WIRED readers will be familiar with today's entrepreneurs' desire to "disrupt". But would you really want your air travel to undergo a similarly reckless redux? According to French aerospace engineer David Loury: yes, probably. For the past ten years, the founder and CEO of Cobalt Aircraft has pursued his single-minded mission to change the face of the private-aircraft experience with a new category of light planes that are design-centric, fast, easy to fly and very safe.
The result is the Co50 Valkyrie, which debuted in San Francisco in November 2015, and is now available for pre-order in the US. Driven by a rear propeller and blessed with clean lines and a gorgeous 320º bubble canopy inspired by classic fighter jets, the Valkyrie has a "canard" configuration, with a forewing acting as an aerodynamic fuse to prevent stalling.
- Price: $595,000
- Capacity: Five (including pilot)
- Engine: Continental TSIOF-550-D turbocharged six-cylinder
- Top speed: 260 knots
- Range: 2,656km
Newly formed Montreal bike manufacturer LITO Green Motion is billing this as the world's first all-electric luxury superbike. Where there was once an engine is now a series of polymer lithium batteries. These can power the formidable two-wheeler up to 190kph with just the rush of wind and an addictive hum as the soundtrack.
But the designers haven't stopped there, going above and beyond with thoughtful extras such as carbon-fibre bodywork, plus an integrated touchscreen GPS that tells you if you have the necessary battery charge to get there. It will even switch modes to save electricity, based on your riding style.
- Price: $104,000
- Powertrain: Five (including pilot)
- Battery: 12kWh high-density lithium polymer modules
- Chassis: Aircraft-grade aluminium
- Top speed: 190kph
- Range: 200km (city); >100km (motorway)
- Charge time: Nine hours
Spend enough time strolling the waterfronts of Monte Carlo and you'll soon notice a trend in bespoke mega-yachts: fold-out cabin balconies. Given all the Sun decks and wet bars already available above deck, this may initially seem superfluous, but this 43-foot (13 metre) day-cruiser's patented "XTensions" bathing platform, whose sides slide outwards in less than 30 seconds, extends its teak-laid sunbathing and boozing surface area by 40 per cent. Just a tap of its iPhone app will increase the beam to 6.3 metres. The concept is yet to see fruition, but given the Med's scant mooring availability, boats like this are sure to be in demand.
- Price: £tbc
- Engine options: 2x Volvo Penta IPS 600 (total of 870hp) / 2x Volvo Penta IPS 500 (total of 740hp) / 2x Cummins 550 straight shaft (total of 1100hp)
- Length: 13.04m
- Unladen displacement: 11,300kg
- Capacity: 12 people
Carbon fibre has finally become democratic in road bikes - you can now pick up a carbon-frame model for less than £1,000 - which means it takes something special to push the envelope in this field. That something is the Heroin bike.
Designed and assembled in France from parts made in Italy by former Formula 1 technicians, the design is inspired by the "modulor" - an architectural concept of ideal proportions. Each frame is calibrated to the buyer's size before it's cured in the autoclave. Dimples on every wind-facing surface, meanwhile, improve the drag coefficient by ten per cent. It's difficult to imagine a lighter or faster bike.
- Price: £tbc
- Material: Torayca M46J high-modulus carbon fibre
- Frame weight: 737g
- Gears: Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed DI2 full electronic groupset, 11-28 cassette
- Crank: Rotor INpower (power meter)
- Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
