Artist William Burge has found a way to artfully reattach all of the little pieces that have fallen off his 1968 Volkswagen Beetle. The results are far more impressive than the Bug's original and once-ubiquitous countenance. Actually, we counted all 21,000 gigashards of metal, and that's more metal than a '68 Type 1 contained, and even the steady diet of replacement parts doesn't account for the amount of cold-rolled whatever comprising this bodyshell. The car's exhibition at the Essen Motor Show is apropos on a whole bunch of levels.
The gargoyle-themed Volkswagen will fit right in among the cathedrals and castles in the city, which is a future European Capital of Culture for 2010. Being a cultural hub, the intricate suit of armor worn by Burge's once-humble Beetle will be understood for the masterpiece that it is, and the painstaking metal work that went into the car will not be lost on the home of the Krupp Iron Works. There's not much information to be found about the car, which Burge has named "Phantoms," though it's been on display in Essen from November 26th, and will be at the Motor Show until the 9th of December. We're dying for details, particularly how it was put together? What's the interior look like? Is it still being pushed around by a 1500? Can I borrow it to discourage parking in front of my house? One of you astute commenters out there must have more information; please share!
While delta4x4 would like you to think its Grand Cherokee SRT8-based DUNE PROJECT is ready to storm the desert, those 23-inch rims wrapped in 40-series Continentals say otherwise. No matter. We think the DP's cool nonetheless, thanks mostly to the 499 horsepower it dishes out courtesy of a revamped exhaust and reprogrammed engine management system. 62 miles per hour arrives in under five seconds.
Visual changes include a 100 mm lift, a custom front bumper with an integrated Warn winch, and PIAA off-road lighting mounted to the front wheel arches and a stainless roof rack. The matte maroon finish isn't exactly attractive, though, and those bright blue brake calipers don't help matters in that regard, either. Colors, thankfully, can be changed. We'd leave everything else just as is.
German tuning house Abt Sportsline brought everything and the kitchen sink to the Essen Motor Show, and rather than present it piecemeal, we figured we'd put the whole megillah out for you in one shot. From A4 to Touareg, the latest hardware from VW and Audi has been worked over with appearance and suspension mods. Most boast notable power upgrades as well. Yes, we'll even revisit the (unfortunately) red-and-green-trimmed Abt R8, which we first talked about last week. If you're looking for a Christmas-themed supercar, or if you're a really nostalgic New Jersey Devils fan, it might just fit the bill.
Follow the jump for the rundown on all things Abt at Essen.
So, the Tiguan R-Line we showed you last week has made its debut in Essen as a concept, but a release from Volkswagen UK makes it sound as if the prevailing wisdom is that it'll ultimately be offered as the top-line Tiguan (in the UK, at least). So, now that we have some official info, we can definitively tell you what comprises VW Individual's R-Line package shown above. The body kit includes new front and rear bumpers, color-keyed sill and wheel arch extensions, and a new grille. The extended arches cover 19" wheels, and inside, front passengers get sport seats embossed with the "R" logo, while the driver gets to turn a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The Tiguan arrives in Europe in early '08, and hits US showrooms next summer.
What happens when you take a Jetta Wagon, give it GTI-topping power, a stereo to wake the dead, and 4Motion all-wheel drive? You get the Golf Variant RaVe 270 concept that VW's showing off in Essen. The car's name is derived from its hopped-up GTI engine's 270 horsepower and the techno beats being emitted from its 13-speaker 1400-watt audio system. (Get it? Techno...Rave. Yeah, we rolled our eyes, too.) A full body kit including an aggressive new front fascia lends the RaVe some visual presence to go along with its extra ponies, with 19" five-spokes and a pair of double-barreled exhaust tips finishing off the lowered wagon's visual upgrades.
Strip out the ridiculous audio/video system and you've got something that seems pretty doable from a production standpoint. An AWD sportwagon with more power than an R32 and better fuel economy to boot (9.1l/100km or 25.8 mpg) is an attractive proposition, indeed. We're sure VW's paying close attention to the reaction the RaVe's getting from show attendees.
The tuner-fest that is the Essen Motor Show will provide the backdrop for VW when it reveals its newest R-Line package from Volkswagen Individual. It's applied to the spanky-new Tiguan SUV, and aside from the wheels, bodykit and "R" logo on the headrests, we don't know what else (if anything) the package will bring. VW hasn't actually released any official info yet -- just the two photos. We'll find out the rest soon enough, as Essen kicks off this Friday. [Source: Volkswagen (via CarScoop)]
TechArt's performance modifications to Porsche's already-impressive sports cars might seem akin to adding a third warp nacelle to the starship Enterprise for the pure fun of it, but who are we to argue with the results? The supertuner/niche manufacturer has readied its latest creation for debut at the upcoming Essen Motor Show (think SEMA for European manufacturers). The TechArt Turbo Cabriolet follows the usual formula, offering incremental power upgrades culminating with a ridiculous 630 hp/604 lb-ft. This, while retaining the Turbo's AWD system and offering the added benefit of topless motoring. 911 GT2? What's that?
The added juice comes from new turbos, extensively upgraded intake and exhaust plumbing, and new engine management programming that ties it all together. TechArt also doctors the chassis, allowing the car to be lowered an additional 25mm via the factory PASM setup. Buyers can choose between two aero packages and the usual assortment of wheel/tire/interior upgrades, resulting in a bespoke convertible sports car with a top speed of 214 mph. Montgomery Scott not included.
Next month's Essen Motor Show will feature a ton of tuned vehicles from Europe's best and brightest, and among them will be Abt's interpretation of the new Volkswagen Tiguan. The new crossover has just hit the market abroad, but Abt has already done its best to make this new cute 'ute stand out from its stock counterpart.
On the outside, a two-tone body kit plays off the Tiguan's relatively staid styling to create a substantially more aggressive persona, complete with new front and rear spoilers, flared wheel arches, side skirts and a larger front grille. Abt didn't get into specifics about what suspension modifications were performed to drop the Tiggy over optional 18-, 19- or 20-inch rollers, but new brakes are part of the package.
Buyers who opted for the 1.4-liter turbocharged FSI engine will get a significant boost in output from 150 HP to 200 HP, while the 2.0-liter turbodiesel can either be had in 170 HP or 200 HP flavors. There's no mention of torque figures for either engine, nor are there performance estimates available in the press release after the jump.
Although we've talked about Bugatti's plans for a super sedan as a follow-up to the all-powerful Veyron, apparently there are some people out there who don't have the patience to wait for such a car to become reality. German tuner LEW Design can help you get at least part way there with its new LEW Big Bang.
LEW took the expeditious path and used a Bentley Continental GT as a starting point and slapped on some Bugatti styling cues. The Big Bang, unveiled at the Essen Motor Show, has the Bug look with its iconic Bugatti horseshoe grille and Audi Q7 headlights that mimic the Veyron look. Carbon fiber panels are used around the Conti to reduce weight a bit, as well as make some subtle styling changes.
With the tunerrific Essen Motor Show upon us, we've received more info on what Deutsch masters of mayhem, Brabus/Startech, prepared for the show (Startech is Brabus' Chrysler Group vehicle specialist). We'll start with their Jeep Compass.
The Compass is a pretty ugly car, which is tragic, because the original 2002 Compass Concept was super-duper-looking (photos after the jump). And give Startech a little credit -- they've made the retail version look a bit better just by referencing the concept for inspiration and trying to apply more cues from it to their version. (How novel. If only Jeep had done the same thing.) The stock, ridiculous-looking fascia has been jettisoned in favor of a Startech unit that mimics the concept car's frontal appearance, with a metallic-look bumper cover that features foglights covered in protective grilles.
Plenty more to talk about. It continues after the jump.
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