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Women Who Find Ferrari Drivers Sexy Contribute to Global Warming?
Chuck Squatriglia, Wired
We doubt this came up last week at the United Nation’s conference on global warming in Bali, but Britain’s top government scientist says the best thing women can do to ease global warming is “stop admiring young men in Ferraris.”
Yes, you read that right. Sir David King, a chemist at the University of Cambridge, says the world would be a greener place if only women didn’t find men in exotic cars so sexy. Taken at face value, it seems outlandish – and some would argue chauvinistic – but King raises a valid point, even if it is obscured by the “sports cars and the women who love men who drive them are bad” tenor of his argument.
(17 December 2007)
GM trots out ‘Vette with 620 horses
Peter Valdes-Dapenam CNNMoney
The Corvette ZR1 will be powered by a supercharged V8 producing at least 220 horsepower more than the standard version.
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The Chevrolet Corvette has long been known as a superb performance value, offering speed and handling that would cost you twice as much in a European sports car.
With the ZR1, which will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, General Motors is taking the Corvette into supercar territory with a supercharged V8 that, GM says, will produce at least 620 horsepower.
(20 December 2007)
The article set off a discussion at TOD’s Dec 20 DrumBeat. See next item.
GM: Emission law may hamper muscle cars
Associated Press
Detroit performance cars endangered by new, stricter regulations
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DETROIT – When General Motors Corp. pulls the cover off a new supercharged version of the Corvette at the Detroit auto show next month, it will unveil a performance car designed to rival or better even the fastest, most expensive exotic cars from Europe.
But the Corvette’s chief engineer says the 2009 Corvette ZR1 may be the last in a long tradition of Detroit performance cars, endangered by stronger federal fuel economy regulations and limits on carbon dioxide emissions.
“High-performance vehicles such as this may actually be legislated out of existence,” Tadge Juechter said at a recent showing of the ZR1, which is designed to have around 620 horsepower.
(20 December 2007)
Found by Leanan (The Oil Drum).
Europe Proposes Binding Limits on Auto Emissions
James Kanter, New York Times
PARIS – European Union officials told leading automakers on Wednesday to make deep cuts in tailpipe emissions of the cars they produce or face fines that could reach billions of euros.
Companies including Volkswagen and Renault immediately promised a fight to weaken the proposed legislation, saying that compliance would be difficult and that it would hurt their competitiveness around the world.
But European officials insisted that the legislation was necessary if the region was to continue leading global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
(20 December 2007)
