Concept Cars

2011 Corvette Stingray Concept Convertible set to appear in Transformers 3

With another Transformers movie also comes another great looking muscle car, this time around we get the Corvette Stingray Concept from the 2nd movie… only this time it’s a convertible!

Set to appear in the 3rd edition of the hit Transformers movie series (due for release in July 2011) in this convertible guise, this example yet again shows just how great car designers can make a car look when they have no restrictions set up on them by the bosses.

This Corvette Stingray convertible looks superb, and is sure to be a hit with all fans of the Corvette, and of course Transformers, we can only hope, along with all the other fans, that somehow some of this Corvette Stingray’s design cues make it through to a production model sometime in the future, it sure would make an awesome sight cruising down the highway and we are already salivating at the thought of something that looks like this actually being available in the showrooms.

Of course GM have given us no clues on when, or indeed if, this car or anything like it will ever be put into production, and our guess is most likely some styling elements from this Corvette Stingray Concept may may make it through to a production model someday, but the entire package is sadly never likely to be put together for the masses, but then who knows… they may one day surprise us.

The Corvette Stingray 'Sideswipe' from Transformers 2

It is an unfortunate reality that many concept cars that enthusiasts look forward to hitting production, actually never make it! This was something that was expected of the BMW Grand Coupe, which was one of the most intriguing concepts to roll out of the BMW factory.

Luckily for BMW enthusiasts, Klaus Draege, the current chief of development has confirmed that it will eventually enter production. It made its official debut as a concept at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show. Since then, BMW has been working hard to ensure that many of the final touches have been made and it is nearing being ready for production.

BMW had a smart concept in mind; a sport based four door coupe, to fill a gap in their current range. According to their recent press releases, the vehicle will be on sale and in the hands of the consumer by 2012, with pre-orders being taken even sooner than this.

For this to happen, BMW needs to step on the gas with their other developments. These include the two-door 6-Series coupe and convertible, both of which are scheduled to hit dealerships throughout 2011. If they do manage to pull that off, then it seems the foundations for the Grand Coupe release date in 2012 will become even stronger.

So what sort of competition is BMW going have? The reality is that their competitors have really beaten them to it, with their equivalent vehicles already on sale. These include the likes of Mercedes-Benz with their CLS, Audi with their A7 Sport back and of course, Porsche, with their Panamera.

In terms of where the Grand Coupe will sit in the BMW range, the company has already made this quite clear. They will be looking to produce a vehicle that shows some basic characteristics of the current 6 series. Although this is the case, BMW has already stressed that it will not be using the 6 Series label, so the Grand Coupe will be unique in the range.

So who are they looking to sell to? Essentially, BMW are looking to produce a vehicle that suits people looking at a 7 series, giving them even more options. The two options they will eventually have means that BMW has a much better chance of getting a sale, rather than consumers going for a brand that they are in competition with.

BMW are looking to price the Grand Coupe slightly above the current RRP of the 6 series, which is currently $93,560.

New Jaguar XJ75 Concept

Jaguar has been working hard to keep their premium image recently, but is still looking to increase sales in a market that is showing a downward slope. They have been working on a range of concepts in an effort to penetrate larger segments of the car industry and it looks like they hope their new concept will help them do exactly what.

The Pebble Beach concours d’elegance is a place for manufacturers to show off their best developments of the year, which is exactly what Jaguar managed to do. They introduced the XJ Platinum Concept to the world for the first time. This vehicle will essentially mark their 75th anniversary and Jaguar has suggested it will be produced on a bespoke basis.

The first thing that is likely to catch petrol heads attention is what lies beneath the bonnet. Jaguar has selected the Supercharged 5.0 liter V8 as their weapon of choice. This unit will produce a massive 464bhp.

In addition to the impressive engine specifications, Jaguar has worked on the styling slightly. The new concept shows off lower side trim, giving it a much more aggressive look. These additions are complimented by the fact that they have incorporated huge 22 inch wheels.

The interior of the new concept is just as spectacular as the exterior. It uses the likes of pearlescent white air vents and bespoke stitching on all the seats and headlining. Like all Jaguar’s, this instantly feels like a car of class and will certainly have an appropriate price tag attached.

The Platinum Concept was the brain child of the head designer in the firm; Giles Taylor. He mentioned that Jaguar has been working towards developing something that incorporates a sporting style alongside their premium image, and it seems like the XJ75 has a happy medium of both.

The sleek exterior shows off the premium brand that Jaguar is. Alongside this, the sporty additions like the wheels and lower trim mentioned above make it stand out from the rest of their developments to date. This is not to say this is going to be the ideal track car, but it certainly will give owners a much more exciting driving experience, compared to the laid back cruisers that are usually offered by the firm.

We are under no illusion that the developments that have been fairly slow coming from the Toyota. Like many car manufacturers, they are taking a step back and trying to understand what they can do to gain a bigger market share, or at least increase their profitability.

For manufacturers in these tough economic times, the decisions they make can be crucial, as one wrong move could take them off the car manufacturing map for ever. We believe that it is the right time for Toyota to make a bold move forward and diversify their range; and that is exactly what they are planning to do.

According to recent reports, the car manufacturing giant has taken the decision to produce a vehicle that is far from the norm for them. They will be developing a new small vehicle which is likely to be sporty, yet extremely competitive on the track, and will come in the form of a rear wheel drive coupe.

As soon as the words rear wheel drive are mentioned, the youthful drivers of today are immediately paying attention – and so they should be! According to Toyota, the latest development will be a tribute to their test driver who was killed during a recent run in the LFA concept vehicle, Hiromu Naruse.

So here is the thing; the new Toyota is going to be modeled around the GRMN Hot Hatch Concept. This concept vehicle was originally launched at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year and a lot of interest surrounded its presence.

Toyota do not seem entirely sure on how the development of their new vehicle will go. All they have suggested so far is that it will be taking some inspiration from the likes of the FT-86. With that in mind, Toyota has also suggested that they will be focusing on younger people who enjoy driving cars exactly how they should, which is why they are incorporating the rear wheel drive setup.

A lot of the features will take inspiration for Hiromu Naruse, who had a lot of input in their range, including the likes of the Supra. For this reason, Toyota will be looking to re-design the Supra and give it some more life in the form of this new small, fun sports car.

It is likely to go on sale in the region of $14,000-16,000.

2004 Ford Mustang GT R Concept

The Ford Mustang GT-R Concept that first debuted at the 2004 New York International Auto Show has been sold at auction, the lucky buyer had to cough up $110,000 for the privilege of owning this one off, and by all accounts he picked it up for peanuts as the estimated auction valuation was between $250k and $350k!

The car itself was a put together as a tribute to the 40 years the Mustang had been around, and became a popular dream car to many Mustang fans. This Mustang Concept boasts a 440hp 5.0L power-plant, a six-speed transmission and a race prepared chassis including huge Brembo stoppers, though we somehow doubt that the new owner will ever take this Mustang on to a race track, despite the fact that is one of the few places he will be able to drive it as its not street legal.

We don’t know what the new owner plans for the car, but we would like to think he will cherish it as we would ourselves, its a very special one off, and as an investment, a fantastic buy, we can see this selling in 10 years time for a million bucks… we’ve already started our collection jar.

The Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards are a prestigious set of awards where budding entrepreneurs alongside creative inventors can get together to share their ideas. Over the last few years, we feel like a lot of the products and ideas developed here are likely to have a positive impact on future vehicles.

The 2010 awards saw David Seesing get involved. Based in Cologne in Germany, he was able to pick up the award for Best Use of Glazing thanks to his ‘Symbiosis’ concept car. His car incorporated a unique structure which was able to combine an eye catching design with functional transport.

The idea for this award was for designers and inventors to develop ideas that were not only going to work, but were also going to be sustainable if manufacturers ever took them on board. It seems that the idea was taken on board well, with many designers reaching and going beyond what any of the judges expected they could do.

Now, these awards are not to be sniffed at, with leading designers on the panel, such as Land Rover Designer Earl Beckles. The reason that Seesing caught the eye of the panel was his innovative approach towards dealing with the issues that were at hand. Of course, designs came thick and fast, but ones that took into account the sustainability and environmental factors were few and far between.

What Seesing has managed to create is a double glazing unit, which certainly helps with air flow. This being said, the air is collected and stored as energy, energy that would have otherwise been wasted. As far as car designs go, there is literally nothing else like this on the market – which is understandable, as the development costs would be ridiculous.

The Symbiosis is certainly the next generation of car and as development costs for this type of thing reduce, it will certainly come to market in some form or another. Just take into account the pure architecture behind the vehicle.

It uses a chassis that is produced using the likes of aluminum and carbon nano-tubes. Why? This has been used because it increases the heat and electricity within the material, meaning that it needs less energy than a normal vehicle!