1993 Infiniti J30, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Massive Airbag Recall Affects Seven Automakers

The recall of faulty airbag inflators supplied by Takata has exploded today to grow to seven automakers. In most cases, only models in certain high-humidity regions were affected because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found in its investigation that moisture played a role in determining whether there would be a problem. However, some companies opted for national campaigns. The exact number of affected models for these campaigns isn't yet known at this time. BMW is recalling an undisclosed number of 325i, 325Xi, 330i and 330Xi models from the 2001 through 2005 model years and the 2001-2006 model year versions of the 325Ci and 330Ci for the driver side and passenger side inflators. Only vehicles currently registered in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands are covered under this recall. Neither Chrysler's filing with NHTSA nor its press release list the specific models affected, but a company spokesperson told Autoblog that at this time it only covers the driver and passenger side inflators for the 2006 Dodge Charger in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands In most cases, only models in certain high-humidity regions were affected because the NHTSA found that moisture played a roll in determining if there would be a problem. Ford is recalling an estimated 58,669 cars that include the 2005-2006 model years of the Ford GT for the driver and passenger inflators, the 2007-2007 model years of the Mustang for the driver side and 2004 Ranger for the passenger side. It covers vehicles originally sold or currently registered in, wait for it... Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands. Honda is issuing three separate recalls regarding the problem. First, the company is recalling the 2002-2003 model years Civic, CR-V and Odyssey and the 2003 model year of the Accord, Element, Pilot and Acura MDX to replace the passenger's side inflator. This covers all models nationwide. Second, Honda is repairing the passenger's side airbag inflator in the 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Element, Pilot, the 2003-2004 model year versions of the Odyssey, the 2003-2005 model year Acura MDX and 2005 Acura RL. However, only for vehicles located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Owners will be notified in July. Finally, Honda is separately replacing some models' driver's side inflators.

Red Bull keeps 2015 RB11 F1 challenger under wraps [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this post suggested that Daniil Kvyat drove for Red Bull last year, when he actually drove for its affiliate team Toro Rosso. The text below has been updated with the correct information. This season will be one of new beginnings for Red Bull Racing. It's the first time in three years that it's not returning to the Formula One grid as defending champions, and without a world champion at the helm. But return it will to fight to regain its title, and this is the car with which it intends to do so. Revealed ahead of the season's first test session in Jerez this weekend, the new RB11 is wearing a bold camouflage "testing livery" of the type we're more accustomed to seeing on road-going prototype than on a racing car. Expect it to be replaced by the familiar blue, red and yellow by the time the season kicks off in Melbourne next month. Though the camouflage may keep certain aero developments disguised (if not altogether hidden) from the prying eyes of its rivals, the sloping nose mandated by the new regulations is plain to see. Otherwise the new RB11 is likely more of an evolution rather than a revolutionary clean-sheet redesign over the RB10 that returning hot-shoe Daniel Ricciardo drove last year, to be joined this season by Daniil Kvyat, who's been promoted from Toro Rosso to replace departing four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. Whether they can succeed, however, will largely depend on the engine. Red Bull has emerged as the primary partner for engine supplier Renault (sister company to the team's title sponsor Infiniti). In fact, after Lotus switched to Mercedes (and assuming Caterham doesn't make it back to the grid), Red Bull and its sister team Toro Rosso will be the only teams running Renault engines this season. The team says it has worked closer than ever with the French automaker to develop the Renault power unit, but chances are slim that they'll be able to catch up to Mercedes given the restrictions on engine development. If anyone can catch the Silver Arrows, though, it'll surely be Red Bull – the only other team to win a grand prix last season. THE RB11 REVEALED After an intensely busy off-season, Infiniti Red Bull's Racing's 2015 Formula One car, the RB11, has hit the track and begun testing at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain ahead of the new season.

Infiniti's new VC-T changes the rules of small turbocharged engines

The upcoming Infiniti QX50 crossover does not get our pulse racing, no matter how shapely the QX Sport Inspiration concept that previews it may be. No midsize SUV does, to be fair. But it has something special under the hood – the world's first production variable-compression-ratio engine. That means the QX50's 2.0-liter turbo four, which makes 268 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque, will have up to 27 percent better fuel economy. Here's how it works. The trend of moving to smaller, turbocharged engines carries with it one big falsehood. Under low load when the turbo isn't needed, these engines are less efficient than an equivalent engine without a turbo because of the low compression ratio the turbo requires. That is, if you never need the extra power, you're wasting fuel. Turbocharged (and supercharged) engines use a lower compression ratio to prevent detonation. When you force extra air in a cylinder and mix it with fuel, it's more likely to prematurely go boom. Lowering the compression ratio prevents this problem, but it's less efficient. Infiniti's VC-T promises the best of both worlds, with a compression ratio that ranges from 8.0:1 for high-power turbo needs to a 14.0:1 ratio for fuel-sipping efficiency. At its heart the VC-T engine is a simple idea, but it's complicated to explain. Consider yourself warned. The photo below from Infiniti serves as a good visual overview. For the truly nerdy, this patent application covers the mechanical concept. Instead of having the pistons connected to the crankshaft, Infiniti's engine has a pivot arm with a connection on each end. One end connects to the piston, the other connects to a second lower shaft, which is controlled by an actuator arm. At any given time the engine's pistons move up and down according to the lobes on the crankshaft. But the actuator arm can change the angle of the pivot arm up and down. That is, the pistons still move in the same motion with the same stroke, but phase the entire stroke up or down. Move the pivot up and there's less room at the top, which means a higher compression ratio. Move the pivot down and the compression ratio goes down, too. As an added bonus, the lower shaft eliminates the need for counter-rotating balance shafts. Infiniti says this system works constantly and can vary the compression ratio to any number between 8:1 and 14:1. It also uses electronic variable valve timing on the intake valves to switch into Atkinson-cycle combustion for greater efficiency.