Jemblog

Via gtspirit.com – Back at the IAA in Frankfurt Maserati presented their SUV concept that will hit the roads in 2013. The concept got the name ‘Kubang’, but this will not be official name when the SUV hits streets around the world.

Rumours go that the final name will be ‘Cinqueporte’. Confirmation comes from the fact that Maserati has recently registered the name at the European patent and trademark office.
For most of us this will not be a big surprise as Maserati’s four4-door saloon is called the Quattroporte and the SUV will come with five doors. Cinqueporte is easily translated as ‘five doors’.

According to the Italian manufacturer the Kubang maintains the integrity of Maserati’s DNA by offering driving pleasure and a luxury atmosphere similar to today’s high-end sports and luxury cars. The Italians also claim that the style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all unmistakably be Maserati.

The engine of the Maserati Kubang will be produced by Ferrari and coupled to an AT eight-speed automatic transmission. More details regarding the new Maserati SUV will be unveiled in the near future, so stay tuned for more!

Via benzinsider.com – We’ve had our fair share of crazy and useless crap on the site, but here is another one that will surely trump those that have come before it. For those stinking rich bastards out there, but also for those that love dreaming at owning something like this, I present to you the glass rims. You’ve seen chrome and aluminum wheels, but I bet this is the first time you’ve seen these. I have to say that they look amazing on a car, absolutely amazing, and with a price tag of above 5k per wheel, these surely should only be put on cars above $100,000. The only problem with these is that the cleaning will be ridiculously difficult. Of course they aren’t glass, but some kind of a plastic material; no idea on who makes them, but I am sure someone will find out.

Update: We know much more about the “Glass” wheels now; it seems that the wheels are made by Forgiato and are the Radurra series. Check out more pictures below or head over to their website. Thank you Cdoke.

Via Car and Driver – Given the superlative nature and awesome speed of Bugatti’s already-legendary, 250-plus-mph Veyron supercar, interest in the manufacturer’s follow-up is intense. The company had previously gone on record as saying that its next model wouldn’t be a supercar, but details were scant—until now. In a recent article from the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer confirms that the new car will be in the vein of the controversial 16 C Galibier concept, which we examined (and this scribe didn’t particularly like) back in 2009. It will seat four and have a generous trunk, Dürheimer says; you can bet that a set of fitted luggage will be one of the pricey options. We care somewhat more about what’s fitted up front, of course, which the article claims will be a 16-cylinder powerplant, although output wasn’t mentioned. (The W-16 under the Galibier’s butterfly bonnet delivers a mere 800 hp, somewhat less than the 1001 churned up by the 8.0-liter W-16 in the mid-engine Veyron.) The Galibier concept is big, though, so don’t expect Veyron-esque, sub-three-second 0-to-60 sprints no matter how much carbon fiber and aluminum the new car contains. Interestingly, a hybrid model (presumably a plug-in) is on the docket as well, with an electric-only driving range of about 25 miles, according to Dürheimer.

Also interesting is Dürheimer’s hope of selling between 1000 and 1500 of the super-luxe conveyance over the course of its lifetime, roughly triple the number of Veyron coupes and Grand Sport convertibles Bugatti has built since 2004. The story also projects that the big Bug will go on sale during the fall of 2012, about a year earlier than most stated projections. How much will it cost? Dürheimer says it will command at least €1M, which amounts to about $1.42 million at today’s exchange rates.

Porsche Panamera Stingray GTR ($TBA). Aggressively modified by Russian outfit TopCar, this limited edition — only 25 are being made — sports sedan features a nearly all-new carbon fiber and Kevlar body, including new front and rear bumpers, air vents, front and rear fender extenders, front and rear doors — the latter of which open with the press of a button — bonnet, wings, rear diffuser, spoiler, and side skirts, along with performance enhancements like a sport air filter, intake manifold, and valved exhaust system that boost horsepower north of the 600 mark. I heard my boy Hakim Taylor already ordered his.