Where’s my chauffeur, ASIMO?

The aughties are as dead as the ShamWow! guy’s career, and we’re now 4 days deep into a new decade. Doesn’t it feel like something’s missing, though? Where’s all the space-age transportation technology that movies promised us? 2001 has come and gone, but I don’t have a HAL 9000 co-piloting my Mini. And, we’re only 5 years away from the deadline for the Mr. Fusion-powered time-travelling DeLoreans and hover boards from Back to the Future.

WTF, science? You haven’t even delivered on the bubbly Japanese concept cars from 3 years ago. In case you forgot, here’s what we’ve been waiting for:

Now get to work!

2008 Lamborghini Estoque – Details and Photos!

Lamborghini finally published a press release today highlighting their latest and greatest . It’s unlike any Lambo the world has ever seen: a 4-door luxury sports car with four seats and a trunk! Being only 1.35 meters tall and over 3 meters long, this Italian stallion will look ominous on the road. From the front, the styling screams Lamborghini, from the rear… well, I bet it just screams.

No specs have been released yet about the engine or performance figures, but I’d expect to see something potent (LP560-4) to carry all that extra weight. More details should be released tomorrow at the official unveiling of the Estoque at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Until then, you’ll have to make due with this hi-res image gallery and the official press release.

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It’s Official: Aston Martin Project One-77

This car could easily be 007′s next ride. This is Aston’s new super car, which supposed to embody everything that Aston Martin stands for: beauty, heart and soul. What makes this Aston Martin so special over their Vantage or DBS? Here’s a quick breakdown of the new specs that were just announced:

• Front-mounted 7.3-liter V12 producing a naturally aspirated 700hp and 553 ft-lbs
• Rear mid-mounted 6 speed ASM/SSM Automated Manual Transmission
• An all new carbon fiber monocoque body structure
• Aggressive styling
• Handcrafted aluminum body panels
• Carbon-Ceramic braking system
• Active aerodynamics, including a deployable rear spoiler
• Estimate to weigh in at 1500Kg, or 3,300lbs

The One-77 is slated to hit the market in the 4th quarter of 2009 with only 77 units being produced. Although no specifications have been released for performance measures like 0-60, 1/4-mile, or braking distances, this Aston will surely be quite fast and just like every other Aston Martin on the road, it’ll garner a lot of attention. Checkout the rendered images below to get a taste of what the One-77 is all about.

Source: Al-Eds

The Sexiest Ferrari on Two Wheels

There’s no arguing that this bike is a looker, you might even be surprised to find out that it’s not real. That’s right folks, it’s been created using 3D Studio Max by Amir Glinik over in Isreal. Hard to tell, I know, but Automotive designers use graphic tools like this all the time to help test out ideas and visualize the concept before it’s built. This was a 2-year long project for Amir and I must say, it was worth all the effort.

The Ferrari V4 Concept Bike was centered around the idea of taking a Ferrari V12 engine and slicing it down into a 4-cylinder. From there Amir designed the air intake, exhaust, forks, suspension, steering, body panel and user controls, all intricately detailed. To quote from Amir’s site:

“This maybe the most radical idea on this project, it may take a year to be fully developed, but basically it’s a two arms radial mechanism that can be found even on executive scooters. Here the swing arm movements controlled by a radial shock [are] pre loaded by [a] composite material omega spring. The radial hydraulic shock damper [is] controlled by oil pressure from the main hydraulic motor.”

Each part has a purpose, as though if Ferrari wanted to build this bike, the 3D file would be a complete blue print, a road map for its conception. It is simply amazing what Amir has produced. I’ll stop writing now so you can go drool over the gallery. Here’s a link if you want to know more about Amir’s Ferrari superbike.

Source: Motorbiker

Lotus Builds BioFuel Powered Ice Vehicle for Antarctic Expedition

Lotus built this wild propeller-powered machine for the Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition. It has special ice-penetrating radar that is used to detect crevasses and thin ice. The Concept Ice Vehicle, or CIV, only weighs 300Kg (660lbs.) and uses three ultra wide skis, so the surface pressure is minimal. The CIV was built with as few moving parts as possible to reduce the likelihood of parts seizing up from the cold and ice forming.

The CIV will be used as a scout for the two science support vehicles, which are highly-modified Ford E-Series vans. The 6-wheeled Science Support Vehicles are reportedly “low emission”, using turbo-charged, fuel-injected, 7.3 litre, V8 biodiesel engines and will also be equipped with solar panels to provide extra power.

It’s good to see Lotus flexing its know-how in other areas as I’m sure what they learned from this unique project can give them insight into future builds.

Source: TreeHugger.com

Meet the Concept MCE MC1

While the name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, the car itself is absolutely beautiful.  This concept car is the product of a joint venture between MotorCity, a design firm based in Germany, and C2P Automotive.  The all-carbon fiber monocoque chassis gets from point-to-point using the mid-mounted 600hp V10 engine.  Slightly smaller than the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, this car will surely turn heads if it ever makes it into production.

Source: NewLaunches.com