DailyDirt: Classic Cars 2.0

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Cars have changed a lot over the past hundred years, and sometimes new cars don't quite look so great. It'd be nice to see some classic cars get modern technology in them, but it ain't simple or inexpensive. Check out a few of these classic cars that might get a modern makeover.

• There's a converted 1978 Ferrari 308GTS with a range of about 80 miles. San Diego-based company, Electric GT, salvaged an old Ferrari and replaced its V8 internal combustion engine with 3 electric motors and a bunch of batteries. [url]
• Jaguar is re-making a limited run of its 1950s XKSS supercars -- with some modern technology. For £1 million, you get a classic supercar that handles like a modern vehicle -- but it'll still have the same specs with a 340 horsepower 3.8L engine (no electric motors). [url]
• If you prefer a classic American muscle car, you can get 95% of the parts for a 1964-66 Ford Mustang straight from Ford. You could build a classic Mustang on your own assembly line if you wanted, but it wouldn't be cheap. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: electric cars, electric conversion, xkss
Companies: electric gt, ferrari, ford, jaguar

Non-profit Responds To Threatened Lawsuit From Ferrari By 'Remaking' Video To Hide The Ferrari

from the but-solidar-hits-back dept

Qûr Tharkasdóttir writes in to let us know that luxury automobile maker Ferrari is allegedly threatening to sue Swiss NGO Solidar (actually a network of NGOs focused on social justice) for daring to use a Ferrari in their recent commercial that appears to be making fun of rich bankers. The original is here (for now, at least): In response, Solidar has released an updated version of the commercial in which, they've made a small change. See if you can spot it: Just in case you can't see the videos, here are two screenshots. First from the original video: And here's the "new" version. You might spot the change. You'd think that a brand like Ferrari would know better than to threaten a group focused on increasing social justice around the globe. There's no way that argument ends well for Ferrari -- even if they "win."

Filed Under: ngo, threats, trademark
Companies: ferrari, solidar

Ferrari Doesn't Want Web Racing Simulation To Use Ferraris

from the fair-use? dept

Lincoln Braun writes "I play an online web game. BATracer which is designed to simulate a number of racing series including Formula 1, LeMans, A1 Grand Prix, Ferrari Challenge, and more. This week, however, the owner of the site received a legal notice from Ferrari, ordering a cease & desist from using Ferrari cars. BATracer has somewhere between 2000 and 3000 active users, most of whom arrived at the site because of Formula 1. The letter by Ferrari has really annoyed many of the most passionate fans and they have lost a lot of goodwill."

It looks like BATracer shut down for a bit before opening up again without Ferraris. Now, Ferrari has a big licensing business, but at some point you have to wonder if legal actions like this make any sense or if there's a reasonable fair use claim. In the case of team sports simulations, courts have ruled that name and stats are facts -- and not covered by intellectual property, so couldn't you say the same thing for car names and specifications? And while I could potentially see a trademark issue, it's not as if BATracer is actually "competing" in the same space as Ferrari. I can already hear the excuses about how Ferrari needs to keep its brand special and being seen in such a game might cheapen it -- but that's not the purpose of intellectual property law. Either way, it seems pretty dumb to piss off so many people even if many of them probably can't afford a Ferrari in real life (probably what the company is betting on). There may be some who can (or who will be able to someday), and pushing them away for no good reason can't help matters.

Filed Under: batracer, ferrari, game, trademark
Companies: ferrari