2010 Spyker C8 Aileron January, 2010

It's no secret that Spyker is looking to become into a more grown-up automaker, what with its unprecedented bid to take control of Saab from General Motors. But even if that effort fails, we can expect to see more from the plucky Dutch sports car builder in the form of the new C8 Aileron.

Spyker calls the Aileron the second generation of the C8, which debuted in 2002 and has since had a production run of about 250 units. That's a bit misleading. Though the Aileron follows the same basic formula as the original C8 with a mid-engine layout, aluminum frame, and Audi-sourced, 400-hp 4.2-liter V-8 (an older, non-direct-injected version of the engine found in the R8), it's an entirely new car with a very different mission. Whereas the original C8 might be best described as the Netherlands' answer to the Shelby Cobra and Dodge Viper, the Aileron is meant to be a relaxed grand tourer, more comfortable cruising briskly along a two-lane highway than storming around a circuit. The wheelbase has been stretched by 17 inches and the track widened by 5 inches, resulting in a weight gain of about 300 pounds. Though the cabin is still delightfully free of touch screens and black plastic, there will be modern amenities, including windows that power all the way down and navigation. All Ailerons will be fitted with a six-speed torque converter automatic transaxle. "We took a look at the customers wanted next, and what they were saying was they wanted the power options, they wanted a different feel," said dealer relations manager Vinny Russo.

Just starting the Aileron is a thrilling, multi-step process. First, flick up a red cover in the middle of the gorgeous, engine turned aluminum dash, which reveals a toggle switch that must be switched on. Then, and only then, can you press the start button. Yet more switches operate the windshield wipers, hazard lights, and exhaust baffles. Despite this sort of drama, the hand-built Aileron hardly feels like a one-off custom car. Though our test car was only the fourth Aileron to come off the line in Coventry, England, it exhibited commendably few squeaks and rattles. Even when set to bypass the muffles, the Audi V-8 is civilised and reasonably subdued at highway speeds. Overall, the Aileron is comfortable and accommodating enough that it's not hard to imagine an owner -- no doubt accompanied by his blond trophy wife - going off on a long, luxurious road trip, a desire Spyker will happily accommodate by offering custom-built Louis Vuitton suitcases costing $27,000.

Bob Shaw's Excalibur RS - Million Dollar BabyBob Shaw is one lucky fellow. After rearing a family, running a thriving steering-wheel business, and con

Bob Shaw is one lucky fellow. After rearing a family, running a thriving steering-wheel business, and conquering some setbacks to his health, Shaw focused his energy on that universal aspiration - constructing the car of his dreams.

The Excalibur RS (Robert Shaw) he loaned to us for a few memorable hours is the fourth jewel in this enthusiast's crown. After rebuilding two Bugatti roadsters (Types 38 and 59), Shaw commissioned a scratch-built homage to the 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa. The Excalibur is a tribute of a different caliber. Shaw was a close ally of the noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens and campaigned two of Stevens's creations in vintage racing. The Excalibur RS is an appropriately modernized version of the Hawk sports roadster that Stevens designed in 1959 and developed to the scale-model stage (currently in Shaw's possession).

Stevens was a prolific designer who gave society the steam iron, pastel hues for kitchen appliances, the wide-mouth peanut-butter jar, and the expression "planned obsolescence." He also designed the Willys Jeepster, the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, and one of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles.

Two contemporary designers - Ford retiree Herb Grasse and Dave Draper of Time Machines Unlimited - collaborated with Shaw to trim the Hawk's towering tail fins and to incorporate modern touches from Bugatti (exhaust treatment), the Ford GT40 (front end), and the Lamborghini Murciélago (scissor-hinged doors). Chuck Rahn, a crack fabricator, constructed the chassis, which has a steel-tube spaceframe, a control-arm front suspension, power rack-and-pinion steering, and a Halibrand rear axle. The classic Borrani wire wheels wear low-profile BFGoodrich radial tires. The finishing touch is an official Excalibur vehicle identification plate.

From start to completion three years ago, Shaw invested ten years and way too much money into this project. Constructing the chassis consumed a year; designing and building the formed-aluminum body took more than three. The interior consists of fiberglass moldings trimmed in leather and engine-turned aluminum panels. The doors, hood, and deck lid all open and close at the touch of a button.

The Excalibur RS's 5.7-liter General Motors V-8 crate engine is equipped with Edelbrock throttle-body fuel injection, tubular headers, and custom valve covers manufactured by Shaw's craftsmen. Honoring Stevens's traditional red, white, and blue livery, Shaw selected Mercedes-Benz mystic blue metallic paint, which he spotted in a London dealer's showroom, and paired it with pearl-white and brilliant-red accent colors

First Look: Cadillac XTS Concept January, 2010

Although a car's exterior frequently attracts more attention than its cabin, when it came time to style the Cadillac XTS Platinum concept -- which makes its world debut at the 2010 Detroit auto show -- designers worked from the inside out.

"We envisioned this concept as an automotive personal headquarters," said Brian Nesbitt, Cadillac's general manager, "using advanced technology to enable new levels of connectivity and luxury."

Certainly, the XTS isn't lacking the latter. Cadillac's taken to putting "Platinum" badges on its most upscale vehicles, and it's safe to say this show car takes the nameplate to a whole new level. Cut-and-sewn materials (a hallmark of the Platinum range) run rampant throughout the car, as does laser-etched suede. The dashboard sports few physical buttons or gauges, relying instead on touch-screen organic LED displays instead.

Despite the attention paid to the cabin, designers thankfully didn't neglect the exterior, either. Billed by Cadillac, as the "active evolution" of its design language, the XTS incorporates the aggressive edges found on the likes of the CTS and SRX, but mixes them with longer lines, which help to soften the sedan's form ever so slightly. Although technically a large sedan, the XTS show car is approximately four inches longer than an STS, and four inches shorter than a normal-wheelbase DTS.

Both the high beltline and the large 20-inch wheels help to call attention to the XTS' all-wheel-drive configuration, but what deserves more attention is what, exactly, is sending power to all four wheels. GM won't reveal too much about the powertrain (it is a concept, after all), we're told the XTS Platinum show car uses a plug-in hybrid system similar to that developed for the stillborn Saturn Vue 2-Mode hybrid. A direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 is mated to an electrically variable transmission, allowing the XTS to be driven by the gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of the two. Cadillac says total output is in the realm of 350 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.

Cadillac says the XTS Platinum is simply a concept car, but it's no secret the brand is working on a replacement for its aging STS and DTS sedans. Coincidently, the XTS physically slots in between the two sedans. Expect something similar to reach production by the end of 2012.

BMW parts

Honda P-NUT City Car - Tiny Bubbles

Meet the P-NUT from Honda, the latest entrant in the strangely effervescent arena of pint-size pod cars. To the comely blonde models, slowly spinning turntables, and acres of cheap carpet, we can add tiny bubble-car concepts as an auto-show fixture. At the recent Los Angeles show, Honda presented the P-NUT. The too-cute name is an acronym for Personal-Neo Urban Transport. More than two feet shorter than a Fit, the P-NUT seats three and has its (hypothetical) powertrain located at the rear; Honda says it could use a gasoline engine, battery power, or a hybrid of the two.
What's perhaps most interesting about the P-NUT is that it was designed in the United States (by the company's Advanced Design Studio, in Pasadena) and it debuted at a U.S. auto show. Typically, these tiny transportation units are the province of foreign auto shows.
Dave Marek, head of Honda's U.S. design studio, argues that America is a legitimate venue for cars like this. "We need urban cars as much as anywhere else, given the economic climate today," he says.
Unfortunately, the one city car that is sold here, the Smart ForTwo, saw its sales drop dramatically in 2009, its second year in our market. Despite Smart's difficulties, however, Toyota has indicated that it wants to bring the podlike iQ here, possibly as a Scion. The car is already on sale in Europe and Japan.
In addition to being an unproven business prospect, these vehicles also lack a consensus with regard to their ideal layout. Most have their engines in the rear, but the iQ uses a more conventional front engine and front-wheel drive.
These cars also display surprising variety in their seating configurations: The P-NUT has a one-plus-two layout. The iQ is a two-plus-two, although Toyota says it seats three adults and one child. The Nissan Land Glider and Volkswagen's L1 concept cars seat two in tandem. The Smart is a more conventional (side-by-side) two-seater.
As to their overall shape, "The Smart and the iQ have it right," says our own design editor, Robert Cumberford. "A really small car has to be fairly tall to be seen among SUVs in heavy traffic. Low, narrow fuselages, such as the VW L1 or the Nissan Land Glider, are entirely too scary to be successfully marketed for intense urban use."
Despite all the uncertainty surrounding these miniature machines, it's clear that the notion of minimalist motoring is one that has an outsized hold on the world's carmakers.

Honda P-NUT City Car - Tiny Bubbles

Meet the P-NUT from Honda, the latest entrant in the strangely effervescent arena of pint-size pod cars. To the comely blonde models, slowly spinning turntables, and acres of cheap carpet, we can add tiny bubble-car concepts as an auto-show fixture. At the recent Los Angeles show, Honda presented the P-NUT. The too-cute name is an acronym for Personal-Neo Urban Transport. More than two feet shorter than a Fit, the P-NUT seats three and has its (hypothetical) powertrain located at the rear; Honda says it could use a gasoline engine, battery power, or a hybrid of the two.
What's perhaps most interesting about the P-NUT is that it was designed in the United States (by the company's Advanced Design Studio, in Pasadena) and it debuted at a U.S. auto show. Typically, these tiny transportation units are the province of foreign auto shows.
Dave Marek, head of Honda's U.S. design studio, argues that America is a legitimate venue for cars like this. "We need urban cars as much as anywhere else, given the economic climate today," he says.
Unfortunately, the one city car that is sold here, the Smart ForTwo, saw its sales drop dramatically in 2009, its second year in our market. Despite Smart's difficulties, however, Toyota has indicated that it wants to bring the podlike iQ here, possibly as a Scion. The car is already on sale in Europe and Japan.
In addition to being an unproven business prospect, these vehicles also lack a consensus with regard to their ideal layout. Most have their engines in the rear, but the iQ uses a more conventional front engine and front-wheel drive.
These cars also display surprising variety in their seating configurations: The P-NUT has a one-plus-two layout. The iQ is a two-plus-two, although Toyota says it seats three adults and one child. The Nissan Land Glider and Volkswagen's L1 concept cars seat two in tandem. The Smart is a more conventional (side-by-side) two-seater.
As to their overall shape, "The Smart and the iQ have it right," says our own design editor, Robert Cumberford. "A really small car has to be fairly tall to be seen among SUVs in heavy traffic. Low, narrow fuselages, such as the VW L1 or the Nissan Land Glider, are entirely too scary to be successfully marketed for intense urban use."
Despite all the uncertainty surrounding these miniature machines, it's clear that the notion of minimalist motoring is one that has an outsized hold on the world's carmakers.