Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
2011 Renault Megane RS
Europe has always been the fashion frontrunner. Their clothes, colognes and architecture leave the rest of the world in the dust. Countries from around the globe attempt to mimic Europe’s ideas, but with little success.
So it’s not surprising that Europe continues to pump out the hottest, most audacious vehicles on the planet, like the Renault Megane R.S.
The Renault Megane R.S. looks like a cross between a race car and a family vehicle. Known as “hot hatches” (shortened from hot hatchback), these sleek, compact speedsters are daring on the road and decorative in the driveway.
Originally modeled after family-orientated body types, the Renault Megane R.S. has become as common on the racetrack as it is in the suburbs. Striking features make it recognizable everywhere. It has the signature black roof, innovative rear lip spoiler and customized decals. The car sits atop 19-inch Gloss Black STEEV wheels with original red piping. Colors come in Etoilé Black, Glacier White and Cassiopée Grey.
What passes for “special” in most parts of the world is simply normal in Europe. The Renault Megane R.S.’s sporty cabin is achieved with Recaro bucket seats in fabric or leather and a central display system with advanced electronics and communications.
The Renault Megane R.S. features leather upholstery, front carpet mats and a powerful 4x15W RDS radio with 6 speakers and MP3 capability.
Despite its small class, the Renault Megane R.S. boasts unusual power. Its supercharged 254 hp engine has a peak torque of 360 Nm. The car can unload at 0-60 mph in 6.3 s (0–100 km/h in 6.5 s), reaching a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h).
With a car this pedal-friendly, safety is paramount. The Renault Megane R.S. features 8 airbags, xenon headlights, Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Brembo brake discs, the same ones used in Porsches. The Renault Megane R.S. has an MSRP starting price of $51,120. Car lovers often have to choose between being stylish and being sensible. With the 2011 Renault Megane R.S., the choice has been made for them.
Posted in Worldwide News | No Comments »
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
Recently Shelby released the much anticipated specs for its 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. With initial hopes of 500hp being tossed around, Shelby have passed this marker with the supercharged version of the car developing 525hp, and totally blown the marker away with a special ‘R’ version of the model, set to produce 624hp.
The standard supercharged model is expected to hit 60mph in an incredibly rapid 3.7 seconds, and run the quarter in 12 seconds dead at just over 121mph.
There is a normally aspirated version for those who cant stomach the cost, or speed, of the supercharged models, though even this version will still be developing 440hp, still enough to see you get to 60mph in around 5 seconds.
We don’t have performance figures for the special ‘R’ version of the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, but with the extra 100 horses, and possibly a drop in weight, we have no problem imagining the car being able to hit 60mph in little over 3 seconds.
All versions feature uprated suspension and braking components, ensuring the Shelby GT350 will go around corners as well as it goes along the straights, and of course with so much power on tap, and rear wheel drive, its fair to say an over-zealous right foot (where allowed) will induce huge tail slides guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Coming in at $27k for the normally aspirated version, and $34k for the 525hp supercharged version, on top of the price of the base car, its likely there wont be many spots available to pick one up, obviously Shelby has limited production capacity and there is little doubt demand will be strong for the model, and for those with the cash to spare, there can be fewer better ways to spend it.
Posted in Custom Cars, Muscle Cars | 1 Comment »
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Front
Here is BMWs 2011 6 Series Coupé that will be BMWs main draw at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The car follows familiar BMW lines as would be expected, with one of the most notable differences being more steeply sweeping headlamps than previously seen on BMW models and a much sleeker over all look.
Along with this Coupé model will be a convertible set for launch in March 2011 just in time for the summer market. Engine-wise expect to see both 4 liter and 5 liter petrol variants along with a 4 liter deisel too which should give a decent MPG return for those interested in lower running costs.
The usual BMW high end in-car entertainment and electronic system controls feature, this time around with a massive (for in car purposes at least) 10″+ screen which should keep all the “look what it does” fans happy.
While this car is being labled as a concept, we understand that the new 2011 BMW 6 series coupé will more or less look just like this, so if you like the look of it you can rest assured you will actually be able to get your hands on one sometime next year.
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Side
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Rear
Posted in Concept Cars, Worldwide News | No Comments »
Monday, August 30th, 2010
2011 HumanCar Imagine PS PHEV
Now when people hear muscle car, they think of an aggressive looking vehicle, fitted with a more than adequate engine. They expect to hear the roar of a booming V8 and chunky tires, but this is certainly not the case with the concept we are talking about today. Instead, the muscle in this car, relates to the people that power it!
The new vehicle in question is the HumanCar Imagine PS. On first glance, it comes across as extremely bizarre, a theme which will stay with the person interested as they find out more.
It seems a lot of manufacturers are looking to do something different these days, which has certainly been achieved here. HumanCar has certainly pulled out all the stops when developing the Imagine PS, although the uptake if it was ever released is not likely to be huge.
So where did the idea begin? Charles Greenwood, an engineer based in the US was the person who had the original idea for the vehicle. His idea worked on the basis of both the driver and passengers working together to power the vehicle. They would use a range of push and pull levers to get up to speed. Now I’m not sure about others, but this certainly does not appeal to me and takes being eco-friendly to another level!
Although the details of the HumanCar Imagine PS have not been confirmed as of yet, there are many rumours. One of the most recent rumours has suggested that passengers and the driver can push the car along thanks to wholes in the floor – much like what we used to see in the Fred Flintstone cartoons!
The unique design of the HumanCar Imagine PS means that it only takes one person to power it. That being said, we can go as far as to assume this is not the ideal candidate for long journeys, or maybe even for journeys that have many hills included. The likelihood is that the people powering the vehicle are likely to get extremely tired – very quickly, but then who said saving the planet, and $$$, was ever going to be easy!
So let’s hear something positive about the HumanCar Imagine PS! Luckily for the people on board, there is a small electric motor that can be used when they finally run out of steam!
Posted in Concept Cars, Custom Cars, Worldwide News | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
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
Posted in Concept Cars, Muscle Cars | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Eco-friendly vehicles have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. That being said, short term popularity has decreased as gasoline in the US declined in price, to below $4 per gallon. This is bad news for small car manufacturers, including the likes of Smart, who pride themselves on saving money on fuel for their consumers.
This has had a knock on effect for the Smart ForTwo, which has seen a decline in sales. That being said, Toyota is already preparing the launch of its rival vehicle for 2011, the Scion iQ. The new iQ will be hitting US dealers in March next year.
Whilst the details have been few and far between, the Scion iQ was originally revealed as a concept car. The New York Auto Show was the venue Toyota chose to use as their outlet to intrigue customers, which seems to have worked. The interest seems to be there, so Toyota brought the production model to the 2010 show.
There have been doubts that Toyota is even ready to take the Scion iQ into production, but Toyota have confirmed otherwise. Scion VP, Jack Hollis, has already assured interested parties at a recent press release that they are still on target to hit the scheduled production launch date.
It is quite obvious what Toyota has based their new development on; the Smart ForTwo. That being said, the new Scion iQ does offer consumers so much more than the ForTwo ever could.
There were some problems with the original development, mainly in the gearbox department. Test drivers found that the combination of the gearbox and engine did not work together well and gave an extremely uncomfortable ride.
As one of the worse features of the car, Toyota has managed to change it ready for the production model. They have incorporated a continuously variable transmission, which offers much more consistent acceleration, increasing ride comfort.
So what can consumers expect from the 2011 Scion iQ? Well, they can expect a reasonable priced mini car, weighing in at just $11,990 for the entry level vehicle. Fuel economy should be in the same ball park as the ForTwo, hitting around 33mpg in the city, whilst highway driving should achieve around 41mpg.
Safety has also been improved, with the iQ now incorporating a rear window air cushion to protect passengers in the rear in case of an accident. Only time will tell whether the iQ is as popular as the ForTwo.
Posted in Concept Cars | No Comments »
