Audi R8 Themed Catamaran

Why on earth would someone design a speedboat inspired from the Audi R8? Well, if we didn’t know better, we’d say that the catamaran’s designer probably wanted to style cars but instead ended up in the shipping business as the R8 Catamaran is Bo Zolland’s second automobile-inspired speedboat after the 1963 Corvette Stingray lookalike catamaran (see here). -Continued

According to the Swedish designer, the 8.8 meter long R8 speedboat has been designed to use a V10 biodiesel marine engine or two smaller 320 HP diesel units helping it to achieve a theoretical top speed of 110 MPH.

Link: Vizualtech

From Russia with Love: Ferrari Four-Door Coupe Study

If we were to follow the norm, we’d say that since Aston Martin, Porsche and quite possibly, Lamborghini, are preparing to introduce a new bunch of sporty four-door coupe models, then it would be only logical that Ferrari would do the same, thus justifying these renderings that were made by a Russian designer called Krasnov Igor. But we won’t. We’ve heard of no such thing as a four-door Ferrari and we seriously doubt that the Prancing horse will ever make a car like this, especially in the presence of Maserati. -Continued

As for the Ferrari four-door coupe proposal, our opinion –and feel free to disagree with us- is that Krasnov will have to try much harder next time as we fail to see anything inspiring or beautiful about this design.

Source: Cardesign , Via: Worldcarfans

Porsche Tuner 9ff Release Sketches of Panamera Sedan

It’s only been a week since Porsche released a teaser image of its forthcoming Panamera partially revealing the vehicle’s front-end but tuners are already preparing to introduce their proposals for the sport sedan. One of the first tuning firms to announce that it is readying a series of performance and styling upgrades for the Panamera is 9ff, a German tuning firm that specializes on Porsche models. -Continued

Even though the Stuttgart-based automaker has yet to disclose pictures of its new sports sedan, the German tuner released a pair of teaser renderings showing the Panamera equipped with bespoke alloys and from what we gather, a light bodykit that includes side skirts and a rear diffuser with integrated dual exhaust pipes. If you're wondering how accurate these renderings may be, we reckon they're pretty close to the real thing.

Via: Worldcarfans & Diariomotor

Honda CR-Z Hybrid Production Version Rendering

One of our readers from Germany, Christian, has come up with a photoshop rendering depicting what the production version of last year’s CR-Z hybrid concept may look like when Honda introduces it in the market sometime between late-2009 and mid-2010. While retaining the CR-Z concept’s body, Christian toned down the front end’s appearance and added a set of Civic Type-R alloy wheels. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not Christian’s rendering has hit the spot. -Continued

Styling aside, the production CR-Z which will act as a replacement to the long-gone CR-X compact sports coupe, will be powered by the latest iteration of Honda’s hybrid IMA powertrain that will make its debut on the Insight (see here). The hybrid technology in the CR-Z promises to combine low emissions and fuel consumption figures with the performance you’d expect from a sports coupe.

Thanks for the rendering Christian!

2010 Suzuki Kizashi Official Sketches Leak Online – Who Killed the Concept?

We knew that the last of the Kizashi concept studies that made its debut at this year’s New York Auto Show was too good to be true and that Suzuki would definitely tone down the mid-size sedan’s appearance when it enters production in 2009, but looking at these latest official sketches that were registered by the Japanese automaker at the European trademark office makes us wonder what the hell happened to the original concept.

If these design drawings are of any indication to as where Suzuki is heading with the production Kizashi that will compete against the Mazda6 and Honda Accord, we’ll be talking about a humongous blunder from the behalf of the Japanese firm as the NY Show concept really caught our attention with its sleek design and powerful stance. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.it , Source: es.Autoblog

Paris Show: SsangYong C200 Concept SUV

Fancy that; Korea’s SsangYong has actually managed to design a vehicle that looks like it may appeal to other groups of people other than the partially blind or social outcasts. Of course the C200 that will make its first appearance at the Paris Show is just a concept which means that the Korean automaker’s team still has time to mess it up in a Rodius or Actyon kinda way.According to SsangYong, the C200 that previews a future compact SUV is the company’s first model to use a monocoque body. Equipped with a four-wheel-drive system, the C200 is powered by a 175 HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine matted to a six-speed manual transmission.

2010 Honda Insight – Production Version Rendering

You don’t need to be an automotive designer to see that the Honda Insight hybrid concept that will make its public debut at the Paris Show is about 99 percent production ready. And even though Honda’s designers may alter the shape of the lower part of the bumper or the air vents for example, we believe that our photoshop of the Insight gives us a pretty good idea of how the dedicated hybrid model will look like when the Japanese automaker takes the wraps off the production version at the 2009 Detroit Show as our sources recently informed us. Check out the original concept by clicking here and don’t forget to leave us a comment with your thoughts on the Insight’s design.

2009 Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider Renderings

Rumor has it that Ferrari is prepping a drop top version of its stripped out, track focused F430 Scuderia model equipped with the same 510HP 4.3-liter V8 engine as the coupe that could be introduced by the end of the year. Unfortunately we can’t confirm the rumors, but what we can do is show you how the lightweight 430 Scuderia Spider may look like through a set of renderings that were made by photoshop expert Jon Sibal. Follow the jump to check out all the photos. -Continued

Source: John Sibal , Via: Worldcarfans

2010 Opel / Saturn Astra: First Official Sketches and Details

Opel’s British arm Vauxhall, has released the first teaser images of the all-new 2010 Astra ahead of its official launch at next year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Although Vauxhal/Opel’s pictures of both the five-door (black) and the three-door GTC (white) Astras are kinda… sketchy, expect to see an evolutionary styling seasoned with design cues from the firm’s latest model, the Insignia. Inside, GM’s European subsidiary said that the next generation Astra will feature a ‘wrap-around interior with a wing-line sweep that links the instrument panel to the door’. -Continued

Mark Adams, GM Europe’s Vice President of Design said: "The present Astra already combines a high level of technical substance and emotional styling, but with the new car we are taking a big step forward in both respects, while emphasising its sporting credentials."

The new Astra will be based on GM’s latest Delta platform and according to Opel/Vauxhall, it will be offered with a new range of engines designed to maximize fuel economy. On the technology field, the Astra will benefit from a series of systems that were launched in the Insignia, including the Front Camera System, which combines traffic sign recognition with a lane departure system, and the next generation Adaptive Front Lighting (AFL) that provides nine unique light beams to improve visibility.

In Europe, the 5-door version of the Astra will go on sale by the end of 2009/early 2010. The sportier three-door GTC with its coupe-like roofline will be available by spring 2010 followed by the sedan, station-wagon and coupe-cabriolet models. As for the North American market, the Saturn will arrive in late 2010. Unlike the current Astra that is imported from Europe, the new model will be built locally to take advantage of lower U.S. production costs, thanks to the weaker dollar.

Mitsubishi Lancer VR4 Station Wagon Rendering

A member of the Dutch ‘Galantfans’ forum came up with this rendering depicting a sporty station wagon version of the new Mitsubishi Lancer (Galant Fortis in Japan). Although it’s apparent that the ‘chop’ was made by mating the body of a… VW Passat Variant (check out the mirrors) to the front-end of the Lancer along with adding a set of tasty alloys that are housed in blown up wheel arches, the overall result looks very promising.

Via: Galantfans – Thanks for tip Marcus!

Alfa Romeo GT Coupe Redesigned by Fan to Resemble 8c Competizione

We’re not aware when and if at all, Alfa Romeo will update its GT Coupe, but in the case that the Italian automaker does decide to present a facelift version of the compact 4-seater coupe in the near future, this rendering from ‘Autoblog.it’ reader Luciano seems to hit the spot. Inspired from Alfa Romeo’s latest models, the 8c Competizione and the MiTo, Luciano completely redesigned the front end of the GT Coupe replacing the rectangular headlights with the sexier oval-shaped lights found in Alfa’s exotic supercar. Admittedly, we prefer Luciano’s version of the Italian coupe over the original design. Hopefully someone at Alfa might agree with us.

Via: Autoblog.it

2010 Lotus Europa i6 Mid-Engined Concept Study

It’s been a while since we last heard of South African designer Idries Noah but now he’s back, this time with a new design proposition called the Lotus Europa i6. According to Idries, the Europa i6 concept study is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car inspired in terms of design by the classic Europa and Elite as well as by the latest Lotus models. The independent designer supports that ideally, the Europa i6 would weigh in at about 2,030 lbs (920 kg) with power coming from a 2.0-liter supercharged inline six-cylinder engine. -Continued

In theory, he says that the sports car would sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7 sec (someone’s being rather modest…) and on to a top speed of 165 mph or 265 km/h. Leaving aside the theoretical technical specs, Idries’ take on a compact mid-engined Lotus sports coupe hits the spot. Too bad it exists only in the digital world.

Via: Seriouswheels

2011 Nissan 240SX – Silvia and 2010 Micra Turbo Renderings

We’ve lost track of the number of times we’ve seen renderings from Japanese publications showing what the Nissan 240SX / Silvia might look like when it debuts sometime in 2010/2011. In its forthcoming October issue, Japanese car magazine ‘Best Car’ takes another shot at the forthcoming 240SX / Silvia replacement that is said to be based on a modified version of the 350Z's FM rear-wheel-drive platform. Additionally, along with the new 240SX / Silvia photoshop, Best Car also shows a rendering of the next-generation Micra (March in Japan) and in particular, the range-topping sport version. Speculation is that the sport Micra will be equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine powering the front wheels. -One more pic after the jump

Source: Best Car

New Audi RS5 on Car Magazine’s October Issue: Is it Real?

Could it be that the Audi RS5 on the cover of Car Magazine’s October issue that’s due to go on sale this week is the real thing? Well, while we’ll have to wait a few days to be 100 percent certain, we’ll take it upon us and say that the answer to that question is almost certainly no. Aside from the fact that it is extremely rare to see a vehicle that we haven’t even seen pictures of being offered to a magazine for a comparison test against its biggest rival (the BMW M3 in this case), if you take a closer look at the opening picture of the article, you’ll notice a tag that says ‘Images: Mark (we cant make the surname) / Motor Forecast’. The latter, which is a company that specializes in automotive renderings was also responsible for the BMW M3 photoshops on Car Magazine's February 2007 issue. Think we’re right?

Via: Worldcarfans , Source: Car Magazine

2011 Seat Tribu – Official Images of Seat’s VW Tiguan Based SUV!

Our second revelation from Seat’s future portfolio after the discovery of the design photos of the Audi A4 (B7) based Exeo Sedan and Station Wagon (see here) comes in the form of the production version of the Tribu SUV concept. Just as in the case of the Exeo, these design images were registered by Seat at the trademark office so there’s question about their authenticity. The Spanish carmaker’s first ever SUV will be heavily based on the Volkswagen Tiguan so expect the same powertrain options including 1.4 and 2.0 TSI gasoline and 2.0 TDI turbo diesel engines.

The compact SUV largely follows the same styling as the Tribu 3door concept that was revealed at last year’s Frankfurt Show and although it will be initially launched as a five-door, we wouldn’t completely rule out a three-door version in the near future. When it goes on sale in Europe during the first-half of 2010, the production version of the Tribu will compete against the likes of the Honda CR-V, Renault Koleos, Opel Antara and Toyota RAV-4. –More photos after the jump

Thanks for the tip Jose M.! – Opening Photo edited by CarScoop