CARSCOOP

The 2011 edition of the Geneva Salon won't open its doors to the press and public for another three months and the organizers haven't even begun promoting the show yet, nevertheless, Frank M. Rinderknecht, the man behind wacky Swiss design house Rinspeed, has already revealed details about the company's all-new Geneva-bound concept model.

The latest creation from Rinderknecht is called the “BamBoo” and it's an open top four-seater electric-vehicle supposedly resembling a grown-up golf cart. The car's name is somewhat justified by the use of bamboo fibers for many interior components.

According to Rinspeed, "It is a reminiscence of the Seventies, of the south of France and St. Tropez" and "one would expect to find Brigitte Bardot behind the wheel with playboy Gunther Sachs at her side heading towards Tahiti beach." Oh Rinspeed...

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In Jeremy Clarkson's latest special, The Italian Job, the Top Gear host said that his new favorite car in the world is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. While we’re not sure if he would like a souped up version of the German supercar, fact is more and more tuners are turning their attention towards the Stuttgart's Gullwing model. Less than a week after Brabus unveiled the SLS Widestar, another German tuner, Kicherer, took the wraps off its take on the SLS.

Exterior appointments on Kicherer's SLS 63 Supersport are relatively discrete and comprise of carbon fiber front spoiler lip and rear diffuser, stainless steel pipe covers and a set of Kicherer RS-1 multi-part forged wheels. There’s no information about the size of the alloys – though they do appear to be at least 19-inch in diameter. Kicherer only mentions that the rims are “hand-made”. Interior modifications have also been kept to a minimum with a few carbon fiber decorative parts.

The SLS AMG's suspension has received an upgrade as Kicherer partnered up with suspension specialist KW Automotive to create a lift up system, which raises ride height by 30 millimeters at the push of a button. This means that high curbs or poorly designed parking garages don’t represent a threat anymore. According to the Germans, the new suspension also improves handling, without making the car uncomfortable.

Last but not least, the V8 engine went through a performance optimization and now delivers 610 hp and 670 Nm (494 lb-ft) of torque. Full specs and pricing haven’t been released yet.

By Csaba Daradics

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