Saturday, November 30, 2013

Jaguar C-X75 Would Have Made for a Great Fourth Hybrid Hypercar


Jaguar went to all that trouble to develop the road-legal C-X75 hybrid hypercar, made all of its systems interconnect seamlessly and successfully, but then realized there was no business case for the 250 units they wanted to make and just stuck to producing five prototypes and then allowing journalists to have a go and say how lovely it would all have been…

Below we have another of these hands-on experiences, in video form, courtesy of XCAR. We are reminded once more that it looks pretty cool from any angle and that it already has a functional interior but uses a standard Jaguar steering wheel.

Its 1.6-liter engine makes an unreal power figure for something that’s also road legal – 502 hp plus the an extra combined 400  hp from the electric motors; performance is very brisk, as we’ve already seen.

Scroll down, click play and to imagine the four-way battle between it and the three other hybrid hypercars, the ones that did make it into production, like the Porsche 918 Spyder.

By Andrei Nedelea


VIDEO


What Do You Say About This Modern Lancia Delta Integrale HF Study?


The Lancia Delta Integrale needs no presentation, as it is probably the brand’s most fabled mode. Unfortunately, the sorry state in which Lancia is right now doesn’t allow fans to hope for a modern day Delta Integrale, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dream about it.

Designer Angelo Granata from Italy has imagined a retro-styled contemporary Lancia Delta fitted with Fiat Group’s 1.75-liter turbocharged gasoline engine.

Granata describes his Lancia Delta Concept as a relatively simple design that reunites all the features that have fascinated Lancia fans in the past: sharp edges, aggressiveness, dynamics, all on a small and light car.

The front end of the car is unmistakably Lancia Delta, thanks to the double round headlights, the grille with the T-shaped motif and the “shark nose” that becomes more visible when viewed from the side. The study has a low, sleek profile that resembles a coupe, but offers the practicality of a five-door hatchback.

While the design is clearly a reinterpretation of the original Delta’s styling, the car is longer, wider and has an increased wheelbase. Only the height remains the same. The rear end is low and wide, while the taillights are a tribute to the original car but feature modern LED technology.

The designer says the car could be powered by Fiat’s 236hp 1.75-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and a four-wheel drive system. Granata theorizes that the car could sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 242 km/h (150 mph). All for a base price of €32,000 ($43,445) – always according to the designer.

By Dan Mihalascu

Designer: Angelo Granata

PHOTO GALLERY

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Next Batmobile May be Built by GM Division Behind Transformers; No More Military Looks!


Batman wouldn’t be the cool masked vigilante/detective/billionaire by day that he is, without his assortment of toys that always seem to be perfectly suited for the situation in which they are used.

The same principle applies to Batmobiles, which are easily the most noticeable pieces of kit he is seen using, and now, there’s going to be a new one being made for the upcoming big screen confrontation that needs no explanation: “Batman vs Superman.”

However, unlike the previous one, The Dark Knight’s Tumbler, this new one will not be military inspired in any way, and will have a different team than before working on it.

Jalopnik has information that GM’s division, at the Advanced Design Studio in North Hollywood, will apparently be the one behind the new Batmobile. They were the ones who also designed some of the cars seen in the latest Transformers movie, including the Camaro Bumblebee, which is now known world-wide.

However, there’s more… Apparently, it will be based on one of GM’s own models, most likely a concept and possibly a Cadillac (not a new one), though certainty regarding the latter is something we don’t have.

GM has been making more and more appealing cars recently, and if they do go down the new model or concept route, well then they have a large pool of cars to cherry-pick from, to not only give their own image a boost, but also act as a base for a memorable Batmobile.

Which do you think is most suitable, and do you think there’s any chance of it beating its illustrious predecessors? Tells, and why not, show us too with pictures below in the comments.

By Andrei Nedelea


PHOTO GALLERY

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