Skip to main content

SCG coupe puts the driver front and center, and in command of a 650-hp V8

It’s a good time to be a fan of high-performance cars. Tesla impressed many of us when it announced the next-generation Roadster, Dallara has introduced its very first street car, and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) has just unveiled a sexy-looking coupe named 004S.

SCG isn’t a household name in the sports car segment, but it has been making waves on and off the track for the past couple of years. Remember the 003 shown in Geneva two years ago? The 004S is its smaller, less expensive sibling with a personality of its own. Visually, it looks like the child of a 1960s Italian coupe and a modern-day LMP1 race car. The shapely body work is complemented by a dome-like glass greenhouse that gives the driver a commanding view of what’s in front and next to the car.

Related Videos

The interior is even more striking than the exterior. The driver sits front and center while the passengers are positioned on either side, a configuration pioneered by the McLaren F1 in the 1990s. Because it’s not a mass-produced car, the 004S doesn’t need to comply with safety regulations that mandate the use of airbags, among other features. The result is a refreshingly basic-looking cabin with nine analog dials clearly laid out across the dashboard, a three-spoke steering wheel, a handful of switches, and a gorgeous gated shifter.

The 004S was designed to hit the track. Aspiring racers can order an on-board fire suppression system and a rally timer integrated into the center console. Alternatively, those who prefer to use it daily can ask SCG to add an iPhone dock right in front of the shifter.

The body and the chassis are both made out of carbon fiber in a bid to keep weight down to around 2,600 pounds. Power comes from a twin-turbocharged, 5.0-liter V8 engine tuned to pump out about 650 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. The eight-cylinder — whose origins haven’t been revealed yet — spins the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission, though an automatic unit with shift paddles is available at an extra cost.

SCG plans to begin testing pre-production prototypes next year, and it will start delivering the first 25 Founders Edition cars in 2019 at the latest. Its facility can build 250 cars annually, and the 004S is fully street legal because it falls under the low-volume manufacturer rules laid out last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Pricing starts at approximately $400,000 before options are factored in, a figure that places it in the same ball park as big-name supercars like Lamborghini’s Aventador S.

Editors' Recommendations

2024 Polestar 2 gets a major overhaul for the 2024 model year
2024 Polestar 2

Volvo off-shoot Polestar is looking forward to an eventful year. It will begin production of the 3, its first crossover, and it will release a comprehensively updated version of the 2 sedan that's sportier than the outgoing model, more road trip-friendly, and better equipped.

The biggest visual difference between the original 2 and the new-look car due out in 2023 as a 2024 model is found on the front end. The electric sedan swaps its grille for what Polestar designers call a SmartZone that frames the front-facing camera and covers the mid-range radar used to power some of the electronic driving aids. While the shift isn't significant, it's symbolic. The grille created a visual link between the 2 and the 1, Polestar's now-retired first model; the SmartZone brings the sedan in line with the sleek-looking 3 unveiled in late 2022.

Read more
Ram EV concept previews truck brand’s electric future
The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept was designed around an electric powertrain.

Electric pickup trucks are a hot trend in the auto industry, and Ram is late to the game. So the truck brand of massive automaker Stellantis needed to work hard to stand out.
Unveiled at CES 2023, the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept shows what Ram has in mind for its first production electric truck, which is scheduled to arrive in 2024. This concept version combines some features we’ve already seen on other electric trucks with a few clever new ideas. So while it may be revolutionary for the Ram brand, which is new to EVs, it’s more evolutionary when compared to other electric pickups.

Unmistakably electric
The Ram 1500 Revolution has the bulky appearance of a traditional truck, but with proportions that clearly mark it as an EV. With no need to accommodate an engine, the hood is much shorter. This allowed designers to make the cabin four inches longer than today’s internal-combustion Ram 1500 without shortening the bed, Ram claims. The grille is also smaller, although Ram compensated for this with a giant light-up logo and headlights with the same “tuning fork” elements as its current gasoline and diesel truck grilles.
The roofline is a bit lower and sleeker, which probably helps with aerodynamics, but like a traditional truck, the Revolution rolls on massive wheels and tires. The 35-inch tires are wrapped around 24-inch wheels with smooth covers and light-up elements. The charge port, meanwhile, is located in the driver’s side front fender. It makes a noise when the truck has started charging and blinks to show that charging is ongoing.
Like rival truck makers, Ram incorporated a frunk where the engine would normally be, plus the RamBox storage bins from its current trucks. Nearly every opening, including the tailgate, frunk, and charge port, is also power-operated.
Underpinning all of this power-operated convenience is the STLA Frame dedicated EV platform, one of four such platforms Stellantis plans to use for future EVs across its many brands, such as Chrysler and Jeep.

Read more
Mercedes EV charging hubs are coming to North America by the end of the decade
What a future Mercedes-Benz EV charging hub might look like.

You can't have more electric cars without more charging stations, so Mercedes-Benz is building a global charging network covering North America, China, Europe, and other major markets to support its goal of going all-electric by the end of the decade where market conditions allow.

Announced at CES 2023, the network should be in place by the end of the decade in line with Mercedes' electrification goal. It's a bold move by the automaker, which has mostly relied on third-party charging networks until now.

Read more