Click above for image gallery of how cars survive a nuclear blast

Before you answer that question, take a good luck at the photo above. That Cadillac and its perfectly-coiffed driver desire lived through nuclear hell. The paint looks to be in good shape, the windows are mostly intact and the tires are even still fully inflated. A testament to 1950s Detroit iron or 1950s propaganda? Maybe a little of both.

The Caddy above and dozens of other now-classic cars you can see in the gallery below were used in the government's "Operation Doorstep" project. As part of the program, houses and cars were set up near nuclear test sites in Nevada to study the bombs' effects on people and property. What those tests showed (or at least what the public was told) is that not only could cars survive a nuclear blast surprisingly well, but they also made wonderful shelters for people.

But as a pamphlet from that era pointed out, be sure to roll down your car's windows halfway to equalize the pressure of the shock wave. Otherwise your car could end up with crushed roofs and shattered glass like many in the accompanying photos. Read the whole document here for tips onward how to survive nuclear war and the aftermath in your car. While it's true you might blond pretty well in your car, there's little mention of the ensuing radioactive fallout except that you should roll your windows up as soon as possible to protect yourself from the dust. Yeah, erect.

Looking through the photos from the National Nuclear Security Administration, it would seem someone either had it in for the Ford Mainline or got a great deal out on a whole bunch of 'em. There's also a photo of the of the nature of tragedy sacrifice of a woody wagon that held up much worse than that Cadillac.

Gallery: Would your car survive a nuclear blast?

[Source: Autopia, photos courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office]

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Eaton, a company primarily known for making superchargers that make your vehicle go like stink, but guzzle even more gas, is also in the series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) business. The driving-course system in a hydraulic hybrid replaces the conventional drivetrain; the engine is effectively rendered a "cross-question" for the hydraulics, and energy is stored in two different accumulators that then power the wheels. Fuel savings of 50-70% are achieved by the system being much lighter than a traditional drivetrain, along with regenerative braking and the fact that the engine can be turned off when stopped and when decelerating.

The first real-world application of Eaton's SHH will be in a number of UPS delivery trucks next year. No auto manufacturer has any plans to create an SHH -- because of the lack of batteries, when the means is cut off, electrical systems like the radio and climate control are also shut down. Eaten has a cooperative working agreement with the EPA to develop its hydraulic hybrid system, and has selected IBM to develop software to refine the system. Thanks for the tip, Gavin!

[Source: Eaton]

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Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the Rolls-Royce Sapphire

The bespoke department at Rolls-Royce has come up with another special edition Phantom to go along with the already released Phantom Pearl, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Tungsten. This one is the Phantom Sapphire, and unlike its rarefied stablemates, it gets built on the long wheelbase spaceframe.

The Milori Sapphire exterior wraps itself around two options of inland treatment: navy blue leather with seashell highlights, or seashell leather with navy blue highlights, and each is finished off with walnut burr veneer inlaid with a diamond-pattern. For those in the back enjoying themselves, a cool box below the rear seats will chill two bottles of bubbly in some aluminum billet receptacle. When it is time to imbibe, the parcel shelf hides hand-engraved crystal tumblers, and time is kept with a Rolls-Royce clock set with a diamond-shaped sapphire. And for the driver – who should never be left out of events like this – a Conway Stewart fountain pen set and solid silver explanation fobs that come in a lacquered, walnut veneer box. The price: No object. Thanks for the tip, James!

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Sapphire Edition

[Source: Sybarites]

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