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Sedans/Saloons, Geneva Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Porsche, Misc. Auto Shows

As far as digital images go, there isn’t much left to see of the new Porsche Panamera. Still, there’s something special about seeing a new car in person, and the first chance the public will get to see the latest Swabian hatchback four-door grand touring sports car will be at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show in April, not at the Geneva show a month earlier as initially planned.

With Porsche pushing back the Panamera’s official intro, the German sports car maker clearly acknowledges that emerging markets such as China are extremely important to its growth. Its sales doubled last year in China while falling in both America and Europe. Experts expect this trend to continue well into 2009, so Porsche will be relying heavily on the Chinese to reach its goal of 20,000 highly-profitable Panameras per year.

Filed under: Misc. Auto Shows

While we can’t get enough of the Caterham and all its copycats, the one thing we’ve never said to ourselves is, “This needs a roof, some luxury amenities and 400 horsepower.” But that’s exactly what IFR Automotive has done with the Aspid. IFR is an acronym for the engineer that founded the firm, Ignacio Fernandez Rodriquez, whose former employers include Prodrive and the Mitsubishi WRC team. Rodriquez wanted to create a track-day masterpiece that would not only confirm to FIA safety standards and European homologation requirements, but also offer a level of luxury and refinement previous unseen on other track-bound whips.

The result is a lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber structure that tips the scales at around 1,550 pounds. Two engines will be available when the production model hits the streets later this year, including a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter producing 270 hp, or a 400-hp turbocharged version of the same mill. Power will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential. With that kind of power to weight ratio (570 hp per ton), IFR is predicting a 0-62 run of 2.8 seconds, a 0-100 sprint of 5.9 seconds and a maximum (restricted) speed of 155 mph. Slowing and turning the Aspid should be equally dramatic, with the lightweight coupe halting from 100 mph in three seconds flat and hitting 1.6 g of lateral acceleration.

All that mind-boggling performance will come at a cost, so when you place your order after the Aspid’s debut at the London Motor Show next month, you’ll be expected to cough up £75,000 before you can take delivery next summer. Press release below the fold.

[Source: Aspid via SCC]

Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Etc., Supercars, Ferrari, Ferrari Concept 2008 by Sefsdesign

We realize that not everyone will agree with us on this one — passions seem to run highest over the cars that the fewest number of people will drive — but if the Ferrari California looked like this concept, we’d put down a deposit right now. Once someone else gave us the money to do so.

Sure, from the A-pillar forward is pure Maserati, and there’s no way a front intake like that could or should make it onto a Ferrari. Still, it’s a good looking front end, and we don’t mind design elements going up as well as down. Besides, a couple of keystrokes can get a proper Ferrari nose in place.

But from the A-pillar to the rear… those are the kind of aggressive, subtle lines we like in our Ferraris. Which is not to say we don’t like the California — we just like this a little better… A coupe, please. That color.
[Source: Sefsdesign]

Concept Cars, Coupes, China, Misc. Auto Shows

It turns out that the Geely GT didn’t corner the market on coupe concepts at Auto China 2008. Beijing Automotive — whose Wrangler-style B40 you saw earlier — is also on the case with its 700R coupe concept, a clean and attractive design with some interesting details. An accent line angles upward, merging with muscular rear haunches, giving the car a nice, aggressive presence. In front, knifelike headlamps; stylized, outboard air intakes; and a teensy main grille slit come together to give the car a good face. Out back, a similar motif finishes the car off, and the result is very attractive overall.

Of course, it’ll probably never be anything more than vaporware, but generally speaking, it makes you wonder what on Earth goes on in the boardrooms of Chinese car companies. If they have the ability to deliver clean, original designs like this, then why bother copycatting at all? The mind reels. Until originality in this vein is the norm, the phrase “Chinese car” will remain a punchline. Too bad, because stylewise, this 700R concept is no joke.
[Source: Autoblog Chinese]

Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Mazda

So after finally hoping on the Facebook-bandwagon, we decided to check up on how Mallory McMorrow’s Mazda3 concept was coming along. After shaping and molding the clay on the LA show floor for over 10 days, the 2018 Mazda3 was finally displayed. Overall, it’s cues tie in nicely with the “flow” theme crafted by Franz von Holzhausen and his team who helped McMorrow hone her design. We think it’s a step in the right direction, particularly from an undergrad, and we’re hopeful that the 21-year old industrial design student hits the ground running once she has her degree in hand.