1967 Panhard CD Peugeot 66c. What a badass. Entered in the 1967 Le Mans race. This car had a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.13 (!!)
src: scludo
Category Archives: design
foto of the day. 8 Gordini.
These are really starting to appeal to me! Renault 8 Gordini
foto of the day. 507.
I am not sure what is going on here, but it looks great! the legendary BMW 507…..quite easily the most beautiful BMW ever made…..
foto of the day. my favourite section…
on my bookshelf!
art of the day. “The Game”
These 2 bits of digitally (and tastefully) altered artwork are promotional material for The Game; a “lifestyle” rallye being held in Morocco this June. 1507km worth.
More info at The Game
via Intersection Magazine Maroc
video of the day. Electric E30 and snow.
Well right after posting the Rimac Concept One debut below——was looking into the company to find more about their BMW E30 “testbed” and found this great video—-with the CEO Mate Rimac driving his E30 Electric in the snow to see how the Electric motor holds up in arctic climates. I see signs for Zagreb, so I’m going to assume this is in Croatia!
Rimac Concept One.
As I mentioned before, there are some very interesting sports car concepts coming around lately using electric drivetrains and future technologies—-I was admittedly sort of blown away when I saw pics of the Rimac Concept One. I’d been aware of this company’s existence for a while, as I recall reading them testing their technologies on an E30 BMW for a while prior to actually venturing into building a car. Now they’ve built a car….and just look at it! The design reminds me of a modern-day DeTomaso resurrection for some reason—but the technology is all future. By design standards, I think this is gloriously proportioned. Yes the use of carbon fibre on the side panels is all a bit hippy-dippy-car-guy-cliche; but when it comes to supercars (or supercar-like cars), it’s difficult on where to draw the line between CF actually being functional and whether it’s there more for gimmick (i’m going to guess the 2nd option is more than likely on most supercars, even).
So how does Rimac going about selling their idea? With this bold and slightly overconfident statement of intent:
“Even primitive (DC) electric motors can outperform any combustion engine in almost all fields. Efficiency, extremely fast response, wide power band, compact size, regenerative braking, high torque… Those are just some advantages of our new permanent magnet synchronous motor generation which we developed exclusively for the Concept_One.
Our unique powertrain is divided into four sub-systems, each consisting of one motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Each of those systems drives one wheel, completely independent one from the other. Sophisticated ECUs control each of those systems using the input of many precise sensors placed all over the car. This architecture allows a new approach to vehicle dynamics. We call it – All Wheel Torque Vectoring (AWTV).
Each wheel can independently accelerate or decelerate hundreds of times per second, helping to achieve the desired (driver selectable) handling. Together with the very low center of gravity, extremely high torque available almost from zero RPM and the lack of shift interruptions, the Concept_One delivers a completely new driving experience.”
All I know is that it looks pretty great….remains to be seen if the car actually lives up to such great claims. Oh, and I forgot to mention—–they say it has 1088hp. *gasp*
Oh, and here are some videos. It lives:
src: Rimac
Rally De Monte Carlo Historique: break them in!
These are some great photos from Rusty Nail Society, showing the raw and unfiltered side of classic cars being put through their paces at the Rally De Monte Carlo Historique——scarred and super cool. If only more automotive photography showed the real side of cars rather than the overpolished, overwaxed, shiny farce which is known popularly as automotive photography!
See the rest of these fantastic photos at Rusty Nail Society
foto of the day. S1 and RS3 and a tunnel.
I can only imagine the glorious 5 cylinder sounds coming into that tunnel as the Audi S1 quattro and an MTM-tuned RS3 pounded their way through the enclosed roadway. Beautiful photo.
src: Bennorz (via AudiSportFB)
Autodromo launches Chronographs!
Let me just say that i’ve really gotten into watches in the last 6 months; and much of this blame goes to Mr. Bradley Price, a great friend and a full-on fellow automobile enthusiast who launched his line of Autodromo watches last autumn to my standing ovation. As I type this post, I am wearing my black Autodromo Veloce with pride.
I can’t say enough good things about my Veloce. It feels great on the wrist, looks magnificent in any setting, and is built with quality I quite frankly never see in a watch of this price range. Sapphire coated glass, beautiful perforated black leather strap, total attention to detail, and hell it even came with an aluminium chassis card engraved with my watch number! How many watch companies include a chassis number with a watch!?
Autodromo is now introducing two new Chronographs based on the successful Vallelunga line. There is industrial prowess in these designs, and when he says the goal is to incorporate vintage and minimalist design ethos, he isn’t kidding. I think if there were two words which described these watches perfectly it would be vintage and minimalist.
As motoring enthusiasts, we often search for objects which are inspired by motoring, however in an artful, graceful, and gentlemanly way. Autodromo watches are functionally and artistically inspired by motoring; and those of us who understand the art of gauges and dashboards can appreciate this on first glance.
Oh and just look at the press release photos. No further words are needed. $550 for the Chronograph, and for precision control of your time while motoring.
Take a right turn over to the Autodromo website for more information:
foto of the day. Bonnet.
the Rene Bonnet which raced in Le Mans 1962; which eventually gave rise to the racing extravaganza which was Matra.
src: octane
foto of the day. icon vs. icon.
When the original Audi TT was being styled, one of the inspirations was the Porsche 356 and other rounded sports coupes of the 50s and 60s—-sculpted in terms of retro-futurist form and design. Last night when I parked on 47th and Park Ave. I saw this excellent example of a 356 and my TT parked right behind it. A stunning combination—-and a reminder of how classic design should be: clean, timeless, and beautiful. Automobiles can be art. I’m also struck at how the TT is not that much larger than the 356, which is great considering how bloated ‘modern’ cars are becoming these days.
Shamal.
How cool is the Maserati Shamal? So cool that plenty of people don’t even know what it is……to me, it is quite possibly one of the coolest Maseratis ever made. Bulging fenders, a nasty 325hp V8, and a strange but fluid Marcello Gandini design which evolved the BMW-clone understated BiTurbo design into something wonderfully weird.
The other day when Automobiliac, Motoring Con Brio, and myself were at a Skip Barber open house, Bradley from Automobiliac mentioned the Maserati Shamal to me and i clenched my jaws with excitement……it’s a car which really gets me excited! I’m not sure why….i probably shouldn’t like it—-but i really do. I think the obscurity of it is appealing, as well as it being from the ‘dark days’ of Maserati…..in a time where we associate the Maserati badge with a fair bit of failure…..but the Shamal was no failure…
Here’s a short, but slightly scary/cryptic video of a Japanese Shamal owners club GTG, to celebrate 20 years of the Shamal.
src : NFScars, carblueprints
Return of ALPINE: Friday May 25th as the “Zar” concept
UPDATE! Apparently the neu Alpine will be unveiled as the “Zar” concept. (thank you GentlemanScooper)
According to the excellent and interesting Renaud Roubaudi, the details are that Renault will debut a NEW Alpine 2 days before the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix! Details as follows:
(translated from french)
“I confirm that the new Alpine Renault will be officially unveiled in Monaco Friday, May 25, the surrounding of 13h30/14 h and a World Champion Formula 1. After doing some laps on the circuit, the Alpine will park in front of the barge moored in the Red Bull Monaco harbor which will be held the press conference. Carlos Tavares, Executive Vice President of Operations for Renault, Laurens van den Acker, Design Director of Renault and Alain Prost, Renault Ambassador , will present all three. And POA that will immortalize this memorable day on video …”
2 days before that update, Renaud Roubadi also posted this:
“New Renault Alpine to be unveiled as a concept Monaco Friday, May 25, two days before the Grand Prix Formula 1.Renault officially announces the presentation of an iconic car turns 50, but make no mistake, this is the Alpine 2012 which made a big comeback. We also learn in the press release it develops 400 hp and it will do some laps. Nice publicity stunt for global fallout this revival. We expect everyone to discover the beautiful design. Neo retro or new style? ”
400hp? that sounds weird. It better NOT be a GT-R or a 370z rebadged.
Is it true? I hope so and i hope not. I’m scared to see what Renault have planned for this ‘resurrection’…..my info has suggested it will be a lightweight sports car, possibly electric or gas/electric hybrid. All i know is that if it is a 370z with new badges, there is an 80% chance I will have a seizure from disappointment. Either way, a debut in Monaco sounds like a pretty flashy debut for a new Alpine, but with the A110’s grand history of Monte Carlo rally—-it seems somewhat suitable I must say!
Evo on the BRZ.
The Subaru BRZ has been a ‘mental debate’ in my mind for the past few months—–on one hand I respect the simplicity, directness, smallness, and the proposed agility and old-school sensibilities of it. On the other hand, I am skeptical of the hype, ‘the scene’ which will accompany it, the average-to-poor styling details, and the sense of cheapness surrounding it.
That being said, my overall feelings about it are positive. I have, however, been slightly annoyed by the gushing praise being heaped upon it by the automotive media—-who tend to flock like vultures all over the next-big-thing when it comes out. Last year we saw the cool-but-overrated BMW 1M and this year the BRZ is the latest to reach that ranking.
This is why it is quite refreshing to see an EVO review where he doesn’t gush….he praises, but also seems a bit cynical even after driving it. Nice to finally see a fair review! Nice music and cinematography as well.
what if…Chris Bangle designed an interior…
Well he did! in the 1983 Opel Junior Concept. And yes, it is VERY weird.
the car this interior belonged to:
src: flaviendachet
idea of the day: closed cockpit F1?
Well that’s interesting to wonder if F1 cars could ever be closed cockpit. This rendering was done by Iacoski and apparently inspired by Massa’s accident in 2009 where he got nailed in the head by debris!
Whatever you think about it, the rendering is definitely nicely done and very interesting! Something to think about…
Electric future: 2 cars that show it won’t be so bad.
No, the 2 reasons are NOT the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt. However, that thought has made me laugh just slightly! Electric cars which actually work and have some enthusiasm are coming, it won’t be long—-but it’s not quite yet! I can’t even take the Tesla serious enough to comment on it, considering it’s sketchy company and even sketchier reliability. Fisker designs excite me, but the company is going under fast..so where does that leave us? With the germans of course!
I would like to think that the future will bring us totally NEW ideas within automobiles, and while we may miss the rumble of a V8 or the roar of an inline-5—-i think automobile enthusiasts should be excited about prospects of digital sounding electric cars burning around a track. We may think these ideas are far away—-but they are not. It will start in racing, and trickle down to reality.
We are currently sounded by a lot of street car junk….cars like the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius which have ZERO emphasis on driving characteristics and all emphasis on pseudo socio-political activism and trendiness. They are not solutions, however they’ve been advertised as such.
At Petit Le Mans, I heard race cars quiet enough to only give off the sound of wind….the future is coming!
I think the BMW i8 really is the future. So maybe it’s ahead of its time and nobody realises it yet. The Audi R8 e-Tron, on the other hand is based off the current R8 and looks pretty great as we’d expect. BMW are taking bigger risks here I reckon…and secretly i’m hoping they produce something fantastic (and i hope they change their Apple-hommage name of “i” to something more BMW-ish). There will always be enthusiast sports cars, no matter what future technology brings. Instead of resisting the inevitable, I think we are better off embracing the future while we appreciate the past. I find myself VERY excited about these cars, but particularly about the i8 which really might be the beginning of something very special. I will keep my eyes peeled.
I love the sounds they are working with…
foto of the day. 912 and Fulvia
Brushing shoulders! My friend Matteo from Switzerland really likes to park his Lancia Fulvia and Porsche 912 CLOSE! Looks like somebody has some parking skills!
Etiqueta Negra: best decorated men’s stores in the world.
Although it seems a couple of these cars may be replicas (thanks Bradley) , it is still hard to ignore how excellent these cars look sitting in a store front! Argentina-based Etiqueta Negra carefully place epic cars such as a Bugatti Type 35b and the Alfa Romeo 8c Tipo (these 2 are replicas, as per article above) into their store fronts, amidst some pretty nice clothing as well!
I’m going to have to visit the Soho NYC location when I get the chance, but meanwhile here are some choice photos of some of their storefronts; worthwhile to remember that these are all in different stores across the US, Honduras, and Argentina.
Which cars shown are real and which are not? Well i think the Bugatti and the Alfa are reps….but the rest are real?
IEDEI 