Zagato will unveil a concept called the Perana Z-One at the Geneva Motor Show next week, commemorating the company's 90th anniversary. With a long hood and short rear deck, the supercar has been given proportions befitting a grand tourer.

General Motors unveiled a new Corvette Stingray concept at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday. Unlike most concepts, the new car is not intended to gauge public opinion of new design direction; it will instead debut as the character 'Sideswipe' in the upcoming DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures release 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'.

Fisker Automotive revealed the newest addition to its lineup at NAIAS 2009, exactly a year after the independent carmaker unveiled its first concept vehicle, the Karma.

Danish company Zenvo Automotive has revealed its first hand-built creation, the ST1 supercar. Powered by a V8 engine - fitted with both a supercharger and turbo - producing 1104bhp and 1430Nm of torque, the ST1 measures 4665mm long, 2041mm wide, 1198mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 3055mm. It weighs in at 1376kg, thanks to a light steel frame structure clad with carbonfiber body panels.

Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE), a North American aftermarket tuning firm specializing in the design and production of high-performance accessories for production sportscars, recently unveiled a concept car of its own: the Venom GT.

The design sketches previewing concepts set to be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January keep coming, as Mitsubishi reveals the Concept-RA it will premier in the Motor City.

Mitsubishi's green i MiEV city car has spawned a Sport derivative, scheduled to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The concept, which features a "fastback" exterior design and aerodynamically fluid styling, is meant to enhance the "driving" image of Mitsubishi's electric vehicles.

Callaway Cars is poised to introduce their flagship C16 Speedster at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 19. Following from the C16 Coupe shown in Los Angeles last fall and the C16 Cabriolet presented in New York in April, the Speedster is the third road car Callaway has created based on a C6 Corvette platform.

Mexico-based industrial design company Mastretta has recently revealed its new MXT sports racer. Designed and developed entirely in-house at the company's headquarters in Mexico City, the MXT is aimed to compete against other more established rivals in both the domestic Mexican market and internationally.

Hot on the heels of RUF's recent announcement, Italian coachmakers Spadaconcept have released pictures of the Codatronca based on the latest Chevrolet Corvette, with sinister styling echoing the donor's shark-themed C3 incarnation. Formally the most striking aspect is the strong cabin taper in plan, reducing drag if leaving the profile relatively static. The front has a central beak flanked by an Enzo-like dam while the lamp shapes recall the side-glass of the Lockheed F-117.

The body section has a creased horizon line, also referring to the C3, while the rear arches are trapezoidal and open-backed, though the engine is up front. The 7.0-liter V8 produces 512PS or 513PS(!) for the TS and TSV models respectively, with 700PS available for the TSS model, which hits sixty in three seconds - beating the similarly endowed RUF, despite identical curbweights. Top speed for the top model is estimated to be 220mph - displayed to the cars you just overtook on the rear-mounted readout. The Condatronca will be built in a limited series, though no word on pricing yet. Key dimensions are: length 4459mm, width 1960mm, height 1246mm.
Source: cardesignnews

Velozzi, a California-based research and development laboratory, is dedicated to prove an environmentally-friendly vehicle needn't be quirky and odd. With that in mind, the company has created a technological marvel that will compete for the Automotive X-Prize, an international competition to develop a car that will exceed 100mpg.

Constructed atop a carbonfibre honeycomb tub chassis, the Velozzi concept is a two-seat sports car with lightweight composite body panels. The seductive front end styling is reminiscent Pininfarina-designed Ferraris, with a fascia and headlamps that appear to have been derived from the Ferrari 360. Chiselled body panels along the flanks lead to massive air intakes fitted just ahead of the rear wheels and resemble rear-mounted turbines of a Lear jet.

The Velozzi is an electric car motivated by twin AC electric engines sourcing power from a lightweight lithium-ion battery pack. Unlike a conventional electric car, an on-board Velozzi micro turbine optimized to run on any 'heavy' fuel - including ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, or conventional petrol or diesel - recharges the battery system when needed. Weighing between 2000 and 2500lbs, Velozzi claims the car can complete 0-60 runs in less than 3 seconds and reach a top speed of 200mph, while returning an average of 200mpg.
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Twenty years after the notorious CTR1 'yellowbird' that was filmed lapping the Nurburgring in 8m 24s, German tuners RUF have now created its third incarnation, the CTR3. The pictures we have seen show a car closer in profile to the Carrera GT than the 911 on which it is based, while rear lamps are from a Porsche Cayman. Rear visibility appears a little compromised, however, though the molding that replaces the screen gives an armoured feeling, and the pill-shaped cut-outs remind of those at the back of early 944s.

The original CTR1 had a 959-beating 469PS, and again RUF usurps the now-deceased range-topper, the Carrera GT, thanks to twin-turbochargers extracting 700PS from the standard flat-six, capacity growing just 100cc to 3.7-liters. Also, the CTR3 does without four-wheel-drive, helping keep weight to 1400kg - 35kg less than the similarly packaged RS. All this means that 60 is hit from rest in 3.2s, matching the Ferrari Enzo nevermind the Carrera GT, while V-max is 235mph. With a price of just $500,000 plus VAT, we look forward to future sightings on YouTube. Key dimensions are: length 4445mm, width 1944mm, height 1200mm.
Source: cardesignnews

Dodge will introduce the Demon concept at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show. The car could soon be produced to rival the Mazda MX-5 and Pontiac Solstice (and its Saturn and Opel derivatives). The RWD diminutive Viper would be powered by DaimlerChrysler's 2,4L four cylinder World Engine range, which includes a 300hp version.

Designer Jae Chung, responsible for the exterior, wanted it to be "simple yet bold, featuring an energetic combination of curves and intersecting planes". The Demon uses a very structured form language that owes something to the BMW Z4, but also to the Ford Ka. Everything flows from the menacing Dodge crosshair grille, and the asymmetrical wheel arches are probably the Demon's most striking design feature. Dan Zimmermann designed the minimalist interior so that "everything relating to the driving experience is emphasized, while that which is not is made visually secondary."

Chrysler did play with the idea of an affordable sports car in the past: in 1997 they presented the Dodge Copperhead roadster, followed the next year by the Pronto Spyder concept and, in 2002, by the Dodge Razor coupe concept.

Key dimensions: length: 156.5" (3974mm), width: 68.3" (1736mm), height: 51.8" (1315mm), wheelbase: 95.6" (2429mm).

Italian design house Bertone will reveal this little roadster at the Geneva Motor Show, which is based on the Fiat Panda 100HP. In concept and styling themes, much is owed to the Seat Tango concept from 2001, though the Bertone puts its two seats closer to the rear axle for more dramatic proportions. Otherwise, the most memorable feature is the light/dark graphics and the use of transparent door-panels.

Further details are scant, but presuming the 1.4 liter engine is also shared with the Panda, expect the Roadster's top speed to be around 120mph, with 0-60 done in 9.5 seconds. The Bertone Roadster concept also marks the firm's 95th anniversary. Last year, Bertone revealed the Suagna concept, which used the larger Grande Punto as a platform.

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Toyota wants to test the concept of an eco-conscious mid-priced performance car. So they built the FT-HS, a front-engine, rwd sport-coupe powered by a 400hp hybrid powertrain that combines a 3.5 V6 petrol engine with an electric drive. According to Kevin Hunter, vice president of Toyota's Calty Design Research, the company "needs some emotional punch in their lineup, a halo product". Hunter adds that this "new kind of sports car for the 21st century" has a performance target of 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range."

The aggressive style seem to use make fair use of triangular shapes and sharp edges chiefly in the radically sculpted fascia. The carbon fiber wheels are housed in box flares that seem detached from the car's body. The FT-HS has roof panels that slide open along the sloping C-pillar, thus condemning the rear places of the 2+2 seating arrangement when the top is down. The front passengers are clasped in multiple sections deconstructed wraparound racing buckets.

Source: cardesignnews

Sitting surefooted and assertive, these photos show a striking reinterpretation of the Ford Mustang by ItalDesign. According to Styling Director Fabrizio Giugiaro "when we saw the new Mustang, we knew two things: it was the best we'd seen since the original, and [that] we had to get our hands on one." So following his pitch in early 2005 to J Mays, Vice President Design, Ford Motor Company, Giugiaro developed a model that will be his studio's first for the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Photos show a much cleaner looking car than the production model with taut surfaces and an expression not unlike the Chevrolet Camaro concept. Overhangs have been tapered closer to hardpoints, and body width increases 30mm at the front, rising to 80mm at the rear. The interior nicely balances a range of tan hues - though using horse hide is perhaps a bit too close to the Mustang name.

With the ItalDesign Ford Mustang's unveiling, Fabrizio thus follows in his father's footsteps - Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the 1965 Bertone Mustang.
Source: cardesignnews