All Entries Tagged With: "cool cars"
Porsche 918 Spyder Boasts Faster Lap Times Than Carrera GT
This year, automakers used the Geneva Motor Show to showcase ridiculously fast hybrid and electric cars. My favorite of the lot? While it’s hard to decide, it will have to be the Porsche 918 Spyder, a plug-in hybrid supercar that makes no compromises on driving power.
While high-performance luxury sportscars won’t be saving the world anytime soon, you can’t help but look in awe of a vehicle that pairs eco-friendly tech with sophisticated performance. In fact, Porsche claims their new hybrid cleared the famous Nurburgring in 7.5 minutes, making it faster than their very own Carrera GT.
The 918 Spyder’s powertrain consists of a V8 engine (pulled from the RS Spyder race-car parts bin) and two electric motors, combining for a total of 500hp and an impressive driving mileage of 78.4 mpg. It posts a top speed of 198 mph and accelerates from 0 to 60 in as fast as 3.2 seconds. [...]
ECOS Harbinger: Lambo-Inspired Looks, All-Electric Powertrain And Up To 117 Mph
For $12,500, you can bring your car down to Electric Cars of Springfield (ECOS) and have it retrofitted with an all-electric powertrain. If you have a little more cash to spare, you can skip the entire conversion process when visiting their facilities and spend it on the Harbinger, the company’s newly-unveiled, Lamborghini-inspired electric sports car, instead.
With dozens of electric cars suddenly popping up, what makes this new creation so special? In a nutshell, it’s cheaper than a Tesla, all while providing similar race-worthy power and attention-grabbing European lines.
The Harbinger features a German-engineered, all-aluminum chassis, with a carbon/kevlar composite bodykit and Lambo-style scissor doors that mirror the glance-inducing appearance of Italian supercars. Underneath the luxury exterior lies an 11-inch Netgain DC motor, fed by a 30kW LiFePO4 battery pack. Together, the powertrain combines for an electronically-limited top speed of 117 mph, with a maximum range of 150 miles (if you drive [...]
Vintage Lightweight Aston Martin DB4 GT Going On Auction In January
Want to own one of the rarest breed of cars ever put together? You’ll get your chance this January, when RM Auctions puts a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT on sale to the highest bidder. Yes, I’m talking to you as if I believe you can actually afford this.
Pegged as among the rarest of the rare, only 75 of these cars were built during its production runs between 1959 and 1963. Of that number, only six belong to the lightweight models category. Chassis #0175/L, the car going on auction, is the last of those six.
Like other lightweight DB4 GTs, this particular car cut down the weight by using aluminum components for the elegant fastback body in place of steel. Additionally, it got rid of non-essentials (for racing) in the cabin, including the radio, speakers and heater. It also received a total restoration during the mid-nineties, getting a variety of upgrades, [...]
EcoBoost-Powered ‘34 Ford Hot Rod Showing Off At SEMA
SEMA is approaching near once again, bringing the usual lot of tuned-out cars the event is most noted for. Ford is reportedly showing off a lot of rides during the show, one of the coolest easily being this EcoBoost-powered ‘34 Ford hot rod.
Even though the car itself will garner the most attention, EcoBoost appears to be the real star here. According to the company, the technology, which they’ll be fitting into most of their upcoming cars, will prove that displacement is not irreplaceable when turning out powerful engines.
Rather than sporting the conventional V8 found in most muscle cars, the ‘34 Ford will draw its push from a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. Delivering 400hp and 400 ft/lb of torque, it posts numbers that capably rival naturally aspirated 302 cubic-inch V8 engines. Apart from the power it delivers, the new V6 will also enable 20 percent better fuel economy and up to [...]
Revel In The Luxury Of Whale Penis Upholstery With The Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition
How do you make an SUV, in itself an already excessive vehicle, even more over the top? Throw in gold-plated windows? Meh. Declare the engine “rocket grenade proof”? Mmm. Use whale penis leather for upholstery? Uh….what?
Yep. You heard that right. Castrated, turned to leather and used to deck the interior of the Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition.
Billed as the world’s most expensive SUV, the fully-armored car is bulletproofed from head to toe (yep, the 400 kW V8 engine is supposed to survive through rocket grenades). Built by RussoBaltique, who also outfitted ultra-safe cars for notables such as Tsar Nicholas, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, you can rest assured it will get past your run-of-the-mill kidnappers toting lame machine guns.
More than the protective features, though, the Dartz Prombron has been decked in a couple of notable excesses. In particular, it boasts of gold-plated bulletproof windows, tungsten exhaust pipes, Kevlar-coated exteriors [...]
Tom Wright’s Street-Legal Bumper Cars
Bumper cars were crazy fun when I was a kid. Even as an adult today, they still look immensely entertaining and I’d probably be on one every weekend if only everyone else lined up to ride them weren’t in grade school. Instead of drawing power from the floor or ceiling like regular flat rides, these bumper cars seen around the San Diego area not only run independently – you can drive them down public roads.
That’s right, these bumper cars, which have been reconfigured to run on four wheels, are completely street legal. Even if they’re not, though, I doubt cops will pull you over for a ticket – they’ll probably ask to try it for a spin around the block, instead.
Created by California-based builder Tom Wright, the original set of modified bumper cars came from the Long Beach Pike amusement park’s discards. Instead of watching them join the trash heap, [...]
The Green Hornet’s Black Beauty Will Ride Again
The on-again, off-again Green Hornet movie with Seth Rogen is apparently a lock once more. To go with the large screen reboot of the famed TV series will be a new edition of the Black Beauty, the masked hero’s signature ride, shown here from photos at last week’s Comic Con.
Staying faithful to the original Beauty, the silver screen version appears to be built off a similar Imperial Crown 4-door hardtop. The guys at Autoblog are guessing it’s the same 1966 version the TV car came from, though others are saying it’s a 1965 model.
Instead of “masking” up the vehicle with a new armor as its tuned-out predecessor, the new Black Beauty wears itself naked. Clad in a shiny black paint job with chrome accents, it actually ends up a tad more striking than the original’s now-seemingly conservative looks.
Of course, the ride is decked with green lighting panels [...]
Order An Off-Road Rally Fighter And Help Build It Too
Wareham-based kit-builder Local Motors held a contest several months ago, inviting designers to create a one-off ride for series production. The wild-looking, Baja-style Rally Fighter won the most number of votes, besting close to 21,000 other aspirants. Now, those interested in scoring the odd-bodied ride can reserve one of 3,000 units scheduled to be made with a $99 deposit.
Here’s the cool thing about the off-roader. You get to sit in and lend a hand as Local Motors builds your Rally Fighter. Basically, you’re paying for both the car and the experience of putting it together, alongside professional car-builders.
Notable parts of the dual-height vehicle include a 3.0-liter BMW 335d engine with 265hp and 425 lb-ft of torque, a custom-made vinyl wrap for the body (you can ask for your own designs), power-steering, anti-lock brakes, independent double A-arm front suspension and a 3-link solid rear axle. Dimensions will be 5′8″ high, 6′7″ [...]
Ultra-Armored 2009 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
A luxury car, even one that’s devoid of much flash like the 2009 Bentley Continental Flying Spur, should get you plenty of attention. What it doesn’t afford you, however, is security. That’s until you deck it in military-grade B6-level protection, that is.
This Bentley currently on sale at JamesList converts the car from a super-luxury vehicle to an ultra-safe, battle-ready ride that should leave the worst paranoid in the world feeling comfy inside its protective shell. It’s fully armored to keep occupants safe, all while showing virtually no alteration from the outside and creating no compromises on the 552hp V12 engine’s 197 mph top speed performance (though, I doubt it doesn’t suffer even a little bit with all that extra weight).
Modified by JS Armoured, the warzone-friendly Bentley’s subtle but potent updates should instill confidence in your safety. These include ballistic steel doors, pillars, overlaps and sides to [...]
Jaguar Introduces Brand New 2010 XF Supercharged
Looking for a new toy ride to blow that wad of cash on? Jaguar just announced the fourth and newest model in its stylish XF lineup, the 2010 XF Supercharged.
Sporting a 5.0-liter supercharged AJ-V8 engine (3rd generation), the sporty sedan outputs 470hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. The mid-sized beauty replaces the 4.2-liter V8 XF, which Jaguar dropped earlier this year, posting 12% greater power numbers over its outgoing comrade.
It can do 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds, apart from offering the same high-end standards and performance handling you’ve come to expect from these types of rides. Highlights of the car include Jaguar’s highly-touted Adaptive Dynamics suspension system and Active Differential Control, ventilated disc brakes with silver-grey calipers, quad polished exhaust tips and exclusive 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. Luxury is naturally part and parcel of the ride, boasting a 440-watt Bowers & Wilkens surround sound system, [...]
Fake An Alien Invasion, Ride The Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle
After seeing countless science fiction movies and television shows, we all have some idea of what an “alien car” would look like. For many of us, this Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle (ETV) will probably fit the bill. Cue the background music, E.T.’s coming out!
Instead of managing to fly or hover like any self-respecting futuristic car should, however, the ETV can only drive down the same roads that you do. Yep, it’s a regular car enclosed in an otherworldly frame that makes most space-inspired design concepts look like third-grade compositions in comparison. It won’t buoy you up in the air but it sure will get you plenty of attention.
Designed by Mike Vetter and his Florida-based “The Car Factory”, the ETV combines futuristic bodywork with a Chevy Aveo’s frame and guts. Sporting a teardrop shape, the car features a dome-like shell, gullwing doors, fully-covered tires and pretty much every [...]
USAF Commissions Modified Sports Cars With Jet Cockpits For Interiors
Sports car on the outside, jet fighter plane on the inside. That’s exactly what the US Air Force has done with two new exhibition supercars, namely the X-1 (a modified Ford Mustang) and the Vapor Challenger (a modified Dodge Challenger). As part of the military arm’s latest Project: Supercar campaign, they commissioned Galpin Auto Sports to turn out the souped-up rides, which they expect to help draw crowds to the USAF’s recruitment events.
On the exterior, the cars look much like any tuner ride, sporting scissor doors, carbon-fiber trims, biometric sensors and a host of other modifications. Inside the cabin, however, is where both vehicles set themselves apart.
Instead of a regular vehicle interior, Galpin outfitted both vehicles with cockpits that resemble the control area of Air Force fighter planes. The stealth-black Vapor gets a similarly sly dimly-lit traditional cabin, with a dual-seat configuration, two steering wheels and a host of large [...]
Road-Ready Formula-Style Ariel Atom 500
Can you wrap your head around 500bhp in an engine that carries around the same weight as a bike? Neither can I. That’s not stopping the Ariel Atom 500 from sporting its brand-spanking-new lightweight 3.0-liter supercharged V8 anyway.
As if the original configuration (first announced last year) wasn’t fast enough, the updated car will effectively sport a power-to-weight ratio in the 1000bhp range, twice the number posted by the Bugatti Veyron. Big boss Simon Saunders believes that the Atom 500 will showcase “the pinnacle of the petrol engine’s performance in a road car” and it’s tough to disagree. With a 0 to 60 time of 2.5 ticks, it’s expected to break 100 mph in well under six seconds.
All that power will be mated to a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox, although the possibility of a paddle-shift option is also in play. Look out for a new suspension, [...]
Fiat 500 Barbie No Longer A Concept
At least a dozen or so real-life Barbie doll cars that have rolled out over the years, including custom one-offs to limited runs like the numerous editions of Ferrari Barbie. The latest doll-inspired automobile came to us two months ago with the Barbie edition Fiat 500, a set of wheels designed to commemorate the storied brand’s 50th year anniversary.
Decked in a cant-miss shade of pink, the Fiat Barbie sports tasteful details, pointing towards a vehicle that a real Barbie would drive around town instead of a toy-looking creation. Made in collaboration with Mattel, it sports 60s-style aesthetics and appears in photos, in fact, with a live-model Barbie who is unmistakably from that era.
While it was previously shown off during the March 2009 anniversary celebrations for the iconic doll, the car continued to evolve, with Fiat adding poignant touches before rolling out the market versions. New images have been released showing [...]
BMW MINI Goes Wild With Katy Perry
Is the MINI too tame of a luxury compact for your tastes? How about dressing it up in gaudy shades of pink then finishing the job with black and “hot pink” leopard prints? I don’t know if that makes it cool or trashy, but I’ll let you be the judge with this one-off Katy Perry-inspired Life Ball MINI Convertible.
Designed by popular American duo, The Blonds, the touch-up job was made for the upcoming 2009 Life Ball, Europe’s largest AIDS and HIV charity event. It will be offered in a prize draw to be held as part of the celebrations.
“Sparkling, dazzling and dramatic,” that’s how The Blonds’ work has been referred to many times in the past. BMW probably had the same effect in mind when they commissioned the twosome to deck out their convertible for the event. Whether they got automotive couture or an exercise in bad taste (again, choice [...]
Bling Car: Mercedes SLR McLaren With 500 Rubies And 24K Gold
As if being a Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar wasn’t enough to warrant attention, Swiss tuning garage Ueli Anliker Design decided to bling this one to the rafters. Called the Anliker SLR McLaren Red Gold Dream, the decked-out ride comes in a shiny red finish, adorned with 500 rubies and 24k gold accents.
Surprisingly, the tuning came off extremely tasteful, despite the undeniably luxurious work. With gold and ruby accents exposed, though, this isn’t the kind of ride you want to park in an open spot without anyone to guard it non-stop. You’ll get petty thieves trying to peel those gold and ruby SLR logo (reimagined as a dollar sign) on the wheel centers in no time.
Various modifications were made apart from the finish. The front, for instance, got a new splitter that looks like a seamless extension to the vehicle’s styling, instead of an after-market piece. It adds 220 lbs of [...]
