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Formula One Racing is, quite simply, the paramount of karting. It is the professional form of the sport in its entirety. Formula One is an international phenomenon, a media conglomerate that rakes in millions and millions of dollars a year from advertising, sponsorship, and broadcast revenues. Professional drivers with millionaire bank accounts race these majestic kart marvels that are unprecedented, flush with technological luxuries - everything from hard to produce lightweight frames that glide the machine to tires with unsurpassed grooving style that exemplify powerful movement on the circuit.

There is no sport that bests epitomizes the term “global sport” like Formula One racing. Many countries serve as active participants in shaping the professional karting scene - for example, Malaysia is a hot spot for racing (Fernando Alonso, a Spanish-born driver under Team Renault recently won a race there) and Italy plays a vital role in designing and manufacturing first class, top-of-the-line karts. Drivers and racing personalities hail from all parts of the word - you have the charismatic and popular Italian Renault boss Flavio Briatore, the handsome young 23 year old racing prodigy in Fernando Alonso who stars in a Renault Megane commercial with his pet pig, and one of the highest earning sports figures in world history in Michael Schumacher. Rivalries are common in Formula One - adding the edge of excitement with every zip of the curve and nitrous boost of the machine.

In order to better become acquainted with Formula One racing, we must understand its organization. Karting goes way beyond pitting 3 2-cycle engine machines against each other on an oval circuit. Formula One is divided into drivers & their respective teams. Under such trademark car companies like Renault, Ferrari, and Toyota - each driver has an assembling cast of staffers consisting of mechanics, engineers, and designers all working towards one goal: to make that speedster faster using all the resources at their disposal. Headed by team bosses that are adept at creating sponsorship opportunities and assembling the best cast for each team, Formula One employs the finest specialists in the business with backgrounds in computer and automobile - even specialists with aerospace experience! High end, (rare technology reserved for space projects) in some instances, create the fastest and most efficient car possible. According to FI rules, racing teams must design, construct, and built their own karts from scratch. The staff is the pride of each individual team - capable and able to win every 57 lap enduro race from Malaysia to Great Britain.

Formula One cars can be summed up in two words: technological marvels. These sleek, low riding gems ripping through laps at speeds topping 200 mph. consist of more than just a chassis, an engine, and four wheels. For starters, the engine is located behind the cockpit as opposed to standard automobiles. They consist of 10 cylinder engines that produce heat which propel the kart forward. Team engineers are always looking into ways to make their engines more powerful. Currently, 1000 bhp (a scale for horsepower) has not been topped - it is up to the teams to produce an engine which would fare well supporting speed as well as support the chassis. And as we know, there is a snug open cockpit for Jarno Trulli to maneuver his machine in.

Construction of Formula One race cars is unprecedented. The first rule of thumb in designing a bonafide piece of framework is to make it weigh as least as possible. Less kart weight correlates to faster speeds. For this reason, team brains use lightweight material that is hard to construct. The minimum weight of a kart must be 600 kg including the driver. This ensures a level playing field, although teams are allowed to keep their money making construction methods a secret from other teams. Team staff is very highly regarded in the Formula One business. Their technological and dynamical know-how of the machines they build is a valuable asset to any team. And like free agents, they are lured and signed by the likes of companies creating a recruiting war for their services. Of course, there are restrictions for creating karts. You cannot add nitro boosts to your machine or use technology that resembles life in the year 3000. Teams are always looking to bend the rules slightly and coming up ways to beat the competition legally.

Professional kart tires have to have optimum characteristics to ensure smooth driving. For one, tires have to have grooving technology built into them. For the novices, grooves are indented lines in tires that allow for it to slow down considerably on turns and to adapt to the track surface. No matter what the technology, kart tires are simply not adept at withstanding the rigors of asphalt, concrete, and dirt. For this reason, Formula One racers are allotted two pit stops during the course of a 57 lap race to change tires. If you’ve ever watched a Formula One race, team staffers with lightning quick hands have an extremely limited time for which to remove and replace tires in the pit stop - often times not exceeding over 7 seconds! Regulations are placed on tire grooves (a minimum of four) to allow for an even playing field for all racers. Remember enthusiasts, grooves serve more to slow down the kart than to speed it up.

Chassis construction with its illustrious carbon fiber material, tires with indented grooves, team specialists with a knack for speed, and engines which burn heat like calories is the epitome of a Formula One race car. All of these attributes contribute to the performance of the vehicle in racing lap after lap. As a result of all this technology, Formula One cars leave people breathless reaching consistent speeds of 200 mph. on the race track. More impressive is the time needed to go from 0 mph to 100 mph - 5 seconds! Formula One is only moving forward with the advent of new features - like improved horsepower engines, more lightweight materials, new ballasts to add weight to the car, and more. Behind that stylish, mind blowing chassis that pique our interest is that top-class technology that makes Formula One racing so great.

A carryover from 2004, the 2005 Ford Thunderbird was the last of its kind to be manufactured. The last time it rolled off the Ford Motor Company’s manufacturing plants was also the time of the vehicle’s fiftieth anniversary.

This 2005 Ford Thunderbird is a luxury convertible that has been available in three trims that ranges from the Deluxe package to the 50th anniversary package. It has the capacity to take in a maximum of two passengers, and sports two doors. Upon its introduction, this 2005 Ford Thunderbird model came equipped with a standard engine of 3.9 liters, V8, and 280 horsepower that could take in 18 mpg in the city, and 24 mpg on highway cruising. Also standard for this luxury convertible is a five-speed automatic transmission that has overdrive.

This last Thunderbird convertible to be produced still contains the cool and evocative styling that its descendants have bore. It also still holds its heritage of being a roadster with perennial style, loads of power, and great interior roominess and space. However, convertibles who have lived for fifty years also received changes so much so that the 2005 Ford Thunderbird sports an open-air driving, new colors for its interior and exterior, and a new aluminum trim for its doors and center stack.

As per the 2005 Ford Thunderbird’s interior, this vehicle comes with air conditioning with dual-zone automatic climate controls, a power tilt/telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel that has radio controls mounted on it, a cruise control, leather upholstery on 6-way power bucket seats, power mirrors, window locks, door locks, a remote keyless entry system, AM/FM/CD with an in-dash 6-disc changer, a power convertible top, a universal garage door opener, and automatic headlights. On the outside, this luxury convertible could be owned with a power-folding soft top with a heated rear window or with a removable hardtop with trademark porthole windows.

As per safety and security, this luxury convertible has made sure that these features are not overlooked. The vehicle has front airbags, side airbags, and a combination of head-and-chest side airbags, thus making the 2005 Ford Thunderbird the first convertible manufactured by Ford to come equipped with this. Aside from that, the vehicle also has an anti-theft system, the Ford’s Smart Locks system, the LATCH child seat system, a perimeter alarm that goes along with an LED indicator, and a glow-in-the-dark emergency trunk release handle.

All of Ford Thunderbird’s parts and Ford car parts needs could be easily located at Auto Parts Discount. Top of the line Ford Thunderbird parts and Ford auto parts could found here that are guaranteed to fit Ford vehicles. They also match the quality and performance of Ford vehicles.

In a nutshell, the 2005 Ford Thunderbird comes with new exterior colors that include bronze and medium steel blue that has replaced merlot, vintage mint green, and light ice blue metallic. Aside from that it also sports new partial interior color packages like medium steel blue and torch red. The convertible also has a new style using aluminum trim on its doors and center stack. And lastly, the 2005 Ford Thunderbird contains seatback map pockets for owner’s use.

Buying a new car is an experience that few will ever forget: the smell, the pristine interior, and the flawless ride are some of the things enjoyed by new car owners. Yet, despite how well equipped even the most expensive cars can be, oftentimes they leave the showroom with several accessories missing. No, they weren’t stolen; instead, for some queer reason these “must have” accessories were not included with the sale. Let’s take a look at six accessories every vehicle should have.

Floor mats – You have got to be kidding…no floor mats?! Oddly, floor mats are the chief accessory typically not included with any sale. Instead, you get a throwaway paper sheet for the driver.  Without floor mats in place you can bet that the interior will be soiled in short order. Worse, if you wait too long your carpeting could be damaged which is especially bad news for you if you lease your vehicle. Just wait ‘til you see the price of replacing damaged automotive carpeting!

Cargo liners – Like the interior, the car’s trunk area is subject to dirt, debris, mud, the elements, and more. Some automakers have wised up over the years and included cargo liners as standard equipment while others make a cargo liner an expensive add-on, after-the-sale accessory for buyers.

Bug shields – If you live in a humid climate, a bug shield is a must. No automaker offers one as standard equipment; if you want to protect your hood and windshield a bug shield is a must. Also marketed as bug deflectors.

Car bra – Sure, they are stylish, but a car bra is much more than that. Offering protection to your grille and to the front part of your hood, a car bra can help deflect debris kicked up from the road. Who hasn’t come across that sort of problem while traversing our interstates?

Brake dust shields – No, there isn’t a safety aspect with a dust shield, but there certainly are aesthetic reasons why they make sense. You spent a lot for your tires and wheels, so why go through the hassle of a weekly cleaning just to keep your car looking great? Dust shields limit the dust so that you can do what you really want to do: drive.

Car cover – Whether you keep your car garaged or whether you leave it outside, a car cover is essential toward protecting your vehicle’s finish. Indoor air pollution and dust can damage a garaged vehicle; solar rays, moisture, bird poop, wind, and small impacts can damage exposed vehicles. For less than $200 you can buy a four layer, breathable car cover that will offer the protection your car so desperately needs.

So, there you have it. Six essential auto accessories for every vehicle. You’ll pay a mint for each accessory if you let your dealer add them in after the sale, so why not shop online with Car Stuff to find everything you need for your car and for less?