Shades of Gray / AutoWeek, or is the feel of gripping the steering wheel and pressing pedal to medal just too good to give up? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Holy celebrity car auctions, Batman – The original Batmobile is up for grabs!

Pow! Bam! Zoom! If you’re a longtime car enthusiast and comic fan, a piece of your childhood is headed for the auction block. E3 Spark Plugswants to know if you’ll be among the high-dollar bidders for the original Batmobile, up for grabs at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 19.

This ain’t no replica wannabe. It’s the real deal – the one and only original constructed by celebrity customizer George Barris for the live action TV series, Batman, which began airing in 1966. The car also appeared in the movie adaptation starring Adam West and Burt Ward – the original Dynamic Duo.

The Batmobile might just prove the biggest ROI ever for a car collector. The base is actually a 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept that Barris bought from Ford for a grand total of one dollar. Originally sporting a pearlescent frost blue and white paint finish, the car was hand-built in 1954 by the famed Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy and debuted at the 1955 Chicago Auto Show. In 1959, sporting a new bright red paint job, it made its film debut, appearing in the Debbie Reynolds/Glenn Ford romantic comedy, It Started with a Kiss.

The car then spent a few years in Barris’ garage. That is, until late 1965 when 20th Century Fox Television and William Dozier’s Greenway Productions asked Barris to build a superhero-worthy ride for the new show, giving him $15,000 and a 15-day deadline. The sleek Futura Concept, with its unique double-bubble roof and Ghia-styled bodywork, proved an ideal starting point. All it needed was a new paint job and a few gadgets.

The Batmobile comes complete with a 390-in 1956 Lincoln V-8 engine and a B&M Hydro Automatic transmission, plus a host of crime-fighting gadgetry. After all, every caped crusader needs a nose-mounted aluminum cable cutter blade, police band cut-in switch, automatic tire inflation device and anti-fire an antenna activators. But you’ll also get the official Bat Ray Projector, Detect-a-scope, Batscope, Bat Eye Switch, Remote Batcomputer, Batphone, Emergency Bat Turn Lever, Bat Smoke, Bat Photoscope, and many other Bat gadgets. And if you ever need to change course on the fly, the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° “bat-turn” thanks to two rear-mounted ten-foot Deist parachutes.

“There are only a few things in life that are able to capture the soul of an era and the Batmobile by George Barris did exactly that,” says Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis of the iconic crime-fighting vehicle. “There are the real fans that will strongly advocate, till this day, that coming home to watch the Batmobile soar out of the Batcave defines a lot of their first childhood memories. Whether you’re a car collector, entertainment enthusiast, or an average Joe looking to buy his dream car, you’re going to want to witness history being made in January with the sale of this car.”

What’s your favorite memory of the original Batmobile? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. And visit our blog in January when the lucky bidder is revealed. Until then, check out this clip from the Barris-narrated documentary feature, “Batmobile Revealed”…

New Jaguar F-Type makes its US debut at the LA Auto Show.

One of the biggest stories coming out of the Los Angeles Auto Show this week is the U.S. debut of the Jaguar F-Type two-seater sports coupe and convertible. This supercharged head-turner was unveiled in Paris, but seen for the first time Stateside in LA this week. But we got a surprise that those blokes across the pond didn’t – a first look at the sub-XK performance machine’s new “Black” design pack.

This styling package’s bold signature is a gloss black finish on the grill surround and side vents, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, gloss black interior touches, and instrument panel rings. It’s available with the F-Type’s Ultimate Black, Polaris White, Italian Racing Red, Rhodium Silver, Grey and Firesand body colors on the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 model and 5.0-liter supercharged V8 version.

“Good automotive design should be about creating excitement,” says Jaguar design chief Ian Callum.

Well, then, consider the Jaguar F-Type a job well done, Mr. Callum.

Love the new Jaguar? Or are you eyeing another LA Auto Show debut? Let us know your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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• Jaguar F-Type | LA Auto Show

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