Posts filed under 'Special Cars'
The Loremo design is based on a simple linear cell steel structure: the patented chassis with its three straight longitudinal girders and one central transverse girder weighs only 95 kg. The steel girders provide Loremo with the required stability and safety. This clever principle of construction allows for a great crumple zone of 600 mm.
The realisation of the principles of simplicity, aesthetics and aerodynamics in design allow for the low air resistance. This low air resistance results from the excellent Cw value of 0.2 and from a frontal area which has been reduced to the minimum.
You get into Loremo via one gate instead of two doors: It has a front door which opens forward. This makes getting into Loremo as easy as stepping into a bathtub! Also Loremo’s interior focuses on the essential needs: Ergonomics and haptics. The same applies to the special features. The return to what is essential makes Loremo a sensational lightweight: With only 450 kg it weighs less than half of any comparable passenger car. Of course, this makes Loremo also sensationally affordable.
More details on www.supercarnews.net
March 16th, 2006
The cars and trucks driven by those in the Top 10 of the 2005 Forbes list was, in short, shocking. You won’t find a Bugatti, Ferrari or BMW driven by these billionaires. But you will find a Lincoln, a Mazda, even a Dodge and Ford. It seems that for the super-rich, a vehicle is seen not as a status symbol, but as a means to an end in which to get from point A to point B. Status is something that these billionaires need not prove to others. In many cases, the people on our list prefer to live inconspicuously, avoiding the limelight at all costs. This might explain why many of their vehicles cost less than your own daily driver.
William Gates III -
1999 Porsche 911 Convertible, 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. Net Worth:
$46.5 billion
Microsoft founder, philanthropist and self-proclaimed “nerd”
William Gates III vents his software stress behind the wheel of two Porsches. His daily driver, a 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible is ripe for replacement, especially considering that
Porsche has totally redesigned the latest 911, the 997, for 2005. Now, after waiting some 10 years, Gates can finally enjoy his other favorite Porsche: a rare (1 of 230) 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. In fact, due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, it took a federal law signed by President Clinton for Bill Gates to legally drive his 959 on American roads. Rumor has it that Bill Gates and Paul Allen employed Microsoft engineers to write a computer program that could simulate the 959’s crashworthiness, which helped in the bill’s passage.
March 12th, 2006
The Saab Aero X concept harnesses the power of Saab’s aviation and Scandinavian roots to make a unique statement in performance car design. Conceived as a study to explore future design directions, its innovative features preview the development of an enhanced design language that will inspire future Saab products.
As one would expect from Saab, this dynamic two-seater sports coupe breaks with automotive design convention both outside and inside.First, there are no doors…or windshield pillars. That’s because the Saab Aero X adopts a cockpit canopy, just as you would see on a jet aircraft. It offers the Aero X pilot full 180 degree vision, and also facilitates entry and exit from its low-slung cabin.
Thrust for the all-wheel-drive Saab Aero X also comes from a powerplant with a difference. The 400-hp, twin-turbo, BioPower V6 engine is fueled entirely by ethanol, a sustainable energy source that is kinder to the environment by cutting fossil CO2 emissions. The “green power” of this advanced engine gives new meaning to the phrase “performance with responsibility.”
March 2nd, 2006
At the Mondial Automobile 2004 in Paris, Mercedes-Benz unveiled four new vehicles to experts, the press and the general public. The presentation aimed to highlight the vision cars, without upstaging the production launches. Film, lighting and audio interacted to create a succession of new moods that underscored the personalities of the individual products, ensuring that the real stars were the new cars. Inside the booth, media feeds to three towers created large-scale projection areas, and projecting the themes outwards in the form of images and text. Cutouts in the crystalline metal ’skin’ of the towers revealed glimpses of the LED panels beneath, creating a fascinating blend of sharp and soft focus. The exhibits, screens and graphics used to communicate in-depth information on premiere themes were integrated into the towers to become part of the architecture. The innovation, passion and quality inherent in the product personalities united to create a self-assured overall brand appearance.
February 23rd, 2006
While the LF-A concept makes a major statement about how the Toyota brand would define exotic sports car performance, it was conceived to express the company’s new styling philosophy, “L-finesse,” which is based on concepts of dynamism and inherent contrast between simplicity and elegance. Simplicity, in form and function, reflects styling that is uncluttered and void of extraneous elements. Elegance, inside and out, avoids exaggeration by prioritizing understated luxury that is intriguing, subtle and seamless—and slightly surprising. The key to the formula is how the visual contrast and synergy between simplicity and elegance creates a look that is dynamic, forceful and vigorous. As a pure sports car, LF-A offers strong emotional connection to people.
More details on
February 21st, 2006
The purpose of the Hurricane project was to design the most maneuverable, most capable, and most powerful 4×4 ever. The exploration resulted in a twin-engine fully-functional concept vehicle with the ability to turn on its own axis. Adding to the vehicle’s maneuverability is its ability to crab steer (all four wheels can turn up to 45 degrees in the same direction, allowing the vehicle to literally move sideways). Hurricane’s raw and honest appearance helps communicate the vehicle’s extreme capability. An exposed carbon frame, brushed and polished aluminum components and HEMI orange engine blocks and interior accents are true to the materials used. Designers succeeded in creating a vehicle that has generated enthusiasm and buzz for the Jeep brand —as seen in the positive media coverage and many awards and accolades.
February 21st, 2006
