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The ink on the marriage license is still drying, but Volkswagen and Italdesign-Giugiaro -- which officially merged earlier this week -- are hardly strangers. In fact, the two firms have been courting one another for nearly four decades.



Any Volkswagen nut will be happy to tell you that Italdesign founder and chief designer Giorgetto Giugiaro helped style the original Passat, Golf/Rabbit, and Scirocco, but we've delved a little further into the Italdesign archives to see how deep this relationship truly runs. We've rounded up eight great VW-Italdesign collaborations for you here -- while some are simply rolling sculpture, others have had a profound influence on Volkswagen history.
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1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron
This wasn't Italdesign's first stab at a Bugatti coupe -- but it was the first true step in creating today's incredible 16.4 Veyron.

Although Italdesign had styled a number of Bugatti concepts (including the 112, 118, and 218 sedans) while Romano Artioli owned the firm, none really impressed Volkswagen, which purchased the company in 1998. Instead of developing another large luxury sedan, VW commissioned Italdesign to craft a Bugatti supercar to succeed the EB110.



Built upon the chassis of a Lamborghini Diablo VT, the 18/3 Chiron -- unveiled at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show -- was an aggressive, angular beast of a supercar. Power -- all 555 horsepower -- was derived from a 6.3-liter W-18 engine, displayed to the world thanks to an exposed engine cover. The interior was remarkably basic, although it was trimmed in saddle-colored leather with blue accents.

At the time, Volkswagen officials suggested a version of the Chiron would be launched at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, and could potentially reach production by 2002. This time around, VW honored its word: the 16/4 Veyron concept shown in Japan was visually (if not mechanically) similar to the Veyron EB 16.4 that went into production in 2004.
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source by automobi

1996 VW W12 Syncro/ Roadster

How do you showcase a wild new engine design? If you're Volkswagen, you hire Italdesign to place it within a wild new supercar concept.

By 1996, the Volkswagen group had cleverly devised a new range of W-pattern engines -- including a 5.6-liter W-12 -- for premium offerings like the Audi A8. Although engineers admitted the engine was nearly four years away from production (indeed, it wasn't offered in the A8 until 2001), CEO Ferdinand Piech wanted to display this new piece of tech at the 1997 Tokyo motor show.



Piech turned to Italdesign, commissioning a supercar built around both the W-12 and his company's Syncro all-wheel-drive system. Fabrizio Giugiaro -- Giorgetto's son -- delivered a long, wide coupe with the 420-horsepower W-12 placed behind the driver and passenger. VW dismissed the car as little more than a concept at the time, but several months later, the company showed a roadster variant at the Toyko show, and suggested a limited number -- 200 examples, perhaps -- could be built at a cost of $175,000 a pop.

That never happened, but the W12 supercar didn't fall by the wayside, either. By 2001, it re-emerged on the auto show scene -- again at the Toyko Motor Show -- but in a more powerful form. The W-12 itself was bored out to 6.0-liters, and was now capable of throwing down 600 horsepower. VW, in the meantime, promised a production run of 50 cars by 2002, each carrying a price tag of $200,000.

Those plans were also scuttled, but the six-liter W12 managed to set a 24-hour speed record in 2001. Engineers lapped the Nardo Circuit in Italy for a whole day, covering 4800 miles at an average speed of 200.6 mph.
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 source by automobi

1995 Lamborghini Cala

Talk about déjà-vu. Eight years before Italdesign was hired to design the Lamborghini Gallardo, a smaller, more affordable Lamborghini, it was hired to design the Cala -- a smaller, more affordable Lamborghini.

Lamborghini's portfolio was bolstered with the 1990 launch of the Diablo, but the company had no replacement for the less-expensive Jalpa, which died in 1988. At the time, parent firm Chrysler saw no need to replace it, but that mentality shifted once the Indonesian Megatech consortium took over in 1994. A less-expensive Lamborghini -- perhaps one utilizing a V-10 -- was seen as key to introducing new customers to the brand and expanding the company's marketshare.



Megatech wasted little time -- the L140 program was launched soon after it bought the company, and early prototypes (which closely resembled Diablos) were shown to dealers that November. The public would have its first look at the car come March of 1995, when Italdesign unveiled the Cala at the 1995 Geneva motor show. Lamborghini executives hinted the car was a preview of the new "baby Lambo," and even let some journalists drive the functioning show car on the open road.

Sadly, the project never came to fruition. After the Indonesian owners ran into a number of legal, fiscal, and political troubles, Lamborghini was sold to Audi, and the Cala was shelved. Executives, however, still saw value in a smaller Lamborghini, and ultimately pushed for the addition of the Gallardo to the portfolio. A wise decision, as it's now the brand's most popular product.
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source by automobi

1986 Volkswagen Machimoto
Many have tried to meld the stability of an automobile with the open-air sensation of a motorcycle, but few attempted to do so like Italdesign did with the 1986 Machimoto concept.

Using the 1.8-liter, 16-valve I-4 from the then-current GTI, the Machimoto was a low-slung, topless speedster with unusual rear wheel skirts that were de rigeuer on '80s show cars. The Machimoto's true claim to fame, however, lurked within the cabin. Instead of traditional seating, Giugiaro called for two banks of saddle seating, allowing the driver -- along with seven passengers -- to straddle the seat as if it were a motorcycle.



At the time, critics lambasted the idea of a VW-cycle hybrid, but perhaps Giugiaro had the last laugh. In 2006, Volkswagen showed the three-wheel GX3 concept, and reportedly came very close to pushing the hardcore trike into production.
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source by automobi

1973 Audi Asso Di Picche

Italdesign and Karmann teamed up once again in 1973 to craft a Volkswagen concept car, but the finished product would have a much more profound influence on other production vehicles than the Cheetah before it.



Although Audi was enjoying the fiscal stability provided by new parent Volkswagen, it was Karmann who approached Italdesign with the idea of creating a concept coupe built off the Audi 80. At the very least, the company had a vested interest in the project -- should VW/Audi brass enjoy the proposal, Karmann felt it could attain a contract to mass-produce the car.

Dubbed the Asso di Picche (Italian for Ace of Spades), the finished product looked nothing like the humble 80 it was built upon. Giugiaro envisioned a sleek, wedge-shaped coupe with a slender nose, long hood, and a short, angular fastback. The show car looked nothing like any other Audi model at the time -- arguably, the only visual link to the 80 was the front fascia, which sported a full-width grille housing large quad headlamps and the fabled four-ring logo.

VW executives liked the car, but didn't push it into production exactly like Karmann hoped. Instead, it called upon Giugiaro to pen the first-generation Scirocco, which bears a striking resemblance to the Asso di Picche -- gaping grille and all. Lucky for Karmann, it found a way to score a contract building the bodies for the little sport coupe.

Giugiaro eventually extrapolated the Asso di Picche into a line of "Ace" concepts. The Asso di Quadri (Ace of Clubs), shown in 1976, was built from a BMW 320i, and bears a remarkable resemblance to the second-generation Scirocco. The Asso di Fiore, unveiled in 1979, was a dead ringer for the 1982 Isuzu Piazza/Impulse
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source by automobi

1971 Volkswagen Karmann Cheetah

In the early 1970s, German coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann GmbH was already responsible for building the slinky Karmann Ghia and drop-top Beetles for Volkswagen -- but it also helped build a small, conceptual sports car for VW and Italdesign.



As was the case with the Karmann Ghia, the coachbuilder had virtually no say in the Cheetah project. The sleek, angular lines -- fitted over a modified Beetle floorpan -- were entirely the product of Giugiaro's imagination. Karmann did, however, have a part when it came time to design the roof. A soft top, which sported a translucent sunroof panel over the cockpit, slid down the length of the car's sidebows and could be neatly tucked between the seats.

Obviously, the Cheetah never made it into production -- a pity, for Fiat found a fair amount of success with its Bertone-styled X1/9 facsimile, which came to market a year after the Cheetah premiered at the 1971 Geneva motor show.
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source by automobi

1970 VW-Porsche Tapiro

The notion of an entry-level Porsche roadster -- built with some help from Volkswagen -- wasn't a horrible idea, but the blocky styling used on the 914 was divisive, to say the least. Giorgetto's solution was simple: take one 914/6, strip it down to the floor pan, and replace the awkward bodywork with a sleek coupe body.



The "folded paper" look may have been commonplace in the 1980s, but a decade prior -- when the Tapiro was unveiled at the Turin motor show -- the result was rather groundbreaking. Gullwing doors provided access to not only the interior, but also the engine compartment and luggage bay -- a subtle nod to the DeTomaso Mangusta which Giugiaro himself styled during his tenure at Ghia.

Unlike many concepts, which are little more than large plaster models, the Tapiro was a fully functioning automobile. After two years of touring the auto show circuit, Italdesign sold the car to a Spanish industrialist. Legend has it the Tapiro served as his daily driver until it was bombed by a group of striking workers. The remains - which were never reassembled -- currently rest in Italdesign's corporate museum.
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source by automobi

Infiniti G37 Sport Sedan

- Base price: $37,865
- 328 hp, 269 lb-ft of torque
- Inexpensive, powerful luxury sedan

Although the Infiniti G37 is available in coupe and sedan models, again the obvious family choice is the four-door. Available in several trim levels, the Sport model is the best performer of the bunch. With pricing for the Sport sedan coming in at $37,865, it can easily be considered one of the least expensive luxury sport sedans available today.



The G37's 328 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque come from its 3.7-liter normally aspirated V-6 engine. A six-speed manual is the sole transmission option for the Sport sedan. Eighteen-inch five-spoke wheels come standard on the Sport model. Four-piston calipers grab fourteen-inch rotors in the front, whereas two-piston calipers slow 13.8-inch discs in the back. The rear wheels spin harmoniously with the help of a viscous limited-slip differential, and a sport-tuned suspension aids spirited driving maneuvers.

Dual-zone automatic climate control helps keep all occupants comfortable, while leather seating throughout not only adds to the comfort level but also eases the task of cleaning crumbs. Family sing-alongs are sure to be fun with the standard ten-speaker Bose audio system. Audio can be piped to the Bose system either through the iPod connector or via the G37's streaming Bluetooth capabilities. The two gigabytes of onboard storage can house a significant amount of music, too. Infiniti's Advanced Air Bag System adjusts inflation rates for the front air bags depending on crash severity. EPA fuel economy numbers indicate that the G37 Sport sedan should be able to attain 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. The G37 Sport sedan leads the $30,000 to $40,000 pack in luxury, sporty feel, and above all family friendliness. ...
source by automobilemag

The proverb telling us that all good things must end contains no exclusionary clause for truly great automobiles. One that will soon pass from the production rolls is the Dodge Viper, a vibrant example of the all-American sports car if there ever was one.

During Chrysler's late-eighties heyday, a golden triumvirate existed that yielded many noteworthy accomplishments. Superstar Bob Lutz was the idea generator. Cross-country flights in corporate aircraft lubricated by too many liquid refreshments and excess cigar smoke served as his brainstorming forum. The French-born and Formula One case-hardened engineer Francois Castaing provided astute technical grounding, while the artistic Tom Gale consistently gave these high-altitude concepts thrilling shape and form.



The Viper's roots are the most obvious part of its character. That other renowned snake - the Shelby 427 Cobra - is such a pure example of uncompromised performance that 22 years passed between the last of the original serpents and the rise of a worthy successor.

Coincidentally, the Viper's slither through history begins exactly 22 years ago:

1988 Brilliant concept cars were an effective means to Chrysler's image-propping ends during one of their many brushes with extinction. After enjoying a thrilling weekend drive in his Autokraft continuation Cobra, Lutz directed Gale to create an update with Chrysler touches. The Corvette ZR1 was looming and Lutz wanted Chrysler to deflate that balloon by any means possible.

Months later, the media gathered at Chrysler's Highland Park, Michigan, design dome found a low, menacing form hidden under a drop cloth. When the cover was whisked away, jaws dropped and the room's pressure momentarily fell as every attendee inhaled in synch.

What Gale had created was a flame red phallus on wheels - long of hood, short of deck, low of profile. Like the production design the followed, there was room under the exaggerated front end for a large and powerful V-10 engine. Header pipes rippling like tensed muscles from the fender vents dumped hot exhaust to atmosphere just ahead of the wide rear tires. This was a pure roadster with no targa bar, roll up windows, or nod to weather protection. The assembled scribes were stirred by Chrysler's boldness but skeptical if this radical departure from behavioral norms could survive beyond the concept phase.
1989 The walls creaked, the roof moved when the Viper rolled onto a Cobo Hall stage with guttural undertones to make its public debut at January's North American (Detroit) Auto Show. A low targa bar had sprouted on the deck but Tom Gale's suitably aggressive sculpture was for the most part intact.

The response from show goers was overwhelming. Some posted deposit checks even though there were no production plans. That spurred Lutz to quickly breathe vitality into Chrysler's cobbled up concept.

Hundreds of engineers descended upon a meeting established to recruit a handful of chassis, powertrain, and manufacturing experts needed to move the Viper to production. Lutz gave the team a $50-million budget and a three-year gestation period. The first of two engineering mules was running by year's end with temporary V-8 power.

1990 Lamborghini, then owned by Chrysler, assisted the design and manufacture of the first aluminum V-10 engines. Viper team boss Roy Sjoberg gave Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca a drive in the second (V-10 powered) engineering mule. Project approval and a go for production were issued the moment Lido stepped out of the cockpit.

1991 Living legend Carroll Shelby paced the Indy 500 behind the wheel of a Viper prototype. In the fall, scribes were offered their first test drives in pre-production models.

1992 Production began at a spruced up corner of Chrysler's decrepit New Mack Assembly plant in Detroit. The Dodge Viper RT/10 Roadster was a classic sports roadster with no traction or stability controls, air bags, air conditioning, or convertible roof. Weather protection was provided by a collapsible toupee top and side curtains. Only 200 examples were built and sold during the introductory year.

1994 Air conditioning was added to the options list.

1995 Viper manufacturing operations were moved to Chrysler's Conner Avenue Assembly plant.

1996 After a stunning GTS coupe was added to the lineup, the Viper again paced the Indy 500, this time with 'Maximum Bob' Lutz at the wheel. All 1996 Vipers benefited from more power, reduced weight, a 25-percent stiffer structure, better brakes, and improved suspension systems. Still lacking ABS, the Viper's Achilles heel was long stopping distances. The troublesome side exhaust pipes and outlets were revised to a rear-outlet design for the GTS.

1997 Dual airbags, which appeared the year before in the GTS, became standard roadster equipment. European exports began. Viper Team Oreca earned the first of many racing championships in the FIA's GT2 class.

1999 An upgraded Cognac Connolly leather interior package became available. The American Club Racing (ACR) model had extra power, less weight, stiffer suspension, stickier tires, and special aerodynamic equipment
2001 ABS finally became standard in all Vipers.

2002 To close out the first generation, 360 final edition Vipers painted red with white stripes were built.

2003 A thorough redesign gave the Viper roadster - now called SRT-10 - fresh bodywork, a larger and more potent engine, and various chassis improvements.

2006 A new coupe arrived with 510 horsepower.

2007 Busy tooling up a third-generation design, the Viper team extended 2006 production and skipped the 2007 model year.

2008 Raising the V-10's displacement to 8.4-liters, adding variable valve timing on the exhaust side, and comprehensive induction and exhaust refinements boosted output to a nice round 600 horsepower. Transmission, differential, and tire improvements yielded significant acceleration benefits. The new Michelin Pilot Sport 2 radials were a boon to handling. Eliminating the crossover pipes helped reduce cockpit heat.

2009 Late in the year, Dodge boss Ralph Gillies announced the Viper's impending demise. While there were hints a replacement might arrive someday, the chances of the name, V-10 engine, or original character surviving are miniscule. A few worthy suitors offered to buy Viper manufacturing rights but Chrysler's new owner Fiat spurned those overtures.

2010 Dodge dealers began accepting deposits for 510 Final Edition Vipers. The roadster is priced at $91,185, the coupe costs $750 more, while the ACR model runs $106,485 (destination charges included). The intended split is 20 coupes, 18 roadsters, 12 ACRs. The last of approximately 27,000 Vipers will roll off the assembly line in July.

VIPER'S MAJOR COMPETITION ACHIEVEMENTS

* Four FIA GT2 championships
* Ten FIA GT championships
* Overall victory at Daytona, Nurburgring, and Spa 24 hour races
* Three LeMans GT2 class wins
* One LeMans GTS class win
 source by automobilemag

In 2003, Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello, and Guy Smith drove the Bentley Speed 8 prototype to victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The same car will be featured at the 60th Anniversary of the Bentley Drivers Club at Silverstone.

The Bentley Drivers Club 60th Anniversary meeting promises to be a “moving-museum” of Bentley’s motor racing heritage. Bentleys of every era, ranging from a 1925 3 Litre to the 2003 Speed 8, will appear in the paddock and on the track.



Bentley will be bringing several of its more famous racing cars to the track, including at least two cars that helped the marque win the famous Le Mans race five times between 1924 and 1930. The first official Le Mans works Bentley- a 1925 3 Litre- will be featured as one of them and the 1926 3 Litre, “MK 5205”, is another of the featured Le Mans works Bentleys of old.

In stark contrast to the older racing Bentleys, are the Speed 8 and other Brooklands cars and Bentleys that have raced at BDC events in the past 60 years. The Bentley handicap race is set to show the full mix of Bentley’s racing heritage by pitting classic 3 Litres against more modern Turbo Rs.

The Bentley Drivers Club 60th Anniversary meeting takes place at Silverstone on August 8th and 9th.

Image of Benley at Le Mans in 1925 credited to the W.O. Bentley Memorial Foundation
 source by carsanddriver

New information released on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website shows that BMW is recalling all 1 Series models sold in the U.S. between 2008 and 2010 for a potential fire risk.

According to the manufacturer, cars built between December 1, 2007, and May 27, 2010, may not have sufficient clearance between the seatbelt tensioners and the sound insulation in the B-pillars. Should a crash occur, the tensioners could overheat. In rare instances, the excess temperature could possibly ignite the insulation material.



BMW has not yet released a fix for the issue, but has notified NHTSA of the recall and halted sales of all 1 Series models until it rectifies the design issue. BMW will notify owners of the recall shortly and provide updated information to NHTSA when it has a fix. For more information, contact your local BMW dealership.

Source: NHTSA automobilemag