Autoblog

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Word from inside the pages of an unnamed Japanese auto mag is that this car will debut on the Mazda stand at this year's Tokyo Motor Show next month. The coupe is obviously inspired by the trio of concepts that Mazda debuted on the auto show circuit last year: the Nagare, Ryuga and Kabura concepts. While we don't know if these pics are official from Mazda or merely renderings produced by the magazine, we can tell you that at least the head on shot is a touched up version of a Kabura sketch. In fact, the entire car looks mostly like a production version of the Kabura Concept, though it features cues from all three concepts.

Though it's not known whether it would be front- or rear-wheel drive, the article is reported to mention that it would be powered by the next generation of Mazda's rotary engine, the RENESIS(2), which itself will incorporate the first increase in displacement of a Mazda rotary engine from its famous 1.3 liters since 1974.

Regardless of whether or not these are official pics, one thing's for sure is that they show a car we'd want to buy. Ever since seeing the Nagare, Ryuga and Senku concepts, we've wondered how those radical concepts might translate into a production car, and we might have our answer in a few weeks.

Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: Rotarynews.com]

One of the cars we are most interested in seeing at the Detroit show is the new Ford Interceptor Concept. Although we've seen pictures already, this Mustang platform-mate has the potential to challenge the Mopar 300/Charger duo in the rear-drive large American sedan segment. We hope it makes it to production because by bringing its 427-esque styling to market, Ford will also win some street cred for not letting this bold design die on the vine.

Now we have a unique chance to see how the actual Interceptor show car was put together courtesy of USA Today. They stopped in at Aria in Irvine, California to get an inside look at how a show car is built. Aria is one of those concept builders that crafts million-dollar show cars mostly by hand and usually in total secrecy. They are also responsible for other Ford projects like the aluminum-bodied Ford Shelby GR-1 as well.

USA Today follows the Interceptor project over a couple of weeks from when it resembled nothing more than a giant pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces to the final days when the car was finished just in time for its shipping deadline. Pretty interesting read with some additional glimpses at the Mazda Nagare concept mishap that had the Aria team scrambling minutes before the debut. Check it out for yourself by clicking the read link.

[Source: USA Today via Kicking Tires]