Lister Motor Company has officially unveiled their latest model, named Lister Thunder in London at the Historic Motorsport International event in mid-February.
Well, the Cambridge-based company that founded 65 years ago by Brian Lister has a long history of competition with Jaguar. In 2000, the Lister Storm model powered by a Jaguar V-12 engine won the FIA GT World Championship at that time.
Lister Thunder has made its public debut at Historic Motorsport International, an attraction within the London Classic Car Show. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2vewPQm)
As quoted from Carbuzz, that Lister Thunder is the first modern car launched in the last 25 years by the company since 1993, when they produced the Lister Strom taken base from Jaguar XJS.
These Lister Thunder is built by taken a base of the Jaguar F-Type and has very sporty body-shaped with the optional front and rear bumpers to custom-made hoods by using carbon materials.
And from behind the hood of Lister Thunder installed a supercharged V8 engine with a capacity of 5.0-L which can generate the power up to 675 hp. Furthermore, the British car maker stated that the Thunder has a top speed of up to 334 km/hour. While acceleration from 0-100 km/h only takes 6.8 seconds.
In addition to the engine sector, the Lister Thunder also features customizable racing dampers, large 22-inch wheels, special brake calipers, and lightweight exhaust systems that save 10kg more.
In the front, the car looks has green accented grille and stunning rear spoiler. In addition, the carbon fiber of the front bumper of the car is equipped with a long splitter which gives a more fierce impression.
Rear three quarter view of 2018 Lister Thunder. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2vcCB4Z)
The interior is neatly wrapped using Nappa leather for seats, dashboards, roof lining and door panels. Lister said that only 99 units will be produced and will be marketed starting at the price of $200,000 or Rp.2.68 billion.
Strangely, out of 99 Lister Thunder owners, none of the cars were produced exactly the same as each other. Because, to have one unit of Lister Thunder, the costumer must be doing regular contact with the manufacturer to determine the car's specification to be ordered to fit a price that has been agreed previously.
Yes, after 28 years, the masterpiece of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) statue was finally completed. As a new icon of tourism in Bali, the long journey from the building process of the statue finally sweetened with its inauguration marked by the presentation of an art performance named "Swadharma Ning Pertiwi," in the area of Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Bukit Ungasan, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali, at Saturday, August 4, 2018.
The GWK is one of the great masterpieces of Balinese art and culture. When it's still in the development stage, there's so many tourists have come to see it. Therefore, to GWK inauguration event, they made an art performance called Swadharma Ning Pertiwi which involved a line of famous Balinese artists. There were singers Dira Sugandi and Ayu Laksmi, dancers I Ketut Rina and Keni K Soeriaatmadja, as well as choreographer Eko Supriyanto.
The event titled 'Swadharma Ning Pertiwi', was held in order to welcome the completion of the construction of the GWK statue on Saturday, August 8,2018. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2BqXsXz)
"This is a form of appreciation to 120 artists who have been diligent, patient, and always work hard to compile the statue piece by piece, from day to day. Most of them have worked for 28 years," said the initiator and creator of Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, Nyoman Nuarta on the GWK statue inauguration ceremony.
The idea of the GWK statue making since 1989
GWK is deliberately built to be a tourism landmark of Bali. The idea emerged in 1989, but the concept began in 1990, involving the Minister of Tourism at the time, Joop Ave (late), then Ida Bagus Oka (late), Ida Bagus Sudjana (late), and artist Nyoman Nuarta.
The initiator of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) statue, Nyoman Nuarta took a photo with the background of the GWK Statue in Ungasan, Badung, Bali, Tuesday, July 7, 2018. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2L6DlOd)
After obtaining the blessing of President Soeharto in 1993, the artists then conducted socialization in front of members, the leaders of Bali Regional Representative Council, Balinese community leaders and the communities around the GWK location will be built. At the time of the dissemination of the socialization, there was a pro-contra, but the groundbreaking pedestal of GWK statue was successfully implemented in 1997.
Although, the land processing has been carried out around Bukit Ungasan, Jimbaran since 1994-1996, to become what it is today. In its journey, the construction of the GWK statue did indeed experience ups and downs, even when the monetary crisis struck in 1998, Nyoman Nuarta, who at the time had 82 percent of the shares could no longer afford to maintain his ownership. And in 2012, he had to be willing to PT. Alam Sutra Realty Tbk to acquire GWK shares. However, he remains committed to completing the construction of the GWK statue.
The 2nd highest statue in the world
After completion, the GWK statue turned out has a 121 meters tall with weighing up to 3,000 tons. With its height, it means the GWK statue is higher than the Statue of Liberty in New York, which has only 93 meters high.
After 28 years finally the statue of Garuda Wisnu Kencana was completed. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2MmOBLV)
But the statue of GWK is still inferior to the tallest statue in the world, namely Spring Temple Buddha in China, which reaches 153 meters high. Thus, the statue of GWK became the second highest statue in the world.
Physically, the statue of GWK becomes a copper sculpture with the largest cast welding technique in the world. These statue of GWK is the first largest statue to be built with a piece by piece welding system. Because statues like Liberty in New York are generally done with metal cast techniques.
"In simple terms, the scaling of the sculpture is done by cast welding techniques and I have patented this," said Nyoman Nuarta.
A form of proving Indonesia's ability to the world
Indonesia does have many heritage buildings that are known to all over the world, such as the Borobudur Temple. But with the success of the GWK statue built, it becomes a new proof that developing countries like Indonesia can build masterpieces for the world.
Rangkaian Peresmian Patung Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), "Swadharma Ning Pertiwi",
04 Agustus 2018 bertempat di GWK Culture Park, Bali. Syukuran ini merupakan salah satu rangkaian ke giatan peresmian patung GWK akan datang.#GWKwonderfulindonesia#WonderfulIdonesipic.twitter.com/JLD5pUUI4g
"GWK will be proof that we are sovereign in the field of culture and we hope that the world cultural orientation will occur at the GWK Cultural Park because there are not only the statues, but also world cultural forums," said Nyoman Nuarta further.
The following is a video of Nyoman Nuarta, Maestro Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue:
According to the target, this nation's GWK sculpture was completed in August 2018 as one of the best offerings of this nation's children during Indonesia's 73rd independence celebration. Although the statue has been completed, but the surrounding area as a cultural park will continue to be built and developed. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ASUMSI | TRIBUN NEWS]
Defiant Revival- There’s something undeniably captivating about the revival of iconic cars—especially when they return in the form of something sleeker, faster, and sharper than ever before. This time, it’s the New Stratos that’s making waves. The difference? There’s no Lancia badge in sight. The torch has been picked up by a modern Italian builder, breathing new life into a beloved rally-bred name from the past. Welcome to the return of the New Stratos, reimagined for a new era by Manifattura Automobili Torino.
All-new MAT Stratos posed beside the legendary 1975 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale on its debut at the 2018 Geneva Auto Show.(PIcture from: MotoringResearch)
Officially unveiled at the 88th Geneva Motor Show in March 2018, the New Stratos stunned the automotive world with its aggressive yet familiar look. While Lancia—now primarily focused on compact city cars—has stepped away from performance vehicles, it’s Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) that has taken the reins to bring this passion project to life. And this isn’t a tribute car made for showrooms; it’s a serious machine meant for the road. The journey of the New Stratos began back in 2010, originally crafted as a concept by a company named New Stratos GbR. The idea was bold: take the high-performance Ferrari F430 Scuderia as a base, and rebody it with a dramatic design inspired by the original Stratos, courtesy of the legendary Italian design house Pininfarina. The result was stunning—but not everyone was pleased.
Front three quarter view of All-new MAT Stratos.(Picture from: Autoblog)
Ferrari, the source of the donor car and engine, wasn’t exactly supportive. In fact, the Italian marque outright refused to allow their components to be used in the production version. Not only was the chassis off-limits, but so was the 4.3-liter V8 engine, reportedly because New Stratos GbR had tuned it to produce more than 540 horsepower—higher than Ferrari’s factory output. That alone was enough to put a hold on the project for years.
Things turned around when MAT stepped in. With their expertise in building low-volume, high-performance vehicles, the company signed a formal partnership with New Stratos GbR to finally bring the New Stratos to life. This time, there was nothing standing in the way. Using the same design, layout, and engineering principles from the concept, MAT began preparing the car for limited production.
Left side view of All-new MAT Stratos.(Picture from: Autoblog)
Just 25 units of the New Stratos will be built by MAT, each tailored to meet the demands of the most passionate drivers. This isn’t a garage queen—it’s designed to handle daily use, tight corners, and challenging roads. MAT has also hinted at future versions based on the same platform, including a GT touring model and even a Safari-ready off-road variant.
Under the hood, the New Stratos packs a 4,308 cc flat-plane V8 engine capable of delivering 540 horsepower at 8,200 rpm, with peak torque of 519 Nm at 3,750 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox, enabling explosive acceleration: 0–100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 9.7 seconds, and a top speed of 330 km/h. Braking is just as impressive, with 100–0 km/h stopping achieved in only 2.2 seconds.
Rear-right side view of All-new MAT Stratos. (Picture from: Autoblog)
Performance isn’t the only headline here. The New Stratos features an advanced adjustable suspension setup, allowing drivers to fine-tune the ride based on road conditions or personal preference. It’s a car built to dance through mountain roads as easily as it handles a spirited track session—something few supercars can pull off with such confidence and flair.
Of course, exclusivity comes at a price. Before anything else, buyers must supply their own Ferrari F430 Scuderia to serve as the base vehicle. On top of that, expect to spend around €500,000—approximately $624,000—for the full transformation into a New Stratos. That might sound steep, but for those who value performance, history, and design in equal measure, it’s a price worth paying.
The New Stratos isn’t just a car—it’s a passion project brought to life with precision, boldness, and a whole lot of Italian soul. While the original made history on rally stages, this modern revival is carving out its own legacy with every turn of the wheel.*** [EKA [20082018] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NEW STRATOS | MANIFATTURA AUTOMOBILI TORINO | MOTORING RESEARCH | AUTOBLOG | EVO | SLASHGEAR]
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Pininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian renowned automotive coachbuilder based in Turin. The company, which was founded in 1930 by Battista Farina grew rapidly when their auto design services were used by many large manufacturers ranging from Ferrari, Maserati, Cadillac, Nash, Peugeot, Jaguar, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, MG, Cisitalia, Lancia, Hyundai, etc.
Pininfarina H2 Speed hydrogen fuel cell hypercar at Geneva Motor Show 2018. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2nIGiLy)
After 88 years of working in the coacbuilder and automotive design, Pininfarina seemed to want to sink deeper into the world's automotive by becoming a car manufacturer. However, not wanting to follow in the other manufacturers footsteps who are still playing in the conventional engines realm, they chose to dissolve into the "nowadays" breakthrough movement by releasing the charming electric hypercar concept. Not only has a charming design, their hypercar is said to have the performance to rival the Bugatti Chiron!
Left side view of Pininfarina H2 Speed hydrogen fuel cell hypercar. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2Mf73pD)
What is their capital? As quoted of Autoblog, that the Pininfarina received an initial investment of $100 million (around £71.6m) from Mahindra, an Indian multinational automotive company. The company also entered the automotive industry by marketing the Mahindra branded vehicles. These project is known as the Montana Project, and to be referred as the Pininfarina targets to make four cars or more in next five years. The main model codenamed PF-Zero, followed by three SUV units: the PF-One (the biggest) will be a rival to Lamborghini Urus, the other two will become rivals for Porsche Cayenne and Macan. Another interesting news, all of these cars will use a modular platform that was developed together with Rimac, a Croatian electric supercar maker, and the Mahindra Racing Formula E. The collaboration of the three also led to the use of super-performing electric motors.
Top view of Pininfarina H2 Speed hydrogen fuel cell hypercar. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2Mf73pD)
As an illustration, the latest Rimac C_Two is generating a total power of 1,887 hp from four its electric motors. Well, that's the picture of the largest power will be generated by the PF-Zero hypercar. A doubled force figures that will make the 1,479 hp-powered Bugatti Chiron left far behind.
While the next Pininfarina electric-SUV is predicted to be powered by 940 hp, which is expected to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph under 3 seconds. And reportedly, Mahindra itself intends to invest a total of around £358 million into the Montana Project for next five years. And their hypercar development will begin this year and the launches planned in the 2020. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | AUTOBLOG | HOTCARS | CARTOQ | NDTV | OVERDRIVE | AUTOCAR]
Turbine-Electric Marvel - Indian car manufacturers now can not be underestimated. The cars they create continue to grow from year to year. Even recently a Mumbai-based automotive startup company named Vazirani Automotive introduced their first model of turbine electric-powered hypercar concept, called the Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo.
2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept has been debuted at 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Picture from: Carbuzz)
The Shul(pronounced 'Shool')Inspire Gran Turismo, which debuted at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, is a new type of supercar, featuring a turbine-electric drivetrain that is designed to appeal to "purists and petrolheads".Turbine engines can notoriously run on any combustable liquid, but the Shulhas been designed to run on ordinary gasoline. Four electric motors sit on each wheel to provide fully independent torque vectoring, each sending power through a single-ratio gearbox.
Front view of 2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept. (Picture from: Carbuzz)
It is also said that this car is made and adapted to road conditions in India, such as high ground clearance, and also sold at affordable prices. And Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo is one of the implementation of the crazy idea of the company's founder, Chunky Vazirani to create unusual electric vehicles and as well as can be marketed in general.
Right side view of 2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept.(Picture from: AutocarIndia)
The exhibition of fast, luxury and classic cars attended by billionaires from around the world, takes place July 12 to July 15, 2018, in Goodwood, West Sussex, England. Although currently the Shul Inspire Gran Turismo is a concept model, but the company optimistic their concept will become a reality. If it does enter to the production line, Shul will apply an electric jet turbine powertrain, with a turbine that works as a generator for lightweight lithium-ion battery packs.
Left side view of 2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept.(Picture from: AutocarIndia)
Vazirani said the presence of turbines allows them to use small-sized battery packs (only weigh around 300 kg), which will reduce the weight of the car and save electricity usage. The Shulbody, made entirely of carbon fiber material and designed by Chunky Vazirani himself. As it is known that he is a graduate of College of Art Design in California who has worked for world's leading automotive manufacturers such as in Land Rover, Volvo, Jaguar, and Rolls-Royce.
Rear side view of 2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept.(Picture from: AutocarIndia)
"The proportion of the vehicle is a reflection of the packaged technology and exudes classic automotive elegance," Chunky said in a statement to the media. The location of the car's production facility has not been decided yet, but Vazirani says that California is the most likely because, "It is the capital of the world's electric car and we have many connections there. It will allow the company to offer our products elsewhere in that community," he added.
Rear view of 2018 Vazirani Shul Inspire Gran Turismo concept.(Picture from: AutocarIndia)
This car project also attracted other companies to join such as Michelin and even Formula 1 Force India team. Furthermore, Force India team boss Vijay Mallya revealed that Sahara Force India is the first and only Indian to enter the Formula One World Championship and with the team has reached fourth place in 2016 and 2017.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has just introduced the latest limousine which is named Aurus Senat limousine. Then what makes the Aurus limousine interesting? It turns out that the car was a Russia's own domestically production.
Usually President Putin will use a German-madeMercedes-Benz. For example, at the 2018 World Cup event, Vladimir Putin was seen using Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard Pullman which had various advanced features in it.
Vladimir Putin again attracted attention while using his newest limousine called Aurus Senat limousine. (Piture from: http://bit.ly/2MvfNXR)
This is understandable because so far Russia is not included as a reliable country in producing four-wheeled vehicles. But it seems that they are now starting to improve themselves to become the world's leading four-wheeled vehicle producer.
As is well known that Russia has developed automotive technology for a long time, one of them is through a four-wheeled vehicle project called the Kortezh Project. As reported by Sputniknews, this project was created at the initiative of Vladimir Putin and has been carried out since 2012 with a cost of around US. $195 million.
Front view of Mr. Putin's Aurus Senat limousine. (Piture from: http://bit.ly/2MvfNXR)
All of the four-wheeled vehicles developed in this project were designed by the Moscow-based Central Scientific Research Automobile & Engine Institute (NAMI). While for the machines, they collaborated with the famous German automotive company Porsche.
In addition to limousines, the Kortezh project will also make several types of cars, such as sedans or SUVs and others. With the presence of this luxury limousine, it will certainly be a new breakthrough for Russia.
Luxurious interiors designed under the Kortezh Project are developed at the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Engine Institute (NAMI). (Piture from: http://bit.ly/2L3epHr)
Like the president's car in general, the Aurus limousine is of course also made as bulletproof vehicles which adapted from the armored car that Mr. Putin previously suggested. The car is covered with several layers of steel that make the weight of this car increased up to reach 6 tons! And for the engine used by this car until now there is no detail yet. But reportedly is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter Porsche-developed V8 engine capable of spewing power up to 598 horsepower.
This limousine has been debuted at the 4th inauguration ceremony of Vladimir Putin as president of the Russian Federation in May 2018. According to the President Putin, by using domestic-made products is a form of patriotism.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin showed off his limousine to Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (Piture from: http://bit.ly/2L3epHr)
This luxury presidential limousine has also been introduced to several important people from abroad such as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when visiting Russia some time ago.
As reported by Russia Today on July 16, 2018, this seems to have sparked interest among foreign customers, and this car seems to be popular in foreign markets, said Alexei Borokov, one of the teams who helped develop the vehicle. And starting in 2019 this car will be mass produced and sold to the public. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPUTNIK | RUSSIAN TODAY | AUTOWEEK]
As quoted from Carbuzz, that Lister Thunder is the first modern car launched in the last 25 years by the company since 1993, when they produced the Lister Strom taken base from Jaguar XJS.
