Walt Disney Chevy Test Track Being Re-Imagined

Disney and General Motors have renewed their long-term business relationship with a new multi-year corporate alliance. 

As part of the new alliance, GM will be actively involved with Walt Disney Imagineering in the development of a re-imagined, design-centric Test Track experience. The refurbished Test Track will be presented by one of GM’s most famous brands, Chevrolet. As Chevrolet marks its 100th anniversary, the new alliance agreement enables General Motors to tell its story in new and exciting ways to millions of Guests from around the world and continue as the official vehicle sponsor of Walt Disney World Resort. 

The video above is the original Test Track Ride.

“We are excited to renew our long-term alliance with General Motors,” said George Aguel, Senior Vice President, Corporate Alliances for the Walt Disney Company. “This unique agreement extends collaboration between two of the most recognized brands in the world, a relationship that spans over 30 years. The re-imagined Test Track Presented by Chevrolet will continue our shared goal of providing unique and innovative experiences that engage Disney guests in exciting and interactive ways.” ”

“As a global brand, Chevrolet is looking forward to welcoming Guests from around the world to the re-imagined Test Track,” said Joel Ewanick, Global Chief Marketing Officer for General Motors. “The best of Disney and the best of Chevrolet will come together to bring Guests an immersive experience in the design process of the vehicles they see on the road today and will see in the future.”

Plans call for closing the current GM Test Track in April 2012, with an anticipated opening of Test Track Presented by Chevrolet scheduled for fall 2012.

As part of the re-imagining, the Future World attraction will feature a sleek new “Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot” immersing Guests in the fascinating world of automotive design. Amid upbeat music, engaging media, dramatic lighting and a collection of Chevrolet concept cars and model vehicles, guests themselves will become automotive designers – and peer into the future of personal transportation in the process.

At interactive design and styling workstations, Guests will be able to create their own custom concept vehicles. The adventure will then shift into high gear as Guests buckle into their 6-person “SimCar” ride vehicle and put their design through its paces on the exhilarating hills, switchbacks and straight-aways of the Test Track circuit.

Their performance testing complete, Guests will move into a post-show area filled with special effects and be scored on how well their custom concept vehicle did. And of course, Guests will be able see the very latest Chevrolet vehicles in an all-new state-of-the-art showroom. 

How To: Polish Your Car Like a Pro

No need to go broke making your car look like a million bucks.

(This polishing process is for modern, multistage clear-coat finishes only. Do not use on unrestored pre-1980s classics)

Keeping your car’s finish looking new doesn’t require a paycheck’s worth of equipment or a professional detail shop. “Wheeling”—i.e., polishing a vehicle with a rotating wheel, just like a pro detailer would—works by temporarily heating the paint’s clear coat until it softens into a viscous liquid that fills in and dissipates blemishes. To prevent permanent damage to the paint, limit this method of polishing to once a year and wax your car every couple of months. Follow these steps, and your ride will have a like-new shine in a matter of ?hours.

STEP ONE: Start by ?washing your car by hand in a shaded area. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly but do not dry it.

Technique Tip: Wheeling is a messy process, so cover items (such as other cars, pets, and nearby walls) that you don’t want to clean afterward. Use softer pads and polishing compounds on dark-colored cars, as they are especially sensitive to swirl marks. More-aggressive compounds and pads can be used on lighter hues.

STEP TWO: Place a clean, slightly damp pad on the polishing wheel and put a moderate amount of compound on one body panel. Spread the polish with the wheel, using a medium speed. The key is to keep the spinning pad parallel to the car’s surface to avoid swirl marks. Apply constant pressure and work back and forth over the entire surface of the panel. ?As the clear coat heats up and the paint becomes warm to the touch, scratches will begin to disappear. When the compound and water are thrown aside and absorbed by ?the foam pad, the brightened finish will become visible. Stop. Move to the next panel and repeat.

Technique Tip: Keep the area wet and use just enough polish for each panel.

STEP THREE: As necessary, stop and rinse off the foam pad with a hose or a power washer to prevent it from becoming saturated or gummed up with compound.

Technique Tip: The outer edge of the pad moves faster, generating more friction than the center, and it usually carries less polish—a recipe for a burned finish. So be especially careful around intricate trim areas, such as washer nozzles, mirrors, emblems, and complex bumper contours that can be polished using only ?the outer edge of the pad.

STEP FOUR: Wash and rinse the car again by hand when finished, including the door, trunk, and hood jambs. Dry thoroughly.

STEP FIVE: Applying a coat of wax to the paint will help mask swirl marks and cover up most remaining surface imperfections. Mount a soft foam pad on an orbital sander and apply an approximate 60:40 mix of paste wax and a fine finishing polish onto the pad. Use the sander at a medium speed to spread the wax onto the vehicle in a back-and-forth motion and with light but steady pressure. Leave just enough of a waxy haze to be visible when dry.

STEP SIX: While the wax is drying, clean the other areas of the car (windows, interior, etc.) and then remove the wax with a microfiber towel—bath towels or rags may mar the surface. ?Apply touch-up paint to chips and any lingering scratches as needed. Move the car into sunlight for a final inspection. Crack a cold one and enjoy.

CNN Chronicles Young Girl Building Pontiac Fiero

At fourteen years of age, Kathryn DiMaria has already done what many self-proclaimed gearheads won't even attempt in their lifetimes. The Dearborn, Michigan teen is rebuilding a car from the ground up.

The intrepid youngster asked her parents when she was just twelve to start a Pontiac Fiero project, even offering to pony up all the funds herself. Father, Jerry DiMaria only expected the project to last a few months, but two years later, Kathryn is still at it. In this CNN video, the two are at Maker Faire (a DIY festival) rebuilding a 3.4-liter V6 engine out of a Chevrolet Camaro to replace the 2.8-liter mill found in the Fiero.

The whole family hast pitched in, with Kathryn's mother teaching her how to sew in order to complete the interior, father Jerry providing much of the technical know-how, and even her sister is chronicling Kathryn's progress through photos. Jerry even started a thread in a Fiero forum which has been live for two years and is now 22 pages long. Of the project, one forum member wrote, "welcome to the madness."

Apparently math and science lessons are coming into play in her project, hopefully putting an end to the "Why do I need to learn this?" argument, at least among her classmates. The lessons will hopefully allow Kathryn to follow her dream to become an engineer. The target date for the project's completion is Kathryn's sweet 16.  You can check out her progress in this video from CNN.

11 Outrageously Expensive Fast Foods

written by www.cnbc.com

Fast food has been consistently popular all over the world for decades, for reasons that are pretty compelling — it’s tasty, it’s filling, and most of all it’s cheap. Much has been made in recent years about the health impact of these foods, but it’s done little to keep customers away. After all, a typical fast food restaurant allows a family of four to eat for $20, and in this economy that’s a likely source of repeat business, regardless of the health implications. 

Still, would people be willing to pay more for fast food if it were made with better ingredients? Would they be willing to pay more for a hamburger made of high-quality beef? What if it was made from fresh Kobe beef from the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan and smothered in foie gras and black truffles, while perched atop a brioche truffle bun dotted with edible, 24-karat gold leaves? Would the average fast-food consumer be willing to part with a few extra bucks for such an experience? 



Over the past few years, several businesses have tried to find the answer to this question by creating their own variations on fast food and giving them unnervingly high prices. Some were one-of-a-kind items with proceeds earmarked for charity, and others remain regular items on the menus of upscale restaurants. But what they all have in common is a price many times higher than anything normally found inside a Happy Meal. 

What are some of the most outrageously expensive fast foods ever made?

Lobster Surf & Turf Burger

Created by: Wendy’s 
Location: Tokyo, Japan 
Price: $16 

The Wendy’s fast-food chain is best known for its square hamburgers, “Where’s the beef?” commercials of yesteryear, and most of all, its modestly priced menu. However, the company has introduced an uncharacteristically high-end item for the Japanese market. 

For a limited time, Wendy’s is offering its Tokyo customers the Lobster Surf & Turf Burger for approximately $16, according to BurgerBusiness.com, a burger-centric Internet resource run by Scott Hume, formerly of Restaurants & Institutions magazine and Advertising Age magazine. The burger uses Omar lobster meat, imported from Canada.

Soft Shell Crab Tacos

Created by: The Brentwood 
Location: Los Angeles’ Westside 
Price: $28.50 

The Brentwood restaurant has served the culinary needs of Los Angeles’ Westside clientele since 1999. Its menu includes every comfort food conceivable, from burgers and fries to macaroni and cheese, and everything in between. However, just because they serve comfort food, don’t expect to be presented with a $10 check from your server when you’re done eating. 

The Brentwood is located in one of the most upscale areas in the U.S., so the food is priced accordingly. On the menu , a $28.50 fish taco sits alongside a $24.50 plate of fried chicken and a $16.50 shrimp cocktail. At one point, the restaurant offered a filet mignon taco sold for $38.50 , but sadly it no longer appears on their menu.

Hot Dog

Created by: Stephen Bruce 
Location: Serendipity 3, New York City 
Price: $69 

Serendipity 3 has been a New York City institution since 1954. It’s a popular tourist attraction that was frequented by such legends as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Andy Warhol , and served as the setting for multiple films, most notably the 2001 romantic comedy Serendipity , starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale. 

Owner Stephen Bruce has always known the value of a good publicity stunt, so on June 23, 2010, otherwise known as National Hot Dog Day, the restaurant offered the "Haute Dog," a foot-long frank grilled in white truffle butter and covered in black truffles and foie gras. It sold for $69, earning the Guinness World Record for the most expensive hot dog in the world

Macaroni and Cheese

Created by: Melisse 
Location: Santa Monica, Calif. 
Price: $95

Melisse is a French restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, Calif. It specializes in seasonal entrees, and in the time that it’s been open for business it’s won two Michelin Star Awards. It’s also been rated the No. 1 restaurant in Los Angeles by Zagat. 

One of the seasonal delicacies that Melisse offers is a white truffle, which is only available from October through December. During those months, the restaurant serves it in a macaroni and cheese entree that costs $95 a plate

Philly Cheesesteak

Created by: Barclay Prime 
Location: Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia 
Price: $100 

Most major American cities have at least one trademark food item. New York City has the bagel, Chicago has deep-dish pizza, and Philadelphia has the Philly cheesesteak. The sandwich consists of thin slices of steak and melted Velveeta cheese on a roll, and you can get one anywhere in the city for just a few dollars. 

Barclay Prime, a luxury steakhouse near Philadelphia’s historical Rittenhouse Square, offers its own upscale take on the sandwich. Until very recently, it offered a $100 cheesesteak sandwich made with Kobe beef, Taleggio cheese and poached lobster . In 2011, the sandwich was redesigned, but the restaurant has yet to disclose its details.

Coffee

Created by: T he Asian Palm Civet 
Location: Southeast Asia 
Price: $600 a pound 

Today’s coffee drinker has more options than ever before. The most demanding caffeine connoisseur can find the exact one-pound blend of espresso-roasted, half-French, quarter-Colombian, quarter-Ethiopian beans his or her heart desires, simply by handing the Starbucks barista two dollars for a cup. However, only the true sophisticate knows about civet coffee, the rarest variety on earth, which can sell for as much as $600 a pound. 

Civet coffee’s outrageous price tag is due to its rarity and its unorthodox harvesting method. It comes from a coffee cherry that only grows in Southeast Asia, and the tree is inhabited by a weasel known as the Asian Palm Civet. The animal eats the cherries, digests them and then excretes the hard centers . Harvesting the undigested portion, though highly unappetizing, yields a final product that can sell for as much as $50 a cup.

 Bagel

Created by: Frank Tujague 
Location: The Westin New York at Times Square, New York City 
Price: $1,000 

Few foods are as heavily identified with New York City as the bagel. Other cities have their own variations on it, all profitably sold and happily consumed. However, no other U.S. city has ever come close to capturing that certain je ne sais quoi particular to the New York bagel. 

Although the bagel is readily available at any time of day or night to anyone with a dollar to spend, Frank Tujague, executive chef at the Westin New York at Times Square,  decided to deviate from its standard business model in 2007. He fashioned the world’s most expensive bagel by topping it with white truffle cream cheese, goji berry jelly, and gold leaves. The price for this creation was $1,000 and all proceeds from its sale were donated to the Les Amis d’Escoffier Scholarship, a charity benefiting impoverished culinary students.

Omelet

Created by: Norma’s 
Location:  Le Parker Meridien New York, New York City 
Price: $1,000 

The omelet is a no-brainer food that requires a minimal amount of ingredients and preparation. For this reason, it has taken its rightful place in the mass consciousness as the first choice of rushed diner patrons looking for a quick breakfast. 

Norma’s restaurant in midtown New York City’s Le Parker Meridien hotel has given this convenient food an unusually upscale treatment. Their “Zillion Dollar Frittata” features eggs, lobster, and 10 ounces of sevruga caviar. The cost is $1,000 , bringing new meaning to the term “power breakfast.”

Pizza

Created by: Domenico Crolla 
Location: U.K. 
Price: $4,200 

Pizza is a popular fast food that can stretch a few dollars into a satisfying, if greasy, meal. Domenico Crolla, one of the U.K.’s foremost creators of Italian cuisine, operates a restaurant called Bella Napoli that specializes in gourmet pizzas going far beyond the average $2 slice. 

In 2006, Crolla created the most expensive pizza on record. Dubbed the “Pizza Royale 007,” its toppings included cognac-marinated lobster, champagne-soaked caviar, venison, and edible flakes of 24-carat gold. Crolla estimated that the pie was worth approximately $3,700, but itfetched $4,200 on an eBay auction from lawyer Maurizio Morelli.

Hamburger

Created by: Hubert Keller 
Location: Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas 
Price: $5,000 

The hamburger has been the fast - food gold standard for decades, and the first thing many people think of when they want a quick and inexpensive bite. There have been multiple attempts to recast it as a high-end item, such as the one created by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud with wine-braised short ribs, which cost $120. The Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Fla., created the Tri-Beef burger in 2005, whose mixture of Japanese Wagyu, American Prime, and Argentine beef drove its price up to $125. Even Burger King got into the act, introducing a Japanese beef burger at its West London branch that sold for $186 . 

All of these hamburgers are bargains compared to the FleurBurger. Designed by chef Hubert Keller, the FleurBurger is available only at Fleur de Lys, a restaurant in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Casino. The burger is made of Kobe beef, topped with black truffles and foie gras, and served on a brioche truffle bun. It comes with a bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1990, which is imported from Italy and served in Ichendorf Brunello champagne flutes, which the customer gets to keep. Customers also receive a certificate that the restaurant mails home, proving the authenticity of the purchase. The final price tag for the experience is $5,000 .

Ice Cream Sundae

Created by: Serendipity 3 
Location: New York City 
Price: $25,000 

The ice cream sundae brings many idyllic images to mind, such as the laughter of a child, with a dimpled, cherubic face dotted with glistening chocolate sauce and errant dabs of whipped cream. The New York City restaurant Serendipity 3 is world-famous for such concoctions, and it made headlines in 2004 when it created the “Golden Opulence” sundae in observance of the restaurant’s 50th anniversary. 

Priced at $1,000, the dessert easily set the Guinness World Record for most expensive ice cream sundae. It features Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, edible leaves of 23 karat gold, sauce by Amedei Porceleana, and salt-free dessert caviar. Anyone thinking about ordering one is required to make a 48-hour advance reservation. 

In 2007, Serendipity broke its own record with the intentionally misspelled “Frrozen Haute Chocolate,” priced at $25,000. This sundae raised the stakes set by “Golden Opulence” by using 28 cocoas and an 18-karat gold bracelet with white diamonds at the dish’s base. It also comes with a side of Knipschildt Chocolatier’s $2,600-a-pound La Madeline au Truffle , and is eaten with a diamond-encrusted golden spoon that the customer can keep.