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The great thing about a weekend of racing action in Long Beach is that there is so much to see and do besides the already thrilling track action and automotive displays. Vendor alleys, ‘extreme sports’ demonstrations, free concerts, ’50s-style Mexican wrestling with a little extra vavoom thrown in…they all add to the payout on your already value-packed ticket purchase. That last one, though, is something new for the GPLB, via something old.

Dubbed Lucha VaVoom, it’s a fairly new show that recalls the burlesque shows and masked wrestling matches of the ’50s and ’60s, but adds a few modern twists, along with a bunch of comedy and some daredevil antics to keep everyone happy and alert. Why do we bring this up when we’re supposed to be covering an auto race? Because there’s always more to the scene than just the racecars. Being at an event like the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an experience. Anyone can watch a race on their LCD screen, but actually being at the track, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling the cars is a whole ‘nother ball of wax.

A race event can be like having the circus in town. In fact, a whole little city sprouts up for these types of events, with restaurants, hair salons, recruiting centers, auto dealers, chapels, hospitals and entertainment spots galore. Participating in a race weekend is something all auto enthusiasts should do at least once in their lives, if not once a year or more. Long Beach in particular is such a great event because of its proximity to Hollywood, the Pacific Ocean and downtown Long Beach. And if you should ever think that attending a race is just a guy thing, know that there are plenty of families there as well, and plenty of ladies too, giving us all hope that the future of the hobby is in good hands.

This past weekend we were so pleased to find so many young women, in particular, at the track, that we couldn’t help but take some pictures of all their smiling faces to prove our point. Take a look at the gallery below and you’ll understand why we love Long Beach, and why it’s been referred to as America’s Monaco.

Photos by Frank Filipponio and Andre Ravinowich/Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Long Beach Grand Prix 2010: Reflecting on America’s Monaco originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KOSCIUSKO, Miss., April 19 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — First M&F Corp. (Nasdaq: FMFC) reported a profit today for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 of $853,000.  Net income allocated to common shareholders was $413,000 or $0.05 basic and diluted earnings per share compared to a loss of $27.089 million or ($2.99) basic and diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2009. Hugh S. Potts, Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Board, commented, “While first quarter earnings are modest compared to the levels of 2006 and 2007, it is gratifying to report a return to positive earnings territory.   After absorbing the brunt of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, to return to profitability is encouraging.”

Net Interest Income

Net interest income was down by 5.09% compared to the first quarter of 2009, with the net interest margin decreasing to 3.16% on a tax equivalent basis in the first quarter of 2010 as compared to 3.33% in the first quarter of 2009. The most significant contributor to the decrease in net interest income and the squeeze in the margin was the changing balance sheet mix as average loans fell and were replaced by a lower yielding mix of assets. Lower loan yields in the continuing low-rate environment and the higher level of average non-performing assets were secondary contributors.  The net interest margin for the fourth quarter of 2009 was 3.28% as compared to 3.40% for the third quarter of 2009 and 3.16% for the second quarter of 2009. Loan yields decreased to 5.90% in the first quarter of 2010 from 6.01% in the first quarter of 2009. Loan yields also decreased from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the first quarter. Average total loans were $1.068 billion for the first quarter of 2010 as compared to $1.103 billion for the fourth quarter of 2009 and $1.174 billion during the first quarter of 2009. Loans decreased by $15.911 million in the first quarter of 2010 and fell by $40.768 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.  Deposit costs decreased in the first quarter of 2010 from the fourth quarter of 2009 continuing a trend in declining deposit costs dating back to the fourth quarter of 2007 as costs reflected Fed rate cuts through the fourth quarter of 2008 and the low-rate environment since then. Deposit costs were 1.80% in the first quarter of 2010 as compared to 2.30% in the first quarter of 2009. Deposits fell by $14.265 million, or 1.03% during the first quarter of 2010. Management plans to continue to focus on core deposit growth for 2010 to offset the influence that the low rate environment may have on the net interest margin. Loans as a percentage of assets were 64.22% at March 31, 2010 as compared to 69.38% at March 31, 2009 and 63.64% at December 31, 2009. Loans fell by 9.30% since the first quarter of 2009 while deposits grew by 4.63%.

Non-interest Income

Non-interest income, excluding securities transactions and other-than-temporary impairment on securities, for the first quarter of 2010 was down 7.46% compared to the first quarter of 2009, with deposit-related income down by 1.67% and mortgage income down by 6.79%.  Insurance agency commissions were down by 7.52%.  

A major part of non-interest income is from deposit sources. Deposit revenues, although slightly down overall, continue to be supported by debit card fee income, which increased by 13.07% in the first quarter of 2010 over 2009.  The drop in overall deposit revenues was due to a fall off in overdraft fee income, which decreased by 5.27% as the volume of overdrafts fell.  

Including securities gains and losses and impairments, non-interest income was up 8.00% over the year ago quarter.

Non-interest Expenses

Non-interest expenses excluding goodwill impairment and intangible asset amortization and impairment were down by 3.35% in the first quarter of 2010 as compared to the first quarter of 2009 in spite of a large increase in FDIC insurance assessments.  Salaries and benefits were down by 4.71% as cost control and efficiency initiatives begun in the fourth quarter of 2009 took effect.  

Credit Quality

Annualized net loan charge-offs as a percent of average loans for the first quarter of 2010 were 1.99% as compared to 1.13% for the same period in 2009. Non-accrual and 90-day past due loans as a percent of total loans were 4.21% at the end of the first quarter of 2010 as compared to 4.63% at the end of the 2009 quarter

The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of loans was 2.01% at March 31, 2010 as compared to 3.59% at March 31, 2009. The provision for loan losses decreased to $2.280 million in the first quarter of 2010 from $19.840 million in the first quarter of 2009.  Mr. Potts commented, “Asset quality measures are stabilizing and/or improving.  There remain credit issues; the cycle has not run its course.  The economy has not come close to full recovery, real estate values have not materially improved; however, there is reasonable cause for encouragement.”

Balance Sheet

Total assets at March 31, 2010 were $1.623 billion as compared to $1.663 billion at the end of 2009 and $1.639 billion at March 31, 2009. Total loans held to maturity were $1.042 billion compared to $1.058 billion at the end of 2009 and $1.149 billion at March 31, 2009. Deposits were $1.374 billion compared to $1.388 billion at the end of 2009 and $1.313 billion at March 31, 2009. Total capital was $104.836 million, while common equity was $75.936 million or $8.37 in book value per share at March 31, 2010.

Conclusion

“We believe all elements of recovery are in place,” said Mr. Potts.  ”The pace will be pushed by the M&F team, within the context of overall recovery and reasonable risk management.  We intend to grow in specific segments of a broader economy and have strategies to that end.”

In conclusion Mr. Potts said, “There were extraordinary elements in the first quarter both in revenue and expense.  The year of 2010 should be a much improved year.  The recovery of M&F will not be achieved in a quarter or even a year; but, the journey to a new and profitable ‘normal’ has begun.”

About First M&F Corporation

First M&F Corp., the parent of M&F Bank, is committed to proceed with its mission of making the mid-south better through the delivery of excellence in financial services to 33 communities in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida.

Caution Concerning ForwardLooking Statements

This document includes certain “forwardlooking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory factors. More detailed information about those factors is contained in First M&F Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

First M&F Corporation

Notes to Financial Schedules

(a)  Return on equity is calculated as: (Net income attributable to First M&F Corp) divided by (Total equity)

Return on common equity is calculated as: (Net income attributable to First M&F Corp minus preferred dividends) divided by (Total First M&F Corp equity minus preferred stock)

(b)  Tangible equity to tangible assets is calculated as: (Total equity minus goodwill and other intangible assets) divided by (Total assets minus goodwill and other intangible assets)

Tangible common equity to tangible assets is calculated as: (Total First M&F Corp equity minus preferred stock minus goodwill and other intangible assets) divided by (Total assets minus goodwill and other intangible assets)

(c)  Contribution margin is calculated as: (Tax-equivalent net interest income plus noninterest revenues minus salaries and benefits) divided by (Tax-equivalent net interest income plus noninterest revenues)

(d)  Efficiency ratio is calculated as: (Noninterest expense) divided by (Tax-equivalent net interest income plus noninterest revenues)

SOURCE First M&F Corp.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 4.19.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When my child was a baby, I was about to feed my child a snack and found myself scanning the immediate
environment for a bathroom or at least some running water to wash my
child’s hands. Upon witnessing my vigilance, one mother said something like, “Oh you are so good, aren’t you?” and she followed
this up with a self-dismissal to the tune of, “I just let my kids eat
all kinds of dirt and hope for the best.”

Over the past several decades, parents have bent over backwards to
keep their children clean and free of germs of all kinds. This endeavor
has ranged from the sensible (frequent washing of hands) to the dubious (anti-bacterial everything in every form imaginable)
and fueled an industry eager to feed your fears about everything from
your garden-variety icky germs to virulent strains of flu viruses.

The
marketing of products to keep your family safe and germ-free has fueled
this fleeting fantasy of a hypersanitized childhood, free of the
plagues and pathogens that had befallen previous generations. It is a
noble, but futile fight.

Now comes news that these germ-free adolescents may be suffering from
too much of a good thing. Too much cleanliness can be a bad thing for a
young child’s developing immune system, according to a recent article
on Slate.com by Amanda Schaffer.

The article goes on (backed by
multiple recent scientific findings) to assert that early exposures to
germs help teach a child’s immune system to regulate itself and provide
much needed stimulation and training to insure future health and a
bolstered immunity.

Hyundai and Kia both plan on offering stop-start technology as a fuel-saving feature on many of their North American vehicles within two years.

“Start-stop will be a key part of our development activity in the next two product cycles,” in 2012 and 2016, said Timothy White, Hyundai-Kia’s senior powertrain manager. He said he expects the new feature to provide about a 3 percent increase in fuel-economy for Hyundai and Kia’s North American lineup.

FoMoCo is also looking to offer the feature on 20 percent of its global models by 2014. The Dearborn automaker expects a 5 percent boost in fuel economy.

Stop-start engine technology turn off gasoline engines when vehicles come to a stop and restart them when drivers touches the accelerator.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid:

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

 

A gentle reminder for those of you checking out the fresh-out-of-beta Project Ares:  Palm is waiving the standard $99 fee developers need to pay in order to be able to publish their apps to the official App Catalog for a limited time, as MobileCrunch points out.  So far as we know, submitting each app will run you that one-time fee of $50. Of course, Palm started waiving both fees for developers who release only open source apps back in October; Web and Beta distribution is still free too.

One last developer note – Palm’s Developer day is this coming Friday and Saturday and we’ve just booked a ticket and will be there for the festivities. We can’t say if there will be much in the way of news, but we can say that if you’re a developer, keep an eye out for us – we want to see what you’re doing and (more importantly) so do our readers.

via MobileCrunch

Posted by Rick Pearson at 7:15 p.m.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk’s campaign said today it will voluntarily return donations from employees of commodities and investment firm Goldman Sachs after the decision Friday by securities regulators to charge the firm with fraud.

Kirsten Kukowski, a Kirk spokeswoman, said the five-term North Shore Republican congressman’s Senate campaign did not receive donations from the firm’s political action committee or any Goldman executives accused of wrongdoing. Instead, she said, Kirk made a “personal decision to go above and beyond the reasonable ethics standard and err on the side of caution.”

Kukowski said donations from Goldman Sachs employees made in the current cycle would be returned, though no figure was quickly available. Kirk’s Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, maintained the Republican had received $21,600 from Goldman Sachs employees this cycle out of more than $54,000 in his career.



As Democrats in Congress push financial regulatory reform legislation against GOP opposition, Giannoulias’ campaign has increasingly sought to label Kirk a puppet of Wall Street. Kirk, meanwhile, has hammered at problems with the Giannoulias’ family bank, Broadway Bank, which is in danger of being taken over by federal regulators.

So, on Saturday, we ventured over to the Red Mesa Cantina .

Waiting anxiously for food.

I actually WAS anxious because I ordered a tofu taco! I have never tried tofu, so I was scared that I might not like it. I’m big on textures.
I got two of the tofu tacos, which are “Tamarind marinated tofu, rajas, pineapple, jalapenos, jack cheese”
I opted not to get the cheese since I had a red bean quesadilla at home earlier in the day. On the side, I had my favorite: yuca fries~

Verdict? Not bad! Mirza said it was like mozzarella cheese! I also found it quite filling, but it may have been the yuca fries with chipotle ketchup…;)


Mirza ordered the Alambres with beef. He’s been eating all vegetarian lately with me, so I think he felt the need for meat lol.

We somehow managed to save room for dessert (not really, we forced it) because we LOVE their banana split. From their website: “Chipotle chocolate and dulce de leche gelatos in a crisp sugar & cinnamon sopapilla with fresh bananas, strawberries, pineapple topped with cajeta caramel, mexican chocolate sauce and whipped cream”
Words cannot describe.

We hated it, obviously:

Earlier in the day while Mirza was teaching guitar, I picked up my CSA share.

And Sunday was a lazy rainy day. I love the rain when you have no place to go or be!

 I got in a great upper body work out from my apartment’s gym. I’ve been using it a lot more since they added free-weights and got new machines. I actually might not renew my membership to Shape‘s because I have the gym here, my bike, the pools, and I honestly have not been using the classes there much anymore.


After my work out, I had big plans to try the infamous Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake! 

Everything went into the Vitamix and out came a delicious concoction. I was mostly excited to try out my new Glass Dharma straws.

I love these glass straws! They actually make drinking smoothies easier and more enjoyable! 
I will definitely be ordering more. I want some with the colorful decorative dots. I highly recommend these if you love smoothies as much as me!
As for the Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake? Amazing! So chocolatey and rich. Lots of protein, too!


—



In other news, as some of you may or may not know, I was lucky enough to win a scholarship from my hospital for an all-expense paid trip to NTI and Critical Care Exposition, which is in Washington, DC this year. I am so thrilled to go, and will be staying at the GRAND HYATT HOTEL!! Everything has been paid for by the hospital. All free to me. aaah.
Since everything is FREE, including flight, it just made sense to buy a ticket for Mirza to come along, too! His birthday is the following week, so this is kind of a birthday gift to him. We’ve been together for 7 years, and we have never been anywhere on vacation together, besides family outings, so touring the capital and staying in a beautiful hotel for free feels like the perfect getaway!

The Illinois Fair Map Coalition has a long way to go in getting a Republican-backed redistricting measure on the fall ballot – and little time to get there.

Roughly 120,000 signatures were counted on Saturday, said Jan Czarnik with the Illinois League of Women Voters at a news conference today at the Old State Capitol Square.

The coalition has to collect 288,000 signatures and submit them to the secretary of state’s office by May 3 to get the amendment on the ballot.

The coalition is backing the Fair Map Amendment, which would allow a commission chosen by the four legislative leaders to draw legislative district maps instead of lawmakers.

Czarnik said they do not know how many signatures they have received because petitions are still being passed around the state. Petition staffers continued taking signatures from passersby during the news conference.

State Capitol Bureau

Read the original article from the Galesburg Register-Mail.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Imagine the Toyota Prius.  Now imagine it stretched a little longer and taller, perhaps a “Baby on Board” sticker attached to the back, and that may just be what’s in store for a new version of the hybrid vehicle.

Japanese news source Nikkei is reporting that Toyota will be releasing a Prius minivan sometime next year. The minivan would be the first expansion of the Prius brand by the automaker.

Beyond being the first hybrid minivan on the market, the vehicle may also be the first Toyota to use an in-house developed lithium-ion battery pack.  Details are scarce, but it would likely be a three-row, sliding-door vehicle, capable of seating up to seven people.

The automaker reportedly expects to price the minivan in line with its fully gas-fueled competition.

via Reuters

Hey man, I know things seem really tough right now. We had mixed feelings about writing the story of how you lost the prototype, but the story is fascinating. And tragic, which makes it human. And our sin is that we cannot resist a good story. Especially one that is human, and not merely about a gadget—that’s something that rarely comes out of Apple anymore. But hopefully you take these hard times and turn things around. We all make mistakes. Yours was just public. Tomorrow’s another day. We will all be cheering for you. More »

The Gourmet Haus Staudt. A nice place to enjoy good German ales. And if you are an Apple Software Engineer named Gray Powell and you get one too many beers, it’s also a nice place to lose the next-generation iPhone. More »

We might have overreacted when using the word broken to refer to the Nexus One’s multitouch performance, but that post helped us learn the true culprit of the issue. When we took a closer look at HTC’s touch sensors used in their Android phones, we discovered they were using the Synaptics ClearPad 2000.

It turned out there was nothing wrong with the ClearPad sensor. It was working as advertised and was never meant to track the multiple touches that we were expecting. Google is likely to improve the multitouch performance with future software updates, but the Nexus One (and other HTC phones) will always be limited in what they can do with the Synaptics hardware.

HTC must have anticipated Google’s move to a more multitouch friendly Android because new reports suggest the handset maker has upgraded their touch sensors in two upcoming models. Various sources are now reporting that HTC is using the Atmel maXTouch family of touchscreen controllers in the upcoming Droid Incredible and EVO 4G.

The Atmel maXTouch sensors (mxt224) offer superior performance and low power consumption. These new sensors recognize an unlimited number of touches, offer faster response times, and have an excellent signal-to-noise ratio.

Atmel has produced a quick promo video to demonstrate the power of their maXTouch series. A complete series of videos is available on the Atmel site for additional details.

Complete highlights of the single-chip touch solution include:

• Unlimited touches
• Low power consumption
• Fast response — completely redraws screen every 4/1000 of a second (4ms) to eliminate recalibration issues
• Excellent signal-to-noise ratio for superior precision — 3x better than competitive products
• Superior performance for first-touch response — 3x better than competitive products
• Unambiguous, unlimited touch support
• Responsive user interface: > 250 Hz report rate for a single touch
• Extremely low current consumption: < 1.8 mW in “touch-ready” state
• Two touch adjacency of less than 10 mm on a 4.3″ touchscreen
• Small footprint with few external components
• Supports stylus, fingernails, and gloves
• Grip and face suppression functionality: avoids false touches
• Size and angle of touch supported
• Screen sizes up to 10.2″ are supported by a single chip
• Proximity channel support

To see the new touch sensor being used, check out the following video from our friend Phil at Android Central. He performed the same multitouch visual test we ran on the Nexus One and found that he no longer experienced the issues we had found.

Related Posts

• It’s a Droid, It’s Incredible, It goes on pre-order April 19th
• The next chapter in the Droid saga begins April 29th
• Droid Incredible now available for pre-order (plus an unboxing video)
• Droid Incredible hands-on video in the wild
• The Droid Incredible has internal storage to spare and video out

Thanks to our good friends at Gearbox software, I present thee with a few official Claptrap sounds from Borderlands.  Use them to make a ringtone, text alert messages, new mail notification and more. Here is a 3.9 MB.ZIP file that contains 16 classic Claptrap clips.

 

Note: These audio clips are provided for personal, non-commercial use only!

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ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  — Indiana’s white collar workers are feeling the sting of the current recession more than in past economic downturns.

The recession that began in December 2007 has left the state’s job market saturated with qualified, experienced people, even as many other white-collar workers fear for their jobs.

Consultant Lisa McDonald of Career Polish in Fishers says the market is tough for unemployed college graduates, but for some it offers opportunities.

The national unemployment rate for college graduates age 25 and older was 4.9 percent in March, up from 4.4 percent a year ago.

During the 2001 recession, unemployment rates among college graduates peaked at 3.2 percent. In the 1991 recession, the college graduate jobless rate reached 3.4 percent.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Thursday is Earth Day, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is using the opportunity to push its animal-rights agenda. Yesterday, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk penned an op-ed claiming that whenever we “consume meat, eggs or dairy foods, we contribute to ecological devastation.” (Not true.) And today in Birmingham, Alabama, scantily-dressed PETA fem-bots will hold an outdoor shower protest to allege that one pound of beef requires the same amount of water as six months’ worth of showers. (Also not true.)

These animal-rights eco-talking points are like non-eroding garbage— they won’t go away, and they stink like crazy. One of Newkirk’s complaints is that meat contributes significantly to global warming. Not so in the United States. The EPA’s 2008 inventory of greenhouse gases found that the entire U.S. livestock industry accounts for less than 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. And in February a British study found that “going veg” could actually hurt the environment by forcing more land into cultivation and raising the risk of forests being bulldozed.

As for PETA’s shower claim, this loony logic is water soluble. PETA used to claim that one pound of beef took a whole year’s worth of shower water—before quietly changing its claim to “six months.” But even this revised figure is still a gross miscalculation. According to a 1999 estimate from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, a group made up of actual agriculture scientists, it would take fewer than 18 ten-minute showers to consume the amount of water required to produce a pound of lean American beef. (That includes all the water consumed by cattle, and the water used to irrigate feed crops and process the meat.)

We couldn’t resist raining on PETA’s parade, so we’re telling the media today that PETA’s Earth Day antics are all wet. Here’s what our Director of Research said in a press release:

If these PETA protesters are only showering 18 times every 6 months, I guess a Birmingham intersection is as good a place as any to catch up. We've always said that PETA stinks, but now we know why.

One good way to protect the planet this Earth Day is to encourage meat producers across the globe to catch up to American efficiency standards. Another way is to stop buying what PETA is selling.

The mayor is missing a beat by not using his $1-a-year City Hall Master of Multitasking Austin Beutner to fulfill one of the most glaring of his many broken promises. Antonio’s almost forgotten Million Trees Program.

Now there’s an idea that I can get behind, or next to, depending on the tree, of course.

Sure, all the political players are buzzing about Antonio putting Beutner, who’s supposed to be the mayor’s “job czar,” whatever the heck that means, to head the DWP for a while until they find someone dumb enough to take a job that rarely lasts more than a year — a job that puts you between the rock of IBEW boss Brian D’Arcy and the hard place  of millions of people fed up with being ripped off.

In addition to the DWP, which has become somewhat of a death row for general managers, Beutner’s other responsibilities include Building and Safety, Airports and the Harbor among half a dozen or more departments.

Beutner told Rick Orlov of the Green Sheet yesterday, in an exclusive interview that must have really pissed off some editors at the Dog Trainer, if they even noticed, that he was going to perform his DWP duties from his City Hall office.

Bruno found out this morning though that’s not the case with A Million Trees.

Sneaking out of the backyard while Saint Deb was at work and Ron was banging on his computer – he types like he talks – I headed down to the corner of Winnetka and Victory looking for a good spot to make sure other dogs knew this was Bruno’s neighborhood.

And there he was!  In an orange jumpsuit and hardhat, the guy who is for all intents and purposes running the nation’s second largest city, planting a tree.

I’m sure it was him. He was fearless even when Bruno did the old bark-and-lunge attack like he was going to rip his throat out.

Only a guy who made billions, enjoyed going 100 miles an hour down mountains on a bike (until he racked it up) and hangs out in a den of thieves could be so unmoved by Bruno’s feints.

Bruno:  What ya’ doing?

Beutner:  Planting a tree.

Bruno:  Why?

Beutner:  Because the mayor’s way short of his promise to plant a million of them.

Bruno:  May I sniff it?

Beutner:  Sure, but behave yourself.

Bruno:  It’s a beauty.  Didn’t the mayor also promise to take over the schools and build a subway to the sea?

Beutner:  He did?  Oh my God!  When did he promise that?  I used to be in the private sector.  I never read the newspapers, except the business page.

Bruno:  When he was elected.

Beutner:  I bet I get stuck with those turkeys too!  

Bruno:  Hey, what are you doing?  You’re in public!

Beutner:  Marking this tree, it’s my last.

Woof!

Filed under: Truck, Europe, Work, Volvo

No, we didn’t miss a decimal point. Volvo (well, Volvo Trucks, to be more precise) has just pulled one very big sheet off of a new heavy-duty construction truck called the FMX. The leviathan bears a host of features designed to help it excel on the manufacturing and construction sites of Europe, including impressive ground clearance, substantial skid plates and one badpush-bar. Of course, there’s also that impressive engine.

Volvo will let you equip your very own FMX with either an 11-liter powerplant capable of anywhere between 330 and 450 horsepower or a 13-liter lump with 380-500 horsepower depending on configuration. The larger of the two engines produces around 1,800 lb-ft of torque – more than both the 2011 Ford Super Duty and 2011 Chevrolet Duramax combined.

The FMX also comes with i-Shift – unique gearbox programming that senses the truck’s load, then adjusts gear ratios accordingly to climb or descend hills. It will also let you rock the vehicle back and forth to get free of sticky mud or loose sand.

Yes, Volvo says the FMX is built to boost the company’s presence in the construction market, but we’re thinking those three- millimeter-thick bumpers would stand up well in your run-of-the mill post-apocalyptic scenario. Zombies, militias, recession-induced governmental collapse – the FMX could handle it all. Hit the jump for the press release.

[Source: Volvo Trucks]

Continue reading New Volvo has 13-liter engine, 500 horsepower

New Volvo has 13-liter engine, 500 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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