Ural, the Russian motorcycle company that specializes in sidecars, has never been known for groundbreaking designs that blaze a trail through electronic gadgetry or super lightweight composites on the way to the most technologically advanced motorcycles possible.

Instead, the heavyweight iron steeds that roll out of the factory in Irbit near Siberia (out of the range of the bombs of Nazi Germany) trade things like fuel injection and ABS brakes for shovels and machine gun mounts. Seriously.

The latest machine from Ural looks as far back into the past as the Russian sidecar industry can go, harking all the way to 1942 when the first M72 motorcycles were sent into the Battle of Stalingrad based on designs for the German BMW R71, which had been superseded by the R75 in 1941. A total of 9,799 M72 motorcycles were produced by Ural for military use.

The new 2012 Ural M70 Anniversary Edition celebrates 70 years of history with two distinct models; one with a sidecar for ,200 and one solo for ,150. Both come painted in a perfect shade of olive drab, and there’s a canvas tonneau cover, spare wheel and tire and shovel on the sidecar. And yes, there’s also that machine gun mount.

Ural based the M70 on its Retro model with 18-inch aluminum rims, 40mm Marzochhi telescopic forks, Sachs rear shocks and a Brembo front disc brake. The frame boasts a longer wheelbase than other Ural models and sits closer to the ground, making it the fastest and best-handling model available. We especially like the teardrop gas tank fitted with a throwback Ural badge.

Read all about the M70 after the break, but not before getting an eyeful of its old-school design in our high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Ural takes a giant step back with M70 Anniversary Edition

Ural takes a giant step back with M70 Anniversary Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo’s Concept You is long, low and wide, three of our favorite flavors when it comes to sedans. Especially of late, long-hooded four-doors with sweeping greenhouses have been hits on concept and production stages, and we’re fans. The Autoblog team is somewhat split on the nose, though, as some feel the toothy grille stretched across its width makes it look like a certain claymation character. Other AB staffers who don’t find the You’s face as objectionable are content to say it looks a bit inspired by Volvo’s long-running PV models of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. For its part, Volvo says the concept’s styling is inspired by Georg Jensen, a leading Danish design firm.

Otherwise, this is acres of hot blue Scandinavian design, and the You’s interior clearly raises the marque’s aspirations in the interior game in both craftsmanship and technology. If this is really what Volvo plans to do, then their recent talk of moving into the luxury ranks might not be misplaced. Could – and should – this be a precursor to the next S80? Decide for yourself by checking out our high-res gallery, then pour over the official videos and details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Volvo Concept You is a giant blue Wallace looking for Gromit [w/video]

Volvo Concept You is a giant blue Wallace looking for Gromit [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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