View allAll Photos Tagged Iteration
Ektachrome | Rodinal first dev | Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
Rodinal 1+50 @ 40c, 10 minutes with inversions every 3min, 20 minutes stand.
Fractal type:julia
Plot size (w,h):1280,1280
Maximum iterations:22000
Center Point (real, imaginary):0.0011962,0.000116097 i
Plot Width (real):0.000175
Julia origin (real, imaginary):-1.477096042689346,-0.005163776438012288 i
Source mandelbrot width:3E-07
Color scheme name:POP0
Re-Play (Official Music Video)(Side-A) on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCBZoMz5QCBIObkL6X0CTedw
Re-Play (Official Music Video)(Side-A) on Facebook: fb.watch/3CINkaA3RE/
This song brings an atmospheric, and cinematic feel that would compliment a suspenseful action scene in a Science-Fiction film [Example: The Matrix Reloaded]. It would also provide a menacing excitement to a dance floor such as 1015 Folsom in San Francisco, California [A well known Electronic Dance Music Nightclub]. If rhythm runs in your blood, then these infectious sounds will be much appreciated by your eardrums!
A Michael Martinez Official Music Video!
Living life without fear!
-The Notorious BIG
I choose to live my life outside my comfort zone.
SoUnD WaVeS-
What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create.
-Buddha
Follow on Spotify:
play.spotify.com/artist/5eundFvN4WvM0PTZMUshbh
Listen on Apple Music:
music.apple.com/us/artist/sound-waves/315456953
Available on all online major streaming sites!
Official homepage: soundwavesofficial.wixsite.com/lusciousbeats
#replay #EDM #DeepHouse #Electronica #michael #martinez #cinematic #filmscore #soundtrack #breakdancing #breakdance #climatic #hypnotic #menacing #rhythmic #mischievous #house #electronica #electro #orchestral #score #michaelmartinez #bboy #party #TIHWDI #duplication #iteration #redo #repeat #repetition #newmusicfriday #outsidethebox #models #dancers #dancing #europe #france #sunlight #sunrays #dreds #fourtwenty #blm #soundwaves #africanamericans #blacklivesmatter #drums #lake #scenicview #sunset #thenotoriousbig #notoriousbig #biggie #interpretive #dancing #buddha
The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by the Australian subsidiary of General Motors, Holden, from 1984 to 1986. It was the first iteration of the first generation of this Australian made model and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan.
Overview
The VK series was the first Commodore to have plastic (polypropylene) bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design (styled by Holden, but similar in appearance to the Opel Senator) as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models. Apart from the bumpers and "glasshouse", other changes for the VK Commodore included a front grille redesign and revamped dashboard instrumentation that included a full digital (vacuum fluorescent display) arrangement for the new luxury version, the Calais.
The exterior of the VK Commodore was also updated with a more modern and aggressive appearance. This included a new grill design very different from previous models, with three bold strips rather than a metallic grill, the now plastic front and rear bumpers/skirts replacing the obsolete metal guards, and a new rear tail light assembly, whereby they now spread from one side to another with a black panel in between. This all added up to a more prominent, sharper look for the 1980s. Changes were also made to the interior whereupon the panel of instruments were now square-shaped rather than the more conventional circular layout. In total, 135,705 VK Commodores were built.
Models
The VK range introduced new names for the specification levels, with Executive now a stand-alone nameplate alongside the base model SL. The Commodore Executive was basically a Commodore SL appointed with automatic transmission and power steering, and was aimed at capturing the fleet market, a market that Holden had lost its share in when the smaller bodied Commodore originally replaced the Kingswood. Also introduced was the Commodore Berlina (replacing the SL/X) and the Holden Calais (replacing the Commodore SL/E). The station wagon body style was available in SL, Executive or Berlina variants only, however the limited edition Vacationer name plate was also continued over for a period from the VH Commodore. Other variants produced were the Commodore SS sedan which featured its own specification – courtesy of HDT – high-performance 4.9-litre V8, and the limited edition – available only through affiliated HDT Holden dealers – LM 5000, SS Group 3, SS Group A (502 made) and Calais Director sedans.
Engines
Engine choices (not necessarily available on all cars in the VK range) were two versions of a 5.0-litre 308 cui Holden V8 engine (replaced by the 4.9-litre 304 cui V8 when Group A rules entered Australian motorsport in 1985) and two versions of a 3.3-litre inline 'black' Straight-6 engine (essentially a refined 'blue' I6 with slight increases in power and efficiency), the latter of which was available with either a carburetor or fuel injection. The 3.3 EST carburetor engine was standard equipment for most VK Commodores, with the 3.3 EFI injection engine nominated as standard equipment for the Calais sedan.
The 2.85-litre six-cylinder and the 4.2-litre V8, mainstays of the previous Commodore ranges were dropped, hence unavailable to the VK, however Holden's 1.9L Starfire 4-cylinder unit was offered on New Zealand market VK models.
SS Group A
The Commodore SS Group A was heavily modified by Holden's official performance tuner, originally the Holden Dealer Team. The SS Group A existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so a racing optimised version of the Commodore could be utilised for Group A touring car motor racing. The regulations set down by the international governing body FISA for Group A motor racing specified that a minimum of 500 cars were to be built to a certain specification prior to said vehicle being allowed to compete. Group A regulations governed many touring car series at the 1980s and 1990s including series in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Germany and the European Touring Car Championship as well as the one-off 1987 World Touring Car Championship as well as significant races like the Bathurst 1000, Spa 24 Hours and the RAC Tourist Trophy. The SS Group A model run ran from 1985 until 1992. The four models have since become highly collectible amongst Holden and performance enthusiasts.
Unique amongst all products produced by both the Holden Dealer Team and Holden Special Vehicles, these cars were referred to as Holdens, rather than as HDTs or HSVs.
As the first model to be produced (1985 – February 1986) represented Holden's increasing efforts in Group A racing. Available only in blue associated with the corporate colours of the Holden Dealer Team's principle sponsor Mobil, which gave rise to the cars nickname, the "Blue Meanie". Production began in early 1985, but part supply problems saw the HDT fail to build the required number of 500 and it missed the 1 August deadline for it to be eligible for racing that year. Production still continued and the VK SS Group A was available for motor racing from 1 January 1986. 502 cars were available only through Holden Dealer Team-affiliated Holden dealerships.
Visually the VK Group A SS had the addition of a rear spoiler, larger front air dam and a more aggressive front grill over the standard VK Commodore. Other changes included a double row timing chain (eliminating the car's inherent weakness of 1985, a single row chain), as well as stronger conrods and suspension mountings.
Power for the road going Group A SS with its 4.9 litre engine was rated at 196 kW (263 hp) at 5,200 rpm, with a top speed of 215 km/h (134 mph). Transmission options were M21 4-Speed manual, or T5 5-Speed (optional). The car was assembled at Dandenong, Victoria (Holden) and modified at Port Melbourne, Victoria (HDT).
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_%28VK%29
This miniland-scale Lego Holden VK Commodore SS Group-A 'Blue Meanie' has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 91st Build Challenge, - "Anger Management", - all about cars with some link to being angry.
The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by the Australian subsidiary of General Motors, Holden, from 1984 to 1986. It was the first iteration of the first generation of this Australian made model and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan.
Overview
The VK series was the first Commodore to have plastic (polypropylene) bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design (styled by Holden, but similar in appearance to the Opel Senator) as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models. Apart from the bumpers and "glasshouse", other changes for the VK Commodore included a front grille redesign and revamped dashboard instrumentation that included a full digital (vacuum fluorescent display) arrangement for the new luxury version, the Calais.
The exterior of the VK Commodore was also updated with a more modern and aggressive appearance. This included a new grill design very different from previous models, with three bold strips rather than a metallic grill, the now plastic front and rear bumpers/skirts replacing the obsolete metal guards, and a new rear tail light assembly, whereby they now spread from one side to another with a black panel in between. This all added up to a more prominent, sharper look for the 1980s. Changes were also made to the interior whereupon the panel of instruments were now square-shaped rather than the more conventional circular layout. In total, 135,705 VK Commodores were built.
Models
The VK range introduced new names for the specification levels, with Executive now a stand-alone nameplate alongside the base model SL. The Commodore Executive was basically a Commodore SL appointed with automatic transmission and power steering, and was aimed at capturing the fleet market, a market that Holden had lost its share in when the smaller bodied Commodore originally replaced the Kingswood. Also introduced was the Commodore Berlina (replacing the SL/X) and the Holden Calais (replacing the Commodore SL/E). The station wagon body style was available in SL, Executive or Berlina variants only, however the limited edition Vacationer name plate was also continued over for a period from the VH Commodore. Other variants produced were the Commodore SS sedan which featured its own specification – courtesy of HDT – high-performance 4.9-litre V8, and the limited edition – available only through affiliated HDT Holden dealers – LM 5000, SS Group 3, SS Group A (502 made) and Calais Director sedans.
Engines
Engine choices (not necessarily available on all cars in the VK range) were two versions of a 5.0-litre 308 cui Holden V8 engine (replaced by the 4.9-litre 304 cui V8 when Group A rules entered Australian motorsport in 1985) and two versions of a 3.3-litre inline 'black' Straight-6 engine (essentially a refined 'blue' I6 with slight increases in power and efficiency), the latter of which was available with either a carburetor or fuel injection. The 3.3 EST carburetor engine was standard equipment for most VK Commodores, with the 3.3 EFI injection engine nominated as standard equipment for the Calais sedan.
The 2.85-litre six-cylinder and the 4.2-litre V8, mainstays of the previous Commodore ranges were dropped, hence unavailable to the VK, however Holden's 1.9L Starfire 4-cylinder unit was offered on New Zealand market VK models.
SS Group A
The Commodore SS Group A was heavily modified by Holden's official performance tuner, originally the Holden Dealer Team. The SS Group A existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so a racing optimised version of the Commodore could be utilised for Group A touring car motor racing. The regulations set down by the international governing body FISA for Group A motor racing specified that a minimum of 500 cars were to be built to a certain specification prior to said vehicle being allowed to compete. Group A regulations governed many touring car series at the 1980s and 1990s including series in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Germany and the European Touring Car Championship as well as the one-off 1987 World Touring Car Championship as well as significant races like the Bathurst 1000, Spa 24 Hours and the RAC Tourist Trophy. The SS Group A model run ran from 1985 until 1992. The four models have since become highly collectible amongst Holden and performance enthusiasts.
Unique amongst all products produced by both the Holden Dealer Team and Holden Special Vehicles, these cars were referred to as Holdens, rather than as HDTs or HSVs.
As the first model to be produced (1985 – February 1986) represented Holden's increasing efforts in Group A racing. Available only in blue associated with the corporate colours of the Holden Dealer Team's principle sponsor Mobil, which gave rise to the cars nickname, the "Blue Meanie". Production began in early 1985, but part supply problems saw the HDT fail to build the required number of 500 and it missed the 1 August deadline for it to be eligible for racing that year. Production still continued and the VK SS Group A was available for motor racing from 1 January 1986. 502 cars were available only through Holden Dealer Team-affiliated Holden dealerships.
Visually the VK Group A SS had the addition of a rear spoiler, larger front air dam and a more aggressive front grill over the standard VK Commodore. Other changes included a double row timing chain (eliminating the car's inherent weakness of 1985, a single row chain), as well as stronger conrods and suspension mountings.
Power for the road going Group A SS with its 4.9 litre engine was rated at 196 kW (263 hp) at 5,200 rpm, with a top speed of 215 km/h (134 mph). Transmission options were M21 4-Speed manual, or T5 5-Speed (optional). The car was assembled at Dandenong, Victoria (Holden) and modified at Port Melbourne, Victoria (HDT).
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_%28VK%29
This miniland-scale Lego Holden VK Commodore SS Group-A 'Blue Meanie' has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 91st Build Challenge, - "Anger Management", - all about cars with some link to being angry.
Yes, there is a 'widening gyre' aspect to it all, a circling of that drain, that narrowing whirlpool manifesting its blackhole-ishness, concentric circles going towards a type of infinity, so there is a tendency to re-pass oneself. I guess that each time round you hopefully see more. I might have found a re-start this morning. Hopefully one finds a new start every morning, stress or joy induced, in the best of situations. The embracing of this stress, fear, or joy, might be the key, the way 'forward'; the looking at it and that cliche of cliches, the letting go of it.
The way 'forward', now there's a strange idea, towards what, one wonders. The notion of there being a 'key' is also another humdinger. I suspect we console ourselves with these ideas. We are quite inventive in the face of the bewilderment of the infinite, infinite nothingness included, leading to the generation of deities and myths, perhaps.
This morning's reset included Darwin, and a theory around abuse and the shrinking of the hippocampus, generated by Sapolsky, but it also includes Cronus and Goya, Joyce, de Beauvoir and Karl Ove Knausgaard, a rum bunch of god-fearers indeed. Yeats is there too, of course. On re-reading his "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity", you cannot help but wonder which camp you might find yourself in. But we do have his 'widening gyre', and that might be compensation enough, both for that person, the mediocrity and the visionary, or even those of us suspended ‘twixt and ‘tween, not at all sure where we have set up our temporary camp.
But it is going somewhere else too, as the concentric circles tighten, whilst expanding. It's both frightening and exhilarating at the same time. There is also that realisation that 'research' cannot continue forever. It's the adding to it that 'matters', at least if you feel driven to communicate, that awful compunction, that affliction.
I like that there is a black hole in the centre of an eye, something that swallows up everything as you look, but also as you don't look. I like that it continually devours, eats everything, whether you are conscious of it or not, pulling everything into itself. I suspect that to it, at least, all things are equal, everything is food, everything is to be swallowed up. I guess the next step would be to get to that daunting point of regurgitation. I say, get to that ‘point’ whist recognizing that this might be a constant and ongoing (unstoppable) force of its own anyway, disregarding how hapless, or clunky, the conduit itself might be.
I like that we see without having to look, and perhaps have realisations that we don't even realise we have had until we see them in the conglomerate. I suspect that if we continue to repeat ourselves, if we can see what patterns we might be generating, just in what we notice, then that might be a good place to start.
Which takes us back to the sink, and what in an assessment of Robert Gober's work was termed 'The Poetics of the Drain', and that infinite sink-hole in the centre of the, all consuming, eye.
Fractal based on iterating z(n+1)=(phi^z(n)-(-phi)^n)/sqrt(5), where phi=(sqrt(5)+1)/2 is the golden ratio. This is the Binet closed form formula for Fibonacci numbers for positive integer values of z. The complex plane has been inverted w=1/z for this picture, making infinity the center point. The color denotes the number of iterations until the value becomes infinite at Matlab's numerical precision. Note the dark blue "clouds": points starting here converge towards 1 instead.
I go through a second iteration after a concept to finalize a structure for strength and to clean up and remove any unnecessary pieces.
For this build, many of the studs on plates were hitting the wing, so they had to be removed. I pinned together a lot of technic bricks to give the structure strength. After two hours of trial and error, this is the final structure I'll go with.
------------------
I had an idea to build out a really large and smooth wing for a SHIP, and thought that using two large aircraft wing pieces sandwiched around a technic beam core would provide a lot of strength for a massive cantilevered structure. I want to put on some large engines and continue the wing further out.
This uses a trick where you technic pin two technic long bricks with studs facing in opposite directions, then put a plate on top. I'm also using the plates to "box in" the beams.
The third iteration of the original Leica M4, the M4-P, is the successor to the M4-2 or the rangefinder that saved Leitz's rangefinder line of cameras. Produced in Midland, Ontario, by Ernst Leitz Canada and released in 1980. The M4-P offers up auto-adjusting frame lines for a set group of focal lengths and is often called the inexpensive M-Series Rangefinder.
The total review drops in September 2023!
Leitz Leica M4-P - 7Artisans DJ-Optical 35/2 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320
Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+47) 8:30 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Meter: ReveniLabs Incident Meter
Scanner: Epson V700 + Silverfast 9 SE
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CC
Some designs go through so many iterations of improvement and innovation that the end of the line bears no resemblance to the model that began it. The CHT-3 (Commercial Hauler, Terrestrial, Model 3) Heavy by Abel-Norton Industries goes a long way towards proving that some things don't need to change much to keep up with the times.
Designed for large-scale earth moving on offworld colonies, the CHT-3 is the ground-transport backbone of 22nd century terraforming efforts. While its ancestry in the massive earth movers of the 20th century is obvious, the CHT-3 has a completely modular forward cab that can be reconfigured on-site for a variety of jobs, atmospheres, and gravities. The command deck is completely sealed and self-sufficient, providing enough air, food and water for the crew of six to survive for up to two weeks if completely cut off--long enough for a rescue mission from Earth, if need be.
The only major flaw of the CHT-3 is its sophistication, requiring both more manpower to operate and a highly-trained maintenance crew. But with the advent of cheap FTL, these considerations are not as great as they used to be. Long gone are the days when everything shipped to an offworld colony had to be justified down to the gram and capable of being fully maintained on-site using local materials.
RX-droids are something I have been building in Lego form since I was a teenager. Introduced in the original Star Tours ride at Disneyland, and since included in Galaxy's Edge and Star Wars Rebels, a single RX droid made the first "live action" debut of the class recently in The Book of Boba Fett as a card dealer.
So now is a good time as any to share my collection of various RX droids built over the years. My original MOC has long been disassembled, but its surviving iterations have progressed over time to create what I feel is a fairly accurate take on the class.
Kathy Toth || Toronto Graffiti Archive || Instagram
This is second iteration of Kwest's TRUTH exhibit for nuit. It's been parked in the bentway for a bit. These are from my iPhone which I actually like much better.
The first sculpture was 5 years ago when it was bigger and made of wood. Here are a few shots from '17 (scroll back to see those images).
www.flickr.com/photos/artiquated/51379774703/
This one located under the Gardner behind Fort York where I remember he left his first sculpture back in 2007 here: flic.kr/p/2j6Myic
Fractal type:mandelbrot
Plot size (w,h):2210,2210
Maximum iterations:33000
Center Point (real, imaginary):-0.749500965187,0.0384233133194 i
Plot Width (real):3E-10
Color scheme name:ShavedIce
More than 40 guardsmen from 1-171st General Support Aviation Battalion, Georgia Army National Guard along with five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters arrived in the belly of a giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft July 27 in Tbilisi, Georgia to provide support for exercise Noble Partner. Noble Partner 2018 is a Georgian Armed Forces and U.S. Army Europe cooperatively-led exercise in its fourth iteration. The exercise is intended to support and enhance the readiness and interoperability of Georgia, the U.S. and participating nations during a multinational training operation. This exercise provides leaders at all levels the opportunity to exercise their staffs in command and control; and execution of combined planning for complex joint operations. Noble Partner 2018 is conducted at Vaziani and Camp Norio Training Areas in Georgia.
The XD was the first iteration of the project known as 'Blackwood' - the new Falcon launched in 1979. The result was a large family car, designed to look as modern and compact as possible, despite being based on the preceding XA-XC Falcon platform, itself derived from the US model of 1966.
The car had a very modern appearance for the time, very crisp edged, in the manner of Pininfarina and Italdesign designs seen in Europe on cars such as the FIAT 130 and the VW Golf.
The fuel crises during the 1970s had led to a number of studies to develop a smaller, lighter car, potentially in combination with Mazda. Indecision (a common Ford malady) led to a re-skin of the existing car, despite an observed swing to smaller cars. The Blackwood was fitted with 3.3L and 4.1L inline six-cylinder engines, along with 5.0L and 5.8L V8 engines.
The main Australian competitor, Holden, had developed a new car, derived from the GM Europe V-Var platform, debuting in 1978, including a 4-cylinder engine, had Ford sweating out the remainder of the year, with ever-reducing sales of the outgoing XC Falcon model.
Despite these headwinds, there was still a perceived customer need for a broad rear seat, an advantage that Ford made the most of in advertising materials for the new car.
Enter the 1980s, and despite a general movement to smaller cars, a reduction in fuel prices, along with fuel efficiency gains to the Falcon engine (in conjunction with Honda), let to an upswing in Falcon sales (at the expense of the Commodore, delivering Ford Australia market leadership for the first time.
The indecision that had put the company at risk had delivered the car that the market had wanted once the fuel crisis had subsided. Ford enjoyed healthy profits throughout the life of Blackwood (1979-1988), while Holden had required significant cash-injections from its GM parent to provide the funds to develop a bigger car as a more direct competitor to the Falcon (the VN Commodore) in late 1988.
Shown here is the XD Falcon wagon model (with optional driving lights), which drove on a longer wheelbase than the regular sedan model. This was popular with families, as the second row could be optioned with four seatbelt positions. Like a few models this month, a model just like this was owned by family friends at the time.
An curious little anecdote. For some reason my father (who was otherwise quite mechanically practical) when offered to drive the car at some point, and for inexplicable reason, was unable to drive the car, as he did not know how to operate the automatic transmission controls - odd that I can remember this detail from 35 years ago.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provides funds for its maintenance. The bridge is built to a design by William Henry Barlow and John Hawkshaw, based on an earlier design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is a Grade I listed building and forms part of the B3129 road.
The idea of building a bridge across the Avon Gorge originated in 1753. Original plans were for a stone bridge and later iterations were for a wrought iron structure. In 1831, an attempt to build Brunel's design was halted by the Bristol riots, and the revised version of his designs was built after his death and completed in 1864. Although similar in size, the bridge towers are not identical in design, the Clifton tower having side cut-outs, the Leigh tower more pointed arches atop a 110-foot (34 m) red sandstone-clad abutment. Roller-mounted "saddles" at the top of each tower allow movement of the three independent wrought iron chains on each side when loads pass over the bridge. The bridge deck is suspended by 162 vertical wrought-iron rods in 81 matching pairs.
The Clifton Bridge Company initially managed the bridge under licence from a charitable trust. The trust subsequently purchased the company shares, completing this in 1949 and took over the running of the bridge using the income from tolls to pay for maintenance. The bridge is a distinctive landmark, used as a symbol of Bristol on postcards, promotional materials, and informational web sites. It has been used as a backdrop to several films and television advertising and programmes. It has also been the venue for significant cultural events such as the first modern bungee jump in 1979, the last Concorde flight in 2003 and a handover of the Olympic Torch relay in 2012.
It is unknown when the first bridge was constructed across the Avon in Bristol, but the first stone bridge, Bristol Bridge, was built in the 13th century. It had houses with shopfronts built on it to pay for its maintenance. A 17th-century illustration shows that these bridge houses were five storeys high, including the attic rooms, and that they overhung the river much as Tudor houses would overhang the street. In the 1760s a bill to replace the bridge was carried through parliament by the Bristol MP Sir Jarrit Smyth. By the early 18th century, increase in traffic and the encroachment of shops on the roadway made the bridge fatally dangerous for many pedestrians. A new bridge, designed by James Bridges and finished by Thomas Paty was built in 1769 and 1776. Resentment at the tolls exacted to cross the new bridge occasioned the Bristol Bridge Riot of 1793. Other crossings were considered, but were restricted by Admiralty rules that stipulated that any bridge had to be at least 100 feet (30 m) above the water to allow the passage of tall-masted warships to Bristol Harbour. To achieve this, any bridge constructed between Bristol Bridge and Avon Gorge, from Hotwells to Ashton Gate, would require massive embankments and viaducts. The alternative was to build across the narrowest point of the Avon Gorge, well above the height required for shipping.
In 1753 Bristolian merchant William Vick had left a bequest in his will of £1,000 (equivalent to £160,000 in 2021), invested with instructions that when the interest had accumulated to £10,000 (£1,620,000), it should be used for the purpose of building a stone bridge between Clifton Down (which was in Gloucestershire, outside the City of Bristol, until the 1830s) and Leigh Woods in Somerset. Although there was little development in the area before the late 18th century, as Bristol became more prosperous, Clifton became fashionable and more wealthy merchants moved to the area.[9] In 1793 William Bridges published plans for a stone arch with abutments containing factories, which would pay for the upkeep of the bridge. The French Revolutionary Wars broke out soon after the design was published, affecting trade and commerce, so the plans were shelved. In 1811 Sarah Guppy patented a design for a suspension bridge across the gorge but this was never realised and was not submitted to the later competition.
By 1829, Vick's bequest had reached £8,000, but it was estimated that a stone bridge would cost over ten times that. A competition was held to find a design for the bridge with a prize of 100 guineas. Entries were received from 22 designers, including Samuel Brown, James Meadows Rendel, William Tierney Clark and William Hazledine. Several were for stone bridges and had estimated costs of between £30,000 and £93,000. Brunel submitted four entries. The judging committee rejected 17 of the 22 plans submitted, on the grounds of appearance or cost. They then called in Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford to make a final selection from the five remaining entries. Telford rejected all the remaining designs, arguing that 577 feet (176 m) was the maximum possible span. Telford was then asked to produce a design himself, which he did, proposing a 110-foot-wide (34 m) suspension bridge, supported on tall Gothic towers, costing £52,000.
The Bridge Committee which had been set up to look at the designs sponsored the Clifton Bridge Bill which became an Act when the Bill received the Royal Assent on 29 May 1830. The Act appointed three Trustees to carry through the purposes of the Act, with powers to appoint more up to a total not exceeding thirty five or less than twenty. The three Trustees named in the Act were the Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers, the Senior Sheriff of the City and County of Bristol and Thomas Daniel. The Act allowed a wrought iron suspension bridge to be built instead of stone, and tolls levied to recoup the cost.
The three Trustees named in the Act met on 17 June 1830 and appointed further Trustees, bringing the total up to 23. There were additions to this number in the weeks which followed, so by early July 1830 there were 31 in all, although not everyone had been formally sworn in by that date. Others included Thomas Durbin Brice, Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers, George Daubeny, John Cave, John Scandrett Harford, George Hilhouse, Henry Bush, and Richard Guppy.
The first full meeting of the Trustees was held on 22 June 1830 in the Merchants Hall in Bristol. Alderman Thomas Daniel was in the chair. 86 people had committed £17,350, an average of just over £200 each.
These funds raised during the first few months of 1830 were not sufficient for the construction. Despite this Brunel produced a new proposal costing £10,000 less than Telford's design and gained support for it in the local press. James Meadows Rendel, William Armstrong and William Hill also submitted new, cheaper proposals, complaining that the committee had not set a budget. In 1831 a second competition was held, with new judges including Davies Gilbert and John Seaward examining the engineering qualities of the proposals. Thirteen designs were submitted; Telford's was the only one in which the chains achieved the weight per square inch required by the judges but it was rejected as being too expensive. The winner was declared to be a design by Smith and Hawkes of the Eagle Foundry in Birmingham. Brunel had a personal meeting with Gilbert and persuaded him to change the decision. The committee then declared Brunel the winner and he was awarded a contract as project engineer. The winning design was for a suspension bridge with fashionably Egyptian-influenced towers. In 2010, newly discovered letters and documents revealed that, in producing his design, Brunel hadn't taken advice from his father, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, who had offered to help. The elder Brunel had recommended including a central support for the bridge, as he did not believe a single-span bridge of such length could be constructed. His son chose to ignore his advice.
A ceremony to mark the start of the construction works was held Monday 20 June 1831. Work started on blasting of St. Vincent's Rock, on the Clifton side of the gorge. Four months later work was halted by the Bristol riots, which took place after the House of Lords rejected the second Reform Bill, which aimed to eliminate some of the rotten boroughs and give parliamentary seats to Britain's fast growing industrial towns such as Bristol. Five to six hundred young men were involved in the riots and Brunel was sworn in as a special constable. The riots severely dented commercial confidence in Bristol; subscriptions to the bridge company ceased, and along with it, further construction of the bridge.
After the passing of the Act for the Great Western Railway reestablished financial confidence, work resumed in 1836, but subsequent investment proved woefully inadequate. Despite the main contractors going bankrupt in 1837, the towers were built in unfinished stone. To enable the transfer of materials, a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) iron bar, which was 1.25 inches (32 mm) in diameter, had been drawn by capstan across the gorge. A contract was placed with Dowlais Ironworks to supply 600 tons of bar iron, which was to be transported to the Copperhouse foundry to be forged into bar chains. By 1843 funds were exhausted and another £30,000 was needed. As the work had exceeded the time limit stated in the Act, all work stopped. Brunel suggested building a deep water pier at Portbury, which would make the bridge an essential road link, but funds for this scheme were not forthcoming. In 1851, the ironwork was sold and used to build the Brunel-designed Royal Albert Bridge on the railway between Plymouth and Saltash. The towers remained and during the 1850s intrepid passengers could cross the gorge in a basket slung from the iron bar.
Brunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. His colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds. In 1860, Brunel's Hungerford suspension bridge over the Thames in London was demolished to make way for a new railway bridge to Charing Cross railway station. Its chains were purchased for use at Clifton.
A revised design was made by William Henry Barlow and Sir John Hawkshaw, with a wider, higher and sturdier deck than Brunel intended, with triple chains instead of double.
It has been argued that the size and technology of these revisions was so great that the credit for its design should go to Barlow and Hawkshaw. The towers remained in rough stone, rather than being finished in the Egyptian style. Work on the bridge was restarted in 1862. Initially a temporary bridge was created by pulling ropes across the gorge and making a footway of wire ropes with wood planks held together with iron hoops. This was used by the workers to move a "traveller", consisting of a light frame on wheels, to transport each link individually, which would eventually make up the chains supporting the bridge. The chains are anchored in tapering tunnels, 25 metres (82 ft) long, on either side of the bridge and plugs of Staffordshire blue brick infilled to prevent the chains being pulled out of the narrower tunnel mouth. After completion of the chains, vertical suspension rods were hung from the links in the chains and large girders hung from these. The girders on either side then support the deck, which is 3 feet (0.91 m) higher at the Clifton end than at Leigh Woods so that it gives the impression of being horizontal. The strength of the structure was tested by spreading 500 tons of stone over the bridge. This caused it to sag by 7 inches (180 mm), but within the expected tolerances. During this time a tunnel was driven through the rocks on the Leigh Woods side beneath the bridge to carry the Bristol Port Railway to Avonmouth. The construction work was completed in 1864–111 years after a bridge at the site was first planned.
The Avon Gorge (grid reference ST560743) is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bristol, with the boundary running along the south bank. As Bristol was an important port, the gorge formed a defensive gateway to the city.
On the east of the gorge is the Bristol suburb of Clifton, and The Downs, a large public park. To the west of the gorge is Leigh Woods, the name of both a village and the National Trust forest it is situated in. There are three Iron Age hill forts overlooking the gorge, as well as an observatory. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, an icon of Bristol, crosses the gorge.
The River Avon is a river in the southwest of England. To distinguish it from a number of other rivers of the same name, it is often called the Bristol Avon. The name 'Avon' is loaned from an ancestor of the Welsh word afon, meaning 'river'.
The Avon rises just north of the village of Acton Turville in South Gloucestershire, before flowing through Wiltshire into Somerset. In its lower reaches from Bath (where it meets the Kennet and Avon Canal) to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth near Bristol, the river is navigable and is known as the Avon Navigation.
The Avon is the 19th longest river in the United Kingdom, at 83 miles (134 km), although there are just 19 miles (31 km) as the crow flies between the source and its mouth in the Severn Estuary. The catchment area is 2,220 square kilometres (860 sq mi).
Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Down.
Notable places in Clifton include Clifton Suspension Bridge, Clifton Cathedral, Clifton College, The Clifton Club, Clifton High School, Bristol, Goldney Hall and Clifton Down.
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. The county is the West of England combined authority area, this includes the Greater Bristol area (eleventh most populous urban area in the United Kingdom) and nearby places such as Bath.
Iron Age hillforts and Roman villas were built near the confluence of the rivers Frome and Avon. Around the beginning of the 11th century, the settlement was known as Brycgstow (Old English: 'the place at the bridge'). Bristol received a royal charter in 1155 and was historically divided between Gloucestershire and Somerset until 1373 when it became a county corporate. From the 13th to the 18th century, Bristol was among the top three English cities, after London, in tax receipts.
A major port, Bristol was a starting place for early voyages of exploration to the New World. On a ship out of Bristol in 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian, became the first European to land on mainland North America. In 1499, William Weston, a Bristol merchant, was the first Englishman to lead an exploration to North America. At the height of the Bristol slave trade, from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slave ships carried an estimated 500,000 people from Africa to slavery in the Americas. The Port of Bristol has since moved from Bristol Harbour in the city centre to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock.
The city's modern economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries; the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as cultural and heritage centres. There are a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini, Spike Island, Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium. The city has two universities; the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). It is connected to the world by Bristol Airport; to the rest of the Great Britain via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway mainline rail stations; by road by both the south-west to West Midlands M5 and the London to South Wales M4 (which connect to the city centre by the Portway and M32).
It was named the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017; it won the European Green Capital Award in 2015. The city had the largest circulating community currency in the UK, the Bristol Pound, which was pegged to the pound sterling before it ceased operation in August 2020.
Somerset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east and the north-east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath, and the county town is Taunton.
Somerset is a predominantly rural county, especially to the south and west, with an area of 4,171 km2 (1,610 sq mi) and a population of 965,424. After Bath (101,557), the largest settlements are Weston-super-Mare (82,418), Taunton (60,479), and Yeovil (49,698). Wells (12,000) is a city, the second-smallest by population in England. For local government purposes the county comprises three unitary authority areas: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and Somerset.
The centre of Somerset is dominated by the Levels, a coastal plain and wetland, and the north-east and west of the county are hilly. The north-east contains part of the Cotswolds AONB, all of the Mendip Hills AONB, and a small part of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB; the west contains the Quantock Hills AONB, a majority of Exmoor National Park, and part of the Blackdown Hills AONB. The main rivers in the county are the Avon, which flows through Bath and then Bristol, and the Axe, Brue, and Parrett, which drain the Levels.
There is evidence of Paleolithic human occupation in Somerset, and the area was subsequently settled by the Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. The county played a significant part in Alfred the Great's rise to power, and later the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. In the later medieval period its wealth allowed its monasteries and parish churches to be rebuilt in grand style; Glastonbury Abbey was particularly important, and claimed to house the tomb of King Arthur and Guinevere. The city of Bath is famous for its Georgian architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The county is also the location of Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's major music festivals.
Somerset is a historic county in the south west of England. There is evidence of human occupation since prehistoric times with hand axes and flint points from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, and a range of burial mounds, hill forts and other artefacts dating from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The oldest dated human road work in Great Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BCE.
Following the Roman Empire's invasion of southern Britain, the mining of lead and silver in the Mendip Hills provided a basis for local industry and commerce. Bath became the site of a major Roman fort and city, the remains of which can still be seen. During the Early Medieval period Somerset was the scene of battles between the Anglo-Saxons and first the Britons and later the Danes. In this period it was ruled first by various kings of Wessex, and later by kings of England. Following the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy by the Normans in 1066, castles were built in Somerset.
Expansion of the population and settlements in the county continued during the Tudor and more recent periods. Agriculture and coal mining expanded until the 18th century, although other industries declined during the industrial revolution. In modern times the population has grown, particularly in the seaside towns, notably Weston-super-Mare. Agriculture continues to be a major business, if no longer a major employer because of mechanisation. Light industries are based in towns such as Bridgwater and Yeovil. The towns of Taunton and Shepton Mallet manufacture cider, although the acreage of apple orchards is less than it once was.
The Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods saw hunter-gatherers move into the region of Somerset. There is evidence from flint artefacts in a quarry at Westbury that an ancestor of modern man, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, was present in the area from around 500,000 years ago. There is still some doubt about whether the artefacts are of human origin but they have been dated within Oxygen Isotope Stage 13 (524,000 – 478,000 BP). Other experts suggest that "many of the bone-rich Middle Pleistocene deposits belong to a single but climatically variable interglacial that succeeded the Cromerian, perhaps about 500,000 years ago. Detailed analysis of the origin and modification of the flint artefacts leads to the conclusion that the assemblage was probably a product of geomorphological processes rather than human work, but a single cut-marked bone suggests a human presence." Animal bones and artefacts unearthed in the 1980s at Westbury-sub-Mendip, in Somerset, have shown evidence of early human activity approximately 700,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens sapiens, or modern man, came to Somerset during the Early Upper Palaeolithic. There is evidence of occupation of four Mendip caves 35,000 to 30,000 years ago. During the Last Glacial Maximum, about 25,000 to 15,000 years ago, it is probable that Somerset was deserted as the area experienced tundra conditions. Evidence was found in Gough's Cave of deposits of human bone dating from around 12,500 years ago. The bones were defleshed and probably ritually buried though perhaps related to cannibalism being practised in the area at the time or making skull cups or storage containers. Somerset was one of the first areas of future England settled following the end of Younger Dryas phase of the last ice age c. 8000 BC. Cheddar Man is the name given to the remains of a human male found in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge. He is Britain's oldest complete human skeleton. The remains date from about 7150 BC, and it appears that he died a violent death. Somerset is thought to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from about 6000 BCE; Mesolithic artefacts have been found in more than 70 locations. Mendip caves were used as burial places, with between 50 and 100 skeletons being found in Aveline's Hole. In the Neolithic era, from about 3500 BCE, there is evidence of farming.
At the end of the last ice age the Bristol Channel was dry land, but later the sea level rose, particularly between 1220 and 900 BC and between 800 and 470 BCE, resulting in major coastal changes. The Somerset Levels became flooded, but the dry points such as Glastonbury and Brent Knoll have a long history of settlement, and are known to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunters. The county has prehistoric burial mounds (such as Stoney Littleton Long Barrow), stone rows (such as the circles at Stanton Drew and Priddy) and settlement sites. Evidence of Mesolithic occupation has come both from the upland areas, such as in Mendip caves, and from the low land areas such as the Somerset Levels. Dry points in the latter such as Glastonbury Tor and Brent Knoll, have a long history of settlement with wooden trackways between them. There were also "lake villages" in the marsh such as those at Glastonbury Lake Village and Meare. One of the oldest dated human road work in Britain is the Sweet Track, constructed across the Somerset Levels with wooden planks in the 39th century BC, partially on the route of the even earlier Post Track.
There is evidence of Exmoor's human occupation from Mesolithic times onwards. In the Neolithic period people started to manage animals and grow crops on farms cleared from the woodland, rather than act purely as hunter gatherers. It is also likely that extraction and smelting of mineral ores to make tools, weapons, containers and ornaments in bronze and then iron started in the late Neolithic and into the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The caves of the Mendip Hills were settled during the Neolithic period and contain extensive archaeological sites such as those at Cheddar Gorge. There are numerous Iron Age Hill Forts, which were later reused in the Dark Ages, such as Cadbury Castle, Worlebury Camp and Ham Hill. The age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown, but is believed to be from the Neolithic period. There is evidence of mining on the Mendip Hills back into the late Bronze Age when there were technological changes in metal working indicated by the use of lead. There are numerous "hill forts", such as Small Down Knoll, Solsbury Hill, Dolebury Warren and Burledge Hill, which seem to have had domestic purposes, not just a defensive role. They generally seem to have been occupied intermittently from the Bronze Age onward, some, such as Cadbury Camp at South Cadbury, being refurbished during different eras. Battlegore Burial Chamber is a Bronze Age burial chamber at Williton which is composed of three round barrows and possibly a long, chambered barrow.
The Iron Age tribes of later Somerset were the Dobunni in north Somerset, Durotriges in south Somerset and Dumnonii in west Somerset. The first and second produced coins, the finds of which allows their tribal areas to be suggested, but the latter did not. All three had a Celtic culture and language. However, Ptolemy stated that Bath was in the territory of the Belgae, but this may be a mistake. The Celtic gods were worshipped at the temple of Sulis at Bath and possibly the temple on Brean Down. Iron Age sites on the Quantock Hills, include major hill forts at Dowsborough and Ruborough, as well as smaller earthwork enclosures, such as Trendle Ring, Elworthy Barrows and Plainsfield Camp.
Somerset was part of the Roman Empire from 47 AD to about 409 AD. However, the end was not abrupt and elements of Romanitas lingered on for perhaps a century.
Somerset was invaded from the south-east by the Second Legion Augusta, under the future emperor Vespasian. The hillforts of the Durotriges at Ham Hill and Cadbury Castle were captured. Ham Hill probably had a temporary Roman occupation. The massacre at Cadbury Castle seems to have been associated with the later Boudiccan Revolt of 60–61 AD. The county remained part of the Roman Empire until around 409 AD.
The Roman invasion, and possibly the preceding period of involvement in the internal affairs of the south of England, was inspired in part by the potential of the Mendip Hills. A great deal of the attraction of the lead mines may have been the potential for the extraction of silver.
Forts were set up at Bath and Ilchester. The lead and silver mines at Charterhouse in the Mendip Hills were run by the military. The Romans established a defensive boundary along the new military road known the Fosse Way (from the Latin fossa meaning ditch). The Fosse Way ran through Bath, Shepton Mallet, Ilchester and south-west towards Axminster. The road from Dorchester ran through Yeovil to meet the Fosse Way at Ilchester. Small towns and trading ports were set up, such as Camerton and Combwich. The larger towns decayed in the latter part of the period, though the smaller ones appear to have decayed less. In the latter part of the period, Ilchester seems to have been a "civitas" capital and Bath may also have been one. Particularly to the east of the River Parrett, villas were constructed. However, only a few Roman sites have been found to the west of the river. The villas have produced important mosaics and artifacts. Cemeteries have been found outside the Roman towns of Somerset and by Roman temples such as that at Lamyatt. Romano-British farming settlements, such as those at Catsgore and Sigwells, have been found in Somerset. There was salt production on the Somerset Levels near Highbridge and quarrying took place near Bath, where the Roman Baths gave their name to Bath.
Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the 1st century until the 3rd century AD. The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park, where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from the Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke. In October 2001 the West Bagborough Hoard of 4th century Roman silver was discovered in West Bagborough. The 681 coins included two denarii from the early 2nd century and 8 Miliarense and 671 Siliqua all dating to the period AD 337 – 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors Constantius II and Julian and derive from a range of mints including Arles and Lyons in France, Trier in Germany and Rome.
In April 2010, the Frome Hoard, one of the largest-ever hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found by a metal detectorist. The hoard of 52,500 coins dated from the 3rd century AD and was found buried in a field near Frome, in a jar 14 inches (36 cm) below the surface. The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
This is the period from about 409 AD to the start of Saxon political control, which was mainly in the late 7th century, though they are said to have captured the Bath area in 577 AD. Initially the Britons of Somerset seem to have continued much as under the Romans but without the imperial taxation and markets. There was then a period of civil war in Britain though it is not known how this affected Somerset. The Western Wandsdyke may have been constructed in this period but archaeological data shows that it was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. This area became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577 AD. The ditch is on the north side, so presumably it was used by the Celts as a defence against Saxons encroaching from the upper Thames Valley. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652 AD, and further south at the Battle of Peonnum (at Penselwood) in 658 AD, followed by an advance west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett.
The Saxon advance from the east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example; at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus (which may have been in the Bath region e.g. at Solsbury Hill), or Bathampton Down. During the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries, Somerset was probably partly in the Kingdom of Dumnonia, partly in the land of the Durotriges and partly in that of the Dobunni. The boundaries between these is largely unknown, but may have been similar to those in the Iron Age. Various "tyrants" seem to have controlled territories from reoccupied hill forts. There is evidence of an elite at hill forts such as Cadbury Castle and Cadbury Camp; for example, there is imported pottery. Cemeteries are an important source of evidence for the period and large ones have been found in Somerset, such as that at Cannington, which was used from the Roman to the Saxon period. The towns of Somerset seem to have been little used during that period but there continued to be farming on the villa sites and at the Romano-British villages.
There may have been effects from plague and volcanic eruption during this period as well as marine transgression into the Levels.
The language spoken during this period is thought to be Southwestern Brythonic, but only one or two inscribed stones survive in Somerset from this period. However, a couple of curse tablets found in the baths at Bath may be in this language. Some place names in Somerset seem to be Celtic in origin and may be from this period or earlier, e.g. Tarnock. Some river names, such as Parrett, may be Celtic or pre-Celtic. The religion of the people of Somerset in this period is thought to be Christian but it was isolated from Rome until after the Council of Hertford in 673 AD when Aldhelm was asked to write a letter to Geraint of Dumnonia and his bishops. Some church sites in Somerset are thought to date from this period, e.g., Llantokay Street.
Most of what is known of the history of this period comes from Gildas's On the Ruin of Britain, which is thought to have been written in Durotrigan territory, possibly at Glastonbury.
The earliest fortification of Taunton started for King Ine of Wessex and Æthelburg, in or about the year 710 AD. However, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this was destroyed 12 years later.
This is the period from the late 7th century (for most of Somerset) to 1066, though for part of the 10th and 11th centuries England was under Danish control. Somerset, like Dorset to the south, held the West Saxon advance from Wiltshire/Hampshire back for over a century, remaining a frontier between the Saxons and the Romano-British Celts.
The Saxons conquered Bath following the Battle of Deorham in 577, and the border was probably established along the line of the Wansdyke to the north of the Mendip Hills. Then Cenwalh of Wessex broke through at Bradford-on-Avon in 652, and the Battle of Peonnum possibly at Penselwood in 658, advancing west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett. In 661 the Saxons may have advanced into what is now Devon as a result of a battle fought at Postesburh, possibly Posbury near Crediton.
Then in the period 681–85 Centwine of Wessex conquered King Cadwaladr and "advanced as far as the sea", but it is not clear where this was. It is assumed that the Saxons occupied the rest of Somerset about this time. The Saxon rule was consolidated under King Ine, who established a fort at Taunton, demolished by his wife in 722. It is sometimes said that he built palaces at Somerton and South Petherton but this does not seem to be the case. He fought against Geraint in 710. In 705 the diocese of Sherborne was formed, taking in Wessex west of Selwood. Saxon kings granted land in Somerset by charter from the 7th century onward. The way and extent to which the Britons survived under the Saxons is a debatable matter. However, King Ine's laws make provision for Britons. Somerset originally formed part of Wessex and latter became a separate "shire". Somersetshire seems to have been formed within Wessex during the 8th century though it is not recorded as a name until later. Mints were set up at times in various places in Somerset in the Saxon period, e.g., Watchet.
Somerset played an important part in defeating the spread of the Danes in the 9th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 845 Alderman Eanwulf, with the men of Somersetshire (Sumorsǣte), and Bishop Ealstan, and Alderman Osric, with the men of Dorsetshire, conquered the Danish army at the mouth of the Parret. This was the first known use of the name Somersæte. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that in January 878 the King Alfred the Great fled into the marshes of Somerset from the Viking's invasion and made a fort at Athelney. From the fort Alfred was able to organize a resistance using the local militias from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.
Viking raids took place for instance in 987 and 997 at Watchet and the Battle of Cynwit. King Alfred was driven to seek refuge from the Danes at Athelney before defeating them at the Battle of Ethandun in 878, usually considered to be near Edington, Wiltshire, but possibly the village of Edington in Somerset. Alfred established a series of forts and lookout posts linked by a military road, or Herepath, so his army could cover Viking movements at sea. The Herepath has a characteristic form which is familiar on the Quantocks: a regulation 20 m wide track between avenues of trees growing from hedge laying embankments. The Herepath ran from the ford on the River Parrett at Combwich, past Cannington hill fort to Over Stowey, where it climbed the Quantocks along the line of the current Stowey road, to Crowcombe Park Gate. Then it went south along the ridge, to Triscombe Stone. One branch may have led past Lydeard Hill and Buncombe Hill, back to Alfred's base at Athelney. The main branch descended the hills at Triscombe, then along the avenue to Red Post Cross, and west to the Brendon Hills and Exmoor. A peace treaty with the Danes was signed at Wedmore and the Danish king Guthrum the Old was baptised at Aller. Burhs (fortified places) had been set up by 919, such as Lyng. The Alfred Jewel, an object about 2.5 inch long, made of filigree gold, cloisonné-enamelled and with a rock crystal covering, was found in 1693 at Petherton Park, North Petherton. Believed to have been owned by Alfred the Great it is thought to have been the handle for a pointer that would have fit into the hole at its base and been used while reading a book.
Monasteries and minster churches were set up all over Somerset, with daughter churches from the minsters in manors. There was a royal palace at Cheddar, which was used at times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot, and there is likely to have been a "central place" at Somerton, Bath, Glastonbury and Frome since the kings visited them. The towns of Somerset seem to have been in occupation in this period though evidence for this is limited because of subsequent buildings on top of remains from this period. Agriculture flourished in this period, with a re-organisation into centralised villages in the latter part in the east of the county.
In the period before the Norman Conquest, Somerset came under the control of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and his family. There seems to have been some Danish settlement at Thurloxton and Spaxton, judging from the place-names. After the Norman Conquest, the county was divided into 700 fiefs, and large areas were owned by the crown, with fortifications such as Dunster Castle used for control and defence.
This period of Somerset's history is well documented, for example in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser's Life of Alfred.
This is the period from 1066 to around 1500. Following the defeat of the Saxons by the Normans in 1066, various castles were set up in Somerset by the new lords such as that at Dunster, and the manors was awarded to followers of William the Conqueror such as William de Moyon and Walter of Douai. Somerset does not seem to have played much part in the civil war in King Stephen's time, but Somerset lords were main players in the murder of Thomas Becket.
A good picture of the county in 1086 is given by Domesday Book, though there is some difficulty in identifying the various places since the hundreds are not specified. The total population given for the county, which had different boundaries to those today, was 13,399, however this only included the heads of households, so with their families this may have been around 67,000. Farming seems to have prospered for the next three centuries but was severely hit by the Black Death which in 1348 arrived in Dorset and quickly spread through Somerset, causing widespread mortality, perhaps as much as 50% in places. It re-occurred, resulting in a change in feudal practices since the manpower was no longer so available.
Reclamation of land from marsh in the Somerset Levels increased, largely under monastic influence. Crafts and industries also flourished, the Somerset woollen industry being one of the largest in England at this time. "New towns" were founded in this period in Somerset, i.e. Newport, but were not successful. Coal mining on the Mendips was an important source of wealth while quarrying also took place, an example is near Bath.
The towns grew, again often by monastic instigation, during this period and fairs were started. The church was very powerful at this period, particularly Glastonbury Abbey. After their church burnt down, the monks there "discovered" the tomb of "King Arthur" and were able rebuild their church. There were over 20 monasteries in Somerset at this period including the priory at Hinton Charterhouse which was founded in 1232 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury who also founded Lacock Abbey. Many parish churches were re-built in this period. Between 1107 and 1129 William Giffard the Chancellor of King Henry I, converted the bishop's hall in Taunton into Taunton Castle. Bridgwater Castle was built in 1202 by William Brewer. It passed to the king in 1233 and in 1245 repairs were ordered to its motte and towers. During the 11th century Second Barons' War against Henry III, Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. In the English Civil War the town and the castle were held by the Royalists under Colonel Sir Francis Wyndham. Eventually, with many buildings destroyed in the town, the castle and its valuable contents were surrendered to the Parliamentarians. The castle itself was deliberately destroyed in 1645.
During the Middle Ages sheep farming for the wool trade came to dominate the economy of Exmoor. The wool was spun into thread on isolated farms and collected by merchants to be woven, fulled, dyed and finished in thriving towns such as Dunster. The land started to be enclosed and from the 17th century onwards larger estates developed, leading to establishment of areas of large regular shaped fields. During this period a Royal Forest and hunting ground was established, administered by the Warden. The Royal Forest was sold off in 1818.
In the medieval period the River Parrett was used to transport Hamstone from the quarry at Ham Hill, Bridgwater was part of the Port of Bristol until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348, covering 80 miles (130 km) of the Somerset coast line, from the Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe. Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater; the river being bridged at this point, with the first bridge being constructed in 1200 AD. Quays were built in 1424; with another quay, the Langport slip, being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge. A Customs House was sited at Bridgwater, on West Quay; and a dry dock, launching slips and a boat yard on East Quay. The river was navigable, with care, to Bridgwater Town Bridge by 400 to 500 tonnes (440 to 550 tons) vessels. By trans-shipping into barges at the Town Bridge the Parrett was navigable as far as Langport and (via the River Yeo) to Ilchester.
This is the period from around 1500 to 1800. In the 1530s, the monasteries were dissolved and their lands bought from the king by various important families in Somerset. By 1539, Glastonbury Abbey was the only monastery left, its abbot Richard Whiting was then arrested and executed on the orders of Thomas Cromwell. From the Tudor to the Georgian times, farming specialised and techniques improved, leading to increases in population, although no new towns seem to have been founded. Large country houses such as at Hinton St George and Montacute House were built at this time.
The Bristol Channel floods of 1607 are believed to have affected large parts of the Somerset Levels with flooding up to 8 feet (2 m) above sea level. In 1625, a House of Correction was established in Shepton Mallet and, today, HMP Shepton Mallet is England's oldest prison still in use.
During the English Civil War, Somerset was largely Parliamentarian, although Dunster was a Royalist stronghold. The county was the site of important battles between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, notably the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643 and the Battle of Langport in 1645. The castle changed hands several times during 1642–45 along with the town. During the Siege of Taunton it was defended by Robert Blake, from July 1644 to July 1645. This war resulted in castles being destroyed to prevent their re-use.
In 1685, the Duke of Monmouth led the Monmouth Rebellion in which Somerset people fought against James II. The rebels landed at Lyme Regis and travelled north hoping to capture Bristol and Bath, puritan soldiers damaged the west front of Wells Cathedral, tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and the furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave. They were defeated in the Battle of Sedgemoor at Westonzoyland, the last battle fought on English soil. The Bloody Assizes which followed saw the losers being sentenced to death or transportation.
The Society of Friends established itself in Street in the mid-17th century, and among the close-knit group of Quaker families were the Clarks: Cyrus started a business in sheepskin rugs, later joined by his brother James, who introduced the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes. C&J Clark still has its headquarters in Street, but shoes are no longer manufactured there. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form Clarks Village, the first purpose-built factory outlet in the United Kingdom.
The 18th century was largely one of peace and declining industrial prosperity in Somerset. The Industrial Revolution in the Midlands and Northern England spelt the end for most of Somerset's cottage industries. However, farming continued to flourish, with the Bath and West of England Agricultural Society being founded in 1777 to improve methods. John Billingsley conducted a survey of the county's agriculture in 1795 but found that methods could still be improved.
Arthur Wellesley took his title, Duke of Wellington from the town of Wellington. He is commemorated on a nearby hill with a large, spotlit obelisk, known as the Wellington Monument.
In north Somerset, mining in the Somerset coalfield was an important industry, and in an effort to reduce the cost of transporting the coal the Somerset Coal Canal was built; part of it was later converted into a railway. Other canals included the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Westport Canal, Grand Western Canal, Glastonbury Canal and Chard Canal.[9] The Dorset and Somerset Canal was proposed, but very little of it was ever constructed.
The 19th century saw improvements to Somerset's roads with the introduction of turnpikes and the building of canals and railways. The usefulness of the canals was short-lived, though they have now been restored for recreation. The railways were nationalised after the Second World War, but continued until 1965, when smaller lines were scrapped; two were transferred back to private ownership as "heritage" lines.
In 1889, Somerset County Council was created, replacing the administrative functions of the Quarter Sessions.
The population of Somerset has continued to grow since 1800, when it was 274,000, particularly in the seaside towns such as Weston-super-Mare. Some population decline occurred earlier in the period in the villages, but this has now been reversed, and by 1951 the population of Somerset was 551,000.
Chard claims to be the birthplace of powered flight, as it was here in 1848 that the Victorian aeronautical pioneer John Stringfellow first demonstrated that engine-powered flight was possible through his work on the Aerial Steam Carriage. North Petherton was the first town in England (and one of the few ever) to be lit by acetylene gas lighting, supplied by the North Petherton Rosco Acetylene Company. Street lights were provided in 1906. Acetylene was replaced in 1931 by coal gas produced in Bridgwater, as well as by the provision of an electricity supply.
Around the 1860s, at the height of the iron and steel era, a pier and a deep-water dock were built, at Portishead, by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway to accommodate the large ships that had difficulty in reaching Bristol Harbour. The Portishead power stations were coal-fed power stations built next to the dock. Construction work started on Portishead "A" power station in 1926. It began generating electricity in 1929 for the Bristol Corporation's Electricity Department. In 1951, Albright and Wilson built a chemical works on the opposite side of the dock from the power stations. The chemical works produced white phosphorus from phosphate rock imported, through the docks, into the UK. The onset of new generating capacity at Pembroke (oil-fired) and Didcot (coal-fired) in the mid-1970s brought about the closure of the older, less efficient "A" Station. The newer of the two power stations ("B" Station) was converted to burn oil when the Somerset coalfields closed. Industrial activities ceased in the dock with the closure of the power stations. The Port of Bristol Authority finally closed the dock in 1992, and it has now been developed into a marina and residential area.
During the First World War hundreds of Somerset soldiers were killed, and war memorials were put up in most of the towns and villages; only a few villages escaped casualties. There were also casualties – though much fewer – during the Second World War, who were added to the memorials. The county was a base for troops preparing for the 1944 D-Day landings, and some Somerset hospitals still date partly from that time. The Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Bridgwater was constructed early in World War II for the Ministry of Supply. It was designed as an Explosive ROF, to produce RDX, which was then a new experimental high-explosive. It obtained water supplies from two sources via the Somerset Levels: the artificial Huntspill River which was dug during the construction of the factory and also from the King's Sedgemoor Drain, which was widened at the same time. The Taunton Stop Line was set up to resist a potential German invasion, and the remains of its pill boxes can still be seen, as well as others along the coast. A decoy town was constructed on Black Down, intended to represent the blazing lights of a town which had neglected to follow the black-out regulations. Sites in the county housed Prisoner of War camps including: Norton Fitzwarren, Barwick, Brockley, Goathurst and Wells. Various airfields were built or converted from civilian use including: RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS Heron II), RAF Weston-super-Mare, RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Yeovil/Westland Airport, RAF Weston Zoyland, RAF Merryfield, RAF Culmhead and RAF Charmy Down.
Exmoor was one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, under the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. and is named after its main river. It was expanded in 1991 and in 1993 Exmoor was designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area. The Quantock Hills were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1956, the first such designation in England under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Mendip Hills followed with AONB designation in 1972.
Hinkley Point A nuclear power station was a Magnox power station constructed between 1957 and 1962 and operating until ceasing generation in 2000. Hinkley Point B is an Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) which was designed to generate 1250 MW of electricity (MWe). Construction of Hinkley Point B started in 1967. In September 2008 it was announced, by Électricité de France (EDF), that a third, twin-unit European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) power station known as Hinkley Point C is planned, to replace Hinkley Point B which was due for closure in 2016, but has now has its life extended until 2022.
Somerset today has only two small cities, Bath and Wells, and only small towns in comparison with other areas of England. Tourism is a major source of employment along the coast, and in Bath and Cheddar for example. Other attractions include Exmoor, West Somerset Railway, Haynes Motor Museum and the Fleet Air Arm Museum as well as the churches and the various National Trust and English Heritage properties in Somerset.
Agriculture continues to be a major business, if no longer a major employer because of mechanisation. Light industries take place in towns such as Bridgwater and Yeovil. The towns of Taunton and Shepton Mallet manufacture cider, although the number of apple orchards has reduced.
In the late 19th century the boundaries of Somerset were slightly altered, but the main change came in 1974 when the county of Avon was set up. The northern part of Somerset was removed from the administrative control of Somerset County Council. On abolition of the county of Avon in 1996, these areas became separate administrative authorities, "North Somerset" and "Bath and North East Somerset". The Department for Communities and Local Government was considering a proposal by Somerset County Council to change Somerset's administrative structure by abolishing the five districts to create a Somerset unitary authority. The changes were planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009. However, support for the county council's bid was not guaranteed and opposition among the district council and local population was strong; 82% of people responding to a referendum organised by the five district councils rejected the proposals. It was confirmed in July 2007 that the government had rejected the proposals for unitary authorities in Somerset, and that the present two-tier arrangements of Somerset County Council and the district councils will remain.
Last iteration of Yashica D with 3.5 Yashinon taking lens and 2.8 viewing lens. Manufactured in 1970.
Taken with Steinheil 85mm/2.8 which sometimes can produce soap bubble boken with light and distance is right.
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All their rights are reserved to my own and unique property.
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Introducing the Iommian 7th iteration i-Fighter, codename: SPiNNER.
Features a control pod that rotates on the z-axis to keep the pilot stable while the fighter rolls or spins (pointless in space but it looks cool). The propulsion ring features almost 320 degrees of directional vectoring for extreme maneuverablity. Fighter operations controlled by two blue touch screens. Droid socket fits standard R2 unit (pictured here with R2-P3). Armaments include: 2 proton torpedo launchers (4 torpedoes each) and 4 laser cannons. The i-Fighter is not equipped with any kind of landing-gear, instead it relies on its repulsorlift generator to keep it hovering above the landing surface.
Built for the 2011 FBTB Alphabet Fighter Contest.
On my previous iterations, the Pilot was definitely a weak spot. I've taken the opportunity to build something much more correct, and the Safety Tread decals really bring the shaping to life.
One other thing to note on the front of the engine, I've used a small amount of black vinyl to keep the boiler sides black and still have the light gray face. I did consider leaving it with the light gray "collar" you would have seen without the vinyl, but one I put it on for a test there was no going back.
Also, I noticed that the black plastic of the headlight was absorbing a lot of the LED's light. To help with that, I lined the inside of the 1x1 cylinder brick with some yellow vinyl - and that worked wonderfully.
In this iteration, I hung a pine branch in front of the blue drop cloth. Distance from the lens and choice of aperture are critical elements to creating an interesting background. This iteration might be a bit better than just blue, but I've got a vision of how I'd like things to look and there's a plan and a lot of trial and error before I get there.
Date: March 2016
Medium: Digital Photomontage
Location: Tokyo Japan
Dimension: 32" x 73.6"
© 2016 Tony DeVarco and Mayako Nakamura
In collaboration with the artist Mayako Nakamura www.flickr.com/photos/ma85/
The XD was the first iteration of the project known as 'Blackwood' - the new Falcon launched in 1979. The result was a large family car, designed to look as modern and compact as possible, despite being based on the preceding XA-XC Falcon platform, itself derived from the US model of 1966.
The car had a very modern appearance for the time, very crisp edged, in the manner of Pininfarina and Italdesign designs seen in Europe on cars such as the FIAT 130 and the VW Golf.
The fuel crises during the 1970s had led to a number of studies to develop a smaller, lighter car, potentially in combination with Mazda. Indecision (a common Ford malady) led to a re-skin of the existing car, despite an observed swing to smaller cars. The Blackwood was fitted with 3.3L and 4.1L inline six-cylinder engines, along with 5.0L and 5.8L V8 engines.
The main Australian competitor, Holden, had developed a new car, derived from the GM Europe V-Var platform, debuting in 1978, including a 4-cylinder engine, had Ford sweating out the remainder of the year, with ever-reducing sales of the outgoing XC Falcon model.
Despite these headwinds, there was still a perceived customer need for a broad rear seat, an advantage that Ford made the most of in advertising materials for the new car.
Enter the 1980s, and despite a general movement to smaller cars, a reduction in fuel prices, along with fuel efficiency gains to the Falcon engine (in conjunction with Honda), let to an upswing in Falcon sales (at the expense of the Commodore, delivering Ford Australia market leadership for the first time.
The indecision that had put the company at risk had delivered the car that the market had wanted once the fuel crisis had subsided. Ford enjoyed healthy profits throughout the life of Blackwood (1979-1988), while Holden had required significant cash-injections from its GM parent to provide the funds to develop a bigger car as a more direct competitor to the Falcon (the VN Commodore) in late 1988.
Shown here is the XD Falcon wagon model (with optional driving lights), which drove on a longer wheelbase than the regular sedan model. This was popular with families, as the second row could be optioned with four seatbelt positions. Like a few models this month, a model just like this was owned by family friends at the time.
An curious little anecdote. For some reason my father (who was otherwise quite mechanically practical) when offered to drive the car at some point, and for inexplicable reason, was unable to drive the car, as he did not know how to operate the automatic transmission controls - odd that I can remember this detail from 35 years ago.
The last iteration for the week, back at Pikes Peak but with Pro Image 100, a film I'd not shot before. C41 kit although a bit long in the tooth was able to handle without much issue. With such a vista the Xpan was just a joy to use despite the freezing cold and winds on this 14-er. I didn't bring gloves so had to heat my hands on some tea and of course, since they were available, the requisite donuts made at the high altitude. Thanks again to those flicker-ans who continue to share their images - they are fantastic!
Here is my second iteration of one of my favorite ships of Star Wars -- the Delta-7 Aethersprite Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter.
@khatmorg & @atlas_er are big influences on this design -- especially the cockpit area of @khatmorg & the wings by @atlas_er. Biggest difference in mine is the overall length is shorter by two studs (which I think is more accurate).
Overall I'm really happy with how it came out. I tried my best to eliminate all gaps, and make it smooth as possible. I've very proud of the green accent on the back wings, and how I was able to keep the front wing/hood area smooth.
I couldn't squeeze in rear landing gear, but I love how the underside came out.
The Audi A8 is a four-door, full-size, luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its third generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive - and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, and the third and current iteration in late 2009.
Notable for being the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.
A mechanically-upgraded, high-performance version of the A8 debuted in 1996 as the Audi S8. Produced exclusively at Audi's Neckarsulm plant, unlike the donor A8 model, the S8 has been available only in short-wheelbase form and is fitted standard with Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system.
First generation (D2, Typ 4D; 1994–2002)
DEVELOPMENT
In 1982, Ferdinand Piëch signed an agreement with Aluminum Company of America. The objective was to design and develop a car that would be substantially lighter than any other vehicles in its class (to compensate for the fact that standard all-wheel drive was around 100 kg heavier than competitors' rear-wheel drive). In the late 1980s, it was decided that the target vehicle would be a successor to the V8 (Typ 4C) flagship introduced in 1988. By 1991, a final design by Chris Bird and Dirk van Braeckel was chosen and frozen for series production in 1992. In September 1993, the Audi Space Frame (ASF) Concept was unveiled at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) as a D2 Typ 4D prototype in polished aluminum. Pilot production began in December 1993 and development ended in early 1994, at a total cost of $700 million (£418.1 million).
INTRODUCTION
The Audi A8 (Typ 4D) was presented in February 1994 and debuted at the 1994 Geneva Auto Show in March, with full-scale factory production commencing in June 1994,[2] although it was not until October 1996, for the 1997 model year that it became available in North America. Unlike its predecessor, the Audi V8 model, which was built on an existing steel platform, the A8 debuted on the then-new Volkswagen Group D2 platform, an all aluminium monocoque, marketed as the "Audi Space Frame" (ASF), which helped to reduce weight and preserve structural rigidity. The saloon/sedan was offered in both the A8 (standard wheelbase), and the A8 L extended or long-wheelbase (LWB) version. The A8 L adds 127 mm of rear legroom. Updates to the car in 1997 included the addition of six interior airbags.
In 1997, Audi introduced the first series production ESP Electronic stability control for all-wheel drive vehicles (Audi A8 and Audi A6)– the world's first production cars with both front and rear side airbags.
For 1997, the new A8 was available with either front-wheel drive (FWD), or the Torsen-based quattro permanent four-wheel drive. The FWD models are powered by a 2.8-litre V6 engine, producing 142 kilowatts (193 PS; 190 bhp), and a 3.7-litre V8 engine producing 171.5 kilowatts (233 PS; 230 bhp), while the quattro received a 4.2-litre V8 producing 220 kilowatts (299 PS; 295 bhp).
The A8 is available with standard luxury amenities, including dual-zone climate control, wood and leather interior trim, 14-way power and heated seats, and an enhanced Bose audio system.
In 1999, Audi's flagship received side curtain airbags, new colours, and restructuring of option packages. The North American "warm weather package" added a solar sunroof which allows the interior ventilation fans to run, keeping the interior cool while the car is parked with the engine turned off. Changes to all models included a larger passenger-side mirror, and a first aid kit located in the rear centre armrest.
In 1999 for the 2000 model year came a minor front-end restyle, with new, larger, clear headlights, a revised grille, and lower front valance with standard projection fog lamps. On the interior, the seats received a new, horizontal stitch pattern. Also, the 3.7-litre V8 FWD model was dropped, leaving the 2.8 V6 model and the long-wheelbase and short-wheelbase 4.2-litre quattro. These restyled cars also featured revised external door handles and an integrated radio antenna. For 2000, the North American A8 line-up was expanded to include the A8 L.
In 2001, Audi introduced its new W12 engine, a compact 6.0-litre unit developed by effectively mating two VR6 engines together at the crankshaft. The engine quickly became available in the A8, though only to European and Asian customers. From its introduction through its discontinuation in 2003, only 750 of the D2 "W12" models were produced. 2001 also marked the debut of the high-performance S8 variant in North American markets.
In 2002, the A8 L received standard xenon high-intensity discharge lamp (HID) headlights, and a heated steering wheel. A tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), an updated Symphony II stereo, and new exterior colours were also added. For 2002, all A8 variants received a trunk/boot interior release lever to facilitate escape in the event an individual became trapped within.
Factory production of this generation ceased at Number 105,092 on August 4, 2002.
COUPE (PROTOTYPE)
In 1997, IVM Automotive of Munich, Germany built a two-door Audi A8 Coupé. The car was unveiled at the 1997 Geneva Motor Show. Audi contracted IVM to build the prototype, and was considering production of the vehicle. The coupé had a re-engineered aluminium body, shorter than the production A8 saloon. Like the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, there was no central "B" pillar, giving the car a seamless design with a gradually sloping roofline. The car included custom leather seats which could seat four. Ultimately, Audi decided not to put the A8 Coupé into production, citing lower-than-expected sales figures for the similar BMW 8 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé. Only one A8 Coupé was ever built. The single prototype, painted in a colour called "Ming Blue pearl", remains the property of IVM Automotive, and resides in Munich. Its last public appearance was in 2002 on a series of test drives.
S8
Audi introduced the S8 4.2 quattro into the European market in 1996. The S8 followed the naming convention of other high-performance Audi "S" models such as the Audi A6-derived S6 and was similar in vein of Mercedes-Benz AMG models. In markets such as the UK, the S8 was only available with the automatic transmission. Cosmetically, Audi differentiated the S8 from the A8 with solid aluminium alloy door mirror housings, chrome-effect beltline and lower front grille trim, and polished twin exhaust pipes, along with subtle "S8" badging. 14-way power adjustable and heated sports front seats with memory function were fitted as were heated rear seats. Standard alloy wheels were 18-inch cast aluminium alloy "Avus" six-spoke style. After the 1999 facelift, 20-inch polished nine-spoke RS wheels became an option. In 2002, 18-inch nine-spoke RS wheels became a no-cost option.
At the same time of the A8's facelift in late 1999, the S8 received the same cosmetic upgrades. This update marked the release of the S8 to the North American market. Production of the D2 series S8 ended in September 2002.
The D2 series S8 featured an uprated, 250 kW (335 hp) version of the 4.2-litre V8 with four valves per cylinder. From late 1999, Audi increased this to five valves per cylinder with power increased to 265 kilowatts (355 hp) and 430 newton metres (317 lb·ft). From launch in 1996, European-market models came standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A sports-recalibrated version of the ZF 5HP24 five-speed tiptronic automatic, featuring "Dynamic Shift Programme" (DSP) was released a year later and was the only transmission available in most other markets.
A retuned, 20-millimetre (0.8 in) lowered sports suspension included a 30 percent stiffer spring rate and 40 percent more compression damping in the shock absorbers. Speed-sensitive "servotronic" power assisted steering was also standard.
The brakes featured Bosch 5.3 anti-lock braking system (ABS), with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and worked radially ventilated front discs. From 2002, an upgraded Bosch 5.7 electronic stability programme became standard fitment.
Second generation (D3, Typ 4E; 2002–2009)
The second-generation Audi A8 (Typ 4E) built on the Volkswagen Group D3 platform was unveiled via press release in July 2002 and introduced in November 2002 in Europe and in June 2003 (as a 2004 model) in the United States. The model was longer than the previous generation, with room for four or five large adult occupants in the cabin, depending on rear seat configuration. The D3 development program began in 1996, with the design process commencing in Ingolstadt in 1997. The whole Audi design studio based in Ingolstadt first contributed sketch proposals, from which numerous different themes emerged. Six of them were developed into full size clay models and worked up in a traditional manner adjacent to full size tape drawings. At least three one quarter scale models were produced to explore other design variations.
The six full size exterior clay models were reduced to two in late 1998 and these continued to be refined in parallel for a year. At the end of 1999 the final theme selection was made, by Miklós Kovács and Imre Hasanic the main contributing designers. This lengthy development time was in part due to the body being made from aluminium, a material less able to take the small radii of sharp feature lines such as those on the (steel bodied) A4 (B6) designed in 1998.
In parallel to the exterior design development the interior design was progressed with a total of four full size models produced and the production car's horizontally themed instrument panel design dominant from early on, with Norbert Schneider, Mark Bergold and Enzo Rothfuss the main contributing designers.
Grouping major controls nearer the driver for a more driver focused identity whilst creating a more airy and spacious feel were early priorities for the interior design team was headed by Jurgen Albamonte. This was in part facilitated by the Multi Media Interface (MMI) designed by Jurgen Schröder, that pioneered on the D3 A8 after the Audi Avantissimo concept car preview, and also by class leading colour and trim from Barbara Krömeke and Melinda Jenkins.
Under the supervision of Dany Garand, during the first half of 2000 exterior and interior clay models were digitized and developed using digital design tools in a supporting, not leading, capacity. The D3 final production design was later frozen in the summer of 2000 for an August 2002 start of production.
The A8 was previewed 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show by the Audi Avantissimo concept car. This concept introduced much of the technology later available on the series production A8 D3, including: Multi Media Interface, 6-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles, V8 biturbo engine (S8), self-levelling adaptive air suspension with continuously controlled damping, electric park brake, bi-xenon headlights with static Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) curve headlights, dashboard, driver identification systems with fingerprint scanner.
As with the previous version, two body variants of the second generation A8 are offered, the A8 (standard, or short wheelbase), and the long-wheelbase (LWB) A8 L. The A8 L adds 120 mm to the rear legroom and 11 mm to the overall height of the car.
INNOVATIONS
- World premiere of Multi Media Interface (MMI) in-car user interface (similar to BMW iDrive)
- Multiplexed high speed MOST Bus optical fiber data networks (interconnecting tens of microprocessors on common databusses), integrated with MMI.
- First Audi with Bi-Xenon HID headlamps for both low and high beam
- World premiere of static Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) curve headlights (from Hella)
- First Audi with 4-wheel Adaptive Air Suspension and Continuous Damping Control (CDC)-(Skyhook suspension).
- First Audi GPS navigation system with DVD maps
- First Audi with six-speed automatic transmission (Tiptronic)
- First Audi featuring driver identification system.
In 2005, new internal combustion engines became available. For European and Asian market customers, the entry-level 3.0-litre V6 engine was replaced with a new 3.2-litre unit featuring Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), which it shared with the Audi B7 A4 and Audi C6 A6. The top-of-the-line W12 version debuted that year. The advantage of the W12 engine layout is its compact packaging, allowing Audi to build a 12-cylinder sedan with all-wheel drive, whereas a conventional V12 could only have a rear-wheel drive configuration as it would have no space in the engine bay for a differential and other components required to power the front wheels. In fact, Audi's 6.0-litre W12 is actually slightly smaller by overall dimensions than the 4.2-litre V8.
In addition to the added power trains, Audi restyled the D3 platform A8 range slightly in 2005, giving all variants a taller, wider trapezoidal single-frame grille. The top-of-the-line W12 engined W12 version was the first model to be equipped with this grille; V8 engined models were fitted with the new grille the following year.
The D3 generation A8 introduced the 235 kW (315 hp) 4.2-litre Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) V8 engine (subsequently uprated to 240 kW (322 hp)). The engine uses two turbochargers and two intercoolers, with each turbocharger functioning exclusively for one bank of four cylinders.
The adaptive air suspension gives the vehicle clearance a range from its normal 120 mm up to 145 mm in lift mode and down to 95 mm in the Autobahn mode, which is automatically activated when a speed of more than 120 km/h is maintained for more than 30 seconds.
In September 2005 Audi became the first car maker to offer the 1,000-watt 14-channel ICEpower sound system option from Bang & Olufsen.
A8 L W12 QUATTRO SECURITY
It is an armoured vehicle with B6+ and B7 (European standard) ballistic ratings. It includes a W12 engine rated 331 kW (450 PS) and 580 N·m (428 lbf·ft), emergency exit system featuring pyrotechnic blown-out doors, fire extinguisher system with spray jets located in the engine compartment, underbody and in the wheel arches; smoke extractor in passenger compartment, run flat tires, bullet proof windows, the full protection plus package and LED flashers in the exterior mirrors. Buyers are also offered facility to dispatch two drivers on a special training course.
S8 5.2 FSI QUATTRO
The S8 high-performance sports variant, now called the "Audi S8 5.2 FSI quattro" was announced in the last quarter of 2005 and full production started in June 2006 and ended in September 2009.
The S8 includes subtle detailing to distinguish it from its related A8. The trapezoidal "single-frame" grille bears the characteristic Audi "S model" vertical strut detail which are highlighted in a chrome finish. "S8" badging is displayed front and rear, whilst "V10" badges are displayed on each front wing above the side-repeater indicators. The rear boot-lid incorporates a subtle rear spoiler, and the rear is finished with four chromed oval exhaust tailpipes. Adaptive Xenon-plus high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps include static turning lights, along with "swiveling" dynamic cornering lights. Daytime running lamps are five light-emitting diodes (LEDs) incorporated into a cloverleaf designed reflector, incorporated into the main headlamp housing.
The D3 series S8 features a 5.2-litre all-aluminium alloy four-valves per cylinder V10 petrol engine. This engine is a derivative of the Lamborghini Gallardo's original 5.0-litre Lamborghini V10, which was also developed under the Volkswagen Group ownership. On this Audi-only variant, compared to the Lamborghini engine, it features a longer stroke and wider bore - which increases the displacement of the engine, and produces more torque at lower revs, making it more suitable for the larger and heavier full-sized luxury Audi application. It produces 331 kW (444 hp) of power and 540 N·m (398 lb·ft) of torque. By having its bore whittled out an additional 2 millimetres, displacement in the S8 application increases from 5.0- to 5.2-litres. The engine also features Audi's direct-injection system, called Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI).
A sports-optimised ZF 6HP26-A61 six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission with "Dynamic Shift Programme" (DSP) and "sport" mode, with steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters, is the only offering. Output is transmitted via Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system, initially using the Torsen T-2 50:50 dynamic centre differential, and from 2007 for the 2008 model year, utilising the Torsen T-3 asymmetric dynamic centre differential, with a "default" torque distribution of 40 percent to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear.
The S8's top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Audi's factory performance claims indicate a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.1 seconds whilst consuming 98 RON unleaded petrol. The S8 has similar performance to Audi's own top-of-the-line A8 L W12, though the W12 is more expensive, has more torque, and built on a longer wheelbase. Compared to the A8 L W12, the S8 has sportier mechanical features such as a firmer suspension, larger wheels, and ceramic brakes. The shorter wheelbase and 10-cylinder engine save weight for better handling, but at 5.4 seconds from 0–60 mph the S8 trails the W12.
The S8, like its related A8, utilises a multi-link suspension layout front and rear, with pressurised air springs. However, for the S8, the effective spring and damper rates are noticeably firmer, along with re-engineered suspension mounts.
The brake system consists of radially ventilated discs all round. The discs are clamped with gloss-black painted dual-piston calipers up front, and a single-piston sliding caliper at the rear, coupled to an electro-mechanical parking brake. A Bosch ESP 5.7 (later upgraded to ESP 8.0) electronic stability control, with ABS, brake assist, EBD complete the brake system. Optional "Audi ceramic" carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composite front and rear brakes are available, which use radially vented, and floating SGL Carbon discs, with anthracite grey painted twelve-piston fixed Brembo monobloc alloy calipers. Standard alloy wheels consist of 20-inch "S design" alloy wheels.
A8L CENTENNIAL LIMITED EDITION (2009–)
The A8L Centennial Limited Edition (奧迪A8L百年限量版) is a limited (800 units total) version of the A8L 3.0 FSI with multitronic and the A8L 6.0 W12 quattro for the Chinese market, commemorating Audi's 100th anniversary. It included horizontal chrome-plated front grille (from the A8L 6.0 W12 quattro), "V6" metal logo at the upper left of the air-inlet grille (A8L 3.0 FSI), LED daytime running lights, heated leather steering wheel, 19-inch 12-spoke polished aluminium alloy wheels, heated steering wheel in grey leather with beige stitching, Bang & Olufsen advanced audio system, Alcantara equipment bag, Assam ash red veneer, floor mat with aluminium trim, a metal 'Audi exclusive' commemorative logo at inn door trims.
The vehicles went on sale on the 18 October 2009 as 2010 model year vehicles.
In North America, only the 4.2 V8, 5.2 V10, and 6.0 W12 petrol engines are available. The 4.0 TDI was discontinued when the 4.2 TDI was introduced.
Third generation (D4, Typ 4H; 2010–present)
The third generation of the Audi A8 was introduced in Miami on 30 November 2009. The chassis was built on the Volkswagen D2 platform.
INITIAL RELEASE
NEW FEATURES
Changes include:
Full LED headlamps with Automatic high beam switching or Audi adaptive light (Xenon) with variable headlight range control
enhanced MMI Multi Media Interface with touchpad & handwriting recognition for the phone and navigation system, using Nvidia Tegra System on a chip for very high processing speed.
optional 1,400 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.
driver assistance systems networked using FlexRay technology.
Hard disk drive GPS navigation with 3D computer graphics with Google Earth.,
navigation system coordinates input to the adaptive headlights, transmission, adaptive cruise control and electronic stability control.
Infrared Night Vision Assistant with pedestrian recognition
broadband internet with UMTS 3G and WLAN-Hotspot
First production Audi with a Collision avoidance system: Pre sense (similar to Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe). The full version of the system (Pre Sense Plus) works in four phases. In the first phase, the system provides warning of an impending accident, while the hazard warning lights are activated, the side windows and sunroof are closed and the front seat belts are tensioned. In the second phase, the warning is followed by light braking, strong enough to win the driver's attention. The third phase initiates autonomous partial braking at a rate of 3 m/s². The fourth phase decelerates the car at 5 m/s² followed by automatic deceleration at full braking power, roughly half a second before projected impact. A second system, called (Pre Sense Rear), is designed to reduce the consequences of rear-end collisions. The sunroof and windows are closed and seat belts are prepared for impact. The optional memory seats are moved forward to protect the car's occupants. The system uses sensor fusion with twin radar and a mono camera and was introduced in 2010.
A8 (L) (2010–)
The third-generation Audi A8 (L) (Typ 4H) is based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, but retains the Audi Space Frame aluminium construction of the previous A8, making it the lightest all-wheel drive car in the full-size luxury segment, while also giving it best-in-class fuel economy. The quattro all-wheel drive system splits torque with a default bias of 40 percent front and 60 percent rear.
The vehicle was unveiled in Design Miami 2009 on 30 November 2009., followed by the 2010 North American International Auto Show.
Early models include A8 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS), A8 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS), A8 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS). A8 3.0 TDI (204PS) was added later.
Initial internal combustion engine options comprise 4.2-litre Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) petrol and Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel V8s, with 273 kW (366 hp) and 258 kW (346 hp) respectively. A 3.0-litre V6 TDI with either 184 kilowatts (247 hp) or 150 kilowatts (201 hp) will be available later. A 6.3-litre W12 engine only for the long wheelbase model was made available in 2010, and compared to its predecessor it has a larger displacement and direct fuel injection. All engines are mated to the new eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic transmission. Although other Audi vehicles such as the 2010 Audi S4 and 2011 Audi A7 had switched from the 4.2l V8 to the 3.0L supercharged V6, the Audi A8 retained a higher-output 4.2L V8 as the base engine for the 2011 and 2012 model years in North America.
Taiwan models went on sale on the 11th November 2010 . Early models include 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS).
A8 L (2010–PRESENT)
The vehicle was unveiled in Auto China 2010., followed by the 2011 Taipei Motor Show (A8 L W12 quattro).
German models went on sale in the fall of 2010. Early models include a 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS), a 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS), a W12 6.3 FSI quattro (500PS), a 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS) and a 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS).
Taiwan models went on sale on the 11th November 2010. Early models include a 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) and a 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS).[42] The A8L W12 quattro was added in 2011. the A8L 4.0 TFSI quattro was added in 2012.
Chinese models went on sale in 2011. Early models include an A8L 3.0 TFSI low quattro (289PS), and an A8L 3.0 TFSI high quattro (333PS).
A8 HYBRID CONCEPT (2010)
The concept vehicle includes a 2.0 TFSI engine rated at 211 PS (155 kW; 208 bhp) and 350 N·m @1500–4200 rpm, a disc-shaped electric motor rated 45 PS (33 kW; 44 bhp) and 211 N·m, lithium-ion battery, luggage space of 400 liters (14.13 cubic feet), 21-inch wheels with 265/35 tires, Prism Silver body colour with Spectra Flair accent colour, 'hybrid' lettering on both front fenders, illuminated doorsteps with 'hybrid' insignia.
The vehicle was unveiled in 2010 at The Geneva Motor Show.
A8 L long-term evolution broadband prototype (2011)
It is a version of the A8 L demonstrating 4G long-term evolution (LTE) broadband technology. Developed in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent, the car's mobile broadband connection is a fourth generation (‘4G’) technology with data transfer speeds of up to 100Mbit/s.
During the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, announced that LTE technology would be used in cars by early 2011. The A8 L prototype was unveiled weeks later.
A8 L SECURITY (2011–PRESENT)
The A8 L Security is an armoured version of the A8 L with class VR 7 ballistic protection standard (tested as per BRV 2009 guidelines), resistance to explosions against a military hand grenade (tested as per ERV 2010 guidelines), with certain areas of the armouring complies with the criteria for class VR 9 and VR 10, a core safety cell made from hot-formed armoured steel, aramide fabric, ceramics, special alloyed aluminium and multilayer glass; overlapping protective materials at the joints, aluminum side sills with solid steel sections, aluminum alloy armored floor, side windows, windshield and rear window made of special glass with a polycarbonate coating; optional electromechanical window openers, closing assist feature comes standard for the doors, communication box in the luggage compartment (light ceramic doors, aluminum frame), optional battery and the fuel tank protection, two-way communication system with a speaker in the single-frame grille and microphones for the cabin and exterior, an emergency exit system with pyrotechnical separating screws in the hinges, fire extinguisher system, emergency fresh-air system with two oxygen cartridges, a smoke extractor for the passenger compartment, an LED signaling system for convoy travel, flashing lights, a siren, a preparation for professional mobile radio systems, a flag holder, a permanently installed telephone, an accident data recorder, an additional rearview camera and a heated windshield plus partially heated side windows, four-zone climate control system with an ionizer to freshen the air, electric rear blinds, the sonorous Bose surround sound system and a TV tuner, rear are two individual seats with power adjustment, front comfort seats with heating and optional massage and ventilation functions, standard full-leather package, optional relaxation seat (adjustable right-hand rear seat with a power-adjustable footrest, heating and massage), optional center console with large storage compartments and rear seat entertainment system with two 10.2-inch displays, optional folding table, optional refrigerator optional parking heater, Bluetooth car phone online, integrated UMTS module, optional separate telephone handsets, 19-inch forged wheels featuring in semipolished two-tone finish, 255/720 tires with a high load index of 117, synthetic rings on the rims, optional full-size spare tire.
The first model included a W12 engine rated 368 kW (500 PS) and 625 N·m, with delivery began in late summer 2011. An additional engine model with improved fuel efficiency went on sale in 2012.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Deliveries began in late summer 2011.
A8 HYBRID (2012–PRESENT)
The production version includes an electric motor rated at 40 kW (54 PS) and 210 N·m (155 lbf·ft), 1.25 kWh lithium-ion battery, 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels in turbine blades design (optional 19-inch), hybrid badges, metallic paint finish (optional Arctic Silver body colour), three-zone automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, and a BOSE sound system. Pure electric mode is available for either a top speed of 100 km/h or for up to 3 kilometres at a constant speed of 60 km/h. It went on sale in 2012.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A8 L W12 Audi EXCLUSIVE CONCEPT
It is a limited (50 units) version of the A8 L W12 with seats upholstered in Cognac-colored leather by Poltrona Frau, inlays made from the wood olive ash natural, light gray-brown veneer, sill trims with "Audi exclusive concept" lettering, deep-pile carpeting.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A8 L HYCRID
The long wheelbase version of the A8 hybrid was unveiled in 2010 at the Beijing Auto Show.
S8 4.0 TFSI QUATTRO (2012–PRESENT)
The D4 series Audi S8 4.0 TFSI quattro went on sale in 2012. Like the previous iteration, the S8 costs less than the A8 L W12.
The S8 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.2 seconds. It is powered by a 4.0-litre TFSI biturbo V8 engine with 382 kW (512 hp). The engine utilises cylinder deactivation so it can run as a V4 for better fuel economy.[69] The S8's engine is shared with the Bentley Continental GT, while a detuned variant of the engine makes 420 hp which is found in the 2013 Audi S6, Audi S7, and Audi A8. Direct competitors include the BMW Alpina B7 and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, which also have biturbo V8 engines.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, and went on sale in spring 2012.
Taiwan models went on sale in 2013.
MARKETING
As part of the Audi A8 launch in Taiwan, Audi built up Audi pavilion in Xin-Yi district, with Tom Dixon invited for the launch event. Yu-Cheng Chou and Chun-Ten Lin's art works were displayed with A8.
The Audi A8 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) was used in Transporter: The Series.
2013 MODEL YEAR UPDATE
Early German A8 models include 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS), 4.0 TFSI quattro (420PS), 3.0 TDI (204PS), 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS), 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (250PS), 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS), A8 L W12 quattro (500PS), A8 hybrid 2.0 TFSI. Early German A8 L Security models include 4.0 TFSI quattro, W12 6.3 FSI quattro.
The updated A8 uses LED headlight technology, with automatic high beam lighting, Osram supplies the LEDs while Hella supplies the headlamp itself.
Early US models include the A8(L) 3.0 TFSI quattro (333PS), the A8(L) 4.0 TFSI quattro, the S8 4.0 TFSI quattro and the A8 L W12 6.3 FSI quattro. The A8 3.0 TFSI quattro and A8 4.0 TFSI quattro replaced the A8 4.2 FSI quattro.[80] The A8 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (240PS) was unveiled at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, and was set to go on sale in Spring 2013 as a 2014 model year vehicle. The A8 L 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (240PS) was set to go on sale in Spring 2013 on sale as a 2014 model year vehicle.
Chinese models include the A8L 30 FSI (204PS), the A8L 40 hybrid, the A8L 45 TFSI quattro (290PS), the A8L 55 TFSI quattro (333PS), the A8L W12 FSI quattro and the S8 4.0 TFSI quattro.
The A8 L 2.0 TFSI hybrid is sold as an A8L 40 hybrid in China.
The A8 L 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) is sold as an A8L 45 TFSI quattro in China.
TRANSMISSION
All models include an eight-speed tiptronic transmission.
PRUDUCTION
2013–2014 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles equipped with a standard sunroof, manufactured between March 12, 2013 and July 15, 2013 were recalled due to possible shattering of sunroof glass panel.
WIKIPEDIA
On my previous iterations, the Pilot was definitely a weak spot. I've taken the opportunity to build something much more correct, and the Safety Tread decals really bring the shaping to life.
One other thing to note on the front of the engine, I've used a small amount of black vinyl to keep the boiler sides black and still have the light gray face. I did consider leaving it with the light gray "collar" you would have seen without the vinyl, but one I put it on for a test there was no going back.
Also, I noticed that the black plastic of the headlight was absorbing a lot of the LED's light. To help with that, I lined the inside of the 1x1 cylinder brick with some yellow vinyl - and that worked wonderfully.
Iteration II ~ Mark Kielkucki
More paintings
18 x 24 inches
Acrylic, ink, press type and pastels on watercolor paper
More paintings from the 1980s here: kielkucki.com/p_1980.htm
The XD was the first iteration of the project known as 'Blackwood' - the new Falcon launched in 1979. The result was a large family car, designed to look as modern and compact as possible, despite being based on the preceding XA-XC Falcon platform, itself derived from the US model of 1966.
The car had a very modern appearance for the time, very crisp edged, in the manner of Pininfarina and Italdesign designs seen in Europe on cars such as the FIAT 130 and the VW Golf.
The fuel crises during the 1970s had led to a number of studies to develop a smaller, lighter car, potentially in combination with Mazda. Indecision (a common Ford malady) led to a re-skin of the existing car, despite an observed swing to smaller cars. The Blackwood was fitted with 3.3L and 4.1L inline six-cylinder engines, along with 5.0L and 5.8L V8 engines.
The main Australian competitor, Holden, had developed a new car, derived from the GM Europe V-Var platform, debuting in 1978, including a 4-cylinder engine, had Ford sweating out the remainder of the year, with ever-reducing sales of the outgoing XC Falcon model.
Despite these headwinds, there was still a perceived customer need for a broad rear seat, an advantage that Ford made the most of in advertising materials for the new car.
Enter the 1980s, and despite a general movement to smaller cars, a reduction in fuel prices, along with fuel efficiency gains to the Falcon engine (in conjunction with Honda), let to an upswing in Falcon sales (at the expense of the Commodore, delivering Ford Australia market leadership for the first time.
The indecision that had put the company at risk had delivered the car that the market had wanted once the fuel crisis had subsided. Ford enjoyed healthy profits throughout the life of Blackwood (1979-1988), while Holden had required significant cash-injections from its GM parent to provide the funds to develop a bigger car as a more direct competitor to the Falcon (the VN Commodore) in late 1988.
Shown here is the XD Falcon wagon model (with optional driving lights), which drove on a longer wheelbase than the regular sedan model. This was popular with families, as the second row could be optioned with four seatbelt positions. Like a few models this month, a model just like this was owned by family friends at the time.
An curious little anecdote. For some reason my father (who was otherwise quite mechanically practical) when offered to drive the car at some point, and for inexplicable reason, was unable to drive the car, as he did not know how to operate the automatic transmission controls - odd that I can remember this detail from 35 years ago.
The XD was the first iteration of the project known as 'Blackwood' - the new Falcon launched in 1979. The result was a large family car, designed to look as modern and compact as possible, despite being based on the preceding XA-XC Falcon platform, itself derived from the US model of 1966.
The car had a very modern appearance for the time, very crisp edged, in the manner of Pininfarina and Italdesign designs seen in Europe on cars such as the FIAT 130 and the VW Golf.
The fuel crises during the 1970s had led to a number of studies to develop a smaller, lighter car, potentially in combination with Mazda. Indecision (a common Ford malady) led to a re-skin of the existing car, despite an observed swing to smaller cars. The Blackwood was fitted with 3.3L and 4.1L inline six-cylinder engines, along with 5.0L and 5.8L V8 engines.
The main Australian competitor, Holden, had developed a new car, derived from the GM Europe V-Var platform, debuting in 1978, including a 4-cylinder engine, had Ford sweating out the remainder of the year, with ever-reducing sales of the outgoing XC Falcon model.
Despite these headwinds, there was still a perceived customer need for a broad rear seat, an advantage that Ford made the most of in advertising materials for the new car.
Enter the 1980s, and despite a general movement to smaller cars, a reduction in fuel prices, along with fuel efficiency gains to the Falcon engine (in conjunction with Honda), let to an upswing in Falcon sales (at the expense of the Commodore, delivering Ford Australia market leadership for the first time.
The indecision that had put the company at risk had delivered the car that the market had wanted once the fuel crisis had subsided. Ford enjoyed healthy profits throughout the life of Blackwood (1979-1988), while Holden had required significant cash-injections from its GM parent to provide the funds to develop a bigger car as a more direct competitor to the Falcon (the VN Commodore) in late 1988.
Shown here is the XD Falcon wagon model (with optional driving lights), which drove on a longer wheelbase than the regular sedan model. This was popular with families, as the second row could be optioned with four seatbelt positions. Like a few models this month, a model just like this was owned by family friends at the time.
An curious little anecdote. For some reason my father (who was otherwise quite mechanically practical) when offered to drive the car at some point, and for inexplicable reason, was unable to drive the car, as he did not know how to operate the automatic transmission controls - odd that I can remember this detail from 35 years ago.
Since the launch of the first 5d in 2005 the camera gone through some significant improvements from its first iterations, it continue to be one of the favorites among enthusiasts, amateur and working pro.So does the newest instalment stand up to its expectation? Is it worth the extra 25% price increase for the initial launching price. Should you upgrade it?
Here is my initial finding:
AF System - The most significant improvement is the AF system, It now has 61-Point compare to previously 9 point which is 7 times more. The AF speed is much faster compare to the MKII Even with my slowest lens and also third party lens. The AI servo tracking is amazing, It performs very similar to the 7D AF but with better success rate after fine tuning it. Tracking bird in flight is a nightmare for the 5dmkii primitive AF system but with the new AF is just pure fun. The 61 point also come in handy during portrait session with lens like the 85mm 1.2 or the 50mm 1.2 shooting wide open where you can place the point exactly on the eye instead of recomposing. The improved AF system make the new camera a more versatile all around camera.
Image Quality- The image quality from both camera seems to be neck to neck up till ISO1600. From ISO 1600 upward the MKIII images hold detail much better and noise level is pretty low. I will not hesitate to shoot at ISO6400 with the new camera and pretty confident to get a usable image out from it.
Ergonomic- Although the camera is beefier, its feel alright with my small hand. Comparing to the MKII i can't feel much difference since is already a decent camera in terms of grip and feel. There a a fews thing that i don't like or have to get use to for the new button setting. The first is the zoom button where they now move it to the side with a dedicated button, the second is the mode dial lock which now i have to press and turn to change mode and last DOF preview button where they reposition to the other side.
LCD- The screen is is only slightly larger but the image it display is astonishing comparing with the mkii, everything it show just seem to make it better even with my ugly face. The screen does seems to warm up everything a bit compare to the MKII which is good for skin tone but when see it on a calibrated monitor file from both camera seems pretty close in terms of color rendering.
SD card slot- The new sd card allowed you to shoot and store simultaneously into both the CF and sd which create a instant backup, you can also configure it to act as a secondary card for more space which i find it pretty handy. The In built EYE-FI card compatability of the sd slot is a plus and it work perfectly with my X2 eyefi during my test theter into the ipad.
So is it worth the upgrade? If you solely do portrait and work in a perfect lighting condition and shoot below iso 1600 i don't see the needs for this camera since image quality of the 5dmkii is already stellar among canon's camera and canon is still selling them at a lower price but if you want a all around camera to venture into wildlife, indoor sports street and night scape the MKIII is the logical choice to go with unless you want a better weather sealing and a faster frame rate than the 1DX will be better choice.
Lighting: F&V Z96 LED light camera left bounce into silver reflector, F&V Z96 LED CTO camera right point at subjects and backlit with a LCD monitor.
Camera:Ricoh GXR 1/60 with Voigtländer 75mm @ F/4 ISO800
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This image and its name are protected under copyright laws.
All their rights are reserved to my own and unique property.
Any download, copy, duplication, edition, modification,
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Sierpinski cube, depth level = 7
130 310 vertices
262 144 triangles
Date: March 2017
© 2016-2017 Tony DeVarco and Mayako Nakamura
Photographer David Reese in Santa Cruz, CA using his new Canon EOS 5DS R DSLR 50 megapixel camera with a EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens to document "Source Iteration II" and Bonnie helping to steady the image as it moves through its four positions needed to create the high resolution composite image.
In collaboration with the work of Mayako Nakamura www.flickr.com/photos/ma85/</a
To see all the "ReGenerations" images please check out this album- www.flickr.com/photos/tonydevarco/albums/72157666448906835</a
The Holden Commodore (VK) is a mid-size car that was produced by the Australian subsidiary of General Motors, Holden, from 1984 to 1986. It was the first iteration of the first generation of this Australian made model and introduced the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VK) sedan.
Overview
The VK series was the first Commodore to have plastic (polypropylene) bumpers and introduced rear quarter windows for a six-window design (styled by Holden, but similar in appearance to the Opel Senator) as opposed to the four-window design on previous Commodore models. Apart from the bumpers and "glasshouse", other changes for the VK Commodore included a front grille redesign and revamped dashboard instrumentation that included a full digital (vacuum fluorescent display) arrangement for the new luxury version, the Calais.
The exterior of the VK Commodore was also updated with a more modern and aggressive appearance. This included a new grill design very different from previous models, with three bold strips rather than a metallic grill, the now plastic front and rear bumpers/skirts replacing the obsolete metal guards, and a new rear tail light assembly, whereby they now spread from one side to another with a black panel in between. This all added up to a more prominent, sharper look for the 1980s. Changes were also made to the interior whereupon the panel of instruments were now square-shaped rather than the more conventional circular layout. In total, 135,705 VK Commodores were built.
Models
The VK range introduced new names for the specification levels, with Executive now a stand-alone nameplate alongside the base model SL. The Commodore Executive was basically a Commodore SL appointed with automatic transmission and power steering, and was aimed at capturing the fleet market, a market that Holden had lost its share in when the smaller bodied Commodore originally replaced the Kingswood. Also introduced was the Commodore Berlina (replacing the SL/X) and the Holden Calais (replacing the Commodore SL/E). The station wagon body style was available in SL, Executive or Berlina variants only, however the limited edition Vacationer name plate was also continued over for a period from the VH Commodore. Other variants produced were the Commodore SS sedan which featured its own specification – courtesy of HDT – high-performance 4.9-litre V8, and the limited edition – available only through affiliated HDT Holden dealers – LM 5000, SS Group 3, SS Group A (502 made) and Calais Director sedans.
Engines
Engine choices (not necessarily available on all cars in the VK range) were two versions of a 5.0-litre 308 cui Holden V8 engine (replaced by the 4.9-litre 304 cui V8 when Group A rules entered Australian motorsport in 1985) and two versions of a 3.3-litre inline 'black' Straight-6 engine (essentially a refined 'blue' I6 with slight increases in power and efficiency), the latter of which was available with either a carburetor or fuel injection. The 3.3 EST carburetor engine was standard equipment for most VK Commodores, with the 3.3 EFI injection engine nominated as standard equipment for the Calais sedan.
The 2.85-litre six-cylinder and the 4.2-litre V8, mainstays of the previous Commodore ranges were dropped, hence unavailable to the VK, however Holden's 1.9L Starfire 4-cylinder unit was offered on New Zealand market VK models.
SS Group A
The Commodore SS Group A was heavily modified by Holden's official performance tuner, originally the Holden Dealer Team. The SS Group A existed primarily as a homologation special, created specifically so a racing optimised version of the Commodore could be utilised for Group A touring car motor racing. The regulations set down by the international governing body FISA for Group A motor racing specified that a minimum of 500 cars were to be built to a certain specification prior to said vehicle being allowed to compete. Group A regulations governed many touring car series at the 1980s and 1990s including series in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Germany and the European Touring Car Championship as well as the one-off 1987 World Touring Car Championship as well as significant races like the Bathurst 1000, Spa 24 Hours and the RAC Tourist Trophy. The SS Group A model run ran from 1985 until 1992. The four models have since become highly collectible amongst Holden and performance enthusiasts.
Unique amongst all products produced by both the Holden Dealer Team and Holden Special Vehicles, these cars were referred to as Holdens, rather than as HDTs or HSVs.
As the first model to be produced (1985 – February 1986) represented Holden's increasing efforts in Group A racing. Available only in blue associated with the corporate colours of the Holden Dealer Team's principle sponsor Mobil, which gave rise to the cars nickname, the "Blue Meanie". Production began in early 1985, but part supply problems saw the HDT fail to build the required number of 500 and it missed the 1 August deadline for it to be eligible for racing that year. Production still continued and the VK SS Group A was available for motor racing from 1 January 1986. 502 cars were available only through Holden Dealer Team-affiliated Holden dealerships.
Visually the VK Group A SS had the addition of a rear spoiler, larger front air dam and a more aggressive front grill over the standard VK Commodore. Other changes included a double row timing chain (eliminating the car's inherent weakness of 1985, a single row chain), as well as stronger conrods and suspension mountings.
Power for the road going Group A SS with its 4.9 litre engine was rated at 196 kW (263 hp) at 5,200 rpm, with a top speed of 215 km/h (134 mph). Transmission options were M21 4-Speed manual, or T5 5-Speed (optional). The car was assembled at Dandenong, Victoria (Holden) and modified at Port Melbourne, Victoria (HDT).
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_%28VK%29
This miniland-scale Lego Holden VK Commodore SS Group-A 'Blue Meanie' has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 91st Build Challenge, - "Anger Management", - all about cars with some link to being angry.
The Audi A8 is a four-door, full-size, luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its third generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive - and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, and the third and current iteration in late 2009.
Notable for being the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.
A mechanically-upgraded, high-performance version of the A8 debuted in 1996 as the Audi S8. Produced exclusively at Audi's Neckarsulm plant, unlike the donor A8 model, the S8 has been available only in short-wheelbase form and is fitted standard with Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system.
FIRST GENERATION (D2, Typ 4D; 1994–2002)
DEVELOPMENT
In 1982, Ferdinand Piëch signed an agreement with Aluminum Company of America. The objective was to design and develop a car that would be substantially lighter than any other vehicles in its class (to compensate for the fact that standard all-wheel drive was around 100 kg heavier than competitors' rear-wheel drive). In the late 1980s, it was decided that the target vehicle would be a successor to the V8 (Typ 4C) flagship introduced in 1988. By 1991, a final design by Chris Bird and Dirk van Braeckel was chosen and frozen for series production in 1992. In September 1993, the Audi Space Frame (ASF) Concept was unveiled at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) as a D2 Typ 4D prototype in polished aluminum. Pilot production began in December 1993 and development ended in early 1994, at a total cost of $700 million (£418.1 million).
INTRODUCTION
The Audi A8 (Typ 4D) was presented in February 1994 and debuted at the 1994 Geneva Auto Show in March, with full-scale factory production commencing in June 1994, although it was not until October 1996, for the 1997 model year that it became available in North America. Unlike its predecessor, the Audi V8 model, which was built on an existing steel platform, the A8 debuted on the then-new Volkswagen Group D2 platform, an all aluminium monocoque, marketed as the "Audi Space Frame" (ASF), which helped to reduce weight and preserve structural rigidity. The saloon/sedan was offered in both the A8 (standard wheelbase), and the A8 L extended or long-wheelbase (LWB) version. The A8 L adds 127 mm of rear legroom. Updates to the car in 1997 included the addition of six interior airbags.
In 1997, Audi introduced the first series production ESP Electronic stability control for all-wheel drive vehicles (Audi A8 and Audi A6)– the world's first production cars with both front and rear side airbags.
For 1997, the new A8 was available with either front-wheel drive (FWD), or the Torsen-based quattro permanent four-wheel drive. The FWD models are powered by a 2.8-litre V6 engine, producing 142 kilowatts (193 PS; 190 bhp), and a 3.7-litre V8 engine producing 171.5 kilowatts (233 PS; 230 bhp), while the quattro received a 4.2-litre V8 producing 220 kilowatts (299 PS; 295 bhp).
The A8 is available with standard luxury amenities, including dual-zone climate control, wood and leather interior trim, 14-way power and heated seats, and an enhanced Bose audio system.
In 1999, Audi's flagship received side curtain airbags, new colours, and restructuring of option packages. The North American "warm weather package" added a solar sunroof which allows the interior ventilation fans to run, keeping the interior cool while the car is parked with the engine turned off. Changes to all models included a larger passenger-side mirror, and a first aid kit located in the rear centre armrest.
In 1999 for the 2000 model year came a minor front-end restyle, with new, larger, clear headlights, a revised grille, and lower front valance with standard projection fog lamps. On the interior, the seats received a new, horizontal stitch pattern. Also, the 3.7-litre V8 FWD model was dropped, leaving the 2.8 V6 model and the long-wheelbase and short-wheelbase 4.2-litre quattro. These restyled cars also featured revised external door handles and an integrated radio antenna. For 2000, the North American A8 line-up was expanded to include the A8 L.
In 2001, Audi introduced its new W12 engine, a compact 6.0-litre unit developed by effectively mating two VR6 engines together at the crankshaft. The engine quickly became available in the A8, though only to European and Asian customers. From its introduction through its discontinuation in 2003, only 750 of the D2 "W12" models were produced. 2001 also marked the debut of the high-performance S8 variant in North American markets.
In 2002, the A8 L received standard xenon high-intensity discharge lamp (HID) headlights, and a heated steering wheel. A tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), an updated Symphony II stereo, and new exterior colours were also added. For 2002, all A8 variants received a trunk/boot interior release lever to facilitate escape in the event an individual became trapped within.
Factory production of this generation ceased at Number 105,092 on August 4, 2002.
COUPE (PROTOTYPE)
In 1997, IVM Automotive of Munich, Germany built a two-door Audi A8 Coupé. The car was unveiled at the 1997 Geneva Motor Show. Audi contracted IVM to build the prototype, and was considering production of the vehicle. The coupé had a re-engineered aluminium body, shorter than the production A8 saloon. Like the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, there was no central "B" pillar, giving the car a seamless design with a gradually sloping roofline. The car included custom leather seats which could seat four. Ultimately, Audi decided not to put the A8 Coupé into production, citing lower-than-expected sales figures for the similar BMW 8 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé. Only one A8 Coupé was ever built. The single prototype, painted in a colour called "Ming Blue pearl", remains the property of IVM Automotive, and resides in Munich. Its last public appearance was in 2002 on a series of test drives.
S8
Audi introduced the S8 4.2 quattro into the European market in 1996. The S8 followed the naming convention of other high-performance Audi "S" models such as the Audi A6-derived S6 and was similar in vein of Mercedes-Benz AMG models. In markets such as the UK, the S8 was only available with the automatic transmission. Cosmetically, Audi differentiated the S8 from the A8 with solid aluminium alloy door mirror housings, chrome-effect beltline and lower front grille trim, and polished twin exhaust pipes, along with subtle "S8" badging. 14-way power adjustable and heated sports front seats with memory function were fitted as were heated rear seats. Standard alloy wheels were 18-inch cast aluminium alloy "Avus" six-spoke style. After the 1999 facelift, 20-inch polished nine-spoke RS wheels became an option. In 2002, 18-inch nine-spoke RS wheels became a no-cost option.
At the same time of the A8's facelift in late 1999, the S8 received the same cosmetic upgrades. This update marked the release of the S8 to the North American market. Production of the D2 series S8 ended in September 2002.
The D2 series S8 featured an uprated, 250 kW (335 hp) version of the 4.2-litre V8 with four valves per cylinder. From late 1999, Audi increased this to five valves per cylinder with power increased to 265 kilowatts (355 hp) and 430 newton metres. From launch in 1996, European-market models came standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A sports-recalibrated version of the ZF 5HP24 five-speed tiptronic automatic, featuring "Dynamic Shift Programme" (DSP) was released a year later and was the only transmission available in most other markets.
A retuned, 20-millimetre (0.8 in) lowered sports suspension included a 30 percent stiffer spring rate and 40 percent more compression damping in the shock absorbers. Speed-sensitive "servotronic" power assisted steering was also standard.
The brakes featured Bosch 5.3 anti-lock braking system (ABS), with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and worked radially ventilated front discs. From 2002, an upgraded Bosch 5.7 electronic stability programme became standard fitment.
SECOND GENERATION (D3, Typ 4E; 2002–2009)
The second-generation Audi A8 (Typ 4E) built on the Volkswagen Group D3 platform was unveiled via press release in July 2002 and introduced in November 2002 in Europe and in June 2003 (as a 2004 model) in the United States. The model was longer than the previous generation, with room for four or five large adult occupants in the cabin, depending on rear seat configuration. The D3 development program began in 1996, with the design process commencing in Ingolstadt in 1997. The whole Audi design studio based in Ingolstadt first contributed sketch proposals, from which numerous different themes emerged. Six of them were developed into full size clay models and worked up in a traditional manner adjacent to full size tape drawings. At least three one quarter scale models were produced to explore other design variations.
The six full size exterior clay models were reduced to two in late 1998 and these continued to be refined in parallel for a year. At the end of 1999 the final theme selection was made, by Miklós Kovács and Imre Hasanic the main contributing designers. This lengthy development time was in part due to the body being made from aluminium, a material less able to take the small radii of sharp feature lines such as those on the (steel bodied) A4 (B6) designed in 1998.
In parallel to the exterior design development the interior design was progressed with a total of four full size models produced and the production car's horizontally themed instrument panel design dominant from early on, with Norbert Schneider, Mark Bergold and Enzo Rothfuss the main contributing designers.
Grouping major controls nearer the driver for a more driver focused identity whilst creating a more airy and spacious feel were early priorities for the interior design team was headed by Jurgen Albamonte. This was in part facilitated by the Multi Media Interface (MMI) designed by Jurgen Schröder, that pioneered on the D3 A8 after the Audi Avantissimo concept car preview, and also by class leading colour and trim from Barbara Krömeke and Melinda Jenkins.
Under the supervision of Dany Garand, during the first half of 2000 exterior and interior clay models were digitized and developed using digital design tools in a supporting, not leading, capacity. The D3 final production design was later frozen in the summer of 2000 for an August 2002 start of production.
The A8 was previewed 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show by the Audi Avantissimo concept car. This concept introduced much of the technology later available on the series production A8 D3, including: Multi Media Interface, 6-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles, V8 biturbo engine (S8), self-levelling adaptive air suspension with continuously controlled damping, electric park brake, bi-xenon headlights with static Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) curve headlights, dashboard, driver identification systems with fingerprint scanner.
As with the previous version, two body variants of the second generation A8 are offered, the A8 (standard, or short wheelbase), and the long-wheelbase (LWB) A8 L. The A8 L adds 120 mm to the rear legroom and 11 mm to the overall height of the car.
INNOVATIONS
- World premiere of Multi Media Interface (MMI) in-car user interface (similar to BMW iDrive)
- Multiplexed high speed MOST Bus optical fiber data networks (interconnecting tens of microprocessors on common databusses), integrated with MMI.
- First Audi with Bi-Xenon HID headlamps for both low and high beam
- World premiere of static Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) curve headlights (from Hella)
- First Audi with 4-wheel Adaptive Air Suspension and Continuous Damping Control (CDC)-(Skyhook suspension).
- First Audi GPS navigation system with DVD maps
- First Audi with six-speed automatic transmission (Tiptronic)
- First Audi featuring driver identification system.
In 2005, new internal combustion engines became available. For European and Asian market customers, the entry-level 3.0-litre V6 engine was replaced with a new 3.2-litre unit featuring Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), which it shared with the Audi B7 A4 and Audi C6 A6. The top-of-the-line W12 version debuted that year. The advantage of the W12 engine layout is its compact packaging, allowing Audi to build a 12-cylinder sedan with all-wheel drive, whereas a conventional V12 could only have a rear-wheel drive configuration as it would have no space in the engine bay for a differential and other components required to power the front wheels. In fact, Audi's 6.0-litre W12 is actually slightly smaller by overall dimensions than the 4.2-litre V8.
In addition to the added power trains, Audi restyled the D3 platform A8 range slightly in 2005, giving all variants a taller, wider trapezoidal single-frame grille. The top-of-the-line W12 engined W12 version was the first model to be equipped with this grille; V8 engined models were fitted with the new grille the following year.
The D3 generation A8 introduced the 235 kW (315 hp) 4.2-litre Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) V8 engine (subsequently uprated to 240 kW (322 hp)). The engine uses two turbochargers and two intercoolers, with each turbocharger functioning exclusively for one bank of four cylinders.
The adaptive air suspension gives the vehicle clearance a range from its normal 120 mm up to 145 mm in lift mode and down to 95 mm in the Autobahn mode, which is automatically activated when a speed of more than 120 km/h is maintained for more than 30 seconds.
In September 2005 Audi became the first car maker to offer the 1,000-watt 14-channel ICEpower sound system option from Bang & Olufsen.
A8 L W12 QUATTRO SECURITY
It is an armoured vehicle with B6+ and B7 (European standard) ballistic ratings. It includes a W12 engine rated 331 kW (450 PS) and 580 N·m (428 lbf·ft), emergency exit system featuring pyrotechnic blown-out doors, fire extinguisher system with spray jets located in the engine compartment, underbody and in the wheel arches; smoke extractor in passenger compartment, run flat tires, bullet proof windows, the full protection plus package and LED flashers in the exterior mirrors. Buyers are also offered facility to dispatch two drivers on a special training course.
S8 5.2 FSI QUATTRO
The S8 high-performance sports variant, now called the "Audi S8 5.2 FSI quattro" was announced in the last quarter of 2005 and full production started in June 2006 and ended in September 2009.
The S8 includes subtle detailing to distinguish it from its related A8. The trapezoidal "single-frame" grille bears the characteristic Audi "S model" vertical strut detail which are highlighted in a chrome finish. "S8" badging is displayed front and rear, whilst "V10" badges are displayed on each front wing above the side-repeater indicators. The rear boot-lid incorporates a subtle rear spoiler, and the rear is finished with four chromed oval exhaust tailpipes. Adaptive Xenon-plus high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps include static turning lights, along with "swiveling" dynamic cornering lights. Daytime running lamps are five light-emitting diodes (LEDs) incorporated into a cloverleaf designed reflector, incorporated into the main headlamp housing.
The D3 series S8 features a 5.2-litre all-aluminium alloy four-valves per cylinder V10 petrol engine. This engine is a derivative of the Lamborghini Gallardo's original 5.0-litre Lamborghini V10, which was also developed under the Volkswagen Group ownership. On this Audi-only variant, compared to the Lamborghini engine, it features a longer stroke and wider bore - which increases the displacement of the engine, and produces more torque at lower revs, making it more suitable for the larger and heavier full-sized luxury Audi application. It produces 331 kW (444 hp) of power and 540 N·m of torque. By having its bore whittled out an additional 2 millimetres, displacement in the S8 application increases from 5.0- to 5.2-litres. The engine also features Audi's direct-injection system, called Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI).
A sports-optimised ZF 6HP26-A61 six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission with "Dynamic Shift Programme" (DSP) and "sport" mode, with steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters, is the only offering. Output is transmitted via Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system, initially using the Torsen T-2 50:50 dynamic centre differential, and from 2007 for the 2008 model year, utilising the Torsen T-3 asymmetric dynamic centre differential, with a "default" torque distribution of 40 percent to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear.
The S8's top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Audi's factory performance claims indicate a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.1 seconds whilst consuming 98 RON unleaded petrol. The S8 has similar performance to Audi's own top-of-the-line A8 L W12, though the W12 is more expensive, has more torque, and built on a longer wheelbase. Compared to the A8 L W12, the S8 has sportier mechanical features such as a firmer suspension, larger wheels, and ceramic brakes. The shorter wheelbase and 10-cylinder engine save weight for better handling, but at 5.4 seconds from 0–60 mph the S8 trails the W12.
The S8, like its related A8, utilises a multi-link suspension layout front and rear, with pressurised air springs. However, for the S8, the effective spring and damper rates are noticeably firmer, along with re-engineered suspension mounts.
The brake system consists of radially ventilated discs all round. The discs are clamped with gloss-black painted dual-piston calipers up front, and a single-piston sliding caliper at the rear, coupled to an electro-mechanical parking brake. A Bosch ESP 5.7 (later upgraded to ESP 8.0) electronic stability control, with ABS, brake assist, EBD complete the brake system. Optional "Audi ceramic" carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composite front and rear brakes are available, which use radially vented, and floating SGL Carbon discs, with anthracite grey painted twelve-piston fixed Brembo monobloc alloy calipers. Standard alloy wheels consist of 20-inch "S design" alloy wheels.
A8L CENTENNIAL LIMITED EDITION (2009–)
The A8L Centennial Limited Edition (奧迪A8L百年限量版) is a limited (800 units total) version of the A8L 3.0 FSI with multitronic and the A8L 6.0 W12 quattro for the Chinese market, commemorating Audi's 100th anniversary. It included horizontal chrome-plated front grille (from the A8L 6.0 W12 quattro), "V6" metal logo at the upper left of the air-inlet grille (A8L 3.0 FSI), LED daytime running lights, heated leather steering wheel, 19-inch 12-spoke polished aluminium alloy wheels, heated steering wheel in grey leather with beige stitching, Bang & Olufsen advanced audio system, Alcantara equipment bag, Assam ash red veneer, floor mat with aluminium trim, a metal 'Audi exclusive' commemorative logo at inn door trims.
The vehicles went on sale on the 18 October 2009 as 2010 model year vehicles.
In North America, only the 4.2 V8, 5.2 V10, and 6.0 W12 petrol engines are available. The 4.0 TDI was discontinued when the 4.2 TDI was introduced.
Third generation (D4, Typ 4H; 2010–present)
The third generation of the Audi A8 was introduced in Miami on 30 November 2009. The chassis was built on the Volkswagen D2 platform.
INITIAL RELEASE
NEW FEATURES
Changes include:
Full LED headlamps with Automatic high beam switching or Audi adaptive light (Xenon) with variable headlight range control
enhanced MMI Multi Media Interface with touchpad & handwriting recognition for the phone and navigation system, using Nvidia Tegra System on a chip for very high processing speed.
optional 1,400 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.
driver assistance systems networked using FlexRay technology.
Hard disk drive GPS navigation with 3D computer graphics with Google Earth.,
navigation system coordinates input to the adaptive headlights, transmission, adaptive cruise control and electronic stability control.
Infrared Night Vision Assistant with pedestrian recognition
broadband internet with UMTS 3G and WLAN-Hotspot
First production Audi with a Collision avoidance system: Pre sense (similar to Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe). The full version of the system (Pre Sense Plus) works in four phases. In the first phase, the system provides warning of an impending accident, while the hazard warning lights are activated, the side windows and sunroof are closed and the front seat belts are tensioned. In the second phase, the warning is followed by light braking, strong enough to win the driver's attention. The third phase initiates autonomous partial braking at a rate of 3 m/s². The fourth phase decelerates the car at 5 m/s² followed by automatic deceleration at full braking power, roughly half a second before projected impact. A second system, called (Pre Sense Rear), is designed to reduce the consequences of rear-end collisions. The sunroof and windows are closed and seat belts are prepared for impact. The optional memory seats are moved forward to protect the car's occupants. The system uses sensor fusion with twin radar and a mono camera and was introduced in 2010.
A8 (L) (2010–)
The third-generation Audi A8 (L) (Typ 4H) is based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, but retains the Audi Space Frame aluminium construction of the previous A8, making it the lightest all-wheel drive car in the full-size luxury segment, while also giving it best-in-class fuel economy. The quattro all-wheel drive system splits torque with a default bias of 40 percent front and 60 percent rear.
The vehicle was unveiled in Design Miami 2009 on 30 November 2009., followed by the 2010 North American International Auto Show.
Early models include A8 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS), A8 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS), A8 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS). A8 3.0 TDI (204PS) was added later.
Initial internal combustion engine options comprise 4.2-litre Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) petrol and Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel V8s, with 273 kW (366 hp) and 258 kW (346 hp) respectively. A 3.0-litre V6 TDI with either 184 kilowatts (247 hp) or 150 kilowatts (201 hp) will be available later. A 6.3-litre W12 engine only for the long wheelbase model was made available in 2010, and compared to its predecessor it has a larger displacement and direct fuel injection. All engines are mated to the new eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic transmission. Although other Audi vehicles such as the 2010 Audi S4 and 2011 Audi A7 had switched from the 4.2l V8 to the 3.0L supercharged V6, the Audi A8 retained a higher-output 4.2L V8 as the base engine for the 2011 and 2012 model years in North America.
Taiwan models went on sale on the 11th November 2010 . Early models include 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS).
A8 L (2010–PRESENT)
The vehicle was unveiled in Auto China 2010., followed by the 2011 Taipei Motor Show (A8 L W12 quattro).
German models went on sale in the fall of 2010. Early models include a 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS), a 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS), a W12 6.3 FSI quattro (500PS), a 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS) and a 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS).
Taiwan models went on sale on the 11th November 2010. Early models include a 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) and a 4.2 FSI quattro (372PS).[42] The A8L W12 quattro was added in 2011. the A8L 4.0 TFSI quattro was added in 2012.
Chinese models went on sale in 2011. Early models include an A8L 3.0 TFSI low quattro (289PS), and an A8L 3.0 TFSI high quattro (333PS).
A8 HYBRID CONCEPT (2010)
The concept vehicle includes a 2.0 TFSI engine rated at 211 PS (155 kW; 208 bhp) and 350 N·m @1500–4200 rpm, a disc-shaped electric motor rated 45 PS (33 kW; 44 bhp) and 211 N·m, lithium-ion battery, luggage space of 400 liters (14.13 cubic feet), 21-inch wheels with 265/35 tires, Prism Silver body colour with Spectra Flair accent colour, 'hybrid' lettering on both front fenders, illuminated doorsteps with 'hybrid' insignia.
The vehicle was unveiled in 2010 at The Geneva Motor Show.
A8 L long-term evolution broadband prototype (2011)
It is a version of the A8 L demonstrating 4G long-term evolution (LTE) broadband technology. Developed in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent, the car's mobile broadband connection is a fourth generation (‘4G’) technology with data transfer speeds of up to 100Mbit/s.
During the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, announced that LTE technology would be used in cars by early 2011. The A8 L prototype was unveiled weeks later.
A8 L SECURITY (2011–PRESENT)
The A8 L Security is an armoured version of the A8 L with class VR 7 ballistic protection standard (tested as per BRV 2009 guidelines), resistance to explosions against a military hand grenade (tested as per ERV 2010 guidelines), with certain areas of the armouring complies with the criteria for class VR 9 and VR 10, a core safety cell made from hot-formed armoured steel, aramide fabric, ceramics, special alloyed aluminium and multilayer glass; overlapping protective materials at the joints, aluminum side sills with solid steel sections, aluminum alloy armored floor, side windows, windshield and rear window made of special glass with a polycarbonate coating; optional electromechanical window openers, closing assist feature comes standard for the doors, communication box in the luggage compartment (light ceramic doors, aluminum frame), optional battery and the fuel tank protection, two-way communication system with a speaker in the single-frame grille and microphones for the cabin and exterior, an emergency exit system with pyrotechnical separating screws in the hinges, fire extinguisher system, emergency fresh-air system with two oxygen cartridges, a smoke extractor for the passenger compartment, an LED signaling system for convoy travel, flashing lights, a siren, a preparation for professional mobile radio systems, a flag holder, a permanently installed telephone, an accident data recorder, an additional rearview camera and a heated windshield plus partially heated side windows, four-zone climate control system with an ionizer to freshen the air, electric rear blinds, the sonorous Bose surround sound system and a TV tuner, rear are two individual seats with power adjustment, front comfort seats with heating and optional massage and ventilation functions, standard full-leather package, optional relaxation seat (adjustable right-hand rear seat with a power-adjustable footrest, heating and massage), optional center console with large storage compartments and rear seat entertainment system with two 10.2-inch displays, optional folding table, optional refrigerator optional parking heater, Bluetooth car phone online, integrated UMTS module, optional separate telephone handsets, 19-inch forged wheels featuring in semipolished two-tone finish, 255/720 tires with a high load index of 117, synthetic rings on the rims, optional full-size spare tire.
The first model included a W12 engine rated 368 kW (500 PS) and 625 N·m, with delivery began in late summer 2011. An additional engine model with improved fuel efficiency went on sale in 2012.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Deliveries began in late summer 2011.
A8 HYBRID (2012–PRESENT)
The production version includes an electric motor rated at 40 kW (54 PS) and 210 N·m, 1.25 kWh lithium-ion battery, 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels in turbine blades design (optional 19-inch), hybrid badges, metallic paint finish (optional Arctic Silver body colour), three-zone automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, and a BOSE sound system. Pure electric mode is available for either a top speed of 100 km/h or for up to 3 kilometres at a constant speed of 60 km/h. It went on sale in 2012.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A8 L W12 Audi EXCLUSIVE CONCEPT
It is a limited (50 units) version of the A8 L W12 with seats upholstered in Cognac-colored leather by Poltrona Frau, inlays made from the wood olive ash natural, light gray-brown veneer, sill trims with "Audi exclusive concept" lettering, deep-pile carpeting.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A8 L HYCRID
The long wheelbase version of the A8 hybrid was unveiled in 2010 at the Beijing Auto Show.
S8 4.0 TFSI QUATTRO (2012–PRESENT)
The D4 series Audi S8 4.0 TFSI quattro went on sale in 2012. Like the previous iteration, the S8 costs less than the A8 L W12.
The S8 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.2 seconds. It is powered by a 4.0-litre TFSI biturbo V8 engine with 382 kW (512 hp). The engine utilises cylinder deactivation so it can run as a V4 for better fuel economy.[69] The S8's engine is shared with the Bentley Continental GT, while a detuned variant of the engine makes 420 hp which is found in the 2013 Audi S6, Audi S7, and Audi A8. Direct competitors include the BMW Alpina B7 and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, which also have biturbo V8 engines.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, and went on sale in spring 2012.
Taiwan models went on sale in 2013.
MARKETING
As part of the Audi A8 launch in Taiwan, Audi built up Audi pavilion in Xin-Yi district, with Tom Dixon invited for the launch event. Yu-Cheng Chou and Chun-Ten Lin's art works were displayed with A8.
The Audi A8 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) was used in Transporter: The Series.
2013 MODEL YEAR UPDATE
Early German A8 models include 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS), 4.0 TFSI quattro (420PS), 3.0 TDI (204PS), 3.0 TDI quattro (250PS), 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (250PS), 4.2 TDI quattro (350PS), A8 L W12 quattro (500PS), A8 hybrid 2.0 TFSI. Early German A8 L Security models include 4.0 TFSI quattro, W12 6.3 FSI quattro.
The updated A8 uses LED headlight technology, with automatic high beam lighting, Osram supplies the LEDs while Hella supplies the headlamp itself.
Early US models include the A8(L) 3.0 TFSI quattro (333PS), the A8(L) 4.0 TFSI quattro, the S8 4.0 TFSI quattro and the A8 L W12 6.3 FSI quattro. The A8 3.0 TFSI quattro and A8 4.0 TFSI quattro replaced the A8 4.2 FSI quattro.[80] The A8 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (240PS) was unveiled at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, and was set to go on sale in Spring 2013 as a 2014 model year vehicle. The A8 L 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro (240PS) was set to go on sale in Spring 2013 on sale as a 2014 model year vehicle.
Chinese models include the A8L 30 FSI (204PS), the A8L 40 hybrid, the A8L 45 TFSI quattro (290PS), the A8L 55 TFSI quattro (333PS), the A8L W12 FSI quattro and the S8 4.0 TFSI quattro.
The A8 L 2.0 TFSI hybrid is sold as an A8L 40 hybrid in China.
The A8 L 3.0 TFSI quattro (290PS) is sold as an A8L 45 TFSI quattro in China.
TRANSMISSION
All models include an eight-speed tiptronic transmission.
PRUDUCTION
2013–2014 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles equipped with a standard sunroof, manufactured between March 12, 2013 and July 15, 2013 were recalled due to possible shattering of sunroof glass panel.
WIKIPEDIA
I was gonna just post one of these cuties, but I just couldn’t decide which to cut! I guess I’ll wait and see which proves the most popular, then (maybe) give the others the ax.
Concept Artists
Guided by production designer Stuart Craig, dozens of concept artists, illustrators and art directors created every environment, prop and character of the Harry Potter series. Each design went through several different iterations as it was tweaked and finally perfected. Then the artwork went off to draughtsmen, model makers and digital artists to be developed and constructed for filming.
People the world-over have been enchanted by the Harry Potter films for nearly a decade. The wonderful special effects and amazing creatures have made this iconic series beloved to both young and old - and now, for the first time, the doors are going to be opened for everyone at the studio where it first began. You'll have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see many things the camera never showed. From breathtakingly detailed sets to stunning costumes, props and animatronics, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides a unique showcase of the extraordinary British artistry, technology and talent that went into making the most successful film series of all time. Secrets will be revealed.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films - the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.
Here are just some of the things you can expect to see and do:
- Step inside and discover the actual Great Hall.
- Explore Dumbledore’s office and discover never-before-seen treasures.
- Step onto the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley, featuring the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
- See iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
- Learn how creatures were brought to life with green screen effects, animatronics and life-sized models.
- Rediscover other memorable sets from the film series, including the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s hut, Potion’s classroom and Professor Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic.
Located just 20 miles from the heart of London at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the very place where it all began and where all eight of the Harry Potter films were brought to life. The Studio Tour is accessible to everyone and promises to be a truly memorable experience - whether you’re an avid Harry Potter fan, an all-round movie buff or you just want to try something that’s a little bit different.
The tour is estimated to take approximately three hours (I was in there for 5 hours!), however, as the tour is mostly self guided, you are free to explore the attraction at your own pace. During this time you will be able to see many of the best-loved sets and exhibits from the films. Unique and precious items from the films will also be on display, alongside some exciting hands-on interactive exhibits that will make you feel like you’re actually there.
The magic also continues in the Gift Shop, which is full of exciting souvenirs and official merchandise, designed to create an everlasting memory of your day at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
Hogwarts Castle Model - Get a 360 degree view of the incredible, hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction that features within the Studio Tour. The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel of the Art Department having been built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over for the next seven films. The work was so extensive that if one was to add all the man hours that have gone into building and reworking the model, it would come to over 74 years. The model was used for aerial photography, and was digitally scanned for CGI scenes.
The model, which sits at nearly 50 feet in diameter, has over 2,500 fibre optic lights that simulate lanterns and torches and even gave the illusion of students passing through hallways in the films. To show off the lighting to full effect a day-to-night cycle will take place every four minutes so you can experience its full beauty.
An amazing amount of detail went into the making of the model: all the doors are hinged, real plants are used for landscaping and miniature birds are housed in the Owlery. To make the model appear even more realistic, artists rebuilt miniature versions of the courtyards from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, where scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were shot.