A 500+ Horsepower. 0-60 in 3.2. 78 MPG?!

Big deal. Porsche is coming out with another immensely sexy 500+ horsepower two-seater supercar. Sure, it can go 0-60 in right around 3 seconds flat. What else is new.

Add in 78 miles to the gallon? Yeah, right.

According to Porsche, this actually is right. While the figure may even blow the minds of those feeling German engineering can never be surpassed on the famed Nurburgring, Porsche engineers beg to differ.

Calling the upcoming beast the Porsche 918 Spyder (clinging to the always original naming of the company), the now Volkswagen-owned German automobile manufacturer poises to attack the hybrid car market and in effect, the world.

“In the future, we will have hybrid drive in every model line," says Development Chief Wolfgang Duerheimer during this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

This accounts for growing pressure from the European Union for all manufacturers to massively reduce carbon emissions and fuel efficiency; over the next ten years, the Union has declared auto companies must cut emissions by at least 40 grams per kilometer.

Porsche, claiming some of the world’s most powerful (fuel-guzzling and polluting) engines in the world, must do something. Its answer? Hybrid technology. Not exactly ground-breaking, but when you look at the 918 Spyder’s 500 horsepower concept combined with another 215 horsepower from two separate electric motors, Porsche looks like a formidable opponent.

The secret to these claimed numbers is as old as the car itself: weight. By shaving as much weight as is technologically possible, Porsche is able to use less engine output to gain more power.

Think about it: it’s far easier to push a grocery cart full of bread than it is one full of beer. Porsche’s thinking is the same: cut the “bad weight,” and focus on the “good.”

 Well, that’s one way to look at it.

Engineering genius then comes into play. Using carbon fiber, the car can boast impressive body strength while saving enormously over the same amount needed in steel or aluminum.

Although the primary engine itself is still a gasaholic V8, Porsche claims that by electronically controlling the accelerator’s use of it alongside the twin electric motors can meet EU carbon standards, quoted fuel consumption, and most importantly, classic Porsche power.

“For the faithful fearing the dilution of a company built on a reputation for racing, fear not,” says Jason Paur of Wired Magazine. “Porsche is experimenting with hybrids, but it isn’t looking to chase Prius market share.”

The cutting-edge technology behind the concept 918 is amazing. Liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries, regenerative braking capable of 40,000+ RPM flywheel battery chargers, and a four-mode power selection all help Porsche to cut every possible speck of lost energy.

Sounds insane, right? Unfortunately, the car has yet to reach production; with an initial price tag of over $600,000, it’s not exactly affordable.

But imagine this: if the Porsche 918 Spyder makes it through the engineering hoops and you manage to snag one, you can feel smug as you like pulling into the coveted front-row “hybrid parking only” space at the grocery store.

When questioned by the angry Prius owner, grin slightly and say, “Don’t worry. It’s a hybrid.”

A Kick in the Back, Pioneer Style

Ever bought a car around a stereo system rather than the other way around? In the past, those addicted to hard-hitting tunes while driving aimlessly had to have the space to fit cumbersome amps, bloated capacitors, and enormous subwoofer boxes; small, flashy cars simply would not cut it. Luckily, Pioneer has a solution.

For those of you who prefer sex appealing style over ergonomics (aka, sexy cars), Pioneer has relatively recently brought the TS-SW2501 “shallow mount” subwoofers to the table… or rather, behind your seat. Even boxed, the sub only requires a 2-7/8” mount, meaning you can place the woofer practically anywhere!

Until recently, the few small form-factored subwoofers would gain you little more than a tickle in the back of your seat; according to John Naroswick of Cnet, without the large compression space possible in a box driven by the magnet of a large subwoofer, the technology simply did not exist to add any “uumph” to your tunes.

But no longer.

A subwoofer is only as powerful as the signal powering it, say the experts at Crutchfield. Previously, shallow mount subwoofers could not handle a highly amplified sound, thus not producing a highly amplified beat. Pioneer’s latest series, however, is rated to handle 1200 watts maximum and 300 watts continuous. Considering that this speaker is less than half the size of a traditional sub, the power-to-output ratio is incredible.

A smaller subwoofer would be useless without an amplifier designed to fit the space too. Pioneer has an answer for that too; when the TS-SW2501 is paired with a specially-designed small form factor amplifier such as Pioneer’s accompanying GM-D8500M, there is absolutely no doubt you’ll feel the power.

As if driving a beautiful car is not enough, the amp’s continuous drive of 300 watts (depending on how you wire it to the sub) can easily thump you into a state of submission. The pair of the subwoofer and amplifier can fit in a space smaller than a “traditional” subwoofer with room to spare, yet the power of the bass is similar, if not equal.

While this may be uninteresting to audio-only enthusiasts, car fanatics (such as myself) will find uncompromising joy in Pioneer’s technological gains. Without the small form factors of the audio system’s shining components, a two-seater coupe simply cannot hope to amaze.

Take a two door Saturn Sky Redline, for example: anyone over about 5’8” tall will likely feel stiff after about a half hour drive, and the trunk is not even large enough to store a book bag with the top down. Previously, this was the price to pay for driving sex on wheels. Simply pop this small bass-booming combination behind the driver or passenger’s seat, though, and you’re sure to attract attention even before the beauty of the car can.

Anyone over the age of 25 would likely laugh at the concept of such small power, else scorn the high price tag required to earn such a sound. Surprisingly enough, though, the two piece system (not counting a head unit or installation fees, if applicable) costs less than $500. (Try your hand at Amazon.com)

Cheap? Perhaps not, but considering the cost of a similarly rated traditional subwoofer and amplifier, it’s almost crazy not to consider.

The "Queen" of Facebook?

Facebook’s growing popularity has achieved a new milestone: the Queen of England has officially joined the social networking group. Many may not envision an 84 year old woman, especially the 84 year old Queen of England, to have a Facebook account. Even so, the move is evidence that it is getting harder and harder to escape the social networking phenomena.

According to Alison Diana of Information Week, the Queen’s Facebook page only exists to inform the public of royal events; people cannot “friend” the queen, but “poking” her (thereby the Royal Family) highness places you on a list to receive information about royal events. The Queen does have an image to uphold, after all.

Even with this limited interactivity, the queen gained over 40,000 followers in the first hour of the page’s existence! The number currently sits just above 113,000. How’s that for a royal gathering…

The Queen’s presence on Facebook shouts reality’s quickly-changing ways. In the past, Facebook and other social networking sites existed to help people find one another in an increasingly global world. Now, however, online networking is becoming a prevalent way to share information.

But isn’t that the purpose of news?

Perhaps not. Relying on news agencies and reporters to see what’s happening around us is simply inefficient in a world so interconnected. Granted, news reporters still have an important task: provide as unbiased of a synopsis regarding any given person, place, or event as possible. Even so, many people find it hard to beat a first-hand offering!

The Queen is not so presumptuous to claim the world of social networking all to her, though; the official name of the page is “The British Monarchy,” which already had a presence on Twitter, Flickr, and even YouTube. The next logical step had to be Facebook. With over 500 million users, Facebook is the most popular (at least in volume) social networking site in the world.

Still, the notion is amusing if nothing else. The British Monarchy, a group of individuals that in times past held enormous control over much of the globe through use of newspapers, decrees, and sheer word of mouth, now shares its presence with the world online. No longer do people have to rely on official news reports to learn the family’s whereabouts.

Of course, the family’s purpose has been reduced from rulers to figure head. And, as with anything related to politics, the family’s social networking presence is likely a calculated move; Chris Matyszczyk of CNET calls the move “corporate.”

Regardless of the family’s purpose or motive, its online existence will likely only add fuel to the media’s obsession with royal coverage; had you not read or heard of Facebook’s newest popular member, how would you know?

We may no longer be the subjects of the Queen’s massively influential royal lineage, although it’s hard not to hear of her influence.

But… we’re still not her “friends.”