Thread: This one's for Capt Rightfoot ;)

LOL

"We're gonna maake ittt!"

Sorry, you're not actually going to make it!

I did enjoy the bit where the guy was shaking the tree to get his plane down towards the end though.. I can associate with that!

There were some STUNNING cars in there---

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

There were some STUNNING cars in there---

There was. Personally, I don't get too excited about prototypes, but bringing new technology to market does impress me.

As an example, and on a different note if the 787 does make it through to production and then goes on to be a good aeroplane - then i think Boeings designers and engineers should take a bow as that will be the biggest step forward for aviation in a long time. Very courageous.

Indeed, the interior looks amazing,,
but is the technology/exterior that much better than what we have now?

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Indeed, the interior looks amazing,,
but is the technology/exterior that much better than what we have now?

It's the worlds first composite airliner. It also has lots of other firsts like electrically driven hydraulics and cabin pressurisation. The result is a lighter plane that uses 20% less fuel than todays benchmarks. Courageous.

BREAKING: GM reportedly delays board meeting as new Swedish bidders emerge for Saab

by Chris Paukert (RSS feed) on Jan 7th 2010 at 12:57PM

Saab: A history in pictures – Click above for high-res gallery

Just when we thought the financial soap opera surrounding Saab couldn't get any more convoluted or tortured, it has. Bloomberg is reporting that General Motors has once again delayed a meeting planned for today to determine the Swedish automaker's fate. The gathering will now take place tomorrow, in part because a new bidder has entered the fray, Genii Capital, the private-equity group that purchased Renault's Formula One team just last month. According to the report, Genii intends to make a cash offer for the brand, and it plans to use the business plan of an earlier bidder, Koenigsegg, as a roadmap to getting Saab into the black by 2012 with just 105,000 units per year.

For his part, interim GM chief executive officer Ed Whitacre told reporters yesterday that he isn't optimistic about consummating a sale, remarking that nobody has yet stepped up to offer the necessary funds for Saab: "It's real easy – show up with the money and you can have it." Naturally, such statements might also be designed to increase the size of the bids, and that statement may have come before Whitacre was made aware of Genii entering the fray, but we digress...

Of course, Spyker Cars, the bidder for whom the deadline was originally extended until today, is still very much in the mix, but there are also new rumors of yet another Swedish group making a last-last-minute play for the brand. More as it happens...

Update: Bernie Ecclestone tied to late-breaking Genii Capital bid for Saab

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Jan 7th 2010 at 6:30PM


Bernie Ecclestone, the long-time Formula One impresario, has confirmed to Bloomberg that he plans to make a play to buy Saab from General Motors. The pitch is evidently part of the bid by Genii Capital that we told you about earlier today. Genii's last-minute pitch may have been the reason why GM decided to postpone a scheduled board meeting today to determine the Swedish brand's fate.

Ecclestone is clearly a capable business man in light of the billions that he's squeezed out of F1 over the past couple of decades. Whether he's able to translate that acumen into turning Saab into a profitable brand given its history of red ink remains to be seen. Of course, whether Ecclestone and Genii will get the chance in the first place is a more pressing question, as GM would appear to be every bit as likely to sell Saab to Spyker Cars, or perhaps just continue shutting down the brand altogether. Thanks for the tips, everyone.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Paul Gilham/Getty]