Back in the 1970′s I truly believed that white lettered tires made a car go faster. Granted I was a kid, but that didn’t stop me from visualizing everything from Ferrari’s to Firebird’s with those raised letters. Back them everything from Nascar to Formula 1 ran them and man-o-man did that leave an impression on this little kid from Brooklyn. Today it’s a rare sight to see cars toting the raised letter look, but I’ve got to admit, I still love them. Sure it looks great on muscle cars and on cars from that era, but honestly, I still think it has a place on today’s rides. Whatcha’ think – Yay or Nay to the white roundies?

The Yugo was supposed to unite the Balkans under an umbrella of capitalism, to infuse the area with much-needed jobs and cash. Instead, the car was crap. Still, there’s something endearing about the little hatchback, something honest and pure. That’s why it still has a special place in our hearts—and why designer Milos Paripovic has re-imagined it as an electric. Oh, and also because he wanted to poke fun at electric cars.

Paripovic initially designed the ZUGO as a joke, equipping it with awesome features like a heated rear panel for when you and your passengers have to get out and push.

The concept also uses lightweight composite materials—again, making it easier to push when the batteries run out. And there’s also rear-mounted pressure sensors and and LCD display so you can tell who among the passengers is pushing hardest. It’s funny in a har-har kind of way, but the design is actually quite good. Good enough to win 5th place in a European design contest. 

It’s a sweet-looking little city car, even with its receding headline and ’80s-style headlights. From the rear three quarters view, you can even imagine a “sport” version.

What do you think? Would you consider the above car? Maybe if it had a Renault or Peugeot badge?

When most people think of De Tomaso, they generally think of the iconic Pantera. The Pantera was one of those rare cars that blended Italian design with good ole’ American firepower. However before the Pantera hit the streets, De Tomaso had given the world and even edgier beast. It was called the Mangusta and if it doesn’t make you’re naughty bits tingle then there’s something seriously wrong with you. The Mangusta was originally powered by a mid-mounted 306 hp Ford 289 cubic inch V8 that was hidden under a pair of beautifully designed gull-wing doors. It also had a sloping hood line that ended in a set of quad mounted headlamps. The car was simply stunning and even today can hold its own with some of the best looking automobiles ever made.

Source: CarBodyDesign via Autoholics

Now it seems that a designer and illustrator named Maxime de Keiser wants to do a modern interpretation of the Mangusta, however after seeing his renderings, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Yes it’s nice and yes it looks the business, however one thing that’s missing is soul.

You see the original car made you look, gasp and think dirty thoughts. This one though, well… it just looks like every other super car designed within the last 5 years. I’ll give a big “A” for effort, but at days end I’d go for the original in a heartbeat.

For some of us creating something from nothing is easier then it looks. I mean lets face it, if you’ve got imagination, know how and the will to succeed, then there’s really nothing that can’t be accomplished. In the automotive and motorcycle world creation comes through the hands of the customizer. Existing designs are torn down and re-imagined, mechanics are gone through and re-engineered and design, well, that comes from the passion that lies within. Modern Motorcycles does just this but they follow one rule: Keep It Simple.

Click through for the video and enjoy.

Source: RalfBecker.com

It has the look of a stealth fighter, hyper-car performance and an aura that has the ability to create fantasies. It is the Lamborghini Reventón and it is, without a doubt, one of the greatest cars produced in the last two decades. Recently The Media Merchants, a technology driven production agency out of Canada, got their hands on one of the 20 Lamborghini Reventón’s produced between 2009-2010 and created a projection based visual experience the likes of which we’ve never seen before. The use of sound and projection combined with the angular shape of the Reventón not only peaks our imagination but helps us see things in a very different light.

Source: Vimeo.com

Ever look at a vehicle and think WTF? That’s exactly what I was thinking when I first laid eyes on the Iguana 29. The Iguana is an interesting boat in the fact that it employs retractable tank tracks that give it the ability to run up on shore whenever necessary. The problem though is this. In boat mode with the tracks tucked neatly away, the Iguana zips across the water with no problems. However once on shore, it crawls along at a snails pace making it almost useless. I mean yes it has tracks, and yes it’s somewhat inventive, but I honestly can’t think of one application that would warrant the Iguana’s massive $290,000 asking price. In short, the Iguana 29 is nothing more then the answer to the question that nobody asked.

Source: Youtube.com

The North American Redneck (N.A.R.) is a marvelous creature that possesses a set of backyard skills that few others can only dream of. Generally you’ll find these beings hanging around garages, junkyards and or any manner of institution where broken down and out-of-date vehicles can be found. In fact I’m almost certain that the N.A.R. was the inspiration for the T.V. series MacGyver, as they truly are masters of backyard machinery. The below videos highlight what can happen when the N.A.R.’s are set free in a world where wheels, tires and engines of all sizes can be found free and readily available.

Research, research and more research. That’s what you must do when purchasing a new car. Hopefully you’ll look at things like price, fuel economy, features and overall livability. It’s no easy task, but rest assured that if you do your due diligence you’ll wind up with the perfect car. Now, if for some reason you don’t feel like doing any research then you can turn to guys like us – the motor-journalists who do the research for you. Recently Motor Trend Magazine put together a group of SUV’s for their annual SUV of the Year competition. They judge just about every category and in the end, pick the best overall performer. The video is about 15-minutes long, but if you’re in the hunt for an SUV, then it may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Source: Motor Trend

After years of hype, here’s what the Subaru equivalent of the Toyota FT-86 will look like in production form. The Subaru isn’t sporting a body kit like the leaked images of the Toyota, so it looks a bit more conservative than the “Fast and Furious” FT-86. The plain vanilla color doesn’t help add appeal, but I actually prefer the Subaru’s subdued lines to the over-the-top styling of the Toyota (and Scion FR-S).

Under the hood, the BRZ uses the same 2.0-liter boxer-four as the Toyota, and will produce the same 200-ish horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. Since the car will weigh in at less than 2,700 pounds, that should still be enough grunt for reasonable acceleration. Like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, however, the BRZ’s strength will likely be in handling, not straight line speed. Learn to carry speed into a corner and the BRZ will be plenty fast; on the other hand, throwing down against a V6 Mustang or Camaro at a traffic light would be ill advised.

Look for pricing and order details closer to the car’s launch in 2012 as a 2013 model.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

The official unveiling of Toyota’s much anticipated FT-86 sports coupe happens later this week at the Tokyo Motor Show, but that hasn’t stopped the Japanese automaker from leaking footage of the GT 86 (the car’s actual name, in Europe at least) in advance. We’re not sure if it will land on these shores under a Toyota badge or a Scion badge (since Scion did show a version as the FR-S), but we are sure of this: Toyota pretty much violated the gentleman’s agreement with Subaru to reveal the respective cars at the same time.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

The Toyota GT 86 will use a Subaru-supplied, 2.0-liter boxer-four engine, good for 197 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque. Both a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic gearbox will be offered, and the car will come to market with a 53-percent front, 47-percent rear weight distribution for balanced handling.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

It’s too early to talk about specific performance numbers, since we don’t even know what the car will weigh in U.S. trim. Sill, I’d expect a 0 – 60 time of under seven seconds with a top speed of 140 or so, unless Toyota cheaps out and equips the GT 86 with H rated tires. If that’s the case, expect the top speed to be electronically limited to 135 mph.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

Barring any further delays, I’d expect the car to go on sales in the U.S. in the first half of next year. Now that Toyota has (finally) shown us what the car looks like, expect further details on the FT-86 (or GT-86, or Scion FR-S) in the coming months.

Source: Autoblog