Zagato Perana Z-One

Zagato will unveil a concept called the Perana Z-One at the Geneva Motor Show next week, commemorating the company's 90th anniversary. With a long hood and short rear deck, the supercar has been given proportions befitting a grand tourer.

Though the coachbuilder has not provided much information on the two-seat concept, the gaping oval grille and large air intakes above the sill and below the shoulderline indicate the car is powered by a large front-mounted conventional powerplant. Large vertical headlamps flank the hood, which features still more mesh-covered air outlets for dissipating heat. In profile, the concave fender morphs through the door to become a pronounced rear haunch. The grille's shape is also repeated at the rear on a broader scale, as is the headlamp design, with smaller circular lamps encased within the taillamp housing. The concept's double bubble roof, flowing from the steeply raked windscreen through to the backlight, is also a definitive Zagato design element.

We'll bring you additional details once we see the Perana Z-One in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

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Corvette Stingray concept

General Motors unveiled a new Corvette Stingray concept at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday. Unlike most concepts, the new car is not intended to gauge public opinion of new design direction; it will instead debut as the character 'Sideswipe' in the upcoming DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures release 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'.

According to Ed Welburn, Vice President of GM Global Design, the prototype explores a new, futuristic expression for the Corvette nameplate. Inspired by the 1959 Stingray Racer and ‘63 Corvette Stingray split-window coupe, the concept combines heritage cues spanning generations of the iconic sports car design with an altogether more futuristic shape.

The car's sharp front end features a grille influenced by the Corvette SS from the ‘50s, and a wraparound windscreen leads to a sloping roofline that tapers off into a split-window backlight. When seen in profile, the fender shapes recall historic Stingrays as well, with the front fenders incorporating an air extractor aft of the front wheel and a defining feature line that links both the front and rear wheels.

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Fisker Karma S concept

Fisker Automotive revealed the newest addition to its lineup at NAIAS 2009, exactly a year after the independent carmaker unveiled its first concept vehicle, the Karma.

Called the Karma S concept, the four-seat convertible was designed by Henrik Fisker with input from a newly assembled design team taken on to help bring the Karma sedan to production.

The design of the S is likely to make it to the showroom almost unchanged.

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Zenvo ST1

Danish company Zenvo Automotive has revealed its first hand-built creation, the ST1 supercar. Powered by a V8 engine - fitted with both a supercharger and turbo - producing 1104bhp and 1430Nm of torque, the ST1 measures 4665mm long, 2041mm wide, 1198mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 3055mm. It weighs in at 1376kg, thanks to a light steel frame structure clad with carbonfiber body panels.

Claimed to be the first Danish-designed supercar, the ST1's sharp aesthetic features a jagged shoulder and pronounced feature line leading to the rear air intake. Its aggressive DRG includes honeycomb inserts around the three-piece headlamps, grille aperture and fog lamps, as well as around the rear diffuser. This graphic is also repeated around the taillamps.

Inside, the ST1 features seating surfaces trimmed in leather and Alcantara and instruments with a head-up display and a G-force meter. Interior headroom is 1002mm, front seat legroom at 1104mm, and shoulder room at 1398mm. Options include a custom-colored leather interior and fitted luggage set.

Having spent the last four years developing the prototype, the company will build only 15 examples of the car, which will be sold to specially approved customers starting this year.

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Hennessey Venom GT

Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE), a North American aftermarket tuning firm specializing in the design and production of high-performance accessories for production sportscars, recently unveiled a concept car of its own: the Venom GT.

Though still only just a concept - the model was designed by British automotive designer Steve Everitt - the Venom GT looks related to Lotus's own Exige, albeit more aggressive and with a wider stance. If developed, the car would incorporate Hennessey's potent Venom 1000 Twin Turbo 8.5-liter V10 powerplant (sourced from Dodge's Viper) into a light weight mid-engine chassis weighing under 2,700 lbs. The car is also claimed to attain a slippery 0.39Cd rating when aided by its 'VenomAero' rear wing.

With a power to weight ratio of just 2.7 lbs per bhp, Hennessey estimates that the Venom GT could attain 0 to 100 km/h times in less than 2.5 seconds and a 0-300 km/h time of around 14 seconds. "The Venom GT will be a much more engaging sports car to drive by challenging the driver with 1000+ horsepower in a chassis that is nearly 1500 lbs lighter than the Veyron," said John Hennessey, the company's founder.

"The company already has existing Venom 1000 Twin Turbo clients interested in ordering the lighter, mid-engined Venom GT," he added. "Right now are taking a serious look at building 2 concept cars that could be shown to the public sometime in 2009. If there is enough demand we may consider doing a very limited production run of the Venom GT."

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Mitsubishi Concept-RA

The design sketches previewing concepts set to be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January keep coming, as Mitsubishi reveals the Concept-RA it will premier in the Motor City.

Claimed to fuse the passion for dynamic, exciting driving with a heightened sensitivity for the environment, the rakish concept harks back to the sporting lines of the 3000GT and the Eclipse production cars, while being noticeably influenced by Audi's TT in both the C-pillar and rear end treatment. The body structure has been constructed using an aluminum space frame made from extruded aluminum sections and die-cast aluminum members for improved crashworthiness and reduced weight. The hood, fenders and outer panels are also made from high impact-resistance and easily recyclable plastic resin, boosting its environmental credentials.

Powered by a new 2.2-liter high-output turbodiesel engine, the Concept-RA is meant to demonstrate that thrilling performance and environmental responsibility need not be mutually exclusive concepts. In keeping with the performance theme, the coupe concept features Mitsubishi's Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) vehicle dynamics control system which adds Active Steering and Active Damping control along with the Twin Clutch SST automated manual transmission found in the current iteration of the Lancer Evolution.

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Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport

Mitsubishi's green i MiEV city car has spawned a Sport derivative, scheduled to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The concept, which features a "fastback" exterior design and aerodynamically fluid styling, is meant to enhance the "driving" image of Mitsubishi's electric vehicles.

The body of the i MiEV Sport is constructed of lightweight aluminum and painted light green to show off its environmentally-friendly credentials, while the window glass is designed to absorb heat. The interior is a simplified space that uses geometry, metallic materials and Mitsubishi's own 'Green Plastic' made from plant-based resin technology. Lighting consists of energy-saving LEDs in the rear combination lamps and multiple blue LEDs inside the cabin.

Measuring 3,450mm overall, the i MiEV Sport has a relatively long wheelbase of 2,550mm and employs a rear midship layout like its production sibling the i Kei car. Unlike the i, however, the i MiEV does not utilize a conventional petrol engine but an electric motor beneath the luggage compartment driving the rear wheels. Mitsubishi's unique in-wheel motors power the front wheels and a high-capacity lithium-ion battery is installed in the lowest area under the floor to improve stability and enhance interior space.

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Lamborghini Reventon

The Lamborghini Reventon has been entirely designed in Sant'Agata Bolognese, the original birthplace of the Lamborghini and the native home of every super car born under the sign of the bull.

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Callaway C16 Speedster

Callaway Cars is poised to introduce their flagship C16 Speedster at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 19. Following from the C16 Coupe shown in Los Angeles last fall and the C16 Cabriolet presented in New York in April, the Speedster is the third road car Callaway has created based on a C6 Corvette platform.

To fulfill founder Reeves Callaway's longtime fascination for speedsters, designer Paul Deutschman designed new body panels, cut off the A-pillars and fitted twin windshields/deflectors to create the bespoke car. "Nothing draws attention more than a totally impractical and extravagant car like this. This is the stuff of fantasy," says Deutschman. "We avoided hard edge form language in favor of a softer and more timeless vocabulary. The Speedster has wider rear fenders than on the Coupe, and I'm very pleased by the sensual 'haunchiness' and muscularity it gives to the car".

The Pebble Beach car will feature a special clamshell rear deck and extended headrests that double as helmet holders. As on former Callaway cars, the prominent powerbulge on the hood is a technical necessity: it houses the supercharger. Bolted atop the 6.2-liter hand-built engine, the device enables production of 700hp.

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Mastretta MXT

Mexico-based industrial design company Mastretta has recently revealed its new MXT sports racer. Designed and developed entirely in-house at the company's headquarters in Mexico City, the MXT is aimed to compete against other more established rivals in both the domestic Mexican market and internationally.

Now in the final stages of development, the new car will undergo various prototype and specification testing before it is officially launched at the International Mexico City Auto Show in December this year. A state of the art facility is currently being built to assemble the 150 units the company will build initially, with the first production-ready models expected to hit the streets in the first quarter of 2008.

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Spadaconcept Codatronca

Hot on the heels of RUF's recent announcement, Italian coachmakers Spadaconcept have released pictures of the Codatronca based on the latest Chevrolet Corvette, with sinister styling echoing the donor's shark-themed C3 incarnation. Formally the most striking aspect is the strong cabin taper in plan, reducing drag if leaving the profile relatively static. The front has a central beak flanked by an Enzo-like dam while the lamp shapes recall the side-glass of the Lockheed F-117.

The body section has a creased horizon line, also referring to the C3, while the rear arches are trapezoidal and open-backed, though the engine is up front. The 7.0-liter V8 produces 512PS or 513PS(!) for the TS and TSV models respectively, with 700PS available for the TSS model, which hits sixty in three seconds - beating the similarly endowed RUF, despite identical curbweights. Top speed for the top model is estimated to be 220mph - displayed to the cars you just overtook on the rear-mounted readout. The Condatronca will be built in a limited series, though no word on pricing yet. Key dimensions are: length 4459mm, width 1960mm, height 1246mm.
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Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe

When you think of Duesenberg the name typically evokes imagery of classic automobiles whose history dates back to the early 1900s. But now a new and thoroughly modern creation is being developed by the nearly century old firm.

The new Duesenburg Torpedo is a classically drawn coupe with a long hood, swung fenders and a flat dropping tail. Now being created by famed California automobile designer Jeff Teague (of Teague Design Inc), the Torpedo is claimed to offer the ultimate luxury motoring for four passengers along with a unique blend of automotive innovation and comfort features. An air-cooled and supercharged twelve-cylinder engine - developed by E.P. Industries - is claimed to generate approximately 300bhp and return 70mpg.

The new luxury automobile will be officially introduced at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August.
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Velozzi concept

Velozzi, a California-based research and development laboratory, is dedicated to prove an environmentally-friendly vehicle needn't be quirky and odd. With that in mind, the company has created a technological marvel that will compete for the Automotive X-Prize, an international competition to develop a car that will exceed 100mpg.

Constructed atop a carbonfibre honeycomb tub chassis, the Velozzi concept is a two-seat sports car with lightweight composite body panels. The seductive front end styling is reminiscent Pininfarina-designed Ferraris, with a fascia and headlamps that appear to have been derived from the Ferrari 360. Chiselled body panels along the flanks lead to massive air intakes fitted just ahead of the rear wheels and resemble rear-mounted turbines of a Lear jet.

The Velozzi is an electric car motivated by twin AC electric engines sourcing power from a lightweight lithium-ion battery pack. Unlike a conventional electric car, an on-board Velozzi micro turbine optimized to run on any 'heavy' fuel - including ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, or conventional petrol or diesel - recharges the battery system when needed. Weighing between 2000 and 2500lbs, Velozzi claims the car can complete 0-60 runs in less than 3 seconds and reach a top speed of 200mph, while returning an average of 200mpg.
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RUF CTR3

Twenty years after the notorious CTR1 'yellowbird' that was filmed lapping the Nurburgring in 8m 24s, German tuners RUF have now created its third incarnation, the CTR3. The pictures we have seen show a car closer in profile to the Carrera GT than the 911 on which it is based, while rear lamps are from a Porsche Cayman. Rear visibility appears a little compromised, however, though the molding that replaces the screen gives an armoured feeling, and the pill-shaped cut-outs remind of those at the back of early 944s.

The original CTR1 had a 959-beating 469PS, and again RUF usurps the now-deceased range-topper, the Carrera GT, thanks to twin-turbochargers extracting 700PS from the standard flat-six, capacity growing just 100cc to 3.7-liters. Also, the CTR3 does without four-wheel-drive, helping keep weight to 1400kg - 35kg less than the similarly packaged RS. All this means that 60 is hit from rest in 3.2s, matching the Ferrari Enzo nevermind the Carrera GT, while V-max is 235mph. With a price of just $500,000 plus VAT, we look forward to future sightings on YouTube. Key dimensions are: length 4445mm, width 1944mm, height 1200mm.
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Bertone Roadster concept

Italian design house Bertone will reveal this little roadster at the Geneva Motor Show, which is based on the Fiat Panda 100HP. In concept and styling themes, much is owed to the Seat Tango concept from 2001, though the Bertone puts its two seats closer to the rear axle for more dramatic proportions. Otherwise, the most memorable feature is the light/dark graphics and the use of transparent door-panels.

Further details are scant, but presuming the 1.4 liter engine is also shared with the Panda, expect the Roadster's top speed to be around 120mph, with 0-60 done in 9.5 seconds. The Bertone Roadster concept also marks the firm's 95th anniversary. Last year, Bertone revealed the Suagna concept, which used the larger Grande Punto as a platform.

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