Friday 6 January 2012
Ford Mad Max Concept
Ford Australia, in partnership with TopGear Australia magazine, has unveiled not one, but two spectacular new Mad Max Interceptors.
The 21st century concepts have been designed by Ford's designers for TopGear Magazine Australia to help celebrate the revival of the Mad Max action movie genre.
It is more than 30 years since Hollywood director, George Miller's original Mad Max movie - starring Mel Gibson and a jet black Ford XB coupe-based Interceptor - hit movie screens around the world.
Ford Australia's Melbourne-based Asia, Pacific and Australia Design Director, Chris Svensson, jumped at the chance to design a new Interceptor and has since thrown the full weight of Ford Australia's Research Centre behind the project, with stunning results.
"Our entire team was very excited to be involved in this after-hours project and they approached it with a great deal of enthusiasm - even those that were too young to remember the first Mad Max movie," Svensson said. "We had a special screening of the original movie so they could understand it."
Led by chief designer passenger cars Asia, Pacific and Africa, Todd Willing, the team created several way-out concepts that pay homage to styling cues from the original XB Coupe Interceptor.
Out of the concepts two have been chosen by the magazine to feature in the April issue of TopGear Australia magazine, on sale now, because they take body design, power sources and weaponry to a futuristic level.
TopGear Australia magazine readers will be invited to vote on which design Ford should take to the next level.
The winning car will be turned into a clay model, and then a scale version, which is expected to be revealed later this year.
The two competing designs - by designers Nima Nourian and Simon Brook - are limitless in their imagination, technology and weaponry. Among the weaponry is an industrial-strength "taser" mounted to the bonnet to zap bad guys on bikes straight off the road.
Other futuristic movie features include a titanium-lined body shell to interrupt police scanners and wheels with extendable spikes to shred enemy vehicles.
Nourian said his design paid tribute to the 1970s Interceptor, but also drags the car into the future.
"There are some great scenes in the first movie with high-speed chases and clashes with the bad guys, and I thought I'd take that one step further," he said. "So instead of having weapons and machine guns, we've got an industrial strength taser that'll zap cars dead and out of the way.
Brook's car was equally threatening. "During high-speed pursuits, the wheel's inner spokes on my design would pop out and start ripping up other cars," Brook said. "They'd do some serious damage to other people's vehicles."
Brook's design takes cues from the current FG Falcon but advances it further into Armageddon-land, while adding touches of the retro Interceptor as well. "I wanted to keep it clean and aerodynamic in its essence, but still brutal and tough."
Bentley Aero Ace - Speed VI Concept
Bentley Aero Ace - Speed VI Concept by Gabriel Tam
www.gabrieltamdesign.com
The concept of the Speed VI is to revive and celebrate the sporting heritage of Bentley Motors. Following the footsteps of the original Speed 6, 4½ Litre and more recently the Speed 8 Le Man racer, the Speed VI is created for the discerning Bentley track day enthusiast.
Design Challenge - Honda Air - LA Auto Show
Honda Advanced Design Studio, Pasadena, CA -- The Honda Air concept is a vision of the future of lightweight and alternative fuel performance vehicles. Inspired by the modern roller coaster, as well as skydiving wing-suits, the Air is powered by a compressed air and pneumatic regulator system. At just under 800 lbs., the powerful anthem of pneumatic propulsion exemplifies Honda's concept of fun to drive. The pow[air] of dreams.
For more information about Design Los Angeles including images, visit www.LAAutoShow.com/DesignChallenge.html
Underground Racing Lamborghinis - Texas Mile
These are 2 of the Lamborghinis from Underground Racing at the Texas Mile in October 2010. There was another orange one but it was destroyed in a wreck Saturday morning. These cars were running between 230mph and 240mph.
2011 Aston Martin Super Sport Limited Edition
This is the new limited edition Aston Martin Super Sport! As far as we know the British car manufacturer has not revealed any addition to its line-up, so it has to be a coachbuild project.
So it is! The car pictured above is being developed and produced in close cooperation with Star Electric Cars France. They are a car designer licensed to create luxury electric golf cars resembling brands like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Porsche. They also design unique cars built for presidents, kings and princes around the world.
It seems they have started a new project; a 'normal' sports car named the Aston Martin Super Sport. The Super Sport is a mid-engine engine sports car with genuine "supercar" looks powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.4 liter V8 engine producing 800 up to 950bhp. The power is transferred to the wheels via a six-speed manual transaxle, fully synchronized with an integral, torque-sensing, helical limited-slip differential. If requested a F1 paddle shift gearbox is available.
The exhaust system is powder coated. The brake kit includes Brembo or AP carbon ceramic brakes. The Aston Martin re-build is only available in left-hand drive and has a carbon fiber bodywork with upward hinging doors.
The interior includes leather, alcantara, carbon fiber and Recaro seats. The sat nav system has an iPod connection included.
The coachbuilder will only make eight cars worldwide, each color will only be made once. Sky blue is available immediately. As a customer you can visit the company to see the car and test drive it. He or she can choose the color for the exterior and interior as well as any additional option.
So far so good! But here is the price tag: € 7,500,000 per vehicle!!!
Anybody still interested, feel free to send us an email, we can guide you to the designer and sales manager of this 'unique' Aston Martin Super Sport.
Extra! 300mpg Electric Car, GT-R Free Rides
This week, Driving Sports TV (http://bit.ly/dsp0rts) brings you another Extra! news update. First, we visit the Bridgestone Proving Grounds where a class of kids test their 300mpg electric car. Then, it's off to Portland Oregon for a ride in a 600whp GT-R!
1969 Holden Hurricane concept car - restored 2011
Holden has gone back to the future, restoring its very first concept car -- the 1969 Holden Hurricane.
The futuristic research vehicle described as an experiment "to study design trend, propulsion systems and other long range developments" has been restored to its former glory as a labour of love by a dedicated group of Holden designers and engineers.
Code named RD 001; the Hurricane is a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, two-seater sports car which incorporates a remarkable array of innovative features and technology, much of it way ahead of its time.
Features include:
electronic digital instrument displays,
station-seeking radio,
automatic temperature control air conditioning,
rear vision camera
automated route finder
Holden Hurricane goes on show to the public for the first time at Motorclassica, Melbourne, October 21-23
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