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.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we can all admit that this Toyota Tundra "Warrior" prototype has a sinister presence in its shiniest, blackest finery. That silly fake intake is still there in the grille surround, but the rest of the look is successful. It's too bad Toyota didn't pay attention to the TRD Off Road concept's schnoz; thankfully that 2007 show-goer was free of faux scoopery. The Warrior appeared at the Chicago Auto Show to gauge public reaction to the SR5-based upgrade package. We like it. In fact, we think it's the best looking Tundra we've seen. The "none more black" exterior is complemented by various touches of brushed metal on the side mirrors, door handles, and fuel door, the latter of which you'll be seeing a lot of if Toyota builds a 5.7-liter 4x4 version. There's also tinted taillight lenses and handsomely contrasting 17-inch TRD wheels, and can we get a "hell yeah" for the revised lower fascia out front?
We haven't seen any interior shots, but it reportedly banishes some of the Gladware feel of the cabin we experienced when the Tundra visted the Autoblog garage. Mirroring the outside's carbonite treatment, the interior is also decked out in inky hues with brushed metal brightwork. If and when the Warrior hits showrooms, it could be available as an upgrade on 4x2 and 4x4 models with the 4.7- and 5.7-liter V8s, so no V6 Warrior for you.
We're not drawing any conclusions, but it looks pretty definite that Roush is branching out beyond tuning Fords exclusively. We just saw their ace work on Chevrolet's Silverado, and now a pair of Challengers have been spotted in the Roush parking lot. It could mean nothing, but let's dream for a minute. How does a Hemi with a ROUSHCharger cramming atmosphere past the intake valves sound? Yeah, we like the sound of that, too. Whether it's nothing, research, or evidence of a future offering from Roush, it's also nice to see a couple of different colors on the Challenger sheetmetal. We'll take the sinister dark one, thanks.
UPDATE: While it's exciting to dream, it turns out that the Roush facility in the picture is Roush Industries, not Roush performance. Roush Industries does contract work for automakers (a good move, as the performance tuner business is fickle, at best), so these Challengers parked outside aren't a surprising development. Thanks to the commenters who set us straight.
Priddy and Company stumbled across a dolled up VW Routan and managed to capture a shot. Earth shattering revelation here: it looks like a Grand Caravan. It'd be natural to assume some similarities, there's only so much you can do to the basic body shell when badge engineering, but when the spy photogs almost pass it right by, that says something. The boys in the camoflage department deserve a little something extra in their envelope this week, because there aren't too many clues as to what the undisguised version will look like (besides, say, a Chrysler minivan.)
The most noticeable element that we can discern are taillights that are subtly reshaped and have different lenses. It might just be the angle, but it's possible that the rear quarter windows and back hatch are reshaped, as well. It almost looks like there's a little more rake in the aft pillars and you can be sure that the bumper and back hatch have been redone. Ever since a '74 Kombi stole my heart, I've been waiting for a new Microbus, especially with Volkswagen's penchant for the retro. We'll wait until Chicago to pass final judgement, and give props to Chrysler for finding someone to take some of their production volume and keep the lines rolling.
Episode #86 of the Autoblog Podcast is well-caffeineated. We spend a good bit of time talking about the excitement that's filled the Autoblog garage lately. Damon used a handily available Audi R8 as a chase car when we went to drive the Tesla Roadster, and Alex has been sampling the Subaru Tribeca and STI, as well as a rogue Volvo S80. John has been having a blissful month rocking the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero Coupe, too.
There's lots of good car talk, and we take a detour into cupholder minutiae before getting to actual news. A few embargoes fell in front of the upcoming Chicago Auto Show. Car and Driver's blatant cover poll opened the door for Challenger images. Subterfuge aside, the Challenger's a knockout, despite its interior that's granted refugee status to the Sebring's trappings. Trucks will make some news at the Chicago show, and Truck Trend showed us the Hummer H3T and Suzuki Equator, and compact pickups are where we leave it. Until next time, thanks for listening!
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Here's a way to create content long after an auto show has ended, dream up a list of editorial favorite picks. Well, what the hell, we might as well be meta and report on the anti-news. Here we go blithely. AutoWeek handed out its Editors' Choice awards for the North American International Auto Show at its Design Forum on Wednesday. We can debate the relevance, but we'd rather just talk about the cars. The four vehicles that AutoWeek thought were the bee's knees are as follows:
Click on the image above to view in high resolution
While our crew in Detroit was busy bringing you all the latest from the 2008 North American International Auto Show, across the pond the Belgians were holding the European Motor Show. And with all the major automakers putting on the ritz in Detroit, smaller manufacturers took center stage in Brussels.
One of the vehicles making its debut in Belgium was the Ivicta S1, a British-made GT that recently underwent some revisions. Whereas the previous version was strictly a two-seater, the revised interior on the new S1 now includes rear seats. A range of Ford-sourced V8s are available, with the top-of-the-line version producing 600 horsepower and capable of propelling the S1 600 to 60 mph in under four seconds. Invicta's engineers have moved the engine rearwards in the bay and sandwiched the fuel tank under the rear seats to improve the S1's balance, as well. The car's body is made from carbon-fiber, bonded to a tubular steel spaceframe chassis that optimizes rigidity and crashworthiness while keeping the car's weight down to 1,380kg.
Invicta originally began making cars in 1925 but closed in 1933, before the original S1 resurrected the name in 2002 at the Birmingham auto show. The company only makes one product, and only builds one per month.
The Maserati Quattroporte is without a doubt one of our favorite sports sedans, exuding the kind of exotic Italian craftsmanship usually reserved for supercars and two-door GTs. But with a facelift around the corner, the Trident marque has been keeping the sensuous sedan fresh with ever more desirable editions.
The latest is the Quattroporte Collezione Cento, unveiled here at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. If you have a grasp of any romance language, you'll have guessed that the Collezione Cento is limited to a 100 examples, each individually numbered. It features a special ivory tint with a beautiful quilted Cuoio dark tan leather interior, and comes equipped with the company's multimedia entertainment system, a keyboard built in to the rear center armrest, iPod and USB connectivity, web access and DVDs displayed on twin 10.4" touch-screens mounted in the front seatbacks.
We have a selection of live shots from the show floor as well as the press shots in the gallery below, and the official press release can be read after the jump.
In advance of its public unveiling at the Geneva show in March, and after releasing a teaser photo, Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary Skoda has additional photos and details on its upcoming new flagship.
The aptly-named Superb is based on the Volkswagen Passat platform, though stretched out to offer more space. Its range of features includes direction-changing headlights, a new electronic climate control system, and automatic parking assist. Compared with the model it replaces, the new Superb grows another 35mm longer and 18mm wider, but hunkers down 8mm lower and shrinks in wheelbase by 42mm, actually increasing the overhangs contrary to industry trends.
The Superb also wears its own unique bodywork and badging, but like all top-of-the-line Czech models, the best view is around back where the Skoda features a useful hatchback setup. Motivation comes from a range of six engine options – three gasoline and three diesels – topping out with a 260-hp 3.2-liter V6. A five- or six-speed manual will come standard depending on which engine is chosen, but the Superb will also have an available DSG twin-clutch transmission option.
Although the new Superb doesn't come across as the most exciting thing goin' down in Switzerland this coming March, it appears Skoda put together a surprisingly good package.
We've already seen some undisguised pictures of Kia's handsome new midsize SUV, but the vehicle just launched officially in Korea as the Mohave. Official launch means official pictures, and that's what we have here, a ton of really beautiful images of what we'll soon know as the Borrego. Not that Borrego, this one sports a full frame, seating places for seven, and the choice of Kia's strong-like-bull V6 or their first V8. The wisdom of introducing a new body-on-frame SUV at this point, especially in light of the coming new CAFE rules, might be questionable, but the vehicle itself is handsome and it's hard to deny the inherent value that Kia bakes into its cars. We'll check the Borrego out in person when it makes it's US debut at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, Carscoop unearthed a lot of great pictures to tide us over.
Episode #86 of the Autoblog Podcast is well-caffeineated. We spend a good bit of time talking about the excitement that's filled the Autoblog garage lately. Damon used a handily available Audi R8 as a chase car when we went to drive the Tesla Roadster, and Alex has been sampling the Subaru Tribeca and STI, as well as a rogue Volvo S80. John has been having a blissful month rocking the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero Coupe, too. 
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2010 Chevy Camaro - Official Details and Images
2010 Chevy Camaro - LIVE from the reveal
First Drive: Maserati Quattroporte S in Europe
First Drive: 2008 MINI Cooper S JCW
In the Autoblog Garage:2009 Nissan GT-R
North American Exclusive First Drive: Alfa MiTo
First Drive: 2009 Kia Borrego
