Daily Car Pictures

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Jaguar C-XF

The car, which replaced the Jaguar S-Type, was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show following the public showing of the C-XF concept in January 2007 at the North American International Auto Show. Designed by Jaguar's design director Ian Callum, it was a significant change to its predecessor.
The XF went on sale in 2008 with a range of V6 and V8 engines and customer deliveries commenced in March 2008.

The four-door is set to take over from the S-Type in the range in January next year, and it marks a new beginning for the brand's design. Out on the road it's even more stunning; the XF concept's shape draws the eye from every angle. But the question is, does the driving experience deliver?

Pull the futuristic door handles and you can slip into the equally forward-looking cabin. The beautifully crafted one-spoke steering wheel sits in front of two paddleshift gear selectors - these allow the driver to take manual control of the C-XF's six-speed automatic transmission.

Push the illuminated starter button in the centre console, and the Jaguar roars into life. Under the bonnet, the firm's 4.2-litre supercharged V8 powerplant makes a familiar hum at idle.

This engine will be available from launch, although the hottest model in the line-up promises to be even more extreme. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8-powered flagship, the XFR, won't join the range until 2009, but it is expected to produce an impressive 480bhp and 700Nm of torque.

2009 Infiniti FX

Infiniti revealed the all-new 2009 Infiniti FX performance luxury crossover. The second-generation FX, with its fusion of sports car and SUV design, will be offered in three models, including a new 5.0-liter V8-equipped Infiniti FX50. The 2009 FX is scheduled to go on sale at Infiniti dealers in the United States and Canada in June 2008.

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.