I’m a car person, but not really a car geek. From my knowledge I understand that a rotary engine can be damn fast, but I don’t recall ever hearing of a rotary powered super car. That is exactly what Mazda have shown off, with the super car prototype of the Mazda Furai.
The Furai, which means “sound of wind” (insert fart joke here), should be viewable at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show, and is going to be 100% E100 ethanol fuelled. The E100 will be running through the veins of its three-rotor 20B rotary engine, pushing out a massive 450 horsepower.
It does look very hot, but it is definitely an extension of you know what. Look at the side, it is even ribbed for your pleasure.
For more info and pics, check out Autoblog.
Fans who were disappointed in the cancellation of the old Honda NSX, will be able to rejoice with the confirmation of a new NSX coming in 2010. Originally it was expected that the supercar would be showcased this year for a release next year or the year after, but it seems it was pushed back. There isn’t much known about the car itself, but it will apparently be based on the Advanced Sports Car Concept, which was shown off at the Detroit Motor Show at the start of this year.
The concept car looks incredible, with its long, sleek and aggressive front, low cabin and quad rear exhausts. Under the hood it supports a massive V10, which sits upon it high-tech Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system.
The old NSX was ahead of its time and was a true milestone for Japanese supercars. It is going to take a lot of work from Honda to be able to engineer a car of that calibre, and hopefully they can pull it off and release a car that will take our breath away. Expect more when they release more info.
For more info and images, click over to the Autoblog Page.
What do supercar companies normally do in the newer models? The make them faster and sexier! Not anymore with Amedeo Felisa, general manager of the Italian luxury sports car maker, saying “we have to face the challenge of reducing consumption but not affecting the performance of the car”, and “otherwise we move (away) from our position in the market and we do not want to do that.”
Ferrari want to reduce CO2 emissions from 400 grams per kilometer per vehicle to 280-300, which would be a nice 40% increase in mileage. This process will take 5 years for Ferrari to implement (so all you greeny’s better start saving). For a company that only makes around 6,000 cars a year, it is very impressive.
If companies that usually focus on getting more power out of an engine can work to lower its emissions, I don’t see why the companies that focus on making the family car can’t as well. Ferrari have sent out a positive spin for car companies on emissions. They have said that it will help sell cars, and with the population starting to get more educated on the problems in the environment we are facing, then they would be pretty close to the mark.
For more info, click over to the Ecogeek Blog.
Before you guess who wins, consider the Veyron is a 16-cylinder car, that costs a little more then your average M3, at $US1.4 Million. Plus it does output almost 600 HP more than the BMW, so on paper shouldn’t it win? Well it does so stop guessing. Check out the video at YouTube.
For more info, race over to the AutoBlog Blog.