All language subtitles for How.Tech.Works.S01E02.WEBRip.x264-ION10

[narrator] On this
episode of How Tech Works,

we travel to a historic
racetrack in Germany

and meet a blogger
who writes about

some of the fastest cars around.

And we take a flight

on this new military
plane from Spain.

Sure, it looks like a
flying passenger van

but it's made for heavier work.

[upbeat opening music]

Hi there, and welcome
to How Tech Works.

I'm Basil Singer

and we've got a
bunch of incredible stories

from around the world of tech

this week.

We'll take an exclusive look

at a concept car that is
sure to grow on you, literally.

Plus, we'll meet a group
of guys taking part

in an extreme soapbox derby

called "The Rickety
Downhill Challenge."

But first, we kick off

with a story about
a blogger from Yorkshire

who loves fast cars. In fact

he's obsessed with
recording the fastest lap times

at the Nurburgring

the famous racetrack in Germany.

His ultimate goal is to beat

his own time. The question is

will he do it?

[futuristic music]

[narrator] Nurburg, Germany.
Lots of very fast cars here.

Because drivers come
to test themselves

and their wheels

on the dangerous and legendary

Nurburgring.

[Dale] The Nurburgring
is a 21 kilometer

long public round

that's also used as a racetrack.

I first came here in 2001

did one lap of the place and
decided I needed to perfect it.

And fast-forward
ten years and I'm still here.

It really gets under your skin,
it's really crazy.

[narrator] Dale Lomas
runs bridgetogantry.com.

It's where drivers
post lap times.

Bridge to Gantry is how
we time a lap on a public day.

We time it from the bridge
at the very start of the lap

to the gantry just before
the end of the lap.

[narrator] But
Dale also reviews cars...

I look at one
very specific thing.

I say, how well does this car go
from the bridge to the gantry.

[narrator] Today, he's testing
something brand new from the UK.

[Dale] This is a Caterham
R300 Superlight.

It's called the Superlight
because it really is super light

it's less than 500 kilos.

It's got the bare
minimum required

to strap a human being into it
and put him round the track.

Every single panel is

like, wafer-thin
plastic or alloy.

The engine is a two liter
Ford four-cylinder

normally you'd see
it in a Ford Focus

it'd be making anywhere
between 120 - 150 horsepower.

Today the engine's making
closer to 200 horsepower.

I love the look of it.
I know it looks like it's

come straight out
of a 50s time warp.

[narrator] Time to put
the Caterham to the test.

And maybe set a new
personal best lap time.

It's a short drive
to the Nurburgring.

[Dale] Very busy day today.
Sundays are always busy.

I think half of the
experience is queuing

through the car park

[car engines]

out onto the track.

[narrator] Well, at least
one good thing's happening

The Caterham's
turning some heads.

[Dale] Public days are
called touristenfahrten

and the direct translation
of that is tourist driving.

It's about Mom and Dad

taking the family car
around the famous Nurburgring

kids in the backseat,
noses up against windows

However

the easy accessibility of
the most amazing racetrack

in the world means
you've also got the car park

half-full of guys with
tire pressure gauges

fire-proof suits

taking out their
road-legal sports car and

getting the maximum from it.

[narrator] For one lap,
the cost is twenty pounds.

[Dale] Use my season
ticket, go through.

[narrator] Cost?
Eleven hundred pounds!

[Dale] And, we are out.

We're heading towards the bridge

the bridge is the Antoniusbruche

which is the bridge that
we start the lap times from.

[car engine]
[upbeat music]

So fast traffic
moves to the left

slow traffic stays to the right.

The car's accelerating
fantastically.

Very short gear ratios.

[upbeat electronic music]

I'll cog it down.

I will overtake this Clio.

[music continues]

We're heading
down into the Bogen.

Can't balance
the gas through here.

Beautiful.

[narrator] Each turn of the
Nurburgring has a name.

[Dale] Through the
Hatzenbach complex.

[narrator] Dale
knows them all by heart.

He estimates he's
been around the Ring

about five thousand times.

Today, he's ruling the Ring...

overtaking everyone.

[Dale] Oh, we're accelerating.

And I do believe
we've hit maximum speed.

We're very close
to the rev limiter.

There's the
rev limiter in top gear.

[car engine]
[upbeat electronic music]

Well, there you go,
just been overtaken.

[music continues]

The top speed of
a CBR1000 is definitely

a little bit higher
than this car.

Ho-ho! Beautiful.

[music continues]

Carving through
the Sunday traffic.

Through the Foxhole.

Up the inside.

[narrator] No one else is
going to overtake Dale today.

His personal best lap time
for the 13 mile track

is seven and a half minutes.

Less than eight is
considered very good.

[Dale] Ahh!

He's got acceleration like
we can only dream of.

[narrator] But
remember, speed kills.

[Dale] You can't have a small
accident in the Nurburgring.

You can't forget for a second

that anything could
happen at any point.

You could come around the corner

and find an accident.

You could come around the corner

and find, as I did one time

a gentleman on a bicycle

with some recycling bottles
and he thought he was

on the, uhh, he thought he was
on a footpath or something.

Big accident up ahead.
I'm going to slow right down.

[upbeat electronic music]
[car engine]

Oil spill.

[narrator] The slow-down
means Dale is not going to set

any personal records today...
so he focuses on fun.

[Dale] Very high-speed
corners, just turn the car in.

Really nice feeling in the apex

you can really feel
the limits of the tires.

We're a fast-forward car
in a slow-motion world.

[music continues]

Oh! Ugh!

Big g-force through
the Karussell.

The Caterham performed
absolutely excellently

it's so light, it's

incredibly nimble, it's
so agile, it just turns

left to right without
even thinking about it.

A very technical corner
now, the Caterham

really

really enjoys
corners like these.

We're just balancing the car,
not quite full gas.

Now with full gas!

Past the gantry.

[narrator] The time:
eight minutes seven seconds.

[Dale] Not my fastest lap, I'm
sure but certainly a lot of fun.

[narrator] He gives the
Caterham a rave review...

same as he does the Nurburgring.

If you have even
the smallest amount

of petrol in your veins,
you really need to do a lap

on the Nurburgring,
just to say you've done it.

Now we're going
from incredible cars

to awesome airplanes. You see

this new military plane
from Spain can transform

from a hospital
to a cargo vessel

back to a passenger plane

in less time than it
takes to book a flight

Have a look.

[narrator] It
may not look like it

but the people
on this assembly line

are building massive
passenger vans.

These babies boast
more than 5,000 horsepower

and travel at 300 miles an hour.

They can fly.

Really fly.

Okay, these are no
ordinary passenger vans.

You're looking at
the C295 airplane.

And, just like passenger vans

their insides can change.

You can expand cargo space,
or shrink it down...

But they're not for
running the kids around.

They're for military and
humanitarian missions.

[narrator] The C295 is one
of the planes they build

at Airbus Military
in Seville, Spain.

It's got some
pretty cool features

like 360-degree radar

designed to detect airplanes

up to 250 miles away.

And an infrared system
that can cut through the dark

to reveal objects at night,
not to mention bad weather.

But the most interesting thing

is what can happen in the back.

In its stripped-down version,
the C295 is a transport aircraft

that can fly up to
11 hours non-stop

carrying cargo and personnel.

But, in just
one hour on the ground

it can transform into
a surveillance aircraft

thanks to customized
pallets, or modules

that slide on, and off.

For example, this is the
maritime patrol set-up.

[narrator] In keeping with
the components theme

each C295 starts
as a mix of parts

flown in from different areas

of Spain, Chile,
Turkey and Indonesia.

The components are then
assembled here, in Seville.

There are more
than 80 of these planes

flying in ten countries
around the world

places like Afghanistan,
Iraq and Kosovo.

There are orders for more.

[man] According to
the customer demand

we need to build
an aircraft every 11 days.

[narrator] To make
sure there's no downtime

each workstation features
a computer readout

of status of each plane,
and work to be done.

[narrator] They're making sure
everything's in its place

and that there's
a place for everything

on board this
passenger van of the skies.

Coming up, on "How Tech Works"

we'll catch up with the
tech wizards at Mercedes Benz.

And see what's in store
for the road ahead.

Get ready to roll,
into the very near future.

And we'll take part in
what can only be described

as an extreme go-kart race.

[futuristic music]

Welcome back to "How Tech Works"

I'm Dr. Basil Singer.

Now when it comes to car design

manufacturers usually
have to work within

certain restrictions, like

for instance, what
materials do you use?

What mechanical
principles can you employ?

And what budget do
you have to work with?

Well, just imagine
what you could accomplish

if there were no restrictions?

That's the fun challenge
facing the design team

at Mercedes Benz in California

limited only by
their imaginations.

[futuristic music]

[narrator] This is
the Mercedes Biome.

It's light-weight,
Eco-friendly and biodegradable.

This technological marvel
is the car of the future

if its lead designer
has his way.

It's his talent that drives many

of the company's
image-defining models.

My name is Hubert Lee, I am 37

and I am the
Creative Director of

Mercedes Benz
Advanced Design California.

[narrator] Design
is usually top secret

but today, we get
an exclusive look

at the Mercedes
Biome's development.

[Hubert] So I want to
take you to the back room

where normally a lot of
people don't really get to see.

Oh

can we stop? Yeah.
[laughs nervously]

Okay, now you can come in.

[futuristic music]

The Biome

and all of our cars
that we work on

they all get put together here.

[narrator] The Biome is
a first for Lee's design team.

[Hubert] There
were no boundaries

there were no limitations.

We could do whatever
we wanted to do.

[narrator] With that
kind of creative license

they embrace what might be

technologically possible
down the road.

[Hubert] I wanted our
designers to not be restricted.

Just go all out, just be crazy

and just come up
with a concept we think

could be possible some day.

[narrator] They
begin by imagining

the seemingly impossible.

[Hubert] What if the car
was grown from nature.

What if the car
was part of nature.

And what if the car
at the end of its life cycle

would get composted.

[narrator] Then
commit to the idea

that in the future, seeds
will be coded with car DNA.

[Hubert] Mercedes Benz has
the star that is our identity

so we thought having
the star as a seed

would be cool.

So the front star
would actually morph

and grow into what
we call the interior.

The rear star would
grow into the exterior.

[narrator]
Imagining they control

every aspect of the vehicle

from weight to durability

they move through
their usual process.

So this is our designer area.

This is where the initial
creative process happens.

[narrator] With
one notable exception.

[Hubert] We created
the environment first

before we actually
designed the car.

When we decided on the story
of actually growing the car

we decided that
rather than having

a really industrial

factory, that we
would go with more of a

a greenhouse type of inspiration

and so very sunlit, very

open, and actually growing

the individual cars underwater.

[narrator] With the
world of the vehicle locked

focus returns
to shaping its look.

[Hubert] It had to look organic

but aesthetically pleasing

basically beautiful.

So before people even
get to know the concept

they are instantly drawn
to the car because it's just

beautiful, it's a work of art.

[narrator] Movie software
refines these early sketches

by turning them
into digital models.

[Hubert] Next step is...

I think we should try
to integrate the wheel

to the body a little bit more.

[narrator] Then,
the Biome goes 3D.

[Hubert] From the
digital data we would mill out

a scale model in clay

where we'll do our
surface refinements

and fine-tuning.

And if we need

if we think we need more detail

work on it, this is
where it happens.

[narrator] The concept car's
interior is just as detailed.

[Hubert] It's got a
diamond seating configuration

so the driver

will actually sit

in the center far forward.

The side passengers
will sit in the sides

The rear passenger
will be sitting in the back

facing rearward.

The power-train

the suspension

the lights

everything will be combined into

these hub motors.

[narrator] When
it's all put together

the Biome looks pretty cool

and promises a smooth ride.

[Hubert] I imagine
the ride experience

to be very smooth,
like flowing through air.

[narrator] But how serious is
Mercedes Benz about production?

[Hubert] We didn't actually give

give it a set date or a time.

We just wanted to
throw it out there.

Maybe some day this is possible.

[futuristic music]

Earlier in the show
we checked out

the incredible road warriors

on the famous
Nurburgring in Germany.

And now, as they say

for something
completely different.

These road warriors

are just as competitive
as their German counterparts.

But, and there's always a but

for these chaps from Yorkshire

the biggest challenge may
just be the cars themselves.

[upbeat inspiring music]

[narrator] Over
30 miles per hour.

Two kilometers downhill.

These go-karts

are about to push the
limits of gravity power.

At stake

the prestigious Rickety
Downhill Challenge Trophy.

If you think this looks dodgy

well, you should
check out the carts.

This is the leftovers
from my extension at home.

This used to be a bed.

I more or less just,
laid down on a bit of ply and

traced around myself.

[narrator] One day
before the big race

we're on the ground.

This is the workshop,
of Colin Furze.

One of us was bored, thought,
you know, wouldn't it be fun

if we all built go-karts
and race them.

And uh, and he was right.

It would be fun, so here we go.

Let's see what happens.

[electric screwdriver]

[narrator] Course
designer and contender

today, Colin's
giving a sneak peek

at the making of
his own street racer.

To win the trophy, he's
pulling out all the stops.

Well, maybe not all of them.

As far as design and
technology is concerned

it's lacking in that.

So the R & D department's

not done, not put a lot
of effort into this one.

[upbeat music]
[hammer blows]

[narrator] The main
components of Colin's machine

are rubbish.

Where you see wood pallets

[upbeat music]
[electric screwdriver]

he sees a chassis.

Yes!

[grinding]

[narrator] Where
you see a mountain bike

Colin sees pre-built steering.

His rear tires were
taken from a kid's bike

one of the
neighbors' kids, that is.

He'll get them back one day.

As for brake cable,
well, that cost a pound.

The only pound spent.

Grandma's pillow!
[laughs]

[narrator] As the
finishing touches are added

Colin's getting excited.

Excellent!

This is my interpretation of, uh

of my Downhill Challenger,
I suppose.

It's basically got
everything I want it to.

It steers, it brakes.

And it looks rubbish.

[narrator] It's perfect
for tomorrow's race

but is it a winner?

First time going up against
everyone else's carts.

We'll find out if
I've built something

that's worth building
or if it's just going to be

a pile of wood.

[narrator] On an
abandoned stretch of road

at the outskirts of town,
race day has arrived.

Colin gets his first look
at the competition.

It's basically an old bike

with an extra wheel on the back

because I was told it
needed to have three wheels.

[upbeat music]

So I've got a wood-cutting
disc on this side

for the go-karts
that's made from wood

and I've got a metal-cutting
disc on this side

for the ones made of metal.

Today

I think the boys in the garage
have been working well and

it should be perfected.

[narrator] As the competitors
step up to the starting line

Colin has one last
trick up his sleeve.

So we thought, you know,
just to spice it up a little bit

we'd add a couple of
things in which are

completely non-related
to your kart-building.

So at the start of
the race you have to

down a can of fizzy drink.

Also at the end of
the course we have

a selection of saws
and pieces of wood.

So the person
that gets there first

will get a thick piece of wood

to cut with a very small saw.

But they don't know it yet.

So when they're
helling down the course

they don't know
that the faster they go

maybe the worse
situation it's gonna be

putting them in.

Three! Two! One! Go!

[upbeat music]

[narrator] And as the
first soft drink can drops

it's time to ride.

One by one the racers
hit the pavement

but Colin is already struggling.

Finally, he's off too,
in last place.

[music continues]

Now gravity, and
the cart design take over.

The drinking has spread out
the entire field.

As the leaders try
desperately to stay in front

the fast carts are
making up lost ground.

[music continues]

At the bottom it's
Pappy Boy arriving first

with Simo in behind.

And that speck on
the horizon, that's Colin!

He's moved into 3rd!

All that's left now

is the sawing.

And today...

Yes!

A bigger saw beats
a fast cart, hands down.

And this year's Rickety Cup
Downhill Challenge Trophy

goes to

Colin Furze!

[cheering and clapping]

Well, I suppose my idea
of the wood sawing

is, kind of what
gave it to me, really.

Because I think I got there

just in time to get the right
saw and the right bit of wood.

But there we are.
It worked a treat.

Just goes to show, eh? The
fastest cart don't always win.

[soft uplifting music]

Have you ever
heard of the phrase

don't quit your day job?

Well, maybe those lads
will find a way

to make a career out of
the Rickety Downhill Challenge

but, that's all the time
we've got today.

Thanks very much for watching.

Until next time,
I'm Basil Singer.

[upbeat futuristic music]