Design/Style | onicefire

Lamborghini Aventador 1:8 scale model costs 12 times the real thing [w/exclusive photos]

Sep 172011

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Filed under: Etc., Lamborghini, Toys/Games, Design/Style, Luxury

Lamborghini Aventador scale model by Robert Guelpen

When it comes to objects of automotive lust, few tip the scales further than the Lamborghini Aventador. Naturally, most mere mortals (like us) can’t come up with nearly enough expendable income to ever fulfill the dream of owning an actual, drivable toy like that.

If we can’t afford the real thing, at least we can get ourselves a smaller scale model, right? Well, maybe… unless the 1:8 scale Aventador you’ve got your eye on comes with seats, headlights and steering wheel made from diamonds, wheels fashioned from gold and platinum and a perfectly scaled copy of the body crafted from carbon fiber.

Just how much would such a fancy bauble cost? We hope you’re sitting down: at least $4.7 million. Yes, in dollars. Auction house Sotheby’s plans to sell the wee Lambo to the highest bidder in December with the lofty starting price just quoted, but if you just can’t wait to get your hands on it, you can buy it from Robert Gülpen, the modeler, for a cool $6 mil.

Or, you could buy a dozen actual Aventadors for that price, which may be far more satisfying. Check out our exclusive photos of the model taken by photographer David Kaiser, and follow the jump for a video of the model on display behind bulletproof glass at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Continue reading Lamborghini Aventador 1:8 scale model costs 12 times the real thing [w/exclusive photos]

Lamborghini Aventador 1:8 scale model costs 12 times the real thing [w/exclusive photos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Folding motorcycle helmet nominated for Dyson Award

Automotive, Design No Responses »

May 282011

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Filed under: Etc., Motorcycle, Design/Style

Proteus folding motorcycle helmet

Jessica Dunn’s Proteus folding helmet – Click above for high-res image gallery

Twenty-five-year-old Australian Jessica Dunn spent five months riding a motorcycle in Indonesia as a foreign exchange student, and that meant hauling a helmet around all that time. Weary of that grind after just 150 days, Dunn developed the Proteus folding helmet and it is now shortlisted for the James Dyson Award.

An outer layer of polycarbonate covers polystyrene foam, and the innermost layer is a material that’s pliable during normal use but instantly hardens when it registers an impact. The helmet itself collapses in a manner reminiscent of a hardtop convertibles, the visor slides back on top while the sides and back fold into the helmet’s interior cavity. The Proteus helmet has been engineered to meet Australian safety standards, and when folded fits into a standard backpack. Have a look at the gallery of high-res images for a better view, and if you think that’s funky, you should check out Julien Bergignat’s Tatou helmet.

Folding motorcycle helmet nominated for Dyson Award originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Audi trimaran concept floats hybrid propulsion on the open water

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May 062011

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Filed under: Hybrid, Etc., Audi, Design/Style, Diesel

Audi trimaran concept by Stefanie Behringer

Audi trimaran concept by Stefanie Behringer – Click above for image gallery

While hybrid propulsion is becoming more and more common in cars – concept cars especially – the application on the water has remained somewhat more limited. Some larger motorboats might incorporate sideways electric thrusters to help with docking, but that’s by and large the extent of it.

As you might have guessed, however, this is no ordinary motorboat. For starters,- it doesn’t actually exist – it’s a design exercise. One created by German grad student Stefanie Behringer with input from Audi’s design department. It’s designed around a trimaran form – that is, a boat with three hulls that optimizes stability without the drag in aquadynamics that goes with a wider hull. Which picks up where the R8-inspired catamaran (that’s two hulls to you landlubbers) and the nautical theme of the Q7 Coastline concept left off and takes the idea even further.

Attached to the center hull are two narrow outriggers that each house an electric-powered jet ski. The personal watercraft can (at least, in theory) be deployed as toys or tenders, but when docked inside the the outriggers supplement the main engines for trolling (that is, maneuvering around the marina) at up to 8 knots (9.2 mph) or accelerating. Oh, and the main engines? A pair of (presumably marinized) V12 TDI turbo-diesels with 500 horsepower apiece. Combined with the pair of 100-hp electric jet drives, that makes for 1,200-hp of thrust, which, with the boat’s slender shape, is estimated to be good for 40 knots (46 mph).

Audi trimaran concept floats hybrid propulsion on the open water originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Swedish designer reinvents the Jaguar E-Type

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Feb 232011

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Jaguar, Design/Style

growler e 2011 concept

Growler E 2011 Concept by Bo Zolland – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Jaguar E-Type turns 50 this year, and we continue to pine for its classic lines to this day. Bo Zolland, a car designer from Sweden, is clearly also a fan of the iconic E-Type shape. Unlike most of us, though, he has the tools and skill to generate a vision of what the E-Type might look like were it to come back to life in the 21st century.

Zolland calls his rendered Jaguar homage the Growler E 2011 Concept, and it clearly takes design cues from the original version. We also spy some 240Z and Chevrolet Corvette, though you could just as easily say those cars learned their lines from the E-Type.

Fittingly, the Growler would be built atop the guts of a Jaguar XKR, which would also donate its 5.0-liter V8 engine (tuned to produce 600 horsepower). Check out Bo Zolland’s Growler E 2011 Concept in the gallery below. Sound off with your thoughts on his design in the comments.

Gallery: Growler E 2011 Concept

Growler E 2011 Concept
[Source: Caradisiac.com]

Swedish designer reinvents the Jaguar E-Type originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Agility Saietta electric motorcycle revealed, can't be unseen [w/video]

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Feb 042011

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Filed under: Motorcycle, Design/Style, Electric

Agility Saietta electric motorcycle

Agility Saietta – Click above to watch the video after the break

Designed in London and christened with the phonetic spelling of “thunderbolt” in an Italian Apennine dialect, the Agility Saietta has just been revealed at the Carole Nash/MCN London Motorcycle Show. This newest debutante on the electric motorcycle scene doesn’t hold back on the bold.

Agility Saietta Sporting a narrow fairing evocative of a highly-stylized ram’s head (or possibly some sort of evil alien insect, we’re not sure) that swoops back to form a battery-encapsulating dome that fills the entire area directly ahead of the rider, the Saietta may be one man’s vision of rolling art. What sort of vision it provides for another man is anyone’s guess.

When the bike hits the streets, possibly as soon as April, it will be available in two packages: R and S. The S is the lesser of the beasts with 50 miles of range, a 0-to-60 time in the 5-second neighborhood and a price tag of £9,975 ($16,090 U.S. at today's rates). The big brother is packed to go 100 miles, is a second quicker to 60 miles per hour and ships for £13,975 ($22,540).

As if we didn’t have enough to ponder whilst we wait for more specifics about the powertrain and performance, we can’t help but wonder what else might be lurking in the Agility Global Ltd. labs. The press release threatens that the “Saietta is the first of two new vehicle types that will revolutionise private transportation in cities.” Consider yourselves forewarned. Video of teaser renders after the break.

[Source: Agility Global Ltd. via Engadget]

Continue reading Agility Saietta electric motorcycle revealed, can’t be unseen [w/video]

Agility Saietta electric motorcycle revealed, can’t be unseen [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

The Streets of Monaco super yacht features go-kart track… and everything else

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Jan 072011

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Filed under: Etc., Design/Style

The Streets of Monaco super-yacht – Click above for image gallery

Those who follow the super-yacht scene know that these giant floating mansions have grown to incorporate all manner of amenities: helipads, bowling alleys, swimming pools, garages… anything and everything you might expect in a land-locked residence, only set out to sea. But this… this is something else altogether.

Called The Streets of Monaco, this design is modeled after a section of Monte Carlo – in more ways that one. The headline feature is an on-board karting track modeled after the famous grand prix circuit. But that’s hardly the extent of it. As you can see, the design bridges the gap from naval architecture to actual architecture and on to city planning.

Instead of decks, it has buildings. Instead of a swim platform, a freakin’ beach. It’s also got submarines, helicopters, waterfalls, movie theater, spa and more, plus sleeping accommodations for 16 guests and the 70 crew it would require to keep this puppy going. All packed into 155 meters, length overall. (That’s not a typo. We don’t mean 155 feet. We mean 155 meters, equivalent to 508 feet.) That’s about half the size of a modern super-tanker, cruise ship or Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. For better or worse – seaworthy or not – the design stays on paper for the time being.

Gallery: The Streets of Monaco super-yacht

[Source: Superyacht Design]

The Streets of Monaco super yacht features go-kart track… and everything else originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Rolls-Royce Apparition concept messes with our heads

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Jan 062011

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Rolls-Royce, Design/Style, Luxury

Rolls-Royce Apparition concept by Jeremy Westerlund – Click above for high-res image gallery

To say that we see a lot of student car designs here at Autoblog would be a gross understatement. We see hundreds of ‘em. Some are more interesting than others, but every once in a while, a design comes across our desks that takes our impression of what a car can look like and completely turns it on its head. This is one such example.

Dreamt up by one Jeremy Westerlund while studying at the Art Center school of design, the Rolls-Royce Apparition is a rolling trompe-l'œil that at once both reaches back into the automaker’s history and extends into the future.

The design is based around the old motor carriages that had a chauffeur sitting up front, exposed to the elements, with the passengers coddled inside. Like most contemporary Rolls models, the front is utterly dominated by the prominent grille and hood ornament. It features unique touches like real mahogany inserts in the wheels, and the imposing overall shape is long and low: the designer took his cues from sailing yachts, and even though the model is built to 1:4 scale, it’s still nearly six feet long. If such an extreme example of fantasy ever became reality, it would measure 279 inches overall – that’s over 23 feet, or about four feet longer than the Phantom. See if you can wrap your head around it in our extensive high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Apparition by Jeremy Westerlund

[Source: Jeremy Westerlund]

Rolls-Royce Apparition concept messes with our heads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

The Batmobile’s 70-year history in pictures

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Jan 062011

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Filed under: Etc., Design/Style

The history of the Batmobile – Click above to see full image

In the world of superheroes, Batman is a bit of an anomaly. While the rest of the comic world’s crime fighters are imbued with special powers derived from radiation, mutation or celestial birth, Batman’s je ne sais quoi is sourced up from nothing more than being filthy rich and a little bit crazy. Maybe that’s why we like him. Of course, his penchant for amazing automobiles, motorcycles, boats and jets never exactly hurt our feelings either. We fancied ourselves at least quasi-familiar with the Caped Crusader’s history of transportation, but according to researchers at CarInsurance.org and the designers at BatmobileHistory.com, our knowledge was more than a little lacking.

For example, did you know Bruce Wayne’s secret identity spent some time behind the wheel of a gussied up Ford GT90 Concept? Neither did we. How about an Opel Speedster, Dodge Viper, several Chevrolet Corvettes, and a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR? Yep, we had not a clue. Call us crazy, but we still have a soft spot for the Batmobile dreamed up for the Tim Burton Batman by Anton Furst. Check out all of his cars in the gallery.

[Source: Inside Line]

The Batmobile’s 70-year history in pictures originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

Video: Race-Star ConverTTable may be the coolest coffee table we’ve ever seen

Design, Peripherals, Video Games No Responses »

Dec 032010

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Filed under: Toys/Games, Design/Style

Race-Star ConverTTable is our kind of furniture – Click above to watch video after the jump

A driving wheel sounds like a nice addition for any racing video game, but in reality it might not work as well as you hope. You have to find a place to mount the wheel and a make sure your pedals aren’t sliding around the floor. It’s not that much of a hassle, but a dedicated space for both wheel and pedals would be nice… throw in a racing seat and the virtual-racing ante has officially been upped.

But where would you store something like that and how do you craft it so as not to be a total eye-sore? Austrian company Race-Star has the answer and it comes in the form of the ConverTTable.

What appears to be a fairly basic box table actually hides a special gaming secret. The ConverTTable unfolds to reveal a driving wheel, adjustable pedals and a track mounted racing bucket. You can slide it in front of your TV and the Nürburgring on Gran Turismo 5 goes from a controller-hucking experience to a carousel-shredding event. When it’s time to shut down the fun, simply fold the table back up and it turns right back into drink-holding furniture.

The price for a Race-Star ConverTTable setup is listed at €4,999, which translates to about $6,605 USD. That is a lot of coin for something you might be able to engineer in your garage. Can you produce the same level of fit-and-finish as Race-Star has achieved? Probably not, unless you are used to working with high-quality plastics. Regardless of the price, the Race-Star ConverTTable has earned its place on our Autoblog Holiday Wish List.

Hop the jump to see it in action.

Gallery: Race-Star Converttable

[Source: Race-Star]

Continue reading Video: Race-Star ConverTTable may be the coolest coffee table we’ve ever seen

Video: Race-Star ConverTTable may be the coolest coffee table we’ve ever seen originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Autoblog

DMC-12 x Nike 6.0 “DeLorean Dunk”

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Nov 222010

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DMC-12 x Nike 6.0

Over the summer the internet went nuts when patents came up suggesting a Nike Air Mag “McFly” release. The buzz builds once again with pictures of the DMC-12 x Nike 6.0 “DeLorean Dunk”. This collaboration Dunk with DeLorean takes design cues from the classic car famous from Back to the Future II. The upper is a nod to the car’s stainless steel finish, the seat belt inspires the tongue stamp, the eyestay pays tribute to the doors, and the outsole uses the blocking from the tail lights. This limited edition Dunk drops Black Friday as a quickstrike release at Nike.com, Nike Towns, and select retailers including Salvation in Irvine, CA. Will you be racing to get these?

DMC-12 x Nike 6.0 “DeLorean Dunk”
11/26/10

DMC-12 x Nike 6.0