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Audi

SQ5 TDI Audi exclusive revealed

SQ5 TDI Audi exclusive

This may look like any ordinary Audi SQ5, but it actually costs a bit over one and half times more than a standard SQ5. To use its correct title, this is the SQ5 TDI Audi exclusive concept.

Only 50 will be made and the model will be launched in Paris at the end of the month. Essentially it’s an SQ5 with some fancy leather and alcantara bits. The exterior is differentiated by the Aral Blue crystal effect paintwork and, to us, they look like rather nice model specific alloys as well.

But there’s a cost. In Euro pricing the SQ5 is €58,000 and for a sparkly paint job, some new wheels and a flash interior Audi reckons you’ll be begging them to pay €92,000 to drive this limited model out the door.

Yikes! They haven’t even fiddled with the 230kW 3.0 litre V6 TDI.

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BMW Motor Shows

BMW at the 2012 Paris Motor Show

BMW M135i xDrive

BMW has given us a brief run down of the models and technology they will have on show when the 2012 Paris Motor Show opens in a couple of weeks. You can read the rundown after the break. Listed below are the items you’ll read about:

  • BMW Concept Active Tourer
  • BMW 1 Series xDrive (pictured above)
  • BMW i3 Concept
  • BMW C evolution
  • BMW 7 Series (updated model range)
  • BMW 3 Series (with expanded engine portfolio)
  • BMW ConnectedDrive
  • BMW M Performance accessories
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Categories
Nissan

VIDEO: Nissan’s car photography tips

2013 Nissan Sentra

Nissan in the US (read Nee-sahn) is about to launch its new and terribly exciting Sentra sedan. That means they’ve been out on the road taking promo shots ready to help sell the car.

Thankfully, they’ve made that otherwise dull task quite interesting by taking a film crew along and asking the pro photographers to pass on a few tips for those readers who don’t mind doing their own photography stunts.

If only they were shooting a 370Z, or even a GT-R!

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Porsche

Porsche 911 Turbo to boast four-wheel steering?

Porsche 911 Turbo prototype

Word from Germany, via Auto Bild, says the new Porsche 911 Turbo will feature a four-wheel steering system. In conjunction with the Turbo’s all-wheel drive system it’s said the steering will provide a sharper and more nimble steering response.

Peak power for the new 911 Turbo is expected to be around 390kW (approx 520hp) and it could be that Porsche is another manufacturer to fall prey the charms of three turbochargers.

[Source: Auto Bild via WCF | Pic: Autocar]

Categories
BMW

M3 watch: Under the bonnet son

2014 BMW F80 M3 inline six cylinder turbo

BimmerPost takes us underneath the bonnet of the F80 M3 for our first look at the new inline six cylinder set to power BMW’s most revered M model.

We still don’t know how many turbos will be bolted on to the engine, but looking at the two pipes coming from the intercooler it looks like there’ll be at least two. Perhaps that’s the best visual indication we’ll get, too, as the rumour of a third turbo suggests it will be electrically powered and may be housed well out of view.

That’s some pretty serious strut bracing too!

Best predictions so far say the engine will provide punters 450hp (335kW) to play with. Of course, the same six cylinder engine will find its way into the M4 coupé, which is codenamed F82 for the trainspotters among us.

[Source: BimmerPost | Pic: Brenda Priddy & Company]

Categories
Porsche

Rain is not forever, but a roadster is

Porsche Boxster

Porsche has once again delved into its iconic archives to remind us of some of the models they say have inspired the 981 Boxster. When you’ve got a back catalogue like Porsche, why wouldn’t you!

As a general comment, we love the new Boxster and we think, right now, the only thing better will be the new Cayman!

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Categories
BMW

BMW Concept Active Tourer revealed

BMW Concept Active Tourer

Released on Friday the BMW Concept Active Tourer represents your first look at a bona fide front-wheel drive model from the Munich giants. It’s also been referred to as the 1 Series GT.

We’re big fans of the look too. We’re not sure if its simply because we think it rights most of the wrongs seen on the rear-wheel drive F20 1 Series, but the stylish front end reaches a standard that is matched by the rest of the car. If only some of the styling cues were present on the rear-wheel drive model.

In concept form, the Active Tourer is driven by a petrol powered 1.5 litre three cylinder turbo at the front wheels, with electric power at the rear axle. Total power provided by the Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) is 140kW. Although, for now, BMW is not going into more detail, so we don’t know the peak numbers offered by the three cylinder powerplant.

That three-pot engine is about to spark life in a number of BMW Group models, including the next-gen MINI. A prototype 1 Series with the 1.5 litre three cylinder has been tested by Autocar and they were impressed by its perky performance, saying “there is little hint of lag, just a lovely linear flow of power.”

When driven in electric-only mode BMW is predicting a range of 30km and the lithium-ion battery can be recharged using a regular domestic socket.

The showcar really ups the ante inside with trick multi-colour displays for both front and rear seat passengers. The “Cool Shade” panorama roof with Suspended Particle Device is also pretty flash.

With obvious front-wheel drive competition from fierce rivals such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz we’re reluctantly impressed by what we’re seeing from BMW’s new world order. Once the transformation from concept to road-going production model is complete, it will be very interesting to see what BMW’s first front-wheel drive model is like to drive.

Here’s hoping it’s as good as it looks.

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Categories
MINI

2013 MINI Paceman revealed

2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman

The wraps have officially come off the new MINI Paceman and if you’ve always had a hankering for a three door Countryman then this is the car for you. Shown here in Cooper S trim we quite like what we see.

MINI is heaping all their trusted buzzwords on the Paceman, saying it has the brand’s hallmark go-kart feeling. Not content with that, they also reckon the Paceman has a muscular stance with sporting prowess.

We can’t really imagine ever buying one, but as an object we do think it’s rather nice. Hopefully, for MINI’s sake, there are many thousands of people who will buy the Paceman and we can continue to admire it for many years to come.

At launch there will be four options available in the Paceman model range. A pair of petrol powered models: the 90kW Cooper and the turbocharged 135kW Cooper S. They’re joined by a couple of diesels in the 82kW Cooper D and 105kW Cooper SD. MINI also promises a JCW version is on the way.

All models, except the Cooper Paceman, can be optioned with MINI’s All4 all-wheel drive system. While the standard 6-speed manual gearbox can be swapped for a Steptronic auto in all Paceman offerings.

Cargo space in the back of that stylish coupé body is 330 litres; a lot for a MINI. Although, for comparison’s sake that’s around 50 litres less than the new Golf. This is a Sports Activity Coupé after all, but with the rear seats folded down you do get a much more usable 1080 litres.

MINI’s seventh model is a four-seater and at the moment they’ve only given us a look at those rear seats. We expect they’re saving a few interior details for the Paceman’s official debut in Paris later this month.

Word is the Paceman will be on sale in Australia early next year. For now we’ve got 50 images, a couple of videos and more press text than you can poke a stick at. They’re all yours after the break.

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Categories
McLaren

McLaren v Aerodynamics: Another P12 teaser

McLaren P12 teaser

McLaren has given us another look at its “next chapter” with this new video. There’s no voiceover with the clip and no text of any merit to accompany the press release. All they say is the clip “shows trails of light travelling over a seemingly invisible form, with the airflow creating a dynamic shape with dramatic visual effect.”

If you click the image above for the 2000px version you can begin to make out a number of details with relative clarity. The P12, MP4-24C, or whatever it’s going to be called, will look spectacular, we think.

The official reveal is set to take place on 27 September at 5:45pm European time, which is 1:45am on Friday 28 September for those of us reading on Australia’s eastern seaboard.

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Categories
Volkswagen

Understated Mk7 Golf R dressed in black

Volkswagen Golf R prototype

Following the official reveal of the all new Volkswagen Golf VII it hasn’t taken long for the sighting of what is believed to be the next Golf R to take place.

Debate surrounds the placement of the exhausts for the next-gen R; will they be quad tipped, with a pair at either side of the car, as these images show, or will VW return to the current centrally mounted twin tips as seen on the Mk6 Golf R?

Also, to us, the front spoiler treatment looks a little too conservative. It’s true that Volkswagen’s warmed over Golfs are never really that out there, but this seems a bit too plain for our expectations. It’s hard to tell in these spy shots, but it looks like the R could have matte coloured mirrors as well, instead of the gloss black seen on the Mk6.

We’ve had no further bids on predicted power, which means we’re still expecting around 210kW from a 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder.

[Source: WCF | Pics: Automedia]

Categories
BMW

Here, have a sneak peek at the BMW 1 Series GT

BMW 1 Series GT

You’re looking at BMW’s first ever front-wheel drive model, the 1 Series Active Concept Tourer. For reasons of convenience we’ll refer to it as the 1 Series GT, although it is also known as the ‘Compactive Tourer’. We’re expecting a full reveal online in the next 24 hours now(!), before making its public debut in Paris.

The image above was leaked by Auto Bild on the cover of their latest magazine and the chaps at BimmerPost have removed the surrounding text and images to leave us with a clean look at the new model. On first viewing, we have to say the 1 Series GT looks pretty smart too. Certainly a bit sharper than its comparatively dopey looking rear-wheel drive sibling.

Interestingly there’s talk the next-generation 1 Series will only be a front-wheel drive model. Of more current day relevance the UKL platform used here will also underpin the new F56 MINI. The front-wheel drive 1 Series and the next-gen MINI will share several components.

[Source: BimmerPost]

UPDATE: BMW has since released official pics and info for the Concept Active Tourer (ie. 1 Series GT).

Categories
Formula 1 News

Professor Sid Watkins 1928–2012

Professor Sid Watkins

Professor Sid Watkins, the former long-serving FIA Fomula One Medical Delegate, has passed away in a London hospital. He was 84 years old.

Watkins is best known for his work in F1 and is credited for a general raising of safety standards in the sport, including the development of better techniques for removing drivers from cars and improved crash structures.

He started in F1 in 1978 shortly before the death of Ronnie Peterson and was one of the first one the scene after Ayrton Senna crashed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Senna was a close friend of Watkins and triple world champion often shared his deepest thoughts with Watkins.

When Watkins retired from F1 in 2005 Max Mosley, then FIA President, said: “Professor Watkins has made a unique contribution to improving the standards of safety and medical intervention in Formula One and indeed internationally throughout motor sport.”

James Allen shares a less familiar tale of Watkins assisting a passenger on a commercial flight: “In the early 1990s, I was on a long haul flight back from a Grand Prix when a man unconnected with racing collapsed in the downstairs deck of a BA 747. A group of us went in search of the Prof, finding him upstairs on the Business Class deck. Sid woke up immediately, came downstairs and performed a tracheotomy on the man, saving his life.”

On track, Watkins is acknowledged as saving the lives of several F1 drivers, including Rubens Barrichello (Imola 1994), Gerhard Berger (Imola 1989), Martin Donnelly (Jerez 1990) and Mika Hakkinen (Adelaide 1995).

Via his twitter account, Barrichello paid the following tribute: “It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94.great guy to be with,always happy…tks for everything u have done for us drivers. RIP”

He will be greatly missed.

[Source: James Allen | Pic: F1 Journal]

UPDATE: A statement from the Watkins family has been added below.

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