##Dayily Round-Up - Day 6
We’re back in Detroit for the 6th day of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Quite a number of powerful cars were announced today, as well as quite a broad range of other vehicles. This show continues to surprise even as we near the halfway point.
Time to delve into all of Friday’s action!
New version of the Prowler unveiled by OAM
Continuing the pick-up craze that has swept Automation over these past couple of months, OAM today revealed a new version of their Prowler. The two tonne mid-range ute is a handsome if simple looking thing, though that might well be a trait of its rugged simplicity. Prices have yet to revealled, but it certainlly looked good along side the older '93 Prowler and gorgeous old 1.8 Ton.
Cavallera are doing something at some point at this show
More to follow.
Pictures and specs of Vanguard’s cars finally emerge
After a few frantic days scouring the internet for pictures and firing camera staff, we can at last get a proper look at Vanguard’s new cars. The unusually styled Valencia R1 and R3 certainly impressed with some great stats, though some have pointed out the alarmingly high production cost of the R3. The new Picaasso Equinox GT and Eclipse also got revealed and look to be classic luxury car affairs with high comfort and high performance.
Classic Canadian company AMCC reappear all of a sudden
AMCC used to make some of the best looking vehicles around, especially during their 80s/early 90s golden period. Sadly, however, they seemingly faded into non-existant. However, a surprise came this morning when the stunning AMCC Huricane and Comet CanAm Concept were unveiled on the IMP display. Questions as to how the cars got here or who’s organising this mini return remain unanswered, but there is no doubt that these classic 90s designs still look remarkably contemporary.
Miller unveil stunning road-racer concept
This certainly got the Detroit residents fired up - an incredible new road-going-race car from Miller was unveiled today. The spirtaual successor to their famed MS-1, the new MS-II is a cutting edge piece of design with a wealth of electronic gear, some incredibly advanced structural engineering and very clever power delivery. 585 hp may seem a little meek for modern-day supercars, but it’ll push this thing from 0-60 in under 3 seconds and top out at 217 mph. That, to say the least, is quite an achievement. Will we ever get to drive it however? We’re not sure as of now.
Re-launched Gamaru and latest version of Axia unveiled today
Some thirty years after the original Gamaru was launched, Zenshi showed off its successor today. The bright orange, carefully styled SUV will come with a range of powerful engines, a 7 speed DCT gearbox and, of course, AWD. It does seem to lean more towards the none-off roading SUV market, but the great equipment and promising engines certainly offer plenty for potential buyers.
Later on in the day, we got our first look at the latest in a long line of luxury sedans from Zenshi, the Axia. The powerful saloon will soon be available with turbocharged i6s and a 4.8l V8, which sounds like a lot of fun. Safe styling aside, this looks to be a car we can look forward to.
New generation of Storm Adventure MPV unveiled
Painted in bright Storm yellow, the new Storm Adventure was unveiled today. This new generation looks set to maintain Storm’s position in this market, and is offering quite a lot of unique features that might just make this an MPV you’ll actually want to own. 0-60 in 7.7 seconds, AWD, HUD and all that with the practicality from such a vehicle. Tempted? Be advised, a top of the range model will set you back $36,960, though we reckon it might just be justifiable.
400kmh + Emeraude Opal makes its debut
Clad in cherry pink paint and sporting some of the most unusual headlights… ever, the Emeraude Opal impressed on its reveal. Race parts and a 1500hp V12 meet supposedly classic coupe lines and a strangely low price in this monster of a car, which they claim is more of a GT Racer for the road than anything else. We can’t wait to drive it.
Zavir put on stunning show of old and new, revealling new range of luxury vehicles
Zavir’s keynote at Detroit happened today, where the company showed off a new V12 for the modern era. the MD63EC will be powering new version of the Squalo and Z Volante, both of which have been prominent luxury cars for some time. The new Squalo and Squalo Volante convey feelings of stature and grace in their sweeping lines, while the updated Z Volante is a classic GT cruiser dish, capable of 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and made entirely from Carbon Fibre.
Also on display was the gracious old 1974 Zavir Squalor, which still maintains its incredible sense of imposition today. Alongside its great-great-great grandchild, it still impressed with its lavish chrome styling. Next to it sat a gorgeous example of the 1949 Zavir Volante, what the company refers to as “the archetype”. Every trope related to GT cars can trace its roots back to this beautiful coupe, that was at the time one of the fastest cars on sale.
Brivio side company Horyuji reveal new Keiko
Nope, we’ve yet to hear of them either, but the new Horyuji Keiko will be taking a quirky little spot in the compact market when it goes on sale. The angular design of this Asian car certainly make it unique, but even more unique is the wagon version, which is a two door car, technically making it a shooting brake. Specs look fairly predictable, but by the looks of things, this car packs plenty of punch for a very low price. Do we have a new budget hero on our hands?
Erin unveil new version of Visto and new AWD hot-hatch
Erin had their main keynote today wher…hang on a second, it feels a bit weird to be reporting on my own company. Let’s just say Gavin got sidetracked and somehow forgot everything he wrote about their display.
Assoluto make all of us feel weak at the knees with incredible line up of cars
Words don’t really justify Assoluto’s display at this years show, so, name jokes aside, we’ll make it quick: the updated Crinale is utterly mesmerising, the RT Solvalou version is even more mesmerising, the Fatalita is on our Christmas list already and the Ghepardo might actually be the best looking thing ever made.
Oh and there were some specs somewhere in there too…
Auxuras reveal “Baby RXE” in form of ZXE coupe
Futuristice lines, a classic coupe body, and the luxury of Auxuras - yes, we’re sold already. The new, miniature sports car may only be a concept right now, but it’ll soon be on sale, where it’ll probably be making mincemeat of most of the mid-range sports car market. The company says we can expect up to 400 hp from its engines, which will certainly be a blast to drive. The upcoming ZXE was also mentioned, but remains elusive.
New Proteus sees JHW stepping into new territory
Titled “the pinnacle of their product line”, the Proteus is the new supercar from JHW. In saying that, it lacks the madness of other supercars, but the specs certainly show that JHW are really pushing the boat out here; it’s less drivable and much sportier than anything else they’ve made, and while it lacks a little in power, its 4.3l V8 will still get you from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, so it should be quite the nippy machine to drive.
Three people joined us for interviews today, making up for yesterday’s lack of them.
Antoine Traskins, spokesperson from LaVache, came in to discuss the new version of the Ramjet.
Herbet Adams from the Puttzalong Marketing Department also joined us today.
[quote]What was the thinking behind a soft roader that’s targetted for people in the city?
“What was the thinking behind a soft roader that’s targeted for people in the city?
The market exists. Find a market, make your product. There are some people who just feel safer knowing they’re in a 4WD, if you combine this with the benefits of a city sized car… easy parking, economy… you get this.”
Is the 4WD there just for show, or does this car actually have some off-roading credentials?
“It’s not really an “Off-Road” kind of car, it’s a soft roader. It’s better off road than a sportscar, but nothing like a Land Cruiser. Think first gen Rav 4, but newer.”
Why did you go for a space frame chassis on the Prototype 3?
“Richard Inne-De Haas approached us with this proposal about 12 months ago, saying all he needed was an engine. He convinced us that a space frame, although heavier, would make the car more desirable. He was right. I can show you the numbers. Plus, the power to weight ratio is better than the new IMP GS250.”
[/quote]
And lastly, we got a word in with CEO of Zavir himself, John Zavir, about the new cars from the company.[quote]
What sort of car is the Squalo Volante? Big GT coupe or a two door luxury barge?
“Whatever you wish (laugh). No, really, it depends on chosen options. This example we have here is the Sportivo variant, the most powerful one, so it blends sports car performance with limousine comfort and because of that it is a big GT. But you could also order one in some less sporty trim, with softer suspension, more comfortable interior, fancier infotainment, Hydraspeed automatic and, let’s say, pretty calm 4.9 V8, and then it would be more of a 2 door barge with only a trace of dynamism - present in nearly all Zavir cars. It’s all matter of choice, and we give our customers as big and diverse choice as we can.”
The new MD63EC looks like a superb engine on the face of it. How did Zavir develop it to ensure a V12 could fit in with modern emissions and economy regulations?
“First of all by keeping an incredible level of precision during the whole design process and then manufacturing. It ensures that the engine achieves its performance without excessive stress and doesn’t consume as much oil as other engines of similar performance - our tests have shown that 6.3 0DCA variant consumes less than 0.01l of oil per 10 000 miles. Both these things reduce emissions, but there are also other things, like our inteligent and very advanced Cambiovalvole III system dynamically controlling valvetrain, injection and ignition parameters to match them perfectly to the engine load, current driving conditions and the fuel quality.
In general this engine isn’t as stressed as its power might suggest - in our tests it could achieve way over 900 hp without any issues, and still without forced induction - so the 0DCA available in Squalo and Squalo Volante is in fact a toned down variant, as more power was deemed unnecessary - even at the current level it propels our 2 tonne flagship to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds.”
Can we expect the new design style seen on the Squalo and face lifted Z Volante to appear on other Zavir vehicles?
“Of course. In fact it was already foreshadowed by the last year Luna and Tramontana, and as you might have seen today it is present in the facelifted Z Ultima, Espada and Nova Volante. Design consistency was always an important thing for Zavir - we want our cars to be easily distinguishable so when you are overtaken on the highway by some Zavir car, you will eeasily see that you weren’t overtaken by a bad car (laugh). But more seriously, we want to keep the design clearly Zavir-esque, but don’t want to make our cars look like copies of each other, and because of that while all models will have our characteristic horizontally split wide grille and dynamically styled led or laser headlights, they will also have their own specific design traits.”[/quote]
That does it for today, apologies for not getting everyone in today, Gavin is a little pushed for time at the moment, but you’ll be in tomorrow’s round-up. Until next time!
-Gavin Anderson
