Automotive
Collapsible Rinspeed
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Swiss company Rinspeed aims to solve Europe's parking problems with the Rinspeed Presto collapsible car, a compact two-seater roadster that can expand itself into a four-seater with the push of a button. The key to this miraculous transformation is a centrally located electric motor that is geared to stretch the vehicle from a length of 3 meters to 3.7 meters using low-friction precision rollers to expand the main longitudinal struts of the steel chassis. When returning to Roadster mode, this slides back into the floor pan 'like a drawer' and the process is clearly visible from the Remus side pipes which track along grooves on the side panels of the Pre-Preg-Composite plastic body - a strong, lightweight material rarely used in car design because of its prohibitive cost.
Bugatti Veyron
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The engine has 16 cylinders, eight camshafts, four turbochargers, 64 valves and produces 1001 horsepower. It will power the world's fastest production car to a top speed of 406kmh. When the Bugatti Veyron goes on sale next year it will cost around $2,000,000. Read More
Toyota Pod
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Take the latest in robotics and communications technology, combine it with the personality of the family pet and add a smiling visage that's reminiscent of the VW Beetle and you end up with the 'Pod'. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show late last year, the Pod concept vehicle is collaboration between Toyota and Sony that takes the relationship between car and driver to a new level. Developed with entertainment, emotion and enhancement of the driving experience in mind, the Pod will play your favourite music, reflect your mood (and its own) through a display of different coloured lights on the front, say goodbye when you get out, thank other drivers when they let you merge and even wag its antenna 'tail' when its really chuffed. Read More
Ford GT40 Race History
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The GT40 history began in the early sixties, and extended for almost a decade. During this time, it developed from an initially unreliable vehicle to one which swept all before it in endurance races across the world. Along the way, it was associated with some of the biggest names of motorsport on both sides of the Atlantic: Carroll Shelby, AJ Foyt, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Ickx, Phil Hill, and Mike Hailwood. The win in 1966 was one of Ford Motor Company's greatest moments. Read More
Ford Tonka Truck
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No, this is not an enlarged pic of a scale model - this is a real truck with all the brand values developed from spending millions of dollars marketing to toddlers around the world...by Tonka. This is a real truck which Ford will sell later this year in the US based on the famous childrens' toy Tonka toughness theme. Read More
Porsche Carrera GT
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For Porsche enthusiasts, this car is "the business." Porsche first showed the high performance Carrera GT at the 2000 Paris Show and based on positive public reaction, announced earlier this year that it would go into production but only 1000 units will be built! Having made the transition from concept to future production car, the Carrera GT will produce more than 400kW from its 5.5 litre V10 motor when it hits the showroom some time in 2003. Read More
Chrysler Razor
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A marketing alliance with Razor, the people who gave us the minimalist silver scooter, has seen Chrysler produce the minimalist sportster. Though still a concept, it would be expected to land in Oz under $40,000. Read More
Hummer H2 Vision
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Arnie Schwarzenegger has two and the American military has thousands, giving the "HUMVEE" multi-purpose vehicle enormous status as the chosen car of America's favourite action hero and its very public roles in Kuwait and Afghanistan. Now that General Motors owns the Hummer brand, you can expect to buy one with the rough edges honed as they create a new chapter for the legend. The Hummer H2 vehicle shown in Detroit is a design exercise that provided a look at what the future of the HUMMER sport/utility vehicle could be. Given General Motor's marketing and the tradition of toughness ... who knows? Read More
Dodge SRT-10 500BHP Pick-up
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When Dodge USA decided to spice up its pick-up range, it didn't need to look past the motor of the Dodge Viper - the new RAM SRT-10 now has an engine-bay full of brutal 8.3 litre V10 Viper motor giving it the largest engine in a factory pickup truck and a pick-up billed by Dodge as the "boldest, baddest and fastest pick-up truck in the world." Read More
Volkswagen W12 Coupe
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If there was ever any proof needed that Volkswagen was seeking to bury its proletarian background and join the other German manufacturers at the top end of the market, it is the existence of the W12 Coupe. Originally thought to be a concept car, the 600 bhp twelve-cylinder W12 was suddenly taken seriously last October when VW rolled it onto the racetrack and averaged a staggering 294 kmh (183 mph) over 24 hours, then announcing it would go into production. Then VW went back to the racetrack and smashed their own 24 hour record by 663 km, pushing the 24 hour average speed past 200mph (323km/h) Read More
General Motors Autonomy
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When General Motors looked back on 100 years of motoring, and recognised that just 12 percent of the world's population was using an automobile, it had a radical rethink. The result is the AUTOnomy: a vehicle designed around a fuel cell propulsion system in a "skateboard chassis" which can have a variety of bodies fitted. AUTOnomy provides a glimpse into GM's vision for the 21st century: a socially responsible, infinitely adaptable and globally marketable vehicle line that has minimal design constraints. And we just LOOOOVE the idea of having a different shape for every day of the week! Read More
Mercedes F400 Carving
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The Tokyo Motor Show is without doubt the most important platform for Japanese auto manufacturers, but has never been a favourite of the German auto makers for announcing major developments. Accordingly, the showing by Mercedes Benz of a special concept study at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show was quite surprising, particularly given that the F 400 Carving research vehicle in question was so radical. The F400 Carving is packed with dynamic systems designed to offer substantially enhanced active safety, dynamic handling control and driving pleasure. The car includes outer wheels that tilt by up to 20 degrees when cornering, and active wheel camber control which enhances directional stability and emergency stopping distance. Read More
Mercedes Benz GST
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The Mercedes Grand Sports Tourer is designed to open up a new market for large sized, high performance vehicles. Though the most striking external feature is sleek styling six seats and butterfly doors, the highlight is the 265kW 5.5l AMG V8 donk. Read More
GT40 Race Replica Roadster to go into production
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On February 19, 2002, Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford delivered the news that car enthusiasts around the world had been waiting for: Ford will build the GT40 to help celebrate its 100th anniversary.
The production announcement came on the heels of the 2002 North American International Auto Show debut of the GT40 concept car less than 45 days prior, and public response had been so overwhelmingly positive that the announcement was, if anything, overdue! The GT40 concept and production car was inspired by arguably one of the most recognized and loved cars in automotive history.
The remarkable history of the GT40 is detailed elsewhere on theis web site. GT40, the modern version of the historic, two-door supercar, will help breathe new excitement into the Ford brand and support Ford Motor Company's promise of 20 new or freshened products each year. Read More
