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Formula 1 News

F1 TV Pro online streaming service announced

F1 TV Pro online streaming service

Formula 1 has announced it will be launching an online streaming service called F1 TV Pro. Launching this year, the commercial-free service will be priced at US$8–12 per month, with annual subscriptions also available. This will be sure to create shockwaves among both free-to-air and pay television networks.

Full details are yet to be announced, but we know the countries included in the initial 2018 rollout will be Germany, France, USA, Mexico, Belgium, Austria, Hungary and much of Latin America. A launch date for Australia is yet to be determined. Foxtel currently has an exclusive rights deal running until 2022.

From launch, F1 TV Pro will be accessed direct via internet. While, Apple and Android mobile apps, as well as TV apps such as Amazon will follow.

As well as the live service a cheaper option called F1 TV Access will be launched in conjunction with F1 TV Pro. F1 TV Access will provide live timing and radio commentary as well access to archival race footage.

[Source: Formula 1]

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Formula 1 McLaren Video

John Barnard talks about the McLaren MP4/1

John Watson wins the 1981 British Grand Prix driving the McLaren MP4/1

What’s so special about the 1981 British Grand Prix? It was the first race won by a car with a carbon fibre composite chassis.

That car was the McLaren MP4/1, on that day it was driven by John Watson. In the video below you can hear the car’s designer John Barnard talk about his creation and its lasting effect on the safety of the F1 cars we watch today.

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Porsche Video

VIDEO: Porsche 911 is morphtastic

Porsche 911 animation by Donut Media

Before Donut Media got morphy with the BMW 3 Series they went all blurry-eyed with the Porsche 911. If ever there was a car made for such an animation it is the iconic 911. Well done lads, well done!

[Source: Donut Media]

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BMW Video

VIDEO: BMW 3 Series is morphtastic

BMW 3 Series animation by Donut Media

The very clever chaps at Donut Media have given us the morphtastic animation of the BMW 3 Series. We applaud them and thank the for sharing it with the world.

If you’d like to buy a poster charting the lineage of the 3 Series the Donut lads have you covered there too.

[Source: Donut Media]

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Volkswagen

Dieselgate puts Golf R400 on hold

Volkswagen Golf R400 Concept

The mighty Golf R400 project has been put on indefinite hold thanks to the financial fallout from Volkswagen’s deiselgate saga. At least that’s the word coming from motoring.com.au.

According to the Aussie based website a senior Volkswagen source has confirmed with them that R400 has been “paused” along with “several other projects”.

Meanwhile, local deiselgate victims will be pleased to know their cars will be getting fixed soon, starting with Amarok models. They may be less pleased to learn they will not receive any financial compensation like US customers.

[Source: motoring.com.au | Thanks to John for the tip]

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MINI Toyota Video

Episode 12 of Project Binky

Episode 12 of Project Binky

Project Binky is back and that means AUSmotive awakens from its slumber. Back to Binky; after 11 episodes, spread across two and a half years, Nik comes out with this pearler: “It’s at this point that things start to get a bit tricky.”

This episode covers a lot of material, mostly to do with the underside of the car. As always it’s a masterclass in how to build a project car.

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Ferrari McLaren Porsche Video

The Holy Trinity

Chris Harris tests the McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918

In the name of the P1, the 918 and the holy LaFerrari.

It’s the video we’d all been waiting for. After a bit over two weeks it’s racked up more than 1.2 million views. It’s Chris Harris in three of the most desirable cars ever made.

At almost one hour long the recipe couldn’t get any better. Throw in an empty and excellent Portimao racetrack and, well, yeah, the recipe does get better. And this video is great viewing, it really is.

But is it as good as you were hoping?

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BMW

EXCLUSIVE: BMW M2 Australian specifications

BMW M2 Coupe

In addition to our previous post giving you Australian list pricing for the new BMW M2 Coupe, following is a very long list of standard specifications for the local market. Starting with February production we expect local deliveries to follow by around April or May.

The M2 Coupe starts with the manual only M2 Pure model ,priced from $89,900 and is joined by the M2, priced from $98,900.

For the extra nine grand you get the following standard equipment:

  • 7-speed DCT (6-speed manual is a NCO)
  • Alarm system
  • Adaptive headlights
  • BMW Selective Beam
  • Comfort Access System
  • Electric seats
  • Seat heating (driver and passenger)
  • harman/kardon Sound System

Full details can be found after the break.

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BMW

EXCLUSIVE: BMW M2 priced from AU$89,900

BMW M2 Coupe

This is the new BMW M2 Coupe. It’s powered by a 3.0 litre inline six cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine, making 272kW/465Nm. Fitted with a 7-speed DCT it can reach 100km/h in 4.3 seconds, add a couple of tenths for a 6-speed manual. BMW claims the M2 can lap the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 58 seconds.

Officially announced in mid-October the M2 Coupe will be on Australian shores around (or just before) the middle of next year. The best news is the 6-speed manual model will be offered for local sale. And here’s the Australian list pricing:

BMW M2 Coupe Australian list pricing (exclusive)

  • M2 Pure (6-speed manual) – $89,900
  • M2 (7-speed DCT) – $98,900

BMW’s original launch press release and press kit is available after the break.

UPDATE 9 December: It has come to AUSmotive’s attention that there’s some conjecture over the list pricing and what’s included. For example, is LCT included in the prices quoted above? Yes it is, as per the screen grab below from the documentation sighted by AUSmotive.

2016 BMW M2 Australian pricing

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MINI Toyota Video

Episode 11 of Project Binky

Episode 11 of Project Binky

Nik and Richard send us into the Christmas break with the eleventh instalment of their epic Project Binky crusade. This time we see the lads working on the steering geometry and transmission setup. As ever it’s an episode filled with pitfalls and problem solving leading to complicated and clever engineering solutions.

As for AUSmotive, well it’s no shock to anyone here that things have slowed down a little. This is partly a result of my new job, which has had more of an impact on my available time and motivation than I thought. That said, after eight years of having a pretty serious and often time consuming crack at this gig for basically no monetary gain perhaps a change in perspective hasn’t been a bad thing for your resident editor.

For now, the site will still plug along. Let’s just hope we’re not going two months between posts. Yikes!

If nothing else, thank you to Bad Obsession Motorsport and Project Binky for relighting the AUSmotive candle.

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Audi Fifth Gear Renault Video

VIDEO: Prost v Senna MkII

Audi S3 v Renault Megane Trophy R

Fifth Gear—yes, that’s still going—has come up with a 21st century Prost v Senna battle by getting Nico Prost and Bruno Senna to race each other in a hot hatch track test. It’s son of Alain in the Renault Megane RS275 Trophy R and nephew of Ayrton in the Audi S3. The track is Snetteron and this is what happens…

[Thanks to Tim for the tip]

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Formula 1 McLaren

McLaren dares to praise Alain Prost

Alain Prost, 1985

As custodians of The greatest F1 rivalry of all timeâ„¢ McLaren is in the unique position of having the luxury of curating the legacies of not one, but two of its most iconic drivers. For reasons too controverisal to dissect now Ayrton Senna is the beneficiary of “the good guy” status, which unwittingly leaves his adversary Alain Prost to play the role of “the bad guy”.

Over the years, then, for fear of reminding people that Prost won four world titles to Senna’s three, as just one example, Prost’s name is usually in the shadows to Senna’s spotlight. If you didn’t live through the 1980s and early 1990s you could be forgiven for thinking Prost drove for anyone but McLaren, such is the team’s willingness to remind everyone of Senna’s legacy in McLaren’s red and white livery.

So for this unabashed Prost fanboi I was impressed to see that McLaren can and has pumped up Alain’s tyres. Follow the link below to read the nine reasons you should dig Alain.

Of course you only need one: Prost is the greatest!

[Source: McLaren]