GAMER Only As we have said in previous articles, now we will discuss about Suzuki virtual concept car. Indeed, Suzuki Motor Corporation has expertise in the manufacturing process of motorcycles and cars, and recently the Japanese manufacturer has launched a new concept car called the Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo which combines the best elements of both.
The Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo roofless sportscar with an evil Suzuki Swift face is available to drive on Gran Turismo 7 video games. (Picture from: PhilKotse)
As you can see, it is a lightweight all-wheel-drive virtual roadster described driven by a hybrid drivetrain consisting of Hayabusa's 1.3-liter inline four engine combined with three electric motors. In terms of design, the Suzuki Vision GT generally looks like Suzuki Swift roadster that comes with a fully roofless two-seater cabin. The Japanese automotive company said its designers were also inspired by the Cappuccino model while made the car designs, but ruled out those slight bodystyle similarities between the two.
The Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo's front end bears a strong resemblance to the Swift Sport due to the large grille, intake bumper and aggressive fender-mounted headlights. (Picture from: Carscoops)
Furthermore, the Suzuki Vision GT's front end bears a strong resemblance to the Swift Sport due to the large grille, intake bumper and aggressive fender-mounted headlights. The bonnet is a bit long for a mid-engined vehicle, while the short pillarless panoramic windshield and lack of roof contribute to the dramatic proportions. At the rear, the LED taillights somehow remind us to the Devon GTX, while a massive diffuser coupled with twin center-mounted exhausts makes it clear that this is not an EV.
The Suzuki's hybrid Hayabusa-powered Vision Gran Turismo could be a step in the right direction. (Picture from: Carscoops)
Inside, the dashboard has a fairly simple layout with screens for mirror replacement cameras on either side of the steering wheel. The latter integrates a Start/Stop button and hazard lights, a shift knob, and lots of unmarked controls. Drivers have access to a transparent digital instrument cluster and nothing else, as you don't need infotainment features in such a vehicle.
The Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo's cabin featured with dashboard has a pretty simple layout with screens for the mirror-replacing cameras on both sides of the yoke steering wheel. (Picture from: Carscoops)
Moving to its drivetrain, this is perhaps the best part of this Suzuki concept car, by using a 1,340cc four-cylinder petrol engine sourced from the Hayabusa which is installed behind its cabin, to work together with three electric motors (two in front and one in the back). As the result, the hybrid drivetrain burst out combined output of 426 hp and 610 Nm of torque.
The Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo is powered by a hybrid drivetrain consisting of Hayabusa's 1.3-liter inline four engine combined with three electric motors. (Picture from: Carscoops)
These numbers may not seen impressive compared to other Vision GT concepts, but it's believed the Hayabusa engine roaring will make things a lot more fun. Also, keep in mind that thanks to the adoption of racing technology, this Suzuki concept has a weighs of 970 kg.
At the rear, the LED taillights somehow remind us to the Devon GTX, while a massive diffuser coupled with twin center-mounted exhausts makes it clear that this is not an EV. (Picture from: BlackXperience)
It should be noted, this is not the first time that Suzuki has installed the Hayabusa engine in a sports car, as we have seen before with the 2001 Suzuki GSX-R/4 concept. Unfortunately, despite being designed to follow the recipe of its predecessor, the Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo was not intended for production and is likely to be stay in the digital world, only gamers can drive it.
However, we can still hope that in the future real cars will be built to be exhibited at public events such as the Tokyo Auto Show. For your info, this Suzuki's virtual roadster is part of the latest free update to Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 7 video games available for the Sony Playstation 5 console. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ID.MOTOR1 | CARSCOOPS ]
ONE-Off Indeed, many people are fascinated by the figure of classic racing cars such the following British-made Aston Martin DBR 1 of 1950s, which is said to have ruled the world's famous racing arenas like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sebring and others. Because at that time by the manufacturer, the racing car was made in limited numbers. So it's not surprising if its creative fans were inspired to make the copies.
The Daedalus was an American hand-crafted two-seater roadster built by Kris Heil, inspired by Aston Martin DBR 1, Ferrari 250, Jaguar C- and D-Type. (Picture from: JournalClassicCar)
Among the many copies that have been ever made, it turns out that the most famous is the Daedalus which built only one unit by a gentleman from Aptos, California named Kris Heil. From what its look, the immediate reference points are the sensational and curvaceous European sports roadsters that ruled the road at Sebring, Le Mans and high-end tracks around the world in the late 50s and early 60s.
According to its maker, Kris Heil, that the Daedalus was not only directly inspired by the Aston Martin DBR 1 that had won at the 24-Hours of Le Mans 1959, in the first (driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori) and second position (driven by Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frére), but that there was a fair amount of styling borrowed from the Ferrari 250, Jaguar C- and D-Type, too.
As you can see, the Daedalus nose was inspired by the Aston Martin DBR-1. (Picture from: JournalClassicCar)
The maker of Daedalus, who is now 70 years old, further tells that he built this gorgeous single-seat car creation in British green racing color in his garage over 11 years, ranging from 2005 to 2016. Besides that he wanted some American heritage in there, too, so it’s powered by the straight-six GMC engine (built from 1952 to 1960) that was frequently hot-rodded back in the day.
Heil who formerly has career as a firefighter, also known race car builder, and honed his classic car building skills from scratch by watching videos only. For the Daedalus, he fabricated the car's aluminum body manually by using an English wheel, which then put on the tube chassis. After finished, the Daedalus managed to become a star when it was exhibited for the first time to the public at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering in 2017 in the custom coachwork category.
As you can see, the Daedalus nose was inspired by the Aston Martin DBR-1. (Picture from: JournalClassicCar)
By considering what happened next, when a nightmare happened, which was then able to arouse sympathy from classic car owners around the world. The incident occurred in August of 2017, while Heil was driving the Daedalus on the freeway, headed for the Danville Concours. It was early in the morning, and practically no one else was on the road. According to Heil, a car came out of nowhere and “crossed five lanes of traffic to punt me in the back at speed and push me into the center divider. I was alive, but every panel was bent, the chassis damaged, the suspension torn off the car.”
The Daedalus got all new interior features that have many comforts including custom leather seats and wool carpeting, part of the rebuild. (Picture from: JournalClassicCar)
It didn't take long after the incident, Heil immediately started on the rebuild of the Daedalus, and took over five years more until now, but the car is finally finished again, only needing a cut and polish. Once finished, the Daedalus looks track ready with all new interior features that have many comforts including custom leather seats and wool carpeting, due to Heil used the accident to fix some things in the car he thought he could improve. The body lines have been refined, and the car has new gold headlamp bezels.
Meanwhile, its drivetrain still to use the 302-cubic-inch GMC straight six, coupled with a modern Tremec five-speed manual transmission. It’s running triple sidedraft Weber carburetors that ride on a manifold fabricated by Heil himself. Then to tame the car speed, it relied on the Wilwood disc brakes all around.
The Daedalus is powered by the straight-six GMC engine, estimated could put out 280 to 300 horsepower. (Picture from: JournalClassicCar)
Then what about the Daedalus performance? To this day Heil doesn't know yet, but he wanted to ensure it could reach 100 mph smoothly without any complaints or threats to stability. He estimates the car's engine could put out 280 to 300 horsepower, which is plenty to get an aluminum-bodied car weighing just 2,650 lbs to run fast. But the zero to 60 time is up to the next owner.
Based on all of those mentioned above, we could be understood for presenting the Daedalus really requires extra patiences, moreover if the such car creation took up 16 years of your life? It's no wonder if Heil expresses all his feelings, as he said, “I’m tired of it, I’m done with the car. I built it twice.” For this reason, the Daedalus is also said to be sold immediately, at a price no matter how high it is that probably won’t account for 16 years of sweat equity. The money from the sale will be used to finance another Heil's projects that were previously put aside when Daedalus was built. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THE DAEDALUS | JOURNALCLASSICCAR ]
Dream Only At one point in the journey of an automotive manufacturer, of course, they managed to make a quite successful model, so that in the future made them want to re-launch it. This is possibly being explored by Suzuki Motor Corporation, one of the Japanese automotive manufacturers, to revive their legendary affordable sports car, the Suzuki Cappuccino.
The unofficial Suzuki Cappuccino concept car designed by Hugo Silva has successfully stolen the attention of fans and gone viral in internet. (Picture from: OtomotifSindoNews)
As quoted of Carsales, Suzuki Cappuccino is known to have been produced by Suzuki from 1991 to 1998, which was sold for around £11,995 (approx of Rp. 202 million). It is understandable why the presence of the Suzuki Cappuccino is kind of good news for many sports cars enthutiasts in Japan. Because besides having a relatively affordable selling price, the Suzuki Cappuccino has its own uniqueness compared to other sports cars.
The Suzuki Cappuccino classic sports car is known to have been produced by Suzuki from 1991 to 1998. (Picture from: OtomotifSindoNews)
As you can see, the Suzuki Cappuccino has a design that is no less attractive than its competitors. Well, this Suzuki-made car looks very compact with a length of 3,295 mm and a weight about 725 kilograms. In addition, the small Japanese sports car is powered by a 657 cc three-cylinder turbo engine.
Although the Suzuki Cappuccino is able to make many people fall in love with it, because of its affordable selling price, attractive design and good performance. Unfortunately, the car production should be discontinued by the automaker in 1998 due to emission regulations.
The Suzuki's Hayabusa-powered Vision Gran Turismo could be a step in the right direction. (Picture from: PhilKotse)
But who would have thought, it turns out that Suzuki never forgot to its Cappuccino sportscar. Like recently, while there're circulated rendered images of the Suzuki Cappuccino concept made by a digital artist named Hugo Silva and went to viral in the virtual world. The designer created a very interesting new Suzuki Cappuccino concept design that seems to have taken the Suzuki Swift design and then nicely combined with various sportscar elements.
This immediately invites comments from Michael Pachota, Suzuki Australia General Manager, whose point is not to deny the cool design made by Hugo Silva. He said the Silva's design met the criteria for a cool sports car that exists today. "That was a pretty cool car. Turbo engine, coupe and convertible," he said.
The Suzuki Misano Concept is designed by by 24 master program students at the Istituto Europe di Design (IED) in Turin and claimed to combine the "two souls" of Suzuki in producing motorized vehicles (cars and motorbikes). (Picture from: Carsales)
Furthermore, at that time he also said that Suzuki had never said no to presenting a new sports car. Moreover, they are also quite diligent in making concept sports cars that are often presented in the Gran Turismo racing game, such the Suzuki Vision Gran Turismo for example, and we will discuss about it soon after this.
"I'm not privy to everything in the research and development side in terms of what’s coming next… (but) never say never," he explained. This is enough to indicate that what he conveyed was a personal opinion only, which did not represent Suzuki officially.
Suzuki itself as an automotive manufacturer is already accustomed to making high-speed vehicles. Noted, they once collaborated with the Istituto Europe di Design (IED) to design the Suzuki Misano Concept, but the Japanese automotive company also known to be successful in the development of the legendary Suzuki Hayabusa motorbike which can reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARSALES | HUGO SILVA | PHILKOTSE | WIKIPEDIA ]
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023 Of course, you still remember the famous American muscle car figure was nicknamed 'Eleanor' roled in the 2000s Hollywood's movie titled of 'Gone in 60 Seconds.' That's right, it was 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. So, here's now we will discuss about a similar car that got an unusual modification..
The 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500CR with carbon fiber body as collaboration result of Classic Recreations and SpeedKore Performance Group. (Picture from: GridOto)
Although exactly not an original car, instead only a modern re-created version as collaboration result of Classic Recreations with SpeedKore Performance Group (a carbon fiber specialist tuner), called Ford Mustang Shelby GT500CR, and of course officially under licensed of Ford and Shelby American.
Even the application of carbon fiber also extends to the interior parts such as the steering wheel, transmission lever, pedals, and dashboard ornaments as well as door trim. (Picture from: GridOto)
As reported by Carscoops, the collaboration of those two famous American companies managed to make a full carbon fiber bodied Shelby GT500. As we're previously known the body parts of the Shelby GT500 were made of steel, now changed completely built under carbon fiber materials.
In other words, the Classic Recreations' carbon fiber GT500CR starts with a restored donor steel tub taken from an original 1967 or 1968 Mustang that is then fitted with all-new carbon fiber body panels of SpeedKore Performance Group.
This is a hand-built 7.0-liter engine with an intercooled ProCharger supercharger with 900 hp which was one of the engine options that offered on the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500CR. (Picture from: GridOto)
Even the application of carbon fiber also extends to the interior parts such as the steering wheel, transmission lever, pedals, and dashboard ornaments as well as door trim. In addition to body panels that have been entirely replaced under hypercar-quality carbon fiber, the Classic Recreations provides several drivetrain options.
Well, the GT500CR models are available with several engine options, ranging from a Ford Performance Gen 3 Coyote 5.0-liter engine with power of 490 hp, up to a hand-built 7.0-liter engine with an intercooled ProCharger supercharger to burst power of 900 hp. All Shelby GT500CRs come with a Tremec five-speed manual transmission and stainless-steel MagnaFlow performance exhaust.
The
1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500CR with carbon fiber body as
collaboration result of Classic Recreations and SpeedKore Performance
Group. (Picture from: GridOto)
The next change in the legs are with the power rack-and-pinion conversion, coil-over suspension, oversized sway bars, Wilwood brakes, American Racing forged wheels and Michelin high-performance Z-rated tires.
While for those who want more performance, the optional Pro Touring Track Package includes Detroit Speed Engineering
suspension, wider rear wheels and tires, mini tubs and six-piston brake calipers with larger rotors. Other options include six-speed manual or
automatic transmissions, interior upgrades and a full palette of paint colors.
Still quoted of the same source, the carbon GT500CR will be followed by a Shelby-licensed all-carbon-fiber-bodied Cobra in the future. Later reported also by Carscoops, the Classic Recreations will be producing the GT500CR models in a limited number at just 25 units, with the price starts at $265,000 for the model powered by a 5.2-liter Coyote V8 drivetrain. If you are interested to this unique American muscle car, please contact Classic Recreations for further information. ~Keep Healthy in 2023~*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CLASSIC RECREATIONS | CARSCOOPS | COMPOSITESWORLD ]
Weird ONES Indeed, many new car models are said to be released at the end of this year, and some of them were discussed by us. In turn now, we will see what an Austrian little-known brand named Kiska does, when it previewed an exciting new sports car dubbed the Kiska APG-1 sometime ago. At its peak, a number of new images have been seen released on this December 2022 along with reports that the car will be in production soon.
A weird looking Austrian-made sports car called Kiska APG-1, and is built based on the KTM X-Bow GT-XR. (Picture from: Kolesa.ru)
For your info, the mentioned brand above owned by a multidisciplinary design studio founded by an Austrian entrepreneur named Gerald Kiska back in 1991, and over time the company grew then known through out the world, now it has a quite wide range clients such; Adidas, Audi, Bosch, Husqvarna, KTM and dozens of other companies, even now Kiska feels that it has the ability to produce its own sports car, and is starting to pave the way in that direction.
The Kiska APG-1 was originally conceived as a study concept for demonstrate the automaker's ability to "conceptualize, design, and build aspirational and emotional brands rooted in real desires". (Picture from: Kolesa.ru)
As quoted of Carscoops, the Kiska APG-1 was originally conceived as a study concept for demonstrate Kiska's ability to "conceptualize, design, and build aspirational and emotional brands rooted in real desires". However, eventually the brand now wants to assemble a coachbuilding network that will make the APG-1 into a reality.
The Kiska APG-1 is powered by an Audi 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine that same to ones used by the KTM X-Bow GT-XR. (Picture from: Podkapotou)
Uniquely, the Kiska APG-1 is built based on the recently introduced KTM X-Bow GT-XR. Thus, it is not surprising if the car will be supported by a carbon fiber monocoque, and also powered by an Audi 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine. While used in the KTM X-Bow GT-XR, the engine capable bursts power of 500 hp at 6,350 rpm and 428 lb-ft (581 Nm) of torque at 5,500 rpm, so likely the APG-1 has similar horsepower and torque figures.
The
Kiska APG-1 is featured with a large front grille with black color, a pair of small pop-up headlights, and black strakes on the front of the hood. (Picture from: Kiska)
Other parts might be taken from KTM include a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission system, rear-wheel drive layout and limited-slip differential, strong braking system, and the same push-rod suspension system.
The
Kiska APG-1 is made of lightweight carbon fiber, while in creating this
mid-engined sports car clearly takes design inspiration from the Lancia
Stratos. (Picture from: Kiska)
Furthermore, as explained by the Kiska's Lead Tranportation Designer, Alan Derosier, that the entire body of Kiska's car creation is made of lightweight carbon fiber, while in creating this mid-engined sports car clearly takes design inspiration from the legendary Lancia Stratos, which is immediately identifiable by the front wheel arches and the protruding canopy roof.
The Lancia Stratos-inspired shapes found on the Kiska APG-1 are instantly recognizable by the prominent front wheel arches and roof canopy. (Picture from: Kiska)
Then the Kiska APG-1 sports car is also equipped with a large front grille with black color, a pair of small pop-up headlights, and black strakes on the front of the hood. There is also another uniqueness could be seen on the front, precisely on the hood in the form of air vents or something like that, which in our opinion bears a resemblance to the mask worn by Darth Vader (the main antagonist character of the Hollywood box-office movies of 'Star Wars').
The
Kiska APG-1 also has other striking design details including the rear spoiler which is above the rear engine cover, square taillights, dual exhaust pipes, and a large rear wing. (Picture from: Kiska)
It doesn't stop there, it turns out that there are still other striking design details including the rear spoiler which is above the rear engine cover, square taillights, dual exhaust pipes, and a large rear wing. As we're sure most people would agree, it really should be brought into real.
It's unclear how many cars will be produced or how much each unit will cost. Because as far as we can see at this point, getting to the production stage seems still far away, and the Kiska APG-1 sports car seems to be still in the model development stage (with only one prototype under construction), beside that the automaker are also opening an oppurtunity for you to involve directly in the development process or investment. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | KISKA | CARSCOOPS | PODKAPOTOU ]
Rare Rides Well, this time we will return to Italy for discussing a unique classic car figure that was customized result of Carrozzeria Vignale in late of the 1960s built based on one of the many models made by the Italian automotive giants, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino or better known as FIAT. As we all know, Carrozzeria Vignale is one of Italian famous, respectfull coachbuilder companies which was founded in 1948 by Alfredo Vignale.
The
FIAT 125S Samantha has a sleek coupé body design with exotic lines,
combined with small round headlamps and a chrome-plated bumper. (Picture from: Bonham)
Actually, this Italian coachbuilder company had been started its pro career in the pre-World War II era, and succeeded with its car body designs that was built based on the FIAT Topolino chassis. Meanwhile in the mid-1960s, apart from FIAT, Carrozzeria Vignale was also known to design and build on many Lancia and Maserati models, before finally trying to produce their own models.
This FIAT 125S Samantha by Vignale was one of the rare FIAT models of 1960s. (Picture from: SecretClassic)
Carrozzeria Vignale's collaboration with FIAT at that time was indeed very harmonious. For FIAT, Vignale built various show cars, prototypes and several limited edition models. Furthermore, the Italian auto giants also gave Carrozzeria Vignale freedom to be creative with its own models.
The FIAT 125S Samantha built by Vignale based on the FIAT 125S models. (Picture from: Bonham)
Eventually, Carrozzeria Vignale built the 'Samantha' in 1967, which was built based on the FIAT 125S models. As we could be seen, the Samantha has a sleek coupé body design with exotic lines, combined with small round headlamps and a chrome-plated bumper, and was built in small numbers of production. While for its drivetrain, the Samantha is equipped with a 2.0-liter capacity engine.
The FIAT 125S Samantha provides enough comfortable space for four passengers with ample luggage space inside of it. (Picture from: OtoBlitz)
Even though it has a relatively small body, the gorgeous Samantha still provides enough comfortable space for four passengers with ample luggage space inside of it. In addition, the Samantha's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is capable of developing 112 bhp of power coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The FIAT 125S Samantha is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is capable of developing 112 bhp of power coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox. (Picture from: SecretClassic)
With the such a kind of engine configuration, the FIAT 125S Samantha capable makes an acceleration from zero to 60 mph (100 kph) in 11.0 seconds, and runs up to a top speed of 106 mph or 170 kph. Unfortunately, if it compared to its donor of the FIAT 125S model, the gorgeous Samantha costs twice as much.
At the time, the FIAT 125S Samantha was only produced around 100 units, and was not distributed through FIAT's main dealers, but through independent specialist importers. Today, only a handful of the FIAT 125S Samantha's remain, and making it one of the rarest of 1960s FIAT car models. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CLASSICDRIVER | BONHAM | SECRETCLASSIC ]
However, we can still hope that in the future real cars will be built to be exhibited at public events such as the Tokyo Auto Show. For your info, this Suzuki's virtual roadster is part of the latest free update to Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 7 video games available for the Sony Playstation 5 console. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ID.MOTOR1 | CARSCOOPS ]
