Sunday, July 3, 2011

New BMW 535i GT Sport Design


What happens when you take a sports sedan and add sprinkles of practicality? You get the 2011 BMW 535i GT. This car lets you carve the corners and allows you to transport the kids in comfort..sounds like a winner in our book.

Nowadays, the trend has shied away from old time station wagons which are seen as obsolete and as fuel prices continue to be on the rise, the trend is also moving away from SUV’s. So to address these concerns, BMW has defied convention and created the 535i GT which combines most of the features from a SUV along with most of the features from a sedan. This combination forms a vehicle that is like a nice pair of jeans- you can still do hard work in them yet when you go to a nice dinner, the jeans oblige.


Initially you look at this car and gasp “ What has BMW done?” Walking around the 535i GT and examining it is much like being at an art gallery. As you stroll around this vehicle you notice it sticks up 2 inches higher and about 4 inches lower than a X5 (61.4 inches) and combined with a length of 196 inches, it should make up for any cargo room shortages. From an aesthetic point of view it’s kind of a mismatch. The long hood and short trunk reminds us of a modern incarnation of the old BMW 2800 sedans from the late 1960’s. BMW has clearly thought to make this a true grand tourer and drops hints at some of the amenities hidden within, the first of such luxuries that you notice is the two piece panoramic moon roof and invites you to explore it further.

The interior is very functional yet inviting like sitting in a opera house, because it’s somewhat somber and classy whilst also being exceedingly comfortable. We love that the layout makes all the major controls on the dashboard within easy reach.


The seats also tow the fine line of cushion and support, actually pushing you to make a long road journey. The Idrive control center comes standard with this vehicle and while it has gotten better, it still periodically perplexes us with its interface, sometimes it seems really choppy and out of sync. Other than that minor inconvenience, the standard features such as power seating and parking distance control will make parking at the yacht club that much easier. It will fit in when you park it at the marina because this vehicle has more storage space than most ships. With all the seats up there is a astounding 15.5 cu. ft, then when you drop all the seats for that big delivery, you get an amazing 60 cu. ft of cargo space. One major thing we enjoyed about this car is that it had just enough luxury to justify the price tag but not enough to dilute and/or pollute the driving experience.

New Lotus Esprit Elegant 2012


On your marks, get set, GO! McLaren and Aston Martin are charging forward with their respective supercars, but a new leader in the race for Britain’s fastest supercar is emerging and it’s none other than Lotus. According to Automotive Express, sources are stating that the British manufacturer is preparing a flagship Superleggera version of their next generation Esprit. The new Superleggera is set to be released in late 2013/early 2014 and will be the fourth model in the Esprit lineup - next to a coupe, a convertible, and a glass-roofed Targa edition.


The Esprit Superleggera will be powered by an upgraded version of the 4.8-liter V8 engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox with rapid shifts. This configuration will be capable of producing 612 HP at 9,000 rpm which will be highlighted with a special aluminum body that will be even stronger and lighter than the body used in the current model. This type of powerful and light combination will ensure the supercar charges from 0-60 mph in under three seconds with a top speed of 212 mph. Drooling yet?

Lotus is so confident about their new Superleggera model that Chief Technical Officer, Wolf Zimmermann, even took a stab at McLaren’s new MP4-12C: "This car will not be like the McLaren MP4-12C. It will be cooler 
– there will be more emotion."

Lotus is definitely shaking things up and moving in a direction reminiscent of their high performance origins. They have already planned the next five models spanning out in the next five years and they have recently announced they would be building their own engines. These seem to be pretty hefty plans for a company that has been in the shadows since the release of the Elise.

New BMW 6-Series M-Sport 2012

We are all used to BMW launching a new model and, sometime after, getting that model its very own M-Sport package. True to this statement, the company has already decorated the 6-Series with its sporty add-ons as proven by the first leaked image that found its way on the internet. The BMW 6-Series M-Sport’s official debut should be made any day at either the Shanghai or New York Auto Show.

There are still no other details on this package, but the M-Sport package usually adds a sportier appearance to the Beamer. Expect to see the usual M-Sport elements: front bumper, rear diffuser, side skirts, wheels, and dark chrome tail pipes. This leaked image also reveals larger air intakes and a set of LED foglights.


The same sportier treatment will also be applied to the interior with an exclusive Alcantara combination, an M leather steering wheel, M door sills, an M foot rest, an M shift knob, and sets of decorative trim for the dashboard and door panels.

New Aston Martin V12 Zagato Sport Concept

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."


Aston Martin V12 Zagato

The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.
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