PROTOTYPE BMW VISION EFFICIENT DYNAMICS

BMW is set to change the way we think about supercars with its Vision EfficientDynamics concept. This swoopy economical machine is estimated to produce around 328 horsepower from its three-cylinder diesel hybrid powertrain, and fuel economy is claimed to be a lofty 62.5 miles per gallon.

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Prototype

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Prototype

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Prototype Design

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Car Prototype

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Prototype

While speaking to Inside Line recently, the automaker's sales and marketing director, Ian Robertson, announced that the car will cost roughly €150,000, or about $200,000 USD when it goes on sale. That's indeed a pretty penny, but it's put into perspective when you consider that Mercedes-Benz's upcoming efficient supercar, the SLS E-Cell, is rumored to cost around $250,000.

No official timeframe has been given as to when we'll see the debut of the production-ready EfficientDynamics supercar, but Inside Line states that BMW is sponsoring the 2012 London Olympics, so we should look for the car to debut at that time. It's indeed a vast change from the eight-, ten- and twelve-cylinder hotties that currently make up the supercar segment, but with the changing times putting a larger emphasis on efficiency, BMW's end result should still be pretty sweet.

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Model Prototype Red Bull X1

Polyphony's Gran Turismo games tread the line between fantasy and reality with the balance of a trapeze artist. Not only are the games themselves a close approximation of reality, but once in a while, reality jumps out of the digital world and into the tangible.

Model Prototype Red Bull X1

Prototype Red Bull X1 Model Design Gran Turismo

Model Prototype Red Bull X1

Model Prototype Red Bull X1 Before Finishing

A couple of years ago the game's creators worked with the French automaker to give birth to the GTbyCitroën – a supercar designed specifically for the game. But then they made it into a concept car and put it on display. And while it never came to be, they even considered a limited production run.

The latest collaboration brought the recently-crowned world champion Red Bull Racing team on board for the X1 prototype. Again, an extreme high-performance vehicle designed specifically for the game – this time a vision of what an F1 car could be if not for all the pesky regulations. Initial reports that the car is powered by a turbine engine are now being corrected to an F1-derived, direct-injection, twin-turbo V6. Fortunately, the 1483-horsepower output remains.

Actually building the X1 into a functioning track car would be a little pointless and undoubtedly extremely expensive, but they have made a full-size mock-up that will be unveiled during the game's launch party, scheduled (don't hold your breath) for Madrid in a few weeks' time. Here's hoping GT5 can follow that same fantasy-to-reality trajectory and land in our hands on (the revised and revised again) schedule.

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