Jaguar-inspired sculpture unveiled at Clerkenwell Design Week



Students at the Royal College of Art (RCA) working in conjunction with Jaguar’s Advanced Design studio have today unveiled a large hunk of metal that was inspired by Jaguar’s current design direction.

The sculpture was chosen from nine different proposals submitted by RCA students to Jaguar Advanced Design. The winning artists were Ewan Gallimore and Claire Miller. The installation was revealed at the opening of the Clerkenwell Design Week in London, which runs from 21-23 May (apparently a week in London only amounts to three days). Continue

Galag TG1



As the over-hyped extravaganza of wealth, bad taste, bad driving and unbridled machismo that is the Gumball 3000 got underway yesterday in Denmark, there was one car on”grid” which looked like nothing else. It’s the number 73 car, run by Team Galag from Saudi Arabia (who also brought along a replica of Batman’s Tumbler). It’s called the Galag TG1, and basically it’s a heavily modified Nissan GT-R. However it’s undergone such a transformation, that from the outside the only giveaway is the GT-R’s distinctive roofline.

Now I’m not going to say the TG1 is the ugliest car I’ve ever seen. I remember seeing a Robin Reliant with go-faster stripes and three-spoke alloy wheels back in the ’90s that was probably worse. But that’s about it. The TG1 really is a prime example of the old adage, “money can’t buy taste”. Continue

Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept



Aston Martin today revealed a stunning new concept car which the company says hints at a potential future design direction for their vehicles. Unveiled at the Nurburgring, the Aston Martin CC100 Speedster is a radical, Spartan roadster which is clearly designed to spend more time on the track than on public roads. As well as providing a glimpse of what future Astons might look like, the CC100 Speedster was also created as part of the company’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

Inspired by the classic DBR1, the CC100 Speedster does away with basic luxuries – like doors and windows – and leaves the occupants exposed to the elements. But that’s fine, because that means the snarl of the 6.0 litre V12 engine shoehorned in up front should be easier to hear. Continue

Indy Seven Roadster Concept



The Indy Seven Roadster concept is a design dreamt up by the incredibly fertile mind of Swedish designer Bo Zolland. Zolland’s 3D modeling skills really are breath taking. Managing to look photo-realistic yet strangely magical at the same time. His specialty of creating retro-inspired concept cars and jaw dropping boat/sports car fusions has certainly worked for him. His portfolio is filled with a diverse selection of imaginative creations all rendered beautifully in HD imagery.

But getting back to the Indy Seven Roadster concept, the name is a bit of a giveaway. The car was designed to fit on the chassis a of a Lotus/Westfield/Caterham Seven, with just a few modifications. As such it shares almost identical dimensions to the Seven, as well as the same layout. Continue

Video: Deer meets bus



Here’s one you don’t see all that often. A deer taking a faceful of bus and living to see another day.

The incident occurred in Pennsylvania, when a deer which was sprinting across the road got whacked full bore by a 10 ton bus. The animal comes flying though the windscreen, fortunately missing the driver, and falls to the floor of the bus before quickly getting to its feet and trying to make another hole in the side of the bus to get out. Continue

Teutonic Wars: Luxury Arms Race



This year, as you’ve probably noticed from all the teasers, rumors, spy shots and leaks, the most important release for Mercedes-Benz was the new S-Class. It was so important that Mercedes chose to reveal it with a big bang at the Airbus A380 delivery center.

But this article isn’t really about the new model, instead it explores the German luxury triumvirate, revealing its impact on the automotive industry as a whole, and briefly touching on a particularly interesting and innovative segment. Continue

Top 10 cars from the ’80s



As a follow-up to the article a coupe of days ago, when it was revealed that cars from the 1980s were disappearing from the roads faster than any other generation. I’ve decided to have a look at some of the cars which defined the decade, and indeed are still legends to this day. The cars are in no particular order, and they encompass everything from supercars, to hatchbacks, budget roadsters to high-powered coupes.

If you can think of any others which deserve a mention, let your voices be heard in the comments. Continue

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class



Mercedes today unveiled the latest version of their flagship luxury sedan, the S-Class. This is a big one for Mercedes. Get it wrong and BMW and Audi will more than happily mop up any disaffected buyers. Get it right and they’ll retain their crown as the finest purveyor of German luxury automobiles. For Mercedes-Benz’s designers and engineers it’s a delicate balancing act to ensure the new S-Class is filled with enough high-tech gadgetry and cutting edge technology to get potential buyers oohing and ahhing. But that it’s not too radical of an overhaul that the rich old men who normally buy these things get put off by revolutionary styling or overly complicated infotainment systems.

From the outside it looks like MB’s designers have earned their pay. The 2014 S-Class is hansome, well proportioned, and should please both newcomers to the brand as well as loyal customers. To my eye it’s a far better looking than its predecessor, which from some angles looked a little clunky. The styling of the 2014 S-Class is also far more in-keeping with that of the new CLA, and Mercedes-Benz’s new design language as a whole. Continue

HSV unveil their GEN-F lineup



HSV, the perfomance arm of the Australian automaker GM Holden, have just unveiled their all-new GEN-F lineup. It incorporates six different vehicles, based over three different body styles. There’s a sedan; available in either Clubsport spec, Senator Signature spec, or the range-topping GTS. A wagon called the GEN-F Clubsport R8 Tourer. And also a pickup, or to give its Aussie title, a Ute, called the Maloo which is offered in both standard and R8 versions (headline picture).

All the Clubsport models are equipped with a 6.2 litre LS3 V8, which produces 425 horsepower 550Nm of torque. The R8 badged models get a smidgen more power, with their engines developing 435 horsepower. The GEN-F Senator Signature sedan is fitted with the same LS3 V8 too, but in this car it produces 455 horsepower and 570 Nm of torque. At the top of the pile is the GEN-F GTS sedan which is powered by a supercharged 6.2 litre LSA engine which churns out a massive 576 horspower and 740 Nm of torque. Continue

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe previewed



For their latest concept car, BMW have teamed up with perhaps Italy’s most celebrated design studio, Pininfarina. The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe is a one-off creation which will make its world debut at the 2013 Concours d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy.

The car is a follow-up to the BMW Zagato Coupe concept which was shown at the same venue last year. Same German brand, different Italian designers. And whereas the Zagato Coupe was based on the Z4 Coupe, the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe looks to be built around the 6 Series Coupe.

However the fact the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe is powered by a V12 engine means that many people will make the obvious connection with the gone-but-not-forgotten mighty 8 Series. A car which in my opinion is long overdue for revival. Continue

Vote: Classic Face-Off – Really Stupidly Expensive Edition Classic face-off is a feature where we show you a couple of similarly priced classic cars from the same era, and you vote for the one you find most appealing. This is truly a Titan's endeavor, as we are today pitting against each other two very rare and remarkably beautiful cars, that are well prepared to go under the auctioneer’s hammer and grab astonishing amounts of cash. Continue Top Ten Movies for the Car Enthusiast There's little time left before the sixth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise opens in theaters worldwide (around 23-24 May, but folks in UK do get an advanced premiere on May 7th). So we thought this would be a good time to see what movies might delight gear heads on a slow moving Sunday afternoon. Continue Video: This guy's bike is bigger than yours It’s not often bicycles make their way onto this website. But in extreme cases I’m prepared to make exceptions. Like the Monsterbike, this contraption – suitably called Stoopid Tall – is one man’s bizarre idea of what a bicycle should be. Stoopid Tall is the work of Richie Trimble, who brought his 14.5 foot (4.4 metre) death trap along to the Ciclavia event in downtown Los Angeles last weekend. Continue Video: Crazy landing, incredible skills. Usually when skydiving it’s the jumpers who have a wild ride, not the people left in the airplane. However in this instance its the guys who didn’t hurl themselves from a perfectly good aircraft who get the real adrenaline rush. The video is the work of one very skilled pilot, and one very trusting co-pilot. Continue