Next Concept Cars

The Danish guys haven’t really shined in the auto industry, but they now proved what they are capable of. I present you Zenvo ST1, a supercar that would even make Shakespeare to exclaim: “Something is rotten in Denmark”.

This project was started in 2004 by the ones from Zenvo Automotive, a group of some ambitious engineers, the first exemplars will hopefully appear in 2009. These first images with this supercar look nice, it seems like Zenvo ST1 is something between Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R, spiced with sharp details from Lamborghini Reventon. The real interesting part is located under the hood, where hides a biturbo V8 of 7 liters which develops 1104 HP.

This beast only needs 3,2 seconds to reach 100 km/h, and has a maximum speed of 375 km/h. Impressive, I can say.

[Source: Zenvo Automotive]

Subaru will come at the Auto Show in Detroit with a concept that will give you an idea of what the next Subaru Legacy generation might look like.

Subaru has been often associated with rallies, but times change, and only after a day from retreating from WRC, the Japanese manufacturer presents its future plans. In the foreground will be Subary Legacy concept, a study which prefaces the new model and in the same time, celebrates 20 years of existence.

Subaru Legacy Concept has a more imposing look, with stronger “shoulders” and a highlighted grille. Also, Subaru designers have explored new dimensions for the optical blocks, they having now an atypical form for Subaru. Under the hood of the concept can be found a 3.6 liter boxer and the all-wheel-drive system will proceed to the next level, being even more efficient.

Everybody in the auto industry will face the economic crisis in 2009 as well, but SSC Ultimate Aero wants to exceed the speed records and doesn’t regard the economic crisis as a problem. This time, the target is to achieve a maximum speed of 432 km/h. I’m just wondering, are the 1287 HP enough for such a record? I think they are!

In the latest TOP 10 of the fastest cars in the world, SSC Ultimate Aero occupies the first position with 413 km/h, which seems not to be enough for the ones from SSC, they wanting to overcome 420 km/h.

For 2009, the plans are big, as the engine power is, which will increase from 1200 HP to 1287 HP. All these upgrades were possible by adopting a new aluminum engine block for the V8 biturbo propeller, as well as an optimized cooling system. The exterior has been modified in aerodynamic terms, the quantity of carbon fiber that was used increased significantly.

Although the KTM X-Bow model is half motorcycle, winter won’t be an enemy for it because the Austrian manufacturer comes with an interesting package.

KTM X-Box somehow comes as a big hit for the very known snowmobiles. Like other models dedicated to the snow, it provides strong sensations in the open air, the driver not being isolated from the outside by glass nor metal. It is cool, amazingly fast and weights just a little.

The winter preparation relies on some Pirelli Sottozero tires, and for the really slippery situations, chains are the solution. But, there still remains a problem. How are we going to deal with the cold weather? We shouldn’t forget that the ones from KTM are known more for the motorcycles they make, so making costumes that will keep you warm during the ride was very easy. The helmet also has a heating system and comes from Schubert, a specialist in this field. The equipment costs 950 euros.

It seems that the retractable hard-top solution which can be seen on both Mercedes SLK generations, is more convenient in terms of marketing. So, the second generation of BMW Z4 said bye bye to the soft-top, adopting the rigid retractable roof. We must mention that BMW Z4 will be the first model that will benefit of the new “sDrive” title.

There will be three motorizations available:

• BMW Z4 sDrive35i: this model will have 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine, developing 306 HP and 400 Nm. It reaches the speed of 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds.
• BMW Z4 sDrive30i: 3.0 liters, 258 HP and 210 Nm.
• BMW Z4 sDrive23i: this will be the base motorization, a V6 of 2.5 liters which develops 204 HP and 250 Nm.

All the models will be compatible with the Euro5 norms.

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This concept car is so special because it has a really unique characteristic: human force powers it!

Named “GYM car”, it reminds me about the car Fred Flinstone used to drive in the cartoon series, but the concept we are talking about definitely has a better design and a better way of converting the human force into traction energy. It looks good and works well, being powered by an electric engine based on batteries which can be easily charged from an outlet and not only.

Here comes the interesting part. When not moving, the car turns into a real gym on wheels, you can produce enough energy to charge the batteries, while keeping fit. Curious about the exercies you can do with this concept? Just take a look at the photo below:

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