If you went to the movies over the holiday, chances are pretty good you saw the latest box-office-topping Tom Cruise vehicle. We’re not talking about the globetrotting explosion-fest it came wrapped up in, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol; we’re speaking of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car that (along with seemingly every other model in Munich’s arsenal).
But the Vision EfficientDynamics coupe isn’t just a flight of fancy for the world’s auto show circuit or for Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character – it’s set for production , albeit . Snapped undergoing testing through a chain-link fence, the extended-range plug-in supercar looks ready for the street, if only we could peel away the Van Gogh camouflage. This 2+2 is widely expected to deliver a 0-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds, and we’re expecting the lightweight flyer to lose the unique lower glass door panels of the 2009 show car (a design change hinted at by this prototype’s swirly coverup).
Speaking of the doors, they also look to be more conventional in size and possibly operation – the concept car featured elongated butterfly doors that afforded accesses to both the front and rear seats. The prototype seen here would appear to have more conventionally sized apertures. We’re guessing that mundane real-world considerations like crash-worthiness and ease of operation had something to do with the transition. Another likely concession to the realities of production auto-making appear to be a pair of rather ungainly bumper-level nacelles in the rear fascia that weren’t present on the show car. We’re not sure if these are merely reflectors, actual taillights or if they’re simply clever camouflage, but we’re hoping for the latter.
While the concept was powered by both an electric drivetrain and a small diesel generator, our spies suggest that the production car may switch over to a more conventional turbocharged four-cylinder range-extender. Whether it burns gas or oil, however, the i8 is sure to be one of the most radical cars on the road… and it’s likely to carry an exotic price tag to match.
Art cars are becoming de rigeur once again, but while most automakers getting in on the action contract painters of some sort or another to spruce up their products, Renault has gone in a slightly different direction for its latest project.
To celebrate the arrival of its new Twingo hatchback, the French automaker has brought in a musician, a chef, a fashion designer and a product designer to give their take on the Twingo’s interior.
Pop singer Nicola Roberts installed a mobile recording studio and a dressing trailer’s worth of equipment in hers. Fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac turned his rolling canvas into a stately presidential city car. Designer Nils Holger Moormann made his Twingo into a mobile “reading room.” And chef Davide Scabin drew inspiration from pasta in his interpretation.
Intriguing ideas, all, if a tad impractical. But the photos speak for themselves, so check ‘em out in our high-res image gallery and follow the jump for the full press release.
Ward’s Auto reports the European Commission is pushing new measures that could burden automakers with stiff noise regulations for cars, buses and trucks. Under the proposed legislation, automakers would need to curb vehicle noise levels by two decibels two years after the legislation’s wording is agreed upon by EC member countries. Another two decibel reduction would occur three years after the first installment. Trucks, meanwhile, would be forced to reduce noise by one decibel in the first wave of reductions and two decibels in the second wave. Officials behind the proposed rules say the change will slash road noise by 25 percent and greatly improve the health and quality of life of European citizens.
Automakers are busily lobbying for amendments to the proposal, saying they have issues with the timing, levels and legal categories contained within the noise-control measures. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association says that while the first step could be implemented immediately, the second step could take as many as six years to accomplish. Head over to Ward’s to read the full report.
A German tuning outfit called has put the on , and the numbers returned were 444 horsepower at the wheel, 553 at the engine, and a “corrected number” of 574 hp. Max torque came in at 532 pound-feet (721 Newton/meters).
Compare those figures to the official numbers of 560 horses and 502 lb-ft. If the 444 number is accurate, then no matter how you slice it on horsepower – whether you use the numbers from or PP-P’s figures – you’re losing around 20 percent from the engine to the wheels. However, adjusting for driveline and twin-turbo losses, that puts things right about where they should be. The 30-lb-ft surplus of torque, on the other hand, is the kind of surplus no one would complain about – again, assuming it’s accurate.
for video of the dyno run, and for another vid of the being taken to 293 km/hr (182 mph). And with that second vid, try to ignore the fact that the terminal velocity attempt is being conducted on an engine with just 40 kilometers on it…
2012 will be the first year that the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be held on an entirely paved road, and while many who have long been involved with the event are bemoaning the loss of the gravel sections, the full tarmac course has peaked interest in the race. In fact, event organizers are considering adding a second race day for 2013. This time last year only 46 racers has expressed interest in participating in the event, but that number is already up to 170 for next year’s race.
“The interest is astronomical compared to last year,” says Tom Osborne, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb board chairman. “We’re seeing all kinds of unique new cars.” Osborne says that the race will likely have to hold a qualifying for 2012 to limit the number of entries into each class.
While you can count us in the group that will miss the gravel, we’re duly excited to see what sort of new cars show up to Pikes Peak in the next several years.
How many sports cars can one automotive group offer? Just ask the people at , whose various divisions – , , , – churn them out like you and I would write Christmas cards. (Or Hannukah cards, anyway.) And the group is right behind their German counterparts, with and keeping the upper crust of the market satisfied, and now Alfa Romeo and Abarth filling a more accessible – but potentially no less exciting – niche.
Recently we brought you a progress update on the Alfa Romeo 4C, a concept mid-engine sports car that’s now apparently been green-lit for production. In the ruminations of its potential roadworthiness, there was speculation that Abarth could get a version of its own. But those rumors have existed for longer than the 4C concept, and will now appear to outlast it as well.
According to the latest reports, Abarth is pitching a project that would see it develop its own sports car. But while the 4C would be priced similarly to a or , the Abarth would be positioned lower – maybe at the or the new /Scion FR-S/Toyota GT-86. It would also likely be front-drive, with between 200 and 250 horsepower, and draw its inspiration from the 1968 Abarth Scorpione pictured at right.
Whether it comes to fruition or not remains to be seen – not to mention its potential arrival in North America – but the prospect of another Italian sportscar isn’t something we’d turn down.
Like so many of you, we’re spending the holidays with family and friends. Regardless, we’ve got a few posts scheduled for you the rest of today and tomorrow; the normal daily grind resumes on Tuesday. You’ll be hard-pressed to find two better links to peruse and read in your downtime today, however, then the ones we’re about to show you.
The most fun thing about the annual “Happy Holidays” post is finding a suitable lead image for it. Many readers will doubtless recognize the wintry scene above, depicting a 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400, as the work of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman. The two (Mr. Kaufman painted the scenery and people, Mr. Fitzpatrick the cars) are best known for their works – so excellent that for years, per John Delorean’s orders, they were the only images authorized for use in Pontiac advertising (no photos allowed) – but their decades-long collaboration also produced images for other brands as well. Fitz and Van started collaborating in the 1950s on , then moved to General Motors to work on , which led to the iconic Pontiac run, as well as similar works for Opel during Bob Lutz’s tenure there in the 1970s. We remember reading somewhere that Lutz has one of the Fitz and Van originals for Opel hanging in his home.
Your mission today, between good times and great meals with friends and family, is to , where you can scroll through most of the 285 works the pair created for the late, lamented performance division. From there, head to , for an excellent bio and more work examples, some that you’ll recognize from recent years. We promise you’ll be engrossed.
All of us at Autoblog wish you a happy and healthy holiday, whether you’re celebrating a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Festivus (for the rest of us), or just sitting at home and enjoying some well-deserved down time. Have a wonderful holiday – and as always, please drive safely while you make the rounds today.
In car design circles, the name Chapman may be inexorably tied to the famous Colin of fame, but these days the name is hoisted by another influential automotive designer. And he’s just been poached by .
A Southern California native, Christopher Chapman started out with Isuzu after graduating from the Art Center College of Design. But since 1994 he’s been at , working his way up the ladder until he was named its director of automotive design (in 2002) and all of the group’s transportation design (in 2008). Along the way he’s been credited with designing the , , and , to say nothing of several conceptcars.
In his new capacity at Hyundai, Chapman will serve as the Korean automaker’s chief designer in America, overseeing and directing the styling of Hyundai’s new production and concept vehicles from its facility in Irvine, California. Details in the press release .
The emphasis, in this case, rests heavily on the word “could.” The mere question of a bet between two folks at Sawicki Motors in Rochelle, Illinois ultimately resulted in the dealership’s general manager, Ron Matula, offering anyone a free car if the Chicago Bears can shut out the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day.
The tiny little hook: you’ve got to buy your , or before the game, and if Chicago manages to make such magic you will receive a full refund. But that’s nothing compared to the large hooks: da Bears are 13-point underdogs; they’ll be starting their third string quarterback, Josh McCown, who in nine years has been on seven NFL teams and one CFL team, with the stats to make it clear why; da Bears will be without playmakers Matt Forte, Marion Barber, Johnny Knox and probably Devin Hester; and that depleted lineup is playing the 14-1 Green Bay Packers.
History might be on the side of the Bears and Sawicki customers, though: , “The Packers are one of five teams in NFL history to open a season 13-0 and then lose in their 14th game. All four of the other teams lost their 15th game, too.” That’s still a long way from holding Green Bay scoreless, but in the words of Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber, we’re saying there’s a chance.
So if you’ve been in the market for a model that Sawicki sells, no matter what happens with the Bears at least you can’t lose – as long as you buy today.
AOL Autos, sibling channel to Autoblog, has chosen a Car of the Year and Truck of the Year for the first time.
Editor-in-Chief David Kiley dubbed the awards, “Editors’ Choice Awards”, reflecting the fact that the selections were made by polling AOL Editors for their nominations. Their choices were discussed and consolidated with winners and three runners up per category.
Autoblog editors and staff did not participate in voting.
“Since we test just about every vehicle on the market, and certainly all the newly designed vehicles that come out, I felt like we should assert our collective opinion into the mix,” said Kiley.
“This was a very good year for cars, which made it tough, but not a great year for eligible SUVs and trucks. But I feel really strongly about the choices we made; that both vehicles could win in any year,” said Kiley.
To see the winners and runner-ups, . And please, argue the selections in the comment areas.
You ever get the feeling that automakers are understating the performance capabilities of their cars? Some do, and some don’t. But it appears that has undershot the v-max on its latest mid-engine V12 supercar, the .
Although Sant’Agata says the Aventador should be capable of topping out at 350 km/h (217 mph), the folks over at Sport Auto, as you can see from the , took one all the way up to 370 km/h – that’s 230 mph.
As super a car as the Aventador is, those are the kinds of speeds typically recorded by another class of supercar altogether: cars like the McLaren F1 (231 mph), Koenigsegg CCR (241 mph) or (254 mph)… but without the million-dollar price tag that typically goes along with those kinds of bragging rights.
When it comes to blowing up cars, the boys (and girl) from are starting to get some serious competition from the Stuntbusters crew. While Discovery’s myth-busting show bases its explosions around some sort of crazy science experiment, its competitor from Speed seems simply content with fireballs and bombs just for the sake of good television.
Just so long as Stuntbusters keeps its auto explosions to old, unwanted machines like the much unloved Corsica and the never-going-to-be-collectible 929, as seen in the video after the break, we’re okay with wonton destruction in the name of entertainment.
Check out the video past the jump, where you’ll learn the proper ingredients for a couple types of bombs; one powered by gasoline and one with a fiery mixture of moth balls and black powder. You are interested, aren’t you? See the conflagration in all its glory .
A new study commissioned by British parking lot operator NCP has found that nearly half of all UK drivers name their vehicles. Researchers questioned a total of 3,000 UK drivers ranging in age from 17 to 45 to determine whether or not they have a special moniker for their vehicle. The study also took the time to look into which names drivers chose.
In the UK, most drivers tend to prefer names derived from celebrities, with 24 percent of those surveyed opting for high-profile labels. Prince William and Lady Gaga are apparently two of the most popular vehicle names at the moment, though drivers also favor cartoon characters, sports figures and politicians.
Interestingly enough, three percent of those surveyed say they name their vehicle after coworkers. It makes us wonder what kind of vehicle Dwight Schrute from The Office would be. Clearly, not everyone feels attached enough to their car to give it a name, with 20 percent of those surveyed saying those who do are “sad.” Some people just don’t know how to have any fun, eh?
Our staff’s driveways are filled with plenty of unique vehicular characters, including one very determined ‘78 International Scout Terra that goes by the name Death Proof. Do you name your vehicles? Let the world know what you call your car in the Comments, but not before taking part in our brief poll below.
– or Prodrive, the outfit that preps Mini’s rally cars – has inexplicably failed to file for entry into the 2012 World Rally Championship before the series’ December 20 deadline. Mini’s first year back at the top level of rallying as a development team yielded two podiums, and the company hasn’t stepped back from its stated desire to . Word is that parent is gung-ho to continue but that there are “significant issues which need to be resolved” between it and Prodrive.
In an update to the situation today, UK site PistonHeads said has spoken to Prodrive and has been told Mini will somehow gain entry and be at the first race in Monte Carlo. Prodrive is in discussions now with the FIA to clear the way to entry, but apparently told PistonHeads that had “some concern” over WRC promotion with respect to television coverage. We have no idea if that has anything to do with the supposed issues with BMW, but we do know we’d like to see the little red flyer in action again this year.
Playboy has been around since 1953 for a reason: It’s an arbiter of good taste in the arena of male interests. Sure, that includes naked ladies, but it also encompasses fashion, movies, music and any other consumable that tugs at the heart strings of a man’s billfold. The fashionable male of the modern era also consumes cars, and so Playboy has an opinion about which ones are worthy of their hard-earned dollars. Each year the magazine’s resident four-wheel expert, Ken Gross, and its editors pick their cars of the year, and this year’s list is out in the January/February issue hitting newsstands now.
We’ll spoil the surprise between the pages and tell you that the magazine’s overall 2012 Car of the Year is the . A solid pick to be sure, and an impressive win for Jag considering its company on Playboy’s short list.
The and occupy the six-figure side of the list’s price spectrum, while solid luxury sedans choices like the and offer room for some family and friends. If a sports car is what you’re after, Playboy recommends the and , while the budget-conscious among its readership should look at the and . While the list contains no serious off-roader, one could venture off your tree-lined driveway with the magazine’s choice of the , and last but not least is the for those looking for luxury, performance, practicality and fuel efficiency in one gloriously compromised package.
You can check out the full list for yourself over at (yes, the page – but not the whole site – is Safe For Work), as well as vote for which vehicle you think should be Heff’s Car of the Year.
As we prepare to flip our calendars from 2011 to 2012, it’s time to say goodbye to a handful of vehicles that are being sent to the Great Parking Lot In The Sky before the 2012 model year completely takes hold. And while we’re not exactly upset about having to bid farewell to things like the , or , there are a few vehicles that we’re truly going to miss.
The , for example, has grown to be one of our favorite sports cars since its introduction in 2003. We love its lightweight construction, high-revving rotary engine and surprisingly functional suicide door design. It’s kind of like a with a roof and rear seats. Speaking of the Miata, Tesla’s two-seat – the automaker’s first production vehicle – proved to us that open-top motoring can be thrilling even with a stack of batteries driving the wheels.
We’ll miss the and its rugged, utilitarian nature. We’ll miss the and its capacious cargo area made for Ikea runs. And we’ll really miss those large lords of luxury, the and . We’ve already said goodbye to the faithful but overripe , and as ridiculous as the was, it was a shockingly good-to-drive electrified crossover.
There are plenty more models that won’t be making the journey to the 2012 model year, so have a look at the full list in our attached image gallery, then let us know which ones you’ll miss (if any) in the Comments.
Big old is back to thinking small, and it’s finally doing it right. After two frankly awful attempts at supplying the rest of the world with cheap tin boxes called Fox and Lupo, company bosses have done some soul searching and this is the result: a tiny road warrior that’s absolutely worthy of the 6.3-inch wide emblem on its grill.
It might seem like only yesterday, but the Up! was back in the pre-crisis days of 2007 at the . Talk about fortuitous timing, because this 2+2 three-door minicar is exactly the sort of car that much of economically stunned Europe is craving nowadays. We all, Euro or Yank, want as much premium feel in our cars as cheaply as possible, and this is exactly why the little Up! is destined to clobber The Continent’s vast field of city cars.
We’ve just spent 12 days in a top-trim Up! White Edition driving around in what certainly will be one of the car’s major markets: the piratical, everyone-for-themselves streets of Milan, Italy. With our American brainset, at first we thought, “Yeah, it’s really cute and useful, well built and all, but…” That qualifying “but” was just because the Up! is so small in every dimension save front seat room. As we would come to learn over our dozen days, with an all-new 1.0-liter, 74-horsepower three-cylinder and a serviceable five-speed manual, this little bugger can be a little roll-y in tight curves taken with any spirit, but she sure is fun.
We like to think we’re a pretty talented bunch with plenty of marketable skills. We make a mean slice of toast, for example, and we’ve been known to demonstrate a unique mastery of sleeping on airplanes.
Even with those boundless abilities on our side, there’s a laundry list of activities we can’t perform with any aplomb. Take drawing cars, for example. Despite all of our high school doodling, we can’t put pen to paper without our creation looking suspiciously like an impressionist Lada Niva. It’s just not pretty. Fortunately, a new project on Kickstarter may be able to help us hone those skills.
Arvind Ramkrishna, the mind behind , is working to release a two-DVD set that will walk viewers through the ins and outs of vehicle rendering. The set sheds light on how to craft a professional-grade marker sketch as well as a computer-generated version of your favorite ride.
The project has a variety of donation levels, but the low price of $40 nets you both discs as well as a comprehensive hard copy sketch guide. Head over to the to check it out for yourself.
When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thinks a ban on drivers using electronic devices is a flawed, you know it’s a bad idea. But that’s exactly what the Good Secretary during a recent interview.
Citing the recent recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to , LaHood makes it clear that “the problem is not hands-free.”
Although LaHood has made it a priority to shine a spotlight on distracted driving in the U.S., even he sees the flawed logic in the NTSB’s recommendation. Texting, emailing and updating social networks is one thing, but an outright ban on mobile phone use in the car is obviously a step too far.
Still, LaHood extends an olive branch to NTSB chairwoman Debbie Hersman, saying, “Anybody that wants to join the chorus against distracted driving, welcome aboard,” but continuing that “If other people want to work on hands-free, so be it.”
As a graphic designer for nearly 20 years, Cameron Booth credits his deep and abiding love for transit maps to his dad’s obsession with trains. The Australian-born, Portland, Oregon-based artist has adapted the infographic aesthetic of subway maps to America’s road networks, creating some beautiful new artwork in the process.
We think Booth’s work serves well as both information and art, particularly his brand-new U.S. Routes map, which includes a number of thoughtful touches (e.g. historical roads hidden as thinner route lines “beneath” current main road networks.
Booth tells Autoblog that the experience of creating this map has been an enlightening one:
“Applying a transit map template to a road network makes us look at a familiar system in a new way: Instead of the familiarity and detail of a geographically accurate road map, we’re instead presented with simplified routes, connections and bright colors. It also could be interpreted as a reflection on America’s love affair with cars.”
The U.S Routes project was quite a challenge – far more than Booth’s previous maps, which includes the less involved but equally striking Interstate Highway graphic. Taking over a year to complete, Booth admits that this is probably his toughest-ever undertaking.
The artist is now taking prepaid orders for U.S. Routes prints in various sizes, but the holidays and a need to get a print run together will mean that those orders probably won’t be processed until some time in early January. Check out more detailed shots of U.S. Routes, as well as his work (including some great photography) at his website, , and if you’re interested in ordering one of his prints, .
In car 
