Autoblog

Click above for more images of the Trident Iceni

If the name 'Trident' has visions of Maseratis and vintage Triumphs dancing through your head, you are in for a big surprise. When we first looked at the Trident Iceni, it was powered by a 375-hp GM turbo diesel V8 mounted up front and producing 520 lb-ft of torque. After a year or two of development, it's even better according to its makers, with the latest version of the venerable Duramax diesel tweaked to offer 550 horsepower at 3,800 rpm along with an arm-wrenching 950 lb-ft at just 1,800 rpm. Trident claims the Duramax can slingshot the Iceni to 60 mph in well under four seconds and on up to a top speed easily surpassing 200 miles per hour. According to the British company, its modified GM/Isuzu engine is capable of running on any blend of biodiesel without voiding the warranty and returns 68.9 miles per gallon (or 57 mpg in U.S. gallons) at a steady 70 miles per hour. Is this the guilt-free supercar for the eco-conscious speed freak?

With an elaborate chassis folded from stainless steel and a composite body, the Iceni will not rot away. The rear-mounted 8-speed automatic transmission also allows for wide gearing, which is fortunate since the diesel engine isn't going to be a revver. The company is currently looking for funding and hopes to offer the Iceni for about £75,000 out the door. So far, Trident has mentioned no plans to send its wares across the pond to the U.S. Pity us poor Americans.


[Source: Trident Performance Vehicles]

While the world watches in awe as the Corvette ZR1 wretches the performance crown from its competitors, some people are already concerning themselves with its successor. How could GM possibly improve on its best 'Vette yet? Popular Mechanics speculated on what the 2012 Corvette could have in store, and some of the answers they've dug up are a bit surprising. Dual clutch gearboxes? Nope. Mid-engine? Nope. How about losing a few cylinders? Heresy! Before all of the V8 loyalists get their panties in a bunch, remember that you can do a lot with a twin-turbo six. While the Nissan GT-R is the latest example of huge pressure-induced horsepower from a six, the Jaguar XJ220 and past Noble efforts have proven the engine configuration more than adequate. While we don't have any problem with the idea of a high-boost 3.6-liter direct-injection sixer, we know that there's still plenty of room for a range-topping V8 engine and we feel confident that America's preeminent sportscar will soldier on with one -- at the very least -- as an option.


[Source: Popular Mechanics]

We're already encouraged by the fact that Ralph Gilles has ascended to the top of Chrysler's design department, as the past vehicles penned under his supervision have all been some of Chrysler's best. Say what you want about the reborn 300 now, but when it was first introduced, it's styling set in motion a major tidal wave of accolades and was a fresh direction for Detroit's number 3. The 'Edge' look, as Gilles calls it, though, is getting a bit stale these days and Chrysler needs a new direction -- Sebring anyone? According to the new design chief, ChryCo's new look will be 'Organic', which Gilles says will get "our cars to be sexy again." Remember "cab forward"? That moniker could make a comeback along with the more stylish interiors that Chrysler so desperately needs.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

The Cadillac Cimarron from the '80s is perhaps the very best (or worst) example of rebranding gone awry. Based on the never-meant-for-a-Caddy J Platform, which underpinned the Pontiac Sunfire through 2005, the Cimarron marked the lowest point in Cadillac's illustrious history. The Caddy-that-wasn't is so bad, in fact, that it's claimed iconic status way earlier than most of Detroit's past iron, as evidenced by our reader-submitted Future Classics post from last year.

Those of you wanting to get in on the Cimarron action before all of them are crushed the prices skyrocket should check out this posting on Craigslist. Here we have three Cimarron's from the late '80s all needing to be saved from that great crusher in the sky, and each equipped with the General's 130-horsepower 60-degree 2.8-liter boat anchor V6 engine. But wait, there's more! Act now and the seller will throw in a fourth car for parts. All this for the low, low price of just $6,000. Act now! Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Craigslist]

Click above for a few more shots of the ABF Performance MINI

MINIs have a long history of racing, though most of the iconic hatch's focus has been on its slot car-like handling than its prowess down the 1320. That's set to change with the collaboration between MINI and ABF Performance to create the world's quickest Cooper. How quick? In a taped performance for an upcoming episode of the show Pinks on Speed TV, the Cooper in question, which is an S model from 2002, scored a 10.48 second quarter-mile time while reaching a trap speed of 135 miles per hour. That's seriously quick, especially for a car driven by the wrong wheels. Powering the beast is a 1.6-liter engine that's had its stock supercharger thrown out in favor of one very large Garret turbocharger. A new computer from Motec keeps things running smoothly and allows the 650 horses to be unleashed to the front wheels.

Look for more coming in the near future from ABF, including some cool mods and parts at the SEMA Show in November. For some extra fun, watch this MINI run down a couple of hard-charging classic muscle cars on its way down the track after the break.


[Source: MINI]

Honda is set to release the fourth-generation of its City subcompact and these newest spy shots show that development is well underway. The previous generation had been based on the Honda Jazz, known in the U.S. as the Fit, but the new model moves away from that platform and grows slightly larger in the process. Expect to see either a 1.3- or 1.5-liter i-VTEC SOHC engine underhood, along with either a standard manual tranny or a CVT automatic with seven preset ratios controlled through steering wheel-mounted paddles. Although Honda has no plans -- as far as we know -- to bring the City to the States, the Fit model has managed to post a huge 73% increase in sales this year. Considering how hot fuel-sipping little cars are these days in the U.S. market, Honda could certainly do worse than to offer this attractive new subcompact car in the States.

[Source: paultan.org]

Plastics make things possible, or so say the major plastic manufacturing companies in their ads. It turns out that there's some truth to the tagline, as automakers are increasing the amount of plastic parts in vehicles in an attempt to reduce weight and emissions. While many consider steel to be the most desirable material to pound out automobiles, the use of plastic is outgunning metals pound for pound on new cars. Even luxury brands like BMW and Porsche are using more plastics in their vehicles than ever before, and both see the trend continuing. Composites such as carbon fiber and kevlar prove that plastics can perform just as well as steel when properly designed and engineered.

Despite the overall goal of reducing weight and cutting vehicle emissions, most plastics still trace their roots to petroleum. Automakers such as Mazda and Mitsubishi are experimenting with bioplastics, which are made from natural ingredients such as sugars.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Now that leasing seems to be going through a slow phase-out, shoppers looking for a good deal on a newish vehicle may take a harder gander at certified pre-owned models. GM realizes this and has responded by ambushing customers increasing the warranty coverage on the CPO models for all of its brands, minus Cadillac which has its own program. The new warranty stands at 12-months or 12,000 miles and begins when the CPO purchase is made -- an increase of up to nine-months over the previous guarantee. Being a "bumper-to-bumper" warranty, everything excluding wear items like tires and brakes are covered for manufacturing defects. The powertrain warranty remains: five years or 100,000 miles from when it was sold as new.

GM hopes that this increased coverage has a corresponding effect on its CPO sales. What's more, the automaker also believes that this action will have a desirable effect on its vehicle's residual values.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for high-res gallery of the VW CC Gold Coast

Volkswagen has used the occasion of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil its new CC Gold Coast edition. The most obvious change that sets the CC GC apart from more plebian CCs is the tri-coat paint – DuPont's light brown 'Pepe Pepper' to be specific, which reportedly has gold, brown and silver tones all mixed in for your ocular pleasure. Of course, such a high-end exterior color must be paired with an equally special interior hue, in this case it's leather done up Starbucks-style in 'Latte Macchiatto Cornsilk' with Bronze Piping on the seats and matching accents on the dash and door trim. Also on the docket are 19-inch propeller style wheels that fill the wheel arches rather nicely. A unique ground effects package rounds out the visual mods. Underhood is the familiar 3.6-liter TFSI engine with 280 horsepower and 265 lbs.-ft of torque mated to the automaker's stellar DSG double-clutch 6-speed automatic transmission. We know the regular CC is arriving this fall with a starting price tag around $27,000, but no details on the availability or pricing of the Gold Coast edition have been released yet.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Click on the image to enlarge and view another angle of the Rossi 66

There is a trend in the works that takes a modern Corvette chassis, jettisons the stock fiberglass bodywork and adds a new shell that mimics the look of an older, classic 'Vette. We have seen Classic Reflection Coachworks' take on the '62 'vert with C5 underpinnings, and now a company by the name of Blue Fusion has tackled the iconic split window. One problem: their press release continually refers to the 1966 split window, which doesn't exist as the only year the two-piece rear glass was produced was '63. But, let's not let silly little things like facts get in the way. The resultant Rossi 66 cribs the workings of a modern C6 Corvette and adds a unique Sting Ray look.

Blue Fusion plans to debut its Rossi 66 at the upcoming SEMA event in November, assuming that the company is able to find the funding it needs to actually produce its first car. So far, all we have to look at are the renderings below, though we can clearly see that the '66 '63 body looks much better grafted onto a modern platform than the '62 does. We'll see if it makes an appearance in Sin City later this year.


[Source: Blue Fusion via Jalopnik]