New space race aims at creating breathable air on Mars

 

Mars One's vision of a Martian base The race to reach Mars is more like a decades-long marathon, but in the short term the latest space race involves inventing ways that might make setting up shop on the Red Planet possible. In the past few months alone, three teams have unveiled their visions of how humans might breathe on the fourth planet from the sun. NASA hopes to conduct a manned mission to the Red Planet, but probably not until the mid-2030s. Meanwhile, SpaceX and Mars One are talking about making the trip in under 10 years from now. Whenever it is, establishing any kind of presence on Mars is going to require some new innovations just to deliver basic life support for anyone looking to stay for any extended duration. Students from the University of Western Australia and Mars One astronaut candidate Josh Richards are finalists in the Mars One University competition, which would send key experiments to the surface of Mars in 2018. Mars One is a non-profit that has used a contest and media-centric approach to fund a one-way manned mission to establish a base on Mars, as soon as the mid-2020s. The team, which calls its effort the "Helena Payload Project," hopes to demonstrate its method of extracting water from Martian soil and using electrolysis to produce breathable air. The Australian team will be competing with another finalist team dubbed the Cyano Knights, who hope to show that oxygen can be produced on Mars using cyanobacteria to change a small amount of Mars' 95 percent carbon dioxide atmosphere into oxygen. "Our experiment will hopefully pave the way to ensure the survival of the elected astronauts on the Red Planet, as we attempt to produce oxygen from Martian resources," said UWA engineering student and Helena co-lead, Andre Van Vulpen. The two student concepts join MIT's Mars OXygen In situ resource utilization Experiment (MOXIE), which was selected earlier this year for inclusion on board NASA's Mars 2020 rover. MOXIE is similar to Helena's approach, using solid oxide electrolysis to peel oxygen off of carbon dioxide, splitting it into O2 and carbon monoxide. Check out Gizmag's earlier coverage of MOXIE for more on how the concept works. Naturally, the stakes are a little higher for the Mars One teams, who are looking to test technologies that could generate molecules to be inhaled by real humans in the next 10-12 years, whereas MOXIE will just be conducting experiments aboard a robot. Somewhat ironically, another team of MIT students also called the viability of the Mars One plan into question this year, including major concerns over managing the vital supply of oxygen on a Martian base. Regardless of how soon we might actually see humans breathing on the surface of Mars, the odds seem good that we will at least be creating breathable air there within the next 5 – 10 years. Sources: Mars One, University of Western Australia

Forget Hydrogen Cars, and Buy a Hybrid

 

Hybrids are a much more cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions than newly released hydrogen fuel cell cars. By Kevin Bullis on December 12, 2014 Why It Matters About a third of carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation. The Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle. If you want to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, you should probably skip the hydrogen fuel cell cars now coming to market and buy a (much cheaper) hybrid instead. After decades of research and small-scale demonstrations, hydrogen cars are finally rolling into view. These vehicles use electric motors, but their electricity comes not from a battery but from hydrogen, processed in a chemical reaction that takes place inside a fuel cell. Researchers and engineers have greatly lowered the costs of fuel cells—by as much as 95 percent—in recent years. That, along with pressure to meet emissions regulations in California, means the technology is finally coming to market. Earlier this year, Hyundai started leasing hydrogen-powered Tucson Fuel Cell SUVs in California. Toyota plans to launch a newly designed compact hydrogen car called the Mirai in Japan this month and in the U.S. next year. Meanwhile, GM, Honda, and others are developing their own hydrogen vehicles. Carmakers are keen to extol the environmental credentials of these new models. Hyundai advertises that its cars emit no carbon dioxide, while Toyota boasts that its hydrogen cars “leave nothing behind but water.” But these ads are a little misleading. The only thing that comes out of the cars’ tailpipes is, indeed, water vapor, but the hydrogen they run on is mostly made from natural gas via a process that releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Fuel cells are still greener than some conventional cars. Based on an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, producing hydrogen from natural gas for the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle emits about as much carbon dioxide as a car that gets 38 miles per gallon. That’s far better than the gasoline-powered version of the Tucson, which gets 25 miles per gallon. But you can buy a number of cars that get better than 38 miles per gallon. That’s relatively easy to do with small cars. But even the hybrid Toyota Prius v, which is slightly roomier than the Tucson, gets 42 miles per gallon. And it’s far cheaper than the Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle. The Tucson Fuel Cell leases for about $499 per month, which includes the cost of hydrogen fuel. In some areas, you can lease a Prius v for $159 per month. Emerging technologies for producing hydrogen could eventually make fuel-cell cars cleaner and cheaper. For example, hydrogen can be made using renewable sources of electricity to power an electrolyzer, which splits water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The problem is that this is still far more costly than making hydrogen from natural gas. Longer term, instead of using solar power to generate electricity, and then using that electricity to split water, it may be possible to engineer catalysts to absorb sunlight and use its energy to split water. That would make hydrogen generation simpler and cheaper. But for now, the main advantage of hydrogen cars over electric cars is that they can be recharged more quickly. Even the fastest chargers available— for the Tesla Model S—take about 20 minutes to add 130 miles of charge. You can fill a Hyundai’s hydrogen tank, which holds enough for 265 miles, in 10 minutes. Quick refills would be more convenient for long road trips. On the other hand, while there are plans to install 40 public hydrogen-fueling stations next year—mainly as a result of investment by the California government and some automakers—right now there are still only three public hydrogen stations in the entire United States.  www.technologyreview.com

Chemical-Sensing Displays and Other Surprising Uses of Glass

 

An inside look at Corning’s labs suggests what’s next for the inventor of Gorilla Glass. By Kevin Bullis on December 17, 2014 Even some of the most advanced synthetic materials can’t match the optical and physical properties of glass. A Slinky-like object made of Gorilla Glass using new laser manufacturing technology. Someday your smartphone might be able to help you in a new way when you’re traveling: by telling you whether the water is safe to drink. Although a water app isn’t close yet, researchers at Corning and elsewhere recently discovered that they could use Gorilla Glass, the toughened glass made by Corning that’s commonly used on smartphone screens, to make extremely sensitive chemical and biological sensors. It could detect, say, traces of sarin gas in the air or specific pathogens in water. The sensors are just one project I learned about during a visit to Corning’s R&D labs in upstate New York. In the last few decades, Corning’s advances in glass-making have led to technologies such as fiber optics and flat-panel displays. Now, thanks to Gorilla Glass, it’s associated with the latest smartphones. But despite the remarkable success of that product, it is keen to catch the next high-tech boom. Corning spends about 8 percent of its sales on R&D—which will amount to about $800 million this year. It’s a hedge against the very real possibility that one of its businesses could go dark—as has happened in the past. Between 2000 and 2002, Corning lost more than half of its revenue when its fiber-optics business collapsed with much of the rest of the telecom market. Its stock plummeted from $113 to just over $1. This year, it got another scare when one of its largest customers, Apple, came close to replacing Gorilla Glass in iPhones with sapphire (see “Why Apple Failed to Make Sapphire Phones”). Displays, in one way or another, account for about half of Corning’s revenue, with roughly a third of that coming from Gorilla Glass. To expand this market and withstand challenges from other materials, Corning is trying to add capabilities to Gorilla Glass, such as the sensor application. And it’s looking for new markets for Gorilla Glass beyond displays. The ability to turn your phone into a biological and chemical sensor is one of the earliest-stage projects in the lab. Researchers at Corning and Polytechnique Montreal discovered that they could make very high quality waveguides, which confine and direct light, in Gorilla Glass. The researchers were able to make these waveguides very near to the surface, which is essential for sensors. Doing so in ordinary glass would break it. Making the waveguide involves focusing a beam of intense laser light near the surface of the glass, then tracing it along the glass, which locally changes its optical properties. To make a sensor, the researchers make a waveguide that splits into two identical pathways for light. Then the paths converge, and the light from both paths meet up. One path serves as the sensing path, and the other as a reference. Even a tiny change to the light in the sensing path—such as its intensity—can be detected by observing how the light from the two paths interacts when they meet, producing distinct patterns. The researchers demonstrated a simple sensor that detects changes in temperature. Heating up the sensing path changes its shape, which changes the properties of the light passing through it. Because the waveguide is so close to the surface, part of the light actually extends out of the glass, and anything placed on the surface of the glass will interact with part of the light. This means that to make a chemical or biological sensor, you could prepare the surface of the glass so that a specific target will bind to it. For example, you might treat it with antibodies that latch onto E. coli. or other contaminants; detecting their presence would be as simple as putting a drop of water on the phone. The waveguides are microscopically thin, and therefore invisible, so they wouldn’t obscure a display. And because they’re quite small, sensors for several different biological or chemical targets could be incorporated into a smartphone. Corning researchers have also discovered that Gorilla Glass has useful acoustic properties. The way it vibrates is different than conventional glass—it damps sound waves. The simplest application is noise insulation—it blocks sound better than ordinary glass. But the same acoustic properties could also turn displays into speakers. I saw such a prototype in one of Corning’s labs. A wire in the display attaches to a small actuator that vibrates the glass to produce sound waves. Because of the way the waves propagate through the glass, they can be more precisely controlled than with ordinary glass, allowing for higher quality sound reproduction. In another lab, researchers showed off a seemingly ordinary window. Then, with a flip of a switch on a circuit board, it turned into a display—one showing an old Coke commercial—and I could only barely make out what was behind the image. When the ad was over, I could see through the display again. Corning was particularly secretive about how it managed to make this technology work. The most uncanny thing I saw was a Slinky-like glass toy. It’s made of thin Gorilla Glass cut in a spiral shape with a new laser manufacturing tool. As with a Slinky, if you hold one part and let go of the rest, it extends toward the floor. Ordinary glass would just shatter, but because it’s tougher, this glass springs back like plastic. The key to having glass this flexible is making it thin. Corning recently developed Willow Glass, which is about 100 micrometers thick, one-fourth the thickness of the Gorilla Glass normally used for displays. It can be shipped to customers in rolls, making it easier and cheaper to use in manufacturing. Potential customers are still evaluating how to use it; one likely application is as a component inside displays. But already, an even more flexible kind of glass is in development, says Corning’s chief technology officer, David Morse. It can fold around the edge of something as thin as a reporter’s notebook, and do so millions of times without breaking. It could be important in future foldable electronic devices. Founded in 1851, Corning survived in the past because of its ability to keep reinventing the possibilities of glass. At about the same time that the market for fiber optics collapsed, its business selling glass for cathode-ray-tube TVs also took a steep dive. It was saved by a process it had invented for making the high quality glass needed for the transistors that control pixels in LCD displays—the very display technology that was destroying its cathode-ray business. A few years later, the company got a call from Steve Jobs, who needed tough glass for the first iPhone. Corning just happened to have a technology sitting on the shelf—the toughened glass that came to be called Gorilla Glass. Corning hopes to be ready for the next call. source to this article : www.technologyreview.com

Feeling younger than actual age meant lower death rate for older people

 

Turns out, feeling younger than your actual age might be good for you. A research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine found that older people who felt three or more years younger than their chronological age had a lower death rate compared with those who felt their age or who felt more than one year older than their actual age. Self-perceived age can reflect assessments of health, physical limitation and well-being in later life, and many older people feel younger than their actual age, according background information in the report. Authors Isla Rippon, M.Sc., and Andrew Steptoe, D.Sc., of the University College London, examined the relationship between self-perceived age and mortality. The authors used data from a study on aging and included 6,489 individuals, whose average chronological age was 65.8 years but whose average self-perceived age was 56.8 years. Most of the adults (69.6 percent) felt three or more years younger than their actual age, while 25.6 percent had a self-perceived age close to their real age and 4.8 percent felt more than a year older than their chronological age. Mortality rates during an average follow-up of 99 months were 14.3 percent in adults who felt younger, 18.5 percent in those who felt about their actual age and 24.6 percent in those adults who felt older, according to the study results. The relationship between self-perceived age and cardiovascular death was strong but there was no association between self-perceived age and cancer death. "The mechanisms underlying these associations merit further investigation. Possibilities include a broader set of health behaviors than we measured (such as maintaining a healthy weight and adherence to medical advice), and greater resilience, sense of mastery and will to live among those who feel younger than their age. Self-perceived age has the potential to change, so interventions may be possible. Individuals who feel older than their actual age could be targeted with health messages promoting positive health behaviors and attitudes toward aging," the study concludes.

LG announces new 4K TV with layer of quantum dots to boost color

 

The new LG 4K TV will make use of quantum dot technology As can be expected from TV manufacturers across the board, LG has announced that it will unveil a new 4K UHD TV at CES 2015 in January. What makes this (as yet nameless) model interesting is the fact that it will make use of quantum dot technology. In short, that means brighter, more colorful viewing. Quantum dots are semiconducting crystals that range in size from 2 to 10 nanometers. The color of light emitted by a quantum dot when it is excited is determined by its size. LG says it is adding a film of quantum dots in front of the LCD backlight in its 4K TV, with the aim of improving picture color reproduction rate and overall brightness. "Quantum dots provide an amazing super high technology performance enhancement for LCDs through a unique application of quantum physics," explains Dr. Raymond M. Soneira of display calibration firm DisplayMate (not affiliated with LG) in an article on his company's website. "By incorporating them within the backlight, the LCDs then produce highly saturated primary colors that are similar to those produced by OLED displays, plus they also improve the brightness and power efficiency at the same time." LG says the technology will be used to enhance the capabilities of its In-Plane Switching (IPS) displays. The firm says that that the color reproduction rate (that is, the extent to which natural colors can be accurately reproduced on-screen) in its IPS screens will be increased by more than 30 percent compared with conventional LCD/LED TVs. LG's 4K UHD TVs will be on display at CES 2015 in Las Vegas from January 6-9. Source: LG

When you lose weight, where does the fat go?

 

Most of the mass is breathed out as carbon dioxide, study shows. The most common misconception among doctors, dieticians and personal trainers is that the missing mass has been converted into energy or heat. "There is surprising ignorance and confusion about the metabolic process of weight loss," says Professor Andrew Brown, head of the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. "The correct answer is that most of the mass is breathed out as carbon dioxide. It goes into thin air," says the study's lead author, Ruben Meerman, a physicist and Australian TV science presenter. In their paper, published in the British Medical Journal today, the authors show that losing 10 kilograms of fat requires 29 kilograms of oxygen to be inhaled and that this metabolic process produces 28 kilograms of carbon dioxide and 11 kilograms of water. Mr Meerman became interested in the biochemistry of weight loss through personal experience. "I lost 15 kilograms in 2013 and simply wanted to know where those kilograms were going. After a self-directed, crash course in biochemistry, I stumbled onto this amazing result," he says. "With a worldwide obesity crisis occurring, we should all know the answer to the simple question of where the fat goes. The fact that almost nobody could answer it took me by surprise, but it was only when I showed Andrew my calculations that we both realised how poorly this topic is being taught." The authors met when Mr Meerman interviewed Professor Brown in a story about the science of weight loss for the Catalyst science program on ABC TV in March this year. "Ruben's novel approach to the biochemistry of weight loss was to trace every atom in the fat being lost and, as far as I am aware, his results are completely new to the field," says Professor Brown. "He has also exposed a completely unexpected black hole in the understanding of weight loss amongst the general public and health professionals alike." If you follow the atoms in 10 kilograms of fat as they are 'lost', 8.4 of those kilograms are exhaled as carbon dioxide through the lungs. The remaining 1.6 kilograms becomes water, which may be excreted in urine, faeces, sweat, breath, tears and other bodily fluids, the authors report. "None of this is obvious to people because the carbon dioxide gas we exhale is invisible," says Mr Meerman. More than 50 per cent of the 150 doctors, dieticians and personal trainers who were surveyed thought the fat was converted to energy or heat. "This violates the Law of Conservation of Mass. We suspect this misconception is caused by the energy in/energy out mantra surrounding weight loss," says Mr Meerman. Some respondents thought the metabolites of fat were excreted in faeces or converted to muscle. "The misconceptions we have encountered reveal surprising unfamiliarity about basic aspects of how the human body works," the authors say. One of the most frequently asked questions the authors have encountered is whether simply breathing more can cause weight loss. The answer is no. Breathing more than required by a person's metabolic rate leads to hyperventilation, which can result in dizziness, palpitations and loss of consciousness. The second most frequently asked question is whether weight loss can cause global warming. "This reveals troubling misconceptions about global warming which is caused by unlocking the ancient carbon atoms trapped underground in fossilised organisms. The carbon atoms human beings exhale are returning to the atmosphere after just a few months or years trapped in food that was made by a plant," says Mr Meerman, who also presents the science of climate change in high schools around Australia. Mr Meerman and Professor Brown recommend that these basic concepts be included in secondary school curricula and university biochemistry courses to correct widespread misconceptions about weight loss among lay people and health professionals.

Thumbs-up for mind-controlled robotic arm

 

This is an image showing one of four new hand movements from the 10D control of the robotic arm. A paralysed woman who controlled a robotic arm using just her thoughts has taken another step towards restoring her natural movements by controlling the arm with a range of complex hand movements. Thanks to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Jan Scheuermann, who has longstanding quadriplegia and has been taking part in the study for over two years, has gone from giving "high fives" to the "thumbs-up" after increasing the manoeuvrability of the robotic arm from seven dimensions (7D) to 10 dimensions (10D). The extra dimensions come from four hand movements--finger abduction, a scoop, thumb extension and a pinch--and have enabled Jan to pick up, grasp and move a range of objects much more precisely than with the previous 7D control. It is hoped that these latest results, which have been published today, 17 December, in IOP Publishing's Journal of Neural Engineering, can build on previous demonstrations and eventually allow robotic arms to restore natural arm and hand movements in people with upper limb paralysis. Jan Scheuermann, 55, from Pittsburgh, PA had been paralysed from the neck down since 2003 due to a neurodegenerative condition. After her eligibility for a research study was confirmed in 2012, Jan underwent surgery to be fitted with two quarter-inch electrode grids, each fitted with 96 tiny contact points, in the regions of Jan's brain that were responsible for right arm and hand movements. After the electrode grids in Jan's brain were connected to a computer, creating a brain-machine interface (BMI), the 96 individual contact points picked up pulses of electricity that were fired between the neurons in Jan's brain. Computer algorithms were used to decode these firing signals and identify the patterns associated with a particular arm movement, such as raising the arm or turning the wrist. By simply thinking of controlling her arm movements, Jan was then able to make the robotic arm reach out to objects, as well as move it in a number of directions and flex and rotate the wrist. It also enabled Jan to "high five" the researchers and feed herself dark chocolate. Two years on from the initial results, the researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have now shown that Jan can successfully manoeuvre the robotic arm in a further four dimensions through a number of hand movements, allowing for more detailed interaction with objects. The researchers used a virtual reality computer program to calibrate Jan's control over the robotic arm, and discovered that it is crucial to include virtual objects in this training period in order to allow reliable, real-time interaction with objects. Co-author of the study Dr Jennifer Collinger said: "10D control allowed Jan to interact with objects in different ways, just as people use their hands to pick up objects depending on their shapes and what they intend to do with them. We hope to repeat this level of control with additional participants and to make the system more robust, so that people who might benefit from it will one day be able to use brain-machine interfaces in daily life. "We also plan to study whether the incorporation of sensory feedback, such as the touch and feel of an object, can improve neuroprosthetic control." Commenting on the latest results, Jan Scheuermann said: ""This has been a fantastic, thrilling, wild ride, and I am so glad I've done this." "This study has enriched my life, given me new friends and co-workers, helped me contribute to research and taken my breath away. For the rest of my life, I will thank God every day for getting to be part of this team." A video of Jan controlling the robotic arm.

These 17 Inventions Prove That The Future Really is NOW!

 

Some of the things in this list we know about, and we’ve gotten used to them. But we never actually stop to think how amazing they really are. Other things on this list…I didn’t even know existed!    Smart Dictionary   The smartphone…what a breakthrough! Digital menu   Tesla driving display   The world’s first virtual reality store has opened in S. Korea. All the walls are actually touchscreens. You simply tap what you want, and it’ll be waiting for you at the exit.   3D printed souvenirs  Camera eye Digital library  Door lock  The cast of the future  Fridge of the future   Google fiber = super high download speeds    Iron man suits?  Moving trash can Bendable phone screen  And of course…the self driving Google car The future really IS here so please share with others   source : www.somuchviral.com

The world's most valuable barn find: 60 rare cars untouched for 50 years

 

At left is a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider valued at between EUR€9,500,000 and EUR€12,000,000 (USD$11,875,000 and USD$15,000,000) at right is one of just three Maserati A6G 2000 Berlinetta Grand Sport Fruas ever made, estimated to be worth more between EUR€800,000 and EUR€1,200,000 (USD$1-1.5 million) Image: © Artcurial Image Gallery (49 images) Proof that priceless barn finds are still possible emerged from France this week when elite auction house Artcurial disclosed it had discovered the automotive equivalent of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Earlier this year, Artcurial's Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff came across the remarkable treasure trove of rare automobiles on a provincial farm in the West of France. Novikoff had fielded a phone call from the representative of a deceased estate, which in turn had been inherited by the deceased from his father a decade prior. Several children had been bequeathed the estate, which included a collection of old cars that had lain untouched for nearly half a century. In an effort to discover the value of the cars, they called Artcurial, best known as France's leading auctioneer of art and antiques. "On the phone, I gathered from the information I was given, that this could turn out to be something important," said Novikoff (above left), a specialist in the automotive side of Artcurial's business. "Without realizing the scale, I spoke to Matthieu immediately and we arranged to go there, to find out what it was." Lamoure takes up the story: "On entering the gates of this property, we had no idea what we would find. We had to go in through the gardens at the rear of the property, to get a first look." "Across three hectares, we could see different makeshift structures. Low shelters covered with corrugated iron. From there, we realised that this was something big. We still didn’t know what we were looking at, but could make out coachwork, weathered by time and the elements. Some modern shapes and others that were older." "We continued our exploration at a second site, at the bottom of a field, then in one of the property’s outbuildings, an old barn that had been converted into an improvised garage." As Lamoure and Novikoff moved around the farm, they found more and more cars under makeshift structures, often open to the elements and almost all of them were rare ... extremely rare. Matthieu Lamoure, the MD of Artcurial's automotive auction department is pictured during the 2012 auction of the private collection of automobiles belonging to the Prince of Monaco. As the Managing Director of Artcurial's automotive department, Lamoure has the acuity of immense collectible car knowledge, and as the pair of historic car aficionados walked around the farm, they recognized they had found something very special. "You go into this profession for discoveries like this ... this really is a treasure ... a once-in-a-lifetime discovery," said Lamoure. “When we arrived here, we found ourselves overcome with emotion. Probably much like Lord Carrington and Howard Carter, on being the first person for centuries to enter Tutankhamun’s tomb.” As the pair explored the site, they came across significant models from many of the legendary marques in automotive history: Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago, Panhard-Levassor, Maserati, Ferrari, Delahaye, Delage. Along with the famous manufacturers, many of the bodies were built by the most celebrated coachbuilders of the period, such as Million & Guiet, Frua, Chapron and Saoutchik. No less than three Saoutchik-bodied Talbot Lago T26s were found among the sheds, including a very rare Grand Sport Aérodynamique and a Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet once owned by King Farouk. Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet Saoutchik – ex King Farouk Rare car auctioneers call it provenance, but get a few glasses of vino into someone who knows the business well and they'll tell you it's fundamentally about the story, a story which will be told many times, and if the value of a car is proportional to the story it can tell, the ex-Farouk Talbot Lago (far right in the above photo) should be near priceless. Farouk's outrageously ostentatious lifestyle saw him overindulge as only royalty can, and the tales of his excesses are too good not to recount here before we move on to the million dollar plus Ferrari and Maserati. The first Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster - identical to Farouk's though his was red. Only 29 were ever made, far fewer have survived to this day, and the massive, handcrafted art deco sculpture was the absolute pinnacle of automotive desirability at the time Hitler gifted one to Farouk. Five 540Ks are in the top 100 most expensive cars of all time. Farouk's immense 100+ car collection included a Mercedes Benz 540K given to him as a wedding present by Adolf Hitler (the Spezial Roadster above had just been released and available imagery suggests Farouk's was identical to the first model above, albeit in red), though legend has it that his favourite car was a red 1947 Bentley Mark VI, with Figoni et Falaschi coachwork. All his cars were red, and other than palace and military vehicles which travelled with him in his entourage, he decreed that no other cars could be painted red, so that the police would not impede his progress. The only Bentley Mark VI ever graced with Figoni et Falaschi coachwork has twice sold at auction in the last year, fetching GBP£526,400 (US$849,520) at an RM auction in September, 2014, and US$605,000 at Bonhams' Scottsdale auction in January, and both times it was wearing black livery and no mention was made of Farouk in the auction descriptions. Hence we were beginning to wonder if the legend was incorrect, until we found these images of the same Bentley (Chassis no. B9AJ, Engine no. B65A) winning first place in the Post-War European Custom Coachwork class at Pebble Beach in 1990. The old pics offer a fascinating glimpse of the early days of the world's most prestigious auto gathering. A quarter century ago, Pebble Beach looked more a school fete than the hyper-elite social occasion it has evolved into. Most tellingly though, the car was presented in Farouk's colours at that time and this snippet from the Orlando Sentinel from 1991 suggests the car is indeed Farouk's former wheels. Any clarification from readers who know the history would be greatly appreciated. Farouk was an avid collector of almost anything that tickled his fancy. His coin collection was the world's most valuable (it included two of the top 10 most valuable coins in the world – a 1933 Double Eagle and a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel) and when the palace was finally breached by revolutionaries (apparently with help from the CIA, which had internally labelled the orchestrated coup "Project FF" for "Fat Fu*#er"), they found what has been claimed to be the world's most voluminous pornography collection. The reputation of Farouk's appetite for young female company was only exceeded by his gluttonous devotion to food, which saw him famously referred to as "a stomach with a head." Farouk reportedly ate 600 oysters a week, liked to eat caviar with a spoon straight from the jar and ... as we all know, much of what is written on the internet is unsubstantiated garbage, so we must add a note of caution on the authenticity of these tales. We don't subscribe to the old newsroom adage of never letting the facts get in the way of a good story, but if even ten percent of Farouk mythology is true, the car should be worth a lot more than it will sell for. Most fittingly, the Saoutchik-bodied T26 mirrors the legend of both its designer's work and its former owner's extravagance in all things material. A car is only "original" once This early Delahaye Coupé Chauffeur from the Baillon Collection would once have been a magnificent vehicle. There's still enough there for it to be perfectly reproduced by modern day artisans who can follow the template. © Artcurial There is no doubt that many of our readers are looking at the rusted wreckage portrayed in the image library and wondering if the gloss had been taken off this almost archeological find by the depleted state of the cars. Yes, it's a crying shame that they have been exposed to the weather for decades, but almost all of these cars are in a completely original and untouched state, and one of the interesting questions surrounding this unique circumstance is whether all of the cars will be restored to their former glory, as there are some, Lamoure included, who believe many will not, perhaps should not, be restored. "I think some should be left as they are, and others should be restored," said Lamoure. "This is a unique testimony. It is the collectors who have this opportunity to make the successful bid who will decide. If you think about it, there are always restored cars available to buy on the market. These vehicles are unique. This is a very rare opportunity presenting works of art unknown to the market. For the Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport coupé Saoutchik, caved in at the rear, I think it should be left in this condition. It is a sculpture." The Lady of the Lake. In 2010, a rusted 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia that had spent 75 years at the bottom of Lake Maggiore in North Italy was sold at a Bonhams auction for EUR 260,500, completing one of the most remarkable stories in automotive history. There are precedents for historically-important cars being purchased in unusable condition and left that way. In 2010, a rusted 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia (above) that had spent 75 years at the bottom of Lake Maggiore in North Italy was sold at a Bonhams auction for €260,500 (US$324,000), completing one of the most remarkable stories in automotive history. The car was purchased by the Mullin Automotive Museum in California and it is on display there in exactly the condition in which it was reclaimed from the lake as living proof of the craftsmanship of the era in general, and the Bugatti marque in particular. The underbidder, also an American, had intended to restore the car. I was personally relieved when I heard it was to be retained in its rescued state. What do you think? (let us know in the comments). "It is no coincidence that Artcurial has a collectors’ car department," said Novikoff. "Certain cars, much like paintings or sculptures, are works of art, created by artists! Not only the engineering, but their styling reflects the history of design." Whether or not the cars are restored, there is some blue sky for restorers. Ask a restorer of rare automobiles if they'd rather restore a car for the second time or the first time and you can guess the answer. A car is only original once, and if a previous restorer cut even the slightest corner, then you don't have an authentic template upon which to draw in returning the car to "original condition." If you're looking at the original motor, you know that you need to get a hose clamp exactly like THAT. Similarly the patina of the leather upholstery, woodgrain on the dash, and "mother of pearl" on the steering wheel centerpiece can all be replicated if you know what the original looked like. For those unaware of the "way they used to make 'em," whenever one of these vehicles was sent to a coachbuilder, each build was bespoke to the buyers preference, right down to the finest detail, and no two cars were identical. Even those cars bodied by the car's manufacturer would see evolution of the design from month to month. A matching numbers motor and body, as we expect all of these cars are, is essentially a license to recreate the original car. Find a motor and you could go to a craftsman and have one manifested from scratch, but it wouldn't be a real one, and would not command any realistic value at auction but in the rarest of circumstances. Authenticity is the key to a rare car that will appreciate in value, and all of these cars appear to be the genuine article. Having the original chassis and motor means it's worthwhile spending hundreds of thousands of dollars bringing it back to its initial delivery specification because in most cases, it won't be overcapitalization. We suspect that cars which come from the "Baillon barnfind" will be significantly enhanced in value by surviving the ordeal. Cars from the Baillon Collection can be expected to achieve legendary status. A perfect example of the value of authenticity surfaced last month when a Ferrari 250 GTO emerged from a two-year renovation at Ferrari Classiche. The two dominant marques in the rare car arena are Ferrari and Mercedes Benz, with Ferrari accounting for 53 of the top 100 cars ever sold at auction and Mercedes-Benz another ten. Not surprisingly, both companies now have specialized restoration departments that will make your car new again, regardless of how old it is, or how rare it is. As it has exclusive access to the company’s original technical designs and molds, Ferrari Classiche has cast numerous new engine parts, including 25 new V12 cylinder blocks and a similar number of cylinder heads, to help restore cars to original specifications. Rarer than a California Spider, the 250 GTO is the "Holy Grail" of Ferraris. The only GTO to have sold at auction for decades achieved the world auction record of US$38.115 million at Pebble Beach in August this year, and good ones with desirable provenance (i.e. a good story to tell your mates) have been known to sell privately for US$50 million plus. HAGI (Historic Automobile Group International) tracks the classic car market as an alternative asset class and its figures showed a 54.2% increase in the market value of the rare Ferraris in 2013. "Nothing else has grown at this rate," commented the founder of HAGI, Dietrich Hatlapa, adding that the value of the rarest Ferraris has increased by 15% per year over the last 30 years. Collectable automobiles are now offering far better returns than almost all other asset categories, traditional or otherwise, and auction prices seemed destined to continue to rise relentlessly. The term appreciation applies in more ways that one. Firstly, there's capital appreciation, and cars are now a legitimate wealth creation mechanism, and then there's the personal appreciation which goes far beyond mere numbers on a spreadsheet. This is an investment you can be very personally invested in. The GTO in question was participating in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the GTO in 2012 when it had an accident. 23 of the 36 GTOs ever produced turned out for a not-so-leisurely classic car tour, but during the proceedings, one of them had a mishap near Blois. That's the blue and yellow GTO parked amongst the other GTOs. The GTO in question was participating in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the GTO in 2012 when it had an accident. In a stunning turn-out, 23 of the 36 GTOs ever produced turned out for a not-so-leisurely classic car tour around France and Italy, but during the proceedings, one of them had a mishap near Blois in France, resulting in considerable damage to the GTO, not to mention said owner's spouse, who ended up in hospital with an unspecified number of broken bones. That's the blue and yellow GTO parked amongst the other GTOs above and below on the anniversary rally. If looking at this picture tickles your adrenals, the ripping V12 sounds from this video of the GTO's first on-track post-rebuild shakedown will definitely bring a smile to your face. With a value of $50 million, it's not surprising that GTO owners take good care of their cars. At one stage about two years ago, the Ferrari Classiche department in Maranello contained no less than five of the 36 250 GTOs built between 1962 and 1964. A Ferrari 250 GT California Spider Without doubt, the most valuable car Lamoure saw that day was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider with covered headlights. Though there are rarer cars, (106 Ferrari 250 GT California Spiders were made – 56 short wheelbase and 50 long wheel base), the rare car market knows every such model, and this is one of several individual cars which were unaccounted for in the Ferrari Register and thought lost. There are no less than 13 California Spiders in the 100 most expensive cars of all time. The California Spider is by far the most popular model in our exclusive listing, with a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider having held the world's most valuable auction car record for a period of time. That's the ex-James Coburn Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (above) going under the hammer at an RM Auction in 2008, where British TV and radio personality Chris Evans purchased the car for US$10.894 million, a world record at that time. A near identical car was more recently sold by Gooding & Co for US$15,180,000, and 10 California Spiders have sold for more than US$5 million at auction. Follow the links for an appreciation of the importance of the California Spider find, and be sure to put some time aside for our detailed overview of the rare car market. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $15,180,000 1960 Ferrari 250 GT California LWB Competizione Spider $11,275,000 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $10,894,900 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider $8,800,000 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider $8,580,000 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider $8,250,000 1959 Ferrari 250 LWB California Spider Competizione $7,260,000 1957 Ferrari 250 GT California LWB Prototype Spider $6,600,000 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider $5,907,325 1962 Ferrari 250 SWB California Spider $5,115,000 Subsequent research has shown that the car found in the barn in Western France (Chassis 2935) has a spectacular provenance, which will add to its value when it crosses the auction block in Paris in February 2015. The Spider was purchased new by the actor Gérard Blain, then sold to fellow actor Alain Delon, who was photographed several times at the wheel of this machine, including in 1964 with Jane Fonda during the filming of Les Félins and on the Côte d’Azur with Shirley MacLaine. By complete coincidence, the sale of this collection will be part of Artcurial's Paris Retromobile auction, which will also feature a number of rare cars consigned which are not part of the collection and will feature a 1966 long nose Ferrari 275 GTB/2 originally owned by Roger Vadim and subsequently by Jane Fonda. The car (pictured below) has never left France, and it is estimated it will fetch €2,750,000 to €3,250,000 (US$3,640,000 to US$4,300,000). With the collection now consigned to be auctioned during the world-renowned Retromobile exhibition in Paris next February, Artcurial has placed a pre-sale estimate of between €9,500,000 and €12,000,000 (US$11.8 and $14.9 million) on the hyper-rare Ferrari. The origins of the Baillon Collection Just how the collection came to be spirited away for nearly half a century is predictably an interesting story. A collection of over 100 cars was assembled during the 1950s and 1960s by Roger Baillon, an entrepreneur who ran a French transport company (pictured below). "Up until 1977, Roger Baillon had a transport and truck manufacturing business in the west of France", said Pierre Novikoff. "Roger Baillon made his fortune manufacturing trucks, at a time when the transport business was booming, after the war. He had the monopoly on transporters for dangerous liquid chemicals, thanks to the design of a secure, watertight tank. At the same time, he produced a revolutionary lorry in 1950 that featured the first ever 'cabine avancée' (forward-control cab) in the transport industry! It was moving to find the relics of this great era, in the garden of the property." During the 1970s, before he could carry out the necessary restoration work, his business ran into financial problems and he was forced to sell fifty cars, but he didn't sell them all, leaving the remaining sixty cars in his collection languishing on the French farm. Baillon's dream was to eventually open a museum of pre-war automobiles but his financial circumstances and eventual ill health prevented the restoration of the collection. He passed away more than a decade ago, leaving the collection and estate on which it was housed to his son Jacques, who died last year. With the continuity and context of the collection's history broken, Baillon's grandchildren had no idea of the worth of the cars and called in Artcurial to value the cars, leading to Lamoure and Novikoff having their Tutankhamun’s tomb moment in history. A Panhard-Levassor Dynamic coupé possible an X76 or X77 from the the Baillon Collection. The car had a steel monocoque body that was electrically welded together and central steering wheel. When new, it would have looked like this. © Artcurial The importance of the find is quite significant in the world of collectible cars, and the irony is perhaps that if the collection had been sold at the time of Baillon's death, though it would have been in better condition, it would have been worth a fraction of its value today, such has been the growth in the value of rare cars in recent years. "Not since the revelation of the Schlumpf Collection in Mulhouse, of which Maître Hervé Poulain was the expert, has such a group of emblematic automobiles been disclosed and what is more, in such original condition," said Lamoure. The Schlumpf Collection was worth far more (it included a Bugatti Royale), and largely fully restored when it came to public notice, though its existence was well known and deliberately kept low key by the Schlumpf brothers. Novikoff highlighted during the interviews released at the announcement of the collection that the collectible car market has changed markedly since Baillon assembled his collection: "It was between 1955 and 1965 that he amassed the largest part of the models. Although collectors’ cars, and particularly post-war French models, are snapped up today in the salerooms, this has not always been the case. At that time, Roger Baillon saved many of these cars from the scrapyard." "This man was one of the early collectors. He wanted to celebrate the art of automotive engineering and bought a property to turn into an automobile museum. He began to buy key models in France and Europe. "Having a transport business, it was straightforward for him to have his treasure delivered to the property he had bought in 1953 for this purpose. He even acquired a little train which he planned to use to make a tour of the museum, that would pass by all the cars. "When the vehicles arrived, he put them away without much fuss, one next to the other. He restored some and left others as they were." Appropriately, all of the cars in the Baillon Collection will be displayed at the Retromobile Salon in Paris next February in exactly the state they were found. "Visitors will be able to share in our emotion, much like that experienced by Lord Carrington and Howard Carter entering Tutankhamun’s tomb," said Lamoure. "Artcurial will put on show the magic of these sixty mysterious mechanical creatures, like a giant work of art: the unrealized dream of its owner brought back to life." "These sleeping Beauties are clothed in the precious patina of time gone by. A collection like this can’t fail to arouse the passions of those who love automobiles, as well as art and history enthusiasts", said Novikoff who accompanied Lamoure on that initial walk through. We've cherry-picked some of the cars which will be available for viewing at Retromobile in February for a brief rundown. Talbot Lago T26 Record coupé by Saoutchik Artcurial's Matthieu Lamoure was interviewed at the announcement of the finding of this collection, and one of the true finds amongst the farm sheds was this Talbot Lago T26 Record coupé by one of the all-time great coachbuilders, Russian-born designer Jacques Saoutchik. We've previously written about Saoutchik's flamboyant design. "We had already spotted a few gems during our first tour of the machines, and making an inventory made us start to comprehend the extent of the collection. One mythical coachbuilder after another", said Lamoure. "I must tell you about the three Talbots designed by Saoutchik: despite their condition, it was impossible not to fall in love with the lines of theTalbot Lago T26 Record coupé by Saoutchik. It is like a work of art by Brancusi." "When we contacted the marque historian to tell him we had found this car, he couldn’t believe it! Once he had recovered from the shock, he bombarded us with questions." Probably the most powerful production car available at the time it was built, this 170 hp car will sell for a lot of money and will be worth a great deal more when it is fully restored. Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe by Saoutchik Yet another Saoutchik masterpiece found by Artcurial is this Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe. Coachbuild is perhaps the most knowledgeable of internet resources on the Grand Automotive Masters, with detailed information on Jacques Saoutchik, the T26 Grand Sports Coupe and some wonderful galleries of examples of the various incarnations of the cars available here and here. One of these models crossed the auction block at an RM Auction at Monterey (Pebble Beach) in 2007, failing to meet reserve with a high bid of US$535,000. That's it above, and when I see one in its full glory, I am torn between hoping it is purchased and restored, or exhibited as a work of art in its current condition as suggested by Artcurial's Pierre Novikoff. Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet with body by Millon & Guiet An Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet with body by famous French coachbuilder Millon & Guiet, which built bespoke carriages for the wealthy for half a century before beginning to produce bespoke automobile coachwork in 1895. The car was designed by the much celebrated Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt, who was nominated for the Car Engineer of the Century specifically for his design of the H6. It was Birkigt's remarkable engineering expertise which gave Hispano Suiza its reputation for speed and reliability, as his WWI aircraft engines became legendary for those very same qualities – qualities highly prized in wartime. Following WWI, the Hispano Suiza H6 became the automobile of choice for European royalty and the hyper-wealthy, as it was amongst the most costly vehicles available. For an indication of what this car might look like when it is purchased at retromobile and restored to its former glory, take a look at this Hispano Suiza enthusiast page. Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Frua Artcurial is currently working towards valuing all of the cars found on the French farm, though at this point it has only placed an estimate on two of the cars: the Ferrari 250 GT California and this Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Frua, one of just three Artcurial claims were made. It is estimated to be worth more between €800,000 and €1,200,000 (US$1 to 1.5 million). Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux The Bugatti Type 57 was offered in numerous body styles from the factory: Galibier, Stelvio, Aravis, Ventoux and Atalante, and the Atlantic. In addition, many of the famous coachbuilders created their own interpretation. The most that a T57 has sold for at auction is US$8,745,000 which was achieved by Gooding & Co at Pebble Beach in 2013 for a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante. Goodings also sold another 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe for US$7,920,000 in 2008. Yet another 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante was sold by Bonhams at Retromobile in 2008 for US$4,408,575. In May 2010, Gooding & Company handled the private sale of a 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic for more than $30 million, which at the time, was believed to be the highest price ever paid for a car. Neither the exact price nor the buyer were disclosed, and it's interesting to note that so beloved are many of the cars in the collector stratosphere that owners would often rather see the car go to a good home than to the buyer with the most money. The Atlantic was derived from Bugatti’s fabled prototype Aerolithe Electron Coupé (pictured above), which was shown at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon. Only three Atlantics were made, and only two still exist (the other is owned by fashion designer Ralph Lauren). Several Bugatti Aerolithe Electron Coupé concept cars are believed to have been built, but no-one knows where they are, or at least they're not telling anyone. If one of those might surface one day, it would command a world record price. Sadly, no matter how good the restoration of this Ventoux, it won't be worth as much as the Aerolithe, Atlantic or Atalante, despite being basically the same 3,257 cc DOHC inline eight-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, chassis and running gear under the skin. This (above) is what a similar Ventoux looked like back in the day, and a similar Ventoux recently sold fully restored by RM Auctions for £324,800 (US$510,000). In 2011, an unrestored "barn find" 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Series 3 Ventoux Coupe (pictured above) was sold by Bonhams for US$337,000. The full list of cars discovered at the farm: Amilcar C6 berline Amilcar CGS Ariès coach Auto Union cabriolet Avions Voisin C3 Avions Voisin limousine C15 Avions Voisin C7 par Gallé Ballot 8 cyl limousine Barré torpédo Berliet coupé chauffeur Berliet Type VIGB 10HP Taxi Landaulet Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux Citroën Trèfle Delage D6 Delage D8 coach Delahaye 135 cabriolet Faget Varnet Delahaye 135 coach Chapron Delahaye 235 coach Chapron Delahaye 235 coach Chapron Delahaye 235 coupé Chapron Delahaye Type 43 coupé chauffeur Delahaye GFA 148 L Delahaye Type 43 camionnette Delaunay Belleville limousine VL8 Facel Vega Excellence Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Ferrari 308 GTS Ferrari 400 Ferrari Mondial 3.2L cabriolet Hispano Suiza H6B cabriolet Millon-Guiet Hotchkiss cabriolet Innocenti S cabriolet Jaguar type S 3.4 L La Buire 12 A Lagonda LG45 cabriolet Lancia Thema 8.32 Lorraine Dietrich B3/6 plateau Lorraine Dietrich B3/6 torpédo par Grumman Lorraine-Dietrich torpédo Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Frua Mathis cabriolet Packard cabriolet Super Eight Panhard-Levassor Dynamic berline X77 Panhard-Levassor Dynamic coupé X76 Panhard-Levassor limousine X72 Porsche 356 SC ex-Sonauto Renault AX torpédo Renault Vivastella cabriolet Sandford cyclecar 3 roues Singer Cabriolet Talbot Lago 11/6 cabriolet Talbot Lago Baby cabriolet Talbot Lago Baby cabriolet Talbot Lago Cadette 11 Talbot Lago coach Talbot Lago T26 coach Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport coupé Saoutchik Talbot Lago T26 Record coupé Saoutchik Talbot Lago T26 cabriolet Saoutchik ex-King Farouk This unique collection will be offered for sale on February 6, 2015, at the Retromobile Salon. As of now, Artcurial has only sold one car in the top 100 cars of all time – a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider owned by one of the world's most famous playboys, noted screenwriter, film director/producer, author and actor Roger Vadim. The car sold for €4,507,104 (US$5,907,325) at Retromobile in 2012. Early in February (2015), that will undoubtedly become two cars. More than that, Artcurial's role in this burgeoning market appears set to become much greater thanks to its role in bringing this collection to light.