The BMW Z4 Coupe That Could've Been a Toyota Supra Rival

BMW and Toyota may have joined forces to counteract the observation that says sportscars don't make money, but each of the machines has its own fate. So while the German is a sweet roadster in the ever-increasing Bavarian lineup, the Japanese toy has followed the tuning pathway that gifted its predecessor with a rock-solid reputation. But what if things had been different?

Let's just imagine that the two automotive producers hadn't decided to jointly developer their go-fast toys, with each company going its own way instead.

That would've most likely see the Coupe incarnation of the new Z4 rivaling the 2020 Supra, but let's not dwell on such battle dreams for too long.

Instead, we can focus on the form the said Bimmer would've taken. In fact, I've brought along a rendering portraying a concept car that would've previewed the showroom material.

For added drama, Max Shershnev, the transportation designer behind these pixels, showcases the machine doing its thing outside the beaten path.

But if we look past the rally-style dirt, we'll notice the styling cues of the proposal, which seem to fall in line with BMW's current design language.

Now, if you're not convinced of the conclusion above, you can simply compare this rendering to the Concept 4 that recently bowed in Frankfurt, previewing the future 4 Series - you'll find a live photo gallery above.

And yes, this is yet another implementation of BMW's new-age, super-sized kidney grilles. Well, as in the case of the said concept car, the idea seems to work much better on this Z4 than on the luxobarges that feature it in real life, namely the 7 Series and the X7 seven-seater.

Given the fact that the German automotive producer continues to be an explorer of styling languages, perhaps we'll get more super-sized grilles on sportscars in the future.

Crazy VW Lupo Has Twin 2.0 TFSI Motors, Makes 1,800 HP

The VW Lupo: cheap, small, 3-cylinder engines. It's also pretty old, so the only reason to buy one is to have a cheap shopping trolley or... a crazy engine swap?

For some reason, the same thing that makes the Lupo bad also makes it good. It's cheap to buy, and many Europeans took it upon themselves to stuff as much engine as is humanly possible into this little frame. Most often, we find Volkswagen's old VR6 fitted under the hood, and that's pretty amazing.

However, one man from Romania decided to take over the local drag racing scene with a specimen that has not one but two 2.0 TFSI powertrains, one at the front and another over the back.

At this point, almost nothing is left of the original car, but it's still got the cute little Lupo's front end, which makes it all very funny. In the videos below, the 1,200 horsepower machine can be seen barreling down a runway with a 1/4 mile time of under 9 seconds.

From what we understand, engines come from a S3 and each comes with its own DQ250 DSG gearbox so it's AWD in a strange way. Team DOP Motorsport took the mental Lupo to Santa Pod in the UK this month, where it was testing a new 1,800 horsepower setup. Unfortunately, the setup wasn't yet ready to beat the previous times.

Drag radials have been installed to make full use of the massive output. The suspension is all custom-made here, while the fenders have had to be extended quite a bit. You can't miss the large intercooler sticking out the front and the extra vents at the back. This thing is like an old rally car, even sporting a different roof for better streamlining. Is that from a Honda, or are we imagining things?

Koenigsegg Trashes 0-400-0 KM/H Record With the Regera In 31.49 Seconds

Consider this. The Regera features a one-speed gear ratio (2.73 to 1) and a 4.5-kWh battery that provides electricity to three electric motors. The fuel tank, meanwhile, feeds a rather thirsty 5.0-liter V8 with twin-turbocharging technology, translating to a grand total of 1,822 PS (1,797 horsepower) and a whole lot of torque.

Koenigsegg started production of the Regera three years ago, and 80 examples of the breed are planned until the Jesko takes over with 125 units. The thing is, the Jesko is a different animal altogether because of the nine-speed transmission and much simpler powertrain, devoid of any kind of electrical assistance.

This gets us back to the Regera plug-in hybrid hypercar, which stole the 0-400-0 km/h world record from the Regera RS on September 23rd at the Rada airfield deep in the forests of Sweden. The run was over in 31.49 seconds, which is hugely impressive if you remember the Bugatti Chiron doing the same thing in 41.96 seconds and Agera RS in 36.44 seconds.

It should also be mentioned the Bugatti is heavier and less powerful than the Koenigsegg, featuring a quad-turbo W16 and a dedicated mode for high-speed driving. The special-edition Agera RS, meanwhile, is nowhere near as high-tech or capable in a straight line as the Regera.

If you like numbers, there are more comin’ so hang on tight! The Regera took 22.87 seconds with factory driver Sonny Persson behind the wheel to hit 400 km/h (249 mph), and the braking to a standstill added 8.62 seconds to the tally. GPS and a data logger were used to confirm the times, and given how fast hypercars are evolving, we’re certain that the record won’t hold for long.

Regera is Swedish for “to reign,” and this record is a clear indicator that Koenigsegg has what it takes to take on the crown jewel of the Volkswagen Group despite the vast difference in development budgets. Pricing for the Regera used to start at €2,100,000 a few years ago, which is another slap in Bugatti’s face is you remember the Chiron retails at around €2.5 million.

Nissan GT-R Pickup Is the Workhorse of Japanese Supercars

It's amazing to think that Nissan is one of the biggest automakers in the world but hasn't retired the R35 GT-R, which has been around for over a decade. There have been rumors, but the company is much too busy developing EVs and crossovers right now.

Yes, it's old, but there's still something magical about it. We still remember the huge impact Godzilla had on the supercar world when it came out. It was super-cheap yet could take down basically any supercar at the time, and people just couldn't figure out how a car with that weight and amount of power could launch so fast.

Of course, the industry has caught up in the meantime. Power has gone up quite a bit, but it's not way cheaper than an equivalent BMW or AMG right now. Yet its shape remains iconic and is great if you want a custom car project that turns heads or puts down 2,000 horsepower without a problem.

A GT-R pickup fits that description perfectly. Yes, a pickup, something that naturally evokes imagery of Holden or Ford utes from Australia. Such a thing technically exists, as the classic 'Hakosuka' Skyline had pickup body conversions, but what we're dealing with here is actually a rendering, an accurate one at that.

Designer Hugo Silva appears to have put this together by combining existing 3D models. The front looks like any widebody GT-R while everything from the windshield back is a modified compact pickup. Maybe the Tacoma TRD.

We know that a 4-door GT-R or a GT-R truck may offend the purists, but at least they'll be happy that no Nissans were hurt in the making of these images. Still, the photos look almost believable, and we don't doubt you could put the front bumper and fenders of an R35 an a truck. But would you do that to an icon?

Slammed Toyota Supra Looks Like a Tesla-TRD Mashup

It's safe to say that the new Toyota Supra is a smash hit right now. The new model is one of the most talked-about cars on YouTube, Reddit or Instagram right now. The bold styling captures your eye, and not a day goes by without a cool rendering that takes the styling in another direction.

This latest one comes from Brad Builds and is supposed to have a JDM style. After all the skirts and spoilers were finished, the artist also added an idyllic Japanese urban setting for the full Tokyo Drift experience.

His vision is obviously an aggressively slammed one, featuring wheels that are hugged closely by the fender extensions when the airbag suspension is deflated. The chassis engineers who were in charge of developing the fine handling characteristics of the Supra are probably asking for early retirement, but the JDM industry has always been about such extremes. It's callled hellaflush. At least there's no negative camber, right?

In other areas, the Brad Builds body kit is quite restrained, with extensions that are relatively smooth and a new bumper that doesn't stray too far from the original. In fact, the blocked-off middle grille is reminiscent of the Tesla Model 3 and its no-mouth face. It's like Neo in the first Matrix, right after the agents got him, ar a little grey alien.

Around the back, the 3D model sports a clean but very tall wing, inspired by the Mk4 Supra TRD. This is by no means somebody tried to borrow styling from the iconic old model.

Unfortunately, the only body kit taking the 2020 model to this level is the one Pandem makes. However, given its popularity, more should spring up by next year while tuners are searching for ways to extra magic numbers from BMW's engine or change it for something better

Simple Tips to Save Money on Your Car Insurance

Whether you’re an experienced driver or new to it, if you own a car, you must buy insurance – and this applies regardless of where you live on this planet. A new research comes in handy in terms of saving money on your premiums, by highlighting a few, very simple tips.

Website Car Insurance Comparison (the name says it all in terms of what’s it about, really) has conducted a survey on over 1,000 drivers currently paying an insurance premium, to determine the ways in which others could get lower premiums for the same coverage. This is not about cutting down on coverage, but about getting the same or more for less money.

According to the study, which is available in full at the link, the best way to ensure you pay less for your car insurance is to negotiate. While haggling remains the norm at car dealerships and while it’s known to actually work with insurance companies as well, only 42 percent of the Americans surveyed did it. Those who did negotiate their premiums, though, saved $220 annually, the same research shows.

Negotiating isn’t the only way to save money on your car insurance. If you also do your research beforehand and you conduct all business online, you can save more, the study shows.

For instance, the study shows that discount programs (like “good student” and “safe driver”) do save money, about $53 per year. This is small change compared to the $220 you save by negotiating – just be careful not to threaten moving to another provider, because that could backfire.

Researching and comparing quotes, and making sure you get exactly the plan you need is also good for your wallet: 31 to 60 minutes of research save drivers an average of $8.72 annually, while 1 hour or more of research saves them $20.60 a year, the study shows. If you’re wondering just how much shopping around you have to do before settling on a plan, this study has the answer: collecting 5 or 6 quotes leads to paying an average of $86.12 less each year on your premium.

Men and millennials are the most likely to negotiate their premiums, while women and those from the baby boomer generation are the least inclined to do so, the survey shows. In terms of how negotiations should be carried out, the study reveals that the best results are achieved when it’s done online, in person. Forget about calling a friend or a family member for help, because no one can handle your business as well as you can. 

Juiced Bikes’ Scorpion Promises to Launch the Micromobility Revolution

When it comes to e-bikes and other micromobility solutions, the array of choices is wide and maybe more than often confusing. However, when it comes to a product that is both strong and elegant, durable and powerful, the choice can only be one: Scorpion from Juiced Bikes.

That’s what Juiced Bikes is promising customers with their Indiegogo campaign, which managed to reach its fixed goal of $50,000 in something like 5 minutes. It is currently sitting at over $1.2 million in pledges, more than 2,500% of its initial proposed goal, so yes, it’s safe to say that there’s a high interest in a moped-style retro bike that promises to launch the micromobility revolution.

What makes Scorpion stand out from the crowd of the many e-bike variants is the fact that it’s a homage to the 1970s moped-style bicycles. So, it’s comfortable and elegant, solid and reliable. At the same time, it comes with the world-leading 52-volt battery, which offers a riding range of 45 to 75 miles, and a standard 750-watt motor for a top speed of 28mph.

Scorpion is also very safe and easy to control, thanks to hydraulic 180 mm disk brakes, front and rear suspension, which makes it very comfortable – as does the moped-style seat. Puncture-resistant fat street tires and the oversized LED motorcycle headlamp add to the picture of a fully comfy and safe e-bike, unlike no other on the market – or so say the makers.

“In the e-bike market, we're all very focused on pushing the performance envelope. With the Scorpion, however, we wanted to emphasize the importance of the design, while still ensuring the bike was packed with advanced performance features our customers love,” Tora Harris, CEO and Founder of Juiced Bikes, says in a statement.

“Gone are the days of underpowered pedaling. With the Scorpion, we are delivering superhuman power and speed combined with incredible versatility at an extremely affordable price. It’s really the perfect mobility solution for a broad range of riders,” Harris adds.

Scorpion comes in Gloss Black and Metallic Blue, and has a more performative sibling in the HyperScorpion. For those who were able to pledge on the crowdfunding site, Scorpion will ship for $1,299, and for $2,199 for orders through the official Juiced Bikes website, once it goes into mass production. Shipping is scheduled for March 2020 on pre-orders