Forgotten ONES Of the many concept cars built on car chassis of Porsche, one of the famous German car brands, only a few are unique and interesting. And one of them could be this Porsche Tapiro which is a car made by Italian coachbuilder ItalDesign in the 1970s. Well, the car name originating from the pig-like herbivorous mammal called tapir.
The Porsche Tapiro Concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1970s, and built based on the Porsche 914/6 platform. (Picture from: Motor1)
Reportedly, the design of the 1970s dream car was intentionally built to be extreme both in form and mechanics, but the possibility of mass production was still considered. This Porsche Tapiro was designed during 1970s by Giorgetto Giugiaro, a famous Italian designer from ItalDesign. This uniquely shaped car was the Giugiaro made 4th prototype and has become one of his favorite works to date.
The Porsche Tapiro had a windshield profile that was almost the same height as the hood. (Picture from: Motor1)
As quoted from Wikipedia, Tapiro's design most likely took inspiration from the iconic DeTomaso Mangusta which was also the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro while he was working for Ghia. From its appearance, it can be seen that the Tapiro was built in a 'wedge' shape for the first time in that era, and would be used again in many other car models in the following years, thus becoming a design trend during the 1970s.
The Porsche Tapiro is equipped with a gullwing door type as access to the cabin, not only that, the such unique shape of the door is also applied to the engine compartment. (Picture from: Motor1)
The Porsche Tapiro had a windshield profile that was almost the same height as the hood, and was also equipped with very exotic doors and a hood which was considered such a luxury solution although some people considered it eccentric for the time. Did you know that the Tapiro is a source of inspiration from the legendary DMC DeLorean car?
The Porsche Tapiro featured all those great Giugiaro styling flourishes, such as geometric air-ducting a cheese wedge profile and a futuristic cabin surrounded by an acreage of glass. (Picture from: Motor1)
As seen as, this Porsche Tapiro is equipped with a gullwing design door to be used as access to the cabin, not only that, the such unique shape of the door is also applied to the engine room and luggage room. Even more unique, unlike most concept cars which are only made as models from clay plaster, the Porsche Tapiro is a fully functional vehicle, in other words, this car can be run like an ordinary production version car.
The Porsche Tapiro concept is powered by a mid-mounted inline 6-cylinder 2.4-liter Porsche engine. (Picture from: Motor1)
Well, the Porsche Tapiro, which is 4,060 mm long, 1,760 mm wide and 1,110 mm high, is built based on the Porsche 914/6 platform, and is powered by a mid-mounted inline 6-cylinder 2.4-liter Porsche engine. And the machine is capable of producing 220 bhp of power at 7,200 rpm. The concept was engineered with a five-speed manual gearbox and had an official top speed of 245 kph.
Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio look sadly at the Tapiro remains in the front of ItalDesign HQ in Turin. (Picture from: Motor1)
After completion, this Tapiro concept car was shown for the first time in public at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. As quoted of Motor1, the car subsequently made its US debut at the 5th Annual Los Angeles Imported Automobile and Sports Car Show in 1971. After two years of traveling at various major world's auto shows, the Italian coachbuilder then sold the Tapiro to Waldo de los Ríos, an Argentine composer in 1973, after it made an appearance at the Barcelona Motor Show.
Today the burnt shell of the Porsche Tapiro is on display at the Giugiaro Museum's lawn. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
Some rumors say that the Porsche Tapiro had served as Waldo de los Ríos daily rides until it ended miserably at one terrible incident in Madrid, where most of the car was destroyed after it caught fire. As quoted from Wikipedia, most sources say the cause of the fire was a group of labor activists protesting against the labor policies at the time, who planted a bomb under the Tapiro. The bomb exploded, burning the car but not destroying the chassis.
While other sources said the car was involved in an accident somewhere and caught fire at that time. The car remains were later re-purchased by ItalDesign but never rebuilt, and today the burnt shell of the Porsche Tapiro is on display at the Giugiaro Museum's lawn. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | WIKIPEDIA | MOTOR1 | AUTOEVOLUTION | ADRIANFLUX ]
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RareONES After searching for quite a long time in the virtual world, we finally found several references related to the beautiful car made by Pininfarina in the early 1960s which was built based on the Fiat 2300, and Fiat 2300 S. As we all knew, the car is a six-cylinder executive car which was produced by Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat during 1961 to 1969.
The first prototype of 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupé Speciale by Pininfarina. (Picture from: Pinterest)
So at that time many famous Italian coachbuilders were customizing this model, such as Abarth, Ghia and Pininfarina. Of the many modified cars made by coachbuilder at that time, (in our opinion) it turned out that Pininfarina's works had the most attractive and very unique appearance.
Fiat
presented the "sporty" variants of its flagship 2300 during 1961 to
1969, as classy granturismos that did not disfigure in the presence of
the more noble coupés of the time. (Picture from: Autofun)
This is not surprising because these Pininfarina created cars was built based on a design from an American auto designer, Tom Tjaarda when he worked at those Turin-based coachbuider. And most of the design appears very striking in contrast to the futuristic lines that tend to be rounded like bullets, which later became the inspiration for many designers in creating beautiful cars in the 1960s to 1970s.
An interesting shooting brake prototype, called the "Club" made by Ghia in 1962 based on Fiat 2300 S. (Picture from: RuoteClassiche)
Well then the modification works based on the Fiat 2300, and Fiat 2300 S by the famous Turin-based coachbuilder is known carried out on 5 (five) concept cars with their own characteristics that might you've never knew before. Here they are as follows:
1. 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupé Speciale
The first unit was the car built based on the Fiat’s 6-cylinder flagship of the 1960s. This 2-seater classic car is built only one unit, and was characterized by a unique roof panel that could be extended in height, and presented for the first time at the Turin Auto Show 1962.
The first prototype of 1962 Fiat 2300 Coupé Speciale by Pininfarina.(Picture from: Pinterest)
Furthermore, when viewed from the exterior design of this model it looks similar to the ones built by Ghia, which its front fascia appears with sharp angular, sleek design lines, coupled with a typical shield-shaped grille flanked by four large rounded headlights.
2. 1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale
The 2-seater classic car is also built
only one unit, and featured with a targa roof version of Coupé Speciale. Unlike the model made in the previous year, this Cabriolet model has a front fascia that has applied a rounded, and sleek design line with a square grille flanked by four compact-sized headlights. Its bumper also looks unique which can be seen right under the headlights.
The second prototype of 1963 Fiat 2300 Cabriolet Speciale by Pininfarina. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
It also featured with the distinctive reverse-sloped c-pillars plus large wraparound fastback rear window and was crisply executed and provided ample interior space for four plus luggage. This car is presented for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show 1963.
3. 1963 Fiat 2300 S Lausanne
This third model was built by a Turin-based coachbuilder with a coupe design that is made almost similar to the Cabriolet model above and the absence of a central pillar. As quoted from Story-Cars, given that Battista and Sergio Pininfarina have often formally marked their attachment to Switzerland and the Geneva Motor Show.
The third prototype of 1963 Fiat 2300 S Lausanne by Pininfarina. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
On the occasion of the National Exhibition in Lausanne, the Pininfarina built a special car based on a Fiat 2300 S chassis, as the Italian coachbuilder’s homage to the Swiss Confederation and named "Lausanne". This unique copy, powered by a Fiat's 6-cylinder in-line engine, was exhibited at the 1964 Lausenne's National Exhibition.
4. 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupé Speciale
This fourth model presented by Pininfarina at the 1964 Turin Motor Show consists of this 2-seater Coupé Speciale based on a Fiat 2300 S chassis. The car model has a front fascia that has applied a rounded, and sleek design line resembled the shark-shapes with two rounded large-sized headlights inside plastic-houses with a thin bumper underneat.
The fourth prototype of 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupé Speciale by Pininfarina. (Picture from: Pinterest)
Besides that at the front also designed to obtain excellent wind penetration, descends towards the front with a gentle curve. At the side has a totally smooth section (and without chrome plating), while its interior is particularly refined. The rear part ends in a truncated tail in which the optical groups are housed.
5. 1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupé Speciale
This last or fifth model looks similar in design to the fourth model, but with different front and rear fascias. In the front, there's four headlights with rounded reflectors are installed together and flank a unique grille in a square shape which is also equipped with a thin bumper.
The fifth prototype of 1965 Fiat 2300 S Coupé Speciale by Pininfarina. (Picture from: Pinterest)
Then on the back it is also seen applying a slightly boxed sharp-angled shape with the taillight cluster narrowing downwards. While the rear bumper is no less unique, which is mounted like hanging on the back.
That's 5 (five) scarce concept cars built based on the Fiat 2300, and Fiat 2300 S by Pininfarina during 1962 to 1965, it is believed all of these concept cars are still around today and may still be driven through. And then which one do you think is the most unique? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARROZZIERI-ITALIANI | CARSTHATNEVERMADEITETC | STORY-CARS | OLDCONCEPTCARS | ALLCARINDEX | CARSTYLING.RU ]
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Rally Legend Of course, the great car did not suddenly become, as we all know that every car unit produced by automaker must have gone through a long process ranging from concept to production, including study design, making prototype, market reasearchs and others.
An artist’s impression of what the next-generation Celica could look like. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
The Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the well-known Japanese car manufacturers had produced a tough car called Toyota Celica several decades ago, that known also was successful in racing at the World Rally Championships (WRC) during the 1970s, 1980s to 1990s.
1969 Toyota EX-1 Prototype is debuted at the 1969 Tokyo Auto Show and known as the Celica forerunner. (Picture from: ToyHeadAuto)
We also know that this Japanese manufacturer has carried out all the steps mentioned above starting in the early 1970s, before deciding to produce the Toyota Celica, while the name origin comes from the Spanish word, which means heavenly.
The 1st generation of Toyota Celica in production during 1970 to 1976. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
As quoted of MotorTrend, the Toyota's rally car legend development story started since 1969, when they launched a unique prototype called the Toyota EX-1 Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, it featured with the highly raked front glass, long snout featured with the glass louvers in the front grill, and also stylized retracting door handles.
The 2nd generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1977 to 1980. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
Although, the Toyota EX-1 prototype needed a lot of refinement to match the regulations of the road authorities in Japan. And the results only appeared on the first pre-production of Toyota (A20) Celica in 1971.
The 3rd generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1981 to 1984. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
The first production version of the Toyota Celica was hit the streets in Japan first, and soon became the choice of many families in Japan as their first sports car, because it has a much cheaper price than other cars that have existed before such as the Nissan Fairlady Z and others. Then it spread to Europe, before arriving in America in the middle of 1971.
The 4th generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1985 to 1988. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
While this first generation model is offered in 4 models, namely ET, LT, ST, and FT, while offering four engine choices, namely 1,400 cc and three 1,600 cc units with different settings. For its engine power delivering system, there are three transmissions that can be selected, namely four, and five speeds manual or three-speed automatic.
The 5th generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1989 to 1992. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
Incredibly, Toyota Celica can be customized according to the tastes of its owner, which at the same time combines machines, transmissions, and accessories become popular at that time. Meanwhile, Toyota also made many models taken from the Celica base. Call it Celica Liftback which was introduced April 1973. This model is a three -door coupe, with a cabin composition of 2+2.
The 6th generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1993 to 1998. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
In addition there is also the Celica XX or better known as the Celica Supra for the American market. This model takes the base of the Celica Liftback with wheelbase increased of 130 mm and 270 mm long.
The 7th generation of the Toyota Celica in production during 1999 to 2006. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
In October 1986, Toyota launched the Celica GT-Four which applied a Four-Wheel drive system (4WD), and powered by a DOHC turbocharged drivetrain coded of 3S-GTEU. It was also significantly smaller outside, while still offering nearly as much room in its stylish cockpit.
An artist’s impression of what the next-generation Celica could look like. (Picture from: BestCarWeb.jp)
Because of that, the Celica skyrocketed and gained rapidly popularity as an affordable stylish coupe. So after that the Toyota Celica model continued to be developed up to 7 generations which were produced until 2006. Until now Celica has not really died, because this Japanese manufacturer still has hope to revive the model.
As reported by the BestCarWeb.jp, Toyota plans to present the Toyota Celica as a car full of technology capabilities and digitalization. In addition, Toyota Celica will be driven by renewable energy. It's just that electricity is not the only first choice considering Toyota is classified as very advanced with hydrogen technology. Hopefully all of that was not a rumour...😎 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTORBISCUIT | BESTCARWEBJP | CARSGUIDE ]
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UniqueONES This following car could be said one of the best 1950s sportscars ever made, with its elegant lines and sleek roof line, this small Abarth Coupe has continued to cause a stir since its release at the 1951 Turin Auto Show. Not surprisingly so, since the car is the product from an Austrian born Karl Abarth's engineering skills combined with graceful styling of Giovanni Michelotti.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 101) while on display at the 2005 The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
As we all knew, after establishing himself as a talented engineer, three-time motorcycle champion Karl Abarth or Carlo Abarth began constructing his own cars. At the time, Abarth had been laid off from bankrupt Cisitalia, but continued to race their cars while at the same time developing his own.
Alfredo Vignale was commissioned to build the lightweight aluminium bodywork of the Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 101) based on Giovanni Michelotti's beautiful designs. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
For the 1949 season, Squadra Carlo Abarth relied on the cycle-winged Cisitalia 204s to win the Formula 2 Championship for sports cars. Much more than a renamed Cisitalia, Abarth's 204 had a unique chassis and a more developed engine. The final version of this successful car was the 204A Coupe or Monza. With this coupe, Michelotti had successfully adopted his interpretation of the trend-setting Cisitalia 202.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 101) powered by a Fiat's four cylinder engine, fitted also with Abarth's tuning kit, which consisted of a revised intake manifold, two Weber carburettors and a bespoke exhaust. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
The Abarth 205 as seen here was his first production car, and mimicked the 204A race car. Fortunately, the first production car made a victorious debut early in March of 1950 when Guido Scagliarini won the 1100 class in the Coppa InterEuropa at Monza. It fitted with a new coupe body, it was confusingly referred to as an Abarth 204A. Today it seems more likely that the car was actually the first of three Abarth 205s built around a brand new platform chassis, while the 204s used a distinctly different tubular frame.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 102) while on display at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
Both cars do share the Fiat sourced four cylinder engine, fitted also with Abarth's tuning kit, which consisted of a revised intake manifold, two Weber carburettors and a bespoke exhaust. As the result, this tiny 1,089 cc engine produced an impressive 83 bhp. The potent drivetrain coupled with the Fiat-sourced four-speed gearbox were fitted in a very straightforward box-section steel platform chassis. Then Alfredo Vignale was commissioned to build the lightweight aluminium bodywork with three Vignale's typical portholes on the front fenders, based on Giovanni Michelotti's beautiful designs.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 102) fitted with an Alfa Romeo Giulietta sourced 1300 cc drivetrain. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
After its spectacular Monza debut, the 204A / 205 Coupe was shown during the 1950 Turin Motor Show. It was the first time Abarth displayed his cars at this most important show. A second example was finished shortly after and both were raced in the major Italian events that season.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 102) was finished shortly after the first model was shown at the the 1950 Turin Motor Show, and both were raced in the major Italian events that season. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
The third example was completed early in 1951 was more luxuriously than the two racing cars appointed above. Fitted with a slightly larger version of the four cylinder engine, it was shown during the Turin shown in 1951. Prized at the level of a two-litre Ferrari, Abarth struggled to find customers for his small Coupes and in the end only three were built, each under chassis number of #205 101, #205 102, and #205 103.
The Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta (in pictured Chassis: #205 103) was completed early in 1951, it was built more luxurious than its two predecessor cars.(Picture from: UltimateCarPage)
The huge expenses of the racing efforts weighed heavily on the fledgling company and Abarth decided it was wise to cease racing and focus on developing the successful exhaust systems for the foreseeable future. In addition to the three competition cars, Abarth also produced the fourth model much along the same lines, which would be used for a Ghia-bodied show car that debuted at Turin in 1953. The 205's chassis platform then used on few addtitional showcars, finally on the Abarth 207 racing car introduced in 1955.
Amazingly all three Abarth 205s, as well as the 1100 Sport by Ghia show car have survived and are in the hands of caring owners. They remain as the first in a long line of Abarth racing cars that made their mark on small-displacement racing for several decades. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | HISTORICAUTOPRO | ULTIMATECARPAGE ]
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New TRACK BEASTBMW as one of the manufacturers participating in the race through the BMW M Motorsport Team at the end of July last year announced that they would return to racing in Europe starting in 2024 with one of their newest flagship racing cars named BMW M Hybrid V8.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 racer had debut at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, and the automaker also announced the driver lineup for the 2023 IMSA season. (Picture from: Carscoops)
As quoted of Carscoops, the LMDh racing car is planned to take part in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) racing series. This new racing car has dimensions of about 5,100 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width, and height of 1,060 mm, with a wheelbase of 3,148 mm. It is said also that without fuel and driver, the BMW M Hybrid V8 weighs at least 1,030 kg.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 racer has huge kidney grilles along with a livery that includes the BMW Motorsport department’s famous red, blue and violet color scheme. (Picture from: Carscoops)
Furthermore, if you look at the design, this LMDh racing car has a wide body with LED model headlights, as well as the stop lamp. Uniquely, the driver is positioned in the middle, and behind there is a large wing (including fins). If you pay close attention, the size of the kidney grille is larger than that of the BMW M3 / M4 model.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 racer uses a hybrid drivetrain consisting of a turbocharged V8 engine coded P66/3, coupled with Bosch's electric motors. (Picture from: Carscoops)
In order to support its appearance as flagship racing car, the BMW M Hybrid V8 gets a special racing camouflage livery with an abstract appearance, a combination of white and black base colors, coupled with 3 typical M colors namely light blue, dark blue and red.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 racer's hybrid drivetrain which can be driven up to 8,200 rpm, so it can generate power up to 640 hp and maximum torque of 650 Nm. (Picture from: Carscoops)
As its propulsion, the BMW M Hybrid V8 uses a hybrid drivetrain consisting of a turbocharged V8 engine coded P66/3, coupled with Bosch's electric motors. As for the resource, it uses a battery system developed by Williams Advanced Engineering. By relying on its hybrid drivetrain which can be driven up to 8,200 rpm, so it can generate power up to 640 hp and maximum torque of 650 Nm.
Later, the BMW M Hybrid V8 will face tough competition in endurance racing against its rivals, such the Porsche 963, Acura ARX-06, and Cadillac Grand Touring Prototype Hypercar. And in January 2023, the BMW M Hybrid V8 ahead its race debut. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | BMW GROUP | CARSCOOPS ]
New EV As we previously discussed some time ago, the Japanese electronics giant, Sony looks very serious in developing electric cars. The results can be seen in recent years that the Japanese company has shown several electric car prototypes at several world-renowned automotive exhibitions, such as the Sony Vision-S at the 2020 CES, and the Sony Vision-S 02 at the 2022 CES.
Sony in collaborating with Honda by forming a joint venture called Sony Honda Mobility to produced a new Afeela electric car. (Picture from: Carscoops)
And now, Sony is collaborating with its compatriot automotive giant, Honda by forming a joint venture called Sony Honda Mobility. The result is a new electric car called Afeela which carries the Qualcomm's advanced technology. Well, due to the company wanted to become an EV player in the future, this sedan-type collaborative-result prototype will take advantage of extensive entertainment contents.
Sony
Honda Mobility launched its new electric car called Afeela which
carries the Qualcomm's advanced technology at the 2023 Consumer
Electronics Show (CES). (Picture from: Carscoops)
Furthermore, the Afeela made its debut at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), at the time Sony Honda Mobility announced that the car would be marketed immediately with pre-orders scheduled to begin in the first half of 2025, while sales starting in the same year. However, deliveries are not scheduled in North America to begin until spring 2026.
The SHM Afeela electric sedan model sports a bland, yet curvaceous front end with sleek headlamps and a distinctive "media bar". (Picture from: GearJunkie)
The company didn't go into specifics further, but said the Afeela name was chosen due to it expressed the 'feel' that is center of the mobility experience considered by Sony Honda Mobility. As quoted of Carscoops, the Afeela prototype has dimensions of 4,895 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width and 1,460 mm in height with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm.
The cabin is high-tech and features a large display that spans the width of the interior. (Picture from: Carscoops)
That means the Afeela is slightly smaller than the Mercedes EQE has a length of 4,994 mm and 3,119 mm wheelbase. On the other hand, the Afeela has a sleek design and looks much more production-ready than the previous Sony Vision-S prototype that have launched at the CES expo three years ago.
The SHM Afeela high-tech battery-electric vehicles will go into production in 2025. (Picture from: BeritaBaru)
Judging by its looks, this Afeela electric sedan model sports a bland, yet curvaceous front end with sleek headlamps and a distinctive "media bar". Sony Honda Mobility said they envision the media bar will have a variety of display possibilities that will be driven by various partners and creators. The company went on to say the car's minimal decorative lines and shapes are reminiscent of a spaceship.
Unfortunately, the company does not provide yet any technical details related to Afeela electric motor. Nonetheless, the company confirmed the prototype has all-wheel drive and that implies a dual-motor setup. Neither is its range yet known, but one of the interior images shows a range of 234 miles (377 km) with about 75-80% charge remaining.😎 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SHM | CARSCOOPS | GEARJUNKIE ]
While other sources said the car was involved in an accident somewhere and caught fire at that time. The car remains were later re-purchased by ItalDesign but never rebuilt, and today the burnt shell of the Porsche Tapiro is on display at the Giugiaro Museum's lawn. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | WIKIPEDIA | MOTOR1 | AUTOEVOLUTION | ADRIANFLUX ]
