Click for hi res gallery of the Versus edition Lancia Ypsilon

The other day I was sitting at a beachside bar where they had Fashion TV playing on flatscreens around the place and I couldn't help notice that while some of the stuff looked great, the rest looked horrible. Looks like the same trend has applied itself to automotive design, as Italian fashion house Versace has forged a new relationship with another automaker. But while the Versace edition Lamborghini Murcielago looks cooler than air conditioning in Alaska, somehow this new Lancia Ypsilon doesn't quite cut it.

That's probably more Lancia's fault than Versace's, but the overall package, thorough though it is, leaves much to be desired. Created with Versace's second brand Versus, the special edition Ypsilon is sprayed bronze, much like the customers likely to buy it. The Versus logo is applied all over the interior and exterior of the car, which features matching bronze chromework and rims. The Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition will be unveiled in concept form next week in Paris, and will be produced in a limited run of 500 examples starting in March next year. This isn't the first designer edition Ypsilon, following the previous Momo edition, but Lancia's going to need something better than a new paint job to extract itself from the bronze age. For our part, we'd sooner go for the Diesel edition Fiat 500. Press release after the jump and images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition

[Source: Lancia]

Continue reading Paris '08 Preview: Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition

Paris '08 Preview: Lancia Ypsilon Versus edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As far as supercars go, the Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F40 share little in common. Both have engines mounted amidship, two seats, and one turbocharger for each cylinder bank. Both sat at the absolute pinnacle of performance in their respective times. But that's where the similarities end.

While the heavy Veyron powers all four wheels with a 1000-hp quad-turbo W16 engine through a 7-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox, the super-light F40 was driven through a conventional 6-speed manual by a twin-turbo 3-liter V8 to the rear wheels. The Veyron is one of the most complicated cars ever devised, let alone produced, while the F40 was a straight-forward and brutally simple instrument.

Which would you rather have, the cruise missile or the bullet? The video after the jump might not answer the hypothetical question for you, but it does make for an entertaining view with a soundtrack of pure engine sounds unadulterated by the usual techno soundtrack.

[Source: EVO magazine]

Continue reading VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F40

VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F40 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There could hardly be two more different approaches to the exotic supercar than the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and the Porsche Carrera GT. One's a production Italian gran tourismo with a front-mounted V12, and the other's a rare German targa with a mid-mounted V10. The Ferrari was designed and executed to be easy to drive, while the Porsche is reportedly twitchier than a monkey drinking coffee. As far as exotic sportscars go, they're like apples and oranges.

The question is, which one is faster? The video after the jump has your answer. The two supercars make two runs from a rolling start. One pulls ahead but by the end of the drag strip the second is ahead by a couple car-lengths. Follow the jump to find out which took the checkered flag.

(If you're thinking the Enzo would be a more fitting adversary for the Carrera GT, you're not the only one.)

[Source: German Car Blog]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ferrari 599 GTB vs. Porche Carrera GT

VIDEO: Ferrari 599 GTB vs. Porche Carrera GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Camaro and Mustang do battle in Transformers: The Movie

Camaro and Mustang do battle in Transformers: The Movie originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Camaro Concept versus Mustang debate goes digital originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 May 2006 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.