Mercedes-Benz is showing photos of their new A-Class Concept. I’m all in favour for small, cool, luxury hatchbacks—-but this Mercedes doesn’t look like a Mercedes. It really looks more BMW from the side (all the slashes and body moldings…very Bangle-ish) and quite Audi from the rear (TOO Audi-ish from the rear)….and maybe Volvo-ish from the front? A pretty interesting design that I quite like in many ways—-but a little sloppy and very uncharacteristic for a Mercedes, in my opinion.
and compare the rear end to the Audi A1 Concept from a couple years ago!
Yes I will take the bold step—-against all the opinions which say it is ‘ugly’ i will come out and say that I think the styling of the Porsche Panamera has grown on me significantly, to the point where I really am digging the looks of it now. When i first saw it in test mule form, I was deeply disturbed. When the production version was introduced last year—-i thought Porsche missed the boat a bit, however after seeing it in person I thought it was an ‘interesting’ design albeit not entirely convincing. After some time and many more instances of exposure, I’ve had an epiphany; I think this is one of the most unique, compelling, and bold car designs in recent years. I think Porsche really made a bold step in designing it, and I can honestly say I love the way the Panamera looks in real life. I think pictures don’t do the car justice—-it has much more presence than pretty much ANY 4-door sedan on the road today. The interior, additionally—is one of the nicest interiors I have ever sat in.
Here is a wonderful Sportec-tuned SP560 Panamera. I think it is all types of hotness—-yes I know some of you will laugh at me—but i’m glad many deride it, so the resale value will fall dramatically! plan in effect….
I love mythical and mysterious stories about automobiles. I found this one to be gloriously interesting and imaginative. For many years, people outside of North Carolina had wondered if there was any truth to the ‘supposed’ existence of an AMC dealership in Pikeville, NC. AMC, of course had been destroyed/shut down as a company in 1987 after being purchased by Chrysler, in an awful mess of 80s corporate destruction. Obviously the people in North Carolina knew the truth about whether the dealership exists or not, however people from outside had to go and find out for themselves…and this is what they had found:
IT IS STILL THERE! and it is functioning….well…sort of!
“If you’re an AMC fan, you would be in seventh heaven, surrounded by the remains that by my count exceeded more than 100 AMC cars. I could see that these cars, predominantly from the sixties and seventies–though often obscured by tall weeds–were for the most part intact. Others were in various states of disrepair, and some were in the later stages of decomposition.” (Rich Truesdell wrote this and more on the Automotive Traveler site)
More pictures I got from that Automotive Traveler post, along with additional searches:
After the massive failure of this morning’s Alfa Romeo 4c debut in Geneva—–i was obsessed with the idea that this car has completely plagiarized the Artega GT. Then i looked at the photos—–and was astounded by the similarities. If this car is not an Artega GT, then Artega should sue the shit out of Alfa Romeo—–and Alfa Romeo should hang their heads in shame!
Let me be clear….i LOVE the Artega GT—it is truly one of my favourite sports cars on sale at the moment, and i am anxiously awaiting their arrival to the US—-but to see Alfa Romeo plagiarize a design so blatantly offends the side of me that loves Alfa Romeo (and yes, count me in the clans of Alfisti who have been waiting for Alfa to come back to this country)
I absolutely love this….it’s smaller than a Jetta….and obviously smaller than an A4. The engine is an RS3 engine, tweaked—on the concept. In real life form, i’m guessing a small euro starting at 1.6 or 2.0L range going up to a 2.5T that’s in the TT-RS, RS3, and this concept. On a brand new platform as well (NON-Golf). That interior is beautifully minimalist as well. Nicely done, Ingolstadt. It is definitely coming to the US. (thanks to Z.D. for the pics!)
I seem to learn something new on a daily basis about the beloved Alpine A110. I had always known that the A110 was produced in Mexico under the name “Dinalpin”, however i did NOT know that the A110 was also manufactured in Brazil under the name “Interlagos” and ALSO that it was manufactured in Bulgaria under the name Bulgarlpine! What a crazy crazy name. I laughed when i first read it. So apparently they were produced under a private contract between Alpine and Bulet (bulgarian company). These cars were not sold on the regular market—-and apparently they were sold to private racing and rally groups. It is rumoured that less than 150 cars were produced in total, and the majority ended up being raced privately.
I can’t help but be fascinated by this mysterious twist in the A110 story……
EDIT:
N1KK3L (an IEDEI reader) is from Bulgaria, and added this very interesting information to the story:
“The Bulgaralpine was part of the Bulgarrenault initiative. A partnership between some Bulgarian industrialists and Renault which allowed the assembly (proudly labeled as a manufacture) of Renault 4 cars in Bulgaria.Which was unusual thing at the time as a Soviet satellite countries (like Bulgaria) weren’t allowed to partner with western countries. The agreement meant that the Bulgarrenaut cars can only be sold in Bulgaria, but the Bulgarians (as usual) tried to outsmart their partners and earn some extra cash by exporting the cars. Which caused the Renault cars to end the partnership. That’s not mentioned in Wikipedia but that’s how we Bulgarians know it happened.Only a handful of Bulgaralpine cars were made and I’ve had the pleasure to see one in person. I suppose it’s identical to the Renault A110. Other interesting fact is that this car helped a very talented Iliya Chibricov win “Rally Bulgaria” (then it was called “Rally Zlatni Piasaci”). A first and only win for Bulgarian crew, until very recently(2008 I think). At the time all Bulgarian rally pilots only had access to Ladas and other Russian machinery which weren’t competitive. And the Bulgaralpine really made a difference”
Apparently, 2 of the cars even ended up rallying in the 1968 Rallye of Monte Carlo, driven by Iliya + Nikola Chubrikov & Atanas Taskov + Atanas Agura. Here is a photo of those 2 cars:
hey FORD! you think adding a couple extra lines in the grille is not gonna make it look like you rummaged your old Aston Martin parts bin for your new Ford Focus Electric concept?!
I was interested to find out what the original concept car of the Porsche 911 looked like; and i have found it! It is called the T7 754 (have also seen the number 695 used). This was the original design proposed by FA Porsche but was rejected until until the rear end was changed, as explained the video below. The front end is unmistakedly 911, however it is very interesting to see the original rear end proposed way back in 1959. I was not familiar with this car before today;
some more info:
“The Porsche 695, also known as the T7 prototype, is an automobile from Porsche It was a prototype made in 1961 and later became the Porsche 911. The front end is very similar to the 911, but the rear is somewhat different. The 695 was developed from the Porsche 356 by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche and has a wheel base that is 100mm longer (up to 300 mm longer in early designs). It has a top speed of 200km/h.
Designed in the late-Fifties, the 695 was intended to be a true four-seater sports car. It was with the 695 that Porsche decided upon the use of the flat-six powerplant which has been the mainstay of the 911 range ever since. However, despite the 695 having entered the test-driving and development stage, Porsche management decided against the four-seater arrangement, and demanded that the car be redesigned in traditional two-plus-two arrangement, with smaller rear seats.
The successer was badged the 901, and was unveiled in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A year later, it was released onto the roads as the 911.”
Yes what you see above, is a 2-door Mini crossover which will debut next month as the Mini Paceman. Sort of like a 2 door version of their extremely hideous Mini Countryman. The Countryman, is like a raised SUV-like version of their Mini Clubman—-which in turn is an elongated version of their spectacularly annoying Mini Cooper. I always loved the ‘original’ Mini since my many trips to the UK and I loved the ‘new” Mini Cooper after it was initially introduced, for about 6 months. I convinced a friend of mine to buy one immediately; then she hit a curb in her Cooper S and totaled it! Really? totaled it by hitting a curb—-bent the frame and axle….quality.
I hate Mini interiors—-they are horribly overdone, ghastly, and awkward. I don’t think i’ve ever felt comfortable inside of a modern Mini. I look at the original Mini and often think how brilliant it was; and how far it has fallen under the arthritic grip of BMW. So now we are left with Mini Cooper S cars which have 210hp and weigh 2600 pounds. How can a mini weigh 2600 pounds? How is that NOT a fail? the original Mini weighed between 1400 and 1600 pounds. The whole point of this car was to keep it LIGHT and nimble…..like Colin Chapman’s wet dream.
WHY is BMW making 3300 pound versions of Minis that are crossovers? This is a complete WHORING of the Mini name—-an insult to the original idea and ethos of the brand. Nice one BMW—-you f*cked up Mini!
So i’ve ‘liked’ the Lancia page on Facebook, and I continously have my posts deleted by the moderator of their FB page due to the frustration i vent when they show ‘excitement’ over their new product line. The Bologna Auto Show is currently in effect in Italy. Lancia had a few cars ‘under wraps’ (as if they were exciting ventures into automotive excellence).
When they were uncovered, i saw this—-and briefly whispered to myself “RIP Lancia”…..they have REALLY lost the plot over there. Oh…and if that’s not bad enough, the other cars they are showing at the Lancia area of the show are Chryslers *head in hands*
I saw some photos of the ‘next’ 911 on Car Magazine‘s site earlier….and can’t help but find the new outline a little awkward. That front end looks very upright, and the whole car looks quite a bit longer than the outgoing 997. Whether this is simply an illusion doe to the way the photo was taken, or whether it’s real i’m not sure. But i am sure that i’m not too sure that i like it! We’ll have to wait til the camo comes off for the full view judgement.
Thanks to Brad (Automobiliac) for pointing me towards this post on Jalopnik, where they show real life pics of the quattro concept in Malibu, California! The best new design of 2010 looks even better in the real world! WOW! DO WANT.
Just debut’d at the LA auto show, although the photos i’m seeing of the actual car are pissing me off as they have ‘polished lip’ wheels; which, for me, ruin everything.
But i’m digging the idea and the car. 330hp. lighter. cooler interior. better exterior. $66k. sweet! it’s like a pocket sized GT3.
I”m just hoping one of you has a spare 43 minutes and 17 seconds to sit through all of this….let me know what happens later! Cool images in there though.
I’m a big fan of the iPad, even though i don’t own one yet. The iPod Touch i have lost recently was one of the best little electronic devices i’ve ever owned; so versatile and useful. I’m definitely getting an iPad, just not right now as i need a new laptop first!
The era of the ‘digital magazine’ is now upon us, and the UK magazines are coming to the iPad!
EVO Magazine $4.96 ea. or subscription of 12 digital issues for $50.32
Octane Magazine $4.96 ea. or subscription of 12 digital issues for $50.32
Top Gear Magazine $5.27 per issue with no subscription available.
not a bad deal, considering that a physical subscription often runs like $90 on these imported magazines. Plus you get to have them on your iPad for further easy access! VERY COOL! i’m sure this is just the beginning. Still haven’t heard anything about my favourite UK car mag Car though.
Could this combination be any better?!? my favourite carmaker and my favourite camera maker have come together, with one of my favourite auto designers Walter De Silva putting his hands on the redesign of the Leica M9 Titanium Edition. It will probably be too expensive, but it’s also too cool….what does “expensive” mean? well considering a standard M9 costs $7000+, i’m guessing this limited edition will be at least $8000 or more? OUCH OUCH!
As much as i love my Leica D-Lux 4, i must admit to daydreaming…..
i’m not a big video game buff, but damn i gotta say i’ve HUGELY enjoyed the Gran Turismo series over the years. So many classic cars, new cars, supercars, regular cars, modifying, some of the world’s greatest tracks, places i don’t think i’ll ever go to…..it’s like being able to enact a dream garage as realistically as possible……..
I haven’t bought a PS3, but i’m definitely ready to buy one when GT5 (Gran Turismo 5) comes out. And now, FINALLY, after what seems like several years of rumours and gossip; it seems there are some concrete details!
November 3rd is the day it goes on sale in Japan. What does that mean for us? I have no idea—they’ll probably try to create some cheesy holiday chaos for it, so that none of us will be able to find it…bastards. But in Japan, they will get a special GT5 Edition PS3 bundled package. This is the package I would buy, if they make it available here—here’s to hoping they do. Check out the photo below for what it’ll look like.
not sure of the official HP figures, but this Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport watch costs a lovely $259,000. Perfect for the Bugatti Super Sport owner in your life.
IEDEI 