CarsDampers and tuning

Filed under: Garage, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Lexus

Click the image for the full LS600h L review at AutoblogGreen

Sam Abuelsamid recently spent a week behind the wheel of the very expensive, very luxurious Lexus LS600h L. The über-Lexus has the V12 offerings from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW in its sights — lofty targets, to be sure, but based on Sam’s account, the big hybrid might well have a missile lock on its competition this time around. Follow the jump for a video review of Lexus’ mega-cruiser, and head over to AutoblogGreen for Sam’s detailed rundown. If you thought the “hybrid penalty” on mass-market hybrids like the Prius or Altima was a tough financial pill to swallow, you’re going to need the Heimlich maneuver performed once you look at how the LS600h’s numbers work out.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading VIDEO: AutoblogGreen reviews the Lexus LS600h L

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Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina fame has dreamed up a new type of windshield that implements some damn hi-tech solutions to the problem of rain automotive glass. Fioravanti must not be familiar with the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” because he definitely has tried to do away with windshield wipers. This rad new design, perhaps dreamed up while high, use aerodynamics and four fancy layers to keep rain, dirt and other elements from obstructing your view.

The concept car acting as guinea pig for this windshield is called Hidra. The first layer of the windshield is a layer that filters the sun and simply repels water. Think of it as a giant Teflon pan. The second layer uses “nano dust”–whatever the hell that is–to magically get rid of windshield dust. It detects the dust with a third layer and employs a fourth, conductive layer to power the entire windshield.

Fioravanti says this technology could be ready within five years. I call BS, but I also would prefer to keep my old-fashioned rubber wipers, because i don’t want no damn nano-robots living in my windshield, getting smarter and smarter, plotting my demise. [Sparkingtech]

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Lotus

Click above for more high-res spy shots of the Lotus Eagle

The bald eagle has made a comeback, and in some parts of the U.S. can easily be spotted hanging out again in tree tops and going after unsuspecting field mice. The Lotus Eagle, however, has been a tough bird to spot. Spy photographers for KGP Photography, however, have caught this prototype out testing in the snowy wilds of the arctic.

The Eagle is Lotus’ upcoming 2+2 sports car slated to go in between the Elise and Esprit revival when it goes on sale in the Spring of 2009. Yes, the Eagle does have a backseat, but Lotus itself admits that it’s suitable only for children up to 9 years old. Those kids in the back, however, will have a good time in the Eagle thanks to Lotus’ trademark all-aluminum platform, as well as a pair of V6 engines from Toyota that promise power in the range of 200 to 300 horsepower. That should give the Eagle a 0-60 time in the low five-second range, though we’re sure it will feel a lot faster. It is a Lotus, after all.

While this Eagle is shrouded to conceal its shape, we can tell despite the muzzle that Lotus’ newest addition will be a looker. If you’re in the bush with binoculars at the London Motor Show this summer, you’ll get to see the Lotus Eagle debut in person for the first time.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

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Chris Burden has achieved an elder-statesman status in the art world–his latest installation, “Urban Light,” graces the plaza of the new Broad Contemporary Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. But back in the day, he was a wildman, a freak, fucking dangerous–nothing less than an art hoon. A performance art pioneer who in 1974 had himself crucified to the back of VW Beetle.

It was late April. The setting was a garage in Venice, CA, at a time when Venice was a funky sunsplashed beachside shithole full of losers and freaks and drunks and stoners and artists. A shirtless Burden–only three years removed from being shot in the arm with an actual bullet (”Shoot”), and less than a year after a self-imposed near-electrocution (”Doorway to Heaven”)–lays across the back of the Bug and has his palms nailed to the sheet metal. Ouchie! The car is pushed out of the garage and the engine is run full-out for precisely two minutes. Photos are snapped. Urban legend says Burden is driven around like this, but the story is disputed and besides, there’s no way the nails would have held.

The Beetle is lost to time. Burden, on the other hand, is world famous. The performance is labeled “Trans Fixed.”

Tomorrow, check back when we tell the tale of Burden’s 100mpg auto-bike, created in 1977. This boy had a thing for cars!

Filed under: SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Infiniti, Nissan

While an Infiniti-badged GT-R sedan might seem semi-plausible, this rendering from Best Car is about as probable as a mentally balanced child star. A GT-R SUV? Why not? Well, let’s start with the ugly factor. The Nissan GT-R isn’t the prettiest vehicle on the block to begin with; jack it up, add a couple of extra doors and a misshapen hatch and you’ve got an amalgamation of design cues that’s causing a mild burning sensation in our eyes.

With 480 hp and all-wheel-drive, stranger things have been produced; the Porsche Cayenne Turbo comes to mind, and if this monstrosity ever comes to production, that’s likely the benchmark it’ll be aiming for.

[Source: Best Car via Auto-Otaku]

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Filed under: Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Euro, Green, Honda

Click above to view high-res gallery of the Honda CR-Z Concept

More news from the front lines of Honda’s hybrid offensive. Honda CEO Takeo Fukui revealed in January that a production hybrid based on the CR-Z Concept shown in Tokyo last year was on its way. Looks like Europeans will be the first to partake of the spiritual successor to the much missed CR-X when it goes on sale there first around the end of the decade.

The original CR-X was a small, lightweight hatchback that by virtue of its size was a fun car despite its small, efficient engine. Likewise, we expect the production CR-Z coupe to be small, fun and efficient, but this time utilize Honda’s updated Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system to make it happen.

Honda UK manager of product planning Mark Turner told Automotive News Europe that the production CR-Z hybrid would be priced around €25,000, with a high-end model cresting €28,000. Since Europe will be the car’s most important market, Honda UK will have a voice in the car’s development, including its design. Engineering for the car is also being carried out at Honda’s R&D facility in Germany. Turner added that a gasoline version of the CR-Z would be considered if there were demand for it. The CR-Z will join Honda’s upcoming ground-up global hybrid, as well as a new Civic Hybrid, in late 2009 or early 2010. If Honda hopes to sell half a million hybrids by 2011 like it claims, expect all three to also be available in the United States.

[Source: Automotive News Europe, sub. req’d, Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty]

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The immediate reaction to this article sent to us by The Bouncer was an indignant cry of ‘blasphemy!’ What you see above is no ordinary 1972 Pontiac LeMans, indeed this dark horse has a dirty little secret. Tucked away under that sleek hood there lies no V8 engine, not even a V6, in fact, the engine wasn’t even born in Detroit. It was plucked from none other than a Toyota Supra.

Under that familiar Pontiac skin which gave rise to the legendary Judge GTO’s, rests a heart from the land of the rising sun, a 1991 Toyota Supra 7M-GTE 3.0 litre 24V turbo. The story goes that the car came to the builder as a basket case from an auction. Our hero/villain Ralf Becker decided it needed a new heart and a buddy helped him dig up the Toyota engine. That was apparently not without it’s faults either, as valves and pistons had to be replaced (valve pics on Autobild are pretty beaten). The final piece of the pie, which seems to still be in the ironing out phase, is the addition of a great big turbocharger to really spice things up. We don’t know if we can endorse this kind of madness, but the build is unique and will probably be pretty quick when all is said and done. That said, we’re going to keep an eye on these guys, you never know what kind of shenanigans those Germans are getting into. [via AutoBild.de (translated - poorly)]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Green

“We understand in order to continue our sales trend, we need to look beyond Ford.” That’s the crux of the conversation that took place between InsideLine and John G. Clark, the communications and motorsports manager for Roush Performance Products.

With a record 2007 under its belt, Roush is looking to expand its operations to include foreign brands, develop alternative-energy products and continue to provide the parts and services that have been the mainstay for the U.S.-based aftermarket supplier.

While Clark remained mum on what import brands it would begin to offer parts for, the firm is looking to launch an unnamed third brand that “has nothing to do with Roush.” This will initially begin with powertrain parts for both cars and trucks, likely with a focus on performance, but Roush is also launching a propane-powered Ford F150 for fleet use and is developing a small fleet of electric vehicles, along with new products for diesel trucks, which are supposedly in high demand.

As for those shots of the Dodge Challenger outside the Roush plant, Clark said that, “we have no plans to do [the] Camaro, Challenger or Silverado, despite what’s on the internet.” Pity, considering that the two new pony cars have as much aftermarket potential as the Mustang on which Roush has solidified its street cred.

[Source: InsideLine]

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Ssangyong is making a serious attempt to capture the Asian luxury market with its Ssangyong Chairman W, a V8-powered, RWD sedan with all the trimmings. We just came across a batch of new exterior and interior shots and, while the exterior doesn’t surprise, the interior features seem quite advanced for the market. First of all, you’ve got the MyGigesque rear screen that pops out of the front center console, which appears to be able to control both front and rear entertainment systems. Taking this even further, whereas MyGig only functions with a remote for passengers, the rear console features an integrated command knob. Take that Hyundai Genesis.(UPDATE: The previous Chairman was based on the W124 E-Class platform and an interior picture from the E-Class made it into the interior gallery, causing some confusion. The pic has been removed. Thanks to all of those that pointed it out).

In addition to the new interior pictures, we have some sort of crash test that shows the new Chairman gets a “5 Star,” which we assume means the same thing in all languages but probably not in all ratings. This also appears to be the first set of white Chairman photos, a fact that is kind of surprising when you realize white has always been a popular color choice for American chairmen. No final details on price, though it looks like this super luxury ride will be somewhere in the $100K range when it officially debuts. (h/t M0l0TOV) [Bobaedream]

Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Bugatti

Dubai may be home to one out of every five Bugatti Veyrons sold, but Abu Dhabi has a Pur Sang. Only five examples of this special-edition Veyron were built, and all were immediately sold at a $300k premium. We don’t know where the other four have gone, but one of them just turned up in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the United Arab Emirates.

Some have mistaken this Pur Sang, spotted at night in the UAE, as a chromed Veyron. The Pur Sang - literally “pure blood” in French - is differentiated by its paintjob, or rather, lack thereof. The body panels were assuredly polished but left in their natural state of aluminum and carbon fiber, the separation between which does not follow along the lines of the traditional Veyron’s two-tone color scheme. (The special wheels are also a dead giveaway.)

Follow the jump to see the video someone shot from the window of a car moving alongside the Pur Sang, but prepare yourself for the disappointment of seeing it get passed by a Toyota Land Cruiser. Thanks for the tip, SLICK!

[Source: StreetFire]

Continue reading VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang spotted in Abu Dhabi

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