Italian marquee - Lamborghini Estoque

The spanking new Estoque from the Lamborghini stables is a concept car which literally works out to be the Lamborghini that fits in the wife and kids! Possibly the top showstopper at the Paris Motor Show, the stall was visited by throngs of people who wished to see the four door Lamborghini.


Conceptualized to become the final word against similar attempts by other big names such as the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide, the Estoque is the Italian marquee's first ever four door model.

Lamborghini really intends on driving in their point here with this car which will incidentally form the third car in their model line up. Still in the concept stage, the Estoque's technical specifications remain a mystery, however one thing is for sure that it will feature a front-mid mounted engine, meaning that the engine will lie behind the front axle. As far as the engine is concerned, Lamborghini has a pedigree to choose from, or they could opt for a whole new heart. What we see as likely contenders for underbonnet space are the Gallardo LP560-4's V10, turbocharged V8, maybe with a hybrid mode or even a highperformance TDI courtesy the Audi connection.

Once again, like with all premium sportscar marquees, the critics have booed the four door design, stating that it is very unlike Lamborghini, but what needs to be understood is that times are changing and cars like the Estoque are ushering in a whole new breed of supercarnamely the super-sedans, which isn't really such a bad thing after all!

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Italian marquee - Ferrari California

The Ferrari stand at the recent Paris Auto Show was jampacked with journalists and enthusiasts alike. Also spotted in the crowd was none other than Ratan Tata who also wished to steal a peak at the much awaited Ferrari California coupecabriolet.

Though the air was a little solemn, due to the loss of Andrea Pininfarina, whose design house was responsible for the California lines, the new Ferrari has been welcomed with open arms. The stunning addition to the prancing horse stable is a literal powerhouse on wheels and its drop dead gorgeous looks had show goers mesmerized.

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So what our ancestors used as an automobile? (1/3)

Our ancestors were really brilliant and legendary... They saw an opportunity even in big problems... In early days, everyone was struggling with effective and less-tiring ways of transport, but no one really came out with a feasible idea...

However, a few of our legendary leaders came out with automobiles powered by steam! It followed by electric cars, then gas cars, then the famous Ford cars, and later Toyota cars, and now we have hybrid cars...

STEAM CARS


This picture shows how the early steam cars look like... Starting with the first theoretical plans for a motor vehicle that had been drawn up by both Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton.

In 1769, the very first self-propelled road vehicle was a military tractor invented by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot (1725 - 1804). Cugnot used a steam engine to power his vehicle, built under his instructions at the Paris Arsenal by mechanic Brezin. The vehicle had to stop every ten to fifteen minutes to build up steam power. The steam engine and boiler were separate from the rest of the vehicle and placed in the front. The following year (1770), Cugnot built a steam-powered tricycle that carried four passengers.

Steam engines powered cars by burning fuel that heated water in a boiler, creating steam that expanded and pushed pistons that turned the crankshaft, which then turned the wheels. During the early history of self-propelled vehicles - both road and railroad vehicles were being developed with steam engines. Steam engines added so much weight to a vehicle that they proved a poor design for road vehicles; however, steam engines were very successfully used in locomotives.

After Cugnot Several Other Inventors Designed Steam-Powered Road Vehicles

• Cugnot’s vehicle was improved by Frenchman, Onesiphore Pecqueur, who also invented the first differential gear.
• In 1789, the first U.S. patent for a steam-powered land vehicle was granted to Oliver Evans.
• In 1801, Richard Trevithick built a road carriage powered by steam - the first in Great Britain.
• In Britain, from 1820 to 1840, steam-powered stagecoaches were in regular service.
• Steam-driven road tractors (built by Charles Deitz) pulled passenger carriages around Paris and Bordeaux up to 1850.
• In the United States, numerous steam coaches were built from 1860 to 1880. Inventors included: Harrison Dyer, Joseph Dixon, Rufus Porter, and William T. James.
• In 1871, Dr. J. W. Carhart, professor of physics at Wisconsin State University, and the J. I. Case Company built a working steam car that won a 200-mile race.

Part 2 coming soon...

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