• Bentley short film stars head designers, Mulsanne, and New York City

    May 18, 2014
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    “Cars are my toys. I’m playing with toys all my life,” says Bentley Motors’ Director of Design Luc Donckerwolke. Those are the opening lines to Intelligent Details, a beautiful monochrome short film featuring the Bentley Mulsanne and shot entirely on the iPhone 5S.

    The film almost serves as a better ad for Apple than Bentley. Not only was it filmed with the iPhone (with hundreds of dollars more in lenses and stabilization gear), but all editing took place on the iPad Air. In fact, very little is said of the Mulsanne’s specs — 6.75-liter V8, 8-speed automatic, continuously damping air suspension, 505 horses, 752 lb-ft of torque — as most of the attention is turned towards the $27,640 Entertainment interior option.

    That’s on top of the $300,000 base price, but it does give you twin iPads and Bluetooth keyboards that fold out of the front seatbacks like the trays on a 747, only with chromed arms unstained by cranberry juice. Remember, these cars are meant to be driven in, not driven.

    The luxe sedans do look gorgeous floating the cobblestone streets of New York before wafting into Brooklyn though. There are no bearded hipsters anywhere to be seen, however, as Donckerwolke and Head of Exterior Design Sangyup Lee (he of fifth-generation Camaro fame before departing GM for VAG) are both as sharply dressed as you’d expect the heads of Bentley design to be (in black suits of course). That is, until you see the film crew in the “making of” segment at the end.

  • Toyota’s move could earn $7.2 billion for Texas

    May 18, 2014
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    Toyota’s plan to move its headquarters from Torrance, California to Plano, Texas could boost the Dallas suburb’s local economy by $7.2 billion over the next 10 years.

    Toyota received $6.75 million in grants and incentives from the city of Plano itself, while Texas is offering $40 million from a pool of cash reserves called the Texas Enterprise Fund. However, if the study conducted by Grant Thornton LLP, an independent audit tax and advisory firm, proves correct, the the state will earn back that amount 154 times.

    Payroll alone would account for $4.2 billion, leaving the remaining $3 billion to come from sales and property taxes, direct and indirect spending. The analysis further predicts that by 2018, Toyota would be employing 3,650 full-time employees in Plano, with an average salary of $104,000.

    Toyota says that its main motivation behind the goal is to consolidate its operations, which currently consists of over 3,000 employees in sales, marketing and financial services in California, 1,000 employees in an engineering center in Kentucky, and less than 100 in New York. The move will take place over the course of three years and centralize key operations in one location and time zone. It’s part of a streamlining plan that takes the “next 50 years” into account, says Toyota.

  • VW-owned Skoda preparing 280-hp sports sedan?

    May 18, 2014
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    Škoda will reportedly celebrate the 40th birthday of the rally-focused 130 RS coupe by building a more potent version of the Octavia RS sports sedan.

    Details are still scarce, but sources close to Škoda told Czech website Autoforum that power could come from a 280-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI four-cylinder engine borrowed from sister company SEAT. The mill would enable the Octavia to reach 62 mph from a stop in about six seconds and go on to a top speed of 154 mph, figures that would make the Octavia RS the fastest street-legal Škoda ever built by a long shot.

    Power will be transferred to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch unit. A limited-slip differential will likely be offered as an option.

    An upgraded suspension and bigger brakes on all four corners will keep the power in check. Additionally, the special-edition Octavia could pack a Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) system similar to the one found in the seventh-gen Volkswagen GTI.

    In additional to a more powerful drivetrain, the commemorative Octavia will also get a host of visual updates including model-specific wheels, paint colors and badges.

    If the rumor proves true, the 280-horsepower Škoda Octavia RS will likely be unveiled at the 2015 edition of the Geneva Motor Show and go on sale across Europe as a limited-edition model shortly after.

  • Details emerge on next-gen Rolls-Royce Phantom

    May 18, 2014
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    Rolls-Royce is in the early stages of developing the next Phantom, and a report coming out of England gives us a clearer idea of what to expect from the range-topping sedan when it makes its debut.

    Engineers are currently debating whether to continue building the yet-unnamed sedan on an aluminum platform or whether to switch to a combination of a carbon fiber body riding on an aluminum chassis, a solution already used on the all-electric BMW i3. Switching to carbon fiber would help the Phantom shed precious pounds, but BMW is not sure that its carbon fiber factory in Washington can handle extra capacity at this point.

    Visually, Rolls-Royce’s next flagship will share some styling cues with the current Phantom but its overall design will be less conservative.

    “I don’t feel boxed in by the [existing] design. We are treading an evolutionary path and have a defining vision of modernity,” explained Rolls-Royce Design Chief Giles Taylor in an interview with British magazine Autocar. “But if we are going to take the model forward, we need to retain the Rolls-Royce ‘golden section,’ a big part of which is the angle of the rear pillar. You get a lot of privacy behind that wide C-pillar. It’s part of the Phantom recipe,” he added.

    Rolls’ next flagship sedan will retain its mighty V12 engine but it will likely come with a plug-in hybrid option in order to comply with looming emissions regulations in the United States and in Europe. Rolls-Royce has not revealed any technical details about its upcoming plug-in hybrid system but has previously hinted the bulk of the components will be sourced from the BMW parts bin in order to save money on research and development.

    Additional details about the successor to the Rolls-Royce Phantom will emerge in the months leading up to its debut in 2017.

  • Review: 2014 Nissan 370Z NISMO

    May 18, 2014
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    NISMO. The designation commands respect from enthusiasts worldwide. The 2014 Nissan 370Z NISMO is not just a run-of-the-mill sports car – instead, it offers the latest in attainable race-proven engineering, along with more than a little of the spirit of Nissan’s GT-R supercar.

    Always a darling of the Fast and Furious set, the NISMO Z has long been celebrated as one of the ultimate expressions of Japanese tuning. Sometimes packaging such high performance attributes and equipment results in a car that is designed to take no prisoners, but tends to beat up its occupants at the same time. Is that the case with this successor to the legendary 240 Z? Let’s have a look.

    What is it?

    The latest in a fabled line of cars stretching all the way back to the 1969 Fairlady Z, our 370Z has been massaged by the tuners at Nissan’s NISMO (Nissan Motorsport International Limited) department.

    A mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sport coupe, the NISMO Z seats two passengers. Starting with a base 370Z, Nissan has upped the horsepower of the longitudinally-mounted 3.7-liter V6 engine from 332 to 350 ponies at 7,400 rpm. There is 276 lb-ft of available torque, which peaks at 5,200 rpm. The engine incorporates variable valve event and lift control (VVEL) for precise power delivery.

    The engine is mated to a slick shifting six-speed manual transmission with SynchroRev matching for optimal gear changes as well as an approximation of the heel and toe driving techniques favored by enthusiasts. The system adjusts the engine speed to match the speed of the gear that has been selected, resulting in smoother shift. A carbon fiber driveshaft sends the power rearward to a limited slip differential.

    The NISMO Z rides on a four-wheel independent suspension consisting of front double wishbone pieces with NISMO-tuned springs, shocks and stabilizer bar. They are tied together by a NISMO shock tower brace to keep things rigid during extreme operations. The rear kit consists of a multilink setup, again with NISMO-tuned springs and shocks and a crosspiece in the rear cargo area for increased torsional rigidity. Steering is the job of a variable speed assisted power rack and pinion setup.

    What’s it up against?

    Although not exactly on the same playing field, the 370Z NISMO might be found competing with various forms of the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Hyundai Genesis. For those who like the basic parameters found in the NISMO, but also desire the addition of a pair of occasional use rear seats to go with the added dose of luxury, Infiniti offers the Q60 IPL (formerly the G37 IPL).

    How does it look?

    While the differences are not too pronounced at first glance, the NISMO Z features many elements that help to distinguish this car from the anything-but-pedestrian, standard 370Z. Overall length is slightly more than six-inches longer when compared to a standard model. Blame it on the extended chin spoiler and side skirts, which help to spread airflow around the sides rather than above or below the car.

    More length is added at the rear with a functional NISMO spoiler and rear diffuser, which along with the side skirts and other added parts, have been painted dark gray for the 2014 model year. Selected NISMO red accents show up in the front and rear fascia and along the mirrors. The end-result is a body that looks as good as it performs.

    Stepping out even further, Nissan chose to finish this Z off with a set of RAYS lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels, wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza performance tires. We appreciate having the Rays wheels finished in gunmetal metallic, which hides the brake dust that will, no doubt, appear after a few days.

    And on the inside?

    The point of the NISMO Z is performance. Period. So don’t sit there whining about a lack of navigation system or power seat adjustments. Besides, that’s our job.

    The NISMO’s interior is upholstered in a non-slip cloth fabric, which still manages a nice showing. We found soft touch material all around, from the dash to the side panels, which it turns out, when combined with the heavily bolstered seats, are designed to help you stay in place during aggressive cornering.

    The rest of the car is typical boy-racer, especially considering this is a Nissan. The driver’s IP is dominated by a large, red-accented center-mounted tachometer, with speedo- and other meters flanking it. The new-for-2014 performance wheel features Alcantara inserts and a red NISMO steering index. Other gauges including oil temperature, voltage meter and a digital clock all sit atop the center stack, and combine with red-accent stitching to at least give the impression of performance.

    Our tester was also equipped with the high-line eight-speaker Bose audio system with SiriusXM radio, for those days that you really don’t want to listen to the amazing throat of the V6 that sits underhood.

    As this is a low-slung sports coupe, there is little more than 6.9-cubic feet of rear cargo space, but that’s not the point of this Z-car. If you need more space, perhaps it would be wise to buy a Nissan Pathfinder.

    But does it go?

    Thankfully, the 370Z NISMO is more than just an aggressively pretty face. Power from the 3.7-liter V6 is abundant; by its nature, the engine wanted to accelerate like a bat out of hell. While not having an authoritative look about it, save for the red engine cover, it still manages to pull it out, accelerating even while in sixth-gear.

    Speaking of gears, we found a precise six-speed manual gearbox that was properly gated for accurate shifting. A console-mounted button allows the switching of the SynchroRev-matching mode, for a sportier drive with smoother gear changes. Rev-matching occurs on downshifts and we just love the sound of rev-pops while descending through the cogs. By the numbers, 0-60 comes on in 5-seconds, while it achieves more that 107-mph in the quarter mile.

    Grinding through the turns found a car that flatly sticks like glue with great road feel and adhesion. The steering is very responsive but if we had a nit to pick, it would be with the lack of telescoping adjustment, which didn’t quite allow us a comfortable driving position. The feedback is almost too good in that it transmits to the driver, how truly bad some road surfaces actually are.

    The interior allowed us to carry on a normal conversation with our inside voices, although it is clear the car is lacking some of the insulation found in the standard 370Z. Road noise does creep into the cabin but that is to be expected in typical performance vehicles. For those keeping track, the Nissan 370Z NISMO tips the scales at 3,346-pounds, and achieves EPA mileage of 18 city/ 26 highway with 21 mpg combined.

    Good bolstering kept us in place, while a fun driving experience kept us coming back. Overall it has a feeling that is one of total performance, at a fairly reasonable price.

    Leftlane’s bottom line:

    Nissan’s affordable sports car, the 370Z, develops a set to become the Nissan 370Z NISMO. As a result, buyers will find a lot of performance and quality for a price that most people would not expect.

    2014 Nissan 370Z NISMO base price, $43,020. As tested, $46,370.

    Options: Bose Audio Package, $1,350; NISMO floor mats, $125; Trunk mat, $95; Illuminated kick plates, $200; In-mirror rear-view monitor, $790; Destination, $790.

    Photos by Mark Elias.