In-Wheel Electric Motors Being Developed By Volkswagen and Protean

Protean in-wheel electric motor
Volkswagen and Protean Electric, an American company specialized in developing in-wheel electric motors, are teaming up to develop a rear wheel drive electric Volkswagen Bora. The in-wheel electric motors are claimed to produce 100 Hp each. Which means that with a pair of motors mounted inside the rear wheels, you get a RWD compact sedan producing a healthy 200 Hp.

The best part is that, as explained in the diagram above, the power electronics (which are the electronic components needed to convert the Direct Current of the battery into a wave form suitable to drive the electric motors) are located inside the wheels too. Which leaves plenty of room and possibilities to store the battery and have a good weight repartition.

The concept might be closer to reality than we think and the car could go into production as soon as 2014. Stay tuned for more information.

8:58 AM Read More +

Pick of The Day: Nissan GT-R on Strasse Forged Wheels

We never get tired of the Nissan GT-R. And we hope you don't either because today we have picked for you another awesome custom model. This black GT-R came to showcase the R10 Deep Concave wheels from Strasse Forged and it looks like they suit each other very well!

The wheels are Strasse Forged's R10 Deep Concave model that measure 21 x 10.5 inch front and 21 x 12.5 inch rear. The centers of the wheels are finished in Matte Anthracite while the lips are in Gloss Anthracite. If you dig a little more into the details, the barrels are finished in Gloss Black Inner and the center caps are in Brushed aluminum. The wheels also feature Performance Spec Stud Hardware and Performance Spec Weight Reduction Chambers. More pictures of the beast in the gallery below.

10:28 PM Read More +

Hamann Wheels for the BMW 4-Series Revealed

German tuning company Hamann introduced its new bespoke wheels for the sexy BMW 4-Series. The model used to showcase the new wheels is wearing an M Sport Package. The new wheels are available in matte silver Anniversary Evo and matte black Anniversary Evo Black Line finish. The available diameters are 19-inch and 20-inch.

Some performance upgrades were also made available for all the engine variants both in diesel and petrol versions, the most notable being the 435i which jumps from 306 Hp to 348 Hp. When it comes to handling, Hamann offers the choice between two lowering kits: 20mm and 30mm.

We definitely prefer the black on black version. Here are more pictures to help you make a choice.

5:29 PM Read More +

1,100 Hp Corvette C6 on Strasse Forged Wheels

The new Corvette C7 might already be out, but the previous generation C6 is still a very attractive machine. And this Satin Black C6 is a very good example. Besides riding on a beautiful set of carbon fiber wheels, the big V8 now packs out a whopping 1,100 hp and 1220 Nm (900 ft lb) of torque thanks to a new turbocharger.

The beautiful Vette rides on Strasse Forged Carbon Fiber series S5 wheels measuring 20 inches. As their name indicates, the wheels' center is made from carbon fiber while the lips are finished in chrome. The inner barrels are finished in gloss black and the center caps in brushed aluminum.

More pictures of the beast in the gallery below.

12:46 AM Read More +

Pick of The Day: Audi RS5 by OSS Design

This amazing heavily modified Audi RS5 is the result of a customization work by OSS Design and Vossen Wheels. It's quite an old project but I just couldn't resist posting this beauty here. It might be interesting to see what this same car would look like with Vossen's new CVT Direction Wheels but it already looks mean with those CV5 rims. Anyways, here are more pictures of the beast and stay tuned for more tuning madness!

11:49 PM Read More +

Maserati Grancabrio By VELOS Designwerks

This blue Maserati Grancabrio MC came to showcase VELOS Designwerk's aesthetic enhancements kit for the Italian beauty. The car rides on black Solo L wheels that are available from 18 to 22 inches. Under the hood the 4.7-liter V§8 producing 460 Hp possibly remained unchanged but who cares if it looks this good! More pictures of the beauty after the jump.

11:05 PM Read More +

2014 Lexus IS On Vossen CVT Wheels

To showcase it 20 inch Direction Wheels, Vossen picked this lowered 2014 Lexus IS fitted with the F-sport package. We've already seen the new wheels on different Japanese cars, but if we had to pick our favourite, it'd be the Lexus. See it by your self in the gallery below.

8:07 AM Read More +

E Class 550 on Vossen Wheels by SR Auto Group

Photo credits: SR Auto Group
Another breathtaking project from SR Auto Group. This time it's based on the elegant Mercedes-Benz E550. The formula is simple: bring the car down to the ground thanks to a set of basic adjustable lowering springs, fit it with a set of Vossen CV3 wheels and complete the look with a matte silver front grille and machined windows. Perfect!

Don't forget to drop by SR Auto Group's blog for the full set.

11:44 AM Read More +

Widebody Corvette C7 Stingray by Forgiato Coming to SEMA

Rendering credits: Forgiato blog
This beautiful 2014 Corvette Stingray you see in the pictures below rides on Forgiato's 2.01 wheels. They measure 21 inches at the rear and 20 inches at the front. These pictures were taken from an ongoing project. In fact, this beauty will also receive the wide body treatment but you'll have to wait for the SEMA show to discover it. In the meantime, the rendering above, as well as the high res gallery below might help you visualize what the final product will look like.



[Photos by Richard Thompson for Forgiato's blog]

2:50 PM Read More +