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The Doubleback fits a big RV into a small space

Doubleback Volkswagen Transporter Conversion Camper

By Jeff Sabatini RSS feed

Posted Mar 31st 2012 2:02PM

Comments35

We're big fans of the Volkswagen bus, from the original Type 2 and its descendants, to the Vanagon that replaced it, and even the front-drive Eurovan. While VW hasn't sold one of these in the U.S. since it discontinued the Eurovan in 2003, the rest of the world has enjoyed the Transporter T5 for the past decade. The VWs are immensely popular camper vans in Europe (especially those with pop-top roofs), and the novel Doubleback conversion shown above takes the formula to another level.

With an electric, slide-out rear pod similar to what you find on many modern RVs, the Doubleback can extend a Transporter by an additional six-and-a-half feet, offering an entire rear bedroom. The company says the extra room adds only 286 pounds to the vehicle's curb weight and extends in under 45 seconds. The conversion eliminates any rear seating, so your camper will be a two-seater, or you can get a front bench installed to fit an extra passenger in the middle.

At today's exchange rates, the Doubleback sells for about $87,975, including British taxes, or the company can convert your vehicle. Be sure to check out the photo gallery to see more of this cool bus.

"Fleet" is sort of a dirty word when describing vehicle sales, and the Detroit Three have traditionally been quite smitten with bulk buyers. Unfortunately fleet sales have been demonized for a reason. They can adversely affect resale values, and since fleet buyers tend to expect warehouse store pricing, they're obviously not great for the bottom line, either. But one automaker seems more than happy to sell to fleets: Ford.

Bloomberg reports that a larger percentage of Ford's overall sales are going to fleets, rising from 22 percent of in 2006 to 27 percent in 2011. Of those vehicles, 41 percent reportedly went to the likes of Hertz and Enterprise. That leaves the rest of the sales at the local, state and federal level, plus a smattering of commercial buyers. In other words, needy customers with cash in hand. And those buyers tend to want high-margin rides like trucks, crossovers and SUVs; vehicles Ford make money on.

Ford fleet director Kevin Koswick tells Bloomberg that the automaker knows what it's doing, adding "I don't see it as an issue as long as you manage your fleet and you're balanced in what you do."

BMW i, the sub-brand within BMW with its eye towards the future of mobility, has unveiled its third concept, the i8 Spyder. Based on the i8 coupe that debuted last year alongside the i3 city car, the i8 Spyder is at once an obvious followup, but also appears to be a couple of steps closer to the production models that will eventually go on sale to the public.

Like the coupe, the i8 Spyder is a plug-in through-the-road hybrid with a 96 kW (131 horsepower) electric motor up front powering the front axle and a mid-mounted turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine (presumably with a displacement of 1.5 liters like the coupe) producing 223 hp that powers the rear. A pack of lithium-ion batteries are located in a center tunnel between the two power sources, which together can produce a total system output of 354 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. On electricity alone, the i8 Spyder can travel about 19 miles before the gas engine turns on to recharge the batteries. BMW says the system is good for 94 miles per gallon on the Imperial cycle, which converts to upwards of 78 miles per gallon on our own EPA cycle.

The beauty of the i8 Spyder's drivetrain is the car can be front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive depending on whether efficiency, performance or all-weather traction is called for. Like the coupe, the i8 Spyder also features a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and BMW claims to have completely cancelled out the extra weight of the hybrid drivetrain through extensive use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber and aluminum. Performance is also impressive, with 0-62 mph happening in five seconds and a top speed governed at 155 mph.

Not everything between the coupe and spyder is the same, though. The i8 Spyder has a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length. Its upward-swiveling, windowless doors are also different. The car's developers have also whimsically included a pair of electric scooters underneath a glass panel in the rear. Aside from a few more exterior tweaks to accommodate the open air design, which can be closed again with a two-section folding roof, the rest of the i8 Spyder is identical to the coupe, including the interior that features a slightly warmer choice of colors.

Scroll down for the official specs and info from BMW, and stay tuned while we hunt down the i8 Spyder for some in-person impressions. Though BMW makes no mention of its appearance at next week's New York Auto Show, the timing of this debut suggests it will be there.

We pity the fool who don't think this is cool. Put aside the celebrity provenance of this "authentic replica," allegedly "certified" by George Barris, for now and just take a look at the thing. It appears to be a spot-on knock-off of B.A. Baracus' bad attitude van, the perfect midlife-crisis toy for anyone who grew up watching The A-Team. Imagine how cool it would be to drop the kids off at school in this?

Okay, the traffic snarl during drop-off time won't clear out any faster, but when it comes to "manly vans," you can't top this custom 1983 Chevrolet G10. Wait, what's that you say? B.A. drove a GMC? Of course he did. But this is a replica, and one that seems to have been built from a nearly identical Chevy donor.

The seller claims the van was built for none other than Mike Myers, he of Wayne's World and Austin Powers fame. We'd like to see some documentation of this celebrity provenance, though it's not the sort of thing that we'd see too much value in, regardless. We're also curious about the last line of the sale ad: "Movie coming out in June!" It was back in June 2010 that the A-Team feature film debuted, which makes us think the seller might be willing to deal on his $20,000 price.

Soon Ferrari will disocntinue the 599 as it ushers the new F12 Berlinetta into production, but until then the GTO holds its place as king of the hill. So before the ultimate incarnation of the 599 is swept off into retirement, Romeo Ferraris has developed a series of enhancements to the Ferrari flagship.

Given that Maranello has put just about everything it has into the 599 GTO, there wasn't a lot of room to play around. So the tuner has released two small upgrades. Stage 1 encompasses a new air filter and exhaust for a 15-horsepower boost, while the Stage 2 kit remaps the ECU as well for 40-horsepower upgrade to bring overall output up to 710 hp – putting the final iteration of the 599 within spitting distance of its replacement's 740 hp.

A series of extra carbon fiber components are also offered, but Romeo Ferraris apparently holds enough reverence for the donor cars to keep the modifications to a minimum.

Here are brand new spy shots of the upcoming VW Beetle Cabriolet.

The test car seen in these photos featured a trick disguise around the headlamps, the lower part of the front bumper and the taillights to make it look like the older model.
Just like its predecessor, the new Beetle Cabriolet, also known as a Convertible in certain markets, comes with a traditional folding soft top and seating for four.
The new Cabriolet will have a stiffer body structure, resulting in less shake and improved handling.

The already leaked Lamborghini MLC will be shown at the Beijing Motor Show.

It will reportedly have three doors and a front end that resembles the Estoque concept.
The crossover is slated to ride on a modified version of the platform that underpins the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. Details are limited, but the magazine says the architecture will incorporate a carbon fiber transmission tunnel and other lightweight features. Thanks to these changes, the model will reportedly weigh less than 2,000 kg (4,409 lbs).
Power could be provided by a 5.2-liter V10 engine that produces approximately 584 hp (435 kW / 592 PS). Eventually, there could be a hybrid variant with more than 600 hp (447 kW / 608 PS).

The Audi A3 has been leaked in all its glory and fully revealed. A must see!

Releasing photos ahead of a show, especially of production cars, is common practice at manufacturers like Audi and we just saw the RS 4 photos slip out in similar fashion last week. More than likely, that these photos popped up today by some eager press suggests that we’ll see even more photos and textual details by tonight. For now, we’re left with these shots of what looks like a 3-door in S-line trim and an interior matching the one on display at CES back in January.

Here are fresh spy shots of the upcoming Porsche 911 GT3. Enjoy!

Our spy photographers have caught semi-camouflaged prototypes in northern Sweden, with photos revealing a 991 with extra-large (and presumably extra-light) wheels, a large rear spoiler (this one appears to be retractable as opposed to the last GT3′s fixed downforce device), and central exhaust outlets. The series-production model will have a specific front fascia as well.
In true 911 evolution style, the new GT3 should solidly beat the car it replaces. It’s expected to be significantly lighter than the last model, with a longer wheelbase and engine output approaching 500 hp. Racing versions are sure to follow. And as has been the case in the past, the next 911 GT3 will be more expensive than the Carrera S but significantly cheaper than the upcoming 911 Turbo.

It looks like Mercedes-Benz wants to extend the line-up of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with a 4-door version.

If the image proves to be correct, it reveals the four-door will retain the front gullwing doors and will get a set of rear hinged doors that create a wide opening for passengers in the back. It is also worth noting that there is no evidence of a B-pillar in the patent images meaning it would probably have to be integrated into the doors just like Ford achieved with the new B-Max.

We found new spy shots of the next-generation Audi Q7, based on the new MLB platform. A must see!
Underneath the Q7 bodywork is where the key changes are. The next-generation Q7 will migrate to Audi’s modular longitudinal architecture (MLB) that already unerpins the A4, A5, Q5, A6, A7 and A8. By the time the Q7 appears on MLB Audi will have put into production an evolution dubbed MLB-evo that makes even further gains on weight reduction. As a result, Audi engineers have already revealed that the new Q7 will shed some 400 kg. And though it will be lighter, it appears size won’t change much

Here’s the latest intel about the Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner.

The VW Group-owned British automaker says the latest addition to the Mulsanne’s range targets customers looking “for a sportier look, feel and character,” though there are far less changes than what Bentley would like you to believe.
On the outside, there are newly designed 21-inch lightweight alloy rims with race-derived titanium fasteners and bright-finished rims wrapped around beefy 265/40 ZR21 tires. The wheels are available in both painted and polished finishes as well as with Bentley’s optional self-leveling badges.

The vents on the lower part of the front fenders are engraved with the Mulliner script, and that’s about it as far the exterior changes are concerned.
Inside, the extra opulence comes mainly from the new upholstery that keeps with the tradition of sportier Bentley’s as the leather hide on the front and rear seats and door casings features a bespoke Diamond Quilting pattern, complemented by an indented leather headlining.
Other upgrades include the drilled alloy accelerator and brake pedals and the new Mulliner treadplate plaques applied on the passenger door sills.

We found some brand new spy shots of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class. A must see!

This is the ninth generation of Mercedes’ S-class full-size luxury sedan (if you start counting with the 1956 220S). The next S-class will still have presence, but adopt more-aerodynamic styling. The volume car will be offered in two wheelbases; more-extensively stretched and armored versions are on tap, too. It will again spawn a two-door coupe wearing the CL badge, and Mercedes-Benz also may spin off a four-door convertible similar to the 2007 Ocean Drive concept. AMG versions are a given.

Here have all for you

The Doubleback fits a big RV into a small space

Ford defends ballooning fleet sales

BMW i8 Spyder pops the top on future mobility

Find of the Day: "Authentic" A-Team van replica commissioned by Mike Myers

Romeo Ferraris tweaks the Ferrari 599 GTO

VW Beetle Cabriolet: Fresh spy shots!

Lamborghini MLC: SUV coming to Beijing Motor Show

Audi A3: Fully leaked!

Porsche 911 GT3: Fresh spy shots!

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: 4-door version patent leaked!

Audi Q7: Spy shots of next generation!

Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner: Latest intel!

Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Brand new spy shots!

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