Tag: youtube

  • EV startup Arrival plans dedicated car for Uber drivers

    Uber wants its drivers worldwide to make the switch to electric vehicles and has set targets of 2025 for the city of London and 2030 for Europe and North America.

    But rather than have its drivers only rely on established automakers to source their cars, Uber has partnered with British EV startup Arrival to develop a dedicated car for ride-hailing fleets.

    The car is simply known as the Arrival Car, and it’s slated for launch in the second half of 2023. Uber wants the car to be affordable and is inviting its drivers to get involved with the design process.

    A teaser shot released by Arrival on Tuesday hints at a pod-like car with seating for five. The final design for the Arrival Car will be revealed before 2021 is out.

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    This isn’t the first time an EV startup has been tapped to develop a dedicated vehicle for a business. America’s Rivian has developed an electric van specifically for Amazon deliveries.

    Arrival is particularly suited to the task as the company is focused on commercial vehicles. It’s previously unveiled a delivery van and bus. Where the company plans to stand out is through a lean production process, referred to as the microfactory. Basically, a series of robots taking up an area spanning just 4,000 square feet assembles whole vehicles using modular, pre-assembled components moved into place on autonomous sleds.

    Arrival has previously announced plans to build microfactories at locations in North and South Carolina, as well as in Bicester, United Kingdom.

    Although Arrival hasn’t delivered any vehicles yet, the company is already publicly traded on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol ARVL. It went public in March via a SPAC deal with CIIG Merger Corp, raising approximately $660 million in the process.

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  • Tim Allen reveals his current car collection

    Any list of celebrity car fans has to include Tim Allen. The actor has an eclectic collection of muscle cars, supercars, and assorted classics stashed away in a former print shop in Southern California, and recently gave the Petersen Automotive Museum the grand tour.

    The two-part video series showcases a wide variety of cars, but it’s clear Allen has a thing for Fords. The collection includes a 1972 Bronco that Allen gave to his wife and which he doesn’t enjoy driving because of the short wheelbase. Allen also has a rare RS200 Group B rally homologation special, a Shelby Cobra, vintage and modern Mustang GT350s, and a modern Ford GT. He said he sold a Porsche Carrera GT to get the Ford, because he felt the Porsche was dangerous.

    Switching over to General Motors, another standout is the 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS with the LT5 V-8 from a C4 Corvette ZR-1. The sedan ran a 12.9-second quarter mile its first time at the drag strip, Allen said. He’s also got a 1968 Camaro restomod, and a modified Nova. 

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    European sports cars include a Jaguar E-Type, Volvo P1800, and a Ferrari 330 GTC, which Allen said needs to be driven often to keep it in top form (take heed, Ferrari owners) as well as several early Porsches, which Allen says are really just Volkswagens.

    Allen also has a Tesla Model 3 that he says he has a “love/hate relationship” with, and takes several jabs at throughout both videos. He said he isn’t against electric cars, but doesn’t seem to have many positive things to say about the Model 3.

    These are just some of the highlights. Watch both videos (they’re about 20 minutes each) for the full tour of Tim Allen’s car collection.

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  • Hurley Haywood speaks of champion racing career in new Brumos video

    Racing champion Hurley Haywood reflects on his half-century career in some of the world’s greatest Porsches in the latest installment of the Brumos Collection’s “Inside the 59” video series.

    “Conversations with Hurley Haywood,” which has been posted on Brumos’ social channels, commemorates the 50th anniversary of his first championship, the 1971 IMSA title he earned with teammate Peter Gregg in a Porsche 914-6 GT.

    Hurley Haywood (left) with Peter Gregg

    Hurley Haywood (left) with Peter Gregg

    Looking fit and ageless at 72, Haywood tells of his early days when, as an inexperienced youth, he was entrusted with driving for Brumos racing and immediately met with spectacular success.

    “Racing against equipment that was much faster than ours, we won because of durability and planning,” Haywood says in the video. “This was my first year of racing, so it was quite a learning process.”

    Two years later, he was behind the wheel of a mighty Porsche 917 in Can-Am competition.

    “Switching from the 300-horsepower Porsche 914 to the 1,200-horsepower 917 was a huge leap for me, at only 24 years old and in just my third year of racing,” he says in the video, remembering the 917 for its “tremendous acceleration and huge downforce.”

    “It was like being shot out of a cannon,” he recalls.

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    Haywood, who was inducted to the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005, counts among his many victories five overall wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two at the 12 Hours of Sebring. He earned the 1988 Trans-Am title, two IMSA GT Championships and 23 wins, three Norelco Cup championships, a SuperCar title and 18 IndyCar starts.

    In the video, Haywood describes how his ability to master some rudimentary practices learned early on led to a historic life in motorsports.

    “The most important thing a driver can do is focus on vision; your eyes tell your hands and feet what to do,” he says. “Patience is also extremely important. Racing is like chess: every move you make is calculated to a risk/reward. You have to learn how to evaluate a condition and make the proper adjustments to be successful.”

    The iconic race cars that Haywood drove, as well as those of other Brumos drivers, are on display among the historic competition vehicles at the Brumos Collection’s huge display area, which opened to the public 14 months ago in Jacksonville, Florida.

    “There is really no other facility that allows you to get so close to the cars that you can almost smell their heritage,” Haywood says in the video. “I’ve noticed that when people come into this building, they understand why Brumos is such a revered name, a standard bearer of excellence, and so critically important to the reason we’ve won so many championships.

    This article, written by Bob Golfen, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.

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