ˆ Rendered Speculation: BMW M3 Touring wagon by Jon Sibal

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Some of us live in the real world, while other spend time in Fantasyville. Jon Sibal falls into the latter, and we're happy for it. The talented illustrator had given us glimpses of upcoming supercars – including the Ferrari Scuderia Spider, Mercedes SLR Speedster (later revealed as the Stirling Moss edition) and Aston Martin One-77 – before the manufacturers have released official pictures. So what would Sibal drive himself? Well, needless to say, it doesn't exist (yet), but while you might think it'd be some fantastic derivative of an upcoming supercar, what Jon has picked out for himself is a BMW M3 Touring wagon. The current-generation M3 is currently made in three bodystyles: the E90 sedan, E92 coupe and E93 convertible. If you were high astute enough to follow the psychedelic pinball counting cartoon on Sesame Street as a child, you'll have noticed that the E91 is missing from the equation. That's the designation for the current 3 Series station wagon. BMW's anticipated to roll out an M3 wagon sometime in the next few months, but Sibal's not waiting around, and has given us these renderings to hold us over. While he was at it, he dropped the ride height down to the floor with a KW coil-over suspension, fitted a titanium exhaust, AC Schnitzer spoilers front and back, BBS mags coated in Yokohama rubber and Brembo eight-pot brakes, then added a supercharger to the M3's V8 and painted it satin white for good measure. Not too shabby, and not too far-fetched, either. Who knows, if Sibal earns what he deserves, maybe this fantasy can become reality when BMW unleashes the latest M3 Touring on the world.

posted : 2/9/2009 @7:40:24 PM

ˆ Rendered Speculation: Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider

tags : f430 scuderia , f430 spider , f430scuderia , f430spider , ferrari , ferrari 430 , ferrari 430 scuderia , ferrari 430 scuderia spider , ferrari f430 , ferrari430 , ferrari430scuderia , ferrari430scuderiaspider , ferrarif430 , jon sibal , jonsibal , scuderia spider , scuderiaspider , sibal

Lies. Damn lies and speculation. Rumor would be another way to put it, as word of a potential convertible version of the 430 Scuderia spreads across cyberspace. Tentatively referred to as the 430 Scuderia Spider, the roadster would naturally be based on the lightweight, Enzo-rivaling 430 Scuderia supercar, but with the roof chopped off. Various reports have given conflicting information about what kind of roof mechanism would be fitted to the Spideria, including a retractable hard-top similar to that found on the new California, a manual cloth roof to keep weight down, or the same automatic fabric top from the conventional F430 Spider. Or maybe no roof at all, who knows. The wide range of speculation leads us to chalk this up to pure rumor. The removal of structural rigidity and the addition of weight would seem antithetical to the Scuderia's entire raison d'etre. However the prevailing reports suggest that the Spider will also get the California's new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, be produced in a limited series of 300 and be unveiled on November 5 at the Ferrari Challenge weekend in Mugello... the same event where Ferrari unveiled the FXX Evoluzione last year. Jon Sibal, the skilled supercar illustrator we've come to know and trust, has presented a few renderings of what the 430 Scuderia Spider could look like, which in our eye looks right on the money.

posted : 9/23/2008 @9:50:48 PM

ˆ Rendered Speculation: Another guess at Aston Martin's One-77

tags : 177 , aston martin , aston martin one 77 , aston martin one-77 , astonmartin , astonmartinone-77 , astonmartinone77 , jon sibal , jon sibal aston martin , jonsibal , jonsibalastonmartin , one 77 , one-77 , one77 , rendered speculation , renderedspeculation , rendering , sibal

It's not every day that a new supercar is announced. But those are the good days, and for when they roll around, Jon Sibal is ready. The gifted illustrator who has already brought us renderings of the upcoming Mercedes SLR McLaren Speedster and a race-prepped Lexus LF-A has now taken a stab at the upcoming Aston Martin One-77. The new flagship supercar from Aston Martin was announced earlier this month and accompanied by a few teaser renderings from the factory. Those were followed by a rather uninspired speculative conception of what form the carbon-fiber supercar would take, and though we're not sure what to make of Sibal's take on the subject, it does appear to be rather accurate. We just hope the One-77 looks better in the flesh, as we've come to expect more from the company that brought us the DBS and the V8 Vantage.

posted : 9/13/2008 @5:43:25 AM

ˆ Rendered Speculation: SLR McLaren Speedster

tags : jon sibal , jon sibal rendering slr , jonsibal , jonsibalrenderingslr , mclaren-mercedes , mercedes mclaren , mercedes slr mclaren , mercedes slr mclaren speedster rendering , mercedesmclaren , mercedesslrmclaren , mercedesslrmclarenspeedsterrendering , slr mclaren , slr mclaren speedster , slr speedster , slrmclaren , slrmclarenspeedster , slrspeedster

With a host of new exotics coming out from both Mercedes-Benz and its F1 and erstwhile supercar partner McLaren, the ageing Mercedes SLR McLaren is about to be shown the back door. But not before one last hoorah. And if this illustration is any indication, it will be one rip-roaring, ear-piercing hoorah indeed.

Based on the spy shots that have already surfaced of the SLR McLaren "Speedster" (we don't know if that's what it'll be called officially, but that's the name we've been tossing around), talented illustrator Jon Sibal has crafted the rendering you see above. According to Sibal, the headlights will be the only element of the exterior carried over from previous incarnations of the SLR to the new, more hardcore roofless swan-song. The hood, which previously melded into the A-pillars, is more flat; the nose draws even more direct inspiration from McLaren-Mercedes formula racing cars; the exhaust pipes have been moved into the side vents... oh yeah, and there's no roof. None whatsoever. There's barely any windshield for that matter, just a couple of deflectors. Needless to say, we hope the actual vehicle turns out to be as dramatic as Sibal's conception.

posted : 8/8/2008 @1:15:16 PM