2011 Bentley Continental GT Coupe Fuzzily Spied

These here are spy shots of the redesigned 2011 Bentley Continental GT coupe. The pictures are a tad grainy and admittedly not of the best quality, but they do give us a glimpse of the cosmetic changes Bentley is readying for its luxurious coupe model.

From what we can tell, the front-end of the refreshed Continental GT takes some styling cues from the new Mulsanne such as the big round inner headlights flanked by off-set smaller ones.

It also appears that the rear fenders have been re-sculptured and are even more pronounced on the new model. Word has it that the 'Conti' will most likely also benefit from changes under the hood with the adoption of E85 flex-fuel capable engines.

The 2011 Bentley Continental GT is expected to make its world premiere at this year's edition of the Paris Motor Show in October.

Fastest Ever Seat, the 265HP Leon Cupra R, Arrives in Britain

The most powerful and quickest-accelerating production Seat to date, the new 265-horsepower Leon Cupra R, will carry a price tag of £25,205 when the orders books open at the firm's UK dealers on Thursday 1 April.

The Cupra R is powered by a VW Group-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot delivering a maximum output of 265HP and a peak torque of 350 Nm at 2,500 rpm that drive the front-wheels through a revised six-speed manual gearbox.

The Spaniards claim that their five-door GTI sprints from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 250km/h (155mph), whilst returning 35mpg UK (equal to 29.2 mpg US and 8.7lt/100km) on the combined European cycle with 190 g/km of CO2.

Special features of the Cupra R model include the central exit exhaust pipes within a customized rear diffuser, a larger roof spoiler, gloss black trim, unique 19-inch alloy wheels shod in 235/35 tires, body-hugging bucket-style front sports seats and an exclusive engine cover.

Efficient Dynamics, Meet Pod Racer: BMW Sequence GT Concept

The BMW Sequence GT is the brainchild of Seungmo Lim, a graduate student at Pforzheim University in Germany.

Lim explains that the "Electric Gran Turismo Sequence" project started out with two questions: 1) "How important is the appearance of green cars?", and 2) "What is 'Efficient dynamics'?"

"In other words these two questions mean, 'What kind of qualification does a blue or green car have to have in order to get a BMW badge in the future?'"

I've got no idea, so it's good that he came up with an answer: Combining "driving pleasure with blue architecture."

The concept would make use of wheel-mounted motors (optimizing space) while featuring new kidney placement (for motor-cooling and BMW-ness).

With those oddly-placed kidneys and nose prongs, the Sequence sure is interesting to look at. Lim says, "Another important feature of Sequence is a big twisting surface starting from front fender to the shoulder. It gives the car a very characteristic and dramatic appearance."

The designer also has high hopes for the future by making use of Better Place's recharging system, which ideally "allows you to drive into the station where a machine, installed under the ground, changes the battery within one minute. The station then uses solar panels to recharge the batteries without any emissions."

I guess now Hollywood has a car for a Minority Report sequel.

- By Phil Alex

Via: Cardesign

Senner Tuning's Audi S5 'White Beast' Does its best Wendigo impression

Senner Tuning has released its take on Audi's S5 Coupe. The call it the White Beast - apparently the Germans learned their "lesson" after last year's "White Power" RS6...

It wears a wide-inlet front fascia, while the rear apron comes from Rieger (done in "carbon look", something I wouldn't want on a Jetta, let alone an S5).

Can you guess what's coming next? Yup, there's also a lip spoiler on the trunk and LED tail lights. "But this is still not enough. As the name "White Beast" implies, not only the optics but also the engine power have been upgraded." And away we go.

Output gets a bump to 384 horsepower (+30 hp) and 475 Nm / 350 lb-ft of torque (+35 Nm / +26 lb-ft) thanks to the new air filter, exhaust system, and "parametric surface optimization". Top speed is also up, at 285 km/h (177 mph).

New springs drop the car 40mm in front and 35mm in back, and the version you see here rides on diamond black 21-inch Work Varianza T1S rims ("produced exclusively for Senner Tuning").

Inside, there's all the blood-red Audi you can ask for, along with some extra (and real) carbon trim around the dash.

Here's the best part: "There is also a fancy foot mat of high-quality velour – this is where sport ambitions merge with individuality."

So THAT'S where it happens.

- By Phil Alex