Lamborghini has cultivated an image for fast and exclusive supercars, but the Reventon broke the mold. Although rumors at one point suggested that the exotic automaker would increase the production run, Lamborghini stuck to its guns by producing just 20 examples as originally promised, all of which were spoken for almost immediately after the announcement was made despite a whopping million-euro price tag. Now the last one has rumbled out the factory gates in Sant'Agata Bolognese into the hands of one elated new owner.
Well, we'd be elated, but the car's owner was instead described as "understandably delighted". That's British understatement for you. The car was sold from a dealership in Birmingham, England, which had the honor of hocking the only Reventon to make it to the car-crazed UK. Fortunately for British supercars fans, the owner – whose identity was not disclosed and his face blurred out in the photo – pledges to drive the machine and will start by driving it across Europe from Italy to Engand.
Toyota's showing in Tokyo was rife with disappointments, none more so than what was over at the Lexus booth. Beyond its LF-Xh hybrid crossover, rumor had it that a revised version of the LF-A supercar would make an appearance. No such luck. Instead, the same show car we've seen over the last year stood alone, longing for refinement.
According to Winding Road's Japan correspondent, the reason for the dismal showing was a shakeup on the engineering side of Lexus' new halo. A number of "key engineers" have apparently been yanked off the project to work on other programs within Toyota, and that, partnered with problems providing power from both a V10 and a gas-electric hybrid V8, along with reaching the 218 MPH targeted top speed, has caused delays in development.
The business plan for the LF-A includes building 26 units per month, and sources suggest that sales are likely to begin in 2009 – the same year Acura will bring its own supercar to market.
There's more than a hint of Toyota's PM, i-Swing and i-REAL series about this concept. But where Toyota admits that the driver may occasionally want to get out of the pod, Suzuki sees no reason for such extravagant use of your legs when operating the PIXY. Leaving the city for a blast down the highway? Just drive your PIXY in to your SSC mothership. Want to go for a thrash though the mountains? Park up in your SSF sports-car unit. There's even a speed boat (SSJ) on the cards, not that you'd be able to smell the sea breeze. Both the PIXY and SSC appear to be hermatically sealed and were unbearably hot under the stage lights. Ideal transportation for a post nuclear war world perhaps?
We don't know what the next Acura (Honda) NSX will ultimately look like, but we do know that it will have a 5.5-liter V10 throwing down 560 hp through a torque-vectoring SW-AWD setup. The folks over at Auto Express have a cutaway view of the NSX's gizzards, and what lurks beneath the creased and chevroned skin of the next do-it-all-faster supercar could be good for a few extra heartbeats. We do hope, however, that these exterior renderings are quite a ways off. Otherwise, it might not be so bad if Acura offers a cutaway version of the actual car so that you don't have to see its body, because even under the camo, the new NSX is shaping up to be um, homely. interesting..
Retro is fast becoming an accepted design theme industry-wide with vehicles such as the New Beetle, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 shining as examples of the genre. The same can be said of motorcycles, with such designs as the Ducati SportClassic range as well as half of Triumph's line acting as flag-bearers. Harley could be grouped into that category as well, although they've never really changed since... well, the beginning of time. Anyway, Honda is considering capitalizing on the market trend with a new design inspired by the ground-breaking CB's of the 1970's. When it was first introduced, the CB750 turned the motorcycle world upside-down and went a long way towards making the sporty English bikes of the day obsolete overnight. As an odd turn of events, though, the CB1100F seen above would be anything but revolutionary in the sporting bike game today, considering that the air-cooled engine, skinny "right-side-up" fork and dual shocks are carry-over pieces from the original design. Of course, that's why it looks retro and why many people would likely run to their nearest Honda dealership to place their orders.
By most accounts, Honda originally planned to show off the next generation NSX to the seething throngs at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. But due to the less-than-positive reception the Advanced Sports Car concept garnered at the Detroit show, Honda's designers headed back to the drawing board to redesign the front clip housing the 550 hp, 4.5-liter V10.
Now, Autocar has gotten word from a Honda insider that the NSX is bound for the 2009 Tokyo show, sporting a new front end that "has Chevrolet Corvette undertones" and is slated to for production in the fall of 2010.
The new NSX will supposedly kick off Honda's first serious attempt at producing rear-wheel-drive vehicles to rival BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti, including new platforms that will underpin Acura's larger sedan offerings and an S2000-based Acura sports car that takes aim at the Mercedes SLK. The launch of Acura's 7-series fighter isn't due to make an appearance until 2015. For Honda' sake, let's hope they can expedite development to make it happen around the turn of the decade.
If you won a lottery that offered you million-dollar supercar or a large cash prize, which would you take? Okay, well you might be a little biased if you're reading Autoblog. So let's make this a little more challenging: what if you lived in a town with no paved roads like Norman Wells (population: 761), some 690 kilometers northwest of Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories, where Louie Edgi lives with his family.
Edgi bought ten tickets for the Alberta Cash and Cars Lottery, which was giving away a Koenigsegg CCX and supports local cancer research funds, on a trip down from his northerly home-town to Edmonton, Alberta, (still considered ridiculously close to the North Pole for the rest of the world, including this Canadian-born writer) to undergo cancer treatment. Since getting the car home would have required a long trip up a winter ice road – a prospect that apparently hasn't caught on in the Northwest Territories as it has in Koenigsegg's home country of Sweden – Edgi opted for the cash instead, and is reportedly feeling a lot better about his treatment now.
This weekend's Porsche Panamera photos have everyone talking, and it had us thinking it's time for a Sunday Poll. Sportier, coupe-like four-doors are no longer a novelty; everyone's doing (or plans to do) it. So, given the choice, which one would you pick. Our candidates are a mix of cars already here, cars on the way, and one concept that seems like a lock to come to fruition. Are you beguiled or bewildered by Stuttgart's new four-door? Maybe you like Fisker's green-but-beautiful approach. How about the Mercedes CLS, which basically started this trend? VW's now in the game with the CC, and Aston's busy cooking up the production Rapide. Let's not forget Jaguar's wide-eyed kitty, the XF. And we'd be remiss if we left out the Lamborghini Estoque, a concept that has cash cow written all over it for Sant'Agata. So, throw all those pesky restrictions like budget and availability out the window. In your opinion, who's got the best take on the coupe-sedan look so far? who knows..
This one is a sporty modification concept of Honda Tiger 200 CC. I found this in a wordpress blogger, blogged by an Indonesian local blogger. He doesn't add any information in the post he made. Well,.. I think It's an expression of their fan about how Honda will improve their next design… And I think, Honda should begin to hear their customer about what kind of design is wanted by their customer. If not,.. never dream to take over Yamaha's top market share in Indonesia. And Honda should thanks to their fans of this brilliant design ideas!
This new design transporting concept car introduced by Daihatsu in Tokyo Motor Show 2007.It looks like a Dakar rally van that's been left in the wash too long. It's a true truck with a body-on-frame design, though. It's generous ride height and copious degrees of approach and departure angles mean that the Mud Master-C can actually go places while leaving an eency-weency footprint in its wake.
Daihatsu says that there are three gullwing doors on the concept, though they're really hatches, one on each side and one on the back. The truly neat thing about the Mud Master-C Concept is that it's configurable. For instance, the mountain bike support model developed with professional cyclist Raita Suzuki (shown at right) is configured to carry a pair of bikes, but the concept can also be configured as an open bed truck capable of carrying an ATV or even a crane!
Check out more info and Daihatsu's press release after the jump, and be sure to browse the gallery to see the Mud Master-C's unique features.
The Mud Master-C also features what Daihatsu calls a hub reduction system that transfers power using gears mounted between the driveshaft and the wheelhub. It appears the system allows the driveshaft to sit higher than the center of the wheelhub, giving the Mud Master-C its impressive ground clearance. The relatively large 16-inch off-road tires help, too.
Inside the concept you'll find a dash that's comprised simply of one large screen that displays both gauges and in-car entertainment options. Being the activity vehicle it is, the Mud Master-C also features water repellant seats so that hosing mud off of them is not a problem. The seats, however, are flat as church pews, which, when combined with the concept's height and narrow width, mean turns should be taken with caution.
Daihatsu didn't mention what powers the Mud Master-C, but we're guessing it's a small gas or diesel engine mounted amidship below the floor.
Additional Info of Mud Master-C :
This small, tough transporter leverages compactness and light weight for special off-road agility and adopts body-on-frame construction for outstanding durability and cargo capability. This mountain bike support model was designed in collaboration with the leading professional cyclist, Raita Suzuki.
A hub reduction system, which transfers driving power via gears mounted between the drive shaft and wheel hub, together with large-diameter 16-inch off-road tires, achieves 370mm ride height and generous angles of approach, departure and breakover for outstanding off-road drivability and stream-fording capability.
The body uses highly durable, lightweight and compact body-on-frame construction. A range of attachments can be combined for a variety of applications, from outdoor sports to work in rough terrain.
Large gullwing doors on three sides give the MUD MASTER-C great convenience, ideal for loading and unloading bicycles in the "mountain bike support" model.
Full-cabin styling creates a strong presence.
The interior features a simple instrument panel with large-screen LCD multi-display and the water-repellent seats, reflecting the car's rugged image.
One of the most eye catching bike in Tokyo Motor Show 2007 might be this one, Yamaha Tesseract. It doesn't like common motorcycle which only have two wheel, it have four wheels. Unfortunately, you look for it in Yamaha dealer for recent time. It’s just a styling concept and have not mass produced. Y
It’s not technically a motorcycle, and “Tesseract” sounds like something Scooby-Doo would say, but who cares? It looks incredible and has enough techno-jewelry to make the most jaded gearhead drool. Mounted in that spidery chassis is a V-Twin motor that’s the basis for a hybrid propulsion unit. Front suspension is something Yamaha calls “dual scythe,” and like the Piaggio MP3, the wheels lean with the chassis into the turns to impart that authentic motorcycle-riding feel. Like the Piaggio, the frontal profile is almost as narrow as a motorcycle, which would make this a fun and interesting street ride. The extra wheel will add stability, for sure, but also make this as likely to become DOT-legal as a Tiger tank.
I find a funny concept car in our neighbor site, it's a concept car which inspirited by the “Finding Nemo” box office hit animation. This car presented in October at the Road Transport Show in Amsterdam, The Citroën NEMO Concept is now on display at the 2007 Bologna Motor Show. The concept car is colored in white, orange and black and it celebrate the famous Disney clown fish.
This crossover concepts maybe be the longest Mini ever built. With over four meters in lenght and measuring 1,8 meters in width, the new car opens a new chapter in the history of Mini. Like the Mini Clubman, the Mini Crossover Concept is not a four- door in the classic sense, a conventional arrangement of doors is to be found only on the front passenger’s side, while on the driver’s side the the vehicle comes with a conventional door for the first row of seats plus a lift/sliding door moving along the outside for convenient access to the rear and for loading the car from the side.
And by dropping the B-pillar on the driver’s side, the Mini Crossover Concept exhausts the potential of this generous opening to an even higher degree. Frameless side windows, finally, are yet another feature of this truly exceptional four-door.
