Click above for more renderings of the Bell Aurens Longnose
Few things define British motoring better than a Land Rover and the classic roadster. So, why not combine the two? While the vehicles share nothing in common except their status as iconis, two German Brit-car aficionados have melded the two vehicle classes into the Bell Aurens Longnose Land Rover. The end result is somewhat reminiscent of a Willys Jeepster, though it's far more serious in intent. Custom bodywork sits atop a classic Land Rover Series chassis, to which V8 or V12 power is added -- it's up to the buyer. Four-wheel-drive and low-range gearing assure that the Landie's off-road credentials are left fully intact.
Based on the rendering above, the vehicle certainly looks long and low, with no protection from the elements to speak of. Its lengthy bonnet leads to a passenger compartment fronted by folding windscreens. A choice of rear end styles will be available, including an optional boattail, perfect for fording muddy waters. You can read the long-winded press release in its entirety over at The Land Rover Chronicles.
You can pre-pay for cellphone minutes, here in New England it's popular to lock in your heating oil price for the winter, and now you'll be able to bank gallons of gasoline on a debit card, thanks to MyGallons.com. While you're screwed out of the money if the price of fuel drops, it's not looking like that's going to happen soon. MyGallons uses your zip code to determine what price you'll pay to add gallons to your card, which is accepted just like a normal debit or credit card at most fuel stations. It's a creative way to smooth out the fluctuations in the price of fuel, and it could also be a boon to those wanting to run a tighter budget, or at least know what they'll be spending on fuel for a given time period, as they've pre-bought. Shoot, it could even be a decent gift idea for the person who has everything!
Click above for a high-res gallery of the new Focus RS
Yesterday brought the sneak peek, but today we've got the real deal. The new Ford Focus RS is is mean and green (we mean that in the literal sense, thanks to its killer-looking paint color), and it will make its debut at this month's London Motor Show. While the RS is still under development, the car being put on display isn't exactly a concept, either. Some details might change here and there before it reaches showrooms in 2009, but ultimately, what you see here is what European drivers are going to get. The wide, low-slung stance, intimidating fascia, racy dual exhaust, and requisite high-mount spoiler are all part of the package. Follow the jump for more
Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the video.
Ford Performance Vehicles' new range of Ford FG Falcon-derived super sedans and utes is mind-bendingly appealing. Big turbocharged or NA power, bright colors, and that menacing Alice Cooper eye makeup in front make for an entire farmer's market of forbidden fruit. Sure, on this side of the world, Ford's SVT performance division gives us the Shelby GT500 and the even more monstrous Shelby GT500KR -- but seriously, as hot as the factory super-Stangs are, the lineup of FPV rides you see above is hot enough to turn that desert sand into glass. Only, they can't -- because everything you see there is virtual. Both the backdrop and the cars are CGI. The photo-realistic vehicle models were created using the real cars' CAD data for a brand new FPV TV spot that premieres in Australia this Sunday. If you don't live in Oz, no worries -- FPV sent us a copy of the spot, which is now embedded after the jump for your enjoyment. And you will enjoy it. Right now, there's a void in our lives shaped like an all-black FPV F6, and this commercial's as close as we're going to come to filling it.
We understand that many of you may be busy today, hanging with friends and family, tossing back a few cold ones, and eating in such a manner as to accelerate the onset of atherosclerosis. That's what we all do on Fourth of July weekend: we party. We'll be in and out all day ourselves, but have posts scheduled as always in case you should you decide to take a breather from the steady flow of brew and burgers. If you can, spare a couple of minutes to read this before you kick off the festive long weekend. It is why July 4th is important, and trust us -- the fireworks are even better when you remember exactly what you're celebrating. One remarkable document signed by 56 courageous men exactly 232 years ago today gave birth to these United States of America. Sometimes we take it for granted. Today we remember why we shouldn't.
What's the best way to pay for gas these days? Trading gas for sex? Opting for Chrysler's "Let's Refuel America" plan? Wait for GM to bring the Chevy Beat to the U.S.? Or perhaps just steal it. Yes, these are all options that made the pages of AutoblogGreen yesterday - some a little more sensible than others, of course.
It being Thursday night and all, we'd be surprised if you haven't scrounged the interwebs to find last Sunday's Top Gear episode - the most review-rich show in over two seasons. Hammond pitted the Audi RS6 Avant against a duo of downhill skiers, the Mitsubishi Evolution X and Subaru Impreza WRX STI battled it out for the umpteenth time and Clarkson found an eager dance partner with the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black. It was a show that reminded us of why we fell in love with Top Gear in the first place, even though it fell short of the high-water mark set by its previous small-screen masterpieces (DB9, Veyron and the V8 Vantage vs. 911 vs. M6 on the Isle of Man, just to name a few). Regardless, we've post the show in bite-size clips after the jump and if that isn't satisfaction enough, hit up Final Gear for the full episode. Also, if you haven't picked up an MP3/video player/iPod converter that hooks up to you TV, do it already. Watching the fiery trio on the big(ger) screen does the show - and it's videography -- justice.
The Tokachi-bound R35 Nissan GT-R is on a carbon-rich diet, as evidenced by images captured by our new friends at GTR-World. On the outside, the trunk lid, hood and side mirrors have been replaced with carbon fiber bits and the rear-quarter windows have been swapped out in favor of lightweight acrylic pieces. The stripped cockpit gets a carbon fiber racing bucket, a fire suppression system (with a carbon fiber mounting bracket) and a C.F. gauge and dash surround that's expected to migrate to the Nissan GT-R V-Spec when it goes on sale next year (look for the dry-carbon mirrors too).
The only other additions needed to make the R35 ready for its 24-hour race are the on-board pneumatic air jacks, a new steering wheel, a racing harness and the bolt in roll cage, which is more for safety than stiffness. GTR-World is reporting that NISMO isn't doing any additional spot-welding to the body, as the stock GT-R's chassis is stiff enough to campaign in a production race class without modification. Look for more coverage of the NISMO/MOTUL GT-R when it hits the tarmac in Tokachi on July 20th and 21st, and rest assured that many of the carbon fiber pieces that have been developed for the race car will find their way to Nissan retailers as either dealer-installed options or on the forthcoming V-spec.
Kobe Bryant showed up at UNDFTD this week to kick off the release of Nike's new McFly Hyperdunks. The McFlys are Back to the Future-themed basketball shoes, with a color scheme inspired by the shoes Michael J. Fox wore in Back to the Future II. They come complete with "2015" emblazoned on the right shoe's tongue, while the left one features the BTTF arrow logos. Kobe showed up at the completely-mobbed event in -- what else -- a DeLorean done up just like Doc Brown's movie car. The perennial All-Star posed for pics and signed shoes for the first 10 fans lucky enough to score a pair. Lest you think a special-edition sneaker launch like this is no big thing, know that there were people lined up outside the joint for as long as 24 hours. Nike's missing the boat if we don't get a viral of Kobe jumping over that DeLorean as a sequel to the Aston video. I mean, he's got big ups, but clearing that Mr. Fusion won't be easy. Follow the jump for a short clip of Marty putting on the shoes that started this madness some 19 years ago. Thanks for the heads-up, Steve.
After Merrill Lynch hinted bankruptcy concerns yesterday, and other Wall Street analysts spread additional gloom, shares of General Motors dropped $1.77 to close at $9.98 -- GM's lowest close in more than 50 years. While GM stock on Tuesday showed a bit of promise on the news that sales only dropped 18.2 percent in June (yes, it was supposed to be worse), nothing could slow the fall on Wednesday. Unfortunately for GM, the light at the end of the tunnel seems a far way off. Sales are plummeting, and those vehicles that do leave the lot are padded with generous financing and rebate offers (experts quickly point out that incentive-laden sales gains are often followed by slowdowns). With eight brands, 13,000 franchises, and a falling market share, many have begun (or continued) to question GM's ability to survive without insolvency.
We've already seen what appear to be official press shots of the new 2009 BMW 7 Series, and it looks pretty good to our eyes. As expected, now that the pictures are available for all the world to see, details about the underpinnings are starting to leak out. Not surprisingly, the V8-powered 750i and 750iL models will get the new twin-turbo engine introduced on the controversial X6, offering 400 horses and 450 lb.-ft. of torque. Other possible powertrains, though not available at launch time, will be a revised twin-turbo inline six with 326 horsepower and a diesel engine for the European market. But fret not fuel misers, a hybrid model is also being considered. Underneath, active suspension which eschews BMW's trademark front struts in favor of double-wishbones, will offer variable damping with comfort, normal, sports and sports-plus modes selectable from inside the cabin.
As you'd expect, BMW's active steering will brings its oft-questioned benefits to the large sedan and can now direct the rear wheels as well. BMW's flagship sedan will undoubtedly be equipped with plenty of passenger pampering features, including massaging rear seats, to go along with safety equipment like night vision, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Of course, the now-familiar iDrive will get its latest set of enhancements in order to make its sometimes confusing interface easier to use. We'll just need to wait for our first stint behind the wheel to see how all this newfangled technology works in the real world, and check back Saturday for more official details.
Autoblog writer and videographer extraordinaire, the ShunkMaster, is currently en-route to Pennsylvania with his wife and kids for the long holiday weekend, but that doesn't mean he's turned off his obsession for all things automotive. As he passed through the outskirts of Motown, the not uncommon sight of a camo-covered car appeared on the horizon. Chris's iPhone-wielding wife, Sara, snapped off a few pics of the cloaked mule, and being in the Dearborn area, the first obvious thought was a prototype Fiesta sedan. However, closer inspection revealed that it's the Kia Forte that was officially announced yesterday. The Spectra replacement proved to be a handsome little sedan that wears the Kia Koup clothes well. We're looking to catch in person -- uncovered -- soon.
If such projections as cutting the cost of driving and vehicle emissions in half sounds a bit radical to you, that's exactly the response that Gordon Murray is hoping for. Before completely dismissing these claims, remember that Murray is the man most responsible for the road-going supercar known as the McLaren F1, as well as quite a number of race winning Formula 1 cars from a few decades ago. Note too that Caparo, makers of the awe-inspiring T1 are also heavily involved in the project. Considering that the team is only halfway through the design process, we hope that they are able to follow through with their early projections.
Murray claims that his newest vehicle, designated the Type-25 (his 25th clean-sheet design), will revolutionize personal transportation by being cheap to produce, purchase and operate. Safety is not forgotten either, as the new vehicle is fully expected to pass all applicable crash testing. What's more, the new car is IKEA ready able to be flat-packed for ease of shipping. So far, details remain sketchy regarding who will produce the vehicle as Murray's company only intends to design the it. Caparo's excellence in carbon fiber design may prove valuable, though we have no indication that Caparo will be the company actually assembling the vehicles.
Opinions about the BMW X6 are split around the Autoblog virtual water cooler and this teaser from Lumma Design hasn't helped. The German tuning haus will be unveiling a production model of its CLR X 650 at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and much like the standard X6, you'll either love it or loathe it.
What isn't up for debate is the CLR X 650's aggressive demeanor. If the nuclear mishap hue isn't enough to catch your attention, then the new fascia equipped with super-sized air dams, the side skirts, rear fender vents and revised mirrors will keep your wandering eyes in check. The whole package is slammed by 40mm over a set of 23-inch bespoke black rolling stock, while the interior is expected to get a color-matched instrument panel, aluminum pedals and a new steering wheel.
Even those of us partial to the X6's proportions aren't convinced that Lumma is doing the SAV concept right. But we have to admit that its revised stance compliments a few of the pseudo-'utes characteristics, even if it does remove the minimal amount of utility that was there to begin with.
Here it is in all its glory, Episode #100 of the Autoblog Podcast. We've finally made it. There's a new graphic, a big group of five people all talking on top of each other, and new music. Stay tuned, as we've got an excellent giveaway coming up soon (i.e. when fearless leader Neff gets back from his nuptials). We'd thought that #100 might go 100 minutes, but for your sake, that's not the case and we occupy only 50 minutes of your time this week. Thanks for listening and keep the feedback, commentary, and questions rolling in to podcast at autoblog daught com. See you next week!
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While BMW's 335i Touring has been spotted testing in the California Desert, don't expect to see the 300-hp five-door in showrooms anytime soon. BMW has again confirmed that the 328i Sports Wagon, with its 230-hp powerplant and a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, will be the most powerful 3 Series wagon in the States in the immediate future. We are not surprised, as this follows BMW's trend initiated when they launched the E46 3 Series Touring to the U.S. market in 2001. That model, like the current version, was never fitted with anything but the entry-level six-cylinder engine. Those who crave BMW's award-winning twin-turbo six-cylinder under the hood of their family hauler can opt for BMW's 535xi Sports Wagon. The engine, and all-wheel drive, are standard.
From Xinhua via our friends at China Car Times comes the above photo, showing Chinese counter-terrorism forces going through drills as they prepare to crush any dissent terror threat that might arise during next month's Olympic Games. The black ninja suits, fritz helmets, body armor, and submachine pistols all fit the profile of a specialized group like this. But... Segways?
UPDATE: Turns out, Engadget is having a caption contest. (Thanks, seoultrain.)
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE, but that car's about as exciting as an episode of Antiques Roadshow. Corsa? Not engineering the current one to be U.S.-compliant probably wasn't the greatest idea. The answer? MarketWatch says The General has summoned its inner Janet and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but it seems the Chevy Beat is indeedcoming to the U.S. market. The broader public will get a really good look at it next Summer in the Transformerssequel, and as was the case with the Camaro, they'll be looking at a car they'll (apparently) be able to buy. If GM is smart, the screen-to-showroom transition won't take two years as it has with Camaro. It seemed a bit dumb that GM chose New York as the launching pad for the Beat and its fellow Triplet concepts, only to say that the car would be a "global" vehicle (read: everywhere but here). Now, it would seem that global really means global. Hey General, it probably wouldn't hurt to make Trax and get your Groove on, too. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
click above image for high-res gallery of the Volvo C30 Efficiency
In the wake of rapidly diminishing sales of large and not-particularly fuel efficient cars, Volvo is doing what only seems rational: introducing smaller vehicles with more fuel efficient engines. The company reportedly has plans to introduce three new diesel powered vehicles by the fall. We are unclear on where Volvo intends to target with its little green men cars besides emerging markets such as China and Russia, but we'd love to see some more stylish and fuel efficient options in the U.S. It's too early to speculate on what vehicles Volvo is referring to, but that's never stopped us before. The C30 is currently the Swedish automakers smallest vehicle and at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Volvo showed off its C30 Efficiency concept. We'd say that the timing certainly appears right for a production version of just such a machine. After all, who wouldn't appreciate the 52.26 miles per gallon from its 105 horsepower 1.6L turbodiesel engine?
Lotus has apparently hired Charlie X as its new director of marketing, and the unlucky sods who were ballsy enough to laugh at his ideas in team meetings have apparently been punished accordingly (as seen at the 40:23 mark here), handed black suits and Lotus pendants, and sent to wander amongst the general public and freak people out. It's all part of the Lotus Eagle's "Faceless People" campaign. If you visit the website, you get a timer counting down to the car's London unveiling, when "true character will emerge." Until then, however, it's more faceless nightmare fodder for British tots.
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