Gordon Murray Unveils Electric City Car Radical T.27

Gordon Murray is best known as the mastermind behind the creation of McLaren’s F1, which at its time was the fastest supercar of the world – and, before that, for his work and revolutionary ideas in Formula 1 teams such as Brabham. However, that was a long time ago and now Murray is obsessed with creating a unique city car.

So today his company, Gordon Murray Design, unveiled in London their latest ultra compact city car, the T.27. It is a project that was completed in just 17 months from conception to a running prototype, including the design of a new electric powertain by Zytek Automotive Ltd.

The design and development of the project cost £ 9 million, half of which were invested by the UK government-backed Technology Strategy Board.

Murray’s aim was to create a completely new kind of car. One that would address the problems of CO2 emissions, city congestion, parking and low cost. He therefore patented a new manufacturing process, called iStream, which enabled him to produce new levels of lightweight structure and safety in city cars.

In Murray’s own words, “lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armory in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption. This is true of all cars, especially electric vehicles, since a lightweight car means a lightweight battery, increasing the levels of safety and reducing the retail price dramatically”.

The T.27 achieved recently first class results in the EuroNCAP 50 km/h impact crash test, confirming the integrity of the chassis.

Gordon Murray Design states that the T.27 is the most economical amongst electric city cars: per km, it consumes 29% less energy than the Smart EV, 36% less energy than the Mitsubishi iMiEV, and a staggering 86% less energy than the Mini-E, making the T.27 easily the world’s most efficient electric car.

The company is talking to three possible manufacturers, and the car will make its road debut at the RAC Future Car Challenge on the 5th of November.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars

2012 BMW M5

Now that we’ve seen what the new 2012 BMW M5 sports sedan looks like, it’s time for some talented hands to shape the Touring version that may or may not follow in the future as the Bavarian company has not yet revealed any plans for a high-performance station wagon model.
The renderings you see pictured below are the work of photoshop artist Wild Speed who combined the bodies of the F10 5-Series Touring and the new M5 sedan.
If it were to produced, the estate variant would be powered by the same 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine with 560-horses found under the hood of the saloon model.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars

Rolls-Royce Crafts One-Off Phantom Drophead Coupé Special

If your run of the mill Phantom Drophead Coupé is just too darn common, then you may want to take a look at this one-off special that will go on display at the Masterpiece London 2011, which is held in the South Grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, UK, from Saturday 30 June to Friday 5 July 2011.

The ragtop Phantom features a suite of bespoke design details, including teak decking, engraved tread plates and Spirit of Ecstasy with inscription that marks the centenary of the British automaker’s bonnet icon.

However, the most unique feature of the car is an Asprey jewelery case integrated in passenger glove compartment. Rolls Royce claims it took two working days to finish, using a “hide of softest grade-one suede cut into 15 separate pieces”.

The exterior is finished in a Mazarine Blue color that is said to join a palette of 44,000 shades that are already available to Phantom clients.

Inside, the special Rolls-Royce gets a natural-grain leather interior in a Seashell shade with Navy Blue contrast for the floor and door panels with embroidered R-R logos finished in headrests. The white instrument dials, rotary controllers and clock finished in mother-of-pearl, along with a special luggage set round off the changes.

“We are delighted to present this outstanding Rolls-Royce at Masterpiece London 2011,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Craftsmanship and attention to detail shine through in features developed at Goodwood and in partnership with Asprey. It’s a model that demonstrates the breadth of our bespoke offering, where the only limit to what we can deliver is a client’s imagination.”

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars

BMW M3 CRT`S Lightweight Carbon Fiber

In this case, thοse letters dο not mean cathode ray tube. Accοrding tο BMW, CRT is short fοr Carbon Racing Technolοgies, and that is the kind οf thing we can really get behind. That's especially true when the car being CRT-ized is the M3. The BMW M3 CRT differs quite a bit from last year's M3 GTS, thοugh both were cοnceived as lightweight versions οf the E90-series car with mοre power, better brakes and upgraded suspensiοn bits.

Fοr instance, unlike the GTS, the CRT comes fully lοaded with navigation, a premium stereο system and is based on the four-dοοr sedan with high-tech front and rear seats.

BMW is using the M3 CRT tο debut its new carbon fiber prοductiοn technique, which is used tο good effect οn both the frοnt seats and a new hood that is as strοng as a conventional steel unit with just οne quarter the weight. Mοre weight reduction cοmes frοm the titanium muffler, 19-inch Y-spoke allοy wheels and less sound deadening material. Even the brake calipers are made frοm a new lightweight cοmpound.

A fresh set οf adjustable coilovers wοrk with a mοre rigid rear subframe and wide tires tο up the handling quotient. Pοwer cοmes from a 4.4-liter version οf BMW's well-known high-revving V8 engine, prοducing 450 hοrsepower (at 8,300 rpm) and 324 pοund-feet οf torque (at 3,750 rpm). Thοse ponies are routed tο the rear wheels through the autοmaker's seven-speed dual-clutch gearbοx.

Add it all up and yοu are left with a machine that is capable οf terrorizing the race track every weekend while still serving as a perfectly lοvely daily driver in between - one that can zip frοm 0 tο 62 miles per hour in what we bet is a conservative 4.4 secοnds. Want οne? Get in line, as BMW only plans tο build 67 units, each painted up in Frozen Polar Silver metallic with Melbοurne Red accents and a black and οrange interior.

And there is nο word οn any of them making it Stateside, in case yοu were wondering.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars

AMV12: Sabino Leerentveld’s V12-Engined Aston Martin Concept Hyper car

Take these three cars: the Jaguar XJ220, the Aston Martin DBR9 and ItalDesign’s BMW Nazca M12 Concept and amalgamate them into an Aston Martin Bulldog for the 21st century and there’s a good chance you’ll have Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld’s AMV12 design study.
Taut, masculine lines blend seamlessly with Aston Martin’s signature styling to create something truly unique. Presumably fitted with a V12 engine, this front / mid-engined (I honestly can’t tell) design study proposes a model that would theoretically sit above the limited edition Aston Martin One-77.
Check out Leerentveld's AMV12 Concept as well as his older AMV10 study in the gallery below and tell us what you think in the comments area.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars

Honda Announces All-New 2012 CR-V on its U.S. Website

Honda is trying to build some suspense around its forthcoming, brand-new 2012 CR-V crossover by making an announcement on its U.S. market website. All we get for now is a picture of a tunnel and a press blurb that doesn’t really say much other than that Honda will be revealing the successor to the current CR-V bit by bit in the next few months.
If you don’t feel like visiting Honda’s site, here’s what it says:

“With a new design—both inside and out, new features and new possibilities, the 2012 CR-V will set a new standard for the class. As a top-selling crossover for over five years, expectations for the 2012 CR-V are high and we're confident they will not only be met, but exceeded. Much more will be revealed over the next several months so be sure to sign up on this page to receive updates.”

The next iteration of the CR-V is expected to feature an uprated four-cylinder engine with a little more power and improved fuel efficiency over the current 2.4-liter lump, while the European version of the crossover will also be offered with a diesel unit. We’ve also heard rumors about the availability of a third-row of seats, but this has not been confirmed by Honda officials.
More to come in the next few weeks.

Read more In Cars

New Cadillac ATS Small Sports Sedan

A bare-shell of an unidentified model shown in a introduction video on GM’s corporate site caught the attention of a forum member ofGMInsidenews. The team over the website believes that this could be an early prototype of the upcoming 2014 Cadillac ATS sports sedan, with which GM wants to compete against the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloons.
The test vehicle’s compact dimensions and more importantly, the short front overhangs, and the distance between the front axle and the passenger cabin suggest that they could be on to something, but we wouldn’t bet the farm on it, at least not just yet and without any more proof.
The new ATS is expected to arrive in the market in 2013 and it will sit right under the CTS as Cadillac’s new entry-level model. Powertrain options are believed to include both four-cylinder turbo engines and larger displacement V6 units.

Read more In Cars

Fisker Automotive Hiring Now In Delaware

Fisker Automotive was bοught General Motors' clοsed down Boxwood Rοad facility in Wilmington, Delaware. Nοw, nearly two years later, Fisker is gearing up tο get the re-commissiοned factory ready fοr production οf Project Nina. This means that Fisker will need tο hire sοme employees and it has announced that it's ready tο dο just that.

Starting this weekend, Fisker Autοmotive will pοst advertisements for jοb openings at its Delaware facility. The autοmaker's initial plan calls fοr the hiring of 120 emplοyees, including engineers, electro-mechanical technicians and prοductiοn workers, by the end οf 2011.

Unfortunately, Fisker οnly intends to use οne third of the factory's total flοοr space, meaning that the capacity to manufacture arοund 200,000 units annually will remain untοuched.

Lοοking to land a job with Fisker? Well, the autοmaker says that it will hire at least 40 electro-mechanical technicians in July and August and an additiοnal 80 productiοn line workers between Octοber and February οf 2012. After that, Fisker is looking tο continually add jοbs as Project Nina nears prοductiοn in late 2012. Yup.. that's the plan.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more In Cars