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West Virginia researcher describes how Volkswagen got caught

The cheating scandal engulfing the world's largest automaker started with a road trip. In the spring of 2014, researchers from West Virginia were evaluating the tailpipe emissions of diesel cars made for the American market by European manufacturers, something never before studied in the academic realm. Excited by the prospect of breaking new ground, the team of two professors and two students wanted to gather as much data as possible. "And being academics, we went a little overboard," said Arvind Thiruvengadam, one of the students. "Being academics, we went a little overboard." Overboard included driving the cars for more miles than they needed to test and verify results. Drivers put about 1,500 miles on each of the first two cars in the study, a Volkswagen Jetta and BMW X5, along California roadways. For their final car, a Volkswagen Passat, they wanted even more mileage. So they took the car on a road trip from Los Angeles to Seattle and back again, collecting data from more than 2,000 miles of testing. The road trip was Volkswagen's undoing. When the West Virginia team returned to Los Angeles, they were befuddled by the test results. In theory, the Passat should have spewed the lowest levels of pollutants among the three cars. Equipped with the more modern selective catalytic reduction technology, the team expected to find minimal levels of nitrogen oxide. But the car, which had been certified at a California Air Resources Board facility prior to the start of the road trip, had elevated levels of NOx that were 20 times the baseline levels established beforehand. The researchers, comprised of professors Gregory Thompson and Dan Carder and students Marc Besch and Thiruvengadam, knew their on-board equipment functioned properly because, early in their research, they had double-checked its accuracy after recording sky-high NOx readings from the Jetta that showed 30 times the level of its baseline testing at the CARB facility. It was particularly noteworthy because the Jetta contained the first-generation Lean NOx Trap technology, not the more efficient SCR, yet both produced large discrepancies. The BMW, on the other hand, performed as expected. Today, Thiruvengadam is careful to say the research team never suspected Volkswagen of cheating on emissions testing, nor did the researchers report such a finding. They merely reported their findings to CARB officials who then further investigated.

Porsche 911 and Nissan 350Z get smoked by unlikely hero

So a Nissan 350Z Procharger and a current Porsche 911 GT3 drive onto the Autobahn together - stop me if you've heard this one before - and they decide to race. We're not sure how much power the Z is packing, but the stock model topped out at 306 horsepower on the last year of its run in 2009. And if that's a stock GT3 then it will be rocking something like 475 horsepower. So the Z and the GT3 give it a racing go, and just as one of them starts to pull away they're both overtaken by one of the most unlikely dark horses you could imagine. It's a really short video and we won't spoil the surprise, so check it out above. News Source: Woreth V12 via YouTube Nissan Porsche Volkswagen Coupe Hatchback Luxury Racing Vehicles Performance Videos porsche 911 gt3 autobahn

eBay Find of the Day: Unrestored Herbie Love Bug movie car

Well before Cars ever hit the screens, The Love Bug series of Disney films – starring Herbie the VW Beetle with a mind of its own – was an early introduction to cars and racing for many budding auto fans. Not the modern remake starring Lindsay Lohan mind you, but the originals from the '60s and '70s. Now, a seller in Texas claims to be offering a chance to own one of the Bugs from the films on eBay Motors. According to the auction, this Beetle didn't appear in the original film but was built for the sequel Herbie Rides Again in 1972 and also appeared in the third installment Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. This VW was prepared as the blind-drive car for the movies that attached a low-mounted chair in the back and extended controls to let Herbie look like he was driving himself. Although, some of the photos here show the Bug with regular seats fitted, too. This Herbie was reportedly found in a Florida warehouse a few years ago. It was then made operable, while trying to keep it as original as possible. The exterior underwent a slight restoration with input from former Disney special effects staff, according to the seller. The changes added new graphics and rebuilt the blind drive setup. Judging by these pictures, the rest of the interior was left mostly untouched, though. Of course, anyone interested in buying a movie car is going to want proof of its authenticity. The seller claims to have the original California title showing the buyer as Disney in 1972. The Bug also reportedly has a unique rear decklid that mixes early and later parts to help identify it in the film. As of this writing, bidding for Herbie sits at $55,100 with 82 bids and a reserve not yet met. The sale closes on Saturday, December 13.