Products

The car used in the 1960s Batman movie has been sold for an impressive US$4.2 million at auction. Custom car specialist George Barris bought the Lincoln Futura concept vehicle from Ford for the nominal sum of $1 in 1965, and he then spent $15,000 modifying it for the 1966 film. Barris kept the Batmobile in his own collection until he decided to sell it through an auction house in Arizona, where it attracted the attention of its new owner, car collector Rick Champagne. The Lincoln Futura concept vehicle was

When a traffic policeman went missing in the Czech Republic his superiors quickly became concerned and started an intensive search for the man. A media campaign resulted in his photo being used in the press and also on TV, along with appeals for any information about his whereabouts.

A pet owner in the UK has been surprised to find out that her treasured cat regularly uses local buses in the area. The cat started by visiting the nearby bus station and, finding the buses warm and comfortable, began sitting inside. The 15 year old cat now often makes 16km round trips in the Dorset area and is well known to local bus drivers, who also know at which stop to let the cat off. Drivers have even taken tins of food to work with them to feed the pampered pet, which often likes to sit in the laps

A driver in Ohio who drove along a pedestrian way to pass a school bus, even as children were embarking, was given a novel punishment. After attending court, the woman was required to stand at an intersection wearing a sign bearing the word ‘idiot’ between 7.45am and 8.45am.

In Brazil’s southern Parana State a number of motorists were alarmed to see a couple riding along on a motorcycle, while locked in a passionate embrace. The rider was paying minimal attention to the road in front of him while his girlfriend sat on his knee.

A car owner in Ukrainian capital Kiev has taken a novel approach to parking problems in the city, ensuring the vehicle has a space and is also free from the potential risk of theft. This has been achieved by parking the car on the balcony of an apartment block, several storeys up.

Cooper Research Technology has added two new machines to its range of cold weather testing solutions: a Disc Shaped Compact Tension (DCT-ASTM D7313) and Semi-circular Bending Test (SCB). These join Cooper’s Asphalt Pavement Thermal Testing Systems (EN12697-46 or AASHTO TP10) and Prall Studded Tyre Wear Tester (EN 12697-16).

CONTROLS Group will be demonstrating its new range of dynamic asphalt testing machines, launched late last year, at Munich’s bauma exhibition in April this year. All CONTROLS pavement testing machines now come under the new division PAVELAB SYSTEMS. CONTROLS will also be unveiling a new range of AUTOMAX models for testing construction materials.

Ammann and Gujarat Apollo Industries Ltd (GAIL) have signed binding agreements which will see Ammann Group pay just under US$59 million to acquire a 70% share in the Indian company’s plant and machine business. GAIL’s core products include road pavers, asphalt mixing plants, bitumen sprayers and compaction machines. The joint venture is seen by the Ammann Group as underscoring its global growth strategy while heralding its entry into the Indian road building equipment market, tipped for strong growth thank

A JCB 3C backhoe loader is carrying out dramatic mountainside road repairs on a dilapidated stretch of highway in the Venezuelan Andes. The machine is one of six JCB 3C backhoe loaders recently bought by civil engineering company Construcciones y Asfalto Andes which specialises in road construction and asphalt work. They join a JS330 tracked excavator and a JCB 456ZX wheeled loading shovel in the fleet.One of the 3C models is working alongside the brand new JS330 on a major road repair project, operating on

In Kenya, a fleet of eight Doosan MT41 articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is being used to carry materials to a major dam project The Chemususu Dam in the Rift Valley, 250km north-east of the capital Nairobi is one of several dams being constructed with heavy investment from the Government of Kenya.The aim is to make access to safe water much easier, removing the need for the long journeys to remote water sources made every day by women and children from small villages across the country to fetch water for thei

Ultracrete Rhinophalt is a cold spray-applied road surface preservation system that ensures the bitumen’s essential oils are not broken down by UV light. This means that the integrity of surface aggregate is not lost, cracks are not formed, and therefore water cannot penetrate the surface leading to eventual pothole formation. Now available through Instarmac’s Ultracrete brand following a strategic alliance with its manufacturers, ASI, Ultracrete Rhinophalt has been installed on many of the UK’s motorways

Leica Geosystems has launched the latest additions to the Digisystem product range: the Leica Digicat xf-Series. With Leica Geosystems’ new xf-Series cable locators and transmitters, users are said to be able to accurately detect and trace utilities faster and over a greater distance. The Leica Digicat xf-Series is said by the Swiss firm to have been speci?cally designed with long distance tracing in mind. The ability to trace transmitter frequencies of 512Hz and 640Hz provides users with a greater tracing

The huge bauma 2013 construction equipment exhibition due in April of this year will be the biggest ever at the site in Munich, Germany. This event will pack even more exhibitors onto the city’s former airport site, with a record number of visitors also expected. Some 3,256 exhibitors are booked for the show, which will be the 30th bauma construction machinery event and will cover a record 555,000m2. Major technical innovations will be highlighted and with the Stage IV/Tier 4 Final emissions regulations due

Moriaki Kadoya, president and chief executive of Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe (HCME), says Hitachi Construction Machinery needs to place “greater emphasis” on establishing local production facilities as it bids to strengthen its market position.

A subsidiary of the Hitachi Group, Hitachi Construction Machinery currently has 33 production sites worldwide – with 16, including its flagship production site near Tokyo, in Japan.