Since Ferrari released the first official photos and details about its new California hard-top convertible last week, the car has no doubt caused an unhealthy amount of drool to collect in pools around the world. Of course, Ferrari debuted the car in the only color it could: Ferrari Red. But there are many other hues out there and we suspect Ferrari owners, at least those in the U.S. who have no shame, are not your typical fanboys and will repaint their California convertibles on day one of ownership to match their favorite shirt. The folks at pigmag.com apparently understand this behavior, and have created a series of images showing the 2009 Ferrari California in every unnatural tinge your mind could conjure. We like the gunmetal gray with the matte black wheels, but your 16-year-old daughter may lean toward the pink one with shiny chrome rims.
detail...
The media has given a lot of attention to Toyota and GM in the race for automotive electrification. After all, many of the other current players in the game license their technology from the likes of these two. Nissan has remained relatively quiet in the competition though, sitting behind its Hypermini small electric vehicle and Hybrid Altima, the latter of which happens to be the result of one of those previously mentioned licensing deals. The recent 2008 New York Auto Show saw Nissan taking things a step further, however, with the unveiling of an electric Cube concept that's expected to hit production by 2010. According to Carlos Ghosn, it's just the beginning of a worldwide full electric lineup for Nissan and its alliance partner Renault.
detail...
During our time in the grand metropolis of Geneva, we had every intention of spending some quality time at the tuner expo adjacent to the main halls. But with all that was going on, time was limited, and aside from the R8-ified TT and those kick ass chairs that our friend Paukert found, there wasn't too much of interest.
detail...
Although the primary attraction at Sbarro's booth in Geneva was the Citroen-based Cruise Crosser, the vehicle that caught our attention was this student-developed Turbo S20 Barchetta concept car. A group of 20 Espera Sbarro design school students pooled their resources, and in cooperation with the French TV show "Turbo," built this one-off concept in close to three months.
detail...
We can only hope this Opel coupe comes to the US as the Saturn Whoop-Ass, SAAB Sonnet, heck, we'd even let them call it the Allante II. For now, it's known as the Opel Gran Turismo Coupe concept. Whatever it gets called is fine with us. It's sure handsome, and if scuttlebutt is true, it can back up the fast profile with real performance. The coupe is rumored to have a 300 hp turbocharged V6 lurking under the cleanly-drawn sheetmetal. That motive force is distributed to all four wheels, and the underpinnings are donated from the next-generation Vectra. Of course the concept is equipped like the full-boat, optioned up model would be (and then some); so it has all the goodies like a hard-disk based infotainment system, parking assistance, and undoubtedly more. We'll get to see this car up close and personal at the Geneva show, which is so close now that we're like 8 year olds on Christmas Eve. For now, we'll have to be satisfied to gaze longingly at these leaked photos that turned up on Spanish website km77.
detail...
New models scheduled for Geneva are beginning to pile up and the Autobloggers headed to Europe are looking luckier and luckier by the day. We told you a few months back about an upcoming Fisker supercar, and it looks like the Artega GT Coupe is that vehicle. Equipped with a VW-derived 3.6L V6, power will come in at around 300 hp. Those are some pretty lousy numbers for a supercar, but this Fisker isn't very big. At 13 feet long and 6 feet wide, the Artega is about the same size as a Mazda MX-5 and at less than four feet tall it is about the same height as a Lamborghini Gallardo. Top speed of the Artega GT Coupe is estimated at 165 mph. detail...
During a recent press drive of the Euro-market Civic Type R, Winding Road's European editor Matt Davis appears to have gotten unofficial confirmation that Honda will be offering a Type R variant of the U.S. model Civic in 2010.
detail...
