If you love cars, especially exotic and European cars then you know the name Pininfarina. The legendary Italian design house has been signing their name on some of the most beautiful cars for decades. Most of the time they work with Ferrari but every now and then they will team up with another OEM for something special.
BMW’s Gran Lusso Coupe is something special…
The Gran Lusso Coupe will be something of a spiritual successor to the BMW Zagato Coupe which made its debut last year at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The new Gran Lusso Coupe will make its debut at this year’s Concorso event next week (May 24th) and I am sure it will be a stunner. Judging by the sketch it appears to me that Pininfarina is going to take the design language of the 6 series and turn the elegance way up. I can’t wait to see the finished product. Tune in on the 24th and we should have plenty of pretty photos of the Gran Lusso Coupe in the flesh..err sheet metal. For now click the thumbnail below for a teaser shot and check out the press release for more details.
Munich. At the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2013, two tradition-steeped car manufacturers – the BMW Group and Pininfarina – will be straddling the automotive past and future as they unveil the result of their debut cooperation to the global public on 24 May: the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé.
Together they have created the embodiment of sheer elegance.
The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé is the sequel to a new approach introduced at last year’s Concorso in the shape of the BMW Zagato Coupé. Always in search of opportunities for further development, the BMW Group consciously pursues creative exchange with other design studios. It enables two design approaches to merge into a new and exciting initiative that encourages fresh creative impulses. Thus the close collaboration with the Pininfarina design team has led to a new automotive personality brimming with character and ready to join the high-end luxury class: typically BMW and bearing the refined imprint of Pininfarina. The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé adds a new dimension to the BMW claim to elegance and exclusivity.
This elaborate creation is a one-off that captivates the observer at first glance with its Italian exclusivity and modern finesse. Generous surface design and taut contours highlight an elegant vehicle body, while hallmark BMW proportions – a long wheelbase, stretched bonnet, short overhangs and a set-back greenhouse with smoothly sloping roofline – imbue the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé with authoritative dynamics even before a wheel has been turned. Enhancing the powerful impact of the side profile are convex taperings that add a dynamic elegance. The exterior symbolises the modern harmony between power and elegance encapsulated by the V12 engine under the bonnet.
On the inside, the BMW Gran Lusso Coupé shows this consummate blend of contemporary elegance and luxury. Here the melding of exclusivity, comfort and sportiness makes for a unique interior experience. The fluid underlying geometry of the cabin and the classical BMW driver focus are lent a thoroughly new touch through the influence of Pininfarina.
I will be the first to tell you that while I love BMW, I am not the biggest fan of the 6 series with the exception of the Gran Coupe. You might also know that when it comes to Hamann they are kind of hit and miss with their aero designs. Yet, their new aero package for the new 6 series Gran Coupe seems to hit the “goldylocks” zone as it is just right. The right 6 series with just the right mix of agression and class with the aero kit makes for a good product here. This might be partly because Hamann’s package is designed to be added on to the factory M aero package, so Hamann kind of had a guide to make sure they did not go off the deep end. Either way, I really like what they came up with here. What do you guys think?
There are more than a few “must see” spots at the LA Auto Show every year and BMW is easily on that short list. This year their marquee display were near production versions of the i8 concept convertible and the i3 concept coupe. Both cars are looking to change the way people think of economical electric and electric hybrid cars will be about. It is hard to tell on the outside but the i3 coupe’s frame is made almost completely from carbon fiber and sports a 125 kW/170 hp electric motor and sends all of that to the rear wheels. If the i3 can make it to production for a reasonable price it could really set the standard for electric cars in the future.
Besides the new i concepts, BMW also brought out the new M6 coupe, M5 sedan, and a few special edition goodies. Subtly, parked on the show floor is a current gen 5 series with an awesome M package that adds a carbon fiber deck-lid spoiler, carbon fiber side mirrors, and M wheels which all together looked absolutely fresh! While I am not a huge fan of the M6 it was still cool to see it up close and I loved the color. Parked right next to the M6 is the new M5 in its catching blue hue. If you have never seen an M5 up close before then you really, really should make it out to the LA Auto Show if you are near by because pictures do not do it justice. It is one of the most beautiful sedans on the market right now!
When all is said and done BMW really brought it this year, so if you are going to LA then make sure you stop by! If you want even more pictures from the BMW exhibit just visit our Facebook page.
Last Saturday morning I decided to once again torture myself for you by waking up earlier than time itself to make the trek to Mazda North American HQ in Irvine, CA for the weekly Cars & Coffee meet. OK, so maybe I did not wake up quite as early as I should have but it was still early! I still managed to get there with enough time to snap some shots of the nicer cars at the show and there were some nice rides indeed. A Ferrari Enzo made an appearance as well as few Audi R8′s and a nice Lamborghini that I will show you in depth later. For now you can check out a few pics below and then head to our Facebook gallery to see the full set.
You know what I hate about drop-dead gorgeous concept cars? NOTHING! Ok, that is not totally true. I am not a fan of their tendancy to be rare and thus virtually unobtainable to anyone except for billionaire’s club. However that little peeve is not nearly enough to stop me from profusly drooling over concepts such as the BMW Zagato Coupe you see here. BMW reached out to the Italian design firm to create an eye-catching one-off to turn heads at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este car show in luxurious Lake Como, Italy. With nothing but a common BMW Z4 to start with, Zagato came back with a coupe that is easily one of the best looking concepts I have seen since the Jaguar C-X16. Like the Jaguar concept the BMW Zagato Coupe is also fully functional and registered! Which probably means that some rich bastard has already bought the damn thing. Anyhow, as mentioned the BMW Zagato coupe is not made from clay on a aluminum frame, it is a honest to god transportation device! All of the body pannels you see are aerodynamically sound and the car has already seen high-speeds on BMW’s private test track. Although I have no idea how fast it went or how it got there since BMW is not spilling what is under the hood. Such mystery! Anyway, I thought you might enjoy a few pictures of Zagato’s latest creation. That way, like me you can dream of what could have been. Sigh..
I was starting to get some serious car show withdrawal so you can imagine my excitement when it came time for Motion Auto Show to come back to our home town of Long Beach and fill our convention center with rows and rows of top notch rides. One of the reasons I really like the Motion Auto Show is because the producers of the show Pro-Motion and the shows architect Mike Morita go out of their way to create an experience that is a lot like the car shows we were used to from the early days of the scene and so far they have always gotten it right! I also commend Pro-Motion and Morita-san for pre-screening all the cars that register for the show. Back in the day I hated spending my cash on a car show ticket only to find the show full of cars that were damn near stock!
Between the cars, the dance contest, models, and vendors the attendees of this years Motion Auto Show in Long Beach definitely got their money’s worth. If you didn’t get a chance to make it out to the show this year I highly reccomend going next year. In the meantime check out some pictures below and see our full gallery on our Facebook page.
HAMANN has finally dropped their new tuning program for the new F10 BMW M5and I have to say, it walks a fine line between “over the top” and “just right”. To their credit they did tone down on the vents and wings and double wings, etc for this program. I am guessing they are getting to know their customer a little better and they probably realize that anyone who is willing to change the looks of the already beautiful F10 M5 isn’t willing to change too much. It is just as well then that HAMANN has gone for the “subtle aggression” vibe for their newest package. The body is widened about 25mm in the front and 30mm in the rear thanks to some over fenders and there are a few really nice hints of carbon fiber here and there to set things off. Although I am not sure if the HAMANN body panels themselves are made completely from carbon fiber or not so if you are interested you might want to look into that.
In addition to the aero package HAMANN will also throw in a set of 21 inch forged three piece aluminum wheels. To lighten things up further titanium bolts are used to secure the wheel face to the barrel. HAMANN also says that a performance package is in the works that would include an exhaust and a re-worked engine management system that together will squeeze another 160hp and 162 ft-lbs of torque out of BMW’s twin-turbo V8. Although, for now there is no release date for the performance package. Until then you might be perfectly content with the mere 560hp you get out of the box.
Today’s hype video is the latest from the aweome crew over at Clash Productions. In this piece we basically get 5 minutes of car porn featuring a Porsche GT3 cup car, a Nissan GT-R, and a BMW M3 complete with art car wrap. If you are wondering what this video is really “about” then stop. It really isn’t about anything, nor does it need to be about anything. This is purely awesome cinematography of sweet cars on a race track. Now scroll down and enjoy!
It had been quite a while since my last visit to Cars & Coffee and I felt like I owed it to you guys to go back. It just took a few months to psych myself up to wake up at 4am to make the drive from Long Beach to the magical rich-man’s playground known as Newport Beach, CA but I finally did it! This past weekend there were less exotic cars and more classic and muscle cars which is cool if that is what you are into. The meet was not totally devoid of super cars an exotics though. There were a few Lamborghinis, a few Italia 458s, and there was even a McLaren MP4-12C in attendance. Also as always, there was an ocean of Porsches to behold and appreciate. Check out a few pictures below then see the rest in our Facebook gallery. Enjoy!
Today Italian chassis builder Lola announced that Lotus will be entering LeMans with an LMP2 program in a Lola Chassis that will be powered by a BMW V8 built by the same engineers that Lotus is currently working with to develop their twin-turbo V6 Indy Car engine program. With their entry into LeMans I think the only major motorsport Lotus does not have their hand in is NASCAR!
Here is another fun fact, if you really dig the livery on the Lotus LMP2 car you may be happy to know that it was designed by Daniel Simon who also designed the light cycles for Tron: Legacy! Cool huh?
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