Not content with simply creating bizarre, high-end sports cars, Spanish automaker IFR Automotive has unveiled a steering wheel-embedded computer that can electronically alter the way in which a car performs. Dubbed the Unidrive, the touchscreen-driven device (which appears to have been in development for some time) will provide instant access to tweaking the valve timing, rev limit, ride height, ABS, and a variety of other car-nerd trivialities that only a true grease-monkey could really understand. The in-car end of the system will interact directly with chassis and engine functions, even allowing for unique states that can be tuned to individual driver's tastes. Currently the technology is poised to be employed in the company's forthcoming £75,000 (about $150,000) Aspid car -- no word on if this will make it into your next Escort. [Warning: read link is a PDF, and in Spanish]

[Via The Register]

Alright, maybe we're just turned off by the totally sketchy concept renders, but we were really hoping the car of the future would look a bit better than some high schooler's CAD project. All the same, LaBiche's claims that "A real Flying Car is finally here!" have piqued our interest, and we're pleased to hear that this FSC-1TM flying sports car thing should be able to hit an airspeed in excess of 275 mph, not bad at all for a pair of retractable wings. So far the most testing this thing has gotten is in the X-Plane flight simulator software, and in a 1/10th scale model plane prototype. A full-size mockup is in the works, and apparently they're all ready to take your money for a $175,000 build-it-yourself kit, but we're guessing it'll be a few years until someone is foolhardy enough to try and get the real deal off the ground.

[Via The Raw Feed]