Jaguar E-type inspired Lyonheart K coupe and convertible
I’ve just managed to snatch a glimpse of a truly elegant car, with sweeping lines that may remind some people of a certain age of the Jaguar E-type in it’s heyday. The car was originally unveiled as a concept vehicle based on the Jaguar XKR about a year ago. As with all concept vehicles, once they have been revealed to the public and reviews and comments flood back, the original idea gets diluted and stripped down until the manufacturer feels that it is right for public release.
The Lyonheart website says “..over the years, the British car industry has seen many legendary names disappear..” and one name that I think we can all be relieved to see disappear is the Growler moniker that the poor car was originally saddled with. I mean, what on earth where they thinking? I often wonder sometimes how so many cars have been christened with such awful names over the past 60 years. Well, that’s one thing stripped away from the concept car that we can all appreciate.
Volkswagen Buggy Up! Concept Vehicle Gives A Friendly Wave To The Meyers Manx
The VW 1.0 litre Up! is an award winning small car that What Car? described as the “..best city car on the market..” and made it their Car of the Year 2012. But when the Up! was launched at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2010, Volkswagen also presented six concept vehicles under the Up! banner.
For one of these concepts, Volkswagen had clearly been delving back into the history books where they perused images of Cal Look Beetles and home-built beach buggies. Like all good manufacturers, they have took inspiration from this legacy and came up with the buggy Up! concept vehicle that gives more than a nod to the original beach buggy.
Nissan Batmobile / DeltaWing’s First Run at Le Mans May Change Motorsport Forever
I worked for Nissan sometime ago amidst the era of Micra’s, Almera’s, Tino’s, Primera’s, and not a lot else. Skyline’s could of course be imported but no Nissan GTR’s or 350Z’s yet existed in the UK range and in terms of exciting cars there simply wasn’t any. Excitement was something that other manufacturers did. On one of the product testing days I went on, the fastest and most powerful car driven that day was actually a commercial van. Since leaving Nissan several years ago they’ve very much turned around as a company and are now quite different to the firm I remember.
This year’s Le Mans line-up is surely a testament to the fact that Nissan are now an undeniable force in motor sport. Out of the 23 LMP2 Le Mans runners, 14 of them are powered by Nissan engines. Nissan clearly are no longer just a manufacturer supplying old ladies with sensible underpowered cars to do the shopping in. They are racing.
To top it all off Nissan also have what I consider to be the most exciting car to touch the hallowed tarmac of Le Mans for years, the Nissan Batmobile. I mean, the Nissan DeltaWing. Okay, just to get the Batman references out the way there is no denying that this car does very much mirror the famous super hero’s car. Please insert your own joke here regarding adding laser beams or machine guns. Moving beyond the obvious Batman jokes though, is this a serious race car? Or just some useful publicity for Nissan?
The answer is that it would currently seem likely to be both of those things.
New concept unveiled by Renault
Vehicle manufacturer Renault has unveiled a stunning new concept car to mark the 50th anniversary of the Alpine Berlinette A 110.
The Alpine A 110-50 will bring the styling of the original A 110 bang into the 21st century, with the full carbon fibre bodywork painted in traditional alpine blue harking back to the ancestry and prestige of the vehicle's predecessors.
Evoque convertible concept to debut in Geneva
Range Rover has announced the company plans to unveil its new Evoque convertible concept model at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show, which will be taking place from March 8th to 18th.
Building on the global success of the Evoque brand, Range Rover hopes its new convertible model will also capture the imagination of buyers with its bold design and distinctive looks.
The new concept incorporates functionality with flair, the company states, featuring a retractable aluminium roof and Roll Over Protection System. In addition, the new model is available with a foldable tailgate and both two and four-seat options.
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Guy Kendal
Mercedes 300slr has swing axles, just like a lot of other 1950's/1960's car's. Perhaps that what caught out a younger driver who's unaware of the consequences of lifting off the throttle at speed on a corner?
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Adam
'Put it on a pedestal'
Way off the mark there. You were obviously WAY out your depth!! These cars were made to drive and be driven hard, they are still raced today and still take a hammering, all in their stride.
There is no other classic of its age that can take the abuse a 300SL takes, phenominal cars and probably the best of all time.
Jaguar and Ferrari were using race bred technology in their cars, Mercedes took the engine/gearbox and driveline from their saloon car, took on the world and trounced them all!!
Only Mercedes could do that!!
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richard wosiek
If the paint shop knew their stuff then the shade would be blended in to match the shade of the rest of the car.
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richard wosiek
There's always one eh homersimpson.
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Russell
Reference rolling a Gullwing.
It didn't happen to me but I tried driving one over 30 years ago and found it a terrifying experience. The steering, brakes and tyres of the mid-50s could not cope and being cooped up in the cabin with pedals so close together and heaving the massive steering wheel about inches from your face with all the noise and rattles did not thrill me at all.
Still a great looking car; polish it up and put it on a pedestal. Maybe glide it around a smooth track, but stay off public roads.
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