62 Chrysler Imperial Crown on 2040-cars

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Ferrari, Fiat, McLaren, Nissan join coronavirus ventilator efforts

Siare Engineering, Italy's largest manufacturer of hospital ventilators, has turned to Italian automakers Ferrari and Fiat to investigate the possibility that the automakers might help produce more of the live-saving machines that are urgently needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Italian government has asked Siare to increase ventilator production from 160 per month to 500 as the country's death toll has surpassed 3,400 and is climbing rapidly.  "We're talking to Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari and Marelli to try to understand if they can lend us a hand in this process for the electronics part," Gianluca Preziosa, Siare's chief executive said in an interview quoted by Reuters, adding that the car companies' expertise in electronics and pneumatics could make them ideal partners. Preziosa said that another advantage of partnering with carmakers was their purchasing power, making them more likely to obtain parts that his small firm was struggling to secure amid coronavirus-related disruption to global supply chains. A spokesman for Exor, parent of both FCA and Ferrari, said that meetings with Siare had taken place on Thursday to study the feasibility of the idea and that a decision was expected in the coming hours. Two main options were being considered: either to help Siare engineer a capacity increase at its plant, with the support of technicians provided by FCA and Ferrari, or outsource production of ventilator parts to the carmakers' facilities. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ferrari would be ready to start manufacturing ventilator parts in its famous Maranello headquarters, which lies close to the Siare factory, but that the luxury carmaker had yet to make a final decision. Automakers worldwide are being drafted for ventilator duty. In addition to Ford and GM making plans with the U.S. government; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaching out to Ford, Honda and Rolls-Royce; and an Elon Musk tweeted offer to build ventilators "if there is a shortage," other automakers and aerospace companies are joining in. In Europe, three groups have formed. Meggitt, which builds components including oxygen systems for civil aerospace and military fighter programs, is leading one consortium alongside engineers GKN, Thales and Renishaw. The other two teams are being led by carmakers McLaren, which is looking at how to design a simple version of a ventilator, and Nissan, which is working with others to support existing ventilator producers.

Junkyard Gem: 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT

Many claim to hate the Chrysler PT Cruiser now, though better than a million were sold in the United States during the retro-styled little truck's production run (the NHTSA classified the PT Cruiser as a truck, so that's what we'll call it). I didn't start finding many PT Cruisers in junkyards until about 10 years ago, at which point the Chrysler section in just about every big self-service yard became choked with row upon row of them. While most of these cars trucks were ordinary— if cute-looking— transportation appliances, Chrysler built some with turbocharged 2.4-liter engines and five-speed manual transmissions. Here is one of those rare machines, found in a Northern California self-service yard last month. The PT Cruiser was based on the Neon, meaning that it was no sweat to take any high-performance Neon bits and swap them onto its sibling. The PT Cruiser GT didn't quite get the same running gear as the SRT-4 Neon, but it was a genuine factory hot rod. The heart of the PT Cruiser GT was this turbocharged 2.4-liter engine, rated at 215 horsepower in the 2003-2005 version. The naturally-aspirated 2.4 that went into ordinary PT Cruisers made 150 horses in 2004. While a Getrag five-speed manual transmission was standard equipment (at least at the lower-end trim levels) for all but the final year of the Cruiser's 2001–2010 American sales run, nearly every buyer paid what it took to get the optional four-speed automatic. That didn't happen with this car truck, which has the five-speed. The GT also got better brakes, bigger wheels, a stiffer suspension, a lower ride height, and a louder exhaust. What's not to like? Will we miss the special-edition PT Cruisers when they're all gone? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Referred to as a "small-car alternative" in this TV commercial.

The problem with how automakers confront hacking threats

More than anyone, Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller are responsible for alerting Americans to the hacking perils awaiting them in their modern-day cars. In 2013, the pair of cyber-security researchers followed in the footsteps of academics at the University of Cal-San Diego and University of Washington, demonstrating it was possible to hack and control cars. Last summer, their research established which vehicles contained inherent security weaknesses. In recent weeks, their latest findings have underscored the far-reaching danger of automotive security breaches. From the comfort of his Pittsburgh home, Valasek exploited a flaw in the cellular connection of a Jeep Cherokee and commandeered control as Miller drove along a St. Louis highway. Remote access. No prior tampering with the vehicle. An industry's nightmare. As a result of their work, FCA US recalled 1.4 million cars, improving safety for millions of motorists. For now, Valasek and Miller are at the forefront of their profession. In a few months, they could be out of jobs. Rather than embrace the skills of software and security experts in confronting the unforeseen downside of connectivity in cars, automakers have been doing their best to stifle independent cyber-security research. Lost in the analysis of the Jeep Cherokee vulnerabilities is the possibility this could be the last study of its kind. In September or October, the U.S. Copyright Office will issue a key ruling that could prevent third-party researchers like Valasek and Miller from accessing the components they need to conduct experiments on vehicles. Researchers have asked for an exemption in the Digital Millennial Copyright Act that would preserve their right to analyze cars, but automakers have opposed that exemption, claiming the software that runs almost every conceivable vehicle function is proprietary. Further, their attorneys have argued the complexity of the software has evolved to a point where safety and security risks arise when third parties start monkeying with the code. Their message on cyber security is, as it has been for years, that they know their products better than anyone else and that it's dangerous for others to meddle with them. But in precise terms, the Jeep Cherokee problems show this is not the case. Valasek and Miller discovered the problem, a security hole in the Sprint cellular connection to the UConnect infotainment system, not industry insiders.