Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

1961 Chrysler 300G - Jay Leno's Garage
Jay Leno's Garage

Published on Jul 10, 2016
Designed by the father of the "100 Million Dollar Look", Virgil Exner, the 1961 Chrysler 300G was affectionately known as "The Bankers Hotrod". Jay, along with Model G Expert Bob Jasinski, gives us an in-depth look at Chrysler's first true gentlemen's sportscar.

Elon Musk hints at Tesla's "Top Secret Masterplan, Part 2"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has used Twitter to hint at a big announcement for the Silicon Valley brand, saying he hopes to publish part two of his “Top Secret Tesla Masterplan” this week.

The tweet, which reads “Working on Top Secret Tesla Masterplan, Part 2. Hoping to publish later this week”, comes amid a dark cloud that has hovered over the brand over the last few weeks.Over past fortnight there have been inquiries into two Tesla crashes, one of which ended in a fatality. The company’s AutoPilot autonomous technology has been called into question, after the first fatal crash was found to have the system engaged at the time of the incident.

Despite recent events, the company is standing by its products, and it seems that the CEO is soldiering on with even grander plans for the Silicon Valley-based automotive firm.Since Musk’s original “Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan”, which he published in 2006, the company has gone on to achieve almost all of the objectives that he set out a decade ago.An "in short" version of the original plan, posed somewhat tongue-in-cheek although clearly genuine, read as follows:

“Build sports car Use that money to build an affordable car Use that money to build an even more affordable car While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options Don't tell anyone”

In 2006 the company debuted the Tesla Roadster - which was based on the Lotus Elise - and could sprint from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds with no fuel and no emissions.However, the Roadster was quite expensive, retailing in Australia for around $200,000 - not an unusual price for a Tesla these days, but astounding for a brand that was, at the time, a relative unknown.

Fast-forward to 2012, and Tesla would create the Model S, a full-sized all-electric luxury family car. Starting at half the price of the Roadster, but just as quick, the model S brought silent EV motoring to the masses, even with its luxury car price tag.Now in 2016, the Silicon Valley-based manufacturer recently revealed its “even more affordable car” - the Model 3.

The BMW 3 Series-sized EV builds on the Model S formula, being a practical five-seat sedan, equipped with sports car performance, while using no fuel and producing zero emissions. All this for a starting price of US$35,000 - in Australia it’s likely to be closer to $60,000.Adding to the range, the Model X SUV combines supercar-beating acceleration with emissionless transport and seven-seat practicality.

The next step in Tesla’s grand plan would be to provide a completely emissionless energy cycle, considering much of the world’s electricity is still generated from fossil fuels - negating the clean dream that is Tesla motoring.Musk is already chairman of SolarCity, a rooftop solar panel company run by his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive.

Tesla's boss has already revealed a proposal for the car maker to acquire the solar energy firm, which could see the companies create a vertically integrated energy business “offering end-to-end clean energy products”.Driving this initiative is the idea that owners would install roof-mounted solar panels on their homes, which would power their household along with their Tesla vehicle - an emissions-free energy cycle.

Tesla, however, already offers the Powerwall, a battery pack for homes which charges using solar panels and powers the household at night time to save on electricity costs.The next masterplan could be looking another ten years into the future, so we will have to wait and see until Musk publishes his next grand scheme - hopefully by the end of this week - for the world to see.


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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Working on Top Secret Tesla Masterplan, Part 2. Hoping to publish later this week.
2:49 AM - 11 Jul 2016
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Truck attacker kills dozens in Nice, driver shot dead

A "terrorist" gunman killed 80 people and wounded scores when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice, officials said.

In a pre-dawn address to the nation, President Francois Hollande called up military and police reservists to relieve forces worn out by an eight-month state of emergency begun after the Islamic State militant group killed 130 people in Paris.

The state of emergency has been extended.

"France is filled with sadness by this new tragedy," Hollande said, noting several children were among the dead in what he said he had no doubt was an act of terrorism.

He called the carnage, which came as France celebrated the anniversary of the 1789 revolutionary storming of the Bastille, an attack on liberty by fanatics who despised human rights.

France would, nonetheless, continue military operations in Syria and Iraq.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 80 people died and 18 were in a critical condition, with many more also wounded.

Counter-terrorist investigators were seeking to identify the driver, who a local government official said opened fire before police shot him dead.

The official said weapons and grenades were found inside the 25-tonne, unmarked articulated truck.

Officials said hundreds were hurt as the driver wove along the seafront, knocking them down "like skittles".

The attack, which came eight months and a day after Islamic State gunmen and suicide bombers struck the French capital on a festive Friday evening, seemed so far to be the work of a lone assailant.

Newspaper Nice-Matin quoted unidentified sources as saying the driver was a 31-year-old local of Tunisian origin.

I'm counting the days before the consistent attacks start here and then all the do gooders will start to complain when shit goes south.

Stroker Shootout! Ford vs. Mopar 408s - Engine Masters Ep. 11
Motor Trend Channel

Published on Jul 11, 2016
The 408 is one of the most popular small-block V-8 stroker combinations for Chevy, Ford, and Mopar. This time on Engine Masters presented by AMSOIL and supported by Earl’s Vapor Guard and Mr. Gasket, we take the first step to find out which engine dominates with a dyno duel between Mopar and Ford. The Dodge LA-engine-based 408 is a complete crate engine from BluePrint Engines—we just added an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, Holley carb, and MSD ignition. The Ford is a BluePrint Engines short-block, and we matched it to the Mopar with the same compression, cam, ignition, and carburetor. Edelbrock makes the only direct-replacement aluminum performance cylinder head currently available from the aftermarket for the Mopar, and that's what's on the BluePrint crate engine. To match that, we also used the Edelbrock Performer RPM cylinder heads on the Ford. Edelbrock makes several models for the Ford, and they are the same price for the 170cc and the 190cc heads, so we chose the bigger ones. And that's where opinions will run wild on this episode of Engine Masters.

Adam Savage Visits the Stanley Kubrick Exhibition!
Tested

Published on Jul 14, 2016
After making its way around the world, the incredible exhibition of Stanley Kubrick's work has arrived in San Francisco. Adam Savage tours the exhibit to show you some of his favorite items. From rare camera equipment to pre-production artwork and film props, these objects connect us to one of cinema's greatest minds.

Dave Goldberg's Star Wars Model Builds!
Tested

Published on Jul 15, 2016
We recently attended the Replica Prop Forum's annual gathering of members--a party to share their costume and prop replicas along with builds in progress. Dave Goldberg, who has been building models for films for decades, shows us his studio-scale X-Wing that has ties to the original production. We also check out his open-source Y-Wing model project!

Right, sod it, I'm going for it...
Episode 13 of Project Binky coming Friday 22nd July at 8.00pm BST!

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