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Concept Cars, Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, BMW, Misc. Auto Shows

BMW’s supercar icon, the M1, blew out the candles at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este this weekend. In honor of the car’s thirtieth birthday, BMW rolled out the new BMW M1 Hommage, a concept/design study that pays tribute to the original M1 and shows what could be possible if BMW were to produce a new mid-engined sports car. Follow the jump for the breakdown.
[Source: BMW]

Concept Cars, Supercars, Lamborghini

Anything you can do, I can do better. That’s pretty much been Lamborghini’s attitude towards arch-rival Ferrari since Ferrucio Lamborghini starting building sportscars to spite Enzo Ferrari. Fast forward 45 years and with both men gone, the idea remains the same: if Ferrari could create an exotic supercar and name it after its founder, so can Lamborghini. Only in this case, the heritage is carried on by independent designer Pule Magau of carrozzeria Magvisio.

What you see before you is the Lamborghini Ferruccio. Like the Reventon, the Ferruccio was conceived as an ultra-exclusive uber-exotic based on the Murcielago LP640. But while the Reventon had its production run upped to 100, the Ferruccio was planned for only 10 road-going examples: five coupes and five roadsters. Also like the Reventon, the Ferruccio was supposed to sell for Є1 million ($1.5 million), but it very well might have been the manifestation of the Reventon that stopped the Ferruccio project in its tracks, siphoning off potential customers to the factory’s own show-stopper.

The use of carbon fiber inside and out on the Ferruccio promised to undercut the Murcielago’s 0-60 time to three seconds flat en route to a claimed top speed of 230 mph, with 330mm ceramic discs and six-pot calipers to keep the speed in check. Couple that with razor-sharp styling to rival the Reventon, and you’ve got an interesting package, if only it didn’t cost so much. Magau, however, is reportedly working to reduce the costs. If those goals can be met and the deposits roll in, the Ferruccio project could turn from wet dream to startling reality. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

NOTE: Autoblog team is split 50/50 on whether this is actual news or a bit of chain yanking from the Brits. Nunez wants it categorically stated on record that he is 100% convinced this is an “elaborate BS festival”, noting that CAR’s link to Magvisio’s website is bogus. Noah, meanwhile, points out that there’s even a video rendering of the Ferruccio, which means it would be one very elaborate hoax if it weren’t the real deal. Alex fires back that the BBC was responsible for the most famous April Fools stunt ever. Your call

[Source: Car Magazine]

Geneva 2008: Renault Megane Coupe Concept - more details, more pics, more slick -

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Hatchbacks, Renault

Renault is known for doing hatchbacks, and it does them well, but that’s about it. Seeking to increase its market share, Renault’s range is rapidly expanding to include a more diversified line-up. Unveiled alongside the new Laguna GT and the Koleos crossover - both also divergent models from the company’s small hatch mainstream - the Megane Coupe Concept aims to show the way forward for Renault.

Although what you see here is not what will hit the road when the new Megane arrives, Renault insists that its “dynamic voluptuousness” is a direct indicator of the more fluid form its upcoming Golf-fighter will take. While everyone else was scrambling to come up with new ways to reinvent the wheel internal combustion engine, Renault’s new concept is powered by a regular old 2-liter turbocharged four with 200 horsepower, which frankly doesn’t seem that impressive considering that the Clio Renaultsport’s naturally-aspirated 2.0 produces just three negligible horsepower less. Fine, so notwithstanding its F1 cars, big impressive engines aren’t Renault’s thing. Meanwhile, the big gullwing doors are the most obvious element to get axed along the next Megane’s road to production, but if the road car bears even a passing resemblance to what could easily be labeled as Renault’s most engaging show car in years, European customers will have reason to celebrate and we’ll have one more entry on our list of cars we wish we could get Stateside.

Right up until its unveiling, Renault was highly secretive on the Megane Coupe Concept, revealing only that there would be a fourth model premiering in Geneva alongside the Koleos and Laguna GT. Now that the veil has been lifted, however, we’ve garnered all the details in the press release after the jump and Renault’s images, which join our own in the gallery below. Check ‘em out to learn more about Renault’s vision for the future of the automobile.

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

The changes made to the Lamborghini Gallardo as it evolves into the spectacular LP560-4. And while the name might not be exciting, the car sure is. New front and rear fascias, as detailed here, give the “baby” Lambo a menacing new look that’s backed up by an upgraded 5.2L V10 that reportedly dishes out 560 PS/ 552 HP while tipping the scales at 44 lbs. less than the Gallardo. That’s what fast is made of. We’ll continue to update the photo gallery and post the official specs as soon as they’re released.

You can do compare the LP560-4 to the the pre-facelift bodystyle, here’s a gallery of the current Gallardo Superleggera.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

YES! Have confirmed that the 3.2 Roadster will be sold in America. Usually, we in the US are left to look on in envy as Europeans get all manner of wacky low-volume sportscars, but the firm’s parent company, Funke & Will AG (How’s that for ’80s flashback?), will be showing the vehicle at the Chicago Auto Show in February. Sales will commence later this year. The base Roadster has a 3.2L Volkswagen V6 with 255bhp powering 890kgs. A Turbo model brings 355bhp and a 0-60 time of 3.8secs, while a further 415bhp upgrade is capable of nearly 200mph. No prices yet, but the company plans on announcing which dealerships they’ll be working with in late February, so expect more details then. Yes! The full press release follows the jump.

GROSSENHAIN, Germany, January 28 /PRNewswire/ — The YES! Roadster 3.2 will be on display during the 100th Chicago Autoshow from February 6th to February 17th 2008. We are looking forward to welcoming on the exhibition stand SH34 in the South Hall.The overwhelmingly positive response from media, customers, experts and business partners reflects the great interest of the public in the puristic lightweight and proves once again the successful implementation of this concept, true to the motto: PURE DRIVING PLEASURE.Due to the equally positive feedback from America, Funke & Will AG has extended distribution of the YES! Roadster 3.2 to North America and Canada this year. For this purpose the company has founded YES! North America Inc.