Wheels Blog: Aston Martin Shows the CC100 in Germany

Aston Martin Aston Martin showed off its CC100 Speedster Concept at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race last weekend.

Among the many 100th birthday activities Aston Martin had going on during last weekend’s Nürburgring 24-hour race, almost lost in all the events was the introduction of the CC100 Speedster Concept.

“I have nicknamed it DBR100 because of its affinity to the great 1959 race-winning cars, and of course, our anniversary,” said Ulrich Bez, the company’s chief executive, who introduced the car on Saturday before the start of the race. “But this car shows that the soul of Aston Martin is as powerful as ever.”

Mr. Bez drove the CC100 around the track on a parade lap, followed by Sir Stirling Moss in the classic ’59 DBR1 – a 24-Hours of Le Mans winner – and a lineup of DB5s, One-77 limited edition models and other special Aston Martin cars.

Aston Martin Aston Martin’s CC100 Speedster Concept.

The open-top, V-12-powered concept, which Aston Martin has no firm plans to bring to production, does signal a new design direction that will be incorporated into future models, Mr. Bez said.

The concept was taken from sketches by the designers Marek Reichman and Miles Nurnberger to reality in just the last six months at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon, England. Mr. Nurnberger said his assignment was simple, yet daunting: “Create something that reflects the 100 years of Aston Martin heritage and signals the future of the brand.”

The CC100 rides on the company’s VH platform, has a full carbon-fiber body structure and a 555-horsepower 6-liter engine that will propel the car from zero to 60 m.p.h. in under four seconds, the company said. The car has a top speed of 180 m.p.h.

Aston Martin Aston Martin’s CC100 Speedster Concept.

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Wheels Blog: Wheelies: The Inexpensive E.V.’s Edition

General Motors Chevrolet announced Thursday that the Spark EV will be available for lease for $199 per month at some dealerships.

In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web:

• As of Thursday morning, General Motors jumped into the heart of the electric car fray with an announcement from Chevrolet that it would offer a $199-a-month lease for the Spark EV. That puts the tiny all-electric model in direct competition with the Nissan Leaf and Fiat 500e, both offered with $199 leases. General Motors said it expected to have the Spark EV available at some California and Oregon dealers by mid-June. Lower lease prices for battery-electric cars could help automakers meet tightening air quality regulations in California by increasing sales, which have been stymied by customer perceptions that electric models are too costly. (The Los Angeles Times)

• Two Denso executives, Yuji Suzuki and Hiroshi Watanabe, will be spending more than a year in American prison and each pay $20,000 fines after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to fix prices of electronic auto parts. According to the United States Justice Department, the parts in question were heater control panels Denso sold to Toyota. Denso, which pleaded guilty to conspiracy last year, paid $78,000 in fines. (Reuters)

• A developer in Michigan is in the process of buying property once owned by General Motors for a car-themed condominium park. The 80-acre Pontiac, Mich., property was once the site G.M.’s validation center, but the automaker lost it during bankruptcy proceedings. Brad Oleshansky said he was trying to raise $40 million to buy the property, where he would build a park for car enthusiasts to meet and to drive their cars on an on-site test track. Plans call for a garage where owners of classic car could store their vehicles. (The Detroit Free Press)

• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun releasing a series of videos offering a “behind the scenes” look at the crash testing it conducts at its plant in Virginia. The first two explain how crash test dummies work and the mechanics of frontal offset crash tests. In all, I.I.H.S., which is financed by the insurance industry, will release eight videos, each six minutes long. The informative videos provide a clear picture of tests that are often described in confusing proprietary terms. (Autoblog)

• At 7 years old, Scarlett Gurr may be the youngest classic-car owner alive. But her “classics” are pint-sized, just like she is. Scarlett’s father, Stuart Gurr, built the cars for his car-loving daughter. Her collection now includes a mini red Ferrari GTO (the pair’s favorite), a blue Cobra, a Blower Bentley and a diminutive replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, among others. Mr. Gurr, who owns a London-area car restoration shop, also takes his daughter to shows and races, where Scarlett drives the cars. As the youngest member of the British Women Racing Drivers Club, she has caught the bug early and will undoubtedly transition into bigger, more expensive cars before father knows what happened. (Huffington Post)

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Wheels Blog: Wheelies: The Luxo-Fisker Lutz Edition

Larry W. Smith/European Pressphoto Agency VL Automotive – headed by former G.M. executive and vocal car guy Bob Lutz – made a bid with a Chinese parts manufacturer to buy ailing Fisker Automotive.

In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web:

• What do Bob Lutz and a Chinese auto parts manufacturer have in common? If they have their way, they’ll be the new owners of Fisker Automotive, the struggling hybrid-electric carmaker that laid off most of its workforce earlier this year. Mr. Lutz, a former General Motors executive, runs VL Automotive. The boutique car company teamed up with the parts maker Wanxiang and offered $20 million to buy Fisker, which still owes $171 million in loans to the Department of Energy. Although VL Automotive’s Destino uses a gasoline V-8 in a Fisker Karma, Mr. Lutz has been a vocal advocate of electric and hybrid cars as the way of the future. (Reuters)

• George Michael – the singer, not the character from “Arrested Development” – was injured last week after he apparently fell out of a Range Rover traveling at 70 miles per hour. Top Speed reports that Mr. Michael fell out of his vehicle on a busy highway just north of London, having tried to open and close his door quickly because it wasn’t properly shut. He was admitted to the hospital, but his publicist said the injuries were minor. (Top Speed)

• Facing annual summer production scale-backs, at least two of the Big Three indicated that they would try to minimize this year’s slowdown. Although General Motors hasn’t commented on its summertime production expectations, Ford and Chrysler said they planned to boost production of certain models over the summer. Ford’s typical two-week summer shutdown will be reduced to a week, which the automaker estimates will boost production by about 40,000 vehicles. Chrysler plans to keep three of its factories open through the summer, stepping up Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee, Dodge Durango and Viper production. The automaker’s engine and transmission plants will also operate without a summer break. (Automotive News)

• Automobile Magazine has named its all-star vehicles for 2013. In alphabetical order, they are: the Audi A7; the BMW 3-Series; the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1; the Ford Focus; the Honda Accord; the Mazda CX-5; the Porsche Boxster; the Ram 1500 pickup; the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S; and the Volkswagen GTI. The publication called the current era “the golden age of sports cars,” highlighting driver-oriented models like the Toyobaru twins and the snarling Camaro ZL1. And the V-6 Honda Accord coupe? Automobile’s staff swears the soul of an NSX lives in there somewhere. (Automobile Magazine)

• In other awards-related news, Toyota has been named by BrandZ as the world’s most valuable automotive brand for 2013, edging out BMW. The list’s top three spots were claimed by Apple, Google and IBM; McDonald’s and Marlboro also made the top 10. The closest marques behind 23rd and 24th-ranked Toyota and BMW were Mercedes, in 43rd place, and Honda, in 71st. Volkswagen took the 100th spot in the annual survey. (The Green Car Website)

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