Tag Archives: supercar

Watch how a father made this realistic wooden replica of the Lamborghini Sian for his child to ride

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65 days is a pretty ambitious timeline for building a Lamborghini from scratch, especially if you’re working alone… but if you’re a seasoned woodworking expert like Trương Văn Đạo, things sort of fall into place. Văn Đạo made this miniature working replica of the Sian Roadster for his son, and meticulously documented the entire process on his YouTube channel ND Woodworking Art. The child-sized Lamborghini isn’t just a replica model though… it runs too, as Văn Đạo demonstrated by driving along on a highway too. The car comes outfitted with automatic scissor doors, working LED headlights + taillights, swiveling rear-view mirrors, a rather nifty (yet slightly toyish) dashboard along with a replica wooden steering wheel, and even a key-fob that lets you control aspects of the car! It’s a tight fit for adults but is perfectly sized for young children. No, there are no seatbelts, but it’s safe to say this Lamborghini isn’t crossing any speed limits.

Designer: ND Woodworking Art

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

Just like the original Sian, Văn Đạo’s replica runs on an electric powertrain. The car doesn’t just sit on a random toy car’s chassis too, everything’s made and assembled from scratch, including the steering fork, the rear-wheel drive, and get this, even the wheels, which are made from wood and then covered with rubber treads! The car is almost exclusively made from blocks of wood that have been glued together and sanded down to a fine surface before being layered with polish (the video shows the remarkable 65-day process in a timelapse), and you’ve really got to appreciate how good Văn Đạo is at his craft for being able to pull this off from start to finish.

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

For final touches, Văn Đạo plugs in the headlights and taillights in, and even puts in the Lamborghini logo on the front and a faux license plate on the back. The rear fins of the car come with the Sian branding too! The car’s doors are operated by pistons that are controlled using the key-fob (view them in action at the exact 08:30 mark), and yes, there are adjustable side-view mirrors too! The video currently stands at above 9.5 million views, although it isn’t the first time Văn Đạo’s attempted something so ambitious. In the past, he’s managed to build child-size wooden replicas of the BMW 328 Hommage, the Ferrari Aperta, and the Bugatti Centodieci too! I’d say his kid pretty much lucked out in the dad department!

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

Wooden Lamborghini Sian Roadster by ND Woodworking Art

Maserati’s sleek yet luxurious automotive merges the brand’s past + future of autonomous supercars!

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Maserati has always pushed the envelope of luxury and performance right from its inception in 1914, and till date. So what does the future hold for the Italian luxury supercar maker in an era where the automotive industry is making the rapid shift towards eco-friendly autonomous driving? Automotive design student Dohoon Jeong imagines the future which will have a semblance of classic infused in the design. A future where gorgeous design DNA and attractive sensibility will take precedence over the practicality of driving. The focus will be on the Trident structure, contrasting visual appeal, and the technical sharpness of the muscular body.

Dohoon calls it the Maserati Tridente, and the concept draws inspiration from the fluidic sculpture of Fountain of Neptune, chrome texture or the retro rides, and the exposed interior of the classics that the Italian super car maker has been known for in the yesteryears. In fact, the DNA is influenced more by the classic design of the Maserati cars which are etched in history as one of the greatest. The wide flowing design and the nostalgic roadster characteristics have been amalgamated together seamlessly for an artistic car of the future – having a very definitive interconnection between the interior and exterior as the body frame inspired by the Trident blade takes shape.

The sharp blade of the Trident encapsulated in a square logo and the shark grille highlights the Maserati DNA upfront. The copper texture further adds the luxury element to the two-seater autonomous supercar. The seating is embellished in all red hues for a royal feel sans any futuristic dashboard elements to keep things clean. Maserati Tridente is the deserving mascot of the brand’s future – the design speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

Designer: Dohoon Jeong

 

This INFINITI-inspired car’s fluid design promises a high octane racing experience!

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INFINITI Motor Company, a luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan isn’t in the most optimum state right now, but the brand has made vital inroads in the automotive market in the past decades since its first car rolled off the manufacturing lines in 1989. That isn’t stopping creative automotive designers like Daniel Platek from using the brand image to culminate their design iterations for dream-like futuristic supercars. The designer has envisioned this INFINITI QF Inspiration Concept that’s dominated by sleek flowing lines and the sublime charm of a racetrack-worthy four-wheeler.

Daniel has put together the design of this supercar of the future, keeping in mind the brand’s bold design language and the technological advancement of automotive design. Although Daniel doesn’t narrow down on much of the details, the concept car has to be propelled forward using the electric drivetrain sitting under the hood or on the rear boot. The aerodynamic character of the QF Inspiration is evident from its very low-ride height design of just a few inches, making it suited only for racetracks or highways where the tarmac is as clean as a whistle. The balance of the concept from the front to the rear end is enchanting – you’ll actually want to see one go past you in reality.

On the inside, the single-seated driving position further strengthens the racing character, highlighted by the F1-like seating position and the steering wheel taking up the INFINITI logo’s shape. The compact console shows all the vital telemetry, and the white interiors keep things clean visually. Overall, the concept manages to capture the brand’s vivid past and tries to reimagine a supercar that’ll again set it on a path of resurrection!

Designer: Daniel Platek

 

This Spiderman worthy Lotus supercar is inspired by the bone structure found in nature!

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Nature is our best inspiration for creating modern designs and this project is no different. Taking a deep inspiration from the basic skeletal of bone, that uses the bare minimum building elements while staying structurally strong, this barebones concept racing sportscar gives a glimpse of the brand’s future – or what it could be. The brainchild of industrial designer Ondrej Hlavenka from Munich, Germany, the supercar concept has a unique form factor focused on performance via lightweight aesthetics due to removal of mass where it’s not needed. Ondrej is heavily inspired by the Ross Lovegrove philosophy of incorporating minimum mass – makes perfect sense for performance cars of today and the future.

The well-balanced layout of the supercar (assuming by its aerodynamic aesthetics) sans the full-body panel structure reduces the drag, maintaining the aerodynamics for achieving top speeds in a closely contested race. Of course, the dynamics could only be ascertained after a wind tunnel test, but on paper, it looks to be made for high-speed sprints on a track like the Nürburgring. The drivetrain has also got be an electric one due to the constricted space dominated by the minimal bone structure.

By the looks of things, the concept should be dubbed as Lotus Web, since it resembles a spider web and maybe Spiderman would want to have his own sexy ride for once. Truly the concept is an interpretation of how nature meets technology with balanced performance and aesthetics. One should also not count out the sync of knowledge and intuitive design – given that Ondrej has worked at Bugatti!

Designer: Ondrej Hlavenka

This Porsche 411 concept reimagines the classic 911 with autonomous driving and futuristic design

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The hypercars are one of the most fascinating parts of writing about automotive design – it is an imaginary drive into a future that I only ever saw in Jetsons (the 3D renderings are far superior to the 2D cartoons!). Designers Hussain Almossawi and Marin Myftiu have reimagined the 911 Spyder for NCS Company, an Italian prototyping and development company, calling it the 411. 

The iconic 911 Spyder is something of an automotive unicorn that hasn’t been replicated, the designers accurately call it a dreamlike beast. The 411 is a design project that aims at leveling up the design game for Porsche’s hypercar by blending the best of their timeless elements from the ‘50s – ’60s with the future. The headlights are aligned with the front wheels with a smoothly wrapped bodywork as a nod to the Porsche heritage. Distinctive design details like no body cut along the front and having all the air ducts are exposed actively play a role in the performance of the car. What sets the 411 apart from the existing hypercars is that it is designed with the goal of being a luxury highway cruiser, the driver should be able to enjoy the 400 kmph speed (well, if the rules allow it) outside the runway too when they invest in a Porsche. The sleek aerodynamic body with a geometric approach gives the electric car the same muscular feel of the real machine.

“The concept envisions a not-so-distant future where, with the perfection of autonomous driving, some highways will allow higher speed limits in this mode. Removing the human error from the equation will allow safe cruising at speeds of 200, 300 or even 400+ Km/h, giving business people and the likes a viable alternative to flight as well as a real reason for boasting about that exotic car,” explains Almossawi who has formerly designed crazy concepts for Adidas too. The concept as interesting as the future it is designed for –  a world where a car’s fast speeds would be achievable with on-the-go inductive charging thanks to advanced tech and in-built inductive charging stripes underneath the roads. It is a concept but not impossible as automakers work to make the electric batteries smaller which would help with the driving dynamics. Elon, if you are reading this can you tweet at Porsche and do a collab that can give us hope for the future?

Designers: Hussain Almossawi and Marin Myftiu for NCS Company

Built for Formula1 as well as Le Mans circuits, the LMF1 concept is all about speed and endurance

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What would it take to build the ultimate racecar? A racecar that can handle the breakneck speeds of an F1 race, but also withstand the grueling demands of the 24-hour Le Mans circuit? I don’t imagine there’s a single car that has fared well on both an F1 track as well as a Le Mans (hit me up if there is one), but that didn’t stop designer Robin Mazánek from creating the LMF1, a conceptual beauty made to dominate any sort of racetrack.

The LMF1 (a portmanteau of LM and F1) just like its name, is a fusion of styles and technology. Inspired by Formula 1 and endurance prototypes, the LMF1 sports a lightweight, aerodynamic, low-hung design with a closed-cockpit. Modeled after most Le Mans prototypes, the car measures at nearly 433 centimeters long, making it shorter than the conventional F1 car, but just as capable. Carbon-fiber paneling makes the car lightweight and sturdy, and helps use air to its advantage, creating just the right amount of downforce needed to give the car speed and control on the track. The air even helps cool the car’s insides, which features a hybrid turbo-engine for maximized range. A 1.6L turbo-engine helps generate electricity, which gets stored in the car’s batteries, supplying the electromotor with an extra surge of power. The car comes with a rear-wheel drive, and according to Mazánek’s calculations, tops off at 1000hp.

The LMF1 currently exists just as a fan-made concept that fulfills the childhood fantasy of many a gearhead. I don’t imagine any company’s ever taken up the challenge to build the ultimate undisputed race-demon that can stand up to F1 and Le Mans racers, but let’s hope someone eventually does!

Designer: Robin Mazánek

Hyperion’s futuristic hydrogen-powered supercar can hit speeds as high as 220 mph

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Hyperion’s supercar looks like an absolute beast of an automobile, but if the driver seated inside it had their way, you probably would never really get to see the car properly. Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Hyperion XP-1 can hit breakneck speeds of 220mph (354kmh), so all you’d really see is a blur as it passes you by.

The car was supposed to debut at the now-canceled New York Auto Show, but Hyperion did deliver on its promise of a reveal by releasing the video above, and images of what the car will look like. The car was designed by Hyperion’s team of aerospace engineers, a fact that’s pretty believable considering how the car looks like it could break the sound barrier. The tip of the XP-1 even has a jet-inspired pointed nose to cut across the air as the rest of the automobile’s aerodynamic surfacing helps guide it forward with as little drag as possible. The car’s outer body, made from titanium-reinforced carbon-fiber, encloses its “Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Power Module”. This “space-age” hydrogen propulsion system stores energy in cells as opposed to a lithium-ion battery, and delivers power to four motors connected to each of the four wheels. It all sounds futuristic because it most certainly is, and I’m not surprised that the XP-1’s ignition sounds like Iron Man’s repulsors too.

The Hyperion XP-1 boasts of a stellar 1000 mile range, delivered in part because of the efficient hydrogen propulsion system, but also because the car comes mounted with solar panels on its air blades. The air blades, sitting on each side of the car, act as aerodynamic structures to help cornering at high-speeds, and come mounted with solar panels that can apparently change position to track the sun as you drive. Speaking of driving, the XP1 boasts of an acceleration of 0-60mph in just 2.2 seconds, and a top speed of over 220mph. Moreover, Hyperion even claims that the supercar can fully recharge in under 5 minutes. The company’s been beating all odds to continue development and production through the pandemic, and they’re estimating having 300 units of a production version ready by as soon as 2022.

Designer: Hyperion

Apex’s electric supercar includes an AR race coach and partial self-driving

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How do you make a name for yourself as an EV startup when you have plenty of rivals? By promising a mix of breakneck performance with uncommon tech, apparently. UK-based newcomer Apex has unveiled the AP-0, an electric supercar that's ready for the t...

Pininfarina debuts ultra-rare $2.9 million version of its electric hypercar

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Is Pininfarina's Battista electric hypercar just not exclusive enough for you? You're in luck. The Italian automaker has unveiled a special Battista Anniversario variant that pushes the EV even further. It still revolves around that 1,900HP quad-m...