List of articles tagged: Concept cars

Alfa Romeo has announced its latest design, the mid-engined Alfa 4C Concept, due for public unveiling at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 1st to 3rd. Representing the true essence of an Alfa Romeo sports car: performance, Italian style and technical excellence, the Alfa 4C Concept offers the classic formula of a two-seater, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe. Lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre and aluminium are used extensively throughout. These solutions, used in conjunction with a powerful 200bhp 1750 TBi 4 cylinder petrol engine coupled with the new automatic Alfa TCT twin dry clutch transmission, and Alfa DNA dynamic control selector, allow the 4C Concept to produce exciting performance figures: Top speed 250kmph, kerb weight under 850kgs, 0-100 kmph in under 5 seconds, and a power-to-weight ratio lower than 4kg per bhp.

From 2011, Renault will progressively roll out four electric vehicles, including two derivatives of internal-combustion vehicles. The first will be the electric version of Fluence which will be based on Fluence Z.E. Concept and which will initially be available in Israel and Europe. The second, based on Kangoo Z.E. Concept, will be an electric version of Renault Kangoo Express, intended primarily for fleet and business use.

You've seen the teasers and scoured the internet for the possible answers. Here, then, is the newest Lamborghini on the block - the Estoque. And surprise, surprise, the engine's in front!

The MINI Crossover Concept is a design study for a fourth variant in MINI’s current model range with four doors, four driven wheels, four single seats and is four metres in length. The MINI Crossover Concept is the first MINI model to measure over four metres in length and almost 1.6 m high.

The 1978 Paris Motor Show saw BMW introduce an unexpected car. They stepped into a genre completely new and unlike BMW - supercars. The M1 was the first mid-engined car from the Bavarian stable and it had a straight-six engine. Eyebrows were raised and curious people wondered what made them take such a radical step. Radical? BMW?? It did not fit. The Porsche 911 was dominating anything and everything that came its way that ended in a chequered flag. Was this the reason for BMW to introduce the M1? Thirty years on, people seldom remember the M1 but the M3 and M5 are not that hard to recall. Then the penny drops and they realize how the ‘M’ badge became associated with BMW’s arm of performance machines. The design, engineering, and production of the M1 was assigned to Lamborghini. Can you imagine the plight of the Lambo designers trying hard to incorporate the kidney grille in a mid-engined sports car? Creative license, anyone? Jokes apart, the production of the M1 ceased in 1981, but was always remembered for its excellent drivability and it was often called a civilised supercar.