a 2010 concept by Citroen called the Survolt. This is the kind of insanity I expect from Citroen. Madness and over the top goodness! 2 electric motors, 300hp. If this is the future of the sports car and it’s electric—-i want in!
short promo video:
Tag Archives: 2010
the lost: BMW Z29 prototype.
I love prototypes which have been lost or aborted during their development—-they have a curious aura of mystery surrounding them, and blistering questions of “what may have been” and “where are they now”. in 2001, BMW was working on a lightweight (2500+ pound) coupe with 300+ HP capable of 0-60 times of under 5 seconds. Judging by the Toyota-like styling, and not-so-BMW-like design features and its MK1 Audi TT inspired minimalist interior—-it is very possible this car was merely a test bed for new technologies. I don’t think the world will have a breakdown because it was never produced, however it can definitely be added to the list of mysterious prototypes which were tested and then dissappeared. I’m guessing this car eventually morphed into the Z4 Coupe in 2006 and maybe used the carbon fiber technologies towards their M3 CSL.
Autocar article: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/BMW-Concepts/248500/
BMW themselves eventually released photos of the car in 2010, as part of their 25th anniversary celebration of BMW Technik GmBH.
The two-seater sportscar was designed to be as light as possible through the use of high-tech materials.
The centre section of the car – from the front bulkhead to the rear bulkhead was a monocoque made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. The front and rear subframes were made of aluminium. The final prototype weighed just 1166kgs.
The Z29 was powered by the then-current 336bhp straight-six engine used in the M3, which gave the car a 0-62mph sprint time of just 4.4 seconds.
The Z29’s unusual scissor doors never made it onto a production car, but the Z29 is said to have influenced the 2006 M Roadster.
However the project had its biggest influence on the 2004 M3 CSL, which used carbon-fibre, reinforced plastics for the roof panel, as well as various other body mouldings including the front bumper.
BMW founded the Technik GmbH division in 1985, with the intention of using as a think-tank to ‘develop and innovative, future-oriented and original overall vehicle concepts and sub-concepts away from the constraints of a specific series workflow schedule’. However, the board added that Technik’s objective should ‘always be to develop solutions that have the potential for series development.”
IEDEI Investigation! Pantera?
So back in 2007 and 2008, there was a mystery supercar being spotted around the UK——people thought it was a Lotus or a McLaren prototype. I remember reading that it was the next generation Esprit, the early working prototype of the MP12, and even heard Noble being thrown around.
speculation:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/05/mystery-supercar-may-be-all-new-lotus-codenamed-project-eagle/
Eventually, some people decided that it was some obscure, unknown supercar known as the “MCE MC1”, which has since dissappeared into nowhereland. Here’s the original article Car published on the matter:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/MCE-MC1-supercar/
pics from that time:
So i had forgotten about this car—–even though they ‘claimed’ it was something called the “Spectre” or “MCE”.
Yesterday, my friend Ron Southern, who is a fellow Audi TT owner and a De Tomaso Pantera owner and enthusiast, showed me this. THE SAME car exiting the grounds of the De Tomaso factory! Could it be that this is after all the ‘new’ De Tomaso Pantera? It certainly looks 100% the same as the 2007 car which was mysteriously being spotted around town. This video was uploaded on YouTube May 2nd, 2011.
Video:
So it seems that either that is a new Pantera OR a car that is being evaluated by the newly resurrected De Tomaso as a possible base for a Pantera.
SNOW!
(thanks to Elyse Sewell for sharing this glorious photo with me, not sure where it was taken…)
Well it snowed like we were at war with the sky over the weekend here in NYC. I learned several things during this snowstorm.
A) People in NYC have no idea how to drive through snow. Having grown up in Michigan and then lived 3 years in Chicago taught me very well how to drive during a snowstorm. People here have extreme difficulty in judging whether their car can clear certain ‘mounds’ of snow. On the corner of our street in Brooklyn…..There were 10s of cars stuck over a period of just a few hours. Some cars in Brooklyn REMAIN stuck even now…..
B) I drive a very low to the ground modified with a stiff suspension, 18 inch lightweight wheels, and on all-seasons. my TT quattro had absolutely no trouble handling the snow in any way. There wasn’t a single time i felt unstable or unable to clear any snowbanks. Most of you know I am a major Audihead….and this is why. These cars are unstoppable by weather. While other people stay parked during inclement storms, Audis come ALIVE! It was great to see people with looks of disbelief as i passed their stuck SUVs and trucks in my low black coupe…..i even heard “what the hell is that thing!?”.
C) NYC was not prepared at all for this storm…..and their lack of proper cleanup is basically simple negligence and/or a mixture of holiday relaxation combined with unexpected ‘large’ storm status. There are still major streets in our area which are unplowed, and have now turned into ice. Unacceptable!
D) NYC people are tough. Much tougher than others. i saw plenty of people walking around, trudging through large stacks of knee high or even thigh high snow. In other cities, you’d see people sitting on their couch eating chips and watching TV. There were people stuck 6 hours on the A train going through Queens without heat or food on Monday morning….i’m guessing these people took the subway again today to work.
E) I need boots. No i’ve never worn boots….even in Detroit or Chicago i never did…but i also never had to walk so much as i do here…and my lack of boots means that the dude you see slipping and sliding all over the sidewalk is probably me trying to regain my balance.
Pikes Peak. 2010. Porsche GT3.
HEAVEN.
big children! GT5 out today!
1000 cars. build your own tracks. the previous version have been amazing…and this one will be too i’m sure. I am picking mine up later today…..if you are even remotely into cars, this is a MUST OWN!!! There goes my weekend…err…week….err…month…year?
OUT TODAY! FINALLY!
audi quattro concept; real life pics!
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.
2011 video game preview: Dirt 3
Next week, i am trading in my dusty, neglected old Playstation 2 for a new Playstation 3 with Gran Turismo 5. Gran Turismo 5 is released next week, on the 24th….i’m damn excited. The previous games in the series have been amazing…..each one bettering the previous.
Here’s another game I just found out about today. It will be out in 2011. It’s called “Dirt 3” a continuation of the Dirt series of Rally games. Looks like my GT5 disc is going to have some company in the flat!
RS5 & urquattro.
1981 Audi urquattro and 2010 Audi RS5
What a fantastic set of pictures….here are just 4 of them. Click on the link to read the full article, and to see the full set of 40+ photos! beautiful photos of 2 stunning cars separated by a good 30 years.
LINK TO MORE PICS AND ARTICLE:
http://www.insideline.com/audi/rs5/2011/2011-audi-rs5-vs-1981-audi-coupe-quattro.html
Audi resurrects the quattro!
more pics later. here’s a video i grabbed off the Audi press services.
(psst, sorry it’s been so quiet here lately….i’ve got an album being released in the next 2 weeks….been working on it!)
the $259,000 ‘bargain’ Bugatti.
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.
http://www.acquiremag.com/style/watches/bugatti-super-sport-by-parmigi.php
IEDEI meets the Audi TT-RS.
Found out some info on the TT-RS:
$65-68k, 300-350 cars coming to the US market, all coupes, all manual transmission (unofficial estimates, taken from a couple sources IEDEI has spoken with)
The sound of the 2.5L turbo 5 is amazing. I saw this car today at Waterfest (VW/Audi gathering in held in New Jersey every year). It was brought there by the Fourtitude guys and was provided to them by Audi. It is the only TT-RS in the USA at the moment. I didn’t get any chance to drive it or drive in it…however the exhaust note is simply animal…love it.
some more pics (sorry about the crappy quality…forgot my camera and took cell phone pics!):
foto(s) of the day. GT3 RS Matte Black.
Not sure where these photos are from….but here’s a Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS with matte black finish. sinister.
(click to enlarge)
The best looking production BMW today is…
yeah it’s the 1-series. I know plenty of people are going to disagree with me…..and i know that plenty of people hate the way the 1-series looks; however i have always loved the styling of it. It’s the only modern BMW that has an interesting design, aside from the strange 6-series which started to grow on me towards the end of its current life cycle.
There’s plenty of retro going on in the 1-series styling, some cues of the E30, some cues of older BMWs from the 70s liked the fabled 2002, even some NSU TT in there. One of my favourite Coupe designs since the MK1 TT, for sure.
I will have a 1-series one day! The question is when?
Porsche Boxster Spyder delivered…
Not mine, of course….but a friend of mine and a previous (multiple) TT owner has taken delivery of his brand new white Porsche Boxster Spyder. Pretty aggressive looking car, with some very interesting design cues pertaining to the roof. The interior looks fantastic. These are the first ‘real world’ pics of this car i’ve seen, and it looks much better than the official pics that were released! Must be a helluvalot of fun to throw around turns!
Thanks to Quattive for letting me post pics of his car.
more info on the Boxster Spyder:
Unsold-in-the-USA car of the day.
Why AUDI doesn’t sell this in the USA, i have no idea. This Audi S5 Sportback is simply gorgeous in every way. In many ways, it’s even better looking than the S5 Coupe.
BRING IT TO THE USA, AUDI!!! Hopefully in time for when my family ‘expands’.
Mazda – Peugeot = 0
Has anyone else noticed how similar the front ends of the Mazda 3 look with the Peugoet 207? yeah they’re not identical, but clearly Mazda has been borrowing some ideas, and changing them jusssssst enough to avoid plagiarism. Cheeky.
I recently drove a MAZDA 6 rental car on my trip to San Francisco last week, and I am delighted to report that it was a slow, soul-less, derivative pile of rubbish! “Zoom zoom” my arse…
aha! the Audi Q3 must be on its way to the USA soon…..
(click to enlarge)
Yeah we don’t care much about SUVs here at IEDEI……however I am pretty into Audis….and having driven an Audi Q5 through an autocross track before here in NY, I must say I had gained quite a bit of respect for Audi SUVs. Well anyways, it seems IEDEI stumbled upon a ‘future plan’ by accident!
Auto Trader has placed the AUDI Q3 in its drop down menu of cars for selection on the site (SEE PHOTO ABOVE). This surely hints that the Q3 is on its way to the US market sometime soon. The Q5 has been a huge success for Audi (a waiting list to buy one at the moment), so it would make sense that Audi is bringing a smaller and even cheaper small SUV.
it’s actually a pretty damn good looking SUV if i must say so myself…..even though SUVs are parasites and should be burned in massive flames! err…just sayin…
Lamborghini Miura re-imagined….again.
Dutch designer Marco van Overbeeke has created another ‘new’ conceptual (and unofficial) design for the Lamborghini Miura. This one is less devotedto the original 1960s Miura and adapted to the modern world.
I kinda like it…pretty aggressive. Too band Lamborghini will NEVER be producing it.
more pics: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/03/lamborghini-miura-nuovo-design-study.html
Audi A8L interior.
IEDEI are not really suckers for ‘luxurious’ interiors, however this one takes some sort of cake, bakes it, devours it, and bakes another one. Pretty fantastic for that Eastern European Dictator in your family….the 2011 Audi A8L
look, there’s even an ottoman for the passenger to put their feet up!
IEDEI 