Daewoo Tacuma

Probably one of the ugliest MPVs ever made is the Daewoo Tacuma (aka Rezzo in Korea). Developed under the U100 code name, it was in fact designed by Pininfarina! It was based on the original Daewoo Nubira J100, which was in fact a great car in my opinion and it looked quite decent.

Daewoo Tacuma

You can really tell that it is based on the Nubira model as it looks like a fat version of the sedan, nothing really original about it. Probably Pininfarina designed this while they were on a coffee break and joked around in the office.

Daewoo Tacuma

After Daewoo was phased out, the Tacuma was rebadged as a Chevrolet, and it was known as the Vivant in the South African and South American markets. I was surprised to find out that they still make the car at a factory in Uzbekistan.

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Cars We Hate Part 2 – Daewoo Tacuma

Mazda MX-5 '55 Le Mans

Yet another limited edition of the MX-5 Miata has been announced by Mazda and this time it will be available only in Switzerland. Created in order to commemorate the automaker's Le Mans triumph in 1991, the MX-5 "Le Mans" is named after the Mazda 787B No.55.

Mazda MX-5 '55 Le Mans

The car was driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot and they managed to grab the first win for a Japanese car and the rotary engine in one of the most difficult endurance races in the world.

Mazda MX-5 '55 Le Mans

This limited edition of the Miata is based on the 2.0-liter 160 hp model with a 6-speed manual transmission. The car will feature a limited slip differential – LSD, a front strut bar, Bilstein sports suspension and bespoke alloy rims.

Mazda MX-5 '55 Le Mans

It is going to be available in four exterior colors with contrasting profile stripes that extend to the bumpers. It also comes with a numbered plaque in the interior and a whole bunch of "55 Le Mans" logos to differentiate it from the standard model.

Source: Mazda

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Mazda Prepares Another Limited Edition MX-5

Aston Martin DBS Replica

If you are the owner of a Jaguar XK8 but you want something different, here is what you could do: turn it into an Aston Martin DBS, sort of. This is what an eBay seller did with his '98 XK8 and he listed a "buy it now" price of $50,000 for his replica. As you might have expected, there are no bidders for his car at the moment and I don't think there are going to be any for that price tag.

Aston Martin DBS Replica

You'd have to be pretty insane to pay $50k for it when you can find a Jaguar XK8 for less than $10,000, with KBB suggesting a retail value of about $12,000 for a 1999 model in mint condition with the same miles on the odometer (95,000). If you do a thorough search on eBay Motors, for $45k you can get an original Aston Martin DB7, model 2002/2003.

Aston Martin DBS Replica

This replica doesn't look that bad if you look at it from the front and the sides. The situation however changes if you take a closer look at the back where things went terribly wrong as it slopes downward too much on both ends, mainly because the back of the Jag isn't as wide as the one on the DBS. It has a sad and depressing look.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: eBay

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Jaguar XK8 With An Aston Martin DBS Disguise

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

The outgoing generation of the BMW 6-Series has to be one of the ugliest cars ever made by the German automaker. I never thought that the company could launch such a poorly designed car. We can now forget about that one because BMW has revealed the 2012 6-Series Coupe, ahead of its official debut at the Shanghai Auto Show.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

Designed in order to be the ultimate "dream car", the new 6-Series Coupe has a "shark-nose" front-end with bi-xenon headlights and a forward-slanting grille, making the car look way better than the outgoing generation. The car has been fitted with frameless windows, chrome accents, along with a C-pillar with the distinctive Hofmeister kink. The back is dominated by the dual exhaust system, the LED taillights and a trunk lid that has an integrated spoiler – no point in saying that the back look is 10 times more attractive than the fat bottom of the outgoing model.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

As far as the cabin is concerned, high quality materials and premium amenities dominate the interior. It comes with Dakota leather seats, high-gloss black trim (wood and brushed aluminum trims are also available), a freestanding 7-inch iDrive display and a generous boot that can hold up to 460 liters of your belongings. Optional features include a panoramic sunroof, heated / ventilated seats, GPS navigation with an upgraded 10.2-inch display and a Bang & Olufsen audio system.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

Technology-wise, the 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe is available with a head-up display, night vision assist (with pedestrian recognition), rear-view camera, and lane departure / lane change warning system and parking assist.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

At first there are going to be only two engines available for the model. The 640i model will come with a 6-cylinder turbocharged 3.0-liter engine that produces 315 hp (320 PS / 234 kW) and 332 lb.-ft (450 Nm), mated to a 8-speed automatic gearbox, which will allow the car to do the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.4 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). The fuel consumption is not bad at all, as the 640i can do 30.5 mpg (7.7 liters / 100 km), while the CO2 emissions stand at 179 g/km.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe

A more powerful model is the 650i which is going to be fitted with a twin turbo V8 4.4-liter plant that will output 402 hp (407 PS / 300 kW) and 442 lb.-ft (600 Nm) of torque, good enough for a 0-60 mph sprint in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).  With this engine, the car will do 22.6 mpg (10.4 liters / 100 km) and CO2 emissions of 243 g/km.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe will hit the North American dealerships this fall. No word about the price list, but the automaker will probably tell us at the Shanghai Auto Show. Stay tuned.

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2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe Unleashed