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Porsche

Even more details on the Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche 918 Spyder prototype

The world of motoring forums once again provide the source of some tasty industry fodder, as apparent production specifications for the highly anticipated Porsche 918 Spyder have been leaked.

Much of the technical spec has already come your way, but today’s info includes pricing and deeper levels of specification.

Sadly, we’re unlikely to see the 918 Spyder officially on Australian roads as it seems it will be built only in left-hand drive. But with Euro pricing starting at €768K, or €840K if you choose the Weissach package, we dread to think what Australian pricing would be. Far enough into seven figure territory to make your eyes water we suggest.

The official launch for the 918 über hybrid is still around 12 months away, so who knows how accurate these specs will prove to be. For now, at least, they make seductive reading. Check them out in full after the break.

[Source: Rennteam]

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Citroen WRC

Mikko Hirvonen wins 2012 Rally Italia

Mikko Hirvonen wins 2012 Rally Italia

After securing his ninth world rally crown Sebastien Loeb proved he is both human and a good sport by crashing out of 2012 Rally Italia Sardegna and letting someone else have a turn on the podium’s top step.

And yet, it was still a Citroën DS3 WRC which dominated the event as Mikko Hirvonen took the lead after special stage 3 and didn’t relinquish it for the remainder of the event.

Although, it was almost a case of last man standing with both lead Ford drivers making mistakes leaving their second-string M-Sport counterparts Evgeny Novikov and Ott Tanak to take out the minor placings.

Hirvonen was very pleased to have claimed his breakthrough win with the all-conquring Citroën World Rally Team. “I’m really very happy with this result for my first season with Citroën. I have finished on the podium many times since February, but I was beginning to grow irritated at not finishing on the top step!” he said.

“I’ve done a lot of work with my engineer in the last few weeks and I feel that I am continuing to make steady progress. I can’t wait to be in Spain to finish the season in style!”

Meanwhile, Citroën team boss, Yves Matton already has eyes on the future, hopeful we’re witnessing the start of a new era. “This first win for Mikko and Jarmo with Citroën was one of our goals for the end of the season,” said Matton. “We felt that we owed them something after the Rally de Portugal and so it’s immensely pleasing to see them win here. This result wasn’t served up for them on a plate. They had to adopt a very high level of performance from the very start and the other leading crews made mistakes when fighting with them for the lead.

“After winning the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles at the Rallye de France, we have now added the final feather to our cap with the World  Championship runner-up spot for Mikko. There’s only one more step for him to take in his career and we’ll be trying very hard to help him achieve that in 2013!”

A brief video showcasing Hirvonen’s win can be seen after the break.

[Source: Citroën Racing]

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Audi BMW

Audi RS3 v BMW M135i: Chris Harris decides

Chris Harris reviews the BMW M135i and Audi RS3

Chris Harris has chimed in to deliver his verdict on a classic Audi v BMW battle. The cars in question are the, now old-generation, RS3 and the new kid on the block, the M135i.

Let’s be honest here, you have probably already guessed at Harris’ verdict before even watching the clip, so…

We’re not sure if his thoughts on the RS3 are following the because Audi understeer, blah, blah crowd or if he’s convinced us the M135i is good enough to look beyond its deeply flawed looks.

Watch and enjoy.

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Motorsports Porsche

VIDEO: Porsche RS Spyder at Bathurst

Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen didn’t get enough of Mount Panorama at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year so he decided to come back and take the Porsche RS Spyder for a spin during the Super Cheap Auto 1000 festivities.

We spent a fair amount of our time drooling over the car at the Australian International Motor Show, while at the same time Porsche released this on board footage of Bleekemolen’s exploits.

There’s no official timing for the lap, that we can find, but the estimated time is around 2 minutes 5 seconds. Fast, in other words. With enough time and resources spent setting the RS Spyder up for the 6.2km track, we’re confident it would break the two minute barrier. And with some comfort.

[Thanks to Chris for the tip]

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Volkswagen WRC

Volkswagen signs Jari-Matti Latvala

Jari-Matti Latvala

While we were away at the motor show in Sydney one of the WRC’s worst kept secrets was confirmed. That is, Volkswagen officially announced the signing of current Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

The 27-year-old Finn, winner of seven WRC events, will join 28-year-old Frenchman Sébastien Ogier. During 2012 Ogier has been impressive in the Skoda Fabia S2000, while the team’s Polo R WRC continues its development. Volkswagen has done well to secure what will be one of the WRC’s strongest driver pairings in 2013.

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito is certainly pretty happy with himself: “The fact that another top-flight driver believes in our success and is switching to our team gives each member of our team an additional motivation boost. In Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala we’ve got an excellent driver line-up for the debut of the Polo R WRC in the 2013 World Rally Championship.”

Meanwhile, Latvala is already towing the party line: “I’m very happy to be driving the Polo R WRC in the World Rally Championship in future. The determined approach of the Volkswagen team convinced me to accept this challenge,”

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Categories
Formula 1

New York’s Grand Prix postponed until 2014

Grand Prix of America postponed until 2014

Given the ongoing rumblings, it’s no surprise to read confirmation that the Grand Prix of America has been officially postponed until 2014. Construction delays have been blamed for the decision.

For now, at least, Leo Hindery Jr, race promoter, and Bernie Ecclestone, F1 supremo, are finally signing off the same tune.

Leo Hindery Jr: “We are going to be racing at Port Imperial, unfortunately just not as soon as we hoped and expected. We promised Governor Christie, the Towns, the sport and its international fans the best possible experience, and unfortunately we need additional time to ensure that happens.”

Bernie Ecclestone: “I remain totally committed to the Port Imperial race and its unique location and attributes, and we will continue to work closely together to realize our dream in 2014. As Leo says, we are still going to be racing at Port Imperial, now however in 2014.”

The advanced state of the 2013 F1 calendar means that a replacement race for next year may not be found. The New Jersey race was scheduled for the weekend after the Canadian GP, another factor making a replacement race unlikely.

So, expect 19 races in 2013.

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Ford Holden Hyundai Kia Motor Shows Nissan Peugeot Proton Range Rover Skoda Subaru Toyota

AIMS 2012 gallery: Best of the rest

2012 Australian International Motor Show

To close out our 2012 Australian International Motor Show coverage we bring you the highlights and lowlights from the rest of the manufacturers on show.

Our top three highlights:

  • Ford Evos concept—stunning lines
  • Kia Track’ster—actually very, very cool
  • Subaru BRZ by Possum Bourne Motorsport—track cred for the BRZ

Our top three lowlights

  • Holden Malibu—return to sender
  • Ford Focus ST—they must be taking the piss with that central dash
  • Isuzu D Max advertising—someone signed that off

And a special mention to the Nissan Pulsar SSS. My first new car was an Australian built N14 SSS, it was awesome and is still better to look at than this comeback horror story. AUSmotive’s assistant on the day described it as the ugliest car he’d ever seen. I put forward the new Honda CR-V as an alternate suggestion, but he wouldn’t be swayed.

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Motor Shows Porsche

AIMS 2012 gallery: Porsche

Porsche RS Spyder at 2012 Australian International Motor Show

We love Porsche for many things. Chief among them is the Porsche–Australia relationship. It’s a genuinely strong one, thanks largely to Norman Hamilton who played a key role in the development of right-hand drive Porsches and began importing them here 61 years ago.

One of the legacies of that relationship is the sight of a bona fide racing legend on our shores every year. It’s all part of Porsche’s living museum where they extend the life of their machines far beyond their racing days.

This year at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show the RS Spyder takes pride of place on the Porsche stand. Designed and built to race in the LMP2 category it won the ALMS LMP2 championship three years running from 2006–08.

The #6 car on display in Sydney competed in 11 ALMS races during the 2005 and 2006 seaons. It won four of those races and never failed to finish outside of the top three in its class. It is Porsche racing royalty.

To this day it lives on, with its 3.4 litre engine forming the basis for the 4.6 litre V8 used in the 918 Spyder. We have a special feature in store for you soon, which will show the RS Spyder in full flight. For now we hope we’ve covered the RS Spyder for you in every angle.

Of course, also on show in Sydney were Porsche’s comparatively bread and butter models. For your viewing pleasure we concentrated on the 911 and Boxster models.

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Motor Shows Opel

AIMS 2012 gallery: Opel

Opel at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show

Bill Mott, Opel Australia Managing Director, was proud as punch standing alongside the Astra OPC at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show. And well he might have been, for he has presented Australian buyers with the cheapest 206kW money can buy. At $42,990, plus on roads, the Opel OPC is a genuine performance bargain. It’s the perfect hero car to spearhead the brand’s Australian assault.

OPC stands for Opel Performance Centre and if it’s not immediately clear to you the letters are akin to HSV for Holden, AMG for Mercedes and so on. As noted the 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder in the Astra OPC has an impressive 206kW on offer, complemented by an equally impressive 400Nm. And, praise the lord, all controlled by a fair dinkum manual gearbox.

With those numbers perhaps the claimed 0–100km/h time of 6.0 seconds from the front-wheel drive hot hatch is a little disappointing, but we imagine the in-gear acceleration will be a hoot.

Enhancing the Astra OPC’s appeal is its sleek and stylish body, which comes equipped with stacks of equipment. Goodies such as 19″ alloys (optional 20″ wheels featured in photos), FlexRide adaptive chassis, heated front seats in Nappa leather, Bluetooth, satellite navigation and premium audio are all thrown in for the standard asking price.

It looks fantastic in the OPC exclusive colour Arden Blue and the 20″ rims really set it off. The order book is open now and deliveries start early next year. They’ll sell plenty!

Of course, Opel has their full range on show in Sydney and we caught the Astra and Corsa for you. Check out the pics below.

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Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows

AIMS 2012 gallery: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show

Mercedes-Benz had a huge presence at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show, made even more noticeable by the absence of both Audi and BMW. It’s actually very refreshing to see how serious Mercedes takes the Australian market, when we often get treated as second best by other manufacturers.

A great example of that is the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake ‘Edition 1’ you see above. With an extra 24kW/100Nm compared to the base-spec CLS 63 AMG, if you can call any AMG base-spec, the Edition 1 boasts the massive numbers of 410kW/800Nm. It’s limited globally and five have been allocated to Australia, all of which will be delivered a full three months ahead of regular Shooting Brake deliveries.

Further highlighting the level of faith Mercedes holds with local customers another three special AMG models were on display. Fans of open top motoring were presented with the SLK AMG 55 in designo magno cashmere white metallic paint, a fancy term for matte white. Other highlights on the SLK included carbon fibre interior and mystic blue exclusive leather upholstery.

There was also an SLS AMG Roadster, which just looks the balls from behind. It was wearing a specially created coarse silver metallic paint, which did look a little odd we have to admit. We’re mostly not fans of red interiors, but in this SLS Roadster it looked great.

If you’re like us and prefer your road cars to have a roof then you can stand and admire the C63 AMG Coupé in designo mystic blue paint. It looked hot! The look was completed with lashing of AMG’s best carbon fibre trim, a leather dashboard and trick 19″ alloy wheels. It was our pick.

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Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows

AIMS 2012 gallery: Mercedes-Benz A Class

Mercedes-Benz A Class

The new Mercedes-Benz A Class was revealed for the first time in Australia at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show. Now a Golf-sized model and clear rival, Mercedes has ensured the A Class will put up a good fight when it is launched in March 2013, after setting some relatively competitive pricing.

Generally speaking, the A Class looks the goods. The more we see of its exterior the more we cool on our original very positive reports. But it’s still miles ahead of the BMW 1 Series (F20). The interior of the A Class is very good and has a high quality feel about it. Maybe it’s let down a little by the iPad-like infotainement screen which looks a bit of an afterthought. But for every person who dislikes it, we imagine there’ll be another who loves it.

In Australia, the A Class will launch with the following four models:

  • A 180 BlueEfficiency – $35,600 (MRLP)
  • A 200 BlueEfficiency – $40,900 (MRLP)
  • A 200 CDI BlueEfficiency – $40,900 (MRLP)
  • A 250 Sport – $49,900 (MRLP)

The 155kW A 250 Sport is the standout there, albeit pushing the pricing friendship a little compared to say a $40K Golf GTI.

Further details on the Australian A Class range can be seen below, along with extra pics from the Sydney motor show floor.

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Jaguar Motor Shows

AIMS 2012 gallery: Jaguar F-type

Jaguar F-type at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show

After falling under the spell of the new Jaguar F-type when it debuted at the Paris Motor Show we were keen to see it in Sydney. The newest Jag sportscar didn’t disappoint either. Its shape, proportions and overall look are first class.

It was nice to see some of Jaguar’s heavy hitters in attendance, namely Ian Callum, Design Director, and Phil Popham, Global Operations Director.

Those unable to get to the motor show in Sydney will have to wait until next year to get another look at the F-type when it is scheduled for its local launch.

To refresh your memory from Paris, the new F-type is available in three specs:

  • F-Type, powered by a 340PS (250kW) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
  • F-Type S, which turns the wick on the V6 up to 380PS (279kW)
  • F-Type V8 S, with a 5.0 litre supercharged V8 offering 495PS (364kW).

More pics from Sydney and general details after the break.

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