LaFerrari

The Geneva Motor Show is in full swing and today was the highly anticipated debut of Ferrari’s Enzo successor. Simply named LaFerrari, it will most certainly revolutionize the way we think about hyper cars. Many people have gotten hung up on the name and while not brilliant, it’s hardly a reason to dislike what is an astonishing piece of engineering.

The Ferrari DNA is present throughout with subtle hints to the 458 Italia and the P4/5.

Like the name, LaFerrari’s looks have been met with mixed reviews. I think it’s a fantastically good looking piece of design and far exceeds the Enzo.

Many of you have probably had the chance to soak in all of the content released throughout the day. In case you’ve missed it, here are some of the more interesting details about the car.

 

 

 

 

While KERS and active aero are technologies we’ve become familiar with in motor sports, they’ve rarely been used on production cars. It’s a trend that’s gaining momentum in the automotive industry and is fast becoming the new norm for high performance road cars.

There’s no mistaking that LaFerrari has Formula 1 to thank for it’s technical contributions to the project. While many will argue that the sport has little influence on production cars, that certainly is not the case here. Ferrari, McLaren, Pagani and Porsche are ushering in a new era of what’s technically possible.

Now we can all look forward to the inevitable LaFerrari-P1 comparison test.

Photos & videos courtesy of Ferrari.

Vertex 86 At Tokyo Auto Salon

Like many of you I’ll be tucking into some serious car porn this weekend as the automotive blogosphere is flooded with Tokyo Auto Salon coverage. Expect to see the usual helping of GT-Rs and a massive onslaught of Toyota 86s. There will of course be some Evos here and there and if we’re lucky an STi or two. I’m also looking forward to the inevitable hybrid, badly disguising itself as a viable platform for modifying. It’s the greatest car show of them all, contrary to what you might have read on Speedhunters…

There are a couple shops I always look forward to seeing, one of which being Vertex. Their 86 demo car will be the centerpiece of their exhibition this year.

I presume Vertex will eventually produce multiple aero options for the 86 as this one is simply a lip kit. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for front and rear bumpers and potentially a wide body Ridge kit.

Expect the usual roster of tuning shops and parts manufacturers to bring out the big guns. Varis looks to be offering their own wide body option for the 86 this year and what they have in store is pretty interesting.

I’ll be doing my best to provide some element of coverage throughout the weekend. I can’t wait to see what’s in store!

Photos courtesy of Vertex.

Varis 86

For how little time the FR-S has been on the market, there’s still plenty of people who’ve ruined them. When a car looks good from the factory, it can be difficult for aero companies to produce a successful look. There’s already quite a few unsavory kits out there, however when it comes to Varis you know a car is in good hands.

Happily they’ve done it again with their 86 demo car. I’m not amazed that the FR-S takes well to rear wings, however I am amazed just how much they change the car’s overall appearance. It goes from being a sporty runaround to a full blown track car with just a few tweaks.

It’s unsurprising that Varis is producing my favorite aero for the FR-S right now. The Rocket Bunny I discussed last month is definitely cool, but it’s overdone. Practically every demo car at SEMA had it and when the industry becomes that unimaginative, it makes you wonder if 1 guy is running the show.

Photo courtesy of Varis.

Rocket Bunny FR-S

So the Ben Sopra GT-R isn’t my thing. However, the Rocket Bunny FR-S is an entirely different story.

I wasn’t feeling the Rocket Bunny kit at all when I first saw it. The wheel fitment was cartoonishly horrid and the whole car appeared to have had an allergic reaction.

But then I saw this video by Maiham-Media and it completely changed my mind.

Miura-san knows what he’s doing and his FR-S looks fantastic on the move. In motion it’s a completely different beast and suddenly the bulging fenders and crazy fitment starts to make sense.

This is one occasion where I’ve happily had to eat my words.

Photo & video courtesy of Maiham-Media.

 

Runduce GT-R

Earlier this year I made claims that the Ben Sopra kit was one of the most disgusting abominations ever to grace the lines of an automobile. Despite all the hype leading up to SEMA next week, I stand by those claims. 35 grand to turn your GT-R into a Decepticon? I’ll pass.

This is much more like it. The Varis x Original Runduce GT-R. This kit has been around for a couple years now, but it’s still one of the best options on the market. What I love about well designed aero is its ability to enhance the existing appearance of a car without completely changing it. Varis has always been exceptionally good at that, especially with their Original Runduce collaborations. Check out the kit they’ve just done for the FR-S!

Photo courtesy of Varis.

Back In Action?

What’s the deal with the Cyber Evo? The iconic car was retired last year after being the undisputed Time Attack king. However, we were all thrown a curve ball when a wildly different looking Evo IX was seen at the World Time Attack Challenge earlier this summer.

The car bore the name but resembled little else from its original performance and appearance.

At Tokyo Auto Salon Team Cyber announced a new partnership with C-West and their Cyber GT-R project. But what about Voltex? Surely Team Cyber wouldn’t part ways with the aero parts designer that made them famous? Their lack of involvement in the “new” car seems very strange.

Maybe I’m creating a story where there is none, but I’m genuinely interested in what happened. If I know anything about Japanese tuning shops it’s that they’re hardly how they appear on the surface and there’s always some kind of drama going on.

Varis Evos

As you might have known, I’m a Varis fan. I like to check up on their blog and see what their latest projects are. They do just about everything and do it well. I’ve personally never owned any of their products, but I used to work closely with them and the quality speaks for itself.

I’ve always liked their Evo demo cars, they have a certain je ne sais quoi.

There’s a guy in Chicago with a Varis kitted Evo X wide body. I believe it’s the only one that’s made it to the US. The car looks amazing and I don’t care if you’re a Subaru purist or not, it’s easily one of the best looking Evos in the country.

I’ve always loved the looks of this particular car. Maybe it’s the red paint or the Prodrive wheels. It’s got that great “street tuned” look that Varis does so well.

Photos courtesy of Varis.

Varis GVB Impreza

It’s been taking me a while to warm up to the GVB. Even though Subaru made the right decision and went back to a sedan, I think the GDB is a superior looking car. However, Varis is making a compelling argument for the current model.

With the exception of their recent GRB widebody kit, they nail it every time. Varis really does produce some of the industry’s best aero products and this kit is no exception. The front bumper and canards add an aggressiveness this car so desperately needs. The Prodrive GC-014i is also a great looking and underrated wheel.

Photo courtesy of Varis.

Varis GRB Widebody

Varis is apparently developing a widebody kit for the GRB STi. It’s only a sketch right now, but so far things are looking good.

The fender and side skirt design look similar to their new Evo X kit, debuted at Tokyo Auto Salon.

I can’t help but wonder why they decided not to do it for the GVB instead. Anyway, pretty exciting news from Varis.

Photo courtesy of Varis.

Vertex World Project R

Vertex has been one of my favorite aero brands since I used to watch the JDM Insider DVD’s. Ueno’s designs were always clean and inspired by the particular car’s existing body lines. They were a departure from the chunky drift kits, seen on a vast majority of Toyotas and Nissans.

I’ve been wondering when Vertex was going to release something for the GT-R. It’s still the most popular tuner car in Japan and it would only make sense for the brand to cash in on that.

Vertex is apparently debuting their R35 GT-R at this month’s Tokyo Auto Salon. For now, a shot of their carbon front lip and I must say, it’s nice looking piece.

There’s plenty of aero offerings for the GT-R, but I’ve never been too keen on most. I’ve always said I’d go for the Mine’s front lip if I ever owned a GT-R, but this one could also be a contender. I’m excited to see the rest of the car, next week. Hopefully they’ll be offering more aero pieces for it.

Photo courtesy of Vertex.