Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mazda Furai

Of all the Nagare-themed concepts that Mazda has released over the past two years, one stands out. The Mazda Furai concept was unveiled this past January in Detroit and it walked away with our internal Best of Show award. Built around Mazda's two-year-old ALMS Courage C65 chassis and motivated by a 450-hp, three-rotor Wankel juiced by E100 Ethanol, the Furai was a concept that stood above the rest. Part of that was due to its stunning design, but mainly because it was also runner. And run it does. We've already seen video of the Furai testing at a track in Japan, and now we get to experience what its like inside during a few hot laps around the Buttonwillow circuit. Hit the jump to check it out, and make sure your speakers are turned up to 11, unless you're still at work.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mazda Taiki concept.

Mazda is finally going to employ the styling cues shown on its Taiki, Ryuga, Hakaze and Furai show cars with a supermini concept, due to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. The concept aims to slot in below the Mazda2 and may be the first production model to benefit from the Nagare design theme. Other models utilizing Laurens van der Acker's swooping and sculpted lines are expected to come to production in 2010, including the redesigned Mazda3.

Mazda also plans to unveil a small crossover concept at the Moscow Motor Show later this year, which will likely be based of the Ford Kuga and utilize the same Nagare DNA. This new CUV will be specifically designed for the Russian market, which Mazda maintains could overtake Germany as the largest market in Europe. But bringing this cute 'ute to the UK and the US is a possibility, as consumers continue to downsize their rides.

[Source: Autocar]

Watson, the mystery's been solved. After Chris spied a sinuous silver shape on his iPhone and a couple of readers sent us shots from the Nurburgring web cam, we now have video of the Veritas RS3 sitting at the starting gate, ready to do... something on the infamous Nordschleife. The blokes from the Bridge to Gantry have put the matter to rest with a video walk-around of the Veritas taken by one of the dozens of people surrounding the concept before it made its way onto the Green Hell.

Just as a refresher, the Veritas RS3 was a showcar displayed in 2001 packing a BMW-sourced V12 putting out 670 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. With a tubular chassis and a total weight of just over a ton, we can only imagine the fun the race-ready driver was having after speeding off from the entry gate at the 'Ring.

Check the full video after the jump and you can read up on the Veritas' racing history by clicking these blue colored words.


[Source: Bridge to Gantry via Axis of Oversteer]

Click above for a gallery of the Veritas RS3 at the 'Ring.

Just last week we asked you to help us identify a mystery car we caught on the Nuerburgring Web cam. Knowledgeable reader PandaBeat guessed it was the Veritas RS3 Concept car and won the admiration and respect of the staff, if not other readers.

We've again spied this odd car while checking the Web cam, as well as eagle-eyed readers Eric Recher and Cole Eswein who sent us more evidence. With these much-improved views, we can see that if it is the Veritas, it has grown a hood scoop and some aerodynamic aids beneath its chin, as well as sprouted larger headlamps that wrap above the front fenders.

So does this confirm that our mystery car is the Veritas Concept from 2001 with a few updates? Or are we looking at a new Veritas concept? Is this testing of a production prototype or an entirely different car?

Check out the gallery for more mystery car clues.

Click above for high-res version

We've been debating whether or not this is a real photo or an expert rendering, but if it is a photoshopped image of a BMW M1 prototype, then it is very convincing. According to FreshTarmac.com, this photo was taken in a hangar in Spain. It shows a sleek two-door, probably mid-engined coupe with attributes of the new M3 incorporated into its design, especially the front fenders and hood. With BMW introducing the M1 Hommage Concept at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este last week, we hope this means that is already considering a production version. Come on BMW, build it! Thanks for the tip, John!

[Source: FreshTarmac.com]

Photo: KEVIN A. WILSON, Autoweek

Recently, Ford Motor Company sponsored a contest with the goal of modernizing the iconic Model T, a car which revolutionized motorized transportation the world over. The winner of the competition, a 24-year-old junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit named Dong Trang, came up with an electric crossover of sorts. That's fitting, according to Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, because Henry Ford's original Model T sat high off the ground and had a modular design, capable of hauling people and their stuff at the same time.

What the modern-day designs don't share with their forebear is retro looks. Each of the modern T adaptations features fairly sleek styling and alternative power that goes along with our modern-day energy and emissions problems.

Trang's design is rather unique, featuring solar panels on the vehicle along with an energy-capturing suspension design that would help recharge the on-board batteries. Those batteries are also removable to provide power outside the vehicle. The seating arrangement is modular, allowing for up to four occupants or offering increased storage capacity. The rear hatch is also capable of folding away to offer a small pickup bed. Click past the break for some videos of Trang talking about his design.

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Autoweek]

Click on the images to view the Carrozzeria Touring Maserati A8 GCS and Bellagio Fastback in high resolution

The reborn Carrozzeria Touring made a big splash at Villa d'Este. As the featured marque of the Concorso d'Eleganza this year, the fathers of the classic Superleggera construction method took the wraps off two stunning coachbuilt Maseratis. While we wait for Touring to release more information on the swoopy A8 GCS sportscar and Bellagio Fastback, the Carrozzeria has graced us with a few new images of the two cars.

The photos of the A8 GCS show the custom coupe in a much better light than the initial batch, and there's another shot of the Quattroporte-based Bellagio, as well. As you can see in the latter, the side windows on the wagon are blanked out, but while the extension might not do any favors for blind-spot visibility, we hardly think that's the point as the design and craftsmanship appear second to none. Check out the images in the two galleries below to see for yourself.

[Source: Carrozzeria Touring]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Buick Invicta Concept

GM Vice Chairman Bob "Maximum" Lutz published a new post today on the corporate GM Fastlane Blog that addresses the automaker's newest concept that debuted recently at Auto China 2008 in Beijing: the Invicta. The concept heavily hints at what the next-generation Buick LaCrosse will look like, but Bob points out that the global architecture underpinning the vehicle will be the basis of new cars for Chevy, Saab, Opel/Vauxhall and more. In the past, we would've expected those accompanying models to be rebadged versions with different grilles, headlights and taillights, but Bob explains how GM's new global platform sharing process is different than the rebadging of old. In a nutshell, he says that the money saved from sharing common platforms see will be put into making everything that customer's will see - exterior and interior design, specifically - completely different. While it's great to hear Bob talk about how GM finally "gets it" when it comes to producing common products across an empire of brands, it's something that other automakers like VW/Audi have been doing for years while the General kept feeding us "triplets" of every model it made. So kudos to GM for finally getting it, but it took 'em long enough.


[Source: GM FastLane blog]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the X-by-Wire EA2 Concept

Nissan showed off a drive-by-wire concept that wasn't about touting the technology itself, but the space and features you could get back because of it. By fitting a steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and shift-by-wire systems, 11 centimeters of extra space was added to the cabin which allowed for a third row of seats in the rear of this Murano-based concept. The room came from pushing the wheels out to the far corners, which could be safely done without sacrificing vehicle dynamics due to the lack of mechanical linkages.

The small, race-style steering wheel needs less turning input, and the column can be tilted up completely out of the way. The center tunnel has become a beautifully finished control panel that gently arcs up to greet the driver. When you don't need it, it can also be folded back over itself creating even more space in the front area. When I did, the swath of empty space between the front seats was so inviting I almost wanted to take a nap.

The Nissan R&D engineer with the vehicle said that there were no plans to put the technology into any products right now. But it is being studied, especially one of the main issues -- as with all drive-by-wire systems -- the implementation of redundant systems.

You can check out the Nissan 360 event site for more details on the EA2 concept and all the vehicles in Nissan's lineup. In the mean time, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.


Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Click the image above for more hi-res shots of the 370Z and Infiniti design teasers.

There were crisp images of a blurry car being swapped and discussed today at Nissan 360. When Shiro Nakamura, the head designer at Nissan, revealed the barest hints of a car outline hidden behind a taut sheet of fabric, speculation began as to whether it represented the new Z. The arced flanges over the wheels, and the way they follow the wheels, have 370Z written all over them. However, it doesn't look as if it would fit this rendering exactly -- which is not a bad thing. All Nakamura would say is that we'll be seeing that wheel later this year, which, coincidentally, is when the next Z -- supposedly lighter and four inches shorter than the current car -- is slated to be unveiled.

The other design teaser was a top-view sculpture of future Infiniti design elements. Who knows what or how much of the elements -- like the ducktail rear -- will make it to the final product, and who knows what those features will look like when in production. But it's a good looking piece of art in its own right. A brace of edges peeking out from a sea of crimson undulations -- if they had thrown wheels on it I would have driven it out of the hotel last night.


Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.