2012 Falcon F7 Supercar

The history of the automobile in America is filled with dreamers who saw an existing car or idea and thought to themselves “I can do better.” People such as Henry Kaiser, John DeLorean, Malcolm Bricklin, Henrik Fisker, and countless others held that dream for a short time, only to watch it slip through their fingers. Starting a car company is really, really hard to do – even for those who are blessed with talent, ideas, money, and a whole lot of luck.

Enter Jeff Lemke, an entrepreneur from Holly, Michigan (a small town about 50 miles outside of Detroit). Lemke has years of experience in building aftermarket parts for Dodge Vipers. In 2009, he decided he wanted to do his own car and started a company called Falcon Motorsports.

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Automotive Tech Takes the Stage at CES 2014

Every year in January, the world’s consumer electronics companies congregat in Las Vegas at the International CES Show to show off their latest and greatest products. Everything from digital cameras and tablet computers to washing machines and televisions are on display.

In past years, car manufacturers occupied a small part of the show to demonstrate the latest in-vehicle technologies. For 2014, automotive companies reserved 140,000 square feet of floor space for their booths – a 20% increase compared to 2013!

Here are some of the top automotive headlines from CES 2014:

Audi Introduces Self-Driving Car

Audi was at CES 2014 demonstrating a self-driving car, which uses a combination of RADAR, LASER, and imaging technologies to be aware of its surroundings. Last year, the car’s entire hatch was filled with computers to process this information. This year, it’s been shrunk down to a computer in the trunk no bigger than an iPad. Audi calls their new technology “piloted driving,” and it looked very close to production-ready on this A7 sedan.

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SEMA 2013: Galpin Ford GTR-1 Supercar

In honor of its 100th anniversary, the Ford Motor Company produced a limited production supercar from 2004 to 2006. Known as the Ford GT, this mid-engined marvel had a production run of just 4,038 vehicles.

The folks over at Galpin Auto Sports wondered: what if Ford had kept making the GT? What would it look like today? Based on that concept, they created the GTR 1 supercar.

This amazing car is based on the Ford GT, but features some significant changes. Check out the video below to learn more about the Galpin Ford GTR-1.

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2005 Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept Car

Back in 2005, the Ford Motor Company wanted to do something special to celebrate their 100th anniversary. What they did was come out with a special, limited-production car called the Ford GT. This mid-engined supercar was inspired by Ford’s famous GT40 racing cars from the 1960s.

The Ford GT has a supercharged V8 engine that makes a whopping 550 horsepower! Aside from a roll cage, this thing is basically a street-legal racing car. Like all good things, the Ford GT was only around for a limited time. After two years and 4,000 vehicles, Ford ended production of their high performance supercar.

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Hyundai Genesis Blue2 Fuel Cell Concept Car

At the 2013 CES show, I spotted a concept car that really pushes the technology envelope. It features energy-efficient lighting, is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, and has more screens than Best Buy. But perhaps the most surprising thing about this car is that it’s a Hyundai.

The Hyundai Genesis Blue2 is a concept car that is built around Hyundai’s MediaLink system, which brings smart capabilities like Bluetooth 3.0, Internet radio, and a full web browser to the driver’s seat.

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CES 2013: Lexus Introduces Self-Driving Car

It is 2013 and the world still does not have jetpacks, Star Trek Replicators, or time machines. But before you give up on your dreams of a high-tech future, listen to what Lexus has just come out with. Their Integrated Safety team was on hand at this year’s CES Show in Las Vegas to show off a self-driving car.

You may remember that I wrote about Google’s Self-Driving Prius as part of my SEMA 2012 coverage. This car works in much the same way as Google’s car: it relies on a multitude of sensors and instruments to safely navigate its way to your destination.

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