Tag Archives: concept
BMW Concept 90 Motorcycle debuts at Villa d’Este
Filed under: Concept Cars, Classics, BMW, Motorcycle, Specialty, Design/Style
The Concept 90 is one of two new vehicles BMW is showing off at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the tony shores of Lake Como in Italy. This year is the 90th anniversary of BMW Motorrad and the 40th anniversary of the R 90 S (inset) – the first production motorcycle to come with a front fairing – and BMW has worked with custom bike builder Roland Sands Design to craft a homage to the Daytona Orange boxer from the Seventies.
While following the line of its forbearer, obviously the Concept 90 has been sexed and sleeked up. The bodywork is of hand-worked aluminum, the giant halogen lamp of the 1975 model (which is when Daytona Orange was introduced) has gone LED, and the front engine cover, valve covers, exhaust and wheels have been made with a contrast-cut milling process.
For a finer description of the Concept 90 check out the press release below, or skip the words and go straight to the high-res images above.
Continue reading BMW Concept 90 Motorcycle debuts at Villa d’Este
BMW Concept 90 Motorcycle debuts at Villa d’Este originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Renault unveiling Twin’Run concept in Monaco [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Classics, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Renault, Specialty, Racing
During last year’s Monaco Formula One Grand Prix weekend, Renault introduced us to the Alpine A110-50. This year, it’s another revival called Twin’Run – the follow up to the Twin’Z but not called TwinFun, as we previously thought – a smooth blue hatch to update all those yellowed memories of the Renault R5 Turbo and Clio V6. With the same footprint as the Twin’Z, this is the other side of the ‘play’ theme in Renault’s six-stage exploration of the stages of life through concept cars.
The Twin’Z is admittedly a neat piece of work, but the Twin’Run one – and its murderous exhaust note – has our hot breath all over it. A steel, tubular chassis provides the structure. Within it, just ahead of the rear axle is a 3.5-liter V6 with 320 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, shifted through a six-speed sequential transmission. To keep its city-car proportions stable on 18-inch wheels, the fuel tank, radiator and hydraulic system are in the front, under the hood, resulting in a 43/57 front-to-rear weight balance.
The bodywork is a mix of glass fiber and carbon fiber, the squarish headlamps and supplemental quad headlamps a nod to the R5 Turbo rally car and its light rack for nighttime stages. Inside is lots of black and red Alcantara, a gauge cluster wrapped in white lacquer and aluminum pedals whose setup is said to be motorsports tested.
The whole package weighs 2,090 pounds, and you can read all about it in the press release below. There’s also a very French short film to go with it that you know involves lots of models clad in lots of leather, and those vintage forbearers.
Continue reading Renault unveiling Twin’Run concept in Monaco [w/video]
Renault unveiling Twin’Run concept in Monaco [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aston Martin teases “very special concept” to be unveiled May 19 [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Convertible, Videos, Aston Martin
We knew Aston Martin was taking three cars to the Nürbrurgring 24-Hour race this weekend, they being a V12 Vantage GT3 car, the Rapide S Hybrid Hydrogen concept and a V12 Vantage N24 that is close to road-legal. We’ve just discovered that the automaker is bringing a fourth, a concept to be revealed on Sunday, May 19 that we know nothing about save that it will celebrate the company’s centennary.
Based on the image above it looks like it will be a modern take on the Aston Martin racer from the late fifties that contested the World Sportscar Championship and won Le Mans, but we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out. There’s a short video below, and a press release on its other ‘Ring efforts this weekend, to tease you until then.
Continue reading Aston Martin teases “very special concept” to be unveiled May 19 [w/video]
Aston Martin teases “very special concept” to be unveiled May 19 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 May 2013 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lamborghini Egoista concept looks like a space fighter
(Credit: Lamborghini)
We’ve seen some pretty out-there limited-edition cars from luxury manufacturer Lamborghini, but its newest may have just taken the biscuit and sped off with it.
The Egoista, unveiled at the closing gala of the 50th anniversary Grande Giro tour, was designed by Volkswagen’s head of design, Walter De Silva, and it’s meant to be the ultimate in self-indulgence.
“This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum,” De Silva said. “It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world. It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word: egoista (selfish).”
Lamborghini Egoista the ultimate in hedonism (pictures)
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BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé concept echoes 8 Series
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury
BMW and Pininfarina are planning to debut a new concept at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The Gran Lusso Coupé is designed to be the next logical step forward from the Zagato Coupé, and the one-off creation boasts plenty of BMW earmarks to set the car off as a true member of the German automaker’s family. With a long wheel base and a stretched nose, the two door can’t help but channel the long-dead BMW 8 Series, and the potent V12 under the hood only reinforces the link.
BMW has been kind enough to slip the world a few teasers, and the images show what looks like it could be the low-slung grand tourer of our dreams. Check out the full press release below for more information, and stay tuned for the full unveiling.
Continue reading BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé concept echoes 8 Series
BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé concept echoes 8 Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lamborghini unveils Egoista Concept for selfish supercar owners
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini, Specialty, Design/Style
Does the mere desire to own a ridiculously high-performance and stupendously expensive supercar automatically make its prospective owner a little selfish? Not necessarily, but if said supercar has just one seat, a case could certainly be made that its megalomaniacal owner simply doesn’t want to share the experience with his friends…
For such an owner, Lamborghini has presented the Egoista Concept – perhaps fittingly, the car was unveiled at a private 50th birthday party that the automaker seems to have thrown for itself. From what we can glean without any official announcement from Lamborghini to go by, the Egoista Concept has room for a single occupant, is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine and boasts styling said to be inspired by an Apache helicopter.
While we eagerly await more details from Lamborghini, we suggest you click on the image above to view the Egoista in high resolution. With just one angle to go by, we can’t really offer much commentary on its design, other than to say it joins the Veneno as one of the more memorable self-given birthday presents in recent memory.
Lamborghini unveils Egoista Concept for selfish supercar owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 May 2013 02:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Renault teases followup concept to Twin’Z
Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchback, Renault
When amateur spy shots first surfaced of a little blue hatchback roaring down the streets of Madrid, we thought it might be a Renault 5 revival – the sky blue city car did have a big “5″ written on its doors, after all. Turns out, though, that it is the TwinFun, followup to the recently unveiled Twin’Z and the final offering in Renault’s six-stage concept car cycle.
Last year, Renault introduced the Alpine A110-50 concept at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix; for 2013 it will be the TwinFun taking the spotlight. A three-sentence press release below tells us that it fulfills the ‘play’ brief in the “life-cycle design strategy.” We just want to find out what kind of engine it’s got that makes all that glorious noise.
Continue reading Renault teases followup concept to Twin’Z
Renault teases followup concept to Twin’Z originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Visualized: Boeing supersonic airliner concept soars in a wind tunnel, quietly
No, you’re not looking at an early preview of Star Wars Episode VII — it just might represent the future of air transport, though. Boeing has spent years developing a truly quiet supersonic airliner concept, the Icon II, and what you see is an aerodynamics test of a mockup in a vaguely Death Star-like wind tunnel at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The starfighter design is for more than just show, as you’d suspect. Its V-tail design moves sonic booms further back, reducing the chance that shockwaves will reach the ground (and our ears) intact, while the top-mounted engines isolate engine noise. Boeing and NASA are ultimately hoping for production passenger aircraft discreet enough to fly over land at supersonic speeds, although we can’t help but think that the sci-fi look is a convenient bonus.
Filed under: Transportation, Alt
Source: New Scientist
Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept throws lightness at the problem
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Audi, Specialty, Luxury
Audi is celebrating the 2013 Wörthersee Tour with a special concept version of the company’s TT. The Audi TT Ultra Quattro concept tips the scales at just 2,449 pounds thanks to some extensive engineering work. The company pulled nearly 95 lbs from the car’s body structure and used carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for many of its detachable body components. As a result, the concept weighs in at a full 220 pounds lighter than its production counterpart. Throw in a wicked turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 310 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and you get a machine with the power to weight ratio in the supercar realm. 0-60 comes up in 4.2 seconds and top speed is listed at 173 mph.
Inside, the TT Ultra Quattro features plenty of carbon fiber trim, and designers also fitted the seats from the R8 GT to save a little weight. The buckets use CFRP for the seat frames, saving nearly 50 pounds in the process. In a world where automakers seem blind to the negative effect of throwing more heft at a vehicle, we’re in love with the Ultra Quattro concept. Check out the full press release below for more information.
Continue reading Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept throws lightness at the problem
Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept throws lightness at the problem originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Toyota Me.We concept is a multifunction Tupperware car [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Videos, Toyota, Design/Style
Not to be outdone by the Renault Twin’Z concept penned by Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove, Toyota has partnered up with French designer Jean-Marie Massaud to create the 2013 Toyota Me.We Concept. Unveiled at Le Rendez-vous Toyota in Paris, the Me.We Concept is an attempt to imagine a car that can be appreciated by owners across a wide variety of lifestyles while being courteous to the environment, too.
From a “Me” perspective, the concept is highly customizable with removable body panels, and even though it might look like just a small hatchback from the outside, Toyota claims it can also be used as a pickup (with an extendable rear panel), a convertible (with a neoprene roof panel) and even an off-road vehicle. As for the “We” part of the car, it’s a fully electric vehicle with individual in-wheel motors and a battery pack mounted under the load floor. The concept has a weight of around 1,600 pounds kept low thanks to an aluminum chassis, but it also features renewable bamboo wood for the floor in addition to the fully recyclable polypropylene exterior body panels. Scroll down to see more in an official video and to check out Toyota’s official press release.
Continue reading Toyota Me.We concept is a multifunction Tupperware car [w/video]
Toyota Me.We concept is a multifunction Tupperware car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
