http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/kappa http://jalopnik.com/tag/kappa

What if you took a Kappa platform from GM, replaced some of the metal body panels with composite, and dropped a 400 HP LS2 V8 under the hood? Not only would you get the Kappa everyone wants, but you'd have a Breckland Beira straight from the isle of Great Britain. In addition to looking the part and having more than adequate grunt to back it up, the Beira can also be fueled with liquefied petroleum (LP) gas — though we don't know if it will make the claimed 0-60 in under 5 seconds on the grill gas. All pretty nice, but it had better be for £55,000, or right about $108,000 for us Yanks. Um. Okay, maybe it isn't that nice. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=394820&view=rss&microfeed=true

We'd already heard the speculation GM's been looking to take little pieces of the Kappa and Zeta platforms to create a new small-to-medium size rear-wheel-drive platform called Alpha. Now we've got confirmation by way of the product plan leakiness that is the UAW contract "highlights" book. The "product commitments" list is a veritable cornucopia of product info, and it appears to show a commitment by the General to build this new Alpha small-to-medium size rear-wheel-drive platform vehicle at the Lordstown, Ohio plant. We've heard it could be a small Cadillac vehicle and a small Pontiac, perhaps even to replace the Pontiac G5 — especially given the desire by Bob Lutz to turn the entire Pontiac lineup into a RWD-only selection of vehicles. Given that, there's even the possibility this platform will end up being two different Pontiac vehicles, both with RWD. We guess we'll just have to wait and see. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=305168&view=rss&microfeed=true

According to the Road which bends in a Winding manner, the General's set to debut a new small-to-medium-size vehicle platform that the automaker's calling "Alpha." They're claiming the new franken-platform's going to incorporate pieces of the Kappa architecture and the Zeta architecture to create a brand new monsterrific rear-wheel drive base for the Pontiac and Cadillac brands. The WR boys claim the G6 will be the first to use the new patchwork RWD platform. All this is really cool and all, but we're mostly excited they called Bob Lutz the "Resident Car Czar." Now all we need is for him to get some bolts on the side of his head, get WR to call him "Maximum" and we'll be good to go! – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=246311&view=rss&microfeed=true

Buff-book exclusivity may be on the wane given Internet-leakage, but R&T managed to slide a bit into their print edition about the apparently-upcoming Saab Sonett, based on GM's Kappa platform. According to Road & Track: More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=185928&view=rss&microfeed=true