Renault Twin’Run Concept



As promised, BMW unveiled the result of their collaboration at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este this weekend. The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupeis a one-off concept which represents what Pininfarina think a luxurious BMW coupe should be.

In developing the car, BMW and Pininfarina’s design teams worked together, making sure that the character of BMW wasn’t overridden by Pininfarina’s design touches, whilst also ensuring that the car had plenty of Italian style. “The appeal of this collaboration with Pininfarina is that you get another, very different and special angle on facets like luxury and exclusivity,” notes Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design. “The Italian company, after all, has always been a byword for these criteria in particular, demonstrating time and again its keen sensitivity and exceptional finesse in these areas. In Pininfarina we have found the ideal partner to lend shape to this vehicle concept.”

The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe has a rather understated and grown-up appearance. It’s not shouty or brash. Even if it is sitting on 21-inch wheels. The bodywork is neat and uncluttered. It seems that Pininfarina’s input has made for a car that is sharper, cleaner and less fussy than some of BMW’s recent models. The styling is in fact so restrained, that other than the discreet little air outlets just behind the front wheels, there’s very little to suggest there’s a stonking great V12 under the hood. Continue

Renault Twin’Run Concept



Renault chose to unveil their latest concept car at one of the most famous automobile events in the world, the Monaco Grand Prix. While the race itself takes place on Sunday, the entire weekend is just one big build-up before the green lights come on. Renault’s decision to debut their concept at such a notorious race is an obvious reflection of the car itself.

The Renault Twin’Run might look almost identical to the earlier Renault Twin’Z concept, and indeed both cars are a preview of the next Renault Twingo city car. But whereas the Twin’Z was a mild-mannered electric car, the Twin’Run is a custom built race car based around a motorsport grade tubular chassis. Into this Renualt’s engineers have wedged a 3.5 litre V6 engine borrowed from a Megane Trophy race car. The mid-mounted engine produced 320 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm and 380 Nm of torque @ 4,850 rpm. The transmission is a six-speed sequential unit with limited slip differential. The 0-62 mph sprint takes just 4.5 seconds. The top speed is 155 mph. Continue

Moretti EGS Concept



The Moretti EGS Concept is a classically inspired sports car concept designed by Coventry University Transport Design student Brian Males. The Moretti EGS Concept was developed for a university project called “Emotions of Italy”.

The concept was inspired by the 1954 Moretti Grand Sport, a compact lightweight road/race car with a small displacement engine. However for the concept, Males has ditched the internal combustion engine in favor of a fully electric drivetrain.

The styling of the Moretti EGS concept is extremely delicate and graceful, and the retro design cues are found throughout the entire car. Including the chrome door handles, window surrounds and headlight bezels. Even the wheels have a simple, classic appearance. Continue

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

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