Everyday we can watch videos about future models or funny TV commercials. With this video we become an open-mouthed child.
Author: yoann besnard
The making of the former BMW 3-Series
Spyshots: BMW 1-Series convertible
The launch date of the 1-Series Coupe barely announced, here are the first almost undisguised spyshots of the convertible.
Like the coupe, the convertible is much sexier than the hatchback and BMW made the right decision to favor a soft top. Perhaps it is less impressive while working but it suits better the carmaker’s brand image.
No information is available concerning the engine but inline 4 and 6 will be available in order to compete with the future Audi A3 convertible.
Volvo R reincarnates into R-Design
Volvo announced the end of the “R” performance lineup in last April due to poor sales. Only 1098 S60R and 538 V70R were sold last year. Nevertheless Volvo also confirmed that sporty models would still be available but without the R label. It sounds that the R would reincarnate into an optional kit called R-Design.
Available on the S40 and the V50, the kit might include a sporty body kit and specific interior. It might also include stiffer suspensions and some engine upgrades. All these changes are quite disappointing and quite insulting for the “R” label. We must not forget that the craziest estate of the last fifteen years carried the “R” label: THE mellow yellow 850 T5-R.
Spyshots: Lamborghini Gallardo V8?
Here are the first spyshots of what could be a downsized version of the Gallardo according to the website World Car Fans. This cheaper Gallardo would get a V8 engine just like the Audi R8. On the spyshots, the main changes are a revised fascia and altered exhaust pipes.So why Audi would sell a cheaper that would be able to compete with the R8? The Audi supercar is one of the best supercars of the market, if not the best according to some specialists, but there is a but. Audi can’t build enough R8 to satisfy demand because of fibre panels that are difficult to make. It can only build 20 R8 a day.
Selling a cheaper Gallardo with the same engine as the R8 would enable Audi to redirect the unsatisfied demand to the Italian carmaker. Obviously the V8 Gallardo would be more expensive than the equivalent R8 but it has enough sex-appeal to justify it.
Golf GTI V W12 in motion
Volkswagen revealed an astonishing Golf V GTI powered by a W12 one month ago. This Golf inherited its engine from the Phaeton at which engineers added two turbo. The potion produced 650 bhp at 6000 rpm. Unfortunately we only had pictures … Until yesterday. There is now a video in which we can listen to the W12 at small speed. It is not like a circuit but it is still enjoyable.
Lesson: how to build a W16
We often talk about power, torque but sometimes watching this video is more impressive than all figures.
Frank Stephenson, head of design at Alfa Romeo
Frank Stephenson, who recently lost his job as head of design at Fiat, has been appointed for the same position at Alfa Romeo. He will replace Wolfgang Egger who joined Audi. Gossipmongers will say he was given the job because it was too expensive to fire him, but we prefer to think he had the job thanks to his talent.Born in Morocco and master of as many languages as an electronic translator, he changed position quite regularly the past few years moving from BMW, where he designed the masterpiece New Mini, to Rolls-Royce, then shortly to Ferrari before landing at Fiat where he practised his retro-design talent on the next Fiat 500 due to be sold in July.
The loss of Wolfgang Egger who designed the magnificent 8c Competizione was a surprise at a time when the Italian manufacturer has big expansion plan: a baby Alfa, the new 149 and the American conquest.
3000 USD Renault?
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Renault is seriously considering building a 3,000 USD car that would be sold in India. The French carmaker is so serious about this business that it plans to open a new Technocentre (Renault’s jargon for R&D department) in India. The newspaper also reveals that the car wouldn’t be sold in Europe because it wouldn’t meet the European safety requirements.The very low cost car idea has been lauched by the Indian giant Tata in October 2005. Since then, engineers worked night and days in order present the Indian “Volkswagen” at the New Dehli motor show in January 2008. The car will have four doors, will be equipped with a 0.6 litre engine and will be sold at the incredible price tag of 1,250 GBP.
Instead of developing a new car, Renault could recycle the Renault 4 launched in 1961 and sold until 1992. Like the future Tata, it had 4 doors and its engine had a similar capacity of 0.7 litre. It was also very robust and very appreciated in French countryside.
Spyshots: undisguised RS6
The last spyshots show an undisguised RS6 giving some clue concerning the body changes. Compared to the S6, the RS6 appears to lose the LED light strips on the front bumper in order to allow bigger air intakes. At the back, the RS6 replaces the dual exhaust pipes by a single one and a larger diffuser.
The RS6 will get a boosted V10 derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo. According to insiders, it would produce 572 bhp, 143 more than the detuned S6’s engine but more 52 more than the Gallardo.
Mazda 6 at Frankfurt
Some of us expected it for the Chicago motorshow but the Mazda 6 successor will be revealed at the next Frankfurt motorshow in September. With the new model, Mazda will pursue its strategy: make zoom zoom cars. But following the example of Alfa Romeo with its 159, the next Mazda 6 should be more upmarket thanks to its new platform CD3 2 that is bigger than the current one according to insiders.The next Mazda 6 will also get a new V6 engine. The last time it got a V6 engine was in 1993 with the KL 2.5 litres engine. Smoother than sporty, it had a dull output of 165 bhp. This time, the next 6 will inherit the Ford V6 Duratec 35. With its cubic capacity of 3.5 litres, it has more power than the most powerful model, the MPS, in the current range. Let us hope that Mazda engineers have the good idea to add a turbo. The V6 engine could produce more than 350 bhp!