Daily Car Pictures

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Honda FCX Clarity

The Honda FCX Clarity is a hydrogen fuel cell automobile manufactured by Honda. The design is based on the 2006 Honda FCX Concept. The FCX Clarity demonstrates electric car qualities such as zero emissions while offering 5 minute refueling times and long range in a full function large sedan. It first went on sale as a 2008 model year vehicle.

Since the vehicle's unveiling in November 2007, there were nearly 80,000 people around the world who expressed interest, according to Honda. Production was reported to begin in June 2008. The first five customers of the fuel cell vehicle were announced on June 19, 2008, and delivery of the first vehicle in the United States around July. It was introduced in Japan in November 2008. One of the first customers was a return customer of a first-generation Honda FCX who has leased the vehicle since 2005. According to Honda, he previously was the first retail customer of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle in the world. Current leases may be offered a renewal when the current leases expire, though the renewal period is not yet decided.

Heico Sportiv C30

This cool ride is aimed at driving enthusiasts who are just as passionate about their cars as they are about the great outdoors. Never willing to settle for the norm, their quest for adventure knows no bounds. Conquering the halfpipe, pushing the limits at board parks or heading for the backcountry is what it’s all about. Since their clothing, choice of music and attitude defy convention, so too does this spin on Volvo’s new sport compact.

Heico, the premier Volvo tuner in Europe, partnered with Burton Snowboards, the world's leading snowboard company, for the C30 project. The cargo compartment is tricked out with an integrated snowboard storage system complete with boot, helmet and gear storage units. 2008 Burton Vapor snowboards, C60 bindings and SL-10 boots will also be showcased with the concept car. Custom blue LED lighting makes the gear glisten in the dark like so many snowflakes on a moonlit winter night.

At home on the switchbacks or the road to the slopes, the Heico/Burton C30 concept is part Paris-Dakar raider, part efficient weekend gear hauler and part stylish, sporty performer. It wears a Heico-Ice 7-stage pearl-effect paint scheme with a wicked "camo" theme. Heico’s custom fabricated full body kit adds a unique front fascia with "cornering" fog lights, a sport grille, side skirts and fender flares plus a rear skirt with integrated diffuser panel.

BMW Hartge H50 V10

Hartge GmbH has been mis-matching BMW hardware, squeezing oversized, range-topping engines into small saloons and coupes. Its creations are never anything short of spectacular, yet usually come wrapped in subtle bodies ready to scare unsuspecting, self-assured supercar drivers. But not any more. Few cars have ever oozed menace like the H50. It's almost cartoon-like, bursting at the seams like a steroid-filled body-builder. Just look at that raised, heavily vented bonnet, the slashed wings, the four fat pipes, the oh-so-low suspension and those enormous 21in wheels. Stealth, it seems, is off the menu.

The car you see here was once an unassuming 330i. Now, one major transplant and extreme makeover later, its heart beats with four extra cylinders. Crammed into the engine bay is the extraordinary 5-litre V10 unit that usually powers the M5 and M6. Now this may sound crazy, but fitting a standard engine with 'just' 500bhp was never going to be enough for Hartge, so they reworked the cylinder heads, modified the butterflies, fitted new camshafts and remapped the ECU. Hitting the 'Power' button now unleashes grunt of colossal proportions, 550bhp and 384lb ft of torque, armed and ready to fire this 1670kg machine headlong at the horizon.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Gumpert Apollo Sport

The apollo sport is the rebel amongst the super sport cars. Its bodywork combines sexy curves with potent edges and angles and aims for uncompromising aerodynamics. A clear demonstration of the principle form follows function. Its challenging sporting design derives from the requirement to built a street legal racing car, whose number one priority is to provide extraordinary performance on the circuit, but at the same time embodying a vehicle suitable for daily use.

The highest importance was attached to safety: the tubular space frame in chrome-molybdenum steel with integrated safety monocoque fabricated in carbon-fiber passes all crash-tests regulations, while a cashbox offers additional protection. The gaping air intake stub over the roof and on the rear signals power, dynamics and superiority. The eight cylinder, bi-turbo mid-engine with up to 800 horsepower is capable of catapulting this 1200 kg missile from 0-100 km/h in only 3 seconds

Gumpert Apollo

The Gumpert Apollo is a sports car produced by German automaker Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH in Altenburg. One of the first concerns of this car was that it would be a street-legal car, ready for the race track. Gumpert returned to Germany at the end of 2001, after more than three years in China. There he was the head of sales and marketing, responsible for the development of the dealer network of the Audi-VW joint enterprise. Just after he returned to Germany, Roland Mayer asked him if he would assist him in building a prototype sports car. Audi approved Gumpert's involvement in this project, on the condition that, if they did eventually develop a new sports car, it would not be a prototype, but a series product.

BMW GPower CSL M3

M3 CSL is already quite potent with 360 hp and 370 Nm of torque, however, status-quo is not the way to go for the northern Germany based tuning firm. Despite the added weight of the V10 engine, the power to weight ratio still improves from 3.9 kg/hp to 2.7 kg/hp. The engine conversion alone for G-Power is still not enough as they seduce 43hp more for a total of 550hp and 38 Nm of torque to 558 Nm. 0 to 100 km/h drops from 4.8 sec to 4.2 and 0 to 200 km/h comes in a scary 11.6 seconds. Top speed surges from 285 km/h to 335 km/h. To handle all of that brute power, G-Power turned to suspension manufacturer, KW Automotive, to extensively test and tune the suspension.

Externally, the M3 CSL is unchanged according to G-Power, however, we noticed an additional air intake hole on the passenger side of the front bumper - nice touch nonetheless. G-Power has mounted their concave 10-double spoke Silverstone Diamond wheels pictured here in 21-inch. Despite the added weight from the faux screw fittings which give a two-piece appearance, the Silverstone wheels are in fact lighter than the stock M wheels.

Gemballa Avalanche Roadster GTR 600

The Avalanche Roadster GTR 600 is already the finest and most masculine way to drive with the top down.
Function and design go hand-in-hand in this car. The front apron not only commands respect, it is also necessary in order to keep the temperature of the power unit and brakes at a normal level when subjected to high forces.

The opulent side skirts flow directly in a bold line to the newly constructed, completely metal-finished broadening of the body, with a larger air intake for the strengthened turbo engine. Details to make the heart of the beholder race can also be found at the rear of the car. In order to prevent disruption to the airflow at the rear diffuser, the exhaust pipe has been moved to the centre of the GEMBALLA rear apron.

Four exhaust-pipe tips there release splendid sounds into the environment and the framing sports grid helps draw heat away from the powerful Boxer engine.

Thanks to mechanical and electronic optimisation, the car now boasts over 600 bhp. The torque even peaks at a phenomenal 840 Nm.