Aug 8, 2009

Hot on the heels of Lamborghini's Estoque family sedan, the Italian manufacturer has made another bid to become the Toyota of supercars, by letting slip that they plan to start building hybrids by 2015. CEO Stephan Winkelmann told the German magazine Automobilewoche that much like the Toyota Prius, the Hybrid Gallardo's electric motor will power the car around town, before switching over to a V-10 or V-12 motor on the open road.

The problem is that this ignores the main reason people buy Lambos in the first place. Blasting down the Autobahn at 200 mph is fine, but let's be honest. All most owners really want to do is to drive to some trendy hotspot, then blip the throttle to attract attention with that wailing V-10. If all you get is the whine of a puny electric motor, you aren't going to impress anyone but the local tree hugger hippie chick.

I guess this is what happens when a bunch of prosaic Germans (Lamborghini is owned by Audi) take over a hot blooded Italian supercar company. Ferruccio Lamborghini is probably spinning in his grave.

CarAdvice.com.au, via Treehugger.com

Aug 8, 2009

Like to drive to an icy lake to fish? Want to drive into that lake? The Wilcraft — or Water-Ice-Land-Craft — will do just that, with the ability to float over water and three fishing holes built right into the craft.

"It floats," the Wilcraft website states. "A long wheel base, wide footprint and a top speed of 20 mph makes for a safe and stable ride. This wide stance results in only 1.811 pounds-per-inches² of ground pressure requiring ice of only walkable thickness. In the event of unexpected thin ice, the Wilcraft floats and is easy to extract."

Note the "easy to extract." The Wilcraft isn't a boat, and you probably don't want to drive it into water that doesn't have a thick layer of ice over it.

It also has space for your gear, some upgrade options (such as slapping a pair of treads onto it) and comes with a hefty price tag of over $10,000.

Wilcraft, via Red Ferret