Posting to bulletin board e90post, BMW inside source Scott26 says the German automaker is developing a new "high end luxury" concept car said to be a pet project of company CEO Dr. Norbert Reithofer.  The BMW Z Spyder Stradale was first pitched five years ago before being quickly pushed into research & development.

Then the economy collapsed, and the new premium roadster was shelved.  However, with the economy slowly starting to get its grip, BMW looks poised to bring out a car that harkens back to the BMW 328 Mille Miglia.

If the posted sketch looks familiar, that's because the bottom half was already published in the August 2009 issue of Automobile Magazine as the BMW California Spyder.

The car features an elongated hood with a driver seat set just in front of the rear axle.  The shortened rear certainly ties in with the Z car lineage.  As seen in the new image, the car could potentially get scissor-doors, but this is not set in stone.  Scott26 says the doors could also open either from a rear hinge, or more conventionally.

The California Spyder was rumored to have the same V10 engine that the BMW F1 team used at the time.  That engine kicks out 700 horsepower (522 kW, 710 PS), though Scott26 says the car may get a V8 or V10 producing 592 hp (447 kW, 600 PS).  A kinetic energy recovery system and other hybrid elements could make their way onto the car.

Like the Z8, the Spyder Stradale would keep an aluminum frame, but lightweight carbon fiber panels would be produced through a partnership with SGL Carbon.  Steel and magnesium will also be used at the front, as well as the rear suspension, while a carbon fiber tub will be the basis for the passenger area.  The speculation suggests that this car could also be the backbone for a new two-seat Rolls-Royce Roadster,

Intriguing exterior features include a two-piece folding hardtop made from carbon fiber, active aerodynamics, LED daytime lighting, regenerative braking, stop/start, and BMW's first-ever automatically-extending rear spoiler with an extra lip for added downforce.  Inside, the car will have a minimalist angled dash with an iDrive screen and large vents, as well as lightweight bucket seats and a sharkskin interior.

If produced, the BMW Z Spyder Stradale might not hit the market until 2014.

A futuristic-looking sketch depicting what Volvo described as "a future Volvo electric car?" surfaced during a presentation at an event by EnerDel, lithium-ion battery suppliers for the electric Volvo C30. The sketch was signed by one Stefan Jansson and is quite bold, with a menacing front end and oversized wheels.

Dan Johnston, a spokesman for Volvo played down suggestions of anything resembling the final electric car design, saying the sketch is just that, a sketch.

"It's just one of the designer guys in Sweden playing around," Johnston told Insideline. "We won't have an electric vehicle that looks like an electric vehicle. It won't be like a Prius. You'll see the continuation of [our] design language on the C30."

However, seeing as though the Swedes were actually pressured by an excited public into building the C30 from that radical Volvo Safety Concept Car of 2000, there is no saying this won't happen again with this sketch.

[Yankodesign]

This is a rendering of the upcoming Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera by graphic artist Jon Sibal. The rendering, we are informed by our esteemed and trusted colleagues over at Teamspeed.com, is based on reliable info of what the Superleggera will actually look like once it makes it debut at the Geneva auto show in March.

The Superleggera will shed about 70 kg over its standard variant (if you can ever use the term 'standard' when speaking of a Lamborghini) and will come with an unimpressive 10 hp increase in power. But those missing 70 kilos will likely mark their lack of presence in the performance figures. The Superleggera will do the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in less than 3.5 seconds and will have a power to weight ratio of 2.35. The transmission will be the same gear box as in the LP560.

Distinguishing the Superleggera will be the Italian flag colored stripes on the side of the car, as seen in the image here. The model will come in 6 colors - Yellow, White, Black, Grey, Orange and Lime Green. It will come with a carbon fiber finished interior with stitching matched to the Green, Yellow and Orange for those Superleggeras. Grey stitching will have to do for the White, Grey and Black models.

When artist and designer Benedict Radcliffe was a child he would wander around the paddocks of racetracks and clubs, finding himself increasingly fascinated with Lamborghini.  It is a fascination that continues to this day.

It is the reason Radcliffe decided to make the Lamborghini Countach his second full-scale wireframe project.  "With the Lamborghini I made it because I just knew the wireframe technique would suit it and it is the most iconic supercar of all time," Radcliffe told Jalopnik.com.

"I had to make it to get it out of my system."

Dubbed the "Koenig Countach," the artist used welded 10mm steel rods to form the vehicle.  Once completed, the intricate piece was painted in flourescent orange.  Radcliffe says the color is equally as "uncompromising" as the car itself.

Koenig Countach was completed in 2008, and is currently on display at the Classic Car Club on London's famed old Street.  The installation is also available for purchase.

The mid-engined Lamborghini Countach was assembled from 1974 to 1990 with 4.0-, 5.0-, and 5.2-liter V12 engines.  Nearly 2,050 units were produced over the car's 16 years in production.

[Via:jalopnik]