No, that’s not your daddy’s new sports car. That my friend, is a new concept sports car that will be used in the upcoming Transformers sequel entitled “Revenge of the Fallen.”

While it’s still uncertain as to what brand this new concept car owes its existence to, it’s been starting to cause a lot of buzz around the web. Ever since the release and success of the first Transformers movie, a lot of us (if not all) have been waiting in anticipation for the sequel to come out. While we already know of some of the vehicles that will be used in the sequel, this one’s got us scratching our heads. Some have speculated that this might be the earth mode of the new Transformer named Stinger. While Stinger has been set to transform into a new concept Corvette, we’re still not sure whether this is the Corvette they’re referring to or if this car is even a Corvette at all.

But one thing’s for sure, Corvette or not, this new concept simply rocks. If only we didn’t have to wait for next year to see this baby in action.

Source: TopSpeed

At a glance, the new Cree SAM will make you wonder what on God’s green Earth did its creator smoke for it to come out the way it did. What could have been a sleek looking car turned out to be a scary looking three-wheeled car with bulging headlight lamps for eyes and grille that resembles a skull’s teeth. Actually, when you look at it from the side, it looks like it’s shaped like a skull. Only it has wheels.

But despite its odd look, the Cree SAM does have one good feature. Produced by Swiss company Cree Ltd in 2001, this environment-friendly car has the unique ability to run without emitting any type of emissions. That’s right, zero emissions. It’s able to do this through the use of its 15 kW electric motor. This same motor is able to produce 80Nm of torque and relies on six batteries that produce 168 volts for its fuel. The batteries can be charged for 6 hours and can let you go up to 43 miles at a top speed of 53 mph. The Cree SAM can also reach 30 mph in less than 7 seconds.

So if you’re an attention whore who just happens to be an advocate of clean air, then this oddball of a car is for you. Just don’t be surprised though if you end up getting weird looks from people. At least, you got their attention thanks to the Cree SAM.

Source: TopSpeed

If you thought BMW would be happy with just simply developing luxury cars, think again. Because of the rich history they have, the company decided to share details of this history and hold exhibits by constructing their very own BMW museum.

On June 19, the BMW museum was officially opened, with the opening ceremony presided by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, BMW’s Chairman of the Board of Management. The museum, which covers approximately 5,000 square meters, took two years to construct. The idea of having their own museum was part of the company’s plans since 1973.  The BMW museum is shaped liked a bowl (and is also called by that name as well) and currently stands beside the company’s head office tower. The museum will play host to 120 exhibits, all related to BMW.

So if you’re interested in learning more about BMW and want to catch their exhibit, well here’s your chance. The new BMW museum can now be visited by the public, ever since it opened its doors to them last June 21.

Source: TopSpeed

Some car companies just can’t seem to get a good break. Take Chrysler for example. After having to reduce the company’s production line this year, this happens to them. Due to a flaw in the engine wire harness, Chrysler has ordered the recall of its 2009 Dodge Journey.

The good news here (if you could still call it that) is that the engine wire harness flaw is said to affect only the Dodge Journey’s that carry a V-6 3.5-liter engine. Those with the V-4 engine won’t be affected by this problem. According to reports, the defect in the engine wire harness can cause damage the electrical circuits of the V-6 Journey.  This is brought about by the rubbing of the harness with the vehicle’s transaxle mount. Despite this problem, no reports of accidents or injuries have been made in relation to this flaw.

Ever since its release, Chrysler has been able to sell a total of 17,569 Dodge Journeys from January to May 2008. But thanks to its newly discovered flaw, 6,692 of those will have to be recalled for repairs. Affected owners will be notified this month and won’t be charged for any repair cost.

Source: Kicking Tires, Reuters 

In 1976, a controversial game called Death Race, was released and received with a lot of criticism and protest causing the game to rise in popularity and later become a much sought after collectors item. The objective of that game was for you to run over creatures called gremlins using a car. While the game play and storyline were pretty simple (with the graphics in your old school black and white color scheme), the objective of running over creatures and hearing them scream connoted violence. This led to numerous protests over the game causing production to stop. But thanks to these protests, the game became a cult favorite that it has now spawned a movie, which will be released this year.

The Death Race movie will star Jason Statham and will be set in a post-apocalyptic setting (ala Mad Max) where prisoners are forced to compete with one another in a driving arena. Statham plays the role of an inmate named Frankenstein who’s forced into racing just days before his release. And since the movie involves racing, a number of notable cars will be making an appearance. One of the most notable is a 2006 Mustang GT (as shown above) that’s been given additional accessories such as guns and window covers. Other vehicles include a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, a 1966 Buick Riviera, a 1980 Porsche 911, a 1989 Jaguar XJS, a 2006 Chrysler 300C, a 1972 Buick Riviera, a 1979 Pontiac Trans AM, a 1989 BMW 735i, and a Peterbilt truck that’s named “Dreadought.” All the vehicles are designed to look like they’ve seen better days (thanks to the post apocalyptic world they’re in) and are equipped with guns, armor and even a flame thrower (for the Dreadnought).

So if you’re into movies that involve heroes driving cars in a post-apocalyptic world, then Death Race is for you. It’s scheduled for release in August this year. I wonder if the studios were able to find a way to put a cameo of let’s say, Mel Gibson playing the character Mad Max in the movie. That would be awesome.

Sources: TopSpeed, Wikipedia, Autoblog: Cars of Death Race Revealed, Autoblog: Death Race Trailer, Jalponik

The soaring oil prices have really done nothing good to our lives. Not only is the price of gas escalating almost every week, but the constant increase has also affected the prices of other commodities. The increase has prompted individuals and companies to cut cost. Even a company as big as Toyota wasn’t spared from feeling the effects of this increase.

As a result, Toyota has now announced that it will start to cut the production of its large scale vehicles. Aside from the increase in the price of oil, the slow sales and mortgage crisis have caused the company to trim down on production. Because of this announcement, a number of plants will cease to operate for a certain period of time. Toyota’s plant in Princeton, Indiana, which produces Tundra and Sequoia SUVs will be closed for 6 days by the end of August. Another plant in Texas will be shut down for 14 days by the end of October. The Alabama plant will cease operations for 5 days in August as well.

Hopefully this stoppage doesn’t mean that these plants will be closed permanently in the near future and it’s just Toyota’s way of recouping the losses they’ve incurred these past few months.

Sources: Reuters UK, Market Watch

What do Pamela Anderson and her 2000 Viper have in common? Well aside from being super hot, both are set to make a significant contribution for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA when Pam’s 2000 Viper goes on sale at the Julien’s Auctions’ Summer Entertainment Sale of Hollywood memorabilia.

The 2000 Viper, which Pam Anderson customized with white stripes, was used in the E! series “Pam: Girl On The Lose.” The actress, who admitted that it was “dangerous for her to own such a high-performance vehicle for being a terrible driver”, will oversee the sale of the vehicle. The 2000 Viper is just one of the many items that will be offered at the auction which will be held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on June 21 and 22.

The actress, who was able to gain popularity thanks to her stint in Home Improvement and Baywatch has been an advocate of animal rights. She’s been lending a helping hand to PETA for the better part of 15 years, which shows how committed she is to the cause. So if you’re after nailing a hot item (the Viper, not Ms. Anderson), then try taking a shot at bidding for the 2000 Viper. Not only will you be getting a cool ride, you’ll also be able to help in the advocacy of animal rights.

Sources: TopSpeed, Wikipedia

Ferrari has been recognized worldwide for its sleek, superfast, and red sports cars. While it’s not a common car to own in most places, owning one in Saudi Arabia is like owning a Honda Civic or a Mitusbishi Lancer. It’s like a regular thing. So what do you do to make that “everyday” Ferrari of yours stand out? Well, why not “bling” it by covering it in chrome?

Well, that’s what the owner of this Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano did. I’m guessing the owner (hasn’t been established if it’s a male or a female) just got tired of going through traffic with those other red Ferraris. Aside from customizing its exterior finish, the owner supped up its interiors with a fire red color scheme. The car was also tinted jet black to avoid peering eyes from checking it out, equipped with black tail lights and given a set of rubber band tires.

So far, this chromed Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is still one of a kind, with no other copycat following suit. Just imagine seeing this car on the road? Gives you the ability to check and fix yourself. Well, provided you can actually catch it as its speeding down the highway.

Sources: TopSpeed, Jalopnik

When someone comes up with a deal that’s too good to be true, your first instinct is to step back and analyze whether it’s a deal worth making or not. But if the deal looks as good as the Ronn Scorpion supercar, it might not take a while for you to take a step forward and make the deal.

The Ronn Scorpion is Ronn Motor Company’s very own supercar. What makes this supercar stand out is the company’s claim that it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and attain 40 mpg using an onboard water tank that’s capable of producing hydrogen. The hydrogen is then mixed with fuel to give the car the power it needs to jumpstart its 3.5-liter V-6 engine. Because of this onboard water tank, the Ronn Scorpion is considered to be the first car to rely on a combination of hydrogen and fuel for its power. Aside from improving gas mileage, this onboard water tank is also able to help in reducing emissions.

According to Ron Motor Company, the Ronn Scorpion supercar is set to be released this October 2008, with about 190 units to be produced. That gives us a four-month waiting period to find out if this scorpion can actually sting its way to the top.

Sources: TopGear, Hydrogen Cars & Vehicles

One of my previous posts talked about how one of the Batmobiles of Tim Burton’s critically-acclaimed Batman was being auctioned off at eBay. Since I’m a huge Batman fan and the sequel to Batman Begins (a.k.a. The Dark Knight) is going to be released this year, I’d like to focus on this generation’s Batmobile or what has been affectionately called “The Tumbler.”

While some of the landscapes in Batman Begins were done via CGI, I’d like to assure you that the Batmobile wasn’t. The people behind Batman Begins actually had the Batmobile built. And it’s not just your typical run-of-the-mill type mobile. It’s actually the real deal. How real? Well, the Tumbler’s base is actually a race car that was covered by 65 carbon fiber panels. It sported a 5.7-liter Chevy V-8 engine that’s capable of dishing 500hp, hitting the speed of 100 mph and going from 0 to 60 mph in just 5 seconds. It used a set of sports racing tires from Hoosier for its front wheels and a set of 4×4 Interco mud tires. Its suspension system was developed by Baja racing trucks.

But that’s not the kicker. The studio actually created more than one Tumbler Batmobile. There’s a total of four cars, with two of them customized with hydraulics and flaps while the other one was equipped with a jet engine powered by 6 propane tanks.

Compared to its predecessors, this current version of the Batmobile by far is the biggest and most fierce looking. Instead of looking like a sleek sports car, it actually looks like a sleek mini-tank. I can only imagine what other motorists would do if they saw you driving around town in one of these babies. Probably run for their lives.

Source: TopSpeed