Caterham Launches it's all new car, £69, and made fully from plastic, we bring you the Seven Lego car.

Caterham has today unveiled a brand new model which features a rather different build process to its usual run of 500 cars a year – the brand’s very first immortalisation in LEGO® form.

Technicians from the legendary British sportscar manufacturer have downed their tools and picked up the plastic, teaming up with the equally iconic toy maker to create the first ever LEGO Caterham, due to hit the shelves this October.

 

The plastic bricks, resplendent in Caterham’s typically garish yellow, create the beautifully engineered LEGO Caterham 620R, capable of reaching a heart-racing* top speed of 6mph**.

Originally submitted by fanatic Carl Greatrix to the LEGO Ideas platform, in which fans can submit their ideas for new LEGO sets, the Seven gained the requisite 10,000 votes and the LEGO Ideas Review team selected the 620R to go into production.

Consisting of over 770 pieces, including a replica 620R engine and gear stick, the LEGO Caterham stands 10cm tall and 28cm long. Other unique features which may cause fans to blow a gasket include:

• Removable nose cone
• Removable engine cover
• Steering wheel
• Opening boot
• Functioning axle stands which allow the wheels to be removed

Caterham Chief Commercial Officer, David Ridley, said: “Caterham has always prided itself on producing bespoke, hand-built cars for its customers. Our army of fans who build their own Caterham Sevens are equally discerning when it comes to the detail and craftsmanship which is central to Caterham, and we worked closely with the LEGO team to ensure the LEGO model replicated that.

“The LEGO 620R has various unique features – the intricately-designed engine was certainly a surprise when we lifted the bonnet for the first time. It’s really satisfying to know that fans can recreate and build their own 620R with LEGO bricks.”

*Heart-racing for toy drivers

**not scientifically proven

€5Bn Investment brings the 2nd car in the Alfa re-birth, with the prep work complete the SUV is nearly complete.

Alfa Romeo has finished preparation work on its first SUV and the model is on track to launch next year.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Alfa parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said the sporty brand’s second new model after the Giulia midsize sedan will go into production at the end of the first half or beginning of the second half of 2016.

"All the preparation work" in connection with the launch of the second Alfa is done, Marchionne told analysts on a conference call Thursday to discuss Fiat Chrysler’s second-quarter results. "Alfa’s plan is progressing as we told you it will go," he said.

The pictures below are only for illustrative purposes only and are not to be confused with the

actual car that will be released imminently, grateful thanks to all those people who, with

such talent have created some good, some bad and some interesting designs.

Marchionne did not say on the call what type of vehicle the second model is, but supplier sources say it will be a midsize SUV, code-named project 949, that will be a rival to the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

The SUV will be based on the Giulia sedan, the sources said. Its European sales launch likely will be in September or October in 2016 with a U.S. launch following about three months later.

Marchionne said Alfa has already spent almost 2 billion euros of the 5 billion euros allocated by Fiat Chrysler for the brand’s revival. The money has been used to develop the Giorgio rear-wheel-drive platform used by the Giulia, as well as its powertrains and on production startup costs.

Fiat Chrysler Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer confirmed that the Giulia will enter production in the fourth quarter. The sedan was unveiled to selected journalists in June and will have its public debut at the Frankfurt auto show next month.

The BMW 3 series rival is scheduled to arrive at European dealerships in February and March next year and in the U.S. a few months later. The Giulia will offer high-performance engines, including a Ferrari-derived V-6. Alfa is expected to add Giulia coupe and spider variants between 2017 and 2018.

Marchionne said Alfa’s Giorgio architecture could be used for other rear-wheel-drive models within Fiat Chrysler. He did not specify which brands but Chrysler and Dodge are likely candidates.

He did not offer any new details of the timing of Alfa’s product offensive on the analysts’ call but said he hopes to have a definitive view by the end of this year. “We are taking a very hard look at the sequencing of the products that we are launching to make sure that we get the biggest bang for the buck from the utilization of the architecture in terms of volumes,” he said.

Alfa’s future product launches will include a flagship large sedan to compete with the Audi A6 and BMW 5 series. The sedan is due to enter production in late 2017, supplier sources said. A larger SUV and two compact models to replace the Giulietta are due by 2018.

In total, Alfa’s business plan includes eight cars to help the niche brand increase global annual sales to 400,000 by 2018 from fewer than 70,000 last year. Alfa currently sells just two volume models, the Giulietta and MiTo subcompact, mainly in Europe and globally two variants of the low production 4C sports car.

Luca Ciferri

REPORT HERE

A real British Auto legend returns, we welcome back BRISTOL CARS

• First new Bristol car in more than a decade announced today
• 70^th anniversary Project Pinnacle car set for launch in 2015
• Exclusive new Bristol merchandise range launched
• Several million pounds of investment in landmark Kensington High Street showroom and new Parts, Service and Restoration centre in West London
• Future Range-Extended Electric vehicle plans confirmed

Iconic British carmaker, Bristol Cars, announces significant new investments today at the Concours of Elegance held at Hampton Court Palace, London.

The first new Bristol car since 2003 will be launched at the Kensington High Street showroom in 2015 in the shape of an all-new 70^th anniversary model, codenamed Project Pinnacle.  An anniversary celebration, Project Pinnacle is a reference to Bristol Cars’ rich and exciting heritage, executed as a modern take on the best of British craftsmanship and engineered to excite as a high performance Bristol car.

Since the company was bought in 2011, millions of pounds have been invested in the business to re-establish its place as an iconic British carmaker for the connoisseur motorist, with craftsmanship, design, performance and unique character at its heart.  A specialist new Parts, Service and Restoration facility in Brentford, West London was opened this year and has quickly established itself as the leading Bristol centre in the world with hundreds of cherished examples of the marque already passing through the workshop.

Plans are also underway to refurbish the landmark Bristol showroom at 368 Kensington High Street with further investment made across the street at number 375 for an additional showroom.  From summer 2015, Bristol Cars will occupy both sides of Kensington High Street with a selection of meticulously restored cars for sale on the north side and new vehicles and a modern company ethos displayed on the other side of the street.

The company also confirms today that development work is underway on an all-new flagship Bristol Range-Extended Electric grand tourer.  Frazer-Nash Research’s technology will underpin the Range-Extended Electric powertrain of this new design from Bristol Cars.  More information will be released on this product as development progresses.

A new Bristol Luxury merchandise range including clothing, model cars, bureau items, accessories by Paul Smith and much more was also launched at the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance.   

Speaking on behalf of Bristol Cars at the Concours of Elegance, Sir George White said: “2015 will mark Bristol Cars’ 70^th year, and these announcements underline today’s very exciting times at the company. Project Pinnacle signifies the re-birth of the brand with a design and character respectful of the company’s rich heritage in Great Britain – in aviation, commercial and luxury automotive – delivered with a modern approach to performance and comfort.  This car, along with the investments in Kensington and Brentford, not to mention the advanced development of an all-new super-luxury grand tourer, all make for a very bright and promising future for this company that I hold so dear.” 

Bristol Cars’ General Manager, Julian Ramshaw, added: “Today’s announcements signify that we are nearing the completion of ‘Bristol is Reborn’ – phase 1.  Investments in our new products and facilities spearhead our modern philosophy for the Bristol marque.  We believe that the automotive landscape is changing, particularly in the premium and luxury sector.  The definitions of luxury are changing.  People’s expectations are changing.  And Bristol Cars is changing too. This is just the start, and there is a lot more to come from us.”

The 2014 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace is the third such automotive gathering in London, which, since the first event in 2012, has set a new global benchmark for classic car concours events; winning a number of prestigious awards and accolades.  It is unique in the fact that the setting changes from year to year but with the consistent theme of always being held on the lawns of a Royal palace. Only the highest calibre of cars are invited to the Concours of Elegance, with the rarest cars in the world, from all over the world, painstakingly selected by the Concours’ team of respected and authoritative experts.