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We haven’t heard much about Perana in quite some time, but not nearly as long as it’s been since the name AC last came up on our radar screen. The progenitor of the iconic Shelby Cobra, AC Cars is one of those great many British sportscar manufacturers that has long since disappeared into obscurity. There has been talk here and there of reviving the marque with a new model, but none of that seems to have materialized. Until now. Sort of.

Perana, as you may recall, is (or was) the name of an upstart automaker producing a devastatingly beautiful sportscar called the Z-One penned by no less accomplished a design house than Zagato. Now, the design (or, at least, what appears to be the same design) has resurfaced under the AC badge.

Called the 378 GT Zagato, the AC-ified Z-One is apparently being produced on the same line in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the Perana was, and where, incidentally, some Noble models are, as well. The numeric nameplate is taken from the cubic-inch displacement of the 6.2-liter V8 engine.

It’s certainly not the first time Zagato has designed for an established British marque, the production version of the V12 Zagato it designed for Aston Martin having been unveiled as this one was being announced at the other end of the Geneva Palexpo. AC and Zagato also collaborated on a one-off Bristol variant back in 1957, a model that is scheduled to be showcased alongside the new 378 GT at Pebble Beach later this year where AC will be the featured marque two years after the Z-One made its U.S. debut on the very same manicured lawns.

That’s not where the collaboration is expected to end, however, as a roadster based on the same platform but featuring more Cobra-like bodywork is next in the pipeline. We’re not sure where that leaves Perana, but we’ll be watching to see where this goes. In the meantime you can see the full press release and spec sheet below, with high-res images (including some deliciously retro color schemes) in the gallery above.

Continue reading Perana Z-One resurfaces with AC badge as 378 GT Zagato

Perana Z-One resurfaces with AC badge as 378 GT Zagato

Where does he get those wonderful toys? We’re speaking, in case you didn’t catch the movie quote, of Batman. Specifically, his most famous car, otherwise known as the Batmobile. There have been well over a hundred Batmobiles since the first, a 1936 Cord, was used in 1941.

Seventy-one years later, Bruce Wayne’s number-one ride has gotten considerably more expensive to procure. According to the sleuths at Centives, between 1940 and 1970, Batman spent a miserly (and inflation adjusted) $32,000 for the average Batmobile. After that date? A whopping $358,000. Holy Toledo, Batman!

While some Batmobiles are completely custom designed for the Caped Crusader, others are based on more pedestrian production cars… like the Lamborghini Reventón or Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. Indeed, over the years Batman has, among others, made use of various Chevrolet Corvette models, a Ford Mustang or two, a number of Jaguar XKE models and even a British TVR.

After it’s all tallied up and recorded for posterity, Centives guesstimates that the average Batmobile set Batman back roughly $214,700. Remember, there’s been over a hundred Batmobiles in comic book land. We guess it takes a multi-billionaire playboy like Bruce Wayne to afford the crime-fighting lifestyle of an alter-ego like Batman.

PSA: Bruce Wayne’s average Batmobile costs $214,700

As a Formula One entity, Renault has gone from engine supplier to full manufacturer (having acquired the Benetton team back in 2000) and back to engine supplier (having all but completely divested the team now under the Lotus banner). The French automaker’s competition engine works also powers Caterham and Williams this season, but most importantly, the Red Bull Racing team that is returning once again as World Champions. So whereas previous Renaultsport special edition hot hatches celebrated the company’s own achievements, the latest celebrates Red Bull’s.

Named the Red Bull RB7 edition after last year’s car, the special Clio RS packs a 203-horsepower four mounted to the Cup chassis that would otherwise be an option. The body is painted matte black with yellow highlights, a tone-on-tone checkerboard roof, the requisite special badging and 18-inch wheels done up in a black finish and shod with the same Bridgestone rubber that kept the Mégane Trophy glued to the Nürburgring for its lap record.

Inside it’s got yellow Recaro buckets and the RS Monitor performance telematics system. The special edition will only be available, however, in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Spain. Details to be found in the press release after the jump with high-res images in the gallery above.

Continue reading Renault celebrates Red Bull partnership with special edition Clio RS

Renault celebrates Red Bull partnership with special edition Clio RS

Send a $107,000 Fisker Karma to the dealer – after an incredibly public breakdown – and get a new battery pack in return. That’s the lesson that Consumer Reports learned over the weekend and the repaired vehicle is now “operating fine at our test track” after 48 hours offline.

All that CR is saying about the problem is that the Fisker dealer said that a “fault was found in the battery and inverter cable. Both were replaced as a unit.” Also, while lots of dealers wash your car after you take it in for servicing, CR’s dealer also charged the brand-new pack. How kind. With everything back on track – for now – CR will get to what it intended to do days ago: put the Karma through its paces.

CR’s Karma is not the only one with issues. All Karmas were affected by two recalls (due to a software glitch and then battery issues) and, as we discovered last week, owners are posting about their own problems over on FiskerBuzz.

The Saga Continues: Consumer Reports’ Fisker Karma gets new battery pack

A brand like Mini is as much about image as it is about the vehicles it produces. Hence a seemingly endless array of branded merchandise, joined by this latest collection made in collaboration with Carmina Campus.

The fashion brand directed by Ilaria Venturini Fendi – youngest daughter of the famed fashion-design family – is distinguished by its use of recycled materials, and in the case of the Mini collection, uses all manner of discarded components from the Mini product line. Everything from seatbelts and convertible-roof canvas to scraps of metal bodywork and leather upholstery have been repurposed into a range of travel and city bags for both men and woman.

The collection includes everything from briefcases and laptop bags to purses and suitcases. Only fifty individually-numbered pieces will be made, with prices ranging from 350 to 700 euros (~$450-900) available in store and online. Details in the press release below and the extensive high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading Carmina Campus repurposes Mini parts into bag collection

Carmina Campus repurposes Mini parts into bag collection

A design studio and contract manufacturer, when Pininfarina builds a car it’s typically under another brand’s auspices. That could change, however, with the Cambiano.

Unveiled just last week at the Geneva Motor Show, the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid coupe concept – which we had the opportunity to examine close-up in the ramp-up to the show – is being considered for limited production.

If built for public consumption, the Cambiano is tipped to ditch the concept’s diesel turbine in favor of a more conventional electric powertrain with its range extended by a diesel engine. If Pininfarina were to build just ten examples, the pricetag on each would amount to about 1 million euros (approximately $1.3 million at today’s conversion rates) but if ramped up to 70 or 75 units, each would fetch around 400,000 euros (about $525,000).

Pininfarina mulling limited production run of Cambiano PHEV concept

It’s pretty obvious that automakers’ definition of the word ‘coupe’ these days is a far cry from the traditional meaning. (We do live in the world of the “four-door coupe,” after all.) That said, Car and Driver reports that Mini will call the company’s two-door Paceman Concept the Countryman Coupe once it hits production.

While it’s true that both the Paceman Concept and most coupes have two doors, the vehicle is more of a CUV/hatchback/crossover, at least to our eyes. Even so, the fact that the vehicle will reportedly share the Countryman moniker is no shock. Both vehicles wear the same nose front fascia, grille, headlights, fenders and hood. Even so, based on the automaker’s current naming convention, that means we’ll have to get used to saying something like “Mini Cooper S Countryman Coupe.” Because that won’t get confusing or anything.

Last we heard, the three-door Countryman will go on sale in 2013 as a 2014 model, and rumor has it that the production model will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year. A few patent drawings have already made their way to the web, indicating the final version will be remarkably similar to the concept we’ve already seen.

Mini changing Paceman name to Countryman Coupe for production

This year’s Geneva Motor Show served up a scintillating buffet of vehicles, but the Lamborghini Aventador J may very well have been our favorite. With no roof, no windshield and all of the insane running gear of the standard Aventador, the roadster is the embodiment of exotic. But according to Top Gear, the car went from design sketch to reality in record time. Designer Filippo Perini told TG he first sketched up the Aventador J in mid-January after CEO Stephan Winkelmann asked his crew to to come up with something special for Geneva.

Despite the apparent similarities between the Aventador and the new Aventador J, the two models share only a handful of body components, including the front hood, fenders, headlights and rear fenders. Everything else is bespoke just for the concept.

If you like what you see as much as we do and want to take one home, too bad. The world’s only Aventador J is already sold to an unnamed collector for the lofty sum of $2.74 million at current conversion rates.

Lamborghini Aventador J Geneva star conceived, built in six weeks

Robots have been a part of every automaker’s manufacturing arsenal for three decades now, but that doesn’t make this latest effort at improving plant automation any less cool. While most factory robots are neither humanoid nor particularly interesting, the only thing more exciting than this pseudo-cyborg hand for rivetheads is ordering up the entire run of The Six Million Dollar Man from Netflix.

While General Motors clearly doesn’t have the cash or inclination to turn each of its roughly 50,000 United Auto Workers employees into Colonel Steve Austin, the new Robo-Glove would allow its wearer to have super hand strength. GM says the force required to grasp tools could be reduced by a third to a half for those wearing the special gloves, which are operated by a standard lithium-ion battery like the ones used to power cordless hand tools. The gloves would allow workers to hold their tools comfortably for longer periods of time and possibly reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury.

The gloves were an outgrowth of GM’s partnership with NASA in developing the Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot to be launched into space when it went up to the International Space Station last year. GM developed the first prototype gloves in March 2011, while the second generation was completed three months later. They weigh about a pound each and contain all the electronics, actuators and a small display.

Click past the jump to read the full press release, plus watch a video demonstration.

Continue reading GM shows off robotic glove for use in vehicle assembly [w/video]

GM shows off robotic glove for use in vehicle assembly [w/video]

Fastest roadster ever. That’s one heck of a claim, but if anyone can assert it, it’s Bugatti. And the Alsatian automaker has brought 1,200 horsepower to back it up.

What we’re talking about, of course, is the Vitesse – the “best of both worlds” version of the famed Veyron. First announced in February and officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse (as it’s known in full) has just had its full details released along with a fresh batch of rather fetching high-resolution images, which we’ve included in our gallery for your viewing pleasure.

So what are we looking at here, exactly? In short, a Grand Sport (that’s the targa-topped model) with the engine from the Super Sport (the record-holding top-speed model). That means a quad-turbo W-16 engine with 1,200 horsepower, good for a 255 mph top speed with the wind in your hair.

That, for comparison’s sake, is incrementally faster than the 253 mph top end of the “base” Veyron, yet slower than the 267 mph of the Super Sport with the same engine and a fixed roof. Crucially, however, it’s faster than the 229 mph top end of the 1,001hp Veyron Grand Sport roadster. Want to know more? There’s plenty to digest in the full press release and spec sheet after the jump.

Continue reading Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

Infiniti has loosed the hounds of advertising on behalf of its new three-row, seven-seat crossover, the 2012 JX. The four spots, set to run throughout NCAA March Madness, are focused on features like a novel Backup Collision Intervention System, live personal assistant and tri-zone entertainment. They aren’t the most creative spots we’ve ever seen, but they do a good job of showing a number of the CUV’s unique features while placing the vehicle in a luxury context.

Infiniti also teamed with GILT yesterday, the same luxury-minded e-tailer that sold Volkswagen Jetta sedans for $5,995 for a day back in 2010. This time, there was only one loaded JX35 up for grabs, but the lucky buyer got the luxury ute for half price: $27,425. Follow the jump to watch the ads and check out the press release.

Continue reading 2013 Infiniti JX ad blitz to tip off with NCAA March Madness

2013 Infiniti JX ad blitz to tip off with NCAA March Madness

Residents of Amish communities famously eschew almost all trappings of modernity. No TV, no telephones, limited use of electricity, and, gasp, no Autoblog! But there comes a time in a young Amish person’s life when they’re allowed to go out and taste the world. And sometimes alcohol.

Case in point: Sunday evening, police in Sherman, N.Y. were responding to reports of a group of young Amish having a “buggy party.” Before they could get there, though, another buggy carrying four Amish allegedly switched lanes abruptly and collided with the patrol car.

The buggy flipped, injuring one of the passengers and, we imagine, spilling what police say was the fruits of a beer run.

The crash must have been loud enough for the partygoers to hear, because when the cops finally showed up, several buggies were observed fleeing the scene.

The four passengers of the bashed-up buggy are charged with underage possession of alcohol. The driver, 20, faces additional charges since police say he admitted to being the host of the party.

And, by the way, the horse is fine. Police say it, wisely, fled the scene and took shelter in a nearby barn.

Four Amish charged with illegal alcohol possession after crashing into police car

The mantra of the builder of this R/C DeLorean replica from Back to the Future is: “куда мы идем, нам не нужны дороги.” According to Google Translate, that’s Russian for, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” Appropriate, eh?

With a painted foamcore body and blue LEDs, this Mr. Fusion-equipped DMC-12 sits on a quadrotor platform and is powered by a distinctly non-nuclear lithium-polymer battery juicing four motors, a speed controller and stabilizer. While no plutonium is required, this homebuilt’s cool is practically radioactive. Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading R/C flying DeLorean drone doesn’t need roads

R/C flying DeLorean drone doesn’t need roads

You may never have heard of the French carmaker Facel. After starting out as a coachbuilder for companies like Delahaye and Bentley, Facel moved on to crafting entire cars. From 1954 to 1962, the company produced the Chrysler Hemi-powered Vega. Facel closed its doors in 1964, but some intriguing sketches and renderings have stirred up a lot of chatter on the Internet of a possible revival of the brand.

Details are scarce and almost impossible to verify, but if Google’s translation of French websites are believable, the image above is a rendering of what the resurrected Facel could show off at this September’s Paris Motor Show and we might even see a production version in 2014. But rumors written in French translated by Google are not exactly credible. The images all appear to come from a constantly updated Facebook page called “Facel Vega Concept.”

Swoopy fenders, and a slick greenhouse wrap the four-seater concept in a sports car disguise. The interior sketches show minimal seating that seem more suited to racing than relaxing.

Speaking of performance, there’s no mention of what would power such a car, but it sure is fun imagining that car barking with the power of Dodge’s 392-cubic inch, 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi. Sinister sexiness.

Facel Vega revival in the works?

The DeltaWing project now has two major corporate backers and, more importantly, an engine. Nissan and Michelin have signed on with the innovative project of designer Ben Bowlby, Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers and Don Panoz. Now called the Nissan DeltaWing, the Japanese firm will provide a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter, four-cylinder with an output of around 300 horsepower. Known as DIG-T, the powerplant shares the same roots as the engine in the Nissan Juke.

That’s about 200 hp down on the 510 horsepower developed by the diesel V6 in the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro and about half the horsepower developed by other LMP1 racers. However, Nissan says the engine is half the weight of a typical LMP1 motor, and paired with the DeltaWing’s minimal aerodynamic drag, the lap times are said to be somewhere between those of the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Why does this matter? Because Nissan and Co. are taking this needle-nosed baby to Le Mans.

Of call cars and classes, Nissan says this strangest looking effort is one that will “showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan’s road car product range.”

The Nissan DeltaWing will be allowed to run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a special dispensation for an experimental car that doesn’t follow any technical guidelines offered by ACO, the organizer of Le Mans. It will use Garage 56, it will wear Number 0, and won’t be classified in the results. Even so, we’ll be watching closely. Follow the jump for a video of the racecar’s development and a press release detailing Nissan’s involvement.

Continue reading Nissan backs DeltaWing racecar, headed for Le Mans [w/video]

Nissan backs DeltaWing racecar, headed for Le Mans [w/video]

If you’ve ever wanted to flag down one of Mexico City’s classic Volkswagen Bug taxis, you’d better book your travel now. The last of the iconic cabs will be decommissioned by the end of the year, according to the Associated Press.

VW hasn’t built the classic Beetle since 2003, the same year that Mexico City began requiring that taxi operators switch to four-door vehicles. The last Bugs that entered service as cabs back in 2002 have already been given two extra years of service compared to most taxis, according to the report.

The cabs are considered particularly dangerous, not just because they are essentially 74-year-old cars, but also because cab drivers generally remove the front passenger seat to facilitate access to the cramped rear quarters of the Beetle. But the cars are cheap to operate and according to one former Mexico City cabbie, help make the streets safer.

“Today the cars are bigger, and they drive faster,” Vera Perez told the AP, “Before, they drove more cautiously, because any accident would destroy them.”

Mexico finally stomping out its fleet of VW Bug taxis

Volvo sold 449,255 cars globally in 2011, with 67,240 of those sales coming from right here in the States. By 2020, CEO Stefan Jacoby aims to boost those numbers to 800,000 sales globally and 120,000 here, and to do so, he can’t let the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro stand in the way. That’s why, according to a report in Automotive News, Jacoby says the company will spend “the next two or three years” considering building a plant in the U.S. or Mexico.

Jacoby made much the same comments six months ago at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, but now he’s added a timeframe to the discussion. Even on the optimistic end, if Volvo decided to build a factory in 2014 and got the site chosen and the facility built in 18 months, it would probably be 2016 before anyone would benefit from locally produced cars. Nevertheless, with the new V40 due for a new generation not long after, that it might make a perfect timing for us to finally get the svelte hatchback we’d much rather have right now.

Jacoby reiterates Volvo considering NA plant

You’ve seen plenty of motorcycle-versus-car contests that take place on public roads or dedicated race tracks. But you’ve probably never seen one where the two machines are wearing Blizzaks… or even studded tires.

French motorcycle publication Moto Journal has decided to turn the two-wheeled contingent on its head by moving the battleground to the frozen stretches of Lapland on a replica race track of Le Castellet, also known as Circuit Paul Ricard, cut through the snow and ice. In the first round, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS goes up against a 1,000cc Yamaha R1. Up next is a Mitsubishi EVO IX against a Yamaha WR450F. Yes, this is going to be good.

If the idea of watching an R1 hit 160 miles per hour on the ice isn’t enough to make you watch, perhaps we should mention that its rider is donning an Evel-Knievel-style cape, and that this appears to be just a teaser of a longer video or possibly even a series. Enough talking already. Check out the video in its entirety below.

Continue reading Such A Tease: Watch a Porsche 911 GT3 RS take on a Yamaha R1… on ice

Such A Tease: Watch a Porsche 911 GT3 RS take on a Yamaha R1… on ice

If you appreciate cost-no-object supercars – or cost-no-object anything, for that matter – then you’ll want to dig into the video after the jump. Pagani put together a 14-minute mini-documentary that reveals the finer details of its latest work, the Huayra.

The Huayra is more than just a sexy carbon and titanium body. The film visits the companies that help make Pagani’s coupe a 230-mile-per-hour rocket, like ASPA in Italy that spends an entire day milling just the logo, Formula One supplier MHG that makes the titanium exhaust, and the AMG engine-making facility where the Huayra’s turbocharged, 6.0-liter V12 is built by hand.

If nothing else, after watching the doc you’ll finally know how to pronounce the name of the car. Watch the video below to see the show.

Continue reading Pagani documentary tells the story of the Huayra

Pagani documentary tells the story of the Huayra

The English are mad. And we know this for two reasons: one, they admit it; two, it’s true. If more proof is needed, a video of Evo magazine’s features editor, Henry Catchpole, sliding a Caterham Supersport up a French mountain in the snow should be enough. And the spindly car is missing its top. And he’s missing his hat.

The Supersport is Caterham’s street-legal version of the racing Seven used in the one-make racing series. It’s got short gearing, a lightweight flywheel and LSD, a race-tuned suspension, and its 1.6-liter Ford engine has 140 horsepower to motivate a 1,146-pound car.

So, obviously, where else would you drive it? Follow the jump for the memorable action.

Continue reading Hardcore x2: How to flog a Caterham Supersports up a snow-covered French mountain

Hardcore x2: How to flog a Caterham Supersports up a snow-covered French mountain