Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the MINI Paceman arrives on the block. With all the driving excitement of a Sports Activity Coupé, athleticism an elegance in equal measure, and an undeniably urban edge, this ground-breaking addition to the MINI stable rides comfortably on the intersection of design and functionality.

Choose from four strong engines and endless exterior and interior customisation options to configure the MINI Paceman to suit your design aesthetic. And with room for two more people in the back, you can take your friends out for a spin too. Or shoot off to the horizon and leave the urban jungle behind.
HIGHLIGHTS.

Utility meets artistry in this uniquely proportioned MINI. Ample ground clearance, semi-command seat position and an optional ALL4 all-wheel drive system all add to the practical side of the MINI Paceman. While this athletic new coupé handle anything you throw at it, its remarkable silhouette makes it look like modern art. Except it would be a waste to keep this car on display. It’s way too exciting to drive for that.
EXTERIOR DESIGN.

The distinguished MINI Paceman commands attention without looking like it’s trying. Elongated doors, sloping roofline and rising shoulders create elegance and athleticism, and brand new horizontal taillights give your pursuers something to look at as they try to catch up. Highly customisable, the MINI Paceman is available in eight body finishes, two roof colours and six light alloy wheels in four colours. So unleash your creativity, and make your MINI Paceman even more unique than it already is.
INTERIOR DESIGN.

The design story continues inside as elegance, athleticism and lounge atmosphere go toe-to-toe. If you hadn’t picked up on this street machine’s sheer length, the elongated ellipse that runs along the interior doors should do the trick. Personalise your MINI by choosing from a huge range of interior combinations, including six different upholsteries, three Colour Line options and four interior surfaces materials. No matter your style, you’ll find a design combination to match.

We’re a new company dedicated to unlocking the wonder and discovery of the great outdoors— even for city dwellers.

At Oru Kayak, we believe that spending time outdoors makes people happier, healthier, and more productive. Our products offer a way to explore and connect with the natural world—even when you live in a city. We hope your Oru Kayak journeys are as fun and fulfilling as ours have been.

Designer and founder Anton Willis grew up in rural Mendocino County, with easy access to rivers, lakes, and the ocean. In 2008, a move into a small San Francisco apartment forced his fiberglass kayak into storage. Inspired by an article on new advances in the art and science of origami, he sketched a few ideas for a folding kayak. Sketches turned into countless paper models, and over 20 full-scale prototypes. After user-testing on dozens of bays, lakes, rivers and oceans, Oru Kayaks are ready to explore the world.

Ardy Sobhani is a co-founder and business strategist with a strong background in business and startup operations. He has over ten years of experience helping companies set goals, achieve financial targets, and run operations.

The Fiat 500 is beloved subject for many professional and amateur designers to express their creativity and skills. The 500 concept studies bundled under the Bellavista moniker that you see pictured here are the work of the students from the Polytechnic of Milan and Madeindreams.

The students developed two similar prototypes based on the Abarth 500. The first is a two-seater roadster model with a regular windshield, beefed up wheel arches, a double canopy behind the headrests and re-styled front and rear bumpers.

The second model we see in these designs is a more radical and sporty speedster-like variant with a cut-off windshield and small side windows. The rest of the car looks like it keeps the same bloated bodywork as the Roadster.

Sahn is a new helmet manufacturer out of Vancouver BC, with the pictured $140 Classic being their first model available on the market. It uses a hard ABS shell bonded to a conventional EPS foam liner with a smooth surface and integrated sun visor.

While there aren’t any vents, there are internal air channels to help move air across your noggin to some degree. The lack of vents also helps to keep the smooth surface, which arguably creates a more protective helmet in the event of a crash as there aren’t any protrusions to potentially snag the ground in a slide and cause further injury.

The helmet is available in three sizes all incorporating a robust, Swiss designed ratcheting fit system.

Taking your tunes with you wherever you roam is easy with an MP3 player and some solid headphones, but what if you’re riding a bike, hanging at the lake with some friends, or camping? Enter the Turtle Shell by Outdoor Technology. This small speaker was made to hit the road (or trail) with you. The geometric-shaped speaker fits in the palm of your hand, is water-resistant, comes with a built-in microphone for connecting to your Bluetooth devices (like an iPhone perhaps), and even connects to a Gorillapod for clamping down on the nearest tree or a specialized rig to attach to the front end of your bike. A bike trail sing-along? I’ll take it.

With just one switch and three buttons, the Turtle Shell makes changing songs and controlling playback pleasantly simple. The device is also equipped with a built-in microphone for receiving and making phone calls—even conference calls. Claiming hi-fi audio and deep bass, the small, palm-sized speaker delivers clear sound that we found better suited to, say, the variable melodies of Beach House than the heavy beats of the new G.O.O.D. Music album.

The Turtle Shell comes stock with a rechargable lithium-ion battery that lasts for more than nine hours, and is available in an impressive range of colorways. Set to retail for $150 the speaker, funded via Kickstarter, has a modest price tag considering its durability and portability.

Get yours at the LFW Shop.

We recently featured the spectacular camouflage Lamborghini owened by Swedish professional freeskier and alpine ski racer Jon Olsson. Besides skiing Jon also has a huge interest for cars, his latest toy is this stunning Audi R8 Razor GTR conversion. Customized by PPI Automotive Design, it features a staggering 600 horsepower v10 engine and is equipped with a ski transporter box.

Pictures of a brand new variant of the Maserati GranCabrio have hit the web ahead of the car’s global premiere at next week’s 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The new model is the GranCabrio MC Stradale that is modeled after the GranTurismo MC Stradale and which joins the existing base and Sport variants of Maserati’s stylish four-seater convertible. Unfortunately, for now, we only have images of the GranCabrio MC Stradale with no information about its specifications, though chances are it will sport the same mechanical updates as its closed-top sibling.

If true, this means the MC Stradale convertible will get a stronger version of Maserati’s 4.7-litre V8 engine delivering 453Hp (460PS / 338kW) and 520Nm (383 lb-ft), or 10hp and 20Nm more than the GranCabrio. At least in coupe guise, the MC Stradale is also lighter (110kg or 242 pounds) than the “Sport” model and also features faster gear changes from the MC Race Shift electro-actuated transmission and more hardcore suspension settings.

The visual upgrades, as seen from these photos, include the redesigned front and rear bumpers, hood air scoops, a deep rear diffuser with twin tailpipes, a boot lid spoiler and different alloy wheels.

Priority Designs and Cannondale have joined forces to create a cutting-edge concept bike that transforms to change shape as you ride it! Known as the Continuously Ergonomic Race Vehicle (CERV), the forkless, chainless, and dynamically adjustable bicycle made its world debut at EUROBIKE last month where it was hailed for its innovative transformer-like design.

The CERV features a unique “dynamically adjustable headset that moves both fore-and-aft and up-and-down” while a cyclist rides it. They system is designed so that the rider is always in an optimal position based on the terrain that they are riding on.

On the Priority Design website, the team state that “the headset translates forward and down for a clean, low-drag position when descending. When climbing, it moves up and back, creating a more upright position for maximum leverage on the crank. Doing all this with a traditional fork in place wasn’t going to cut it, so a single-sided swing arm was proposed. Designing a forkless front-end has its own challenges, integrating it into a multi-axis adjustable system is another degree of difficulty altogether.”

After the Cannondale team came up with the unique mechanical design, CERV mock-ups were built and all of the key components were tested. A revised concept illustration was then created and the team at Priority Designs were given the green light to turn the vision into a reality. Time will tell whether this new design will translate to everyday cyclists, but it is almost a guarantee that you will see something similar in the Tour De France over the next few years.