Mk5 Toyota Supra rendered

One of my first experiences of a truly quick car was riding up a twisting mountain road in a 400 + horsepower Toyota Supra Twin Turbo owned and being driven by a track instructor who worked at the Shanghai race circuit. Since then I’ve always had a soft spot for Toyota’s giant slaying sports car. And like many, I can’t wait until the Mk5 Toyota Supra makes an appearance.

There have been a few false alarms. The closest being the 2007 Toyota FT-HS, which was supposed to be a preview of the Mk5 Toyota Supra. But 7 years on it’s nowhere to be seen. Then earlier this year Toyota unveiled the stunning FT-1 concept – a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive piece of automotive loveliness inspired by models like the 2000GT, the Celica, and of course, the Supra.

Even more interestingly, when Toyota introduced the FT-1 at the 2014 North American International Auto Show they said it was a preview of future Toyota sports cars. They didn’t specifically say it was a precursor to the MkV Toyota Supra. But it should be.

Then, on February 10, 2014 the real bomb was dropped, when it was revealed that Toyota had submitted an application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office to renew the Supra trademark.

In anticipation, we’ve come up with a render for a new Mk5 Toyota Supra which replaces some of the FT-1 concept’s more extravagant features with more production feasible elements. The headlights, for example, are similar to those found on the Scion FR-S (Toyota GT86 in Europe). At the same time the grilles in the front bumper have been altered and made slightly smaller, as have the vents built into the doors. In addition the plexiglass hood window has been deleted and the side mirrors have been replaced with more conventional units. The “double-bubble” roof has also been toned down a bit.

Lamborghini Burlero concept supercar

The Lamborghini Burlero is a supercar concept created by the Armenian designer Tigran Lalayan, a graduate of the Masters Transportation and Car Design course at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Italy. The Lamborghini Burlero concept was designed during his time at the university and developed in collaboration with Lamborghini.

The Lamborghini Burlero concept is designed to be a track-focused vehicle, lightweight and simple in its construction. Tigran’s goal for the styling was to create a Lamborghini sports car with what he calls a “slightly softer” appearance. It looks good, but with all those pointy bits, it can hardly be described as soft.

Like almost all Lamborghinis, the Burlero is named after a bull. In this case Burlero refers to a famous fighting bull of the same name who killed the Matador Jose Cubero in the summer of 1985.

Being a track car, complete with tow ring and slick tires, the Lamborghini Burlero concept has no bad weather protection or roof. Only a thin wraparound windscreen protects the occupants from the wind, rain and any unfortunate bugs.

The proposed power source for the Lamborghini Burlero concept is a 100-percent electric drivetrain. Cleverly the concept features what at first looks like a central exhaust, however on closer inspection it’s actually a third brake light.

While the Lamborghini Burlero concept is not an official design. It would be great to see a more entry-level Lamborghini with some real track fun potential on offer. The electric drivetrain would probably deter some die-hard fans, but as it’s just a concept it’s easy enough to imagine how much fun it would be with a regular engine screaming away inches behind the cockpit. Might I also suggest that the rear-wheel-drive layout of the special edition Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni be used?

BMW M4 Convertible

The all-new BMW M3 sedan and M4 coupe were revealed late last year. And now it’s the turn of the M4 convertible to step into the spotlight. There’s not much to say really. It’s virtually identical to the M4 coupe except the chassis is a less rigid, the load space is smaller and its got a fold-away roof.

Powering the BMW M4 Convertible is the same 3.0 litre in-line six-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine used in the M3 and M4 coupe. This engine produces 431 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, or an optional seven-speed M Double Clutch transmission. Fitted with the seven-speed transmission, the BMW M4 convertible can hit 62 mph (100 kmh) in just 4.4 seconds. The top speed is an electronically limited 155 mph.

The new M4 Convertible is around 60kg (120 lbs) lighter than the outgoing M3 Convertible, despite being better equipped. The reduction in weight has been achieved through extensive use of aluminium for the bonnet, front wings and many of the chassis components, while carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is used for the propeller shaft and strut brace in the engine compartment.

Lexus Kunai Concept – Clever, Complicated

The Lexus Kunai concept is a futuristic family sports sedan created by the talented French graphic designer Sebastien Cabanel. The concept gets its name from a multipurpose Japanese hand tool/weapon commonly used by ninjas. Not now obviously… That would be silly.

But like its namesake, the Lexus Kunai concept is intended to be versatile. It’s designed to be both sporty, safe, and have easily enough room for four people.The exterior of the Lexus Kunai concept features a striking single-piece windscreen/roof/rear window panel which is actually shaped similarly to the dagger-like Kunai tool.

The Lexus Kunai concept is constructed using a clever combination of carbon fiber and hemp. Which isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Hemp composites are already being studied for their low weight, high strength properties. And what what a great way to build a car. Use natural materials but adapt them for 21st century needs.

The drivetrain of the Lexus Kunai concept consists of an electric motor mounted up front, and four what what-can-only-be-described-as extremely complicated omnidirectional wheels which are powered by no less than eleven independently controlled in-wheel electric motors.

Overall the Lexus Kunai is a highly advanced concept which puts forward some intriguing possibilities. Some of the ideas it proposes, like the unusual composite construction, could be just around the corner. Others, like the intricate 11-motor omnidirectional wheels are probably a bit further away.

Citroen DS 5LS R Concept combines performance and luxury

Citroen has just announced that at this year’s Beijing Motor Show they will be debuting a concept car based on the recently launched DS 5LS. The car, called the Citroen DS 5LS R concept, is a high-performance, luxury orientated vehicle which the French manufacturer hopes will give the production car a bit of a media boost, while also showcasing what they are capable of when they give their designers and engineers a bit of freedom.

The Citroen DS 5LS R concept is the third performance-orientated vehicle released recently – following on from the DS3 Cabrio Racing and the DS4 Racing concept. It’s pretty safe to say the ‘R’ in the DS 5LS R’s name stands for Racing.

The styling of the Citroen DS 5LS R concept is closely based on that of the production DS 5LS. However a number of aerodynamic alterations give it a considerably sportier appearance. There is a new lip spoiler, side skirt extensions, and perhaps most obvious of all are the gray colored stripes which adorn the front doors just under the mirrors. The Citroen DS 5LS R concept also sits 15mm (0.6 inches) closer to the ground and has a wider front track and large 20-inch wheels. There are also numerous ‘R’ badges and a special paint color called anodized Carmine Red was brewed up specially for the concept.

The Citroen DS 5LS R concept is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine which manages to churn out an impressive 300 horsepower and 295 ft-lbs (400 Nm) of torque. This engine is a derivative of the same engine used in Citroen’s DS3 World Rally Championship car. The horsepower output is identical, while the torque figure is actually a little higher.

The transmission of the Citroen DS 5LS R concept is a sequential unit controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel.

On the inside the Citroen DS 5LS R concept features swathes of leather and Alcantara suede upholstery. A three-fabric interpretation of the DS range’s ‘watchstrap’ upholstery uses a combination of aniline full-grain leather, DS-embossed leather and Alcantara. The seats, dashboard, upper door panels and central armrest all feature Carmine Red stitching to match the exterior. Carbon fiber is used for various trim elements, including steering wheel inserts door panels and door handles.