Cats, Dogs, And Transmissions[Photos 116-0804.SCUP 14 on disc.]Here GM's Vice President of Powertrain Manufacturing Homi Patel and UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker display the six-speed, front-wheel-drive transmission co-developed by the former rivals and built at both GM's Warren Transmission Plant in Warren, Michigan, and a Ford plant in Ohio. They also put up the $720 million to engineer the device.
Olds Is DeadBack in 2000, GM announced it would cease production of Oldsmobiles with the '04 model. On April 29, 2004, the last Olds Alero rolled off its Lansing, Michigan, assembly line, destined for the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum also in Lansing. The Oldsmobile company was named after its founder, Ransom E. Olds who founded the car-maker in 1897. The only car company marque that predates Olds is Germany's Daimler.
For car crafters and performance enthusiasts, the Olds heyday coincided with the musclecar era, and the 4-4-2 was the star attraction. Next month, look for a more complete look at the musclecar portion of the Olds history as our way of saying goodbye.-Jeff Smith
It's In ThereThis is just cool. This is steering wheel from a Mercedes Formula 1 car. There are 20 buttons or switches on this wheel. We've seen as many as 24 functions on a particular wheel. Also, the paddles on the upper left and right are upshift and downshift and the paddles on either side in the middle are for the clutch in and out. Yoww! www.formula-one.net
1. Launch control: This is actually illegal now for the '04 season
2. Engine mapping: This switch is toggled to change engine maps like certain ignition or fuel maps on the EFI
3. Pitlane speed limiter: The driver presses this button to ensure his car's speed is restricted electronically
4. Radio: Ground control to Major Tom!
5. Neutral: The driver presses this button to select Neutral in the transmission
6. Radio indicator: This blue light illuminates when the radio is being used
7. Launch control: This button performs the same function as button one, but is merely duplicated on the other side of the wheel for ease of use
8. Differential: This allows the driver to select a pre-programmed differential adjustment
9. Spare button: As if you don't already have enough!
10. Traction control: This button enables the driver to turn off the traction control program
11. Data log: This button allows the driver to make an electronic mark on his telemetry at the sign of any unusual car or engine behavior
12. Message accept: The driver presses this button to acknowledge a message from his pit
13. Tire switch: This switch changes a range of car parameters from dry settings to wet settings, should a driver be forced to change to wet tires during a race
14. Drink: The driver presses this to deliver a drink to his helmet via a tube
15. General functions: These rotary switches are used to fine-tune various electronically adjustable settings on the car, such as differential, engine mapping, or traction control
16. Default accept: Used to default certain systems on the car to their pre-programmed settings