Anything and Everything that is cool, hot, fresh and classic.
Question: What’s got four wheels, 125-horsepower, does wheelies and burnouts, and will probably get you kicked out of the country club?
Answer: A golf cart with an engine swap from a 2007 Yamaha R1.
Since a picture’s worth a thousand words, this video writes a novel:
[Via: Autoblog]
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]
The Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition plans to cross the icy continent using state-of-the-art bio-fuelled vehicles and cutting-edge communications equipment to raise awareness of how Antarctica’s fate affects the whole environment.
One of those bio-fuelled vehicles is this Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle, or CIV, which will act as a pilot for the two heavier Science Support Vehicles that will also be making the journey.
With a bio-fueled, supercharged BMW 1150 engine driving the propeller to a top speed of 84 mph, trike skids that bring the overall size to a rather svelte 4.5 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, as well as independent suspension all around, it’s got plenty of go to get them there. Plus, with ice penetrating radar to detect any crevasses, a spiked foot for emergency stops on the edge of any detected crevasse, and weight so low (360kg) that a single person can pull it across the ice, it’s got plenty to get them back as well.
Now if only they rented this thing out at the local skating rink…
[Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition - Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle]
[Via: Autoblog]
Sure, your Prius gets 45+ MPG when it’s rolling down the freeway doing 55 in the slow lane, but does it get looks from fellow motorists?
No, unless you’re head’s on fire and there’s a unicorn sitting next to you, then you probably don’t get looks like the Prius you see here does.
This Prius, customized by a crew from Classe’s Garage, is what happens when you dump over $180k into a car and film the process along the way. (The car was made for Sweden’s TV4, which wanted to do a show about ‘building a custom car’.)
Everything you see here (except for the chrome trim on the grill) has been smoothed, stretched, widened, waxed, painted, polished, and pampered to the limits of what most automotive enthusiasts, let along Prius owners, ever thought possible.
To get the body looking right, a wide-body kit from an XC90 Volvo was grafted on. The back doors were smoothed over, the fronts were given a scissor style opening, and the rear windows were reshaped, and the back window was scrapped all together.
A carbon fiber wind splitter sits under the front bumper, as do wind splitters under the doorsills, and a rear venturi made entirely from the stuff sits out back. Air suspension keeps all four corners planted, and the stock rims have been swapped out for 20-inch replacements, including an over-sized brake kit for extra stopping goodness.
Don’t think they stopped there though. The interior had to match the exterior, so a fully custom dashboard was crafted, along with a custom center console to house the 4,400-watt stereo (five subs, eight speakers, a 15 inch LCD, a tablet PC with internet access, and a quarter mile of cable). Racing seats keep anyone brave enough to get behind the wheel firmly in place, and everything was covered in orange, black and red so the colorblind won’t miss it.
Think you’ve got what it takes to roll around in the world’s most pimped green mobile?
Yeah, me neither.
[Via: Wired]
If you want to go anywhere and do anything, then you need a…Nike Ill-Mobile?
The as yet nameless machine is “a souped-up, tricked out, action sports shred-mobile: part amphib, part 1970’s camper, and 100% rock and roll”.
The 8-wheeled ill-mobile can cross deserts, climb mountains, and search out any secret spot on the planet. Once there, it deploys rack mounted bikes, surfboards, wakeboards, and skateboards for any session that you can throw at it.
Can’t find a place to board?
No problem.
Grind rails line the sides, and a quarter pipe folds down from the rear for an impromptu session.
Need to chill for a bit?
Got you covered there too. The ill-mobile has an on deck bbq, a deluxe camper shell, a basement couch front seat, and a stereo to piss the neighbors off with if you ever have any.
Ride on.
Anyone who can look at a classic Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and decide that it’s just not going to be enough until there are 1040 horses of Hemi V8 under the hood is ok in my book.
The 592-cubic-inch monster features a dual-stage nitrous system to reach those astronomical power numbers, and the interior is even done up in full luxury garb, with a leather wrapped roll cage and a full collection of shiny gauges.
Plus, who’s going to deny some Grey Poupon to a guy with a blower sticking out of the hood?
[Via: Carscoop]
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]
The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series takes the country club favorite and leaves it out in the rain until it’s good and mad and then unleashes it onto the streets.
Based on the already beastly SL65, the AMG Black Series lightens the load to the tune of 550 pounds through the use of a carbon fiber hood, fenders, and trunk, as well as a fixed carbon fiber roof with integrated roll cage in place of the SL65’s retractable hard top.
A biturbo, 6.0-liter V12 provides the motivation, and with 661 hp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, and 60 flies by in 3.9 seconds on your way to a top speed of 199 mph.
They’re only making 200 of them for the States, and with a price tag of $320,000, it’s probably not something you’re going to see everyday buying milk at the grocery store, but if a low slung, wide body Mercedes creeps up in your rear view, proceed with caution.
[Via: Autoblog]
Today’s Tuner Tuesday mobile is a bit…different.
Featuring 2.4 liters of five-cylinder Volvo horsepower in the back, it has just one horsepower in the front, but that’s all that it needs to get the job done.
See, this specialty vehicle, build by Roush Technologies (yes, the Roush Technologies) was developed for Kurt Systems, a Turkish racehorse and camel training equipment company, and was designed to let a driver, veterinarian and trainer ride comfortably behind the business end of their horse at full gallop speed while constantly monitoring its vitals from inside of a nicely appointed cabin.
Ready to talk accessories?
How about a silicone saddle that simulates jockey weighs, electronically controlled reins to steer the horse in the same direction as the vehicle, and exterior lights of nighttime runs.
Though no pricing has been announced yet, expect it so roll out soon to a barn near you.
[Via: Autoblog]
The Smart ForTwo isn’t known for being a particularly sporty car, but that didn’t stop Koenigseder from pimping it out with a wide-body kit, 17” rims, Eibach springs, floral decals, and environmentally friendly floor mats.
It won’t get you to where you’re going any quicker, but at least you can arrive in style!
[Via: Autoblog]
