Click to view the SLR Speedster rendering courtesy of the artist
With a host of new exotics coming out from both Mercedes-Benz and its F1 and erstwhile supercar partner McLaren, the ageing Mercedes SLR McLaren is about to be shown the back door. But not before one last hoorah. And if this illustration is any indication, it will be one rip-roaring, ear-piercing hoorah indeed.
Based on the spy shots that have already surfaced of the SLR McLaren “Speedster” (we don’t know if that’s what it’ll be called officially, but that’s the name we’ve been tossing around), talented illustrator Jon Sibal has crafted the rendering you see above. According to Sibal, the headlights will be the only element of the exterior carried over from previous incarnations of the SLR to the new, more hardcore roofless swan-song. The hood, which previously melded into the A-pillars, is more flat; the nose draws even more direct inspiration from McLaren-Mercedes formula racing cars; the exhaust pipes have been moved into the side vents… oh yeah, and there’s no roof. None whatsoever. There’s barely any windshield for that matter, just a couple of deflectors. Needless to say, we hope the actual car turns out to be as dramatic as Sibal’s conception.
Check out the gallery below to see the rendering in high-resolution, along with our previous crop of spy shots of the SLR Speedster.
With excursions in light aircraft, aerobatic planes, commercial jets, and helicopters already under our belt, we jumped on Goodyear’s invite to take a flight in one of its three blimps stationed (or should we say tethered) in North America. The world’s hugest tire company has been flying blimps for more than 80 years. Used as a stable camera platform, or simply for advertising, the giant silver balloons have safely carried countless passengers over the decades. Follow the jump to read Autoblog’s first review from the gondola of a lighter-than-air dirigible.
Hybrid cars are going to be the next ideal thing, or at least that’s what researchers say. With oil prices reaching record levels it’s really hard to drive a car that consumes 20-25 liters for every 100km.
The ideal selling hybrid, Toyota Prius has news for us. They’re going to change it and recent spy shots show a newly styled body. It’s longer, wider and has a huger boot, features better fuel economy and rumors say it won’t feature NiMh batteries anymore. But Li-ion, which are lighter and smaller, making it faster and more spacious.
The new Toyota Prius will be official in 2010 and some talk of a two-door coupe, a wagon or a commuter version to enrich the brand.
Image credits: CarPix
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Tags: new Prius, Prius, Prius 2010, toyota, Toyota Prius, Toyota Prius 2010
HUMMER USA takes customisation one step further with the “HUMMER Colour Customization Campaign”. This campaign allows HUMMER purchaseers, especially women, to customize their HUMMER H3 to match their personality and attitude. With an option of ten spectacular custom colours including ‘tough cookie lilac’ and ‘side kick pink’, women can make their cars distinctive.
The unique exterior colour can also be carried onto the inside, with colour coded bucket seats and centre console to really make the custom H3 stand out. “When I first chose to change my car, I told my husband I wanted a pink HUMMER. Two weeks later I was the owner of this beautiful lilac model and I can’t stop flaunting it,” said Jane McMorrow.
An H3 with a custom colour paintjob is sure to attract attention and envious stares from onlookers but it’s not just about being flashy. Having just the right shade of colour makes the car a valuable personal belonging and reflects on the owner’s colourful outlook of life. That’s why HUMMER gives women the option of mixing various available shades to come up with a totally new and unique shade.
Johnny Amiuoni, Marketing Manager for HUMMER at GM Middle East believes the campaign gives women freedom and power to create an H3 that reflects their uniqueness and beauty. South African HUMMERs come in a variety of colours and specification levels.
Some say he never leaves his test track, and that a fear of aerodynamic lift means he can never fly on an aeroplane - but he does… and he has.
The Stig has been spotted in Australia recently, driving one of only two right-hand drive Ford GT’s in the world for the first season of Top Gear Australia.
Unfortunately the Stig was as elusive as ever, keeping his trademark white helmet on the entire time to hide his true identity.
It seems Camden airport in New South Wales has been adopted as the home ground for the local series, with the team reportedly using the main runway as well as a few of the taxi ways to create their own test track.
Following four months of Pontiac G8 sales in the United States, Holden has expanded its exports plans to Canada - the first time the company has undertaken a major export program to the country.
The Pontiac G8 and V8-powered G8 GT models are on sale now through dealers across Canada - meaning our humble Commodore is now driven on roads in the USA, Canada, the Middle East, Brazil, South Africa and the UK.
Canadians have apparently welcomed the arrival of the Pontiac G8 with open arms following US sales in March of this year.
“Initial media coverage from the recent Canadian G8 launch event has been highly positive,” said Tony LaRocca, manager of product communications at GM of Canada.
Unfortunately for them however, the US flagship LS3-powered GXP model will not be included in the Canadian model line-up.
“We anticipateed the powerful GT model to be popular and that was definitely the case, but we’re particularly pleased with the high praise for the fun, yet fuel-efficient V6 model which will represent the majority of our volume.”
The VE Commodore derived G8 is also maintaining strong sales in the US, with the average time on a dealer’s lot standing at just 27.6 days - making it one of the top selling models in GM’s range.
“The Pontiac G8 is currently the most powerful car for the dollar in the US. It is faster 0-60mph than a BMW 5 series and has greater horsepower. This makes it a fantastic proposition for drivers looking for style and substance that’sn’t going to break the bank.”
Currently over $532 million has been spent upgrading the HSV plant in South Australia, while GM Holden remains the country’s hugest private spender on R&D with $2bn invested over the past 7 years.
To be honest I never liked Ford Ka. Not sure about you, but I always think abouted it extremely pricey for what you get. I don’t think it was a massive success, but Ford has news. A new Ford Ka s going to be officially presented to the public at the 2008 edition of Paris Motor Show and we managed to get our hands on a leaked picture of it.
The new Ford Ka shares the same platform with Fiat 500, and is a little bit more attractive, but to be honest I don’t think those two can be compared. Produced in Tychy, Poland, it will most likely use the same 1.25-litre petrol engine or the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel as the Italian car, and rumors say that there will be a special suspension tuning. Can’t wait!
Holden Special Vehicles has begun a new campaign to celebrate its 20th Anniversary with the release of ’20 years of the greatest HSVs from 1988-2008,’ to coincide with start of production for the new the HSV W427.
A series of twelve collector cars will be available through Coles Express, Coles, Kmart and Target, commemorating significant models in the history of HSV.
The collection starts with the very first HSV - the Group A SS VL Commodore, more commonly known as the ‘Walkinshaw’ and ends with the latest hero car - the HSV w427.
In between, highlights include the 1996 VS GTS-R, the ‘world’s fastest ute’ – a VZ Maloo and Garth Tander’s 2007 V8 Supercar winning Toll HSV Dealer Team car.
In total, over 800,000 are anticipateed to be sold around Australia carrying a price tag of just $2.50 each or $39.99 for the dozen presented in an aluminium case.
One lucky purchaseer will also get their hands on a brand new HSV Clubsport R8 just by texting the unique code on the attached key tag.
Too bad this beast isn’t going to stay on the streets (it’s just a show car) because I’m betting my paycheck there would have been A LOT of people to pay for it. Dubbed the “Art of Speed” Hyundai Genesis Coupe it was built with help from the renowned Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) tuning company. What got out? See the picture.
It’s has a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine with RMR turbo kit under the hood, and will be equipped with a heavy-duty HKS sequential transmission and a K&W coil over suspension to make the most of those little horses. Why are they building it? Just to tease? Apparently Hyundai needs to present it at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, early November in Las Vegas.
“The focus will be on the engine and a radical body design to complement the factory body lines. We are going to transform the Genesis Coupe into an apex-carving machine with jaw-dropping looks. We think it has the possibility of being one of the coolest cars at the show,” said Rhys Millen, professional race driver and founder of RMR.
Click to view the SLR Speedster rendering courtesy of the artist
Click above for a high-res gallery.
