Sale

Ferrari 328 GTS Conciso

Some Ferraris are preserved. Others are restored. And a very small number are reimagined into something so left-field that even Maranello would probably do a double take. The latter is where the Michalak Design “Conciso” lands—an almost unrecognisable reinterpretation of a Ferrari 328 GTS that trades weight, complexity, and convention for a sharper, leaner kind of exoticism.

Built in the early 1990s by German design house Michalak Design, the Conciso started life as a standard 328 GTS before being stripped back and re-bodied into something closer to a design study than a traditional restomod. Ferrari itself had no involvement in the project. The mechanical backbone—the chassis and 3.2-litre V8 drivetrain of the original Ferrari 328 GTS—remains, but everything wrapped around it was re-engineered with one obsession in mind: mass reduction.

The result is a car that looks like a parallel-universe Ferrari. The proportions are familiar, but the surfaces are tighter, the bodywork more experimental, and the overall aesthetic far more industrial than sensual. It debuted publicly at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, where it stood less as a Ferrari derivative and more as a design thesis on what happens when you aggressively strip a mid-engine sports car down to its essence.

Diet of Aluminium, Gains in Everything Else

The headline number is the weight. At just 1,900 pounds (889 kg), the Conciso sheds roughly 780 pounds (363 kg) compared to the standard Ferrari 328 GTS. That puts it not only well below its donor car but even beneath modern lightweight benchmarks like the Mazda MX-5.

That kind of reduction changes the character of the drivetrain entirely. With the same 3.2-litre V8 doing the work but far less mass to move, performance tightens up dramatically. The Conciso is said to reach 62 mph in around five seconds and continue on to roughly 170 mph (274 km/h)—numbers that push it closer to early-2000s supercar territory than late-’80s Ferrari grand touring.

It’s not about outright power. It never was. It’s about what happens when you remove everything that doesn’t absolutely need to be there.

A Collector’s Odyssey

After its Frankfurt debut, the Conciso entered a quieter, more nomadic phase. Michalak Design sold it to a North American collector, where it remained until 1998, before passing to a Belgian owner. In 2018, it returned to the United States, continuing its slow evolution from show car curiosity to bona fide collector oddity.

Between 2022 and 2023, the car underwent a comprehensive restoration by Italian specialists Bacchelli & Villa. More than €50,000 was spent returning it to its original specification, including a full respray in Rosso Corsa with Gunmetal Grey accents. The paintwork alone reportedly accounted for over €23,000—a reminder that when low-volume coachbuilt Ferraris are involved, even cosmetics operate in a different financial universe.

Now on the Market—Quietly

Today, the Conciso is being offered for sale in the United States through RM Sotheby’s Sealed platform, meaning no public price tag is attached. The last recorded auction result in 2018 placed it at $109,250, but given its rarity, restoration work, and renewed collector interest, that figure now feels more like a historical footnote than a benchmark.

RM Sotheby’s is keeping expectations discreet, which is fitting. Cars like this don’t really price themselves against standard Ferrari market logic. They exist in a narrower lane where design provenance, engineering curiosity, and sheer individuality matter as much as badge value.

The Conciso isn’t trying to be a better Ferrari 328 GTS. It’s trying to be a lighter, stranger, more focused interpretation of one. And in doing so, it has become something arguably rarer than performance alone: a Ferrari-based machine that feels genuinely unrepeatable.

In a market increasingly dominated by escalating horsepower wars and digital excess, the Conciso’s appeal is almost rebellious in its simplicity. Strip weight. Keep the engine. Redefine everything else.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

CONCEPT CARS

Shell Triple 10 Challenge

Shell doesn’t usually show up in conversations about the future of passenger cars—at least not in the “here’s our next hot hatch” sense. But the oil giant has now stepped into concept-car territory with something it calls the Triple 10 Challenge, a compact electric vehicle study that reads less like a traditional product pitch and more like a manifesto for where EV efficiency might go next.

And like any good manifesto, it comes with three big, almost slogan-like targets: 10 km per kWh, less than 10 tonnes of lifetime CO₂e, and a 10-minute fast-charge window. In other words, Shell isn’t just trying to show an EV—it’s trying to compress the entire problem of electric mobility into three neatly measurable goals.

On paper, the numbers are eye-catching. The concept is said to recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 9 minutes and 54 seconds, using a relatively ordinary 175 kW DC fast charger. That’s the kind of claim that usually triggers skepticism, but Shell’s emphasis here isn’t peak charging power—it’s thermal management. The company argues that the system can sustain high charging rates through a simplified cooling architecture that manages the entire powertrain’s heat load in one loop rather than several separate systems.

That’s where things start to sound less like a car reveal and more like a technology demonstration. At the center of it all is Shell’s new Recharge thermal fluid, a dielectric medium designed for direct immersion cooling of the battery pack and indirect cooling of motors and electronics. In theory, this approach reduces thermal bottlenecks that normally force EVs to taper charging speeds aggressively. Shell claims this enables faster charging, lighter system architecture, and improved efficiency across the board—using existing, scalable technologies rather than exotic breakthroughs.

The company also hints at a more tangible payoff: more than a 30 percent improvement in overall energy efficiency compared with many current-generation EVs, alongside a roughly 25 percent reduction in battery pack cost. Those gains are attributed not to a single silver bullet, but to a combination of simplified module design, reduced packaging complexity, and the thermal fluid system doing more of the heavy lifting.

On the environmental side, Shell frames the Triple 10 as a lifecycle exercise as much as a vehicle concept. Lightweight construction, optimized battery sizing, recyclable materials, and charging powered entirely by renewable energy are all part of the equation. The result, according to Shell, is up to a 50 percent reduction in lifecycle emissions compared with typical battery EVs sold in Europe today.

The hardware behind the idea is being handled by a network of specialists rather than a traditional OEM. Electric drive development is credited to Empel Systems, while battery integration work is handled by RML Group. Shell itself is, unsurprisingly, focused on the fluids and thermal systems that underpin the whole concept.

Visually, the Triple 10 leans toward the familiar end of the EV design spectrum, even if it’s not tied to production reality. It’s described as a compact five-door hatchback with a tall stance, a full-width light bar, flush door handles, and digital side mirrors. There’s also an aerodynamic wheel design with what appears to be a stylized “aluminum-look” finish, plus a minimalist interior featuring a rotary-style selector. Nothing here screams production intent—but everything feels deliberately plausible.

And that’s really the point. The Triple 10 Challenge isn’t trying to preview a Shell-badged showroom car. It’s trying to prove a systems argument: that if you rethink thermal management and simplify architecture, you can move the needle on charging speed, efficiency, cost, and emissions all at once.

Whether that translates cleanly into the messy reality of mass production is another question entirely. But as concept cars go, this one isn’t about horsepower or styling theatrics. It’s about whether the plumbing underneath an EV might matter just as much as the battery inside it.

Source: Shell

News

Hyundai to Discontinue i30 Wagon as Demand Shifts to SUVs

The station wagon has spent the better part of two decades fighting a losing battle against SUVs, and Hyundai has finally decided it’s no longer worth joining the fight.

The Korean automaker is preparing to retire the i30 Wagon, effectively ending its presence in a body style that once represented practicality, efficiency, and a distinctly European approach to family transportation. Despite recent spy photos suggesting the long-roof i30 might survive the model’s next round of updates, Hyundai executives have now confirmed that the wagon’s future is anything but bright.

Speaking to Auto Express, Hyundai Motor Europe President and CEO Xavier Martinet left little room for interpretation.

“There’s a reason we don’t talk much about wagons,” Martinet said. “Demand in this segment is not growing.”

That statement may sound blunt, but it reflects a reality that has been unfolding across the global automotive industry for years. While wagons remain beloved by a small but passionate group of enthusiasts, mainstream buyers have overwhelmingly shifted toward crossovers and SUVs. The trend isn’t limited to Europe; buyers in the United States and China have largely abandoned traditional estate cars as well.

For Hyundai, the business case simply no longer adds up.

The i30 Wagon has historically found its strongest audience among fleet operators, where low purchase prices often translate into slim profit margins. In today’s automotive landscape—where manufacturers are facing enormous investments in electrification, software development, and increasingly complex regulations—every euro spent on product development must justify itself.

According to Martinet, wagons struggle to do that.

SUVs continue to command higher transaction prices and stronger margins, making them a far more attractive destination for research and development budgets. While Hyundai acknowledges that some demand for station wagons still exists, the company clearly sees the segment as too small to warrant future investment.

The decision marks the end of a lineage that stretches back to 2007, when the original i30 Wagon first arrived. Successive generations followed in 2011 and 2017, helping establish Hyundai as a serious competitor in Europe’s fiercely contested compact-car segment. Throughout its life, the wagon shared much of its mechanical architecture with the Kia Ceed SportsWagon—a model that has already met its own demise.

For now, customers in markets such as Germany, France, Italy, and Spain can still place orders for the i30 Wagon, sold under various names including Wagon, CW, SW, and Kombi. But Martinet’s comments strongly suggest the model will leave the stage quietly once production ends, without a replacement waiting in the wings.

Its departure leaves Hyundai’s European passenger-car lineup increasingly focused on hatchbacks, sedans, and, unsurprisingly, SUVs.

That doesn’t mean Hyundai’s product pipeline is slowing down. The company is preparing to introduce the European version of the new i20, while the aging third-generation i30 is expected to receive yet another facelift—its third. The Elantra sedan could also make a return to European showrooms following a mid-cycle update.

Yet Hyundai’s real priorities are impossible to miss.

The Bayon, Kona, and Tucson—all key players in Europe’s most competitive crossover segments—are expected to receive major redesigns in the coming years. Sharper styling, updated infotainment systems, and improved technology will take center stage as Hyundai doubles down on the body style customers continue to buy in ever-greater numbers.

It’s a familiar story in today’s automotive industry. Wagons may still offer superior driving dynamics, lower weight, and greater efficiency than many SUVs. They may even be the objectively smarter choice for countless families.

But car buyers don’t always purchase the objectively smarter choice.

And with the Hyundai i30 Wagon preparing for retirement, another chapter in the slow decline of the station wagon is coming to a close.

Source: Auto Express

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