April 2011 ~ News Car Design

2011Toyota FT-86 II Concept

5:20 AM

Design Car club

Toyota has revealed photos of the second iteration of its FT-86 Concept car that is said to be very close to the actual production version due to go on sale in 2012. The Geneva Motor Show FT-86 II features several styling differences over the original concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

First off, Toyota's designers restyled the coupe's profile by eliminating the lower swoop line and adding a new beltline that starts from the front wheel arch with a cheesy air vent and finishes off on the tip of the rear window, which itself has grown in size. In addition, Toyota also split the front window and abolished the blacked out A-Column finish, while the rear wheel arches are more pronounced and there are new side rocker panels.

At the front end there's a new bumper with a larger center grille and more concave surfaces on both corners, while Toyota also threw in a pair of gaudy looking LED daytime running lights.
Finally, Toyota revamped the FT-86's rear end with new standalone, protruding tail lamps and a different treatment for the bumper that houses a more pronounced diffuser and large tail pipes on either side. The re-sculptured boot lid and the fitment of a fixed wing round off the styling changes.
The overall feeling we get is that Toyota went all 'Fast and Furious' with the FT-86's redesign making the coupe look unnecessary busy and ultimately, far less sleek compared to the original concept.
The company said the new concept measures 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, meaning it has grown 75mm in length, 35mm in width, and 10mm in height while riding on the same 2,570mm long wheelbase as the FT-86 I.
The rest of the specs remain a secret for now as the only details we know for sure is that the FT-86 will get a Subaru-sourced boxer engine with power being delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The same setup will be used on Subaru's version of the FT-86 that was also on display at the Geneva Motor Show, albeit with a see-through plastic body.
As always, we'd like to hear what you have to say about the FT-86 II in our comments section below.

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Geneva 2011: Lotus Keeps its Evora Debuts Simple but Significant with Mansory in the Mix

5:18 AM

Design Car club

After Lotus blew its proverbial head gaskets all over the Paris stage with a futuristic lineup consisting of a sedan and no less than four coupes, simplicity was the name of the game for the 2011 Geneva motor show. Lotus brought two special edition Evoras, a relatively low-key showing in stark contrast to its behavior in France last year.

Before you roll your eyes thinking, "Christ, another special edition blah blah blah," one of these two new Evoras is very different than another special edition Mustang or Bugatti.
The Mansory Evora comes from the union of two weight-conscious companies; Lotus prides itself on keeping its vehicles trim, while Mansory "provides valuable insights and an intuitive feeling for [high-end customisation]" while also offering "state-of-the-art carbon components".

Mansory's Lotus is dubbed the Lotus Bespoke Concept and is kind of a big deal because it establishes a relationship between a respected manufacturer and well-known tuner. You may recall Mansory from their various efforts tackling high-end vehicle customization. If all goes well, we just might be witnessing the next in-house tuner coming around.
Lotus calls the Mansory Evora an "Individualization Concept Car"; with it, the industry's resident featherweight hopes to develop its own "Exclusive" / "Individual" program for customer's seeking a coachbuilt feel. The other Evora isn't as significant consumer-wise as the Mansory model, but is important nonetheless.
The Evora Enduro GT concept is an evolution of the current Lotus Evora GT4 Endurance and will serve as the platform from which FIA and ACO GT2/GTE racers will be built. That means we'll likely see this at a variety of upcoming 24-hour enduros including the Nürburgring, Spa, and Silverstone.

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2011 Geneva Motor Show: A to Z Guide of New Models and Concepts

5:13 AM

Design Car club

[Updated] Welcome to Carscoop's guide of the 81st edition of the Geneva International Motor Show which is shaping to be one of the most important automotive events of the year. The show will be open for the public from March 3-13, but we'll be bringing you all the world premieres during the press days on March 1 and 2.
Some of the new production models to look forward to include the stunning Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Ferrari's first all-wheel drive model, the FF, the Hyundai i40, and Volkswagen's Golf Cabriolet, while on the concept front there's a bevy of studies such as the BMW Vision CD roadster, the Renault Captur and the Toyota FT-86 II. We'll be constantly updating the list after the break so bookmark this page and keep checking back.

2011 GENEVA SHOW DEBUTS