Socialist or not, this car is bitchin'
The name Renault in American minds mostly conjures up memories of that horrid little Le Car that came to our shores in the 1970s and 80s. But Renault is hugely successful in Europe and produces positively wonderful cars like the Mégane Renault Sport hot hatch. Just announced, the French automaker has pulled the covers off [...]
You say you want a "revolution"
Sometimes, we get so used to a certain product that no true changes are ever really made for years, decades even. Toilet paper comes to mind. Another is the pneumatic tire. Sure, the modern tire is a wealth of technology and high grade materials such as synthetic rubber, sulfur, carbon, steel, etc. Heck, recent years [...]
The one, the only
The MX-5 is the quintessential roadster. Balanced, tractable and compliant, it’s a true driving purist’s car. And Mazda churns out special editions of their venerable little roadster like the Alien Mother pops out face huggers. Perhaps the most significant permutation of the MX-5 is the Mazda MX-5 Super20, a one-of-a-kind version that first bowed at [...]
Love it or hate it, the new 2012 BMW 335i (internally, F30) makes a bold statement. A continuation of BMWs design language found in the current 5 and 7 series, especially in the completely reworked front fascia with its exposed kidney grilles and elongated headlamps, the 335i makes no bones about what it’s here to [...]
No more Alfredo sauce
If you’re a car nerd like some of us here at GP, you can spot mid-cycle changes made to an automobile with just a cursory overview (when sober). These mid-cycle refreshers are common in the industry but not so much for Ferrari. The Ferrari California is an exception, and the changes are welcomed. Though plenty [...]
British Excess
No question, the Aston Martin DBS is a looker. Good enough for James Bond, good enough for us (even though Bond could’ve saved Her Majesty a cool $100K by using a V12 Vantage with the same output as the DBS). Well, Aston Martin’s svelte darling will soon say farewell after five years to make way [...]
Be my Valentino
After more than 40 years as a test driver for Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni retired. In place of a gold watch the Italian supercar maker crafted a limited edition model (only 250) in his honor: the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni — yes, it’s a mouth full. That very car birthed two beautiful descendants. Our [...]
Getting the van back together
Any musician worth his Gibson knows that the best way for a band to turn a profit is through touring. That’s easy enough for Maroon 5, but a bit harder when you’re not bringing in Moves Like Jagger swagger. Touring buses are unwieldy and expensive to operate, (though it hasn’t stopped John Madden) and regular [...]
Built for speed... and production
A couple of months ago, news of the Nissan Juke-R Concept hit the web. Nissan execs Jerry Hardcastle and Paul Wilcox gave the project the nod and approached the minds at Ray Mallock, Ltd. in the UK, who subsequently chopped at Nissan GTR by 250 mm and saved the all-wheel drive system, suspension and beefy [...]
In the hands of the Master
Over thirty years ago, a racing legend made his debut at F1, though his sterling career would sadly be cut short by a freak accident. Aytron Senna, as many of you have seen in the much acclaimed documentary Senna, possessed mad driving skills and the kind of talent that emerges but rarely, not just in [...]
Urban Mario Kart
The 1950s BMW Isetta certainly wouldn’t break any land speed records, especially since it looks like a windowed deep freezer on wheels. But no one can question its success as a practical and inexpensive mode of transporation. Designer Tony Weischelbraun has taken this icon and modernized it with his brilliant eSetta concept. Replacing the original [...]
Bespoke Barroom Brawler
Let’s start with the near absurdity of a four-door Porsche, on the heels of the ridiculously successful Cayenne, which no Porsche enthusiast thought should be built. The Panamera was never meant to compete with the BMW 7-Series, the Mercedes S-Class or the Audi A8, though comparos almost always include the four in a heated battle [...]
Horn-y and proud of it
Not since the creation of the extreme Lamborghini LM002 in the 1980s, has the Italian automaker ventured into SUV territory. After years of R&D, Lamborghini has finally created its second coming, the Lamborghini Urus concept. Sounding more like an unmentionable body part than a hyper-exotic SUV, the Urus echoes many of the same lines as [...]
White Lightning
The Audi TT started out as an exercise in modern Bauhaus Auto Union design and it’s been hugely successful in both 2+2 and roadster versions. Though neither car has been deemed especially quick, that all changes with the TT RS, a balls-to-the-wall 2+2 that makes other sports cars sweat like an elk in Ted Nugent’s [...]
More good stuff from the three-pointed star
We think the latest cars from Mercedes have been well-designed, bordering on beautiful (the CLS, especially). This statement can easily be made for the soon-to-be-revealed Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe, or CSC, which will bow at the end of the month in Beijing. The rakish and sleek “four door coupe” that follows in the CLS’s footsteps [...]
