Archive | Cars

…Porsche is developing a green supercar?

Porsche 918 Spyder Front

Dear Porsche: If this is the future of ‘green’ automobiles, then the world is going to be just fine…

Porsche 918 Spyder Rear

The Porsche 918 Spyder concept does zero to sixty in just 3.2 seconds, tops out at 198 mph, and will lap the Nurburgring in just 7:30. Oh, and it will do all that and get 78.4 mpg if you keep your foot out of it.

That’s because the 718 horsepower monster features a 500 horsepower, mid-engine V-8 that’s assisted by TWO electric motors (one at each end) that add an additional 218 horsepower when needed.

Porsche 918 Spyder Interior

Picking up the groceries? Just keep things sane, and the electric motors will do all the work, giving you up to 16 miles of emission-free green driving.

Picking up laps on the racetrack? Just drive it like any other Porsche, and the electric motors will assist the V-8 as it does its best to lower that mpg figure.

Porsche 918 Spyder Detail

Plus, it doesn’t look half bad either!

[Via: Porsche]

…Car-puccino runs entirely on coffee grounds?

Car-puccino

It’s not pretty, but this 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco, nicknamed the “Car-puccino”, runs entirely on coffee grounds, and goes to show that with enough determination, you can get a car to run off of just about anything.

The car is more proof of concept than actual gas alternative, since it only gets about three miles out of a kilo of ground coffee (56 espressos per mile), but it will manage up to 60mph on the freeway, and is expected to take the makers from Manchester to London on a few tanks of beans. (Though the 210 mile trip will take the equivalent of 11,760 espressos…)

Car-puccino Detail

If they can get the science down though, Starbucks just might have a new means of bean transportation.

[Via: Daily Mail]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Porsche 911 GT3 R?

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche’s latest 911 GT3 R is technically a hybrid, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re giving up speed and going green. Instead, this track monster features a system that’s similar to the KERS system that was developed for F1 racing, and which is designed to give the car a speed boost during acceleration through the use of small electric motors that assist the main engine.

If the technical terms don’t get you all hot and bothered, then maybe you should just let Porsche explain the car in their own unique way:

[Porsche Intelligent Performance]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Lazareth’s Renault Twingo V8 Trophy?

Renault Twingo Trophy

A typical Renault Twingo makes 75 horsepower. A typical Renault Twingo V8 Trophy that has gone through the Lazareth shop makes 180 horsepower. If that formula doesn’t spell success, then nothing will!

The added power comes from a 3.5-liter Range Rover V8, which gets stuffed between the rear subframe and turns the French tuner into a terror. Along with the extra engine, the Twingo Trophy gets a fully custom widebody kit, new rims and tires, and a heaping helping of flat matte paint.

The result is supercar performance in a package that’s just larger than a go-kart, proving once again that you should never judge a book by it’s teeny tiny cover.

[Lazareth]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Mansory Cyrus?

Mansory Cyrus

I LOVE carbon fiber, so when you take an already beautiful car like the Aston Martin DB9 and cover the entire thing in space fabric, my mind struggles to process the level of awesome.

Mansory Cyrus Details

Called the Mansory Cyrus, it’s from the shop that never fears to improve on a supercar, regardless of how rare, and will tack on a few $100k to the sticker; though I’d argue that beauty like this can quickly approach priceless.

[Mansory]

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