Articles by Kurt Ernst

Concept cars are meant to be breathtaking examples of what’s possible, not necessarily what’s practical. Sometimes, concepts are designed for a specific reason in mind, like relaunching an iconic model from years past, or re-igniting a market’s passion for a particular automaker. Such is the case with the Alfa Romeo Gloria concept, which will debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Though styled by Master in Transportation Design students from the European Design Institute, in cooperation with the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, the Gloria concept is meant to appeal specifically to customers in America and Asia. Billed as a “sport sedan with decisive lines,” the Gloria would be powered by a V-6 or biturbo V-8 engine. Its hood carries the shape of the traditional Alfa Romeo shield grille, while the leather straps flowing from the front fenders are meant to evoke the memory of historic Alfas past. In all, some 20 design students from around the world participated in the project, with one 1:4 scale clay model ultimately chosen for its close adherence to the initial design brief. The experience was meant to closely parallel a real work situation, giving the Masters program students valuable hands-on experience. Geneva Motor Show attendees will be able to see the full-scale Gloria concept model, and will also be able to “interact” with the design via iPad, changing colors and rims to suit their own tastes. While we’d love to see the Gloria debut as one of Alfa Romeo’s re-introductory models for the U.S. market, we suspect the design is just a bit too edgy and impractical to see production. Like the 2uettottanta roadster concept, however, we can hold out hope until Alfa Romeo (or its parent, Fiat) officially says no. www.motorauthority.com    

Though the McLaren P1’s official debut will take place at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, McLaren is still showing off its P1 prototype. The car made its Middle East debut in Bahrain last month, so McLaren took advantage of a vacant Bahrain International Circuit to grab some stills of the car.Bahrain is both the Middle East base for McLaren Automotive and the home of its largest shareholder, Mumtalakat. It’s no secret that a significant number of P1 sales will take place in the region, too, adding to the urgency of the car’s reveal.As McLaren’s regional director for the Middle East, Mark Harrison, explained, “...we are very excited to be bringing the McLaren P1 to the United Arab Emirates, where our retail partner, Al Habtoor Motors, has confirmed a huge interest in the unique car.”While we can’t give you any new information on the P1 since we posted interior shots yesterday, we thought these high-quality stills of McLaren’s latest effort were worth sharing. We hope these will hold you until we can bring you all the P1's inner secrets as part of our 2013 Geneva Motor Show coverage.www.motorauthority.com  

If you’ve ever shopped for a new car, chances are good that someone has passed along this bit of automotive wisdom: never purchase a new or redesigned model in its first year of release. While that may have been true in years past, the latest vehicle dependability data from J.D. Power and Associates in the US shows that it’s no longer true today. Based on three years worth of accumulated data, new or redesigned cars released in 2010 show fewer reported problems than carry-over models. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for good news concerning vehicle dependability, too. Overall, the three-year (what J.D. Power considers long-term) dependability of vehicles has increased year-on-year, with the 2013 numbers showing a five percent improvement over the 2012 numbers. In fact, the latest data shows just 126 problems per 100 vehicles, representing the lowest problem count since J.D. Power began conducting the study in 1989. That speaks volumes about the potential reliability of vehicles coming off lease, and it should also give peace of mind to owners with expiring warranties. While both domestic brands and imports have seen increases in reliability, the once-pronounced gap between the two is narrowing. General Motors, for example, has received four segment awards for dependability, with honors going to the Buick Lucerne, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Sierra HD. The greatest improvement in year-on-year dependability also came from a domestic manufacturer, with Chrysler’s Ram trucks improving by 52 problems per 100 vehicles. The most reliable vehicle, however, is the Lexus RX, which saw just 57 problems per 100 vehicles. Overall, Lexus ranks highest in dependability among all nameplates for the second year in a row. Toyota’s luxury division racked up just 71 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Porsche (94), Lincoln (112), Toyota (112), Mercedes-Benz (115), Buick (118), Honda (119), Acura (120), Ram (122) and Suzuki (122). At the bottom of the list, however, are Volkswagen (174), Jeep (178), Mitsubishi (178), Dodge (190) and Land Rover (220), which would seem to indicate that not every manufacturer has stepped up its dependability. www.thecarconnection.com  

With just three weeks remaining until the P1 supercar has its official debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, McLaren is teasing bits and pieces of its construction to keep the car in the public eye.

With Valentines Day right around the corner, we can tell you that few things impress a member of the fairer sex quite as much as a turquoise-blue box labelled “Tiffany and Company.”  If you’re on a limited budget, however, the famed jeweller probably won’t have much in your price range, as Tiffany’s specializes in higher-end bangles. If money is no concern and your significant other already has all the necklaces, bracelets and earrings she can wear, you can still surprise her with a Tiffany & Company-inspired Valentine’s Day present that she’ll never forget, courtesy of Beverly Hills, California, Bentley dealership O’Gara Coach Company. As Italy’s 0-100 revealed, O’Gara has commissioned three 2013 Bentley Continental models sprayed in Celeste Blue Pearlescent paint, virtually identical to the colour of the Tiffany’s gift box.  The special edition 2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8 pictured here includes a black roof with a light grey headliner; piano black veneer trim; a Linen Beluga leather interior; massaging, ventilated front seats; a rearview camera and a unique sill plaque identifying the car as a specially-commissioned edition. Power comes from a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, rated at 370 kilowatts and 660 newton meters. Shifting through an eight-speed automatic transmission, that’s enough thrust to propel the open-air Bentley from 0-100 kph in under 4.8 seconds. Cylinder deactivation boosts fuel economy to 10.2 liters per kilometer on the highway, not bad considering the car’s mass. This particular edition is available for US$224,215, although a similar one here would likely sell for a premium over the US$407,000 price tag of the local price. As for the other Tiffany-themed Bentley models, O’Gara references one more Bentley Continental GTC convertible and a Bentley Continental GT coupe on its website. www.motorauthority.com  

When it comes to movie cars, few are more famous than the Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and Skyfall. In total, four cars were reportedly built for filming and promotion of the Bond movies. Two were constructed for the filming of Goldfinger, but Wikipedia advises that one of these DB5s was stolen from its owners in Florida in 1997. The surviving Goldfinger movie car was sold at an RM Auction event in 2010 for the rather impressive sum of $4.1 million. While it’s hard to price such an iconic car, its value was likely helped by the fact that it was driven by Sean Connery in both Goldfinger and Thunderball. The two cars remaining were used to promote the Bond franchise, but never appeared onscreen. One, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, resides in the collection of the Louwman Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The final remaining James Bond DB5, reportedly a 1965 model, is now being offered for sale by Aston Martin specialist Richard Stewart Williams, Limited. Equipped with the standard array of gadgets like a nail dispenser, oil spray nozzles, bulletproof shield and rotating number plates, it’s the perfect addition to anyone’s Aston Martin collection. The Deccan Herald reports that the car was also used to promote Thunderball, and that the asking price is set at 3 million pounds ($4.5 million AUD). That seems a bit ambitious to us, given the fact that the actual DB5 used in the filming of Goldfinger sold for over half a million dollars less. That said, the universal truth of collector cars is this: their value is ultimately set by a determined buyer. While we suppose RS Williams will entertain offers for the car, it knows that finding a buyer willing to pay that much is just a matter of time. www.motorauthority.com  

Getting a straight answer out of Ford on the next Focus RS is likely getting a concise and clearly-worded response from a politician: no matter how you phrase the question, the reply will be in the form of a non-answer. While that may frustrate potential customers and Focus RS fans, we understand the realities of the global automotive business. To justify a niche-specific performance car, you need to sell a whole lot of crossovers and family sedans first. That makes Ford reluctant to commit to a car as specialized as the Focus RS. Britain's Autocar is now reporting that the Ford Focus RS will go on sale (in Europe, anyway) sometime in 2015. That means that Ford has built a business case for its highest-performing hot hatch, justifying it against the likes of the more accessible Focus ST and the brand’s iconic rear-drive pony car, the Mustang. Thanks to the automaker’s “One Ford” policy, that may mean that overseas customers will have a shot at sampling the Focus RS’ wares, unless Ford decides the car is simply too expensive to export to these shores. Unlike the Focus ST, which blends equal parts performance and practicality, the Focus RS makes few concessions to things beyond acceleration and handling. It’s priced accordingly, which raises the issue of whether or not Americans will spend that kind of money on a hot hatch, no matter how fast it is. Under the hood of the next Focus RS will be a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, also expected to appear in the next Mustang. In Mustang guise, it will be longitudinally mounted, and is expected to make some 243 kW. For Focus RS duty, the engine will be spun sideways and transversely mounted, with power going to the front wheels. Final output remains a mystery, but it’s a safe bet that the Focus RS will make more thrust from the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine than the Mustang will. The once-rumored all-wheel drive is reportedly off the table, too. An electric-drive system for the rear wheels was considered, but deemed to be too expensive. The Escape’s AWD system was also looked at, but it was found to be too bulky for use in the Focus RS. Instead, torque steer will be addressed by a revised version of the Revoknuckle front suspension that appeared on the last Focus RS. Like the Focus ST, the new Focus RS is expected to come in five-door flavor only, and the car will use the same “Sound Symposer” found in the ST to deliver the engine’s beautiful noise to the cabin. Assuming Autocar has the right information, expect the Focus RS to debut in Europe sometime in 2015. We’d call U.S. sales “possible,” though a timetable for a U.S. launch is impossible to predict. www.motorauthority.com  

Compact luxury crossovers are the new darlings of the automotive industry, as they give buyers the amenities they expect while delivering improved fuel economy (compared to their larger siblings) for

A few weeks back, we brought you word that a Hennessey Venom GT driven by John Kiewicz had set a new Guinness World Record as the fastest two-seat production car from 0-300 km/h, taking just 13.63 seconds to reach this velocity. If you wondered what such a feat would look like from inside the car, the above video answers that question rather well. Since Guinness requires a two-way average on speed record runs, the 13.63-second record was the average of a 13.18-second run and a 14.08-second run. The video’s details show just how much weather conditions impact velocity, as the 13.18-second run was achieved with an 8km/h tailwind. Driving into a 10km/h headwind, it took the Venom nearly a full second longer to achieve the same 300 km/h speed. The official Guinness World Record is for the 300 km/h speed, but Hennessey is also claiming a record for the fastest production car to 200 mph, which took a two-run average time of 14.51 seconds. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that kind of acceleration, especially from a car that lacks the traction of all-wheel drive. www.motorauthority.com  

The 2014 Lexus IS will make its official debut at next week’s Detroit Auto Show, but images of the new BMW 3 Series fighter are already starting to turn up online. After images began appearing on various internet sites (leaked from a single Chinese site, apparently) Lexus itself posted these images, which show the new car in F Sport trim. Finally, we get a chance to see what lurks beneath the camouflage in our previously published spy shots. The now-familiar spindle grille is present and accounted for, and it appears to be even more pronounced (and more dimensional) than on the recently updated Lexus GS. There’s a serious amount of venting in the front, too, which gives the new IS a face straight out of science fiction. Look closely, and tell us you don’t see the alien from Predator in the lower fascia; that's a bolder design that we're used to seeing from Lexus. We presume this will be tapered back in non F Sport models, though. The side skirts sweeping upward to join the taillights is a bold move from Lexus, and we like the organic shape of the headlights and taillights. They’re reduced in size, too, in keeping with current automotive design expectations. Overall, Lexus says its trying to give the redesigned IS a broad and powerful stance, and we'd say the company hit the mark. There's no denying that the car has a certain presence, and we suspect that will translate into more buyers in Lexus showrooms. If the exterior isn't enough to convince you, one glance at the new car's interior will probably do the trick. In a word, it's stunning, and easily among the more sporting designs we've seen in recent years. Lexus says the longer wheelbase and thinner front seats combine to give more rear legroom, addressing a common complaint with the previous IS models. Other cabin details include a dash-mounted analog clock, electrostatic switches for the temperature controls, and an LFA-inspired steering wheel. F Sport models also get the driver's meter with moving center ring from the LFA, as well as a perforated leather steering wheel wrap, metal film 3D-look trim, black seat stitching, and aluminum pedals and scuff plates, plus the new Rioja Red interior color option. We’ll bring you more images as well as all the details on the 2014 Lexus IS models as part of our complete 2013 Detroit Auto Show coverage. www.motorauthority.com