Gear Patrol

Is BMW making their lineup more confusing or more distinctive? Hard to say. As rumored several years ago, BMW is finally doing away with their 3-Series coupe nomenclature and making their 2-doors consistent with even-numbered badging, a la 6-Series. The all new BMW 4-Series Concept reveals what the coupe version of BMW’s segment-leading, bread-and-butter 3-Series…

Just 10 years ago, Infiniti was viewed solely as the luxury brand of Nissan — separated only by upgraded leather upholstery, an analog clock and a slightly nicer logo. Fast forward to the Emerg-E concept (pronounced “emerge”). Similar to the Volt, the Emerg-E is an extended-range electric — with a radically different look. The 1.2-liter…

Lexus has teased a new LF-CC two-door hybrid concept ahead of this year’s Paris Motor Show that continues the dose of driving excitement originally injected into the brand by the LFA. Though similar in execution to last year’s LF-LC Concept, the new whip sports a bold spindle grille that looks massive enough to inhale small…

The dystopian Neo Tokyo of 2019 described and depicted by Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira may be as likely as our Mayan predicted destruction, but that didn’t stop the team at Japan’s Znug Design from having a crack at building Tetsuo Shima’s bike. The ZecOO ($70,000 projected) is easily one of the best looking, and possibly priciest…

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…

There are plenty of tasty vehicles we never get to see stateside, and though some we won’t lose sleep over, others cause us to drool with desire, like the Citroen Numero 9 Concept. About to make its debut at the Beijing Auto Show, this shooting-brake (European for three or five door station wagons) sports a…

Fresh on the heels of not-so-great news about reliability issues of the Fisker Karma comes some really good news from New York via the all-new Fisker Atlantic. Like a Karma that’s been tossed in a huge dryer set on high, the Atlantic is an electric plug in for the rest of us (mostly) that also…

No matter what the law dictates in your particular state, not wearing a helmet while riding is one of the dumbest things you can do. That doesn’t mean lugging around a bulky dome guard is any fun for commuters. The Overade aims to make riding slightly more convenient and just as safe. Designed in France…

Concept cars, by their very nature, are designed to floor the gas pedal of our automotive imagination. The Ford Evos achieves this end with flying colors, and then some — thanks in large part to the striking pose of its not one, not two, not three, but four gullwing doors. Born from Ford’s design studio…

Looking like the illegitimate child of a flattened Humvee and an angry warthog, the Shadow Hawk Steel Hawk might also fit in nicely as the Tumbler’s stand-in during Gotham chase scenes. The Steel Hawk is powered by a 6.6 liter V8 engine with turbocharging that provides a healthy 360 horsepower and a meaty 650 pound…

Every once in a while something comes along so crazy, so unearthly cool, we have to shout it from the rooftops. Today just happens to be that once in a while, so feast your eyes on the BMW boxer engine powered Hoverbike. Framed around an 1,170cc 4-stroke BMW boxer engine that powers the twin rotors,…

We love a good mechanical watch, but when it comes to workouts, our obsession with analog craftsmanship takes a backseat to functionality. The Beat Workout Watch ($TBD) checks all the boxes of the ultimate exercise companion. Pairing a shoe based sensor with a chest strap heart rate monitor and a 16GB portable music player isn’t…

The newly introduced Lexus LF-Gh Concept stands apart from the myriad anemically designed hybrids we’ve seen (sans the Bugatti 16C Galibier). But what makes this car so important is not its expected fuel efficiency but rather the bolder design direction it will take Lexus. Note the spindle-shaped grille, large and quite original, that seems to…

Mini is clearly not running out ideas. Case in point, the newly introduced Mini Rocketman Concept is a fairly radical design, even for Mini. Its exterior dimensions are closer to the original at only 11 feet long, and makes use of a carbon-fiber spaceframe that keeps weight down while giving the car a stunning proposed…

Following in the footsteps of its positively stunning predecessor, the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept is both lighter and smaller in dimensions than the 8C Competizione. The 4C Concept is built from carbon fiber and aluminum and manages to keep an ultralight weight of 1,873 lbs. Not nearly as powerful as its bigger brother’s V8, the…

Many of us lamented the VW Microbus that never came to fruition several years ago (probably tragically killed off by some bean counter). A decade later, and an even tastier version has emerged, hopefully with a real chance of making into showrooms this time around. Introducing the Volkswagen Bulli Concept, named after the German nickname…

We try to avoid talking about conceptual products on GP mainly because teasing cool things that might not be commercially developed can be frustrating to the gear obsessed – aka us. This Handle Me Cookware series was just so damn good looking though we had to make an exception. It’s the brain child of the…