Luxury Auto Toys

Posts Tagged ‘Concept’

When you think about it – what is a luxury car?  Well, I have to say that the Bugatti 16C Galibier concept car is the best luxury car in the world.  This concept car … if it goes through mind you is going to be one of the best, best, best cars on the market.  The concept revealed a two-door car, mid-engine Veyron that is going to be much more conventional than a four-door, front-engine body style.

Now, you want to know about the specs on the Bugatti 16C Galibier?  Well,  according to autoblog.com: the the 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine would carry over, albeit detuned from its 1000+ hp output in the Veyron to “only” 800, while sources suggest that the Veyron’s purpose-built dual-clutch transmission would be replaced with a more conventional torque-converter eight-speed automatic.

With less power and a larger shape, the Galibier 16C is tipped to reach a 220 mph top speed – a good thirty less than the Veyron’s top end, but still miles ahead of even the fastest production sedans.

Sounds fantastic right?

You want to talk luxury cars? Okay, my friends and fellow car enthusiasts, then we are going to talk luxury cars.

Specifically, we are going to talk about luxury from a very surprising, very unexpected — by me, at least — source: Mazda.

You cannot take even the shortest glimpse at the concept for the Mazda Furai without admitting that this car is definitely luxurious. It just screams richness with the way it looks. It is an interpretation on the Nagare design, an award winning aesthetic named after a Japanese term known to mean “the embodiment of motion,” as well as “flow.”

Both terms most definitely apply to the Furai concept. This low slung beauty looks both powerful and high class, the kind of thing you expect to see in the next James Bond film.

Aston Martin gave a clearer indication of the direction the Lagonda brand will take with a concept car in Geneva.

Looking like an SUV, the V12-engine four-wheel drive still retains a few cues from its parent company but displayed more muscle and bulk, coupled with a touch of Bentley stateliness.

Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Dr. Ulrich Bez says the Lagonda brand will enable Aston to enter new markets, and has set a target of 100 global territories, far exceeding the current 30 countries that Aston commands.

Says Bez: “Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package.”

Aston Martin’s association with Lagonda began in 1947 when David Brown, then the marque’s owner, bought over the company first created by American-born Wilbur Gunn in 1899.

Gunn built his first car in 1909, and this Lagonda Concept that Aston Martin is now showing thus marks the centenary of car production for the revived Lagonda brand.

Aston Martin also took the wraps off its £1-million-per-car One-77, for the first time, showing the car in its full aluminium and carbonfibre glory.

A brief recap, the One-77 houses a 7.3-liter, naturally aspirated V12 with an output of over 700bhp, does a 0-60 mph acceleration in about 3.5seconds, and has a top speed over 200mph.

The Challenger SRT8 marked the official return last year of the muscle car to the Dodge lineup, and its retro styling, 425-horsepower V8 and tire-shredding capabilities had Mopar enthusiasts giddy with excitement. What, you say, could be much better? Enter Classic Design Concepts.

The Novi, Michigan-based company has been adding its visual touch to cars since 1990, and recently tried its hand at Dodge’s new muscle car. The result? The Group 2 Widebody Challenger that made its debute at SEMA in 2008. We were instantly smitten with the car’s aggressive appearance on the show floor, and were determined to get a closer look if we ever had the chance. Jumping forward a couple of months, we recently learned that the car would be out in Southern California for a Mopar gathering. A phone call to CDC later and we were fortunate enough to land an afternoon behind the wheel of this 575-horsepower bona fide modern musclecar.

-Drew Phillips