It is one thing to recognize the legendary status of Mr. Shelby and the original Cobras, including the 427 S/C, and quite another to assert that purchasers and potential
purchasers view Cobra continuations or replicas, sold primarily as kits, which employ the Cobra 427 S/C Design as coming from a single source.  The fact that Cobra replicas, sold primarily as kits, which employ the 427 S/C Design, have been sold by numerous third parties for more than three decades, including between 2002 and 2009, precludes us from drawing that conclusion.  Accordingly, we find applicant’s evidence based on media coverage of Mr. Shelby and all of the Cobras not probative of the issue of acquired distinctiveness.

That’s right, the Shelby Cobra has been officially copied to death, according to a recent ruling by the US Patent Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board [in PDF here]. The board’s finding was complex, as proving “distinctiveness” takes a lot of doing, but the upshot is that so many Cobra replicas have been built, consumers don’t actually think of the original (Shelby-designed) Cobras when they see one. Had Shelby sued every single kit car maker since day one, he’d have the legal rights to his design, but in the years since 1968, the term “Cobra” has come to mean more than the specific Shelby Cobra 289 or Shelby Cobra 427 S/C. In fact, a survey used to try to prove the distinctiveness of the Shelby designs in the eyes of consumers may have even used a photo of a 289 to illustrate a 427 S/C… even the guy running the survey wasn’t sure. The moral of Caroll Shelby’s legal battle to own the rights to anything resembling an original Cobra: never stop suing the kit car makers. Or, just be happy with the millions of dollars and legend status you’ve already accumulated.

Yes, we’ve been waiting for this moment for some time. Ever since Chrysler pimped cgi renderings of the new 300 in its bailout-requesting “viability plan,” promising that it would be “the most-awarded new car in automotive history,” we’ve been curious about the follow up to the car that arguably saved the Chrysler brand’s image. But now that we’re seeing the first pictures, we can’t help but feel that some of the 300’s brash swagger may have been lost in the humiliation of bankruptcy. Sure, the mirrors are completely chromed, which is a pure class move, but the whole thing (the front end in particular) has certainly lost more than a little of its “I’m not actually super-wealthy, but you’d never know it by the way I treat people” attitude. Jalopnik may be worried about the Rolls-Royce-alike bodykit business, but we’re more concerned that America’s most pimping automobile (in the value-neutral sense) has turned into the Cadillac STS.

You know it’s an all-new 2011 model because of the fancy computer-generated press shots, but otherwise would you have any idea that this is the 2011 model-year Morgan three-wheeler? Yes, the wackiest of British cottage sportscar shops has dusted off its old three-wheeler designs and is bringing the model back after a 58-year hiatus. InsideLine says the new version will offer 100 HP from a Harley “Screaming Eagle” engine and will weigh a mere 1,100-lbs, giving it an estimated 4.5 second 0-60 time. Of course, it will have to be homologated as a motorcycle thanks to the missing wheel, and there’s no word on price or American availability. Still, it seems to have retained the most important quality of its predecessor, namely that it is, as Sir Stirling Moss once put it,

a great babe magnet

More than any other mainline automaker, Nissan has bet heavily on electric vehicles penetrating the mass market within a reasonable time period. Whether or not that gamble will pay off remains very much to be seen, but the firm’s post-Leaf EV plans are less than entirely inspiring. Yes, there will be an Infiniti version of the Leaf for the US market (and possibly an EV delivery van for Europe), but after that, Nissan says its next EV will be a retreat to the golf cart-style Neighborhood Electric Vehicles that spread rapidly when gas prices spike two years ago before dropping off the map. Called the “New Mobility Concept,” this open-air Nissan (the Renault version is called the Twizzy) will be faster than a NEVs, with a top speed of 47 mph planned. Range is also better than the typical lead-acid battery-powered NEV, with about 60 miles of range planned. Still, this is a huge step backwards from the Leaf, and it speaks to a basic lack of confidence in the Leaf’s radical mainstreaming effort for EVs. Given how much Nissan has riding on the Leaf, that’s a troubling sign indeed. [via Automotive News [sub]]

You’re driving down the road at a spirited tempo when you see a big, black, tuned Taurus. No biggie, right?
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I’ve always had a thing about long front overhangs, and not in a positive way. My idea of proper front end proportions runs more to this. On the other end of the scale, this big-nosed 1981 Cadillac Eldorado Pierre Cardin (for sale at Hemmings) is pretty impressive just for the sheer audacity of extending the already longish stock Eldo nose. So now, in addition to just raving over this driveway ramp scraper, can you top it?

Keep in mind, what we’re looking for is the greatest disproportionate overhang in front of the wheels in relation to the rest of the “hood area” behind the front wheels. And the most unbalanced, ugly and useless. AND: I’ve just decided that mid and rear-engined cars don’t qualify. Sorry

Submit a link, or just the name and model, and I’ll fish it out and we’ll post them, either here on a new post this weekend. Happy hunting. (Updated with submission pics below).

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Former Audi stylist and Kia chief designer Peter Schreyer may be on a tear right now, giving Kia some of the sharpest shapes in the mainstream market, but when it came to the old Sedona, Schreyer clearly didn’t put in a ton of effort. As Examiner.com‘s Brady Holt points out, the 2011 Sedona minivan’s “restyle” was so simple, Kia didn’t even need to take new press shots.  Instead they just photoshopped the new corporate grille and some side-mirror turn indicators onto the previous year’s press photos, and called it good. Weak sauce, guys.

Whether you are as “infatuated” with the Nissan Juke as Diego Rodriguez of Metacool or not, you have to admit the guy has found an unlikely yet apt comparison for the saucy Nissan. The Saab faithful might be a bit taken aback by the comparison, but the Juke’s wacky look is probably closer to the spirit of the 96 than Saab’s latest design “effort.” Still, put an updated 96 body on the Juke’s platform, and you’d quickly have this Saab skeptic’s attention. Surf on over for the full comparison. [Hat Tip: Michael Banovsky]

Dodge has debuted images of its updated Avenger mid-size sedan, as Auburn Hills continues its re-boot of its entire product line. The new Avenger boasts the chrome-lined crosshair grille found on its updated Charger cousin, but seems to lack the depth of refresh that its Sebring platform-mate received in its transformation to the Chrysler 200. Will the Avenger update give Dodge a reasonably competitive offering in America’s most competitive segment, or is this just lipstick on a pig? We’ll need a full test drive to say definitively, but for now feel free to pass snap judgment based on the Avenger’s looks alone. After all, you won’t be the only one…

TTAC’s own Israeli man of mystery, Tal Bronfer, has been busy with non-TTAC related work this summer, but he’s just checked in from the Alps with brand new images of the Hyundai Sonata Wagon (known in Europe as the Hyundai i40) brake testing on Austria’s Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Tal was blasting through the Grossglockner in some rapid Teutonic metal (let’s just say it has at least one “R,” and one “S” in its name, and a review is forthcoming) when he smelled brakes. Naturally, his first thought was to check his own, but the culprit was this lightly-camouflaged wagon “slowly, braking downhill all the way from the top of the mountain.” Another Sonata Wagon was tow-testing.

What these pictures reveal is that the Sonata Wagon is not a simple sheetmetal job, as the elongated roof falls away gracefully towards the rear of the car, and appears to offer integrated roof rails. It’s a Euro-style “sport-wagon” in the mold of the European Accord rather than a US-style “cross-wagon” like the Venza or Crosstour, which indicates that it won’t come to the US. After all, with the Mazda6 and Subaru Legacy wagons discontinued, the mass-market station wagon seems all but dead. On the other hand, the Sonata has been punching above its weight since it debuted, and with the Euro-Accord wagon coming stateside as the TSX Sportwagon, and a Buick Regal wagon rumored, the i40 may yet come to the states as a Sonata Wagon.

Toyota’s been talking about adding to the Prius family for some time, and a plus-sized MPV has been rumored as the first addition. Now Autoblog.it [via Jalopnik] thinks it’s found the first images of the Prius MPV, which might take the name Prius Verso in Italy, and may be called the “Prius Alpha” in other markets. These images show a vehicle that is unmistakeably Prius-related, but boasts a longer wheelbase and a higher roofline at the rear. But does it differentiate itself well enough from the Prius, or would even more length and sliding doors help make its case?

The 2011 Dodge Charger’s unofficial debut came in the form of a police cruiser which mixed things up at the Michigan State Police trials this year. And though they’ve showed off a few teasers of the new full-sized Dodge, the updated Charger’s official debut won’t come until the annual Las Vegas tuner-fest known as the SEMA show. Which begs the question: when will Dodge start marketing this car to consumers that are neither law enforcement officers nor criminals? We kid… sort of. Meanwhile, this rendering gives you some idea of what Dodge’s less-classy customers might do to their own 2011 Charger. Still interested?

Built on GM’s “Theta Premium” chassis alongside its Cadillac SRX sister in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, the Saab 9-4X crossover is less than completely Swedish but more than just a rebadged SRX. Specifically, at a base curb weight of 4,431 lbs (with GM’s 3 liter V6 driving the front wheels), it’s over 200 lbs more crossover than a base SRX.

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A tipster sent us these shots of a semi-camouflaged sedan plying Texas’s I-10… can you help identify this mystery machine?

Possibly having caught word of the fact that Americans are all-too willing to spend up to $500 extra for hatchbacks, Hyundai-Kia are aiming a load of trunkless wonders at our shores. First up should be Kia’s Forte Five-Door (above), which will probably hit dealers next year, alongside a new six-speed automatic transmission and optional navigation. These new options and the Forte5’s subtly slick looks should help the nameplate keep up its sales momentum. Sometime after the Forte5 (actual name may vary) drops, Hyundai’s new Accent should be joined by a five-door version as well. It’s not yet 100% clear if that model is headed stateside, but at this point, we’d be surprised if it didn’t join America’s burgeoning hatchback party. And finally, Hyundai should bring out one of the strangest little hatches in the business when its “Veloster” (again, actual name may vary) hits the market, likely in the next year as well. Recently-captured photos of its weird glass access-door-cum-hatchback are almost as intriguing as its claimed target of 40 MPG highway, possibly out of a turbocharged version of Hyundai’s direct-injection 1.6 liter engine. In any case, if Ford is to be believed and hatchbacks are back, Hyundai-Kia will (once again) be poised to make hay on the trend. And as far as we’re concerned, it’s all good news: the hatchback has been wandering the desert for too long.