Shayton Equilibrium: Would-be supercar one part Ferrari, one part Lotus

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Design/Style, MISC

Shayton Equilibrium - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Shayton Equilibrium looks like it could be a whole barrel of fun. Or rather, it might be - if only it existed. For now, the Shayton remains a digital rendering only, but the Slovenian company is apparently toiling away at making the design a reality.

The Shayton packs a 1,000-plus-horsepower V12 amidships, and, Shayton says it will nail down 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, on the way to topping out at 248 mph. Couple that with carbon fiber bodywork equaling just 2,600 pounds, and you have a true hypercar recipe.

The design is a little bit Ferrari Enzo, a little bit Lotus Esprit, and maybe even a little Marussia B2, but looks to spank all three of them on a track. To do that, the 20 or so Shayton plans to build will need to exist, and so far there's no notion of when that might be.

Gallery: Shayton Equilibrium

[Source: Car Advice | Images: Autowereld]

Shayton Equilibrium: Would-be supercar one part Ferrari, one part Lotus originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/08/shayton-equilibrium-would-be-supercar-one-part-lotus-one-part/

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Tokyo 2009: Rear-wheel drive Toyota Mark X had us at "mite-suppressing agent"

Filed under: Sedan, Japan, Toyota, Tokyo Auto Salon

2010 Toyota Mark X - Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember back when Toyota actually offered rear-wheel drive cars? Sure, a production version of the FT-86 concept is on the way, and yes, you can get a Toyota-branded truck or plump for a Lexus that routes its power out back - but when was the last time Americans could get a proper rear-driver from the Japanese automaker? It had to be back in 2005 when the third-generation MR2 petered out. And for something with four doors? Let's just say it's been a lot longer.

For Japan's Toyota faithful, however, the rear-drive picture has stayed altogether brighter. Since 2004, the brand has offered the Mark X, a sedan that has shared much of its architecture with the Lexus GS and IS - including its rear- and all-wheel drive configurations. For 2010, the Mark X has come in for a freshening, and the conservatively handsome model has us wishing that Toyota would reconsider offering the model Stateside more than ever.

Sadly, we can't get too excited just yet, because Toyota isn't exactly coughing up all of the key dynamic details. Oh, we know that the second-generation Mark X will be available with either a 2.5-liter or a 3.5-liter V6 paired to a standard six-speed automatic transmission. But Toyota isn't talking much in the way of power or performance metrics, although it does admit that the smaller-engined model will still hit 62 mph in 8.4 seconds.

Further changes beneath the reworked skin include a tweaked suspension with lower-friction parts and beefed-up locating arms. An optional "sports type model" also adds a computer-controlled suspension, different power delivery settings (Sport, Snow, and Eco modes), paddle shifters, as well as variable-ratio electric power steering - a feature we don't normally associate with this class of vehicle. Did we mention the tinted head- and tail-lamps for added sports aggression?

Of course, it wouldn't be a JDM press introduction without some suitably improbable press release verbiage, and the Mark X doesn't disappoint. Toyota's design theme for the new model is "glam tech" which duals "the visual glamour conveyed by the vehicle with the 'high-tech' expression of its modern and precise feel." Not ambitious enough? The lux-oriented "Premium type" model features "refined velour-moquette seat covers... treated with mite-suppressing agent that also prevents static electricity."

"Mite-suppressing agent?" Toyota, even after all these years, you still know the way to our hearts...

Gallery: Tokyo 2009: 2010 Toyota Mark X

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Tokyo 2009: Rear-wheel drive Toyota Mark X had us at "mite-suppressing agent"

Tokyo 2009: Rear-wheel drive Toyota Mark X had us at "mite-suppressing agent" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/22/tokyo-2009-rear-wheel-drive-toyota-mark-x-had-us-at-mite-suppr/

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Koenigsegg releases full Agera R specifications

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, MISC

Koenigsegg Agera R - Click above for high-res image gallery

Koenigsegg certainly caught our attention when it unveiled the new Agera R at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. With its Speed Racer paint scheme and 1,115 horsepower on tap, it darn well better have. But the exotic Swedish automaker has only now released the full specifications, and suffice it to say, they don't disappoint.

As we already knew, the Agera R packs a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces a prodigious 940 horsepower on standard 95-octane gasoline, but fill it with E85 bio-ethanol blend and you're looking at a whopping 1,115 hp. Driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, that's good enough for a 2.9-second sprint to 60 mph.

The engine is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, however. The carbon-Kevlar body generates 300 kilos (660 pounds) of downforce at 250 km/h (155 mph), to which the turbine wheels contribute, wrapped in specially-made Michelin rubber. Koenigsegg says their latest supercar will also pull a neck-straining 1.6 g around the skid pad - enough to trounce just about anything else on the road. Follow the jump for the full specifications.

Gallery: Koenigsegg Agera R

Gallery: Koenigsegg Agera R: Geneva 2011

Live photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Koenigsegg]

Continue reading Koenigsegg releases full Agera R specifications

Koenigsegg releases full Agera R specifications originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/22/koenigsegg-releases-full-agera-r-specifications/

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Toyota Supra comes to TAS dressed in 1967 Mustang duds

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Japan, Ford, Toyota, Tokyo Auto Salon

Here's one that's sure to set "teh internets" on fire. A group of students from Saitama University in Japan showed up to the Tokyo Auto Salon with a 2JZ-GE powered MkIV Toyota Supra dressed up like Nick Cage's Eleanor from the very bad to watch Gone in 60 Seconds remake. Not familiar with Eleanor? Aside from being far and away the best part of the film, Eleanor is a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that's been gone over with an epic-tooth comb.

But let's not get to far afield. This car is not a Ford, nor is it a Mustang. It's a Toyota with a mighty straight-six (no word if the 2JZ-GE is in fact the brawny turbo-fied version, the 2JZ-GTE) cut to look like a classic Shelby 'Stang. Before you unload to harshly in the comments, just remember students built the dang thing, students... Also, are we nuts or is anyone else seeing a whole lot of Mustang II in this particular angle?

[Source: Carscoop]

Toyota Supra comes to TAS dressed in 1967 Mustang duds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/18/toyota-supra-comes-to-tas-dressed-in-1967-mustang-duds/

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BMW to unveil new 6 Series Coupe at Shanghai and New York Auto Shows

One of the three world premiers at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show is the new BMW 6 Series Coupe. Previously ...

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/03/24/bmw-to-unveil-new-6-series-coupe-at-shanghai-and-new-york-auto-shows/

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Inden Design lays its hands on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Inden Design Mercedes-Benz S-Class - Click above for high-res image gallery

Inden Design has gotten its greasy tuner mitts all over the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and come up with a luxury sedan for your dark side. The S-Class is no slouch when it comes to being big and impressive, but Inden takes the intimidation to Don Corleone levels with its treatment of the big Merc.

On the outside, Inden added side sills, new front and rear spoilers and 20x10.5-inch wheels front and rear. The tuner sealed the look with a matte-grey film covering in lieu of new paint. Inden also added a new sport exhaust, bringing horsepower up to 420, and killed the Vmax limiter. Keeping everything planted is a sport suspension, lowering the car by 50 mm, and a set of S600 six-piston caliper brakes up front and four-piston clamps out back.

The interior got treated to two-tone leather on the seats, dash and door panels, and the headliner and A, B and C pillars got the Alcantara treatment. To keep everything as modern as possible, Inden threw out the old wood trim and replaced it with carbon fiber. Read all about it in the press release after the break.

Gallery: 2011 INDEN Design Mercedes-Benz S-Class

[Source: Inden Design]

Continue reading Inden Design lays its hands on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Inden Design lays its hands on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/17/inden-design-lays-its-hands-on-the-mercedes-benz-s-class/

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TAS 2011: 370Z to Porsche Panamera Convertible conversion

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Japan, Nissan, Porsche, Tokyo Auto Salon

If you wanted to create a Porsche Panamera drop-top, where would you start? Perhaps with a Panamera sedan or something else from the Porsche stable? Or at least something that hails from Germany?

A customizer at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon decided his ideal Teutonic convertible would begin life as a Nissan 370Z Roadster. It takes more than a body-kit and upgraded lighting to go from Japan to Germany, but we'll give the owner of this car an A for effort. Execution? Well... not so much.

Also, we're just going to remain patient and wait quietly for the real thing to arrive from Zuffenhausen. Oh, wait...

[Source: Mad Whips]

TAS 2011: 370Z to Porsche Panamera Convertible conversion originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/18/tas-2011-370z-to-porsche-panamera-convertible-conversion/

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