Halon 1211 Race Car Fire Extinguisher, Racetech on 2040-parts.com

What's New - January 2006

Volvo S80     Volvo has released pictures of the second-generation S80, a model series which when first launched in 1998 revived the Swedish brand with less slab-like, more expressive styling. This new model evolves those themes, and with it now carries Volvo's compact V8 that first appeared in the XC90 SUV last year. With 315PS put to the road through all four wheels, it will be Volvo's spearhead for penetrating the crucial American market and luring 35,000 new owners each year.

Peugeot Unveils Hybrid Le Mans Racer

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 07 October 2008 13:03 Peugeot used the final round of this season’s Le Mans Series at Silverstone this weekend to show off its new hybrid-powered 908 HDi FAP racer, which features a similar kinetic energy recovery setup to next year’s Formula 1 system.The 908’s ‘HY’ undertook a number of demonstration laps in front of the packed grandstands and showed how Peugeot’s passenger car technology is filtering through to its motorsport activities.Over the weekend, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – the company that runs the Le Mans series – announced a raft of aerodynamic and air-intake changes to next year’s regulations to even out the advantages of diesel over petrol. But rather frustratingly for Peugeot, there were no moves to incorporate hybrid powertrains in the 2009 season.But Peugeot claims that it will enter the 908 HY into next year’s Le Mans Series as a ‘Double Oh’ non-competitor to further evaluate the car’s hybrid technology.The HY’s layout comprises three key components - an 80bhp gear-driven electric motor-generator which replaces the conventional starter motor, 10 lithium-ion battery stacks to store the recovered power (six in the cockpit instead of the conventional battery and four on the left-hand side of the floor pan) and an electronic power converter, located in the rear part of the front left wing, which controls the flow of energy between batteries and motor.The result is a 3-5% mechanical energy recovery – and the associated economy and performance benefits. Over a single lap of Le Mans, for example, the system will recoup lost energy for up to 30seconds.This is then converted into a 20second 80bhp kick can either be meted out automatically by the car’s electronics to bolster acceleration throughout the lap or be selectively used by the driver using a ‘push to pass’ boost button.The additional and modified components add a further 65kg to the car’s weight, but Peugeot’s engineers claim the racecar will still easily meet the minimum regulated weight. “As a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole,” said Michel Barge, Peugeot Sport’s director.

'27% would drive into floodwater'

A DEVIL-MAY-CARE attitude amongst drivers is commonplace when it comes to flooded roads, according to a survey. Nearly 2% would ignore a road-closed sign, while 42% would blindly follow the vehicle in front if it managed to cross a flooded road successfully, the poll shows. Around a quarter of drivers (27%) would attempt to go through moving floodwater nearly 12in (30cm) deep, according to the Populus survey conducted for the Environment Agency and the AA.