There aren’t many automotive designs that have endured as well as the Corvette Stingray. Now, 50 years later, some design challenges and tributes have started to trickle through to commemorate one of the great sports cars of all time. The design here pays homage to the classic shape of the Stingray with the long, sleek hood and bulging fenders. It also appears to take some design cues from the one-off Bertone Mantide as well as the Cadillac Sixteen Concept, which was also an internal GM design. From an overhead view, one spies the trademark teardrop shape towards the tail of the car, culminating with the iconic split-window rear windshield. Other design touches include a clamshell hood, scissor-style doors, ergonomic seats, rear-view camera with night vision enhancement, and a high performance hybrid drive. If Chevy is looking for inspiration for their C7, we think they should start here.

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Ever meet a pair of siblings and notice one excels at everything and the other’s a bit of a deadbeat? That’s Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. If you’re wondering what the Lagonda part is for, you’re on the right track. It forms the full name of the company best known for producing James Bond’s automobile of choice, but while Aston Martins are some of the most beautiful and successful sportscars on the road or track, Lagonda is considerably less so.

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The automotive marque originally founded in 1906 was acquired by Aston Martin in 1947, and though Aston’s tried at several intervals to revitalize its sister brand, not much good has ever come from it. Most recently, the company announced the rebirth of Lagonda, unveiling the concept car you see above at the 2009 Geneva auto show. It was supposed to be a luxurious crossover, based on the Mercedes GL-Class and powered by a V12 engine. Reception was rather cold, and Aston pulled the concept after the first day. But now it’s back, courtesy of a new batch of photos released by Aston Martin’s PR department. What they’re up to – and why they’ve brought the one project that failed back to light – is beyond us, but you can have a look for yourself in the fresh gallery below.

Get ready to see it everywhere. Mercedes has annouced that the droptop version of their recently redesigned E-Class will hit showrooms in January, and its safe to say the response should be overwhelming. With a bevy of diesel and petrol engines available, the adaptation of comfort technologies like the AirScarf (previously seen on higher end M-Bs like the SL-Class), and a virtual cavalcade of safety techstuff (two-to-one airbag to passenger ratio, tilt sensor, etc.), this variation of the E-Class is undoubtedly their best yet. Summer can’t come fast enough.

Continue reading for more images and a video of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible.

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The Trevita CCXR is the latest limited edition of Koenigsegg’s CCXR supercar. Trevita, in Swedish, means “three whites,” a reference to the number of cars planned for production. The limited production is due to the method and material employed in the manufacturing of the car’s bodywork. In-house Koenigsegg engineers developed a special type of carbon fiber whose fibers have been coated with a diamond finish, creating a metallic white (as opposed to traditional black) color. Dubbed the Koenigsegg Proprietary Diamond Weave, the material retains the typical, interwoven carbon fiber pattern, but with a unique, sparkling finish. Other upgrades over the standard CCXR include a double carbon wing, paddle shifters, an upgraded exhaust system, carbon ceramic brakes, and an infotainment system. The 1018 horsepower 4.7 liter engine is carried over from the standard car. Pricing has not been announced, but expect a considerable premium over the CCXR’s $1.2 million price tag.

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Veritas might be the oldest company no one has heard of. After a 50 year hiatus from successfully tuning prewar BMW 328s, the boutique firm has fully completed its comeback after debuting the ‘RS3 Concept’ in 2001. After years of testing and research, Veritas is poised to begin production on their RS III Roadster. The single-seater supercar will total 30 in number, and each vehicle will be assembled completely and painstakingly by hand over an 8 week period, courtesy of the company’s small 15-man staff. In the 40s, Veritas was reprimanded by BMW for unauthorized use of their prodcuts; ironically, a familiar 5-liter BMW V8 will power the RSIII over 60 years after first drawing the ire of the Munich-based marque.

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Weighing only 2,391 pounds and making great use of every one of its 507bhp, Veritas’ one-man racer promises to produce staggering acceleration numbers: the company claims a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 219mph. Cosmetically, the roadster looks like a caricature of a sea creature, at least from ground level. From many perspectives, the car appears to be looking back at its observers, thanks to its unique headlights. An angular, sloping nose and the sharp headlights frame the whale shark-mouth grille. While the vertically lined grille might have some thinking Maserati, but it is actually a tribute to the older Veritas models, having incorporated an almost identical look. The no-nonsense rear end, highlighted by a sharp crease at the beltline, triggers thoughts of old 60s Stingray Corvettes, minus the chrome of course. We think it looks pretty cool…maybe some other car makers should try taking a few years off.

Rolls Royce has pulled the sheets off of the Ghost, which was known as the 200EX during its concept phase. The mini-Phantom looks undoubtedly like a Rolls, but as a smaller vehicle it has incorporated a lot of new, modern design features. The familiar grille is flanked by slimmed xenon headlights, which are further augmented with contrasting satin silver paint that extends past the hood and seems to wrap around the car’s a-pillars. The car has a sleeker profile than its big brother, and is almost two feet shorter; it is said to share approximately 20% of its underpinnings with the current BMW 7-series. Inside is typical Rolls paradise: veneered picnic tables, lambswool floormats, and massaging seats are just some of the goodies that set the Ghost apart from its competition. Techies will be happy to hear that Goodwood has packed its newest car with all the latest gadgets. Night vision, adaptive cruise control, and a bevy of cameras assist various parking and lane-changing situations. Power comes from an all-new 6.6-liter turbocharged V12, which will produce 563bhp and 575lb/ft of torque and mates to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The Ghost debuts this week at the Frankfurt auto show.

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It takes a lot of confidence to tweak one of the greatest production cars of the modern era. Luckily, it seems that edo competition has that in spades. The Ahlen, Germany-based tuners seem intent on modifying only the world’s most exclusive and powerful vehicles, with a stable of supercars that includes Lamborghini LPs, a Ferrari 430, and an Audi R8. Their latest conception might trump its brethren, however. Edo has somehow given rise to an 840bhp Enzo, which they call the FXX Evolution. Despite its 180bhp advantage over a stock Enzo, the FXX Evolution also tips the scales 220 pounds lighter, and a functional (and insane) aero kit completes the look. The end result of their work quickly becomes a numbers game: the car hits 60mph in 3.2 seconds, has a top speed of 242mph, and can shift gears in 60 milliseconds. Yes, in the grand scheme of things, the FXX Evolution is a little ridiculous, but isn’t that the point?

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