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Toy manufacturer Mattel has announced that Mitsubishi Motors Research and Design of America (MRDA) employee Gary Ragle is among seven designer finalists to be selected in the company’s first-ever Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™. MRDA was among six automotive manufacturers to participate in the challenge, which marked the first time Hot Wheels® has turned outside the company to seek new vehicle designs

Created to represent the ultimate Mitsubishi vehicle and the spirit of the brand’s future, the sleek design of Ragle’s Mitsubishi Double Shotz celebrates the 4G63 engine and the Lancer Evolution. “The design takes the concept of the Lancer Evolution to the next level and ties it in with the enjoyment and imagination of the Hot Wheels® brand,” said Ragle.

After being selected by a panel of judges that included editors from the Los Angeles Times, Car and Driver, and Men’s Journal, along with Hot Wheels® designers and executives, the designs were unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas on October 30th, 2007. The Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™ product line will be available in stores in the spring of 2008.

Filed under: Tuners, Coupes, Supercars, Mercedes Benz

 Project Kahn’s SLR.

There isn’t much left to do with a supercar. That’s why they’re called “super.” Tuners of late, thankfully, seemed to be restraining themselves from going buck wild on them. On that note, with traditional British understatement, the tuning house Project Kahn has taken the Mercedes McLaren SLR and done, well, not all that much to it.

The car gets Kahn’s trademark RS-X wheels, 20-inch up front and 21’s in the rear. It also gets a 60 HP power boost to 677, a lowered suspension and high-flow pipes. Kahn expands on the smattering of colors that Mercedes offers by providing custom leather upholstery and paint jobs. Sure, it’s not much, but at this level of the financial stratosphere, every little bit of individual luxury counts, no?

[Source: Motor Authority]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Convertibles, Bentley

German tuning house MTM is creator of the schnellest Audi RTT and the sickness-on-wheels RS4 K540. It follows up those two acts with a tastefully-tuned Bentley called the GTC Birkin Edition. (Sir Henry Ralph Stanley “Tim” Birkin, 3rd Baronet, was one of the original Bentley Boys of the 1920’s.) It is wonderful to see a tuner take an already beautiful car and forgo visually mad modification for jet black understatement.

In fact, the only exterior mod, other than the 21″ Bimoto wheels, is the rear apron and staggered pipes. Frankly, we like those better than the elliptical versions on the standard car. The real fettling has taken place on the engine and suspension. Two kits are available, one that ups the HP from 560 to 635, with a jump in torque to 575 lb-ft. The second kit raises that again to 650 HP and 585 lb-ft. The German oomph will get you to 62 in 4.2 seconds, a 0.6-second improvement over the “basic” Bentley GTC.

MTM has also added a proprietary, stainless steel exhaust that includes a center and end muffler with throttle control. To top it off, the suspension’s been lowered, which always helps even the baddest Bentley boy look that little bit badder. Click through the jump to read the full press release, and check out the gallery of hi-res images below.

[Source: 4 Wheels]

Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Japan, Toyota

Joe Camel spends a night with an R Class, and what do you get? The Toyota Mark X ZiO. Surprisingly stylish, the “new class vehicle” from Toyota is further proof that the rest of the world gets their interesting stuff while we’re stuck with the geriatric Corolla, fugly Solara, and various bulbous Utility Giants. The production realization of the FSC concept from 2005, the ZiO is available in two versions, the four-cylinder 240G, or the more sprightly 350G with a 3.5-liter V6. With four large doors and a well appointed interior, not to mention the car-like demeanor, this is a far more useful and practical vehicle than, say, the Highlander. Its pricing puts it in the mid-to-high $20,000s for Japanese consumers — RAV-4 territory. The target customers are up and coming 30 and 40 year olds, and were it to ever come Stateside, there might be family appeal for people that’d buy a Camry wagon if afforded the choice. Not everyone wants to pretend they’re Ivan Stewart.

[Source: Winding Road]

Filed under: Tuners, Minivans/MPVs, Euro, Volkswagen

To celebrate the 60th birthday of the VW Bus, Abt Sportsline has worked some of its black magic on the T5 Multivan’s TDI powerplants. The Abt-enhanced 1.9 TDI produces either 110 or 130 horses, while the tuned 2.5 TDI offers up either 160 or 195 HP. Torque increases by an unspecified amount in all applications as well. To complete the package, Abt recommends you add its upgraded springs, new wheel/tire combo, full body kit, and sport muffler. Euro buyers who want to blow out the candles and salute the 60 years of the Bus in style can begin doing so on December 31.

[Source: Abt Sportsline via Carscoop]