We see a lot of rendered speculation on upcoming models, but they're seldom penned by renowned designers. However as Fiat prepares to revive the classic Topolino, Italian magazine Ruoteclassiche commissioned designer Paolo Martin – former of Bertone, Pininfarina and Ghia – to render his interpretation of how the tiny retro runabout could (or should) look.
Martin says he strove to "maintain the original spirit" of the Topolino, "with similar proportions, protruding front end and fenders, a nearly-identical grille, circular headlamps, short rear overhang and spare tire covered and integrated in the rear tailgate." The Topolino will be built at Fiat's newly-acquired Zastava plant in Serbia as a budget city-car, positioned below the 500, and despite Panda/500 underpinnings could get a rear-engine layout for the 0.9-liter two cylinder engine with DSG and start-stop technology.
Click above for high-res gallery of Mazda3 renderings
The Mazda3 has been a compact darling ever since its introduction in 2004, and even though its current design is nearly five years old, it still wins many comparison tests. Since its near the end of a design cycle, a new Zoom Zoom Mazda is on its way, and some interesting renderings have been published online of what the new Mazda3 could look like.
The design theme is decidedly Mazda6-based up front, with similarly angled LED headlights and the same basic shape, but this unofficial Mazda3 is far more "in your face." The large front air dam looks more like something from the MazdaSpeed collection, and its large opening doubles as the Mazda3's grille. The side view features clean, flowing lines and the same basic shape as the current Mazda3 hatch. Out back, football-shaped LED taillamps give this rendering a touch of class, and the similarly-shaped in-set dual exhaust looks like a concept-only touch. Due to the surprising success of the current model, the next Mazda3 has to be very, very good or it will be a big disapointment. If the next 3 looks as good as these renderings, we wouldn't be disappointed at all.
Lighter means faster. If you have yet to grasp that concept, have a look at the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera or Porsche 911 GT3 RS – each capable of leaving the heavier versions of each lightning-quick sportscar on which they're based in the dust. The performance gap is widened not by more power, but by a higher power-to-weight ratio resulting from an aggressive kilo-trimming program. Another in their ranks: the gone-but-not-forgotten, previous-generation BMW M3 CSL. By removing a bit of excess weight, the CSL was capable of outgunning its heavier counterpart by a considerable margin (how does a 7:22.8 'Ring lap sound?).
It's been just under a year since M-guru Gerhard Richter promised us a new M3 CSL based on the new V8 model, but aside from a few spy shots here and there, we've yet to see one materialize so far. To keep our appetites whet, German car mag Autozeitung put out this rendering of what the new CSL could look like, complete with carbon-fiber hood, a more aggressive front bumper and some new vents. Close enough to the mark? We'll just have to wait and see.
AutoExpress is just as interested in the styling of the next NSX as the rest of us are, so they pressed a digital artist into action to 'chop the shots of the car running on the Nurburgring. What they've come away with isn't nearly as bad as we thought it might be on our last podcast. It still looks like a hotted-up Accord Coupe in some ways, though the lines and proportions are rather classic, and the anti-flamboyance creates a car that wouldn't look ridiculous next to an F430, except for the quad stacked exhaust tips. Of course, all the renderings really do is muddy the waters until we see the actual car, but at least if these images ring true, the NSX won't suck. It won't stand out, either, but who ever bought an Acura to stand out?
click the picture for a hi-res gallery of the Cobra Venom V8
The Cobra formula was simple: small British roadster + American V8 drivetrain = racing success. Early Cobras sought balance by utilizing Ford's modest 260 cubic-inch small block V8, but all Hell broke loose when a hairy-chested 427 cubic inch FE big block was installed. As a piece of history, and an exciting way to tickle your adrenal gland, the Cobra is legendary. The perennial practice of plucking a significant car from the 1960s and rehashing it, rather than coming up with something entirely new, has struck again, and now it looks like a new spin on the Cobra might be coming. The Cobra Venom V8 will undoubtedly be more refined than the visceral glory of the original Shelby vehicles, and while the concept images show a derivative car, it's still good looking; classic proportions never go out of style
A supercharged Ford modular V8 spinning out 524 horsepower is the intended power source, squirting the aluminum and carbon fiber coupe around with authority. 0-62 will come up in 3.4 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 214 mph. While the concept renderings look good and the specs sound impressive, we're not sure whether this vehicle exists beyond its concept renderings. If it ever does see the light of day, we'll be sure to climb in, fasten the harness and put on our helmet before complaining that it's really time to move on from the 60s. Then we'll attempt to tear up some track, Shelby style.
We recently gave you details and showed you spy shots of Audi's forthcoming A7 four-door "coupe". Not much could be gleaned from the photos though, with the car looking much more like a sport camel than a sport sedan. A year ago, CAR magazine was passing out renderings of the A7 based on information it was getting from insiders. Their images were of an impossibly sleek -- and quite good looking -- stealthmobile that substituted a huge hatch for a trunk. Auto Express has new renderings of the car, and it maintains all the spirit of the CAR originals. It's still red and impossibly sleek, with a reptilian, evil eye front end treatment that says "Yeah, I'm lookin' at you..." We've been examining the wheel wells on the spy shots to see if they could really fit wheels as big as those on the rendering -- and we can't say for sure either way. If the 600-hp RS7 variant comes on feet that big, it'll be a serious looking car indeed. However, unless that rear end is hiding a hatch, you won't able to fit anything in the trunk except two-by-fours.
The next Bentley Arnage is due in 2010, and thank heavens it won't be a biggie-sized clone of the Continental Flying Spur. That means we don't expect it to look so much like the rendering above, which is 75-percent Flying Spur with a GT tail. A bit long-in-the-tooth by modern replacement standards, the Arnage still sells about 600 - 800 units per year, which is not far behind the much newer Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The next Arnage will take advantage of Audi's spaceframe technology, which will ultimately be utilized by every car in the range. With a 150-kg-plus drop in the car's weight, your gas mileage should improve to a number you still won't care about if you can afford a Bentley.
Engine choices will remain in the all-gasoline family. Bentley says that there simply isn't demand for a diesel in one of its cars, and it's not going to put one out there to try and stimulate it. It might -- and we stress, might -- however, be looking for something to do with the quad-turbo W16 from the Veyron, and that could make for a very interesting Bentley indeed.
The Mazda 929 from the '90s was a rear-wheel-drive technological marvel that was ultimately unsuccessful because of its hefty price tag and Americans' infatuation with the SUV. Times have changed and big cars are cool again, with just about everybody on the market offering a large sedan. Mazda, however, is an obvious exception. The artists over at CGI Automotive decided to render out a future Mazda9 just for fun, and while it looks a bit awkward, the overall idea is pretty solid.
Out front, the blue rendering holds true to the design of the upcoming Mazda6, but Audi-like jewelry has been added to the headlamps and the lower air dams look aggressive and sporty. The bulging wheel arches borrow from the Mazda6 and RX-8, and the roof-line is tapered to give it the four-door coupe look. The one thing that would have to change is the hatchback, which might be OK on smaller Mazdas, but is unattractive for a large flagship sedan. Would we like to see a Mazda9 flagship sedan? Hell yes, the more Zoom Zoom the better. But it would have to be more distinctive and less hatch-like, or it'd suffer the same fate as the 929 of years gone by.
It seems most car buyers today have decided that the aesthetic advantages of the two-door coupe body style are not worth the ergonomic hassles of getting in and out of the back seat. To remedy that issue, most every automaker has or very soon will introduce a car with a coupe-like profile and extra doors to ease ingress/egress. This design trend runs the gamut from mainstream models like the VW Passat CC to near exotics like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. Ford apparently doesn't want to miss out on this potentially profitable trend and may create a four-door coupe based on the best selling Mondeo.
If this rendering from CAR is anything by which to judge, the Mondeo coupe will take Kinetic design to a new extreme with a low profile greenhouse, frameless windows, and rear-door openings that are almost certain to induce some concussions. As the premium Mondeo (if indeed it wears that badge), it will get all the techno goodness one would expect of such a car in the 21st century. It may also carry a variant of the 2.7L diesel V6 that Ford has previously installed in Jaguars. Interestingly, the article also mentions AdBlue, which is the urea injection system used to reduce NOx emissions of diesel engines. If Ford adds urea injection, this engine could likely pass U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions and could even come to the States someday.
With all of the excitement surrounding the next-generation Nissan 370Z, it's sometimes easy to forget that its little rear-wheel-drive brother is on the way, as well. A few weeks ago, we shared some info about this future Nissan RWD coupe, and now we have an official photo to share that popped up at a Nissan GT 2012 meeting. Although fuzzy, it shows a bulging rear fender flare, tiny rear quarter window and swoopy side that we've already seen on some unofficial renderings. As we recently reported, Nissan has kicked development of its future 240SX replacement into high gear after hearing that the Toyota/Subaru coupe is coming along nicely.
Expected to be based on a shortened version of the Z's FM platform and dubbed FR, the new coupe should be powered by either a naturally aspirated 2.0L or possibly a 1.6L or 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder. Speculation is that the S15 Silvia successor will be approximately 4,350 mm long, 1,750 mm wide and share the same wheelbase as the Z. Low weight and low price are key, and just like with its competitors from Subaru and Toyota, Nissan wants to keep the curb weight low, along with the price. We expect Nissan to beat Toyota to the punch by debuting the coupe in 2010, a full year before the Toyota/Subaru.
Let the leakage begin: Ford Focus RS concept
British Motor Show Preview: Opel Insignia to debut in hatch and sedan forms
Rumormill: Ford reviving Mustang SVO with 300 hp Ecoboost four
Leaked: 2009 BMW 7 Series photos hit the web
Spy Shots: Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart sneaks out ahead of Paris show
Track Test: 2008 Roush 427R Trak Pak Mustang
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Porsche Cayman S
First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable Hard Top
In The Autoblog Garage: BMW 128i Convertible
