Incredible Flying Microcar Concept is a Vintage Look at the Future

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted on by Zach Doell

 

A Jetsons view of our future suggests some day we’ll all be strapped into flying cars and zipping through the skies. Far off? Perhaps, but automotive design artist Marco van Overbeeke isn’t stopping there.

He envisioned a future where flying cars are actually interpretations of classic bubble-shaped microcars, and he couldn’t have picked a more clever starting point. This is his creation – the Hoverschmitt 5000 – a concept based around the bones of the 1950s Messerschmitt KR200 microcar.

Long before Messerschmitt began building microcars, the manufacturing powerhouse was a pillar of German aviation, building sports and passenger aircraft through the early part of the century and – of course – eventually war planes.

 But following World War II and Germany’s surrender, Messerschmitt was barred from building aircraft at all. They instead turned to aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and turned his design for an invalid carriage into a veritable microcar – the KR200.

It’s only fitting that a car with such an airborne history becomes the world’s preeminent flying vintage car. Hats off to Overbeeke for making its remarkable transformation.

Overbeeke’s digital manipulation chopped the Messerschmitt’s wheels and instead extended the wheel arches to include all “the latest in hover technology.” The cockpit has had its fair share of nips and tucks as well, adopting a lower and sleeker profile and the obligatory Formula 1 inspired cooling duct mounted on top.

Overbeeke even added a vintage racing livery, complete with sponsorship for Messerschmitt and a “powered by Sachs” decal, highlighting the original car’s pint-sized 191cc Fichtel & Sachs two-stroke engine.

What do you think, Internets? Is the vintage flying car the way of the future? What classic car do you want to see get the ‘flying car’ treatment?

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McLaren 675LT Dazzles Ahead of Geneva Debut

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Keith Griffin

 

 

Perhaps to stave off all of the leaked images floating around, McLaren has released the first official photos of the McLaren 675LT a week before the Geneva Motor Show. Like pretty much every McLaren before it, it’s a stunner that continues the brand’s racing heritage.

The McLaren 675LT — which is basically a street-legal race car — will be insanely fast. It’s 0-62 mph time is rated at 2.9 seconds by McLaren, with 125 mph hit in 7.9 seconds. Not to mention a top speed of 205 mph.

The 3.8-liter V8, which produces 666 horsepower and 516 lb. ft. of torque, is significantly upgraded with more than half of its parts getting changed. Among the upgrades are new, more efficient turbos. There have also been design changes to the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds. Fuel delivery also improves with a faster-flowing fuel fuel and improved fuel delivery.

The McLaren 675LT is light for its performance— it weighs in at just 2,700 lbs. thanks to extensive use carbon fiber. It also uses circular twin titanium exhaust pipes. The active ‘Longtail’ airbrake is 50 percent bigger than the one fitted to the 650S but is actually lighter because of carbon fiber.

Weight reduction has been a key focus of the McLaren 675LT as it was in 1997 with the development of the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’. More than 225 lbs. of weight were shaved over the other models in the McLaren Super Series.

To save that weight you’re not going to get air conditioning as standard equipment. However, you can get it as a no-cost option. McLaren doesn’t mind if you add the weight. It just didn’t want it by its own choosing.

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Radical Aiming for Nurburgring Record With RXC 500

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jonathon Klein

 

 

One thing is for certain, among those that build sportscars and supercars, the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife matters. While using the Nurburgring to dial in the setups, power, and suspension is important, the real goal for when you take each car to the ‘Ring is lap times.

Right now, the Nurburgring’s lap board is dominated by the small British sportscar manufacturer Radical. Their first record was set in 2005 when Radical took its SR8 to the track and blitzed the lap in just 6 minutes and 55 seconds. Then 4 years later, Radical came back with the SR8 LM and somehow shaved an additional 7 seconds off their time to set a lap at 6 minutes and 48 seconds.

Radical’s latest track-day weapon is called the RXC 500 (standard RXC pictured), and according to them, their newest car’s engineering “resulted in a road car with performance capabilities that exceed those of dedicated racing cars.”

 Rather than the V8 Radical used in the previous two cars, the new car is powered by Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. In this guise, the engine ultimately makes an incredible 537 horsepower and 481lb-ft of torque. That high horsepower figured coupled to the cars low weight, just 2,072lbs, allow the car to reach 100mph in 6.8 seconds.

This car will be in barely street-legal form when it shows up in Geneva next month. And it will ultimately ruffle some feathers in the process. Nevertheless, this Radical will most likely crack the fastest street legal time for the company once again.

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Cadillac’s Flagship CT6 Shows Its Face, Will Feature Twin-Turbo V8

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Tony Markovich

 

  

On March 31, Cadillac’s continued battle against Germany hits the front lines. That’s when Cadillac will be debuting its new super luxury flagship sedan, the CT6. The car, which will be going head-to-head against the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, briefly showed its face during a new commercial that aired for the first time during the Oscars.

In a recent Q&A held on Jalopnik, Cadillac CEO Johan de Nysschen confirmed and revealed a few details about the CT6. Most importantly, regarding the powertrain options, he said, “This includes a very wide mix of engines, starting with a 2-liter turbo, up to, eventually, a high-performance advanced V-8 turbo.”

 In a separate question, he went one step further saying, “The lightweight body structure allows us to achieve formidable performance even with a twin-turbo V-6. Imagine how this car would perform with a twin-turbo V-8.”





So there it is. That certainly sounds like the CT6 will be getting an all-new twin-turbo V8 that will kick tushies and collect monikers. The lightweight body structure he’s referring to will heavily incorporate aluminum, which will keep the weight right around the current CTS (3,800 lbs for the heaviest AWD luxury turbo model).

Furthermore, the CT6 will likely be rear-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option and should feature Magnetic Ride Control. Tech wise, the car is rumored to feature a game-changing new rear-view mirror that will show a wide-angle view through a camera mounted in the rear of the car. The CT6 could also feature “Super Cruise,” Cadillac’s next step toward autonomous driving.

 

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This Mercedes is the Fastest AWD Coupe in the World

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez

 

 

That’s right, this is the fastest, all-wheel drive coupe [Jeremy Clarkson voice] in the world! At least, that’s according to Brabus, the crazy German tuners who created this monstrous Mercedes.
It’s based on the S63 AMG Coupe, as you can plainly see.

But where the standard S63 pumps out 585 horsepower from a 5.5-liter V8, the Brabus 850 6.0 is able to move planets with 850 horsepower and 1,069 lb-ft torque from a bored-out and highly modified 5.9-liter V8 Biturbo.

With all-wheel drive, the Brabus Benz can also hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds, on to an electronically limited top speed of 217 mph. You know, because they didn’t want to make it too fast.

Of course, where would a big powerful Benz be without a luscious interior? Brabus went about painting 219 interior bits in a shadow gold finish. The car’s exterior is topped off with a set of 22-inch gold rims. This S63 is fit for a king – a very, very fast king.

The Brabus 850 will make its world debut in Geneva next month, and it’s bound to turn some heads in the process.

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New Mercedes SUV Has a Bizarre Name, Looks Awesome

BOLDRIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

The Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 is a brutish thing: 540 horsepower, high-clearance portal axles, six wheels, and looks to kill. It’s not a truck for the faint of heart – in fact, it’s not a truck for many at all, since all 100 dune-bashers have sold out. 

Thankfully, Mercedes realizes that insane off-road pickup trucks and SUVs are a hot commodity, and it appears to be more than happy to give the world another, albeit a milder version in comparison to its late-great nine alarm fire.

It’s called the G500 4×4 Squared, and while Mercedes calls it a “near-series show car” rather than a future model, there’s little doubt that these SUVs are headed for production.




So when they potentially do get the green light, what will you get for your unspecified lump of money? Frankly, a lot. Mercedes is the first to say the G500 Squared is cut from the same cloth as the insane-O AMG 6×6. As such, it retains the AMG’s capable portal axle drivetrain, sans one axle.

The 6×6′s 5.5-liter engine has however been removed, but it has been replaced with a punchy twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that outputs a still heady 422 horsepower and meets all Euro 6 emissions standards for the immediate future…hmmm.

But being a better 6×6 is only half the equation, the 4×4 Squared looks to be far and away superior to the standard G-Wagen with which it shares is chassis. On-road, Mercedes says its wider track allows the G500 Squared to corner better than the standard car.

Off-road, it simply does everything better. It’s ground clearance rises by a staggering 9.5 inches, its approach angle increases by 16 degrees, and water fording depth nearly doubles to an impressive 3.25 feet.

There you have it – more sensible, economical, and practical than its predecessor, and better in the tough stuff than its standard G-Class brother. You could almost say it’s a car of the people…maybe. Stay tuned for more; Mercedes will debut the G500 4×4 Squared at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

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Memorialize Your Favorite American and German Cars with these Beautiful Prints

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Tony Markovich

 

 

There is no such thing as too much awesomely creative car art. Your home office, garage, or kid’s room is always in need of sprucing up. Today’s home inspiration comes from Jerome Daksiewicz’s “Auto Icon” Kickstarter. Despite a Kickstarter’s natural suggestion that Daksiewicz is just getting started, he’s actually already been doing prints for a minute.

His Nomo Design print series include airport runways, famous racetracks, football stadiums, and golf courses. His new venture, however, is all about cars. Daksiewicz has taken what he considers to be auto makers’ most important cars, stenciled the noses, and neatly organized them onto these awesome prints.




So far he’s created prints for General Motors, Ford, BMW, and Porsche, and he plans to do more upon request. And requests he’s already received. With 26 days left as of this writing, Auto Icons already has 330 supporters who have spent $12,699. The goal for the project was only $1,500. So, yeah, people kind of like these things.

As you can see, the Ford print includes cars like the 1908 Model T, the 1950 Country Squire, the 1964 GT40, and the 2015 Ford Mustang. The BMW shows cars like the 1955 Isetta 250, the 1986 M3 E30, and the 2014 M4 Coupe F82. The GM version has the 1908 Buick Model 10, the 1960 Chevrolet Suburban, the 1987 Buick Grand National, and the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V.

 As for the Porsche print, that has the 1953 550 Spyder, the 2004 Carrera GT Type 9080, and the 2015 918 Spyder, among others. If you’re interested, back the project here, or give him suggestions for future posters.

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