1988 Mustang Asc Mclaren - Limited Edition 971 on 2040-cars

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Conquest and controversy conclude the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona [spoilers]

If you don't wish to know who won the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona, you should avert your eyes right now. We'll even give you a double-space to skedaddle...
For those of you still with us, the first race in the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) is done, but the discussions about it certainly won't end for a while. Daytona Prototypes claimed the first four overall places, the top spot taken by the No. 5 Action Express Coyote-Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi, Sebastien Bourdain and Burt Friselle. The 16th and final caution of the race bunched the field up for an eight-minute sprint to the flag, so the first place getter finished just 1.4 seconds ahead of the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Dallara-Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Max Angelelli. Third place went to Brian Friselle in the No. 9 Action Express Chevrolet Corvette DP, 20 seconds down. Chevrolet power hasn't taken the overall win since 2003, eleven years later it scores a one-two-three-four. The No. 6 Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing ORECA-Nissan 03 scored fifth place, the top LMP2 finisher.
The Prototype Challenge class win went to the No. 54 CORE Autosport team of Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins and James Gue.

Audi confirms Q8, electric CUV in the works

Word got out in late 2012 that the Audi Q8 was reportedly approved for production, but the company has kept the model's development under wraps since then. In a recent speech during Audi's annual meeting, chairman Rupert Stadler confirmed a little more about the vehicle and dropped some hints about other upcoming projects. With luxury crossovers remaining a lucrative market, it should be no shock that Stadler emphasized them in his speech. He reiterated that the Q1 was on track to launch in 2016, and the chairman also confirmed the Q8 as "a sporty Q derivative" that's on the way. The last member of Audi's upcoming CUV onslaught, an electric Q series, is set for 2018 with a range of over 311 miles. An earlier report suggests that the Q1 might not go on sale in the US because it's not right for the market. However, Audi of America is pushing hard to get the Q8. That crossover is based on the latest Q7 (pictured above) and is a way for the Four Rings to take on the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The electric Q model was only officially announced earlier this year, and it might use 90-kWh batteries to achieve its performance and range goals. The rest of Stadler's speech focused on the company's future. This year alone, the company is launching products like the second-gen Q7, the new R8, and latest A4. In the next five years, Audi plans to grow its product range from 52 vehicles "to about 60 models," according to the chairman. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG Neckarsulm, 2015-05-22 Speech at the 126th Annual General Meeting of AUDI AG Outlook Thank you, Axel Strotbek, for your summary of financial year 2014. Ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to 2015 – the year of the next stage of our model initiative. We will present twelve new Audi models this year; the three most important of them are: the new Audi Q7, the new Audi R8 as the sporty spearhead of our brand and our top seller, the new Audi A4. You have already been able to admire the new Q7 and R8 at the entrance. Both of them make a strong statement. Both of them stand for sportiness and top premium quality. And both of them underscore our claim to leadership. We have produced more than 540,000 of the first-generation Q7. The new Audi Q7 is more than a worthy successor. It's the lightest vehicle in its segment. By means of intelligent lightweight construction, we have reduced its weight compared with the predecessor by up to 325 kilograms, depending on equipment levels.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla seeks Gigafactory architect, Uber hails carpools

Tesla is looking for an architect to help design its proposed Gigafactory battery manufacturing facility. According to the Palo Alto-based job listing, which is titled "Architect - Gigafactory," the applicant must have, among other qualifications, over five years of experience with "high-tech infrastructure and operational facilities (semiconductor, solar, battery, waste water treatment plants, etc.)." The job also includes being away from home quite a bit, as it the listing states, "This full time role requires the flexibility of traveling when needed (up to 70 percent) and doing whatever it takes to achieve project objectives." Think you've got what it takes? See the listing for yourself, here, or read more at Silicon Valley Business Journal. Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm of Juniper Networks to its board of directors. Denholm is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Operations Officer at Juniper Networks. Denholm replaces Brad Buss as chair of Tesla's Audit Committee and a member of the company's Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees. Buss will remain a member of Tesla's board as he joins SolarCity as CFO. Denholm is Tesla's first female director. Read more at Bloomberg, or in the press release below. Uber, the company behind the now famous ride-hailing app, is introducing its carpooling service, UberPool. The service matches drivers with (hopefully multiple) passengers going to similar destinations, with users paying just a fraction of the cost of a normal taxi, or even an Uber ride. If a rider can't get matched with a driver, they can enjoy a discounted Uber ride. As the company points out in its blog, "At these price points, Uber really is cost-competitive with owning a car, which is a game-changer for consumers." UberPool is currently running a private beta program, which it plans to expand on August 15. Read more in-depth about the UberPool at Forbes, or learn more at Uber's blog. For a few reasons why this new expansion might run afoul of archaic laws (put there to keep entrenched interests in play), check out Engadget. Plug-in hybrids are encouraging an evolution of transmission technology. Companies like Schaeffler and ZF Friedrichshafen are adapting their transmissions to include electric motors within them for use in plug-in hybrids. For example, the electric motor in ZF's eight-speed powers the transmission when the internal combustion engine is shut off.