Latest news with #Bertone
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Skoda Turned an Old Hatchback Into an Awesome New Concept
The Skoda Favorit isn't a car we know well in America. The hatchback, designed by Bertone, launched in 1987 and was a massive success for the brand. Now, in 2025, Skoda has reimagined the Favorit with the brand's latest design language, but it features a few styling quirks that preserve the past with a modern twist. The new Favorit concept retains the original's simple and clean design, rounding off some of the sharper edges, such as integrating the door handles into a single opening between the front and rear doors. The new interpretation is also bigger than its predecessor, adopting a crossover-like stance to appease modern sensibilities. Photo by: Skoda It features "the spirit" of the brand's Modern Solid design language but with a few noticeable changes. The front of the concept forgoes Skoda Tech-Deck Face, a new corporate look for the brand's vehicles, and adopts something unique. One of the concept's more striking features is the lights. The Favorit adopts thin LED elements front and rear, with illuminated badging on the hatch. There are translucent covers over the lights that one of the designers, David Stingl, said could fold away when the headlights are needed. The designers even imagined a racing version with plastic cladding and other sporty touches. Photo by: Skoda Designer Ljudmil Slavov said he imagined the new hatch as an electric vehicle, which would greatly benefit its performance capability. The original Favorit had a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine producing between 54 and 67 horsepower, which would not cut it on today's roads. However, since electric motors are small and powerful, they would likely turn a new Favorit into an incredible performance hatchback we still wouldn't get to enjoy in America. But we can dream. Check Out More From Skoda: Skoda Turns Its GTI Wagon Into a Wicked Police Car This High-Power Skoda Wagon Is Our New Favorite Sleeper Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Skoda Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Auto Express
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Skoda Favorit reimagined for 21st Century with electric power
Before Skoda came under Volkswagen ownership, it created the Favorit – a people's car developed behind the Iron Curtain that could compete with the best from the west. The Skoda Favorit holds a special place in the history of of the Czech brand, so much so that the firm has asked its designers to create a modern interpretation of the eighties supermini. Reimagined with electric power, this design study purely shows us what a Favorit could look like in 2025; although there are no plans to put it into production. The original Favorit was penned by legendary design studio Bertone, and current designer Ljudmil Slavov approached the new car 'with reverence', according to Skoda. While Slavov introduced some of the company's current 'Modern Solid' design language on this creation, he purposefully left out the 'Tech-Deck Face' that's become an identifiable feature of current Skodas. 'I didn't want to use current design elements like the Tech-Deck Face' said Slavov. 'This is a tribute to the Favorit, so I studied its original details and tried to evolve and elevate them. Honestly, simplifying the already minimalistic shapes into Modern Solid form was very challenging.' Advertisement - Article continues below With everything digitally 3D-sketched on a tablet, the new Favorit has some interesting touches such as an asymmetrical badge (a 'Skoda' script, unlike the original's), a single door handle embedded into the body for both the front and rear, ultra-simplistic four-spoke wheels, illuminated 'Skoda' badging at the rear, and slim LED lights all round. The lack of a grille betrays the Favorit's electric powertrain. Slavov didn't stop at what Skoda calls the 'civilian' version of the Favorit. In a tribute to the car's competitive rallying history, Slavov also created a 'racing concept' with a more aggressive rear spoiler and diffuser with an integrated rain light, new decals inspired by the 1994 rally car, and even a roll cage. Would you like to see the Skoda Favorit return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section... Find a car with the experts It's only a matter of time before Jaguar Land Rover builds a factory in the USA It's only a matter of time before Jaguar Land Rover builds a factory in the USA Mike Rutherford thinks Jaguar's 'Reimagine' strategy will result in the company exploring further opportunities in the USA Car Deal of the Day: Seal the deal on this BYD electric saloon for just £289 a month Car Deal of the Day: Seal the deal on this BYD electric saloon for just £289 a month The BYD Seal is a seriously tempting Tesla Model 3 rival, especially at this price. It's our Deal of the Day for 26 May Car Deal of the Day: Nissan's X-Trail is a do-it-all seven-seat hybrid SUV for only £235 a month Car Deal of the Day: Nissan's X-Trail is a do-it-all seven-seat hybrid SUV for only £235 a month If the Qashqai is too small for you, then the larger X-Trail is a fine alternative. It's our Deal of the Day for 25 May
Motor 1
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Someone Save This Alfa Romeo Montreal Barn Find
When it comes to 1970s Italian sports cars, the Lamborghini Miura and Ferrari Dino get all the attention. And rightfully so. Ferrari and Lamborghini were responsible for some of the most beautiful cars of the era. But don't forget about the Alfa Romeo Montreal . The Montreal was arguably one of the most underrated Italian sports cars of the 1970s based on looks alone. It was sculpted by iconic designer Marcello Gandini while working at Bertone , who, ironically, also created the Miura just a year earlier. The Montreal debuted in 1970, but it wasn't nearly as well-received as its counterparts. Production lasted just seven years, and collectors haven't thought much of it since. Photo by: Craiglist These days, you can buy a drivable Alfa Romeo Montreal for a reasonable $60,000. Compare that to the Miura and Dino, which regularly go for six or seven figures at auction, and the Alfa is an absolute steal by comparison. This particular one is an interesting example. Hidden away in a garage in Astoria, Oregon, it meets our definition of a "barn find"—or a "garage find" if you want to be more specific. It's a 1972 model with a rebuilt twin-cam V-8 and a five-speed manual. When new, the Montreal's 2.0-liter engine made 200 horsepower. That's not to say it's perfect, though. The wheels are aftermarket, there's some obvious paint and body damage, and the original interior could probably use a deep clean—although, the cabin is still in surprisingly good shape. Photo by: Craiglist The seller is asking $60,000 on Craigslist , and the car is fully drivable. Even at that price, though, it's a screaming deal. Still, you will need to source the original wheels and spend some money on bodywork. So, hopefully the seller is willing to knock a few bucks off the final asking price. Either way, it's a beautiful and oft-forgotten piece of Italian motoring history. More Barn Finds These Abandoned Ford Escort Cosworths Are Rotting Away in a Barn Someone Saved This BMW E30 After 30 Years in a Barn Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Craigslist via BarnFinds Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A 1968 Lamborghini Espada Series I in Photos
More from Robb Report This 1965 Ford GT Prototype Roadster Raced at Le Mans. Now It Could Fetch $10 Million at Auction. How the Jaguar XK120 Put the Marque on the World Stage These 6 Barely Driven Porsche 911s Are Hitting the Auction Block Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article. This example of a 1968 Lamborghini Espada Series I sold for €173,000 (approximately $186,600 at the current exchange rate) through RM Sotheby's in 2021. This cabin was retrimmed in cherry-red leather as part of a three-year restoration begun in 2014. Lamborghini's 325 hp, 3.9-liter V-12 gives the car a top speed of 155 mph. This Espada, with a body by Bertone, is one of only 37 examples built in 1968. The Espada was the first true two-door, four-seat 'supercar.' A total of 1,217 examples, spanning three series, were produced over a 10-year period, from 1968 through 1978, making the Espada the longest-running and highest-production Lamborghini model up until the Countach. As with many collectibles, Espada values have softened a bit, and it's possible to acquire one for well under six figures. This car features vertical 'jail bars' on the rear glass of the decklid, which only appeared on the first few examples.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This One-of-a-Kind Aston Martin Bertone Shooting Brake Is Heading to Auction
If you ever wondered what would happen if James Bond's favorite marque and your family station wagon had a baby, today's your lucky day. A one-of-a-kind Aston Martin Rapide has been reimagined by Bertone as a shooting brake (or station wagon as we Americans like to call them), and it's heading to auction. That means that it's either an abomination—so bad that of course only one was made—or a beauty, because it's an Aston Martin shooting brake designed by Bertone. Where one stands depends on one's feelings about shooting brakes and the combination of British and Italian design. More from Robb Report Lewis Hamilton Wants To Help Design a New Ferrari Supercar Inspired by the F40 Loro Piana's First Exhibition Just Opened at Shanghai's Pudong Museum A Restored L.A. Home by Acclaimed Architects Buff & Hensman Hits the Market for $2.6 Million Regardless, the car is set to sell on March 29 by Dore & Rees, who did not give an estimate on price, which means that, since the car is one-of-one, the final bid could be anyone's guess. The car is also the last design project for the original Bertone, which went under in 2014, or shortly after this 2013 Aston Martin Rapide was so transformed. The Aston Martin Bertone Jet 2+2 began as an idea in 2012 from Barry Weir, who Dore & Rees says is the 'first person to circumnavigate the world in a classic Aston Martin DB2/4.' At the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, the Aston Martin Bertone Jet 2+2 was officially unveiled. The excitement was such that Aston Martin and Bertone planned to make 10 of them but Bertone collapsed before those dreams could be realized. The car exemplifies some of the trends at the time, including the view inside. 'The transformation is more than aesthetic; its extended roofline and reworked proportions bring an increased sense of space, while a full-length panoramic dimmable glass roof bathes the cabin in natural light, shifting from clear to deep blue at the press of a button,' Dore & Rees said in its listing. 'The rear seats fold flat electronically, a first for Aston Martin, extending the load space seamlessly for added practicality.' Under the hood, meanwhile, is a V-12 that makes 476 brake horsepower, and can get to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds. The car's owner even put in some miles, or 24,169 shown on the odometer. Perhaps most appealingly, Dore & Rees says that owning this car will guarantee a place on the best concours lawns. That's also because an Aston Martin and Bertone combination is rare, most notably with the 1954 DB2/4 Drophead of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
