"Super Juke": Godzilla's Little Brother?

With the approaching Tokyo and Los Angeles auto shows, the internet rumour-mill has been pumping out news and speculation by the hour. One particular rumour that caught my attention was the alleged “Super Juke” – a more powerful version of Nissan’s AWD turbo crossover. Although not officially titled the “Super Juke”, the codename has a certain ring to it.

When Nissan Europe confirmed these rumours and gave details on the “Super Juke”, even the most optimistic predictions were taken by surprise. Supposedly, the powerful crossover will be powered by the same 3.8L twin-turbo V6 that powers the Nissan GT-R. How they plan on fitting Godzilla’s heart in the Juke’s tiny engine bay is beyond me.

Do you see room for a twin-turbo V6?

The massive increase in power (460-530 estimated horses) is said to potentially bring the Super Juke’s 0-60 time down to an impressive 4-second range. The Juke will also receive some design changes as well, including more aggressive side skirts, a split rear wing, and presumably some GT-R tires. We can also expect to see some sort of rear diffuser and an assortment of aerodynamic additions to the body.

Currently, the Super Juke is just a concept project, but with all of the technology and resources at Nissan Europe’s disposal, I expect we could see the first versions of the JT-R (See what I did there?) by late 2012. I always thought the Juke was cool. I never expected it to be this badass.

C7: The Future of the Corvette

The Corvette has been an icon of American muscle since the early 1960’s, and still continues to “wow” the automotive world with each new generation. Last year, however, Corvette’s sales slumped rather dramatically. Considering the car’s main target market is over the age of 50, Chevrolet is looking at aiming the car at a younger market. It’s time for a redesign – but how?

Sideswipe, is that you?

GM is remaining quite secretive about the next redesign, the C7, but there are a few things that we can treat as ‘likely changes’. For starters, the overall size of the Corvette is expected to shrink. Lighter is always better, so that in itself is already a good start. Secondly, internet rumours speculate that the new generation of Vettes may feature a 7-speed manual transmission.

There is also evidence to suggest the next generation will be powered by a 5.5L V8, as opposed to the current 6.2L. The downsizing of the engine is a little bit questionable in my opinion, but I’m sure GM won’t be making any uneducated decisions around their icon car. I estimate that the base model will be the only one with the downsized engine, and the C7 ZR1 will maintain the 6.2L V8 that it has today. Either way, don't expect to see any new models until 2013.

There have been countless Corvette concept renderings circulating the internet, speculating what the new generation will look like. We all saw the modified Corvette in transformers (above), which has been the inspiration for many of the fan-submitted concepts.

Oh God, please no.

I wouldn't mind this.

Regardless of what GM decides for the new Vette, I am sure that the popularity of this American icon will spike once again upon release. That’s just how these things work – you show people something has changed, and they pay attention. I, for one, am just excited to see the next Z06 and ZR1 models.

Lamborghini: The Next Generation

It’s often hard to believe that a company which started by building tractors out of old military equipment would quickly become the supercar icon that Lamborghini is today. However, the youth of the Lamborghini brand is a testament to the quality of performance and sophistication offered by the company’s latest creations.

Anyone who is half as big of a fan of Lamborghini as I am is excited about the current transformation to the German- Italian carmaker’s model line-up – and you can bet I’m not talking about the 2008 Lamborghini Estoque sedan concept. That’s just the tip of bull’s horn. The Sesto Elemento concept (above), unveiled in 2010, set off a wave of innovation.

Earlier this year we saw the fastest Lamborghini ever, the Aventador LP700-4, come to life as the replacement for the legendary Murcielago. The usage of a new carbon fibre monocoque chassis and technologies seems to be the heart of Lamborghini's transformation.

The Aventador: Rumored to be the next Batmobile. Appropriate.

The company’s most produced model, the Gallardo, is set to be replaced in the coming years. The replacement for the Gallardo, rumoured to be called the Cabrera, is to come with a supercharged V10 – Yes, Supercharged. The same V10 engine from the Gallardo, with the addition of the supercharger, is expected to be putting out figures close to the 600 horsepower range. This one, I have to see.

The Cabrera. Slightly sleeker looking than the Gallardo.

The Gallardo won’t be going out quietly, however. This past week at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Lamborghini unveiled the fourteenth (14th!) Gallardo model, the Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale - that’s a mouthful. It’s also quite the sight for sore eyes. The new-gen aggressive styling of the Aventador can be seen all over this special edition Gallardo. The Super Trofeo Stradale puts out an impressive 570 horsepower, making the car’s 0-60 time a quick 3.4 seconds.  In my opinion, this is the nicest Gallardo since the Superleggera.

Wow. Yes, please.

Lamborghini has always been one of my favourite supercar manufacturers, and their recent displays of high tech and new-age concepts has gotten me even more excited for their future. Needless to say, I am one of many people anxiously awaiting Lamborghini’s next generation, and I have high expectations that I assume will be met and surpassed. Not bad for an old tractor maker.

Speed Creed and the Indonesian Supercar Scene

The inspiration for today’s post takes root far to the south-west of my farm-town-suburbia home. Yesterday, this video was posted to youtube by a group of people in Indonesia that call themselves “Speed Creed”.

I'll give you a second to take that in.

I have seen a lot of supercar rallies, but this is practically supercar street racing. If you tried this kind of driving in North America, half of the drivers would be pulled over on the spot - if they stopped, of course. Keep in mind, however, that this is a much different part of the world. Street Drifting is one of the favourite sports of Indonesia. The 2006 Goodyear Night Drift was even held in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city.

I don’t know very much about Speed Creed’s “Lebaran Run”, as it seems to have appeared overnight. There are just over 2000 "likes" on the Speed Creed facebook page. To join the community of Speed Creed, you need to be driving a performance car, meaning it has to be built to be performance oriented - no exceptions. After a pre-registration process, you are invited to join the Speed Creed BBM group or mailing list. From there, car cruises are planned and coordinated.

A few Speed Creed members. Lookin' good!

There is also a Speed Creed Gold Membership for the heavy hitters. Only those with cars boasting 500+ Horsepower are invited to join the Gold Community. We can only assume that the people driving in the Lebaran Run video are the members of the Gold Community.

I learned two things from this video: The Indonesian Street Laws are hardly existent, and rich Indonesian people are f***ing insane! I expect to see a lot more crazy things from Speed Creed in the future.

The Lotus Cars 'Bloom'

For anyone who has been following the internet-chatter around the British automaker, Lotus, you know that the company is redesigning their current models. What you may not know, is that Lotus plans on revealing six (6!) new models at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. Two of these models are expected to be additional packages for existing Lotus models. Rumours indicate that they will likely be automatic or paddle-shifting packages for the Evora and the Elise.

At the 2010 Paris Auto Show, Lotus announced it would be building the Lotus Eterne, a 4-door competitor to the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. They also announced a potential 4-litre V6 Lotus "Elan". Sources tell me that the Elan project has been shelved, at least for now.

The Lotus Eterne looks like a sharper Panamera.

Of the other entirely new models expected to be released, we know that one is a supercharged replacement for the Lotus Elise SC, which won’t be available in North America. Another model I hope to see is a rally-built version of the current Exige. Thirdly, there is the model which I struggle to find any real information on. The only thing I can get out of Lotus is that “it will be one of the fastest road cars Lotus has ever built”. The Evora GTE Road Car perhaps?

The Evora GTE Road Car Concept. Gorgeous.

Earlier this year, Lotus unveiled the Evora GTE Road Car concept, a weight-reduced and stunningly aggressive Lotus with an estimated 420+ horepower. Considering the old Lotus didn’t weigh much to begin with, and could already run 0-60 in less than 5 seconds with 276 horsepower, we can expect the limited edition production version of this car to be a supercar slayer. To me, this is the most anticipated unveiling for the Frankfurt Auto Show. I predict a 0-60 time under 3.5 seconds. I also, however, expect a price tag far beyond my price range.

It looks to me like Lotus is attempting to do what McLaren has begun doing as well: Challenging the leading supercar makers (The McLaren Boom). Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini had better keep an eye out for these underdogs; they have done great work in the past, and I expect them to keep improving.