FAST LANE
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday October 2, 2009
GET A WHIFF OF THESE HOT WHEELSTo many motoring enthusiasts, the smell of burnt rubber is like fine perfume. Now, new tyre technology could see the general population loving the smell of tyres as well.Korean company Kumho has developed a unique fragrant tyre compound that smells of lavender, mint, iris and white musk.Tyres made from the compound were launched with the help of former cricketer Glenn McGrath earlier this week and give off their scent when the rubber in them is warmed up by friction. The aroma can be smelled within a 10-metre radius.Surprisingly, it's not just a marketing gimmick. Kumho says the tyres have 5 per cent more grip, 7.5 per cent better wear and 7.5 per cent better braking ability. The tyres also reduce noise intrusion by as much as 7 per cent. The scent lasts about a year with average use (about 20,000 kilometres) but the tyre will continue to exhibit what Kumho calls superior performance traits after that period.THE PRANCING PUMAMaybe staff at sportswear brand Puma's Carnaby Street London store have a little too much time on their hands. With help from a design agency, they recently used Ferrari formula one merchandise to make a life-size race car.A posting on YouTube shows the staff building the car from stock in the store, including shirts, jumpers and thongs covered in socks for wing-mirror arms.The result was a pretty cool-looking formula one car that won't cost you a cent to run. Check it out at youtube.com/watch?v=JqRUwHyJKV8&feature=player_embedded.SILENCERS ARE GOLDENNoise complaints have led to the closure of numerous racetracks across the globe.In our own backyard, Amaroo Park and Oran Park raceways were both victims of anti-noise campaigners. But there is now light at the end of the track, with British motorsport specialist Prodrive developing an exhaust silencer that doesn't compromise performance.The silencer for speedway and grass-track bikes meets a new noise limit and can be applied to existing engines with a minimum of retuning.DESPERATELY SEEKING STIGMost people remember Where's Wally?, the children's book so popular that it spawned a television series, a comic strip and even a movie.Children (and many adults) spent countless hours poring over dozens of pages looking for the odd character dressed in his red and white horizontally striped shirt, blue pants, bobble hat and glasses and carrying a wooden walking stick.Other Where's ...? titles soon followed Wally's amazing success, including a Where's Elvis? edition as well as Where's Bin Laden?.Now two decades later comes Where's Stig?, based on that loveable stunt driver from the BBC series Top Gear.The book is filled with show references and it is not just the Stig you need to find Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are in every scene as well as the producer, the Top Gear dog and a host of other interesting things in every place the Stig visits.Where's Stig? is on sale in book stores now, priced from $29.95.CARS BECOME WEB STARSA Canberra car dealership has established its own YouTube channel in a novel effort to boost sales.Visitors to the Lennock Motors site, youtube.com/lennocktestdrive, are able to have an interactive experience with automotive brochures.Time-poor car buyers in Canberra are relying more and more on the internet to do their research, says the sales manager of Lennock Land Rover, Jaguar and Skoda, Justin Cornock.TRIKE FOR THE TYKE WHO HAS EVERYTHINGNow your kids can roll in style with a new trike built in the US.The Kid Kustoms' Roddler stroller has been on sale for a few years but now kids can get the hot-rod look on a trike thanks to a conversion kit.The kit contains all the necessary components including a front wheel, front-end handlebars, pedals and a seat. There are also stacks of accessories to make this trike unique including customised number plates, headlights, mirrors, grips and a buddy wagon.The stroller is not cheap, from $US2500 ($2865). But you can buy the stand-alone trike from about $680.ROADSTER MINUS THE GUILTIf there's a blackout in Canberra on Saturday night, it could be due to dozens of electric cars being charged before their debut on Sunday.Australia's first national electric-vehicle festival is on this weekend.The highlight is the Tesla from the US. The Tesla Roadster (pictured) can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds but emits no harmful pollutants.There is only one Tesla in Australia and it will take pride of place on the lawns in front of Old Parliament House on Sunday between 9am and 4pm.The Tesla is the first guilt-free high-performance sports car of our time," says Ivan Slavich, the chairman of the ACT Electric Vehicle Council and executive at ActewAGL, the ACT's energy and water utility."There is little else to say. It's a dream. It pushes your stomach into the back of the seat with renewable energy, giving you a guilt-free adrenalin hit. I want to see them on our roads.Until now, many enthusiasts have had to convert their own vehicles but there are now conversion businesses. For more information, see electricvehiclefestival. com.au
Β© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
