TOYOTA BUILDS A 420HP YARIS HYBRID

Although Toyota’s hybrids have a strong reputation for being fuel efficient and eco-friendly, understandably they’ve never had much appeal for the red-blooded performance enthusiasts out there. But with the debut of the Yaris Hybrid R Concept at Frankfurt next week, it appears that may soon be changing.

Drawing inspiration from Toyota’s TS030 LMP1 car, the Yaris Hybrid R is out to show what could happen if Toyota put its hybrid technology to use in a performance street car.

The concept is based on the standard issue Yaris three-door hatchback, but beneath the skin it bears little resemblance to any Toyota you’ll currently find on a showroom floor.

Under the hood is a 300hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection, mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. Additionally, the car features a 60hp electric motor on each rear wheel for a combined total of 420hp. A third electric motor powers the traction control system.

While I imagine it’s unlikely that a 420hp all-wheel drive Toyota Yaris Hybrid will ever see production, it’s definitley cool to see the automaker at least toying with the idea.

Who wouldn’t want something like this for a daily driver?

Mike Garrett

1948 NORTON ES2

This 1948 Norton 490cc ES2 is one of those timeless, classic motorcycles that I could actually afford. This leaves me in the precarious position of having to explain to the Mrs why this would be a good purchase, whilst focussing on the investment and appreciation in value the bike is sure to continue enjoying in coming years. As with most women, she only likes to spend large sums of money on uncomfortable, red-soled shoes and slightly absurd looking handbags – both of which decline in value faster than a used tube of herpes cream.

Now that my little rant is over we can get down to business talking about the specifications and history of the Norton ES2 – the model started life all the way back in 1927 when its pushrod 490cc single cylinder engine was a marvel of then-modern engineering. The ES2 survived the great depression which kicked off just 2 years later and saw a production run that would last unabated until 1964 – a staggering 37 years.

Over the years the bike became known colloquially as the “Easy 2″ due to its remarkable reliability and impressive performance despite its older design. The ES2 was capable of 78mph from its 21hp engine, the bike’s wet-weight was 170kgs (380lbs) and the 1948 model pictured here was only the second generation to be fitted with hydraulically damped telescopic front forks and race-developed rear plunger suspension.

This Norton is due to sell at the upcoming Paris, The Grand Palais Motorcycles Auction by Bonhams on the 7th of February 2013, the estimated sale price of this beautifully restored ES2 is between $5,300 and $6,700 USD – check out the official lot listing here.

All images courtesy of Bonhams

via Silodrome

Scott’s Divine Cafe Racer

The day Scott finished this two-stroke Yamaha cafe racer he managed to back over a nun. Yes you did read that right. A proper nun. Having thankfully resurrected the Lord’s angel of mercy he decided to name the bike after his holy victim, so the RD was christened, Christine.

Scott’s been a chef by trade for over twenty years, an engineer in the military and – as he describes – a ‘tinkerer’ for many more. He currently lives in New Orleans running a resort hotel, but in his free time he builds bikes and rides fast.

The RD was Scott’s first build and belonged to a friend who’d kept it stored away in bits in boxes in the corner of his garage. He gave it to Scott for next to nothing – and the rest of the story you can see from these photos, as Scott didn’t trouble us with technical spec, and with a raw two stroke like this, it’s all right there in full colour. What matters more is how he feels about the fruits of his labour.

“Having been obsessed with cafes ever since seeing a vintage Ducati in a restaurant parking lot near home I always said I would have something like that one day, and I damn sure did. It is going to be hard with future builds because I will compare all of them to this one. I love riding this bike.”

Just looking at those expansion chambers brings up virtual sounds and smells that a certain generation just can’t resist, and the cafe styling and clipons work surprisingly well on an RD. Love it. Cheers for sharing Scott.

from THE BIKE SHED

Bulleta Motors RF22

Bulleta Motors has released the first images and indo of its RF22, a ultra-light sportscar based on the Lotus Evora - as you might have guessed at first glance - and sporting an even more aggressive and modern design with a different layout for the bi-xoenon head lights, front lip spoiler, large diffuser with integrated dual exhaust system, roof scoop, carbon ceramic brakes and 19-inch carbon fiber wheels fitted with Michelin Super Sport tires.

Named after Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor, the RF22 comes with a unique composite body - although a carbon fiber variant is also available as an optional - that was created by Samir Sadikhov, a highly rated young designer from Azerbaijan who has previously worked on the Aston Martin DBC and Cadillac C-Ville concepts as well as many other projects.

The Bulleta Motors RF22 comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine with an in-house developed supercharger delivering 505 horsepower and 555 Nm of maximum torque coupled to a six-speed manual transmission. Weighing in at just 1,363 kg, this new sports car accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.6 seconds - which is the sort of performance you would expect from a Ferrari - and should be able to reach a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h). As for now, no word on price and actual production plans.

via EUROCARBLOG