Sunday, December 20, 2015

Wheels of Fortune

Introducing ‘Wheels of Fortune collection of fine art prints by Serge Averbukh, showcasing digital paintings of some of the coolest and most sought after autos of past and present along with amazingly crafted car makers’ insignia and badges. The full collection can be found on FineArt America, RedBubble, Mobile Prints and The Untapped Source.







At BMW, the Z4 replacement becomes the Z5. The Z5 is the first product of BMW’s sports car collaboration with Toyota. Phase II of the BMW-Toyota tie-up, dubbed Silk Road, was to produce a higher-end BMW sports car and a new Lexus model. 
Instead, we will see concept versions of the new BMW Z5 and the Toyota sport coupe in the next year, with production versions to follow during the 2018 model year—the Toyota as a hardtop coupe, the BMW as a roadster. The BMW Z5 ditches its space-inefficient retractable hard top in favor of a classic soft top. The new sports car architecture that serves both models is a highly scalable matrix that revolves around a single fixed point, the front firewall.
The BMW Z5 will feature a more radical front-mid-engine bias, and light weight is a priority. Target weight for the Z5 is 3300 pounds (versus the current Z4, which ranges from 3252 to 3549 pounds). Drivetrain components are said to include a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a choice of an eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, and an electric clutch (to enable coasting).

The BMW Z5 will debut with its 2.0-liter turbo offered in three stages of tune: 190 hp, 245 hp, and 270 hp. An even sportier Z5M would use the 425-hp turbo six from the new 2015 BMW M3 and M4. Alternative scenarios show a straight six (Z6) and a three-cylinder (Z3). The latter would bring BMW’s nomenclature full circle, back to the brand’s first modern-day roadster, which premiered in 1996.






Italian design and engineering house Zagato has released a second TZ3 model, the TZ3 Stradale following a gorgeous one-off called the TZ3 Corsa.Dubbed the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale, it is a road-going version of the TZ3 based on the Dodge Viper ACR-X. It is powered by the Viper's 8.4 liter 640 hp (477 kW) V10. Only nine units have been made. The TZ3 Stradale was designed by Norihiko Harada. Zagato labels the new Stradale an “avante-garde design exercise. 









Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Hybrid is a super car concept by Bentley launched in 2015 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Bentley EXP 10 is two seat coupe smaller than the existing Bentley Continental GT. EXP 10 project was managed by Head of design, Luc Donckerwolke. It is fitted with a V6 but the production version of the concept is expected within three years and will be fitted with the 500 bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the Continental GT. The expected price of the model is £120,000.









The Audi quattro concept is a concept car produced by Audi and presented at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. It commemorates the 30th anniversary of the original Audi Quattro and the Audi quattro four wheel drive system. Based on the Audi RS5, it features a modified 2.5L five-cylinder TFSI engine and the sixth generation of quattro transmission. The car is powered by a turbocharged (TFSI) five cylinder 2.5 L engine producing 408 PS (300 kW), enabling the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. It has a six-speed manual gearbox and a new generation of the quattro permanent four wheel drive system.








The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3-Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M.
M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46, E90/E92/E93, and F80 3-series, and sold with coupe, saloon and convertible body styles. Upgrades over the "standard" 3-Series automobiles include more powerful and responsive engines, improved handling/suspension/braking systems, aerodynamic body enhancements, and interior/exterior accents with the tri-colour "M" (Motorsport) emblem. The BMW M3 remains the only car ever to have earned more titles than the venerable Porsche 911 in Motorsport, and also is the most successful touring, and grand touring car ever to have participated in racing. Since the current M3 debuted, Daimler has launched its all-new Mercedes-AMG C63, and Cadillac is taking on BMW directly with the ATS-V. Both cars are incredible machines, and therefore BMW needed to refresh the M3 in addition to the changes made to the regular 3-series for 2016. The new M3 retains the structural changes, unique suspension components, lightweight seats, and the carbon-fiber pieces that set it apart from the regular 3-series.

The M3's S55 engine is loosely based on the N55 engine that is being dropped from the regular 3-series, but the S55 deserves to live on unchanged. Rated at 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, the twin-turbocharged straight-six is mated to either a six-speed manual or a Getrag-sourced seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the latter of which is not available on any other 3-series.

Above are just a few examples from the the ‘Wheels of Fortune’ collection. Feel free to visit my FineArt America, RedBubble, Mobile Prints and Untapped Source galleries, where you will find variety of fine art prints showcasing various transportation and automotive themes such as rare cars, luxury cars, vintage automobiles, car badges, automotive logos and more.