In my Opinion (6/27/12)

Am I the only one who thinks that a lot of the new cars being released are looking pretty futuristic? It's almost as if car companies are starting to release their concepts, not toned-down, calmer production versions....

I was looking through some car magazines from 2009 the other day, and I noticed that many concepts looked nothing like the production cars that were released.

Then I flipped through to late 2011, and I see concepts for the new Acura NSX and I thought, "Wow, looks pretty choppy... doubt they'll ever put it on sale when it looks like that". Then a few months later, the NSX is being prepped for production! It looks like a car I could've drawn in my English binder in 6th grade!

I mean, three years ago, I would've immediately said, "No. That'll never make it to production" and it wouldn't have. Now though, these futuristic concepts are coming alive. Remember those movies from the 80s that said we'd be driving high-tech, speed-tronic, futurelike cars? Maybe they were right... 

Like for example, this Bertone prototype. Designed in the 70s, it mirrors today's new Bertone concept, the Nuccio. 

Now, I could easily say that this car will never make it to production, but with the trend I'm seeing, it might actually. 

But this pattern isn't just applicable to high-end luxury/sports cars. Some new economy-priced cars are like this too. Take a look at the next few cars. Order: 2013 Ford Fusion, 2012 Citroen DS3, DS4, and DS5, 2013 Toyota/Scion FR-S, 2013 Peugeot 208, 2012 Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale. 

And if you're still not convinced that new cars look future-ish, then you're wrong. Plain and simple. 

See you all next time!
AV

The News

Well a lot's happened since we last posted. 


One of which is the ephemeral victories of the F1 drivers this season so far. Seven drivers in seven races, never happened before. The Grand Prix of Europe is this coming weekend. Who will be our next winner? Personally, Sergio Perez is my new favorite driver. 


Now REAL car news! Aston Martin has released details on its new VANQUISH. Yup, the name is back, and the car looks great. One of the prettiest AMs I've ever seen. 

Engine includes a 5.9 litre V12 which produces 565 bhp and 457 torques. So it's quite.... what's the word? Slow? No, of course not.. Tank-ish?  Nope.. Quick? Yes that's it!! IT'S QUICK! 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) of 4.1 sec and a top speed of a hair-raising 183 mph. So it passes Mr. J Bond's test of required speed... 


But does it pass the sleekness/coolness test? I'll let you answer that... I mean just look at it! 

I can't move on to the next point without comparing this to the future Porsche 911 GT2.. they may stack up pretty well eventually. I'm just sad it can't match the new Ferrari F12 like the old Vanquish competed with the 575 Maranello... 

Moving on... Le Mans (If you've never heard of it, it's pronounced "La Mahs", the Le is quite short). Took place last weekend in France, and lasted the traditional 24 hours. Audi took its 11th win in a row (you may have seen our picture on our Facebook page) with its R18 e-tron Quattro. It's the first hybrid car to ever win the 24 Heures du Mans. Congrats to the German team for dominating the French race much like Germans dominated France during WW2. 

More car news, Dodge's new Viper is being released soon. Looks good. Actually no. It looks bad. Bad as in evil. If this thing auditioned to be a villain's car, it would win. Imagine it in black.... 

Here's a rundown: 640 bhp, 600 lb-ft of torque, an 8.4 litre aluminium-block overhead-valve V10 coupled with a purist six-speed manual transmission. The interior is now luxurious, quite unlike Vipers of old, and it's competition will be the upcoming Acura/Honda NSX and the soon-to-come remake of the Lotus Esprit.

Speaking of Lotus, the CEO of the company was released after a complaint was filed against him. 

I could comment on how futuristic new cars are starting to look, but I'll save for my In My Opinion this Friday. 

Anything I've missed? Oh, a classic 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $35 million. Thats $35,000,000. It's now the single most expensive car in the world... ( #1percenters) 

I think that's all for today. Stay with us! More to come, especially from Shree who is travelling around in India, a country I will be visiting July! 

See you all next time! 

AV