Author: Liam

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Formula 1

Will Bahrain bump Melbourne from F1 premiere?

Australian Grand Prix

A preliminary calendar posted on James Allan’s F1 blog has Bahrain, not Melbourne, hosting the opening race of the 2010 Formula One season.

The season premiere is pencilled in for 14 March, when the eastern states of Australia will still be on daylight savings time. Once the clocks revert to regular time, two weeks later, the time difference will better suit European television audiences. Therefore, Melbourne is scheduled to hose the second race of the year on 28 March.

At this stage there is no comment about the provisional calendar on the official Australian Grand Prix website. Although, the main banner does indicate the Grand Prix weekend is planned for 25-28 March.

In the 18 race program Montreal looks set for a return to F1 (6 June), coming in at the expense of the French Grand Prix. Of course, the British Grand Prix will be returning to Donington in 2010, as well (11 June).

This year’s calendar wasn’t confirmed until early October 2008, so expect speculation to continue for a few more weeks until the FIA signs off on next year’s schedule.

[Source: jamesallanon f1.com | Thanks to Wes for the tip]

Categories
Audi

2010 Audi S5 Sportback

2010 Audi S5 Sportback

The Frankfurt show will see another new reveal from Audi, this time the S5 Sportback, which is, of course, based on the A5 Sportback. Powered by the same 245kW 3.0 litre supercharged V6 from the S4, Audi reckon the Sportback version will reach 100km/h in around 5.4 seconds.

Power is driven through Audi’s familiar quattro system and a 7 speed S tronic dual clutch transmission. Average fuel economy is said to be 9.7l/100km. Not too shabby at all, really.

I had a brief drive of the V8 powered S5 coupé during the week (Drive Thru to be report soon) and one suspects the more practical four door S5 Sportback will prove to be a great choice for those who buy one.

More after the jump.

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Saab

Saab 9-5 Saloon

Saab 9-5 Saloon

Saab, all excited at being bought out by Swedish supercar kings Koenigsegg, have released official pictures of its important all new 9-5 Saloon. I have to say, first impressions to my eyes were, “wow, that looks great”. You’ll never guess where the car will be making its public debut!

The manufacturer describes its new car as “sleek, sophisticated and unmistakably Saab”. Hard to argue with that after looking at these fresh images. But its not just all cool Scandinavian design, there’s quite a bit of techno stuff on offer too.

There’s Saab’s Haldex-based all wheel drive system XWD, featuring eLSD, a head-up information display showing crucial information on the windscreen, adaptive technologies for the car’s headlights and cruise control and dynamic parking assistance to name a few.

Saab will be offering a range of engines across the 9-5 range, with three fuel options—petrol, diesel and E85 bioethanol. All engines will be turbocharged, of course, with most being four cylinders. The exception being the range-topping 2.8 litre V6 with 221kW (300bhp) and 400Nm of torque. That should move along quite nicely, thanks very much.

The inside of the new 9-5 looks just as smart as the outside, too. Although the gloss finish on the centre console might lose its sheen after a short while.

Jan-Ã…ke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s Managing Director, knows just how important the 9-5 is and makes some bold claims for the company going forward, “This car is the start of a new era for our brand. We have created an advanced and very distinctive product by leveraging the power of our roots in key areas, such as progressive Scandinavian design, sporty driving and responsible performance. The new 9-5 delivers in all these respects, as will every future product from Saab.”

So, will the 9-5 prove to be a vibrant new star under the company’s new ownership? Or will it it fade into obscurity once again? Let’s hope it is a success, as Saab has a history of offering the market something conventional, yet entirely different all at the same time.

Lots more after the jump.

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Categories
Porsche

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

Throw another Frankfurt debut on the barbie, this time, its from the racing masters at Porsche with their new 911 GT3 Cup.

Powered by a 3.8 litre flat six producing 331kW (450bhp) the 1200kg not-so-Porker is sure chew through racetracks with ease the world over. Based on the GT3 RS the Cup version is purpose built for the track, as the stripped out interior pics show.

Bodywork, suspension and most everything else has been given the once over to help withstand the rigours of motor sport.

Safe to say the 911 GT3 Cup should be a blast for those fortunate enough to snap one of these up for their own amusement.

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Categories
Formula 1

Woo hoo, Belgian Grand Prix this weekend!

Belgian Grand Prix 1965

Spa-Francorchamps, the legendary Formula One circuit, is the site for this weekend’s Beligian Grand Prix. It is, and always has been, a favourite of Formula One drivers.

The image above, taken near the famous and great Eau Rouge corner, shows Graham Hill leading the pack in his BRM at the start of the 1965 Belgian Grand Prix. Jim Clark, driving a Lotus-Climax, eventually won the race by almost 45 seconds from Jackie Stewart (BRM) and Bruce McLaren (Cooper-Climax).

If you’d like a wallpaper-sized aerial photo of this exhilarating race track, just click here.

Categories
Ferrari

More Ferrari 458 Italia goodness

Ferrari 45 Italia

This time last month Ferrari released a few images of its new 458 Italia. With just a few weeks to go until the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ferrari have set free a few more pics of the little red coupé that could with the donkey badge on the front.

Also included, for the first time, are pics of the 458’s interior. No time for padding this article out with a bunch of words. Especially when the images say so much. More images and a press release from Ferrari after the jump…

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Categories
Caterham Top Gear

All in all it’s just another brick in the mall

Top Gear & Caterham R500 in Lego

Check this out, this is the coolest! Those funky kiddy entertainers at Lego have paid homage to Top Gear and the Caterham Superlight R500.

The Caterham featured in Series 12 of Top Gear back in 2008 and won the program’s coveted Car of the Year award in the same year. That was all the inspiration required for LEGOLAND’s chief model maker, Guy Bagley, “My colleague remembered that the Stig had put the R500 through its paces and how incredible it was on the track. It’s such a timeless and iconic car that it was a ‘no-brainer’ as our choice for the motorsport area, having already decided to feature Top Gear. Its design lends itself particularly well to our bricks, too.”

It’s enough to make you want to be a kid again!

Continue reading “All in all it’s just another brick in the mall”
Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Volkswagen Polo gets three doors and five stars

Volkswagen Polo 3 door

Volkswagen is getting in on the Frankfurt gig with a new three-door Polo to be revealed there in a few weeks. To get us in the mood the chaps at Wolfsburg have released a few pics and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Previously the mini-Golf had only been seen in five door guise, here and here. Check out the pics and presser from Volkswagen AG after the jump.

UPDATE: Volkswagen has just announced the new Polo has achieved a five star Euro NCAP crash rating. More details, including crash test footage, at the end of the article.

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Categories
MINI

MINI Coupé Concept

MINI Coupe Concept

As expected, here is a full set of MINI Coupé Concept images. Also included with the images is MINI’s full press release which contains everything you need to know and more.

The most important thing to report is the Coupé Concept is fitted with the range-topping engine from the John Cooper Works. That’ll see 155kW being put to the road through front wheels and kept in control by MINI’s ever capable and direct chassis.

The distinctive profile of the Coupé Concept gives an overall height of 1356mm, some 51mm lower than the regular Cooper S hardtop. Length and width remain unchanged at 3714mm and 1683mm respectively.

Some details of the hot rod like roofline appear a bit fussy in photos, but one gets the feeling the car will look great for those lucky enough to be in Frankfurt when it makes its public debut. The chunky rear spoiler actually looks like it will have a meaningful purpose, with airflow being directed down the rear window increasing rear downforce.

Leading MINI website MotoringFile predicts the Coupé Concept will find a life in production form within 18 months. Perhaps more importantly, they reckon the car will remain largely unchanged from an aesthetic point of view.

So, you’d best check out the extensive image gallery and press release after the jump.

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Categories
MINI

MINI 50 – birthday gallery

MINI 50 - birthday gallery

In case you’ve missed it, Mini turns 50 today. The feisty icon of British motoring became known worldwide and carved a niche that noone ever knew existed back in 1959. Cheap and cheerful made Mini big in the 1960s and beyond. Now, under the stewardship of BMW, the MINI brand enjoys new life and celebrates its 50th birthday with security and market stability.

BMW may have taken away the cheap, but they have kept, and strengthened the cheeky persona, while enhancing the brand’s driving credibility. Further developing its reputation for razor sharp handling and go kart immediacy.

Over 1.5 million MINIs have been sold since the brand was relaunched in 2001. BMW now sells MINI in 80 countries across the globe. The plans for the brand seem to know no bounds as BMW explores new possibilities for the MINI marque.

To celebrate this most magnificent of motoring birthdays AUSmotive has compiled a gallery of 50 images that relive the last 50 years from Mini through to MINI. It seems everyone knows someone who had a Mini, or even a MINI. And this gallery is no different. In fact, you might even see someone you know! All images can be accessed in larger sizing by clicking on individual pictures.

Happy birthday MINI!

(Fans of the classic Mini will enjoy this “incredible” AUSmotive feature posted in May.)

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Categories
MINI

BREAKING: MINI Speedster images leaked

MINI Speedster

Today is the 50th birthday of the Mini. German publication Autobild has celebrated the milestone by breaking the embargo on images of the new MINI Speedster concept. Today we have photographs, but the car, officially called the MINI Coupé Concept, will be revealed in full at Frankfurt next month.

Looks pretty cool, hey. There’s a few more pics after the jump, or you can check out the detailed post at MotoringFile.

[Source: Autobild | Thanks to Chris for the tip]

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Categories
Audi

Audi RS3 – another Frankfurt debut?

Audi RS3 rendering

Could the reveal of a new Audi RS3 model be just weeks away? If you believe the internet scuttlebutt, then, yes.

If true, it is expected the RS3 would be powered by the 2.5 litre inline five cylinder from the TT RS. That means the hottest of Audi hatchbacks could be sending 250kW to the ground through a six speed manual gearbox, with performance figures likely to be rather rapid.

As the above rendering shows, the RS3 could also look pretty damn aggressive, too. Audi fans across the globe will have their fingers crossed that this is one rumour that does come true.

[Source: autoblog & The Motor Report]