Karmann-Ghia Coupé redesigned by Brazilian students

The winners of the Karmann-Ghia Brazilian student competition to design a modern interpretation of its classic Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia Coupé have been revealed. Over almost 60 years the German-Italian company has become an important supplier of car bodies and tooling in Brazil, but the market has lacked a model carrying the Karmann-Ghia badge since the '70s. The original coupé, which inspired the contest, was launched in Brazil in 1962 and remained in the market for 10 years before it was replaced by the Volkswagen SP – considered the first car completely developed in the country.

The other side of the curtain: A look back at Lada, Volga and more

While Americans in the 1960s and '70s were enjoying the heyday of muscle-car madness, our friends over in the Soviet Union were treated to an entirely different kind of automobile. Fiat-based Ladas and Russian-born Volgas were the cars of the day, and our friends at Retronaut have gathered some press materials and advertisements for the compact sedans. Lada was named after a famous Czech manufacturer of sewing machines in the 1960s.

Mazda Kazamai concept: first pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 15 July 2008 10:42 Mazda will use the August 2008 Moscow motor show to unveil its new crossover concept, the Kazamai. Japanese for ‘swirling crosswinds’, the Kazamai is Mazda’s latest concept car to showcase the company’s Nagare design language. But alongside the wind-inspired looks, the four-wheel drive Kazamai is also said to showcase Mazda’s ‘sustainable zoom-zoom’ strategy, with the company’s latest-generation engine and transmission.