Autoblog

Karmann Go: Legendary coachbuilder shuts down as last car comes off the line

Chris Paukert — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:56:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Europe, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Specialty

Karmann throughout the years - Click above for high-res image gallery

Troubled coachbuilder and specialty car manufacturer Karmann has gone dark. The firm's final vehicle - a Mercedes-Benz CLK came off the lines on Monday as the legendary company has been shuttered because of insolvency.

Perhaps best known for its Volkswagen-based Karmann Ghia coupe and convertible (shown above), Karmann has actually produced in excess of 3.3 million automobiles for various automakers - mostly convertibles. In recent times, it's been responsible for assembling cars like the Spyker C8, Audi A4 Cabriolet, Chrysler Sebring Convertible, Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible, and the Pontiac G6 Convertible.

According to German's The Local, Karmann actually "went bust last week," though it still hopes to change its focus to parts production if officials are able to successfully reorganize the firm and stay in business. Unfortunately, finger-pointing between the Osnabrück company's management and its unions is preventing any sort of restructuring, let alone a quick turnaround.

The company's 2,240 workers have all apparently been given notice, and their benefits plans will likely be eliminated. Check out more details at the link below and peruse a high-res gallery of Karmann's vehicles (including some of its concept cars) by clicking on the thumbnails below. Thanks for the tip, Gregg.

Gallery: Karmann throughout the years

[Sources: The Local; StraitsTimes]

Karmann Go: Legendary coachbuilder shuts down as last car comes off the line originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rolls-Royce to build special edition Minis?

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Rumormill, Specialty

Gearing up for production of the Silver Ghost, Rolls-Royce recently put out the call for craftspeople good with wood, leather, and paint. If a new MotoringFile report is true, if any of you get the job, you might be making wood veneers not just for the new plutocratic sedan, but for a few special Mini models as well.

Word is that Rolls-Royce will be developing a range of "coachbuilt" factory options, lumped together as options packages for Mini that you can order at your dealer and that would be administered at the Oxford plant. It is also being suggested that the Rolls name will somehow be attached to the special Coopers as well. You can let your Mini dealer know if you're interested in the program, but based on the estimated price of some other special edition Minis, well, be prepared to pay a lot of money.

[Source: MotoringFile | Image: Automoblog.net]

Rolls-Royce to build special edition Minis? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 May 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pininfarina to cease contract manufacturing, transfer ownership to banks

Noah Joseph — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials

Click above to view the Pininfarina Sintesi in our high-resolution image gallery

It's been a rough few years for Italy's coachbuilders, and times aren't getting any easier. Bertone almost went under before a rescue plan was approved by the courts at the eleventh hour, and now Pininfarina is poised to follow them down the same path. Drowning in nearly €600 million in debt, Pininfarina is set to shut down its contract manufacturing operations and concentrate on its own electric vehicle initiative while the family loses control of its company to the banks.

Although contract manufacturing once constituted the lion's share of business for outfits like Pininfarina, those times are long gone. Pininfarina still makes the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet for Ford and the Brera and Spider for Alfa Romeo, but at levels hovering around a quarter of anticipated output. Instead, the design house will refocus on its joint production of the Bzero electric vehicle with Bollore, targeted to hit the market in 2010-11. Meanwhile, the grandchildren of Battista "Pinin" Farina - recently lead by Andrea Pininfarina (until his death in a tragic accident in August) and now led by his brother Paolo - will transfer 50.4 percent ownership to its creditors in exchange for a €180 million reduction of its debt, to be followed by a further reduction of €70 million in exchange for rights to the name. The family, meanwhile, will retain only 4.5 percent stake in the namesake company, with the remaining shares publicly traded (including some held by Enzo's son Piero Ferrari and some by Tata). The banks, however, will seek no management changes or board seats in exchange for the controlling interest.

Gallery: Pininfarina B0

[Source: Automotive News Europe - Sub. Req.]

Pininfarina to cease contract manufacturing, transfer ownership to banks originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2008: Citroen 2CV by Hermes

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:35:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Paris Motor Show, Citroën, Specialty

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the Citroen 2CV by Hermes

There are a lot of big birthdays in the car industry this year, and the Citroen 2CV joins GM and Land Rover in the candle-blowing crowd. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the deux-say-vay, Hermes created a special version of a 1989 Citroen 2CV6 Special for the Paris Auto Show. If you saw the Bugatti Veryon by Hermes you know what to expect, with hand-stitched swathes of Hermes trademark gray-beige leather contrasted with white on the front and rear benches. Of course the Hermes treatment is worth as much as the car itself, but anything the 2CV lacks in luxury is more than made up for by character. Check out the press release after the jump and the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Citroen 2CV by Hermes

Continue reading Paris 2008: Citroen 2CV by Hermes

Paris 2008: Citroen 2CV by Hermes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac CTS convertible: American coachbuilding at its finest

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Sedan, Cadillac

While Cadillac busies itself with a 2-door version of the new CTS sedan, the folks over at Coach Builders, Ltd have been busy taking their tops off. The boulevardier CTS gets an insulated, hydraulically-powered roof fitted with a heated glass rear window and cloth headliner. The top also comes in several colors. Judging by this pic, it also looks like a fair bit of work has gone into making the car look good with the top down. No word on what happens to trunk space, however.

It'll cost you more than a few quarters -- $19,000 gets the job done in eight weeks -- but that's the price of exclusivity, right? It's also employs a manual release, but these things happen when you're a style pioneer. We'd like to see pics of the car with the top up, because we wonder if this could be the first cloth-topped Caddy truly fit for the younger set.

[Source: Inside Line]

Cadillac CTS convertible: American coachbuilding at its finest originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bespoke roadster uses WWII German fighter power

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:34:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Etc.

Pur Sang, an Argentine coachbuilder, is normally in the business of making Bugatti T35 replicas. It also makes custom vehicles for those who can afford them, and for one German customer it has made the burgundy roadster you see above. Not much is known about it (or the client), except that the lengthy engine cowl hides the magnesium V12 from a German WWII airplane. It isn't revealed exactly what engine it is, but both Daimler and Junkers made inverted V12 powerplants, and the Daimler model had direct fuel injection and went into the Messerschmidt 109. The roadster's horsepower is listed as 400, which would be a severe detune from the potential 1,200 hp that the 109 boasted. However, torque is a massive 885 lb-ft, which should still allow for some pretty exciting low-level maneuvers. The exact price wasn't revealed, but it was said to be well into six figures, in euros.

Thanks for the tip, Carlos!

[Source: Argentina Auto Blog]

Bespoke roadster uses WWII German fighter power originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What does Henrik Fisker roll on?

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:04:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket

Too many trips to SEMA have left us immune to the shiny detritus that populates the pages of some of our favorite mags, but when Henrik Fisker, the man who penned the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin DB9, gets into the wheel business, we take notice.

Beyond his newest coachbuilding projects, Fisker has released two new wheels, designed to fit within the arches of several BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The ten-spoke FL10 has a bit more of a competitive aura, while the FT5 gets away with the right amount of style and substance. Both are available in gunmetal or titanium finishes, with prices starting around $1,500. But if you ask nice and are willing to exercise your Black Card, they'll customize your wheels with the paint scheme of your choosing.

You can see if you can purchase Fisker's wheels for your own whip by following this link to their website.

[Source: InsideLine]

What does Henrik Fisker roll on? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The car as art: Leepu Awila's RMX-1

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. One man's artistic expression in vehicular form may make another man vomit uncontrollably. While this particular vehicle probably falls on the latter end of the spectrum for most, we felt like we had to share. Perhaps it will inspire other designers to come up with something ~~less hideous~~ more to their liking. Bangladeshi automotive artist Leepu Awila created his RMX-1 as more of a design study than a functional concept.

Awila originally hand sketched the RMX-1 after being inspired by a trip to an aquarium. "I'm giving it big side-windows. People are gonna want to see the driver of this car," says Leepu Awila, "not just their face but what they're wearing, their trousers or skirt. I got the idea at the aquarium. I thought: if I can see the fish, the fish can definitely see me."

In just six short weeks, he managed to gather all of the parts and materials he needed and hammer the car into shape. He used raw sheet metal if needed, but also used many parts salvaged from used car markets. A chassis from an old Capri and the greenhouse from a mangled Calibra to name but two. Awila developed his coachbuilding skills by building replicas of his favorite cars after he had seen them at auto shows. His first project was a replica of the Lamborghini Countach that he built on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis.

Over the years he got really good at it, but it eventually struck him that he didn't want to fake it any more and that he "felt like a thief". He wanted to come up with his own designs, allowing his creative juices to flow. For Awila the end product isn't the most important thing. The actual creation of the piece itself, the construction process that turns scrap into a thing of beauty, is the reward.

[Source: Top Gear via Motor Authority]

The car as art: Leepu Awila's RMX-1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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