RideLust

Image: Flickr user SbastienRondet

When Jaguar showed their visionary C-X75 Concept at last year’s Paris Auto Show, I’ll admit that I had a hard time taking the car seriously. Sure, it was a stunner, but it was also shown as a non-functional turbine-electric hybrid, and history has not been kind to turbine powered automobiles. Remember the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car? How about the GM Firebird Concept from 1953? Gas turbine engines may be ideal for vehicles like helicopters, but their complexity, power delivery and heat output make them less than ideal for road-going vehicles. I guessed that the C-X75 would never see production, but it turns out I was only half right. Read More…

With the price of fuel expected to top $6 per gallon by the end of the summer, Americans are doing everything they can in order to save a buck. Used fuel efficient cars, both new and used are flying off the lots, with big full-sized gas guzzlers being left out there to rot. One company however is thumbing it’s nose at the higher cost of fuel and has in fact come up with a vehicle that not only sucks it down, but holds upwards of 160 gallons of it. Meet the Ram “Long-Hauler” Concept, a pickup truck that could possibly be the ultimate road burner for long distance travel. According to Pickuptruck.com, the Long-Hauler has a 197.4-inch-wheelbase and is based on a Class 5 Ram 5500 medium-duty chassis cab commercial truck. However, it’s been fitted with an 8-foot cargo dually-based cargo bed, and two custom fuel tanks that enable this monster to carry a whopping 162 gallons of diesel fuel.
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Mercedes-Benz super tuner Brabus is known for bringing us some pretty outlandish stuff. From obscenely powered vehicles like the 800 hp Brabus 800 Widestar SUV, to the office minded S600 iBusiness, the people at Brabus not only know how to outfit a vehicle, but how to charge top dollar for them as well. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Brabus has now introduced the new Brabus iBusiness 3D Mercedes-Benz Viano (it’s a mouthful I know). The iBusiness 3D Mercedes-Benz Viano is the ultimate cross between a pimped-out luxury limousine and a fully functioning office space. For example, in what other vehicle can you find a 40-inch 3D capable Sony flat screen TV that has a digital receiver and PS3. It also has full connectivity allowing it to be used as a giant monitor for the pre-installed Mac Mini which has internet connection via UMTS and HSDPA. Oh, and just in case that’s not enough there is also an iPad, iPhone and an iPod, hell, it’s like the entire Apple factory got sick and up-chucked all over the interior of this thing.
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If a car is small enough to make a first generation Miata look spacious, doesn’t include such luxuries as a windshield or a roof and has absolutely zero storage space, does it even qualify as a car? If that same vehicle packs a 420 horsepower V8 into its sub-2,200 pound chassis, do you even care what it’s called, as long as you get to drive it? In this case, I’m talking about the Wiesmann Sypder, the latest creation from the eccentric German constructor. Unveiled as a concept (with no immediate production plans) at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, I’d certainly sign on the dotted line to strap one on. Read More…

Image: Mazda

We first told you about Mazda’s Minagi concept in January; back then, it was nothing more than a design rendering, but Mazda’s been working overtime to roll out a Minagi concept vehicle in time for this week’s Geneva Auto Show. Designed to be a replacement for Mazda’s aging (and Ford-sourced) Trubute SUV, the Minagi is the first Mazda vehicle penned under their new Kodo design language. Meant to personify the “Soul of Motion”, the Kodo styling is a lot less goofy than their outgoing design, and that should definitely help bring customers back into showrooms. Designed as an “urban SUV”, the Minagi blends the handling that Mazda is known for with their new Skyactiv engine and transmission technology, for maximum fuel economy. Read More…

Image: BMW Group

I like Mini Coopers well enough, but all their cars look alike to me. Even with a gun to my head, I’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a Countryman, a Clubman, a Piltdown Man or even their latest concept, dubbed the Rocketman. I get the whole iconic-brand-identity thing, but isn’t it time you branched out on the exterior styling of a new model? The Rocketman is a kinder, gentler but visually similar Mini; unlike recent models, it isn’t supersized. In fact, the Rocketman is shorter dimensionally than a base model Cooper. It’s designed to be uber-fuel-efficient, so the spaceframe chassis is made of carbon fiber instead of steel. Power comes from something, but Mini isn’t telling us exactly what; instead, they’re highlighting the concept’s fuel efficiency, which they claim is three liters per 100 kilometers based on the EU standard. Doing that math, that works out to be .79 gallons per 62.14 miles, or 78.66 miles per gallon. Read More…

There has been a lot of buzz recently about Toyota’s budget minded rear-wheel drive FT-86 sports coupe. Truth be told this is one nifty little bugger and if the rumors of a Subaru derived 305hp / 290 lb-ft turbo 4-cylinder are true, it’s also going to be an absolute pistol to drive. The FT-86 will be built under a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru. However according to Toyobaru.net, U.S. residents will be seeing the FT-86 badged under the Scion nameplate as the Scion FT-S when it eventually hits U.S. shores. There are also rumors of an AWD version to be released under the Subaru nameplate with a price tag that could be upwards of 40k… that’s big money for a little car that would be a pretty close competitor to Subaru’s own 4-door STI. Production of the Scion FT-S is rumored to begin in the 4th quarter of 2011, so stay tuned for more information.

Russians… I love those goofy bastards. First they surprise us with Sputnik and now this. Apparently this is some sort of top secret Russian coal powered motorcycle that is capable of speeds that are well into the double digits. Built on a three-wheeled frameless platform and utilizing stealth control technology, it’s obvious why it’s been kept under wraps for so long. Hell, with the speed it produces it almost feels like it creates a constant state of déjà vu for all those around it. Weird right? Could it be that it warps time? Whatever the case I’m just glad to see that Russia is still putting all their resources into their military and making advancements in new technologies.

After WWII there was a great and wonderful sense of optimism in the United States. We had just conquered one of the greatest threats in history and looked longingly to the future to bring us new technologies and good fortune. Futurists would tell us about the cars and homes of tomorrow, and painted a picture of a “Jetsons” society, where we’d all have flying cars and live in anti-gravity environments. Well, things didn’t exactly work out that way now did they, but that’s not to say we haven’t made remarkable advancements in technology. Thankfully, we’re still all rolling around on four-wheels, and our gas stoves still operate the same way they did 60 years ago. Back in 1948 car builders had turned their attention to the aircraft industry for inspiration. Fins, riveted sheet metal bodies and aircraft inspired cockpits ruled. Sure, now all these things seem to be hokey, but back then this was the future of transportation. As for the next 60 years… it’s honestly hard to tell. All I know is that it had better be fun… Read More…

Toyota's A-BAT concept truck. Image: Toyota Motors

In my mind, the Toyota Prius and pickup trucks go together like gravy and ice cream, or like Rosie O’Donnell and thong bikinis. First, hybrid fans are usually not pickup truck fans and vice-versa; Prius owners tend to be focused on how many miles they can squeeze from a gallon of gas, while truck owners are usually more concerned with how much they can carry or tow. Building a single vehicle that would attract both camps is like promoting a “Turkey Gravy Ice Cream Sundae”: you’re certainly not going to make everyone happy, and chances are better than average that the final product will be an acquired taste. The compact pickup truck market in the U.S. is in decline, which is why Ford pulled the plug on selling the new Ranger here. Only Toyota seems to be doing reasonably well with their Tacoma, so any new truck would have to be unique enough to not pirate sales away from the Tacoma. Would U.S. buyers really be interested in snapping up a subcompact pickup, along the lines of the old Chevy Luv or Ford Courrier, but with futuristic style? Read More…