Carbon Fiber
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Dodge Challenger fans will soon be able to get carbon-fiber body panels through Direction Connection, thanks to a partnership with SpeedKore.
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Bentley Bentayga will soon be available with 22-inch carbon-fiber wheels
The super-luxe SUV takes a page from the performance car playbook with massive carbon fiber wheels.
Stephen Edelstein -
GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro bed brings supercar tech to pickup trucks
Carbon fiber has long been a material of choice for the world's supercars, but this year it's going into a pickup truck. The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 CarbonPro Edition ushers in the truck's available carbon-fiber composite bed ahead of expanded availability in the near future. GMC said in a Thursday...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota Supra TRD concept adds dashes of carbon-fiber
The 2020 Toyota Supra is fresh off of its reveal at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but the brand is keen to show off potential performance upgrades to its banner sports car. At the 2019 Osaka Auto Messe in Japan on Saturday, Toyota revealed the Supra Performance Line...
Sean Szymkowski -
Future electric cars could store energy in carbon-fiber bodies instead of batteries
One day, electric cars may actually store their energy in carbon-fiber bodies and replace the need for heavy batteries. Research published in October from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden shows carbon fiber can operate as electrodes in a lithium-ion battery. A car could feature a...
Sean Szymkowski -
McLaren opens its new carbon fiber center, with some royal help
For decades, McLaren has only operated one main production facility at its headquarters in Woking, England. That changed on Wednesday as the supercar manufacturer and race team officially opened its new McLaren Composites Technology Center. The new facility is settled in Yorkshire, England, and it...
Sean Szymkowski -
We've already shown readers how carbon-ceramic brakes are made, so now let's take a look at how carbon-fiber wheels come to life. The video above comes from Australian-based company Carbon Revolution. The company, which has rocketed to success thanks to its innovative one-piece carbon-fiber wheels, announced Friday it will raise yearly capacity from 10,000 to 150,000 wheels. Carbon Revolution currently supplies wheels for a number of automakers, too, including Ferrari. Ford was first to offer the company's wheels with the Shelby GT350R. The company also has a video that shows its process for...
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A London dealer built a Bugatti Chiron in fully exposed carbon fiber
The United Kingdom has an official Bugatti dealership, and it's no surprise that it should fall under the reins of H.R. Owen. As a means of advertising its wares in the best way possible, the dealership has crafted a Chiron with a special body. Instead of insane colors or a crazy livery, the H.R...
Jeff Glucker -
GM to use carbon fiber in next-generation pickup beds?
General Motors has made efforts to slash weight from its vehicles, and its next-generation full-size pickup trucks might get the most surprising lightweight solution yet. They might be in line for a carbon-fiber-induced diet. The automaker might use the strong, lightweight material in the beds of...
Sean Szymkowski -
How can a 2013 BMW M3 be worth $299,950?
This is essentially a brand-new 2013 BMW M3. It shows just 250 miles on its odometer and it's not registered. That's all well and good, but how the heck does someone think they're going to get 50 bucks shy of $300,000 for this car? It all comes down to rarity. This isn't a standard M3, it's the M3...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford and Magna team up on prototype carbon fiber subframe
Carbon fiber is becoming more commonplace than ever, and in the name of weight savings, the material may be making its way into more and more components in more and more common cars. One of those components is future Ford subframes. A collaborative effort between Ford and the automotive supplier...
Sean Szymkowski -
Race-Inspired Carbon Fiber Table & Chair Are The Supercars Of Furniture
The John & Table Race is made of carbon fiber and trimmed in leather and Alcantara, just like many high-performance cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Infiniti Red Bull Racing's video series on how to make an F1 car has finally gotten to the good part. Previous installments explained design and the manufacturing of carbon fiber components, but now it's finally time to put everything together and get on the grid. Turning thousands of painstakingly-produced parts into a Formula One car might sound like a very satisfying experience--Red Bull's engineers say it's like completing the ultimate jigsaw puzzle--but it requires as much precision as making the parts in the first place. After 5 months of design work, it took Red Bull about a week to...
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Rolls-Royce SUV Still A Ways Off, But Carbon Fiber Bodies Possible
Rolls-Royce may build limited numbers of cars with custom carbon fiber bodywork.
Stephen Edelstein -
How Mercedes AMG Petronas Turns Carbon Fiber Into An F1 Car: Video
Mercedes F1 team's new video series takes viewers through the process of building an F1 car.
Stephen Edelstein -
Audi: Carbon Fiber Too Expensive; Future Is In Mixing Materials
BMW just yesterday began production of its carbon-fiber-bodied i3—a vehicle that makes some major advances in the way lightweight, mass-produced vehicles are made. But for now, BMW appears to be going it alone. For Audi, which was a leader in the development of aluminum-bodied cars 20 years...
Bengt Halvorson -
BMW i3 Begins Production, Carbon Process Plays Key Role
Carbon fiber is nothing new to the upper end of the high-performance car world, whether from OEMs or from the aftermarket. It's old hat in racing. But in mass-market vehicles, extensive use of carbon fiber just hasn't taken off yet. BMW hopes to change that with the i3. Entering production today...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen Golf Drops Weight With Optional Carbon Fiber Roof
The Biggest Loser has proven that weight-loss shows can draw serious attention. Volkswagen must be watching because the German automaker is looking for lower numbers on the scales with the Golf. According to Edmunds, VW is nearly ready to offer up an optional extra that will help the popular...
Jeff Glucker -
Toyota invested significant money in developing a carbon fiber manufacturing business to construct the Lexus LFA. Originally, its goal was to streamline the process, in hopes of reducing the cost to produce carbon fiber components. As Toyota soon learned, carbon fiber component manufacturing doesn’t take well to automation. Now that the Lexus LFA is out of production, Toyota has stated that it will employ carbon fiber in other vehicles, largely to avoid shuttering its carbon fiber manufacturing facility. The first such vehicle appears to be the Toyota Mark X G Sport concept, which...
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World's First 'One-Piece' Carbon Fiber Wheels Now Available In U.S.
A few weeks back we told you about the revolutionary one-piece carbon fiber wheels developed by Australia’s Carbon Revolution. Built first for the Porsche 911, the 19x8.5 (front) and 19x12 (rear) wheels save some ten pounds of unsprung weight per corner, delivering noticeable gains in...
Kurt Ernst -
'Inside Koenigsegg' Episode 1: Carbon Fiber
If you're anything like us (and we think you are), it's pretty easy to lose a few hours in any given day down a web-searching rabbit hole like the production, use, and benefits of a material like carbon fiber--particularly as it applies to supercars and race cars. Here, we see exactly such a rabbit...
Nelson Ireson -
Lexus LFA’s Complex Carbon Fiber Production Process To Be Used For Other Models
As much as we’d like to see a direct successor for the Lexus LFA supercar, Toyota has no plans to build such a car. Despite costing an exorbitant $375,000, the LFA was a money-losing project and Toyota officials aren’t keen to repeat the process, at least for now. “At one time...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The Lamborghini Aventador And The Boeing 787: Video
Cousins rarely, if ever, look alike. As the family tree branches out, relatives grow farther and farther apart from their genetic starting point, which Charles Darwin would point out is necessary for a species to adapt and thrive. The same can be said for non-biological cousins as well, such as the...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW And Boeing Sign Deal To Develop And Recycle Carbon Fiber
While automaker BMW currently uses carbon fiber components in cars like the M3, M5 and M6, it will soon begin producing full carbon fiber passenger cells for the i3 electric car and the i8 plug-in hybrid-electric sports car. The carbon fiber that ultimately forms these cells will be manufactured in...
Kurt Ernst