Motor Authority - blog Tag: University

If you're an AMG fan or just a fan of driving fast cars fast, you're probably aware of the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy. Unfortunately, those of us in the U.S. had to travel to Europe to take advantage of it - until now.

Mercedes is bringing the AMG Driving Academy program, including Stage I, Stage I SLS,and Stage II, to Lime Rock Park, Palm Beach International Raceway and Laguna Seca Raceway. That gives the AMG school coverage of the northeast, southeast and western U.S. Some of the cars students will get to drive include the E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG, SLK55 AMG and the CLK63 AMG Black Series.

Stage I schools are a one-day program... If you're an AMG fan or just a fan of driving fast cars fast, you're probably aware of the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy. Unfortunately, those of us in the U.S. had to travel to Europe to take advantage of it - until now. Mercedes is bringing the AMG Driving Academy program, including Stage I, Stage I SLS,and Stage II, to Lime Rock Park, Palm Beach International Raceway and Laguna Seca Raceway. That gives the AMG school coverage of the northeast, southeast and western U.S. Some of the cars students will get to drive include the E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG, SLK55 AMG and the CLK63 AMG Black Series. Stage I schools are a one-day program designed to teach the fundamentals of performance driving dynamics and car control maneuvers using customized exercises that emphasize the power and handling capabilities of AMG vehicles. Drivers get to test their skills on-track and during a performance course competition. The Stage I program fee is $1,895 per driver. The SLS version of the Stage I academy will only be offered at Laguna Seca Raceway November 17-20, and offers a chance to be among the first to drive the all-new 2011 SLS AMG. This special version of Stage I includes a night's stay at the InterContinental Hotel in Monterey, CA and is priced at $2,295. Finally, Stage II is a two-day program for drivers that have complete Stage I. It provides a deep level of technical driver training both on and off the track. The main changes to Stage I are significantly more track time and use of a computer driver training and evaluation system via on-board diagnostics and in-car cameras. The Stage II fee is $3,495 per student. If you're interested in getting behind the wheel at one of these events, you'll have several opportunities: Lime Rock Park hosts its event September 9-15, followed by Palm Beach International Raceway September 22-27, and Laguna Seca Raceway with the standard program November 7-8 and the SLS program November 17-20. Read More

Driving academies from high-performance carmakers are nothing new: AMG's has been around for years. Nissan offers one for GT-R owners, Lamborghini for their owners, Corvette for ZR-1 owners, and Bugatti runs one for Veyron owners. Even Hummer will teach you how to drive offroad. But the AMG Driving Academy offers a wide range of programs to suit everyone from beginner to advanced.

Five different programs to be exact - including Emotion, Basic, Advanced, Pro, and Masters. A separate winter driving experience is also available, much like Bentley's 'Power on Ice' driving experience.

The four standard training programs are held at famous... Driving academies from high-performance carmakers are nothing new: AMG's has been around for years. Nissan offers one for GT-R owners, Lamborghini for their owners, Corvette for ZR-1 owners, and Bugatti runs one for Veyron owners. Even Hummer will teach you how to drive offroad. But the AMG Driving Academy offers a wide range of programs to suit everyone from beginner to advanced. Five different programs to be exact - including Emotion, Basic, Advanced, Pro, and Masters. A separate winter driving experience is also available, much like Bentley's 'Power on Ice' driving experience. The four standard training programs are held at famous venues across Europe, including the Nurburgring's Nordschleife, the Spa-Francorchamps GP course and nine other courses. A total of 10 different event types are available as well, teaching car control in a wide variety of settings and conditions as well as skill levels. The Emotion tours are a chance to get up-close and personal with the AMG program without having to ply one's skill on course or in a classroom. Instead it's a 'lifestyle' event with hotel, food and drinks included in the roughly $1,955 fee. The Masters group is a competitive level that's composed of invitation-only students. The top 25 drivers that have graduated from both the Advanced and Pro schools get a chance to go toe-to-toe in full-on race training, including three four day races across Europe. Like all racing, it's not cheap, however: a single event in the Masters series will set you back about $5,000. The more entry-level Basic training starts out at just $1,100, but entries are limited to about 40 per event, so if you're interested, don't waste any time signing up.Mercedes AMG Driving Academy 2009 Read More

If you have €3,900 ($4,900) in your pocket and the desire to put an Italian exotic through its paces around a track, then you’re in luck as Lamborghini is once again running its annual Driving Academy. With courses open to all performance enthusiasts - not just Lamborghini owners - the Driving Academy provides a unique opportunity to test a number of different models and be taught by the company’s own professional instructors.

Before you grab your phone and start calling the local Lamborghini dealer, note that only European locations have been announced so far. However, as in previous years, Lamborghini will likely... If you have €3,900 ($4,900) in your pocket and the desire to put an Italian exotic through its paces around a track, then you’re in luck as Lamborghini is once again running its annual Driving Academy. With courses open to all performance enthusiasts - not just Lamborghini owners - the Driving Academy provides a unique opportunity to test a number of different models and be taught by the company’s own professional instructors. Before you grab your phone and start calling the local Lamborghini dealer, note that only European locations have been announced so far. However, as in previous years, Lamborghini will likely announce some events for the U.S. as well. Two new courses are being offered. The first is the Track Academy, which will be held at various European race tracks from the second half of the year and allow participants to explore the full potential of the standard Gallardo and the newer Gallardo LP560-4. The second course is the Advanced Academy, which has been designed to focus on optimum control and performance on the race track, fully supported by a professional in-vehicle telemetry system. Driving is undertaken in the Gallardo LP560-4 and the Murcielago LP640. All classes include technical and safety briefings, followed by handling and performance exercises, with instruction on how to get the most from race track driving. Participants improve their handling and feel of Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive cars, learn to manage understeer and oversteer, practice maneuvers with and without ABS and ESP, learn how to drift, and find the optimal racing line on a track. For all this, the €3,900 asking price may still appear to be a little steep for just a weekend’s worth of driving, but remember the price also includes hotel accommodation plus a video recording of your stints on the track. Read More

Students of the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria have designed a set of six KTM-inspired concepts. Using the edgy, futuristic design language made famous in KTM's motorcycles and X-Bow roadster, the students have styled a high-performance buggy, an environmentally-friendly sportster, a water-borne motocross vehicle and more.

The most KTM-looking - at least for those familiar primarily with the X-Bow - is the KTM AX (pictured above), a four-wheel off-road buggy with a radically aggressive design. The layout, styling and coloration of the car are very similar to the X-Bow, and it gives the appearance of being every... Students of the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria have designed a set of six KTM-inspired concepts. Using the edgy, futuristic design language made famous in KTM's motorcycles and X-Bow roadster, the students have styled a high-performance buggy, an environmentally-friendly sportster, a water-borne motocross vehicle and more. The most KTM-looking - at least for those familiar primarily with the X-Bow - is the KTM AX (pictured above), a four-wheel off-road buggy with a radically aggressive design. The layout, styling and coloration of the car are very similar to the X-Bow, and it gives the appearance of being every bit as capable in the dirt as the X-Bow is on the tarmac. Next up is the SR85 Deuce. Designed as a lightweight and sporty yet environmentally-friendly vehicle, the SR85 Deuce is designed specifically for the Devon Run, a hypothetical future challenge for green vehicles powered by electric motors. The KTM 360 takes the same concept, but applies it to the motorcyle world and throws in a healthy dose of freestyle riding and trick capability. The final three concepts are not land vehicles at all - two take to the water, while a third flies. The KTM CX is a jet-ski-like device that's intended to 'bring the moto-x spirit to the water', but looks more like a snowmobile. The Barracuda, on the other hand, takes a more conventional boat-type design, but throws a twist at it by adding a set of hydrofoils for high-speed, low-drag cruising. Finally, the KTM Ascender flight vehicle promises gas-turbine-powered access to the skies in a small, highly mobile platform. Looking somewhat like a Cylon raider interpreted by KTM, it might be more frightening than inspiring to see one of these in action. All of these design studies are only in the theoretical stages at this point, with no plans for actual real-world construction. Nevertheless, they show what a little imagination and a lot of talent can do to expand on a simple theme.KTM’s new X-Bow roadster ready for GenevaKTM FH Joanneum Design Study Concepts Read More

The Splinter, a wooden car designed by a group of college students, has made the rounds to the recent International Woodworking Fair, where it met with acclaim, and now the project is nearing the final stages of development. It is being run by Joe Harmon Design and North Carolina State University, and has progressed to the stage where the car's hand-crafted body has been mated to the chassis.

The group have also sourced a new engine – a twin-supercharged 32-valve Cadillac Northstar V8 developing upwards of 700hp (522kW). Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted 6-speed transaxle sourced from a Chevrolet Corvette. One of the... The Splinter, a wooden car designed by a group of college students, has made the rounds to the recent International Woodworking Fair, where it met with acclaim, and now the project is nearing the final stages of development. It is being run by Joe Harmon Design and North Carolina State University, and has progressed to the stage where the car's hand-crafted body has been mated to the chassis. The group have also sourced a new engine – a twin-supercharged 32-valve Cadillac Northstar V8 developing upwards of 700hp (522kW). Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted 6-speed transaxle sourced from a Chevrolet Corvette. One of the inherent problems of mounting an internal combustion engine in a wooden car is the effects of the heat emanating from the engine. To overcome this problem, the students reversed the direction of the cylinder heads, placed the exhaust pipes at the top of the engine and funneled the hot gasses through the rear wing. Many internal features, such as the headrests, have been painstakingly carved, cut and sanded into place, while the body is definitely an eye-catcher with its smooth wooden finish and supercar proportions. The car uses a number of innovations, including a unique seating position and a wooden suspension system constructed out of the same wood used for traditional longbows. The wheels also feature center hubs constructed from pressed and laminated wood. What initially seemed to be somewhat of a design novelty is shaping up into an interesting project to watch as the students tackle the problems of building a wooden supercar.Splinter wooden supercar conceptSplinter wooden supercar Read More

As advanced as cars are becoming in terms of safety aids, nothing can make up for a skillful, attentive driver behind the wheel - yet, at least. Volvo has launched a research program to study how normal drivers react to tough traffic situations in the hopes of improving their cars' safety.

The data Volvo is mapping records the driver's view of the road, a view looking out the back of the car and the driver's head and eye movements. A data logger details the car's status and movement. Once all of this data is gathered over the course of a three-year, 1.8 million mile (3 million kilometer) field test, Volvo will have a model of human behavior... As advanced as cars are becoming in terms of safety aids, nothing can make up for a skillful, attentive driver behind the wheel - yet, at least. Volvo has launched a research program to study how normal drivers react to tough traffic situations in the hopes of improving their cars' safety. The data Volvo is mapping records the driver's view of the road, a view looking out the back of the car and the driver's head and eye movements. A data logger details the car's status and movement. Once all of this data is gathered over the course of a three-year, 1.8 million mile (3 million kilometer) field test, Volvo will have a model of human behavior in a wide variety of on-road conditions and situations. "In order to move towards a crash-free future, we need to learn more about what kind of mistakes and situations that might lead to accidents," says John-Fredrik Grönvall, senior Research engineer and leader of the Field Operational Tests (FOT) at Volvo Cars. The project is being conducted in concert with the Chalmers University of Technology, industry group SAFER and several other companies as part of an EU-sponsored project called EuroFOT. A fleet of 100 Volvo cars will be outfitted with the data-collection equipment, with field-testing already underway.Volvo driver behavior research projectVolvo's driver behavior advanced research project Read More