[Xinger]

The A8GCS Berlinetta Touring, premiered at the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance, represents the return of the famous Milan coachbuilders Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, among the leaders of the Italian automotive school. The A8GCS Berlinetta Touring is based on the Maserati Coupe GranSport and was designed by Belgian designer Louis de Fabribeckers.

The A8GCS Berlinetta Touring is powered by a 4.244 cc V8 engine developing 295 kW (400 hp) at 7.000 rpm and 452 Nm of torque at 4.500 rpm. The light weight body of the A8GCS Berlinetta Touring is made from advanced composite materials that offer both strength and safety.

Based on the Maserati Coupe GranSport mechanics, the A8GCS Berlinetta Touring represents the high performance sports car concept, with small dimensions, state-of-the-art constructive technology and perfect stylish synthesis between factory tradition and advanced aesthetic criteria. The new A8GCS Berlinetta Touring has been designed by the young Belgian designer Louis de Fabribeckers, in charge of the Touring styling department.

The A8GCS Berlinetta Touring lines are not affected by time or fashion: the car is characterized by a soft aggressiveness originated by the perfect balance between the front end, directly derived from competitions, and the harmonious and fluent flanks reminding of the extraordinary Alfa Romeo, Isotta Fraschini and Lancia Flying Star of the Thirties, an exceptional series created by Touring and still considered the best interpretation of Marinetti and Boccioni’s Futurism.

The Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera style is first expressed through perfectly balanced volumes (reduced front overhang, front central engine and large rear overhang). The result is a dynamic form that doesn’t need a lowered waistline. Moreover, the horizontal development of lines create a natural elegance.

The sporty look of the car is underlined by the combination between bonnet and front grille. An element dashing forward the other volumes. Hence the lateral lines of the body: the lower line ends on the rear wheelarch and the upper line dissolves in the rear end of the car. Together they create a dynamic sail shape, as on Flying Stars.

Of course, also the most successful car design is not enough to make an alive and complete object. It must be combined with excellent dynamic qualities, derived from state-of-the-art technical solutions.

For the prototype A8GCS Berlinetta Touring, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera studied and designed a body in advanced composite materials, able to give the car lightness, structural strength and performance typical of top granturismo and obviously respecting all international safety and environmental rules. The result is clear: the style prototype A8GCS Berlinetta Touring is able to enter small series production, gaining immediately a top place among the best sports cars.

(source ~ Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Press Release)

[Xinger]

In June 2007, The Lightning Car Company announced its intent to develop electric technology for a luxury British sports car - the Lightning GT. This super car with its outstanding presence & performance is set to put British sports car innovation well and truly back on the map.

Designed to accommodate the latest battery and motor technology and reflect its 100% electric power and performance, the electric Lightning prototype is being hand-built by a small team of passionate British engineers, designers and collaborators.

Whilst the rest of the automotive world engages in the hybrid, hydrogen or electric debate, the Lightning Car Company firmly believes its 100% Electric Lightning GT will help kick start the market for performance EV's. Without a significant positive shift in perception, electric motoring will remain a huge compromise in the eyes of driving enthusiasts and therefore fail to impress the masses. Our vision is shared by the world's biggest car maker, General Motors, who believes the global oil supply has peaked and a switch to electric cars is inevitable...

Subtle creases, positive and negative sections add a sense of strength and finesse to the dramatic surfaces of the car while retaining an understated, yet distinctive British Grand Tourer aesthetic. The Lightning's interior will also be designed to complement the unique electric driving experience.

THE ELECTRIC LIGHTNING - DESIGN FEATURES

The Carbon skin appears to be draped over the chassis architecture and wheels creating powerful arch bulges and undulations within the surfaces. These augment the sense of drama and character, enhancing the visual strength of the vehicle.

Feature creases run from front to rear of the car accelerating your eye through the surfaces generating a subtle nose forward movement while linking key functional areas.

Vents in the bonnet and side surfaces hint at the performance credentials of the car while adding visual continuity, interest and cooling of the power source.

In place of the exhaust housing is a down force generating sculptured diffuser. Rear lamps are inset into a Carbon fibre graphic adding sophistication while generating a signature rear shape.

[Xinger]

The RSC concept was developed to explore new possibilities for a next-generation sports car, aimed specifically at young new-car buyers.

Toyota’s long history in the World Rally Championships, along with the aggressive, rugged appeal of its race cars with a young audience, made for an ideal conceptual direction.

The RSC combines a sporty two-plus-two car body with four-wheel drive hardware and styling cues that result in a fresh variation on "rugged vehicle" thinking. The fuselage body design combines muscular wheel flares with edgy mechanical forms that communicates a built-for-abuse durability. The look is assembled or constructed, rather than organic.

The interior of the RSC was designed to convey the sparse, functional simplicity of a race car. The look and feel suggests the notion that serious work takes place in this cockpit and that weight savings and accessibility take precedent over amenities.

The instrument panel has a sophisticated, hand-crafted appearance: built in a race shop, rather than an assembly line. The large metal face-plate with round inset instrumentation communicates precision and ruggedness. The high-mounted sequential shifter is proposed, based on rally-car influence, as are the GPS monitor and lightweight carbon-fiber-backed racing seats with full harness restraints.

(source ~ Toyota)

[Xinger]

Students from the Instituto Europeo di Design, Turin, showed their Maserati Chicane concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The Chicane is a small 2+2 rear-wheel-drive coupe with a front-mounted V8, more compact than the current GranTurismo.

It was created by a team supervised by Pininfarina designer Luca Borgogno, Bertone design director David Wilkie and IED Automotive's Andrea Militello, and based on a design by Ukrainian student Dmytro Zyubyairov and Italian Oscar Palladino (watch out for these names in the future).

The Chicane project is said to explore the possibilities for a future entry-level Maserati coupe, a model known to be under consideration.

A second IED project, the Maserati Sfida, is less likely to preview a production car; this virtual model is a two-door '2+1' shooting brake with large load bay. It was created by Roberta Baggio Worm (Brazil), David Rodriguez (Portugal) and Irma Elena Naya Ramirez (Venezuela).

Other contributors to both projects included student-designers from countries including Russia, India, USA, Spain, Canada, Indonesia, Turkey, France and Romania.

(source ~ Channel4.com)

The aforementioned student from India who was involved in conceptualizing this car is a T-BHPian. (see: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...tml#post755713

[Xinger]

Besides the Subaru Impreza, it’s hard to say that anything in Subaru’s lineup is highly attractive. However, Subaru design doesn’t have to be mundane and boring, even if it means making the Impreza just a little bit more - well, sexier.

In comes independent designer Lars Martensson, who goes by the name of ‘Grid’ around the internet. He rendered up a Subaru Impreza WRX STI concept that doesn’t seem to far off from reality as the concepts built by auto manufacturers themselves.

Martensson’s design features a couple of sharp edges and a chopped off hatchback look that makes us dream of what the Impreza WRX STI could actually look like.

(source ~ egmcartech.com)

[Jayabusa]

The Impreza looks insanne!!! Launch it right away Subaru!!

[zeemmee]

Way much better than the existing hatch!!

[14000rpm]

dude,how much of research have you done to collect all these? I haven't been able to contribute as much as I thought I would.work pressure hit me real bad.
Keep up the good work mate. can't beat the pace you've set on this thread.

[Jayabusa]

This thread is rocking guys. I have given it 5 stars.
Keep up the good work guys!

[theragingbull]

The new concept is a plug-in hybrid with a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. Conceived with the idea of melding the performance of a M3 with exceptionally low fuel consumption, BMW claims a 0-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds while scoring 62.6 mpg (U.S.) on the E.U. combined test cycle.

Source:Frankfurt Preview: BMW reveals Vision EfficientDynamics turbodiesel plug-in hybrid concept [w/VIDEO] — Autoblog

It looks very similar to the M1 concept. Have a look at these pictures:

[Spinnerr]

Contributing a few more pics, interiors and that of the wheel.






A futuristic console.



Wing like door. And yeah, it does look fragile. But I really like wheels.

[R.K.Ramesh]

This thread is a sight for sore eyes!!! Thanks for the amazing contribution folks.

[theragingbull]

Skoda unveils dramatic Fabia RS 2000 roadster concept. Skoda has taken its existing Fabia RS hot hatch, lopped off the roof and fitted a widebody kit housing 18-inch powder-coated alloys for a stance similar to its S2000 rally counterpart. The brightwork has also been blacked out, the open-air cabin fitted with four individual buckets with racing harnesses and carbon-fiber trim, and the hood louvered to vent the 200+hp 2.0-liter twin-turbo four.

[Kishan Shah]

How can a four door be a roadster?Btw the car looks more or less the same as the standard car,just looks like its missing its roof hehe