Here's what happens when a designer sees the Solstice Coupe or Miata Coupe and thinks, "If they can do it to one of those, we can surely do it to an SL." StudioTorino, in conjunction with IAAD (Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design), has created this Coupetorino based on the Mercedes-Benz SL. Designed for the 'Turin World Design Capital 2008' event in the "Bespoke Coachwork" class, this 1:4 scale model was created by Alfredo Stola at StudioTorino and Piotr Degler Jablonski at IAAD. The idea was to transform the Mercedes SL into an exclusive coupé with Italian flair. We'd say they succeeded, although we would have preferred a hatch to gain some luggage space. If the name sounds familiar, StudioTorino is the firm that brought us the wagon-esque Maserati Cinqueporte, the comically sinister Fiat 500 based Diabolika, and the Porsche Cayman-based RK Coupe.
What would Luigi make of this? The little Fiat 500 from Pixar's Cars said he only follows Ferrari, but then his cousin shows up, decked out in NASCAR livery. This original 1966 Fiat 500 has been tuned by Italian racing garage Giannini, with a tiny 700cc two-cylinder engine capable of taking the quaint little Italian up to 100 mph and return a staggering 60+ mpg. To set it apart from ordinary Cinquecentos, this example has been decked out in decals mimicking Tony Stewart's NASCAR racer, ready to cheer from the sidelines at the Piston Cup. The car was listed in excellent condition with no rust, and recently sold on eBay for just $7,700.
Jim Magill's little Fiat 500 made a stop in SoCal this weekend and we were among the lucky few who got some seat time in it. As we recently blogged, Jim shipped his microcar to the States all the way from Belfast, Northern Ireland to help raise some cash for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, and to meet with some fellow Fiat tifosi along the way. As part of the plan the Cinquecento is being driven to some high profile events to show it off and help spread the word about his cause. In the OC this past Saturday morning, the car attracted a ton of attention at a weekly car show, even sitting in the shadow of a few Zagato-bodied Lancias and Alfas. While the nearby Isettas made it seem positively huge, the tiny Fiat was still appreciated for its frugality and miniscule footprint. After the show we went for a spin and stopped to take a few pics of the car next to a handy Smart ForTwo.
The word "cinque," as in Pagani Cinque, means "five." The newest Pagani is the road-legal version of the racetrack-only Pagani Zonda R, and there will sadly be but five of them made for which all are already spoken. Not that we would have bought one, but it would have been nice to have had the opportunity.
The Cinque, with 678 horsepower and 575 lb. ft. of torque will teleport from 0-to-60 in 3.4 seconds, and at 186 MPH the car creates more than half its own weight in downforce. It also gets a sequential 6-speed transmission, and you can flick through the gears with paddles or a gear shift on the center console. That console and the racing buckets that face it will probably be made entirely of carbon fiber.
Pagani has created a bespoke titanium and carbon fiber material that means the Cinque weighs 40 pounds less than the Zonda F. Weight savings are also achieved with titanium monobloc wheels, as well as the magnesium and titanium Ohlins suspension. It is the very definition of a supercar: fast, light, rare, hot. Be sure to check out the new gallery of hi-res photos of the Pagani Cinque below, because that's probably as close as you'll ever get to one.
Back in February, we opined the fact that the production Pagani Zonda R, a track-only carbon fiber supercar powered by a 750-horsepower V12 to go along with its 1.2 million euro price tag, didn't make the trek to Geneva. It seemed at the time that there just weren't enough orders for the vehicle for Pagani to be able to offer it. That issue could soon be rectified, if rumors floating around on the Teamspead forums prove accurate. It seems that five roadgoing versions of the Zonda R will be created, known as the Zonda Cinque, which, appropriately enough, means five in Italian. Could this version of the Zonda be what we've seen testing in spy shots these last few months? It's hard to say for certain, but we do detect the pairs of triple headlights on both the spied cars and the supposed image above of the Cinque. Draw your own conclusions, but we think there is always room for another carbon fiber supercar in our dream garages.
Fiat has confirmed it will be producing a convertible version of the 500 and although a launch date has yet to be announced, Fiat brand styling director Roberto Giolito revealed that the model is on its way... at some point.
Giolito also announced that the 500 cabrio will feature a fabric roof, and not a retractable hard-top, citing improvements in materials that remove many of the drawbacks associated with cloth roofs. The entire Fiat group does not include any hard-top convertibles, although several have been reported to be in the works, including the upcoming Ferrari California. However, the more expensive MINI convertible, which the 500 cabrio will invariably target in the marketplace, also uses a fabric top.
Maserati may be finally turning a profit, but it still can't have it both ways. As we previously reported, the Trident marque is apparently looking to have 911rival join its lineup instead of building the Kubang crossover. And while that may be good news for most of us, one oil-rich Arab sheik was hoping for something more versatile. Fortunately for him, cost is no object, so he's commissioning a Maserati wagon of his own.
The unnamed Middle Eastern customer, who has previously ordered several bespoke Ferrari estate wagons, has commissioned this shooting-brake version of the Maserati Quattroporte. Dubbed "Cinqueporte," the coachbuilt special currently exists only as a quarter-scale model, but is being realized by Italian design ateliers StudioM and StudioTorino. The coachbuilders will extend the roofline, craft folding rear seats and move the fuel tank to increase the Maserati's utility. While the cost of the project has also not been disclosed, one of StudioM's previous projects involved crafting a €350k custom interior for another customer's Quattroporte. This thing's not going to come cheap.
