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DS SM Tribute Concept

In 2009, the French luxury-premium marque, DS Automobiles, was founded as part of Automobiles Citroen S.A. (now owned by Stellantis), and has been operating independently since 2014. They are marking their first decade of independence with the SM Tribute Concept, inspired by the Citroen SM from the 1970s.

The concept features a long hood that tapers to the floor, as well as a glass front that in the 1970s housed headlights that turned along with the steering wheel. Like the original Citroen SM, it is adorned with a combination of gold and black colors and shows how the original model would look today.

Inside, the curvature of the dashboard and seats are reminiscent of the original model. In front of the driver is a boxy steering wheel with an integrated screen, as well as a digital instrument cluster.

When it comes to the powertrain, the company did not reveal any information, but it is probably an electric car. The original SM was powered by a 2.7-liter V6 engine borrowed from Maserati.

Many may not like the design, but let’s not forget that this is still a concept.

Source: DS Automobiles

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DS SM Tribute Concept
News

Last Factory Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Turbo Sold for $818,000

In 1998, the last example of an air-cooled Porsche, the 911 Turbo Coupe, left the assembly line. It was recently sold at auction for $818,000.

The car was delivered to the original owner on September 5, 1998, with a letter confirming that it was the last air-cooled 911 to leave the factory. It was then sent to Porsche’s exclusive Sonderwunsch department, where it underwent a six-month transformation involving numerous details. The car is even more desirable because of the rare WLS 2 upgrade, strut brace, twin tailpipes, an extra oil cooler, and a larger fuel tank volume (92 liters). Also, the power of the air-cooled 3.6-L M64.60 engine increased to 444 hp (326 kW).

The interior of the car was fully trimmed in Night Blue leather, including switches, door latches, heater controls and even the instrument bezels, the dials being finished in a complementary shade of blue. The dashboard is decorated with an “In Memoriam Prof. Ferry Porsche” plaque that adds a touch of nostalgia, while the side sills proudly display the phrase “The Last Waltz”.

It should be noted that this car is the last air-cooled Poresche to leave the factory, but not the last to be produced. That honor went to a Carrera 4S that was sold to American comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Source: Bonhams

Gallery:

Last Factory Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Turbo Sold for $818,000
News

Volkswagen will use only high-quality fabric in its cars

In an interview with The Magazine, Volkswagen’s head of design Andy Mindt and head of design strategy Christian Schreiber stated that the German car company will stop using cheap plastic in the interior of its cars and replace it with higher quality fabric.

“We’re going to try to get rid of cheap plastic and use more fabric instead to improve the quality, and that will help us save money and use the same elsewhere. An example is a door panel made up of three parts. We’re going to try to design it with one island in the middle. The door handle and the armrest will still be there, but they will be made from one piece. Also, this will make the whole process more sustainable,” Mindt said.

He also said, “I believe that most people don’t want to be the coolest or appear aggressive in public. They want to have a suit and a good exterior, and be happy and optimistic. Why the need to be aggressive? We want to be good guys. “

“When you open the door of a Volkswagen car, the interior must be simple and practical, without excessive decoration. This should also apply to using the car, which is made to cooperate with the driver, not to complicate things. There will be some surprises from the previous cars. E.g. ., we’ll have certain samples, especially for the GTI models, and we’re very protective of these things so we won’t use them for other models,” Schreiber said.

Source: The Magazine; Photo: Volkswagen