So there I was walking the halls of the SEMA show when, from nowhere at all, I was assaulted by a hogpen of ugly cars. Turns out, every one of these nasties was there to "make green cool." Or at least that's what the banner said.
Truly awful autos after the jump. Look out!
Continue reading Making Green Cool Zone -- AKA: Where Cars Go to Get Ugly.
We knew they were coming. Camaros, and lots of them. Some would show up wearing tasteful modifications that would build on the coupe's already striking shape.
And others? Well, they would blow well past the limits of good taste and head straight into the SEMA zone, an area where usable tires, subtle paint jobs and modest amounts of chrome and carbon are rarely applied. The Camaros in our hall of shame are evidence that you want to avoid the SEMA zone and keep it simple. Please.
Actually, the idea of a truck-turned-BBQ is nothing new to SEMA. The thought of it coming by way of Toyota is the hard-to-figure part.
Blame it on the Tundra's plant in San Antonio, or the desperate need to "connect" with full-size truck buyers. Either way, it's a bit disturbing.
Just look at that center console. And those door handles, yikes. The rest is almost prototypical SEMA show truck -- big-screen television, on board barbecue, giant chrome wheels with mud tires.
Remember Gerald Wiegert and Claudio Zampoli? Probably not. Those two men were the founders of Vector Aeromotive and Cizeta Automobili -- both companies that built supercars that either never got off the ground or simply never mattered.
Let's hope we don't have to add Canadian Luc Chartrand to the list. Chartrand has dedicated the last 11 years of his life to his dream of building a supercar (also a recipe for trouble, sometimes culminating in barricaded doors, security guards and a hostile takeover in the case of Wiegert) and seems as keenly focused as he'll need to be to get it done.
The result of his pursuit is the Plethore LC-750.
Continue reading Another Supercar? Well, Maybe. Meet the Plethore LC-750.
OK, it's not quite the pickup truck many people think Scion should build, but it's a start. Designed and built by Advanced Design Fabricators, this former xB received a rather extensive exterior chop to go along with a mild engine build and the requisite interior revamp/audio upgrade.
The engine received new cams, valves, valve springs, headers and ported heads. And since you might need a little extra punch when the bed fills up with...uh something, they threw in a Nitrous dual stage fogger system. A heavy-duty TRD clutch sends the power to a limited slip differential up front which should have its hands full with the 20-inch wheels and Toyo Proxes tires.
If you've been following us here at Straightline, you'll already know about the V8-powered, mid-engine Hyundai Genesis Coupe that Rhys Millen Racing is building for the SEMA show.
We've given you a pretty thorough walk-through of the technical aspects of the car in our initial post back from September. Then we gave you an progress report as the powertrain started coming together for real and various body pieces were finalized.
Now RMR has released this rendering what the finished show car should look like and added a few details, such as the output of the 4.6-liter Tau V8 donated from a Genesis sedan and modified to produce 500 horsepower. Further Hyundai and RMR say that the five-speed sequential transmission is geared to allow a top speed of 182 mph.
Look for photographs and more information on the car live from the SEMA show, which begins November 3.
We already told you all there is to know about the Subaru WRX STI Carbon. It's just a concept. And it's just the Japanese-market WRX STI A-line ("A" is for automatic) with carbon-fiber roof. But the car got a steady stream of visitors today in Tokyo, so it's one of the bigger, flashier fish in this small pond.
What's more, all that simulated suede on the dash is nicely executed. Lots of it after the jump.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
Continue reading Subaru WRX STI Carbon at 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
There are two separate stories about the Subaru Hybrid Tourer making its debut here in Tokyo. The first is the obvious one. This is a hybrid. It showcases the in-house hybrid system that Subaru will bring to worldwide production in 2012, likely as an additional model within the Impreza or Legacy lines.
This will be a setup like in the Honda Insight, wherein you have a gas engine (a 2.0-liter, turbocharged and direct-injected boxer-4, in this case), a continuously variable transmission (the Lineartronic CVT) and a front-drive electric motor packaged between those two.
However, the Hybrid Tourer also has genuine symmetrical all-wheel drive, so the gas engine drives the rear wheels, too. At least in theory, the concept has a driveshaft and center clutch pack built into its flat floor. There's a rear-drive electric motor in the back, too. Subaru officials are adamant that any hybrid production car would have a true all-wheel-drive setup.
But the other story about the Hybrid Tourer is just as interesting. In talking with Osamu Namba, general manager of Subaru design, we learned that this car represents the next design direction for all Subaru models.
We'll walk you through it after the jump.
Continue reading Subaru Hybrid Tourer at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
Akio Toyoda is the man. More specifically, he's the man now in charge of Toyota, which in Japan pretty much makes you the biggest of the big shots.
He introduced the Toyota FT-86 concept today and it was pretty clear that although he also introduced a plug-in Prius and an electric iQ, the new FT-86 sports car was his favorite.
In fact, Toyoda actually went out of his way at the press conference to note his fondness for the FT-86. He said, "Toyota used to build fun cars like this, cars like the Supra, and it makes me sad that we don't anymore."
How's that for a little show of enthusiasm from the man in charge?
More photos after the break.
Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line
Continue reading Toyota FT-86 at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
Last time we saw RMR's mid-engine Hyundai Genesis Coupe its 4.6-liter V8 was merely mocked up where the rear seats used to reside. Now, only weeks before its debut at the SEMA show, much progress has been made, but there's much work remaining. The four-inch exhaust -- including tiny catalytic converters -- dominates the engine bay. Headers were being fabricated while we were there.
Continue reading SEMA Preview: RMR Mid-Engine Hyundai Genesis Making Progress.
Nothing like a hometown crew to get the best access. Looks like MotorMagazine in Japan has already been up close and personal with several of the cars debuting at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show in a couple of weeks. The Toyota FT-86, Honda CR-Z, Mitsubishi PX-MiEV, Nissan Leaf and Mazda Kiyora are all laid out for your inspection. Enjoy all of their hard work.
Although not exactly a new concept, the leaning car idea used by the Nissan Land Glider always looks kind of cool. In this case, the ultra-compact city car can lean up to 17 degrees, all of it calculated by on board computer to make you don't lean yourself right into the pavement.
Powered by an all-electric drivetrain, Nissan sees the Land Glider as fun-to-drive commuter car with an ultra-small footprint to make it easy to park. At just 122-inches long, the Land Glider is slightly bigger nose to tail than a Smart Fortwo.
SEMA Preview: Nissan Land Glider Concept
Wish we had more information for you on the production version of the Lexus LF-A, but the press release put out by Toyota today was characteristically cryptic.
"This concept vehicle epitomizes the purest form of driving exhilaration and performance."
That's it. Although the company is still calling it a concept, we know that the car shown in Tokyo will be 99% production ready.
We showed you the pictures already, now see the Toyota FT-86 in all its animated glory on Gran Turismo 5.
2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-86 Concept
Along with the much anticipated FT-86 sports coupe, Toyota will also unveil the FT-EV II concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. A four-passenger city car, the FT-EV II will be able to travel roughly 56 miles on a charge at speeds up to 62 mph. Unique sliding doors on each side allow for easy access while the lithium-ion batteries stored in the floor maximize space.
Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-EV II
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