The Automobile Club de L'Ouest takes a unique approach to racing in the way it sets the rules for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Normally the race has 55 starters, but the organizers have long reserved a 56th starting position for technically interesting newcomers and recently, the ACO has focused on efficiency for that extra runner.

Today, the ACO announced that in 2013, the 56th spot will be taken up by the GreenGT H2. What makes this car unique is indicated by the H2 name as in hydrogen!. GreenGT is building a fully electric sports prototype powered by a 340 kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell and a pair of electric motors with a combined output of 400 kW. Although there is no mention of it, there will almost certainly be a battery on board for regenerative braking and extra acceleration boost.
http://www.greengt.com/en/greengt-h2.php

If this thing is successful it will provide a big boost to the wave of fuel cell road cars that have been announced by +TOYOTA  +Mercedes-Benz USA  +Honda  and +Hyundai Worldwide!

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Auto News – 24 Heures du Mans 2012 – The 56th Pit Box in 2013 will be for the GreenGT H2 – LeMans.org
All news about 24 Hours of Le Mans on www.lemans.org

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While the hybrid Audis and Toyotas are expected to dominate at Le Mans in two weeks, one of the most interesting entries will running unclassified from the 56th pit box. The +Nissan  DeltaWing campaigned by +Highcroft Racing had its first run against other competitors today at the Le Mans test day and put in a very good showing.

With only half the power of the LMP2 machines (along with half the weight and drag) the radical looking DetlaWing ran a very strong best lap of 3:47.980 seconds which dropped it into the middle of the P2 pack.

Best of luck to the Highcroft crew in France!

In album March 16, 2012 (5 photos)

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In other more interesting racing news, today was the official test day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and as usual for the past decade, +Audi International was at the top of top of the charts. The two hybrid R18 e-trons led the way with 8 time winner Tom Kristensen and long-time partners Alan McNish and Dindo Capello setting the fast time. Audis took the top 3 spots with the gas-electric hybrid +TOYOTA TS030s in 4th and 5th.

It's been a while since Toyota went to Le Mans and while they have also been fast in the past, they have struggled to make it through two rotations of the clock. The flywheel hybrid diesel Audis will definitely be the machines to beat in 2012.

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Auto News – Journée Test ? 24 Heures du Mans – The dress rehearsal for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans – LeMans.org
Set two weeks before the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Test Day was a fantastic appetiser for the main course, and 23000 spectators were present this Sunday to enjoy it. They were able …

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There are some fascinating but bizarre ideas here for the future of Manhattan from the past

via The Verge http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/3/3059327/retro-futuristic-new-york-city

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New York Retro Futurism
New York Retro Futurism. New York's retro futurism is particularly interesting becuase the city itself is an anachronistic view of modernism – an antique skyscraper city. Each one of these proposa…

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