The 2014 Chevrolet Impala just made its debut at the New York Auto Show, and stuck there on its vaguely-Hofmeister-esque C-Pillar is a new version of the classic Impala mascot. The gracefully leaping African antelope is a little smoother and more rounded, but still the well-established icon it's been since its 1958 introduction. It may seem a small detail, but changing a long-established bit of iconography is tricky. Designers must carefully balance any tweaking against recognizeability and consumer goodwill.
"We kept the stylized interpretation of the animal, and made the impala more muscular. We also added defined edges, to give the impala a sleek form and make it look like it was running fast" says Joan Kallio, lead creative designer for Chevrolet global badging, and the latest version of this chrome animal glyph is surely smoothed and stylized compared to the squiggly 1958 original. If the car is as successfully refined as its logo, the new Impala will do fine. Check out the press release after the jump.
Continue reading The Chevrolet Impala mascot over the years
New York Auto Show recap with John McElroy of Autoline
Episode #277 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Chris, Dan, and Executive Editor Chris Paukert are joined by John McElroy to chat about the New York Auto Show. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #276:
New York Auto Show recap
In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Nissan Versa SV
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S
2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
Long-Term 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman
Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Chris Paukert
Runtime: 01:26:42
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We record Episode #277 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we're joined by John McElroy of Autoline. Drop us your questions via our Q&A module below, and chime in to direct our conversation. Our main focus will be recapping what we saw at the New York Auto Show, but who knows where the conversation will take us! Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #277
New York Auto Show recap
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S got you excited? Well, it appears the new Toyobaru twins might be moving the needle at other automakers, too. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the pair may have challenged Nissan to once again reinvestigate its on-again, off-again plans for an affordable, lightweight sports coupe of its own. Nissan's Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, says his employer is looking at downsizing its Z sports car, though it isn't clear if that would mean the Japanese automaker would field two separate Z models or just replace the current 370Z with a smaller, less costly model.
"I much prefer smaller sports car," Nakamura tells the Herald. "It is the time to look at that. With 370Z, we still don't know next generation will have a larger or smaller engine."
If Nissan were to reduce the size of the 370's powerplant, it would be the first time that model's displacement has dropped. Since the Z gets its model designation from the size of its engine (3.7 liter V6), Nissan could have a problem marketing a smaller Z called the 300Z, since the last time a new 300Z was sold in the States was way back in 1986.
More likely would be the revival of long-forgotten nameplates like 200SX or 240SX. Either would almost certainly be direct competition for the Subaru and Scion rear-drive coupes.
Nakamura reminded fans that even if the 370Z loses some cubic inches, Nissan will still have the young but already legendary GT-R. When asked if Nissan would be willing to support three sports cars, Nakamura says, "If there is a market, we will do it."
We love Mini's sense of humor, and its April Fools' Day pranks this year were among our favorites. While we really, really wanted the Cowley camper to be real, Mini actually went ahead and built the Amphibious "Yachtsman" - and then brought it to the New York Auto Show, just as promised to in its fake April 1 press release.
Considering that some car companies have been known to release real press releases that are disingenuous at best, we're even more bemused by Mini's antics.
Click past the jump to read the entire absurd press release, then go ahead and check out our gallery of high-res images of the Yachtsman.
Continue reading Mini Cooper Yachtsman Concept has us all fooled
There have been a number of iconic racing liveries over the course of history - JPS and Gulf spring immediately to mind - and every historic racing fan has his or her favorite. But few are as downright awesome as Martini. The Italian vermouth label has sponsored everything from Lancias to Fords, but many of its very awesomest have been Porsches. Like this bitchin' 917/LH.
This long-tail version (Langheck in German) of the all-conquering 917 racer was fielded twice at Le Mans: once by Porsche Salzburg in 1970, and once by Martini Racing (which gave it its enduring paintjob) in 1971. It qualified first and second at those respective runnings, but proved fragile over the course of the 24-hour race and failed to finish both times.
The overall results don't mean that this isn't a devastatingly beautiful example of motor racing history, or that it's anything less than priceless. Better check it out in our gallery of images from the show floor before it's secreted back off to Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
The 2013 SRT Viper stole the New York Auto Show this week with its 640-horsepower 8.4-liter V10 and the promise of even better tire-melting performance. It's the crown jewel in Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology brand headed by Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT, Senior Vice President of Chrysler Design and the man most credited with resurrecting this beast.
Discontinued in 2010, the Viper was always a brutal and unforgiving car. It was the baseball bat of supercars.
Autoblog got a chance to sit down with Gilles and ask him five questions. Always the gentleman, Gilles answered six.
Gilles and his team walked a narrow line refining the Viper to the point of Italian Boss Sergio Marchionne's acceptance, but still remaining true to the car.
Before, the Viper was brutal, it's transmission tunnel heated up so much, the sparse cockpit turned into a crock pot. It did not even offer stability control, now required by law, meaning one wrong move, one slip of the clutch and the Viper would be wrapped around a light pole faster than an airbag deployment.
Even getting out of the Viper, with its side-mounted exhaust pipes, could be a challenge, giving the car one last chance to leave its mark, literally, on your calf.
Autoblog got a chance to sit down with Gilles and ask him five questions. Always the gentleman, Gilles answered six.
AB: The new design is pure Viper, but it seems to have some influence from those Italian super cars. What's the percentage of the Viper that's American, percentage that's Italian?
Gilles: Maybe five percent Italian. The seats, the seats are the same supplier as Ferrari. It's all American. Done inside, done outside, it's all all American.
Continue reading Five Questions with Ralph Gilles about the 2013 SRT Viper
Chevrolet has over a hundred years of heritage from which it can call upon when the right marketing angle presents itself. Like, for instance, when it launches a brand-new Impala for the 2014 model year, as it has just done at the 2012 New York Auto Show. As such, the automaker has brought a mint 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS 427 Convertible to display alongside its new family sedan.
We'll get this right out of the way: the 1966 'Vert has nothing in common with the 2014 sedan, other than its nameplate.
Regardless, it's always fun to ogle over a classic muscle car, and this '66 Impala is, perhaps, the very best of its full-size breed. The 427-cubic-inch V8 was factory rated at 390 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque - plenty more than necessary to turn those 7.5-inch-wide bias-ply tires into plumes of smoke, and the four-speed manual and 3.55:1 gears mean it's properly equipped for 1960s-style stoplight showdowns.
Check out this classic Impala SS in our high-res image gallery, and before we all get too sentimental for the old times, remember two points: First, as awesome as this machine undoubtedly is, it could never be sold today due to safety and emissions reasons. Second, most of the millions of Impalas sold over the years were much more pedestrian models than this stunning blue SS.
Caveats aside, we want this car rumbling away in our virtual garage. Badly.
If you've attended major international auto show in the U.S. this season, you've likely seen this car: Edsel Ford's 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster. We first saw it at the Monterey Concours d'Elegance last August, then again in January at the Detroit Auto Show. It is, frankly, a most beautiful specimen, and since we hadn't yet taken the opportunity to capture it with our own lenses, New York seemed like the perfect place to hold an impromptu shoot.
The Speedster has a very long history going back to 1932 when Edsel Ford, then president of Ford Motor Company, returned from Europe and asked design director E.T. Gregorie to pen a sports car similar to the ones he saw running around Europe. It started out as a 1934 Ford, but was radically altered to make a low slung, two-seat sports car with technology that wouldn't appear on production Fords for many years. It originally weighed 2,100 pounds and was powered by a 75-bhp Model 40 flathead V8 that was later replaced by a 100-bhp Mercury V8.
Edsel Ford enjoyed the car until his death in 1943, at which point the car began a journey of many ownerships, ultimately vanished and then resurfaced in 1999 when it was sold to a collector for $1.76 million. When the collector died, the Speedster was given to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House who oversaw a complete restoration of the car. It now travels the auto show circuit, on display in a place of honor within the Lincoln display.
Continue reading Edsel Ford's 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster
The GMC brand celebrates its 100th birthday this year, and the 1912 New York Auto Show is where it all started. To commemorate the occasion, General Motors' utility brand has created special Heritage Edition packages for both the Sierra pickup and Yukon sport-ute, and both make their public debut here at the 2012 New York expo.
An option group priced from $1,820 to $2,645, the Heritage Edition package adds cosmetic upgrades like new paint colors (including the Heritage Blue you see here), embroidered headrests and floor mats, large chrome wheels, chrome door handles, a power liftgate and an original GMC logo.
Scroll down to read the full details in GM's press blast and see the Heritage Edition package from all angles in our attached high-res image gallery. Oh, and happy hundredth, GMC!
Continue reading 2012 GMC Sierra and Yukon Heritage Editions say, "Happy 100th!"
