The RMR crew pulled it off. Rhys Millen told us on the show floor that he drove this midengine Tau-V8-powered Genesis Coupe into the trailer. If you've been following our coverage of this car (here and here) you know that, like most SEMA cars, this one was cutting it close.
Continue reading Rhys Millen Racing Midengine V8 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
Jonathan Ward of Icon 4x4 is the Dr. Frankenstein of off-road vehicles, a guy who has made a nice life out of finding old Toyota FJs and Land Cruisers and then rebuilding them into something that you can not only drive off-road again but even drive every day as transportation. And now he has turned his attention to another legendary off-road vehicle, the Willys CJ3.
With the Icon CJ3B, Ward and his engineering team have attempted to create the world's most perfect CJ3. Few of the bits actually come from a CJ3, and yet the final product has the same purity of purpose that still makes people remember the flat-fender Willys with admiration.
Continue reading Icon CJ3B: Dr. Frankenstein Builds a Jeep.
The return of the auto show season can mean only one thing: more special-edition Bugatti Veyrons. This time Bugatti presented the Sang Bleu, which if our high school French is any indication, means "blue blood."
Make the jump for more information and a photo gallery.
Continue reading 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Sang Bleu.
When summer comes, it's time to park cars on the lawn.
But instead of the big concours d'elegance at Meadow Brook or Pebble Beach, we actually prefer the regional shows like Forest Grove near Portland, Oregon (been there), or the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance near San Francisco (saw the very first one as a kid). Here in Los Angeles, our favorite is the Art Center College of Design's Car Classic.
Art Center's Car Classic has a friendly scale, and it gives you the opportunity to visit the school that trained some of the world's foremost automotive designers. Many of them return to L.A. just for this event, since more than a dozen major design studios are located in the region. And within the small sculpture garden of Art Center's upper campus, you always discover interesting cars that are otherwise hidden around town and also meet the locals who make the car hobby happen.
Car Classic '09 is featuring vintage airplanes and watercraft this year as well as a collection of automobiles, a good example of the eclectic approach that small events are willing to undertake. Scheduled for Sunday, 19 July, the event will host aircraft designer Burt Rutan and his innovative design for an ultralight car, and there will also be plenty of stuff you don't see every day, like a flying car from Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, a large-scale Raymond Loewy model for a locomotive, a 1967 Amphicar, and even TV Tommy Ivo's Barnstormer dragster of the 1950s.
When you'd done the dress-up thing to see dead cars on the lawn, a summer Sunday spent at a small, relatively informal concours like the Art Center Classic gives you a chance to see cars that you've never seen before and to rediscover the reasons why you like to look at cars in the first place.
When Honda lifted the cover from their FC Sport concept, someone behind me let out an involuntary "whoa!" We weren't expecting anything as extreme as this when Honda veep Dan Bonawitz teased the concept's unveiling as "something to think about and hope for."
This sports car exercise by Honda's Southern California design center was spearheaded by designer Jason Wilbur, who claims inspiration from "hexagonal cellular structures" superimposed on a more organic form. The result is stunning -- the FC Sport is radical, like a Civic Si Transformer whose robot form is a stormtrooper.
Pictures don't do this concept justice, but I snapped a bunch of them so that your mind can try to get around it.
Continue reading 2008 L.A. Auto Show: Honda FC Sport Concept.
Ah... the perfect blog entry for the weekend: that being one about the all-new Nissan 370Z convertible!
Inside Line has images and some info on this much anticipated car. Fans of the current model will feel right at home with this new one, as the apple has not fallen far from the tree so to speak, ether visually or mechanically. It's just more of the same--only much more and much better.
As you would expect by the name change, the VQ engine has been upped to 3.7 liters. Quite likely it shares the same state of tune of that found in the Infiniti G37. It's also available with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic. Unlike its Infiniti cousin, which comes in either RWD or AWD, this car (as in the past) will be RWD only.
The car will make its official debut next spring at the NY auto show.
First Photos of the 2010 Nissan 370Z Convertible
It's well known that racing has contributed heavily to the design and engineering of vehicles that you and I drive. With that thought in mind the LA Auto Show will feature a display of what future race cars might be like in 2025, what they may offer in terms of technology and safety; and ultimately, how that might be applied to ordinary cars sometime in the future.
The designs are part of the fifth annual Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge, where studios including Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen are pitted against each other to showcase their talents and further explore new ideas in automotive design.
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show: Mind-Blowing Motorsports Concepts Rev Up 2025 Design Challenge
The hardtop-convertible battle is going to heat up shortly, as the American and European luxury carmakers will shortly also have Lexus and Infiniti to contend with. Actually the new Infiniti G37 convertible (2008 Los Angeles Auto Show: Infiniti G37 Convertible) and the Lexus IS 250/350 (2008 Paris Auto Show: 2010 Lexus IS 250/350C) will likely do battle among themselves first, with the other entries being secondary targets. Even so, that's not good news for BMW, Saab, etc.
Both these new hard-droptops will go on sale this spring.
Also of note is that Infiniti will be offering AWD on their 2009 fixed-roof G37 coupe (Infiniti Adds All-Wheel-Drive Coupe to 2009 G37 Lineup), thereby making it a G37x coupe. Also interesting to note that 40 percent of all G37 sedan buyers opt for AWD, and Infiniti is expecting the percentage for the AWD coupe will be between 30 and 40 percent of their total coupe sales.
If ever there was a convertible that should not have a roof, this is it. This Saab 9-X Air looks stunning sans roof. With the roof up... well, let's just say it looks like a man with a bad toupée; think Mr. Tudball, the hilarious Tim Conway's character on the long-gone and much-missed Carol Burnett Show.
As to specifics: The car is powered by an E85-friendly hybrid turbo 1.4 engine, putting out 197 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. The FWD roadster puts the power to ground via a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Paris Auto Show Preview: Saab 9-X Air
Volvo has a new turbo-diesel technology called DRIVe. Its claim to fame is that vehicles equipped with DRIVe will achieve optimal efficiency with reduced air resistance, higher gear ratios and a more efficient driveline. The cars will ride 0.4 inch lower and feature new aerodynamic panels as well as lower-friction transmission oil.
Volvo claims the 1.6L DRIVe diesel, in the C30, S40 and V50, can get 53 mpg. So far DRIVe-equipped vehicles are for Europe. There's no word yet as to whether they will make it across the pond.
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Paris Auto Show Preview: Volvo 1.6D DRIVe
Mazda deputed their Kazamai concept at the Moscow Auto Show. It's yet another example of their Nagare theme that their designers have been exploring.
Perhaps even more bizarre than this car is Mazda's latest tagline: "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom." Okay. Now can someone please tell me what the heck that is supposed to mean? And as to what does "Kazamai" mean? Try "swirling crosswinds." I think I need a drink.
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Moscow Auto Show Preview: Mazda Kazamai Concept
The above composite image is from two Japanese publications. The illustration on the left appeared several months ago and the image on the right recently showed up here.
My take, based on these illustrations, and from what I've heard, I think we're fairly close here. Both these images show a common stying direction even though some of the details differ. I expect the car to debut this winter, perhaps at the Detroit auto show, and will go on sale here next spring.
Interesting to note that in the story with the latest image, it's mentioned that there will be a hybrid version. It's expected that a CVT will show up replacing the current 4EAT; not sure if it will replace the 5EAT found on turbos and H6 models, however.
The good folks over at Winding Road (here) have posted a spy video of the upcoming Nissan 370Z, which will debut at the LA auto show this fall.
Reuters is reporting that that high-end trim models of the next-gen Toyota Prius (note that above image is a guesstimate) will have solar panels. These solar panels will be used to power accessories such as air conditioning, etc. The vehicle will debut next year, probably at the Detroit Auto Show.
Here's Green Car Observer's take: Next-Generation Prius Hybrid to Get Solar Panels to Power Air Conditioning
Here's Inside Line's take: Toyota Prius Reportedly To Get Solar Air-Conditioning on Some Models
Spy Photo: BMW Z4 M Sport Package
October 30, 2009 8:21 AM
Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: So Yeah, BMW Kinda Won
October 29, 2009 1:14 PM
Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: Heinricy Is Fastest Ringer
October 29, 2009 12:25 PM
Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: Oh Yeah, That Lutz Guy
October 29, 2009 11:57 AM
Cadillac CTS-V Challenge: The (GM) Empire Strikes Back
October 29, 2009 11:45 AM