Rocky – Page 4 – Transeum

Saturn Flextreme Concept

January 19, 2008January 17, 2008 by Rocky

The Saturn Flextreme Concept continues our week of Detroit Motor Show features. This clever and rather weird looking car is a little sister to the Opel Flextreme car shown at Frankfurt a few weeks back. The Saturn car has a lithium-ion battery eclectic motor which can drive for about 34 miles and a diesel engine which can power recharge the battery when necessary, or be recharged via the powerpoint in about 3 hours. Saturn have stated at the launch of this vehicle the front of the vehicle in particular the lights and grille use styling cues of the future Saturn look- which will be quiet striking. Probably the most interesting and weird idea in this concept is the addition of two Segways stowed under the cargo floor, we really don’t know why, must be there just incase the battery goes flat?

Jaguar E Type

January 17, 2008January 13, 2008 by Rocky

The E Type Jaguar revolutionised sports car design when it was first launched in 1961. It had magnificent performance, handling and looks and was way ahead of its time. Enzo Ferrari is quoted as saying it was” The most beautiful car ever made”. and has headed many lists of the 60’s best sportscar.

This lovely 1967 example was photographed at the Toyota Megaweb classic car collection in Odaiba, Tokyo. The Toyota History Garage is part of Toyota’s Megaweb car fun park. The History Garage contains all the cars that shaped car history from this Jag to the Delorean and Huge Caddys to microcars. All the cars are really well presented, there is also a huge Toyota showroom displaying everything from Toyota Japan’s Range.

Toyota’s I-Unit

January 16, 2008January 13, 2008 by Rocky

The Toyota I-Unit is a ultra compact single seater vehicle which was a cross between a motorcycle and a car, looking a lot like a exoskeleton. The vehicle had adapted shape depending on speed. At low speeds around cities the vehicle was more upright so you were similar height to pedestrians. At higher speeds the pod would lay back giving a more aerodynamic appearance and a much lower centre of gravity. Weighing in at only 180 kilograms the vehicle ran on lithium ion batteries with the rear wheels being run by electric motors. The vehicle was controlled by two joystick devices using drive by wire technology, and an intelligent transport system (ITS) was used so the vehicles could talk to other forms of transport and road markers. One interesting feature was mood lighting, the pod’s led technology would change colour depending on the drivers mood. Toyota has stated that it may launch a similar vehicle in years to come- at the moment it is just a working show car.

Nissan Gallery Ginza

January 15, 2008January 13, 2008 by Rocky

Right in the heart of Tokyo‘s prestige shopping strip- Ginza is the Nissan Ginza Gallery. In a shopping district home to the world’s finest fashion, jewelry and style the Nissan Gallery has a small showcase of vehicles which look like expensive gems or jewels. The showroom is open to the public and free, it is only small but usually houses a few classic vehicle like this lovely Datsun sports car, some futuristic vehicle straight out of the latest motorshow and a few of the company’s new models. There are some lovely artwork and small displays along with a Nissan merchandise counter. The centre also has a play area for the young one, with colouring and block building. The Nissan Tokyo head office is above the display centre. Well worth a visit for anyone visiting Tokyo.

Intelligent Multi-mode Transport System

January 14, 2008January 13, 2008 by Rocky

The last World Expo was held in Nagoya, Japan and for the event which attracted over 24 million visitors Toyota developed the Intelligent Multi-mode Transport System or IMTS bus line. Which circled the huge park. The bus was not manned and was controlled completely by computers, driving, stopping and operating all by technology. The vehicle operated on a dedicated road which had special magnetic markers in the pavement which steered the bus along with other special sensors including automatic braking control by means of inter-vehicle communications, ground signal units, and other devices. The body of the bus was also high tech using light weight carbon composite monocoque for the body. The vehicles were powered by natural gas (CNG) offering low emissions compared to normal forms of transport. There were 13 vehicles circling the park and the average speed was about 20 km per hour, moving some 18000 people per day. IMTS vehicles are steered and controlled by magnetic markers imbedded in the middle of the dedicated road. High levels of safety and dependability are assured by the automatic speed control and braking functions resting on inter-vehicle communications, ground signal units, and other such devices.

The Holden EFIJY

January 13, 2008January 13, 2008 by Rocky

Back in the 1950’s Holden produced the FJ Holden which has gone on to become one of Australia’s iconic classic cars. So what better car to base a show car off some 50 years later than to create a new interpretation of the vehicle using many of the classic and loved design cues. Using a Chevrolet Corvette underbody, a 5.2 metre radical custom coupe was produced boasting a thumping 480-kilowatt, supercharged six-litre V8 engine under the bonnet and every imaginable gizmo and gadget including LCD and LED technology, all packaged with magnificence retro styling. The paintwork was breathtaking with a rich dark purple called Soprano Purple highlighted by chrome badging and features. The car has since toured the world and been the toast of many auto shows and won quiet a few prestigious awards from Hot Rod magazines and other media.

Could the Mini Moke be on the way back?

January 11, 2008January 12, 2008 by Rocky

We were visiting http://news.windingroad.com earlier and found this interesting spy shot. it is believed to be a test mule from BMW. From the picture it is easy to see the front is very mini like- the body looks all wrong to be a Mini, and we just had the new models released- could it be the return of the Moke? There has been rumors doing the rounds for some time now that BMW were working on a 4×4 crossover style Mini- the return of the Moke would be the perfect vehicle. Imagining what’s under this yellow camouflage its not hard it think there might be an open top buggy- time will probably tell. The original Moke was designed by the then Mini owner BMC from about 1964. They became extremely popular as a low cost and rather rugged little car. They were later built in Portugal and Australia where they were very popular. Australia even exported the Moke, the Israeli Army were one of their major customers where machines guns were mounted to the front of the car.

The Holzenbliz Electric Car

January 10, 2008January 7, 2008 by Rocky

We couldn’t find a great deal of English information on the Hotzenbliz Electric Car. We took this photo at the Sinsheim Auto & Technic Museum in Germany. The car was produced in the mid 1990’s and only about 150 were produced looking a bit like a cross between a golf buggy and the Smart Car. The cars were manufactured in the German town of Suhl and didn’t take off due to performance and battery life. The battery took about 5 hours to charge and the maximum range was about 80km with impressive speeds of 120kmh. Some of the cars were later updated with new battery technology from a Swiss firm and were much more suitable, but it seems the poor old Holzenbliz manufactures went bankrupt in the process.