67th International Motor Show Germany (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) [2017 Frankfurt Motor Show]

[DeusExMackia]

Pre-show 2

Frankfurt is starting to come alive as the automotive world pours in to the west German city for its annual car show. A number of big teasers came out over the last few days, and I’ve even had the chance to drive a car already!

Contendiente’s marketing team as either had a big boost in funds or they hired some new talent; the company’s presentation is looking so much tidier, and the preview of their stand at the show looks exciting for the Spanish marque.

The new Enemgio (2019 MY) is a much improved design compared to the odd looks of the current model, while the specs are looking better too - 70 more horsepower whilst keeping very decent fuel economy for a hot hatch-esque vehicle. 0-60 in 4.9 seconds is very, very impressive too, especially if the price remains similar. That said, an increase in cost could easily be justified given those stats.

The new Victoria sports car is more of a mixed bag. The design sort of works for me, but is also choppy, especially around the front flanks. Styling aside though, it’s a 225hp sub-900kg mid-engined road-going go kart. $36k sounds very reasonable too. Are Contendiente becoming the budget performance company?

Ridgewell-Jeong Motors it’s newest concept, it’s new budget supercar idea, the Eden. It seems to run in the same vein as the GBf Bellua, even sharing similar styling (I’m sorry, but “Eden is a completely unique design” is not accurate) and very similar specs. How it goes about achieving its 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds and 200 mph “aerodynamically limited” top speed is different though: a 2l i4, producing 468 hp, which is astounding for such a small engine (their statement “highest specific output for a gasoline engine ever” might need to be verified though, fairly sure there have been a few race engines that have topped that). Still, it’s a lot of power.

It packs plenty of interesting tech, albeit dressed up in acres of marketing guff, including active push rod suspension and carbon fibre monocoque. At its core, it seems to be a very, very capable car. I look forward to a test drive, where undoubtedly, I’ll be seeing how well it compares to GBf Bellua, though I should make clear that with no pricing currently available, it’s not clear if this is a competitor (something tells me that carbon fibre construction isn’t going to come cheap either).

Gryphon Gear unveiled the upcoming 2018 Jörmungandr, the fabled 500 km/h hyper car (that’s 310 mph for us imperial folk) born out of their Mercury concept in 2015. 2111 hp is delivered from God via its 10.1 turbo V12, and coupled with its current suspension setup and aero work, it’s capable of 6:32 around the Green Hell. 6:30 really is in site now, it seems.

The design is much more cohesive and constant, as a result of its aerodynamic makeover, and they’re even claiming you can just about use it on the road. We’ll have to wait and see if such claims ring true, and whether or not journalists end up in the hedge during test drives.

Himmel have unveiled the full 2017 lineup for their prestigious E.O. sports car, and I’ve had the chance to drive the new, super sporty GT-N version on its home turf.

---

Review: Himmel E.O. Florio GT-N

“The German’s ought to realise painting a car orange doesn’t count as making it ‘fun’”

Himmel’s E.O. has been the butt of many a joke over the years, though it’s safe to say that this variant is about as far from a Beetle* as it gets. This Florio GT-N model is the latest in a growing line of “pay more for less” versions of the car - less features, but of course, the pay off is less weight and of course, more power. Its 3.9l N/A Flat 6 is a 9k rpm screamer that fires out 511 hp via 7 speed sequential to the rear wheels. Bog standard then for this part of the market, but its 1290 kg kerb weight is impressive. That comes courtesy of carbon fibre body panels and very limited luxuries, though they’ve still made room for leather seats and plenty of comfort. It’s a really clever combination, and feels quite old school if anything.

The looks are finnicky around the front. Lots of edgy lines and winglets to convery sportiness, but they also make it messy and lacking in flow. Though the menace in its headlights is very nice indeed, and the cheeky roof scoop hiding on the back is a nice touch. The back is better, but a little dull and, once again, lacking in flow. There’s not enough connection between the top and bottom for it to really wow.

Not quite enough of a supercar then in the looks department. Performance though? Oh yes. It’s very supercar. Or rather, super sports car. Razor sharp acceleration with plenty of power band to mess around with, and with that 7 speed DCT sequential, it’s lightning fast on the changes. Doesn’t feel as engaged as some cars in its class, but boy does it feel professional and advanced.

Weirdly, however, the suspension is nowhere near as sharp. It’s certainly accurate, but it rolls more than you’d expect. I was expecting it to be firm and planted, but its softer instead. It holds the road, that’s the for sure, but it also gives in earlier than you’d expect. The lower weight (compared to the base model) could be the reason they made it softer, as it doesn’t need to lug so much around, but it hardly matches up to the performance focused nature of the rest of the car.

That said, it does feel very supple; the sway bars are soft and don’t yank you about, the aggressive camber gives you tons of grip and it manages to remains fairly comfortable too, though I certainly couldn’t do a long journey in it.

Maybe it is a supercar then. After it’s looks and power than matter in a supercar - handling is more of an afterthought. Here though, I feel like it ought to be more of a sharp car in the corners. More of a racer. And as I said earlier, the styling just isn’t quite there to be something really special. It lacks character, which is to be expected of a German car, but it also lacks substance, which I wouldn’t expect of an E.O. Everything’s there for this car to be fantastic, it’s just been setup weirdly.

Unless I’m missing the point, this car is either too confused to know what it is or too mixed to be one solid package. It’s good, that’s for sure. I simply expected more.

*‘Beetle’ is simply a placeholder for the automation equivalent of such a car, which, at this point, I don’t believe exists.

- Gavin Anderson

Cheers to @Deskyx for lending me the car!

[titleguy1]

RJM released a tweet on the 8th of September, 2017. It states…

Eden will not be produced in our lineup. It is too expensive to fit into our lineup; we will focus on our other high-performance models.

It was later leaked that a single Eden would cost upwards of $300,000 due to it’s use of expensive materials and highly complex engine building process.

[BobLoblaw]

Coming soon…

[abg7]

No surprise really. Aside from the production costs, it’s tough to take a four-cylinder supercar seriously these days; however, if it is possible to put the Eden’s 1.9L I4 in the 13R, creating what should be called the 19R in the process, the results would be spectacular! The chance of that engine finding its way into any RJM production models is slim, though.

[strop]

There was always the 2020 Kelpie concept that GG teased a while ago… Now that we’ve improved as we have we could possibly work on it…

[Fayeding_Spray]

2017 Hodan Okayama FE

In 2013, Hodan revealed the Okayama S1, a sports vehicle made with enjoyment in mind. 2017 sees the Last model of the Okayama Series be released.

The Final Edition.

The final edition sees changes over the previous S2 model, including a 6 speed dual clutch transmission, CF wheels, and other small changes. The FE will be available for reservation at the official opening of the show. Sale price will be $34,000.

---

2018 Hodan Rizun

At Genva, the Rizun concept was unveiled. Well, now it’s gone through a large revision. This will be the vehicle available to the public in quarter one of 2018.

The 2018 Rizun is powered by a 1.7L inline 3. This vehicle is designed to be a majority track vehicle. A GT4 version should be coming in the next few weeks. Reservations will open at the begining of the show, and the full vehicle will cost $23,000

[Radster]

FRANKFURT IAA 2017: Maine Motors classics stand.

---

Maine Motors won’t be revealing anything new, but they will be showcasing two company classics from the 50s and 70s.

---

1970 Maine Motors Scorpio.

Built as a pony car that was mean to compete with the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, the Scorpio was the company’s attempt at a pony car. Powered by the same pushrod 5.5 liter V8 as the '68 Imperator, the Star Banner, but this time tuned to make 301 hp, mated to a 4 speed manual, the car could outrun both the Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Ford Mustang Mach 1 at the quarter mile, with a time of 14.36 seconds.

1956 Maine Motors Imperator.

Maine Motors’ first luxobarge and the start of the Imperator line, that remains the flagship model nowadays. This car also mounted the first version of the Star Banner V8, this time a 4.2 liter pushrod one. It made 130hp, sent to the rear wheels via a two speed automatic. The car focused on luxury and comfort rather than performance; the suspension was soft, set up to understeer in case of grip loss, with a high ride height and its nicely clothed seats could seat 5 adults. The fuel economy wasn’t too bad for the time; it got 14 MPG combined.

This car is rare nowadays: some of them have been turned into hot rods, some of them have rusted to uselessness and some are restored and kept as collector pieces.

[titleguy1]

[Grandea]

[strop]

OKAYAMA S1 vs ERIN NARDELLA FIGHT PLZ!

[DeusExMackia]

Pre-Show 3

Press day at Frankfurt begins tomorrow, but annoyingly I won’t be there for it. Meaning I’ve got to make the most of the show now before I head off. Sadly, the managers haven’t let me had a sneak peak at the show hall, so I’ve got to go on what I’ve been given.

RJM clarified what the Eden concept is, more specifically responding to my comments on its price and how to compare it to other cars. Turns out it’s a lot, lot more expensive than the GBf Bellua I thought it was meant to be against.

Petoskey sent me an odd email, or at least I thought it was Petoskey who sent it, containing a picture of a V8 turbo engine. And, er, that’s it. Gosh, this takes the uninformative teaser to the next level. To the point where it isn’t a teaser at all.

Hodan revealed their two main releases at the show, including a final version of the Okayama entry-level sports car called the Final Edition. It’s red, with a big black stripe down the middle and a dinky boot spoiler. That ticks most my boxes.

A new version of the Rizun, revised from the one we saw back at Geneva, was unveiled. It’s tidier and more well formed now, with the company revealing that a “GT4” model will be coming soon. Intriguing…

Maine Motors are going to be showcasing two classics at the show, one being the company’s early 70s pony car the Scorpio. A 301 hp yank of a car, it’s bullish looks do have a charm to it, though the faded beige paint isn’t working for me. The nice “well baked cake” peach of the 1956 Imperator though is much more welcoming, as are its bubbly style and soft look. It’s not exactly as imposing as its name wants it to be, but its a fine classic nonetheless.

Zenshi gave us another teaser for something. Looks to be some sort of mass lineup of cars we may or may not see at the show. I honestly don’t know, what else are you supposed to take from a line of car silhouettes?

In response comments made some people, Erin have responded saying they are “very interested” in a shootout between the Nardella XR and the Okayama FE.

And now, for today’s main feature! Contendiente took me out for a special drive on some German roads in the new Victoria sports car.

---

Semi-Review: 2019 Contendiente Victoria S

“A Sportscar Oddity”

I should just point out that this isn’t quite a review. I was allowed to drive the Victoria on a few roads and on the autobahn, but not ‘push it to the limit’. Instead, a company driver did that for me. Not quite the same is it, but what can you do.

The Victoria is a quirky little thing. Bubble cockpit meats angular light designs, tied together with this odd squatness. I like it, I think. But it’s not going to be for everyone, and it’s not overtly sporty either. It feels more like a “sports” concept, by which I mean the company behind it has spent a lot of time writing some droll text about “what sportiness means” and has “expressed” this in physical form with whatever car they’ve built. Or maybe, this is just a bit ahead of its time. Depends on how much you read into it.

Whatever you think of it, Conte are clearly confident in what they’ve made. The amount of press they’re trying to get this thing evidently shows how dedicated they are to making it a success.

What exactly is it though? A mid-engined, lightweight 2 seater sports coupe. 1.8l V6, 224 hp, carbon fibre monocoque with aluminium body resulting in a 894kg kerb weight, good for 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 138 mph. Is it trying to be efficient or just advanced? I’m going to assume the latter, though were they to make a less powerful version (which wouldn’t exactly be much slower, would it), they could have a budget eco sportscar masterpiece.

Well, they will once I know how it feels on the road. How does it feel? Well, on the few corners where I was able to test the handling before we reached the autobahn, it felt concise. Conformed. Compact. Stubby wheelbase plus low weight makes it a very chuckable car. It manages to be sharp without being rough, it feels quite tender if anything. No where near as soft, however, as the E.O. I tested a few days back. Still, this was only based on nailing it on a few roundabouts and on the sliproad down to the Autobahn 3.

At least we get to test acceleration and speed. It’s a nippy car, that’s for sure. Similar 0-60 time as some of those performance sedans I tested a few months back, but with more go-kart feeling to it. Seriously, the lack of weight makes this thing handle like a RC car. It responds brilliantly, and while the top speed isn’t exactly high, I don’t think that matters. It’s a yappy dog compared to most performance cars; it won’t keep up in the high end, but boy it’ll shout like the bigger dogs.

Pull over, swap seats and let my driver Marco drive me around some twistier corners. It holds very well on the road, and the roll is almost non-existant. Some more lumber support in the seats would most certainly be appreciated, but I’m still impressed at how well it grips despite the fairly thing wheels.

The tiny V6 buzzes away like a small swarm of bees. The sound isn’t exactly defined, but compared to the four bangers of most cars in its class, the Victoria sports a more exciting sound for sure.

I’ll need to do a proper roadtest and not be taken for a roadtest before I can give a full review, but the package the Victoria is offering is tempting. The lightness will be its key selling factor; it’s a proper featherweight, though they really need to improve the interior and make it more suitable for performance driving. Eveything else though? Very promising indeed.

- Gavin Anderson

Cheers to @Mr.Computah for lending me the car!

[stickmaster62]

The Miller Automobile Company is proud to announce the newest member of the Anaconda family, the 2018 Miller Anaconda MS-343!

This is a tribute to the first generation Anaconda from September 1967 marking its 50 year anniversary. This current iteration shares many parts with the standard MS trim. The things that are different with this trim level are the naturally aspirated 5.6L SOHC V8 making 553 HP and 458 lb. ft. of torque which is mated to a custom 6 speed manual, propelling the car to 199 MPH and giving a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. Suspension has been stiffened for better cornering, and driver aids have been removed to make the MS-343 a pure driving sensation on the track.

The car will come in one color: the original MillerSport Blue!

[SideswipeBL]

The car will come in one color

Have you ever heard of a successful mass-produced modern car that came in only one color?

[stickmaster62]

Ford Model T
“You can have any color you want, so long as it’s black”.

Besides this is a special edition.

[SideswipeBL]

Unless the original Anaconda only came in blue this one shouldn’t. The Model T is not modern, btw.

[Grandea]

there are multiple cars that have been released in only one colour throughout history, you know.

[Hshan]

Modern cars usually don’t have that many colours available anyway, you know. Red, dark blue, white, black, grey, grey, grey and some grey.

[DeusExMackia]

Erin ClassicSport Concept

–

–

A celebration of 60 years of sports cars from Erin, and a reflection of what we have achieved.

~

Erin has been at the forefront of the sports car market for almost all of its existence, with a back catalogue that includes prestigious classics like the Lagana and Lira, innovative ground breakers like the Nasaro and the world famous Scarlet name.

All have been born from the same ethos that defines our company; that our sports cars must look, drive and go better than anyone else.

The ClassicSport combines the effortless lines of the 50s and 60s with the abstract modern styling of today’s Erin sports cars. The grille is harkback to the tall nose designs of days gone past; the headlights are a reimagning of the ones found on the current Scarlet and Nardella; the long, swooping back echoes the early attempts at improving aerodynamics.

A striking yet graceful design, that screams performance and class.

The ClassicSport celebrates all of our history and all of our achievements, from where it began with the race car-derived Tegra of 1957 to the newest in a long line of performance cars with the Mk 4 Scarlet. But it is also more than just a showpiece; styling and design cues will be taken from it for future sports and performance cars.

It will come to be just another installment of Erin’s sports car lineage, albeit one that shows where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

[Grandea]

Zenshi Arum COMME des GARÇONS Limited '17

For the 2017 IAA, Zenshi collaborated with Japanese clothing brand COMME des GARÇONS (french for “like boys,” which oddly enough also has women’s wear) to create a limited run special edition of the Altrea-based Arum executive midsize sedan.

The Arum COMME des GARÇONS Limited possesses a CdG badge on the trunk of the car, and is set to only one colour, Grandeur Red Pearl. Technical spec-wise, this limited run Arum is more or less the same, with a 468 HP 4.8L V8 mated to a 6-Speed Avantec Transmission and all the features found in the Ultima trim of the Arum.

Inside is where the design work of COMME des GARÇONS comes to play. the seats are black leather with rich red diamond quilt stitching, with the steering wheel and shift knob being given stitching of the same colour. within the interior, a simple open of the door expose’s the vibrant red accent lighting flooding the otherwise black footwells of the front and back row seats.

The joint venture of a vehicle will come in a limited production run of 250 cars worldwide, and will be available on showroom floors at the price of an equivalent to $75,000.

[abg7]

I never knew CdG (or other clothing brands) would get mentioned anywhere on these forums, but whatever, it looks the part and goes the part, just like the Ultima trim on which it is based. It has me thinking: What if there was an Alex Perry Albury Crusader, or a Stella McCartney Harris SVM? I’ve never thought of either of them before, primarily because explaining how they came about from their respective collaborations requires a lot of care and forethought…