The one-off Duesenberg Model D

When we talking about 'tastes,' maybe each era has its own tastes. This also seems to apply in the world's automotive. If at this time, the rich automotive enthusiasts might prefer to have the Rolls Royce, Bugatti, Bentley, Ferrari, and Lamborghini branded cars to raise their social status. But in the era of the 1920s until the early 1930s, the world's celebrity vehicle tastes of the world fell on Duesenberg branded cars that carried innovative high-performance machines to raise social status in society at that time.

1966 Duesenberg Model D prototype built based on Virgil Exner's design and constructed by Carrozzeria Ghia. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/33f3BjQ)

Indeed, at present, the Duesenberg brand is rarely heard especially with its many unique sport and body features. The emergence of the Duesenberg Model D is intended to remake it being a star that would shine in the mid-1960s. The car is known to be made based on the brainchild of former Chrysler Chief designer Virgil Exner. which was later built by Carrozzeria Ghia, one of the leading Italian car body companies in 1966.

The Exners's Duesenberg sketch for Esquire. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/33f3BjQ)

The concept was originally conceived by Fritz Duesenberg (son of Augie Duesenberg), and Milo Record, a promoter of the Indianapolis area, to make a flagship model in early 1964. This car will have a roar of a 500 cubic inch engine capable of spewing power of up to 500 horsepower and sit at an extra-long wheelbase.

The steering wheel and dashboard view of Duesenberg Model D prototype. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/33f3BjQ)

The car which then uses Chrysler's 440 cubic-inch V8 engine that capable of producing power of 425 horsepower. The assembly process is planned to take place in Indianapolis with initial plans to be built around 200 to 1000 units and its future plan include the convertible version. 

Rear side view of Duesenberg Model D prototype. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/33f3BjQ)

And the car's initial body style is a four-door sedan with a cabin full of luxurious touches including the option of built-in television and mini-bar inside. The standard equipment of this car includes climate control A/C, automatic pilot, and AM/FM radio. Surely the price tag will last far beyond the reach of ordinary people at around $20,000, more than double the most expensive Cadillac model at the time.

After that, the order was confirmed (it's believed that around 50 orders were received) to be ready to be rolled as a production model, but unfortunately, Duesenberg's extinct dream never came true. And the prototype car that has been completed is still the only one that has been made and displayed in the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum for almost 36 years without ever having one production model. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CONCEPTCARZ | HEMMINGS]

Note: This blog  can be accessed via your smart phone

Seeing Lambo Athon concept that we've never been known before

It turns out that the Tesla Cybertruck was not the first vehicle to apply an unusual shape. At least the shape of the front fascia that is almost similar to the pull of sharp and tapered lines turned out to have also been a trend in the automotive industry in the 1970s to early 1980s.

Lamborghini Athon Concept by Bertone appeared with the front fascia designed in the pull of sharp and tapered lines. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/39UzGjy)

Apparently, this also invited the interest of Lamborghini to design and make a concept car in 1980, which was named the Lamborghini Athon Concept. Like not wanting to lose from the others, the Italian car manufacturer which is famous for producing supercars has also once offered a radical concept and was named after an ancient Egyptian sun god.

Lamborghini Athon Concept by Bertone uses a 3-liter V8 engine, which is capable of spraying power of 260 horsepower only. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/39XZhrT)

During the late 1970s, Automobili Lamborghini was having financial difficulties and slowly went into bankruptcy and made some car enthusiasts were surprised when the dream car was introduced. Indeed, not many people know about this Lamborghini concept car. For his time, the Athon's unique figure looked very futuristic. This Athon concept car was made based on  Lamborghini Silhouette P300 which was produced between 1976 and 1979 as many as 55 units.

Inside the cabin of Lamborghini Athon Concept by Bertone featured the futuristic-styled steering wheel and panels, so made it is one of the attractive futuristic sports car designs at the time. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WiAcUy)

Yes, the raging bull logoed premium car manufacturer then collaborated with its compatriot coachbuilder company Bertone to create a tapered-designed and accompanied with the futuristic-styled panels in its cabin, so made this Lamborghini concept car is one of the attractive futuristic sports car designs at the time.

Lamborghini Athon Concept by Bertone was designed by Marc Deschamps, Marcello Gandini’s successor, and introduced at the 1980 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WiAcUy)

But unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work due to the Athon isn't as fast as other Lambo models. Although the car concept uses a 3-liter V8 engine accompanied with the 5-speed manual transmission system, which is only capable of spraying power of 260 horsepower. With those engine powers, the car could reach top speeds of 70 miles per hour and could go from 0-60 in 7.3 seconds. So the car then made only one.

If you pay close attention, the steering wheel design of this car looks as if it is floating. All of that thanks to the accuracy of the design, if at a certain angle the steering wheel looks floating. In addition, the car gear lever also has a unique shape such as the folding knife handle, there's also a touchscreen instrumental panel and even a phone.

If you are wondering what happened to the Athon, it was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in 2011 and managed to fetch €347,200 ($392,700). At that moment, the car was in "absolutely original condition" and hopefully it remains the same to this day. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTOR1 | THE THINGS | THE AUTOBODY REVIEW]

Note: This blog  can be accessed via your smart phone

The three Bugatti’s secret concept cars now revealed

Like most carmakers in general, especially in the early days of the modern automotive industry, Bugatti also developed experimental vehicles and prototypes to explore many possibilities, from future design directions up to expanding the range of their vehicle lines. Most of these efforts are carried out in secret, both from the public or media.

These are 3 Bugatti’s secret concept cars. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/3b3nxJb)

However, occasionally they also share the secret exploration plans that never materialize for many reasons. And now, Bugatti is opening information about several concept cars that they've been worked on in the past that should have been given birth to new production cars but in fact, have not proceeded to the production line. Yes, they were stopped just in the concept or even made it only as a prototype model.

1. Bugatti Veyron Barchetta

The first Bugatti concept that had never been seen before was Bugatti Veyron Barchetta, which was created by the Bugatti's head of design department, Achim Anscheidt in 2008. This gorgeous vehicle creation is made based on the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse but is decorated with new roofless bodywork and windshield like a speedster.

2008 Bugatti Veyron Barchetta Concept. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WlqAZ9)

Interestingly, some of the features that appeared on this concept car especially the headlamps features that now are look embedded in the Bugatti Divo which are built in limited numbers and based on the current Chiron.

But Bugatti's top executive reportedly was reluctant to adopt the car model due to similar to the Lamborghini limited edition model that launched at the time. This is understandable because both premium automotive manufacturer Bugatti and Lamborghini are in the same parent company, the Volkswagen Group.

2. Bugatti Atlantic Concept

A few years after the Bugatti Veyron Barchetta was executed, the French manufacturer then envisioned the three best models by designing two new concepts. Where one to be placed under the Bugatti Chiron and the other one to be placed above the hypercar which is focused for record-breaking only.

2015 Bugatti Atlantic Concept. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WlqAZ9)

The first one is the Bugatti Atlantic Concept which was made in 2015 as a modern interpretation of the legendary car of 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. And the French manufacturer spent over 18 months for developing the Atlantic Concept by using some technology taken from the Porsche Taycan project, which came to be known as Mission E.

Initially, this concept car was scheduled to be launched at Pebble Beach that year, but there was chaos known as 'Dieselgate' which ensnared Volkswagen Group then the car debut was canceled.

3. Bugatti W16 Coupe Rembrandt

Then came the most ambitious concept of all, named the Bugatti W16 Coupe Rembrandt. The supercar is described as a front-engined GT car with an 8,000 cc quad-turbo W16 engine which is also the Chiron engine and able to spew power up to 1,500 horsepower.

2018 Bugatti W16 Coupe Rembrandt. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2WlqAZ9)

The design is seen borrowing from the Bugatti Veyron Barchetta, such as the headlamps, and in some parts also displays several elements that were later could be found in the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, especially in the LED taillights.

The biggest obstacle in developing and marketing the Bugatti W16 Rembrandt Coupe is its selling price which can reach the US $20 million or around Rp.275 billion per unit that exceeds the Bugatti La Voiture Noire prices known as the most expensive production car today. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CARSCOOPS | TOP GEAR]

Note: This blog  can be accessed via your smart phone

Chrysler Turbine Car can run with all-kind of fuels you gave

When talking about turbine engines and cars, maybe not many people know about it. Indeed, this type of engine is more often found in aircraft or helicopters and is not commonly used in four-wheeled vehicles or two wheels. Previously we have also presented articles about the figure of a turbine engined motorcycle called MTT Y2K.

1963 Chrysler Turbine Car at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/395czBB)

Turbine engines have advantages over conventional piston engines, such as larger bursts of power, less maintenance, and last longer, as well as a simple size. But this machine has a big weakness that makes it unsuitable to be used as a drivetrain for cars or motorcycles, besides producing very noisy sounds as well as very expensive production prices.

Right side view of the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2Wsrsey)

It turned out that the installation of turbine engines on the cars was carried out in 1963  to 1964 as part of research conducted by Chrysler, one of America's leading automotive manufacturers. Yes, at that time there's a beautiful car full with a classic American aura given the name of Chrysler Turbine Car due to under the hood had a turbine engine attached.

The steering wheel and dashboard view of the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2WtDOTV)

But it is not a matter of the design of the car that is the subject of discussion this time, but its engine! The turbine engine used in this car is not like a jet (turbofan) engine which if applied to a car, can make other road vehicles catch on fire while directly behind it.

Chrysler Turbine Car is a 2-door hardtop coupe created by Elwood Engel and Chrysler's studios. The car also features a variety of modern features such as power brakes, power steering, and TorqueFlite transmission, and was coated with a metallic, root beer-colored paint known as "turbine bronze".

The turbine engine view of 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2Wsrsey)

Then the body of the Chrysler Turbine Car was done by Ghia, an Italian design studio and Chrysler completed its assembly in Detroit. The car is driven by an A-831 turbine engine that has a working principle like a helicopter (turboshaft) engine and said able to run on a variety of fuels. The engine can output up to 130 horsepower with a torque of 576 Nm.

Rear side view of 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3bd76tW)

At that time, the car was produced as many as 55 units, with details of five prototypes and a limited run of 50 cars for a public user program. Finally in 1966 when the program was declared over, Chrysler took all of these cars and destroyed all but nine of them. Then Chrysler kept two units, five units were displayed in the museum and the remaining two units were in a private collection.

Just for information, the Chrysler turbine engine program completely stopped in 1979, which was mostly due to engine failure to meet government emissions regulations, relatively poor fuel economy, and as a prerequisite for receiving government loans in 1979. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | WIKIPEDIA]

Note: This blog  can be accessed via your smart phone

The newest muscle Batmobile

The latest Batman's movie titled 'The Batman' is planned to be released on June 25, 2021, where the handsome actor Robert Pattinson will play as Bruce Wayne, known as Batman when he becomes a superhero who defends the Gotham City from organized crime.

This is what the latest Batmobile looks like in 'The Batman' movie. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2TN27KU)

But what raises the curiosity of The Batman movie is, whether the Gotham City superhero will continue to use his flagship car named the Batmobile. Yes, of course the Batmobile will always be used, but only its form will be different.

This is what the latest Batmobile looks like in 'The Batman' movie. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2TN27KU)

As quoted from Screenrant, the Batmobile used by Robert Pattinson seems to be an American muscle car known as 1970 Plymouth Barracuda which had a modification process. And also reportedly, the car modification process was included in the drivetrain which is a mid-mounted twin-turbo engine seemingly a V-8, though some on social media are seeing a fifth coil pack on each side that would make it a V-10.

This is what the latest Batmobile looks like in 'The Batman' movie. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/2TN27KU)

From the photo, the turbos locates in between the roll cage and bodywork in the back and you'll find two snails with short exhaust pipes expelling waste gases directly into the atmosphere.

🦇🏎 #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/qJFNprk1ut

— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) March 4, 2020

Of course this will be a question, why the Batmobile uses an American muscle car? Apparently, The Batman movie will be set in the 1990s, where the director wanted to show in the movie when Bruce Wayne was young and the beginning as Batman.
Not only modifying a classic car into the Batmobile, and in the movie, Bruce Wayne is also seen sewing his own costume. Therefore, do not expect too much that the Batman will be very cool looking like the Batman who had appeared in the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCREENRANT | THE DRIVE]

Note: This blog  can be accessed via your smart phone