Wild ONES So far, the world's car fans knew the Corvette is an American exotic-performing iconic sports car ever made by the GM's subsdiary Chevrolet from early of '50s until today. As quoted from Carbuzz, the sports car figure was first proposed to be developed by Zora Arkus-Duntov (later known as the 'Father of the Corvette'), an engineering genius who had a lifelong passion for cars and motor sports, and it was this enthusiasm that helped him land an engineering job at Chevrolet since 1953.
1976 Chevrolet AeroVette' is formerly mid-engined four-rotor Wankel prototype that replaced with a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) Chevy V8 engine. (Picture from: ChevroletGallery)
As much as Arkus-Duntov liked the Corvette C1 design, he was not satisfied with the technical specifications, due to he tought besides requiring more power and also should be having the ability to run faster.
1976
Chevrolet 'AeroVette' is featured with gull-wing door-type looks so futuristic. (Picture from: ChevroletGallery)
So since the 1950s, so many concept car models have been made to accommodate Arkus-Duntov's desire to make his beloved Corvette the best sports car ever made. It is understandable that the Corvette was meant by the GM to compete with the greatness of its rivals Ford GT40 sports car which was successful in the worlds of racing.
And into the 1970s, when the Wankel rotary engine looked like the promising wave of the future. With its reduced parts count and almost vibration-free operation, it was a model of engineering elegance, and General Motors is betting big on it. By using a license from the aircraft engine maker Curtiss-Wright, then the company worked on a two-rotor engine and readied it for the new production at Monza in 1975.
Before the Wankel engined model born, actually the GM's Styling studio had launched the mid-engined Corvette 'XP-895' in the 1972. The show car is built based of the Corvette 'XP-882' featured the distinctive wedge-shaped of the '70s.
Although has more futuristic and handsome look, the lightweight
aluminum bodied model made by the Reynolds Metals Company is apparently
too costly in the production rather than the previous fiberglass bodied
C3 model, so it's met a dead-end while going to be produced and left.
1972 Chevrolet Reynolds XP-895 prototype built based of the 1970 XP-882 and had a lightweight aluminum body done by Reynolds Metal Company. (Picture from: Corvettes.nl)
In the same time, the company found out and saw that the Mercedes-Benz C111 prototypes and the Mazda 110S Cosmo production cars already running around with Wankels, it made GM feel the need to rush to display its earnestness about the engine. So in 1973, GM is launched two Corvette models at once, ie the two-rotor and mid-mounted four-rotor Wankel engined car prototypes.
1972
Chevrolet Reynolds XP-895 prototype is powered by a 454-cid V8 Chevrolet mid-mounted engine. (Picture from: Corvettes.nl)
At that time they first built the two-rotor engined model (known as the XP-897 GT) looked ready for production. It drawn tightly with a low nose that promised excellent visibility, and uniquely, the one-off two-rotor Wankel engined car prototype was built by the Italian famous coachbuilder, Pininfarina and based on the Porsche 914 chassis. The unique-shaped car turn out does not have enough power to run fast on the roads, because the engine is only capable of spewing out only 180 hp.
This made Arkus-Duntov dissatisfied and made him took out the Chevrolet Reynolds XP-895 of the plant's storages, then made an overhaul ranging from revised the car looks to swap its 454-cid V8 engine with a double 2-rotor Wankel engine. Then the four-rotor prototype named the Corvette Four-Rotor and is launched at the 1973 New York Auto Show.
1973 Chevrolet XP-897 GT two-rotor Wankel Prototype built based of the Porsche 914 chassis. (Picture from: Automobile)
The four rotor engined model's appearance had an almost-symmetrical shape with a pointed prow up front and a sliver of a tail. Its gullwing doors had mid-door hinges, and the four-rotor engine (actually 2 + 2-rotor) sat sideways behind the cockpit. As time goes by that proven the Wankel engine was not the right choice for an exotic sports car like the Corvette.
1973
Chevrolet XP-897 GT two-rotor Wankel Prototype had GM' styling but was built by the famous Italian coachbuilder, Pininfarina. (Picture from: Automobile)
In the 1976, a year before retiring, the GM styling boss Bill Mitchell decided that perhaps a mid-engined Corvette was the way forward. Although he had helped halt several previous Arkus-Duntov mid-engine projects, Mitchell pulled the three-year-old XP-895 mid-engine prototype from storage. Originally designed for GM's licensed 420-hp, four-rotor experimental engine, Mitchell ordered the rotary engine removed and replaced with a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) Chevy V8 engine, named Chevrolet Aerovette.
This is the 1970 Chevrolet XP-882 prototype is powered by an 400-cid small-block engine coupled with a silent chain-drive to an Olds Toronado Turbo 400 transmission and also known as the forerunner of the Chevrolet Aerovette. (Picture from: SuperChevy)
Actually, the car got the green light for production in 1980 (which would make it the Corvette C4), but apparently a number of obstacles arose. First, other mid-engined cars such as the Nissan 280Z are selling well in the market, while the C3 was stumbling in sales. Second, the senior support team consisting of Zora-Arkus-Duntov, Head of Design Bill Mitchell, and General Manager of Chevrolet Ed Cole all-have retired, so that the production plan came to a halt.
This
is the 1970 Chevrolet XP-882 powered by an 400-cid small-block
engine coupled with a silent chain-drive to an Olds Toronado Turbo 400
transmission and also known as the forerunner of the Chevrolet Aerovette. (Picture from: SuperChevy)
Not to mention the new Corvette chief at the time Dave McLellan faced tightening funding issues to continue development of the Corvette C4 of 1984 and back as the traditional front-engined sports car. Meanwhile the Aerovette remained as a concept without ever sliding into the production line and currently just sitting on display at the GM Heritage Centre in Sterling Heights, Michigan. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARBUZZ | JOURNALCLASSICCARS | AUTOMOBILEMAG | CARANDDRIVER | CARSTYLING.RU | SUPERCHEVY ]
ONE-OFF If lately we are very interested in cars that have been made or designed by Alfa Romeo independently or in collaboration with third parties in the past. Not only because most of these automotive creations have a beautiful, unique and attractive shape, but also we could be seen the Alfa Romeo’s interesting attempt at reviving the glory days of coachbuilders. Apart from it, we can also see how much Alfa Romeo appreciates its historical journey, by launching various car models as a homage for figures who are considered to have contributed to the brand or the automotive world in general.
Alfa Romeo Nuvola concept car is launched at the Paris Auto Show 1996 and named after Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari, the legendary Italian racer. (Picture from: Motor1)
For example is when the Italian brand launched the Alfa Romeo Nuvola at the Paris Auto Show 1996. The concept car is named after Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari, a legendary Italian racing driver who started his career as a motorbike racer and then switched to concentrate on the one-seater sports car racing, and continued to race until he was approaching 60 years, as qouted of the Skoda Motorsports.
Alfa
Romeo Nuvola concept car has a long snouted car with a heavily sloped roofline ending with a short rear in the same vein as a TVR sports car. (Picture from: Motor1)
Now we feel it's a good time to take a look back at the two-door sports coupe made by Alfa Romeo in the 1990s. The Novula is built by the Alfa Romeo's Centro Stile led at that time by none other than renowned car designer Walter de Silva. As we all knew, he is the figure who created the original Audi R8, not to mention the gorgeous Lamborghini Miura Concept and the wild one-seater Lamborghini Egoista Concept. He is also the man behind the beautiful Alfa Romeo 156 and a number of other models from the Volkswagen Group.
Alfa
Romeo Nuvola concept car was created by Alfa Romeo as a design study as well as a new style
approach, the car made its debut just a year before the Alfa Romeo 156. (Picture from: AutoDesignMagazine)
Judging by its appearance, it is a long snouted car with a heavily sloped roofline ending with a short rear in the same vein as a TVR sports car. Meanwhile, many say that at first glance some parts of the Novula are similar to
GTV which is yet to be launched. Can you see the similarities between
them boths?
Alfa
Romeo Nuvola concept car is built by the Alfa Romeo's Centro Stile led at that time by none other than renowned car designer Walter de Silva. (Picture from: AutoDesignMagazine)
As for sure, the concept was created by Alfa Romeo as a design study as well as a new style approach, the car made its debut just a year before the Alfa Romeo 156. At the same time, the one-off vehicle came up with an interesting idea. The Italian brand envisions Nuvola as a resurrection of the coachbuilt car, with the automaker providing rolling chassis for independent companies to build bodies and then selling the vehicle through Alfa Romeo dealers.
Alfa
Romeo Nuvola concept car is powered by a 2.5-liter V6 twin-turbo engine capable delivering power of 296 hp and 285 lbs-ft (386 Nm) coupled with six-speed manual gearbox. (Picture from: CulturesofCars)
Actually it based on a modular space frame chassis that can accommodate almost any kind of body style for Novula if it wants to be developed further, from the sleek coupe shape to a more practical shooting brake. Unfortunately, it never happened, and a two-door, two-seat sports car with a polyester body and fully integrated bumpers remained purely a concept.
As mentioned before, the Nuvola is a 2 door all-wheel drive coupe and features an aluminum frame and polyester body and is powered by a 2.5-liter V6 twin-turbo engine with 296 horsepower and 285 lbs-ft (386 Nm) coupled with six-speed manual gearbox. While about its performance, it's noted that the car able to accelerate from still to 100 kph in 6 second and pace up to the top speed of 280 kph (274 mph).
Currently, the 1996 Alfa Romeo Novula concept is one of the car collections inside the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum (Museo Alfa Romeo) in Arese, Italy. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MUSEOALFAROMEO | MOTOR1 | ALFAROMEO159 ]
Let's WAIT Well, this time it is the turn of a British startup company called Naran Automotive which on November 25, 2020, presented a new 4-seats configuration car called Naran Hyper Coupe, whose design is inspired by the GT3 race car and is planned to be produced in a limited number, ie as much 49 units only.
Naran Hyper Coupe is bulit by Naran Automotive as a new 4-seats road legal car whose design inspired by the GT3 race car. (Picture from: Id.Motor1.com)
Actually referring to the term of the GT3 race car is a mass production car that is converted into a racing car. But in this case what the Naran Automotive is doing is the opposite, namely making a road-legal car inspired by the GT3 race cars. But that's okay, instead the British company claims that its newest car would be made and offered the GT3 race car driving sensation on the roads.
Naran Hyper Coupe is pinned a twin-turbocharged 5.0 liter V8 engine concocted by a German racing specialist company named Racing Dynamics. (Picture from: BlackExperience)
By carrying the GT3 race car theme, the Naran's car is powered by a front mid-engine configuration uses aggressive body kit elements all over its body. Including the front slitter, rear wing, rear diffuser and others. According to them, this design element does not only function as a mere aesthetic. But it also serves to increase downforce up to 1.4 tons.
The car body itself is made of carbon composite and featured with the 22-inches size alloy wheels are made of hyrdo-carbon material. On the car inside, Naran Sports wears flax carbon trim which is claimed to be the first in the world. This material is very light but environmentally friendly because it breaks down easily in nature. In addition, this material has the ability to absorb vibrations like carbon fiber.
Under its long snout is pinned a twin-turbocharged 5.0 liter V8 engine concocted by a German racing specialist company named Racing Dynamics. The car engine is capable spew power of 1,048 hp and 1,035 Nm of torque. Those powers were able to bring the Naran's coupe accelerated from a standstill to a speed of 100 kph in just 2.3 seconds and speed up to the top speed of 370 kph.
Naran Hyper Coupe actually uses an all-wheel drive system, but can change to rear-wheel drive whenever desired only by pressed a single button. (Picture from: BlackExperience)
Actually, the car uses an all-wheel drive system. However, there is a switch inside of the car that can change to rear-wheel drive whenever desired. The Naran's hypercar stands on a double wishbone suspension with Ohlins for-way adjustable damping. The brakes use carbon-ceramic brakes and hydraulic steering rack as its racing standard features.
The Naran Automotive said its car's driving dynamics were developed in conjunction with the EY3 Engineering and Daniel Mense. The last name mentioned is the person who responsible for creating the record for a single lap of the Nurburgring Circuit by the Chinese Nio EP9 electric-powered car in 2017.
The plan, the Naran Hyper Coupe will make its debut in this year (2021). How much is it? Until now, the Naran Automotive not been released it yet. Be patient...! *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NARAN AUTOMOTIVE | ID.MOTOR1.COM | TECHZLE ]
Wild ONES Recently, the business of the Italian coachbuilder company Ares Design has really stood out, this can be seen after previously through its S1 Project, Ares Design launched its newest stunning S1 coupe-styled hypercar at the Privé Salon event at Blenheim Palace in England in September 2020.
The Ares Design chopped the roof of the S1 hypercar and changed it into the gorgeous S1 Spyder. (Picture from Robbreport)
Then 1 month after the event, to be precise in October 2020, the Modena-based coachbuilder again announced the S1 figure in a roofless style called the Ares Design S1 Spyder. Yes, like its sibling, this spyder model still uses the center-mounted 6.2-liter V8 engine from the Corvette C8.
The Ares Design S1 Spyder looks like a modern take on one of the race cars you see in sepia-colored photos of old grand prix races. (Picture from Robbreport)
As before, Ares Design has managed to offer some amazing creations based on some of the best sports cars today. For example, the Ares Panther ProgettoUno as a modern version of De Tomaso Pantera which uses the Lamborghini Huracan as its base, so for the Ares's current S1 Project, the resulted cars based on the Chevrolet Corvette C8.
Due
to have no roof, the automaker then included two wind deflectors, which
act as virtual canopies of Ares Design S1 Spyder to direct the airflow
over the car.(Picture from Robbreport)
But unlike its donor car which is only capable of producing 495 hp, the Italian coachbuilder company has modified the V8 engine so that it can produce 715 hp which is sent to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission system.
As we all know, that the S1 Project Spyder not only produces more power than the Vette, but also has a higher engine speed. Now the V8 engine is capable of reaching 8,800 rpm, and this makes this supercar capable of accelerating from rest to 100 kph in just 2.7 seconds. Even more amazing, Ares Design made this increase in power without using a supercharger device.
Due
to the Ares Design S1 Spyder have no roof also allow’s the car’s
flowing carbon-fiber body to blend seamlessly into its luxe, Napa
leather and Alcantra-covered interior.. (Picture from Modifikasi)
Due to have no roof, the automaker then included two wind deflectors, which act as virtual canopies to direct the airflow over the car. The Corvette's interior already feels top-notch, but Ares makes the cabin even more unique.
Similar
to its coupe sibling, the Ares Design S1 Spyder built based on the
Chevrolet Corvette C8, and is pinned an upgraded C8 engine so it able
spew power of 715 hp. (Picture from Modifikasi)
Ares co-founder Dany Bahar said: “We are always planning a Spyder version of Project S1, and ever since we revealed the car last month the reactions have been fantastic, so we are excited to release the details of S1 Project Spyder. We wanted to make a model that is a true tribute to the pleasure of riding in sport. This new version of the barchetta adds to the design charm of the S1 Project, as it takes additional inspiration from the motorsport world and race cars of the past."
Like its sibling, the S1 coupé, the automaker will only produce as much 24 units the roofless version of the hypercar, starting in 2021 at its factory in Modena, Italy. At the moment Ares Design has yet to release the price of this super-spyder, and it will likely be more expensive than the coupe, which sells for around US $ 650,000. Let's just wait when the S1 super-spyder comes to the world. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ARES DESIGN | ROBBREPORT ]
Elegante... While surfing in cyberspace, we stumbled across a beautiful roofless car which then made us realize for awhile that there are a lot of exotic cars born from various auto-brands, ranging from well-known to those we may have never heard of before. And the spyder-style car has looks as beatiful as the name.
Panoz Esperante Spyder 25th Anniversary Edition to celebrate the company's racing heritage and other sports cars of the last 25 years in early 2014. (Picture from: TopSpeed)
Well, that car is the Panoz Esperante Spyder. Panoz? New brand? Maybe those questions are arose when you see that name for the first time. Yes, Panoz or Panoz Auto Development is an American custom sports car manufacturer is founded in 1989 and owned by Dan Panoz. It seems that we have written about one of the supercars made by Panoz, the 2011 Panoz Abruzzi 'Spirit of Le Mans'.
Back to the Panoz beautiful car mentioned above. The American automotive brand officially launched this beautiful spyder-style car, when celebrating their 25th Anniversary in early 2014. And the Esperante Spyder limited edition car reportedly only made 25 units according to the company's number of age at that time.
Panoz Esperante Spyder 25th Anniversary Edition is powered by V8 5,0 liter engine with the power of 430 hp. (Picture from: ConceptCarz)
The spyder-style car is made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum, and powered by a V8 5,0 liter engine. The engine can generate power of 430 hp and combined with a six-speed manual transmission to drive the rear-wheels, so it could be made the car speeding.
Panoz Esperante Spyder 25th Anniversary Edition's cabin also provided all the information and entertainment needed by the
car's driver and passengers through the 10.6 inches-size large digital
screen (including the iPad Mini slot). (Picture from: TopSpeed)
In addition, the car buyers also can be ordered their chosen rides with a 5.4 liter V8 supercharged engine has an output of 575 hp. Then there is the Spyder GT version with a carbon fiber body and powered by a 5.4 liter V8 engine capable of producing a power output of 800 hp.
By using those engine powers, the standard-version can accelerate from rest to 100 kph in just about 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 276.81 kph. By the speed numbers thats means it can reach a distance of a quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at a speed of 180.25 kph. Not bad..
Panoz Esperante Spyder GT 25th Anniversary Edition is featured with a carbon fiber body and powered by a 5.4 liter V8 engine capable of producing a power output of 800 hp. (Picture from: RobReports)
Meanwhile, from the interior side, this Panoz car model has undergone significant changes in terms of design. Now the interior looks more luxurious, this can be seen with the use of the Nappa leather to cover all parts of the car cabin.
Besides that, the car owner is also given the option of being able to add their own elements of other materials such metal and wood. Then the cabin also provided all the information and entertainment needed by the car's driver and passengers through the 10.6 inches-size large digital screen (including the iPad Mini slot).
When it was first launched, there were 2 variants available, and is priced at $179,120 each for the Panoz Esperante Syper's 25th Anniversary Edition and around $204,750 for the Esperante Spyder GT's 25th Anniversary Edition. Does anyone know the current price? If you knows, let us know by the comments column below. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | AUTOBLOG | MOTORAUTHORITY | TOPSPEED ]
Not to mention the new Corvette chief at the time Dave McLellan faced tightening funding issues to continue development of the Corvette C4 of 1984 and back as the traditional front-engined sports car. Meanwhile the Aerovette remained as a concept without ever sliding into the production line and currently just sitting on display at the GM Heritage Centre in Sterling Heights, Michigan. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARBUZZ | JOURNALCLASSICCARS | AUTOMOBILEMAG | CARANDDRIVER | CARSTYLING.RU | SUPERCHEVY ]
