Though it might look a little funky from the front, it’s all business from the back and sides.
Ferrari just announced the “hugely versatile, innovation-packed GT Maranello” they’re calling the Ferrari California. (Take that, other states!)
Featuring 8-cylinders of mid-front mounted Grand Tourer power, it’s exclusively a convertible with a folding hard top for when you’re ready to mess up the ‘do.
Specs?
0 – 100 km/h in less than 4.0 seconds, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, multilink rear suspension, F1-Trac traction control system, Brembo brakes, carbon-ceramic discs, etc. Basically, if you want it in a sports car, then it’s there.
To me, the front looks a little bubbly, and the wheels don’t do anything for me, but the back looks pretty good with single tail lights and vertical exhaust, and the side looks pretty good as well with classic proportions, so maybe this prancing horse will grow on me soon enough.
Look for it at Ferrari dealerships and country clubs near you.
[Ferrari]
[Via: Jalopnik]
Though the US is still having trouble wrapping its head around the power and potential of diesel, Audi seems well aware of what it can do, and has developed the R8 V12 TDI LeMans concept car to help them strut their stuff.
Featuring “the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance roadgoing sports car”, it generates 500 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque, propelling the car from zero to 62 mph in just 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of well over 186 mph.
Peak torque?
It’s reached at just 1,750 rpm, meaning “effortless acceleration” that is without rival.
Thus, the question becomes: Would you switch gas pumps for a car like this?
My guess: Yes, yes you would.
[Audi - R8]
[Via: Jalopnik]
The JL Audio TW5 Thin-Line Subwoofer is a staggering piece of sound engineering.
With an extremely shallow mounting depth of only 2.5 inches, it needs only half a foot of enclosure, and is designed for truck and sports car installations where space is a premium.
Despite its thinness, JL hasn’t skimped on the specs, as this sub is available in either a 12” or 13.5” variety, and handles 500 or 600 W respectively.
Get ready to bring the bass to where it’s never been before.
[JL Audio - TW5 Thin-Line Subwoofer]
[Via: Acquire]
Fisker Automotive wants to bring the sexy back to green sport car design.
With Tesla taking a sad and slow turn towards the automotive afterlife, there’s now a gaping hole in the car world for people who want to drive green, but don’t want to drive slow to do so.
Enter: Fisker
The Karma (clever) will be a four-door plug-in hybrid sports sedan, and will start at just $80,000. (I say just because technology like this doesn’t come cheap when you’re trying to debut a whole new type of transportation.)
With initial delivery scheduled for late 2009, and an estimated production run of at least 15,000, there’s definitely some hope of this thing seeing the light of day.
And if it does, what will drivers see?
A sexy exterior wrapped around an even sexier interior powered by a Q DRIVE powertrain. (Q DRIVE is Fisker’s name for their plug-in hybrid technology.) Basically, a small gas engine turns a generator which charges the lithium ion battery pack which then powers the electric motor.
With this configuration, the car can be driven for up to 50 miles per day, as long as the car is then plugged in each night. By following this routine, the car then also only needs one fuel fill-up. Per year.
Will this change the face of green automotive design?
As with the Tesla, only time will tell; though I do hope that this one at least makes it into production, since we’re at going to need baby steps if there’s ever going to be hope of running towards a cleaner type of automobile.
[Fisker Automotive]
[Via: Serious Wheels]
