Automotive News

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai

Click above image to view two-high res renderings of the Hyundai Concept Genesis

We’ve collected quite an archive of posts showing you spy shots of a large V8-powered, rear-wheel drive prototype sedan from Hyundai called the Equus, for lack of an official name. Things are getting more official ahead of the New York Auto Show in early April where this car, the Concept Genesis, is slated to debut. We’ve just received these concept renderings of the Concept Genesis that preview what we believe will become the production large, rear-wheel drive sedan from Hyundai everyone is expecting.

The Concept Genesis is clearly a large car, bigger than Hyundai’s current range-topping sedan, the front-wheel drive Azera. Overall the design is fairly simple, elegant even, with a Camry-like grille flanked by a pair of headlights the quickly retreat up the car’s hood. The rear continues the classy theme with what looks like a single strip of chrome that bisects and connects the two taillights. The New York state license plate is a nice touch, too.

We know nothing more about the Concept Genesis except what we can glean from these renderings, but will be sure to bring you the full scoop from the show floor of the New York Auto Show in a few weeks.

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Supercars

click above image to view additional high-res photos of the Vector V8 Biturbo concept

Who doesn’t remember Vector Supercars and the original aerospace-inspired Vector domestic supercar? What about the W2, the W8, WX-3 and the swan song of the M12? Besides the Corvette, the Vector at most times during the ’80s and early ’90s was the only exotic car on the world market that was born and bred in the good old U.S. of A. Hardly any were ever sold and they remain rare pieces of our domestic auto history, but rumor that original Vector founder Gerald Wiegert is working on a new supercar have been hanging around the past few years. Whether or not that’s true, we found these concept renderings of a Vector V8 Biturbo concept on a Romanian auto site and just had to share. They show off the angularity of the original Vectors in a thoroughly modern form, complete with scissor doors that feature the Vector’s trademark below-the-beltline ancillary side windows. Who knows how much power this twin-turbo V8 makes or any other details about the rendered concept, but the fact these frames were even produced should tell Wiegert that there’s definitely pent up interest for a Vector revival. If any one knows the artist who produced these renderings, drop us a line in the comments as we’d love to give credit where credit’s due.

[Source: Automarket.ro]

 

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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc.

How could this have possibly taken so long? With everything from DVD players to beverage coolers showing up in our cars, why didn’t anybody come up with a way to install a microwave oven in your vehicle before now? Who doesn’t want some good hot food on the job site, on the road or at the campground? Bar-B-Q grills are a popular choice at tailgate gatherings, and some manufacturers have even shown custom vehicles with built-in grills mounted out back, but as far as we know, no one has ever come up with an automotive application for that most practical and efficient modern cooking appliance, the microwave.

The Wave Box is billed as the world’s first AC/DC microwave oven that’s truly portable. Significantly lighter and smaller than any other mic on the market, it appears to be just right for vehicular cooking. Follow the jump for a spec sheet and a YouTube testimonial to this most practical and enjoyable new gadget. Be forewarned, when you see this thing in action, you’ll want one for every vehicle in your household, but the $199 appliances are currently on backorder due to overwhelming demand. If you do manage to get your hands on one, let us be the first to warn you about nuking dinner on your lap - not a good idea if procreation’s in your future plans.

[Source: WaveBox via TMZ]

Continue reading Crave a Hot Pocket? Plug the Wave Box into your dash

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertibles, Geneva Motor Show, Porsche

Although the primary attraction at Sbarro’s booth in Geneva was the Citroen-based Cruise Crosser, the vehicle that caught our attention was this student-developed Turbo S20 Barchetta concept car. A group of 20 Espera Sbarro design school students pooled their resources, and in cooperation with the French TV show “Turbo,” built this one-off concept in close to three months.

Powered by a 300 HP, 5-liter V8 pulled from a Porsche 928, this mid-engine track car tips the scales at just over 2,500 pounds - not quite a lightweight, but considering the lump behind the driver, a noble feat indeed. The ponies are harnessed by a five-speed manual and power is sent to a set of 11x20 inch OZ Botticelli wheels, wrapped in 335/30/20 Michelin PS2s.

Whether or not the Turbo S20 will make it off the show floor and onto the track remains to be seen, but regardless, it’s a testament to what focused minds can create, with limited funding.

 

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Filed under: Sports/GTs, Etc., Aston Martin

We finally got to watch Casion Royale the other day and were very impressed with the new Bond - clearly a darker and more mature double-O than previous ones who were cast as cartoonish philanderers. In addition to the new Bond, the series also received a new cast member in the form of the Aston Martin DBS. The story of Aston’s involvement in Casino Royale is interesting, considering the automaker needed to supply the film with cars a full two years ahead of the DBS reaching production. Of course, the majority of the four cars Aston Martin delivered to the production were completely destroyed for a scene in which Bond swerves to avoid steamrolling his lady love and enters into a series of seven barrel rolls. The scene’s stuntwork was so successful that it entered the Guiness Book of World Records for achieving seven complete rolls, besting Top Gear, the previous record holder. Unfortunately, the end result of the wreck was a destroyed DBS. Brit mag EVO chronicles the story of Aston’s involvement in Casino Royale here, and provides a series of shots showing the DBS before and after the crash. Surprisingly, the Aston Martin DBS still looks gorgeous after going end over end a record number of times. It just needs a little TLC to get back on its feet.

[Source: EVO]

 

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Filed under: Etc., Subaru

As much as we love the roadgoing rallycars from Subaru and Mitsubishi, it’s because of the way they drive, not necessarily for their handsome silhouettes. But beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the keyholder. Artist Benedict Radcliffe, head of experimental design at the Glasgow consultancy Stand, fashioned this wireframe outline of a Subaru WRX as an objet d’art. It sits outside the Paul Smith gallery on Albemarle Street in Glasgow, Scotland. And showing they have no love of fine art, the local constabulary has repeatedly ticketed the offending vehicle. Tickets are alternately written out to The Invisible Man or Wonder Woman, apparently. Well, it does take up a parking space, but come on guys. We remember seeing VW Beetles with intricate ironwork “bodies” in place of traditional panels, but this is a bit more extreme. It actually looks like a styling buck at first glance, but click here or here to see that it is indeed the real deal.

[Source: Winding Road]

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Porsche

click image for high-res gallery of this awesome artwork

Troy Lee might not be a household name, but his artistry should be instantly recognizable to racing fans. His helmet art adorns the brain buckets of drivers in every form of motorsports, from NASCAR to Motocross. He’s also been associated with Hot Wheels and SEMA specials, among other things. Now he can add the ALMS Flying Lizard team to his resume. Along with the pair of American Le Mans GT1 racers, Lee has also designed a line of Lizard Gear that should be available later this year. The team will make its public debut as the ALMS season kicks off at Sebring this weekend. Lee’s new graphics for the Porsche GT3 RSRs are pictured here and in a high-res gallery available by clicking below. The team’s full press release can also be found after the jump.

[Source: Flying Lizard via Winding Road]

Continue reading Troy Lee and Flying Lizard add some art to ALMS

 

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Filed under: Etc., Safety, Acura, Driving

Take one part Acura RSX, add two parts moron, a pinch of speed, whoops, too much! Crashing into someone and speeding away is a bad idea in any case, but with the internet shrinking the globe, it’s especially dumb now. Members of Canada’s Beyond.ca automotive forums came to the rescue of a Mercedes driver that absorbed the kinetic energy these young knuckleheads didn’t manage to scrub off in time. A quick thinking forum member just happened to be right there with his DSLR and monster lens and snapped several nice, clear pictures of these jerks zipping away from the scene. Beyond.ca member three33 created a post asking others to be on the lookout for a silver RSX that’d cracked up his buddy’s car. In a masterstroke of serendipity, fellow forum member CalgaryDave (whose pix show up on Beyond as his friend TypeS - long story, explained here with more details) was just a little further back. Thinking quickly, CalgaryDave hopped out into the street and captured incriminating evidence that removes any chance of lying your way out of it. PWNED. Don’t mess with the internet.

Thanks for the tip, Bocho!

 

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler

It’s amazing how quickly one’s view of things can shift when facing an uncertain future. Such is the case for members of the Canadian Auto Workers union at the Chrysler Group’s Brampton, Ontario plant. The union there has “overwhelmingly” voted to accept pay cuts and the outsourcing of some janitorial jobs not one month after rejecting the concessions put forward by Chrysler. The pay cuts in question are actually “premium pay” that was negotiated by the unions during better times. It amounts to an extra 40 minutes of pay per day for time spent not working, and annually costs Chrysler about $5,000 per hourly employee. That fact that such a perk was ever negotiated in the first place doesn’t say much about Chrysler’s bargaining skills.

The union at the Brampton plant is hoping these concessions will not only keep its doors open but also spur Chrysler to invest in the plant, expanding it to produce up to five models instead of its current capacity of three. Those current models include variants of the LX platform - the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger. We’re already pretty certain the Brampton plant will get the $700 million investment it’s hoping for, since Chrysler has already announced it will be the site for production of the new Dodge Challenger.

[Source: Freep]

 

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Rolls Royce

We figured the new baby Rolls might increase sales, but Rolls-Royce is saying it expects the car to double output to 1,600 units when the junior model debuts in 2010. That model’s design has finally been approved according to R-R CEO Ian Robertson. As we told you earlier, the new model should be getting its own platform with a V8 and possibly the Phantom’s V12 as an option. We certainly can’t get up the nerve to refer to it as an entry-level Rolls, with prices expected to run between 200,000 and 300,000 euros, or about $260,000 to $400,000 currently.

It took Rolls several years to hit the 3,000 Phantom sales mark, so when Robertson says they don’t intend to compete with the volume brands, we believe him. Extra production will come from adding a second shift at the Goodwood factory. While he wouldn’t give any further details on the lower-priced model, Robertson did say that it will be unmistakably Rolls-Royce. He also said that the new Phantom Drophead Coupe convertible we first saw in Detroit is officially sold out through 2008. We should start seeing them on the road in August, Stateside.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req’d]

 

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