Autoblog

Bertone's not officially exhibiting at Geneva this year, as the company is going through some upheaval, but it still made a splash in Switzerland. The B.A.T. 11, paying direct homage to the original B.A.T. concepts, was unveiled in Geneva at the AutoDesignNight event. The car was commissioned by Gary Kaberle, and you'd never know that there's an Alfa Romeo 8C hiding under the sheetmetal that's strongly evocative of the 1955 B.A.T. 5. Tapered fins and faired in wheels follow the design fundamentals laid down 50-plus years ago by Nuccio Bertone and Franco Scaglione, and the unique wheels with two layers of spokes are a 21st-century interpretation of the classic Borrani wires. Surfaces with a mix of soft and crisp forms and details still look futuristic, even while paying homage to the past. Financial woes or not, Bertone is still one of the world's premiere houses of automotive haute couture, and the B.A.T. 11 will hopefully not be the company's last gasp. Click the source to view more photos of the B.A.T. 11 concept at its off-site debut in Geneva yesterday.

[Source: Car Design News, Photo by Brett Patterson]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Morgan LifeCar

For a company that still makes cars out of wood, Morgan knows not only how to hang in there, but to come up with some really neat stuff. The LifeCar divides a line that reaches well into the past and well into the future. Its lines are retro modern -- or is that modern retro? -- with all the traditional early-20th-century coupe cues done in aluminum. The hydrogen powerplant is theoretically good for a 200-mile range and "sporting" British performance. Check out the press release for the full details, and be sure to look at the gallery of hi-res images below.

The big news from Bentley in Geneva wasn't really about today -- but stay tuned for 2012. Bentley plans to have its wheel-to-well measure of CO2 emissions down to less than 120g/km, from 400 g/km now. How? By lightening the cars, by engineering better transmissions, and through powerplants able to take advantage of 2nd generation biofuels, meaning cellulosic ethanol from straw and waste products. The best Bentley head Dr. Josef Paefgen would say for specifics was "everything is being considered." So there. Click through the jump to get the full press release and the science, and be thankful Bentley's given you something to look forward to.

[Source: Bentley]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermes

The press release says "This car's greatest strength is its ability to make you feel like a child again (a somewhat boisterous child, admittedly)." We can't agree enough. Who among us doesn't have childhood tales of doing 200-plus in our €1.55 million toys? This blogger used to do it all the time -- no, really, all the time, 'cause I was really boisterous -- and I am sure I'm not alone. Hyperbole aside, it's a Bugatti, and that makes it exquisite. And frankly, even if you aren't a fan of Hermes, they do amazing work, which, incredibly, makes the Bug even more exquisite. The "H"-logoed wheels and the fitted bag are spot on. The Hermes engraved fuel filler door could be over the top, but one loses any sense of O.T.T. after flying by the $2 million mark. But hey, if we're all feeling like kids again, maybe I can get them to take 1.55 million mud pies instead of euros. Until then, thirty one hi-res photos await you in the gallery below. Enjoy.

Click the pic above to see a hi-res gallery of the Peugeot 308 GT THP 175

If you want a MINI, but you'd rather it looked and felt like a Peugeot 308, then this is the car for you. It's got the same engine that Peugeot makes for BMW's kleine Wunder-brand, but it's got all that chunky Peugeot goodness that MINI couldn't wouldn't ever replicate. And not only will you get 175-HP, a Scrabble-icious combination of letters and numbers, and mirrors with a Dumbo-esque flavor, but 37.1-MPG frugality is yours for the taking. Check out the hi-res gallery below for a closer look at the swifty, thrifty Pug.

Click the image above for more hi-res shots of the carbon-heavy BMW 1-Series performance parts

P. T. Barnum already answered how many people you could fit in an itty bitty car. BMW is now trying to figure out how much carbon you can fit into the same. The BMW 1-Series performance parts will keep carbon weavers in business for some time (we figure they'll be quite popular). The only sizable component not made out of carbon was the silencer, and no one will see that after it's installed. If nothing else, it could be the best and most agreeable way to raise your carbon footprint. It's a shame about that hood, though... Check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.

Click the image above for hi-res shots of the Peugeot 308SW

The Peugeot 308SW (for SportWagon), on the show floor, does not look like a big car. It certainly doesn't look big enough to swallow seven full-sized people. On the rotating podium, however, the car looked almost monstrous. Get inside, and the car appears to be even larger. If you sit in the driver's seat in Geneva, the rear hatch lies somewhere around Lichtenstein. It's that capacious. As with so many French things, the pics don't do it justice, but have a look at the gallery of hi-res photos to see if you can see what we see.

Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the BMW X5 Vision EfficientDynamics

A man might not be a camel, but BMW's X5 Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid is. The vehicle, with its twin-turbo 4-cylinder diesel engine mated to a li-ion battery pack that doesn't need to be refueled until after the Apocalypse. by then, fuel will probably be the last of your worries. Special aero rims, a solar roof panel to heat up engine fluids before you start the vehicle, an 8-speed transmission, and X5 room and ride only make it all the sweeter. Check out the hi-res gallery of shots below to get as close as we did to it.

Click the image above for more hi-res shots of the SL63

Two doors, no top, red leather interior, ceramic brakes, and 538 horses is a combination you once expected to be named for an Italian city or racing personage. No more. And while the alpha-numeric SL63 might not be all that Germanic in itself, it gets no more Teutonic than the hyphenated moniker "Mercedes-Benz" that precedes it. Now that Merc is making cars as fast as those of its Latin neighbor, perhaps the SL63 -- being a tad more comfortable -- is the car you drive to go check on the progress of your bespoke Italian supercar. Check out the hi-res gallery of the Bahn-burningest droptop.

Click the above photo for more shots of the M3 Convertible

BMW was highlighting its green credentials today, so it gave no more than a mention to the M3 Cabriolet -- but that doesn't mean the M3 went unloved. The impossibly blue convertible sat just around the corner from the Vision Hybrid in the spotlight, brooding, but with plenty of press-type friends taking pictures and asking questions. Have a look at the live shots in the gallery below to see why.