Anything and Everything that is cool, hot, fresh and classic.
The Iconic Motors GTR is the Cobra that Carroll Shelby would probably build today if he had the time and the wealthy client list.
For $600,000, buyers get a carbon fiber supercar that features an 800 horsepower, 420-cubic-inch V8, a very beautiful/custom interior, a display with “military strike fighter” technology, and a “computerized gas cap that slides open like the glass on a moon roof”.
Fancy!
[Via: Jalopnik]
How do you take an already feather-light supercar and reduce the weight by more than 70 pounds?
Easy; just make it more environmentally friendly.
Lotus decided to make an Eco version of their venerable Elise, and in the process, managed to reduce the already svelte curb weight.
Changes include a collection of sustainable materials for the body and trim, including hemp, eco wool, sisal, and a new, high-tech, water-based paint that can be applied by hand and can still achieve the fantastic finish you’d expect from a car of this quality. The new pieces and parts manage to reduce the Elise’s environmental footprint throughout its lifetime, as well as limit the amount of energy used during its production.
In addition to the new materials, Lotus has also added a flexible solar panel to the roof that helps power the electric system (less strain on the engine means better efficiency) and added a green shift light (hopefully in addition to the regular, ‘you’re about to blow up your engine’ red shift light) that helps drivers achieve the maximum fuel efficiency while driving the car.
Thankfully the engine and chassis are still the same, and Elise has actually managed to improve the performance by reducing the weight, so you’re still getting one of the best handing cars on the market out of the deal, but if you’d like to save a little Earth while tearing up a little track, the Eco Elise might be just the car you need.
[Via: Autoblog]
How long does it take to transform an everyday Subaru WRX STI into a rally ready WRC-spec supercar?
About two minutes.
[Via: Jalopnik]
Spada Vetture Sport’s TS Codatronca looks like the car Batman would dive if the Batmobile got a bit boring one day.
The front looks like a cross between a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a Corvette, and the rear looks like…like…well, it doesn’t really look like anything else on the market right now, since a giant Tetris tail and stealth bomber lines aren’t exactly in vogue over at GM’s design shop.
The interior however is both beautiful and functional, with plenty of suede and carbon fiber to remind you that you aren’t in a car that will serve fleet time as part of a rental program.
The engine also reminds you that you’re in a race-bred car, with 600 horses on tap, and a short ratio gearbox to compile with FIA GT1 regulations.
For the green lovers, there’s an ad-hoc “converter kit” that allows you to fuel the car with E85 ethanol and also gives you a slight increase in torque and power.
It’s definitely not your daddy’s supercar, but then, who wants that anyways?
[Spada Vetture Sport - TS Codatronca]
[Via: Autoblog]
Mansory doesn’t do subtle supercars.
Their latest project, called the Renovatio, is based on a Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, and features a modified supercharger, new wheels, tons of carbon fiber additions, a tricked out interior, and plenty of gold paint.
The end result is a 700 horsepower beast that is guaranteed to turn heads.
[Mansory]
Remember the Splinter, the all wood supercar that looked like nothing more than a clever design mock up?
Apparently it’s quite a bit more than that, as Joe Harmon Design has begun fabrication, and the body is already starting to take shape.
The car’s frame and driveline are based on a central rigid tube section with the suspension and other necessary parts from a C4 Corvette mounted to it. However, as much as possible will be kept in wood form for authenticity’s sake.
The engine is a Northstar V8 run backwards, with the exhaust and intake sides switched around. Intakes sit underneath the cylinder banks, and two roots style superchargers feed air in through individual intercoolers
The wooden component fabrication process includes building a mold/frame, and then laminating layers of veneer into the desired shape.
Check out the site for more details, including live webcam shots and a building blog.
[Joe Harmon Design - Splinter]
[Via: Jalopnik]
Never heard of the Lotec C1000?
That’s because you’re not an oil baron from the UAE.
This one of a kind supercar was commissioned by one back in 1995, and originally sold for about $3.4M (with an M). At the time, and even today, it was one of the fastest cars in the world, with a reported top speed of 268 MPH.
The rest of the specs are no less impressive, as this custom cruiser would get you to 60 in just 3.2 seconds, and 125 in just 8.1 if the mood was right.
Ho did it pull off such amazing feats of physics?
A 5.6-liter Mercedes V8 was force fed by twin turbochargers through a five speed manual, with the end result being 1000 HP and 723 lb-ft of torque in a car that weighed just 2380 lbs. thanks to the liberal use of carbon fiber.
[Via: Jalopnik, Via: S2000 Forums]
Saleen sure does know how to build ‘em right (he was, after all, the man that managed to make the Saleen S7 a reality) so the prospect of a second supercar form the American manufacturer does get me a little giddy on the inside.
Specs include a supercharged 5.0L V8 producing 650 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, the ability to run on cellulosic ethanol, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, 6-speed manual with an optional paddle shifted sequential gearbox, aluminum chassis, and a top speed of over 200 mph.
So what does eternal fastitude like this cost you?
If it makes it to market, just $185,000.
(And yes, in case you were wondering, I did bring you a sneak peak of this car back in November, so never let it be said that DYH doesn’t bring the latest and greatest to the table.)
[Saleen]
If you’re still using a Polaroid camera to capture life on film, then be sure to snap a shot of the next Dodge Viper that you see, because both are soon going to be gone.
Polaroid has confirmed that they will no longer produce instant film after this year, and it’s rumored that Dodge will no longer be making the Viper after 2011, which means that the loss of a quirky technology and a venomous supercar come as a one two punch.
All is not lost however, as old Polaroid cameras can turn into quite the clever webcam, and the Viper’s demise hopefully means that Dodge has another supercar in the works, but the news definitely puts a damper on my dreams of Viper ownership. (The Viper was the car that got me excited about cars in the first place.)
Excuse me now while I mourn.
[Polaroid]
[Polaroid Via: The New York Times]
[Viper Via: Jalopnik]
Joe Harmon wants to build a supercar out of wood.
Called the Splinter, and featuring a mid-engined, monocoque design that is to be made almost entirely out of wood laminates, it definitely looks the part, but since this mock up was created as part of a graduation project, the Splinter site is about as close to production as this car is ever going to get.
Click through to the site though, and check out the amazingly detailed details using Splinter Vision.
Yes, it’s that cool.
[Splinter]
[Via: Core77]
