2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 on 2040-cars

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The Ferrari Enzo's designer isn't worried about the future of supercars

Ken Okuyama is a talented designer with a prestigious portfolio. He spent 12 years at the famed Italian design house Pininfarina after a stint with GM's Advanced Design Studio, where he worked on the C5 Corvette. He also styled the Boxster and 996-generation 911 at Porsche. His first Ferrari design was the Rossa concept car, though his most famous creation is the Enzo. Now Okuyama runs a design studio that not only is responsible for the new Kode57 supercar that debuted in Monterey this past weekend, but also eye glasses, civic planning, and even Japanese bullet trains. We caught up with Okuyama at the Concorso Italiano car show, plopped down on a couple of plush leather chairs right in front of his brand new Kode57, and chatted about what the future holds for car design. Alex Kierstein: Lately there's been a lot of talk about autonomy and future mobility. What sort of challenges and opportunities do you think this autonomous future is going to provide for you as a car designer? Ken Okuyama: It is a really fantastic time for designers because of two reasons. One is that the public and private transport have been two separate, completely different industries up until now. Now, when you think about the future of autonomy, that really brings the automobiles into something more of a public transportation. You really have to think about the total experience of the customers from buying the ticket to the paying mechanism. That's just hardware, actually. It is a huge challenge for engineers and designers, and I really love that. That's one reason. Another reason is that just like horses were a means of transport 100 or so years ago, up until Henry Ford mass-produced the Model T. Now, maybe sports cars are becoming like horses. Now, horses are a great object for hobby, sports, and part of the Olympics and everything. Cars are going to be like that also. Dr. Porsche [was asked what type of] automobile is going to last for the longest time. He said, "the sports car." I really believe in that, because with sports cars, you never lose a sense of ownership. Autonomous vehicles are things you don't have to own. You have to design a total experience and the whole operation. A car, you want to own it. It's part of you. Your mechanical watches, do you borrow them from somebody? You want to own it. Your suits, your favorite shirts, you want to borrow them from somebody for your experience? No, you want to own it. Ownership is a core part of human beings.

Maserati Shamal restomod is sketched out and could become reality

Remember the Maserati Shamal? Alright, maybe you don’t, but Maserati certainly hasnÂ’t forgotten. As this year's quasi-virtual SEMA show continues, Maserati has joined the fray by threatening to build a restomodded version of the Shamal. All we have to go on are some renderings posted to Instagram, but Maserati does a bit of explaining in its post. The company is calling this Project Rekall. If Maserati goes through with it, weÂ’d end up with a sci-fi Shamal full of modern technology conveniences and some epic, retro design. Maserati says it needs help to turn this idea into reality, and by that they mean people need to show some financial interest in such a thing. Since the Instagram post is on the Maserati Fuoriserie account, we'll assume this customization arm of the company would be doing the work. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As a quick history lesson, the Shamal is an exceedingly rare Maserati that was sold in the early-to-mid 1990s. It was designed in part by Marcello Gandini, the famous Italian car designer who happens to have the Miura, Countach and so many other famous designs on his resume. Power came from a 3.2-liter twin-turbo V8, and it used a front-engine, rear-drive layout. These renderings depict a deeply changed Shamal. And while the boxiness and sharp edges remain, many elements of the car were revised. The changes are most obvious inside, where Maserati is showing a totally digital instrument cluster and some spacey bucket seats. WeÂ’d love to see Maserati turn it into reality, so if youÂ’re someone who would purchase a restomodded Shamal, speak up now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Maserati wasnÂ’t quite done yet, though. A snow-munching MC20 supercar rendering also made it to Instagram. It looks as though it was lifted, fitted with studded winter tires and given a set of skis to carry around. And for whatever reason, Maserati also drew a caution tape insert on the side of the mid-engine supercar. This MC20 is definitely far off in SEMA fantasy land, but we still fully support anyone who ends up using their MC20 in the snow one day.

Proof that the Maserati-powered Lazareth LM847 quad actually works

The craziest thing about the Lazareth LM847 isn't the 4.7-liter V8 engine sourced from Maserati. It's not the four-wheeled motorcycle design. It's not even the fact that its axles are hinged to allow the machine to lean into corners. No, the craziest thing is that the LM847 actually works. See for yourself in the video up above. Granted, the rider isn't pushing the LM847 very hard. In fact, he may as well be riding a scooter. It's got 470 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque, which means it really should be quite fast in a straight line. But considering the 880-pound weight, awkward-looking riding position, single-speed transmission, and the massive amount of torque wrenching the bike to its side when the engine is revved, we don't blame the rider for taking it easy. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Lazareth Auto-Moto via YouTube, Asphalt & Rubber Maserati Automakers Motorcycle Special and Limited Editions Videos lazareth quad