AUSmotive.com – Page 271 – Hanging on for dear life

The new Porsche Boxster by Volkswagen

Post author By Liam
Post date 22 March, 2012

Word has come through via Wards Auto that Volkswagen will build the new Porsche Boxster. Don’t worry, it’s not a rehash of the 914 collaboration, rather a development of a previous arrangement that Porsche used to have with Finland-based Valmet Automotive.

Porsche will still concentrate Boxster production at its main Zuffenhausen plant, but any overflow will be taken care of by the former Karmann facility in OsnabrÃ¼ck.

Of course, VW has a long association with Karmann, which became something more serious after the coachbuilders filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and Volkswagen stepped in to pick up the pieces.

It’s not the first time Porsche has done this after recently ending a similar agreement with Valmet. Between 1997 and 2011 almost 230,000 Boxsters/Caymans originated from Finland.

[Source: Wards Auto]

Formula 1 News

Ron Howard speaks about ‘Rush’ filming

Post author By Liam
Post date 22 March, 2012

Rush film set, March 2012

Noted movie director Ron Howard recently spoke to Car magazine about the filming of his latest Hollywood project Rush, which focuses on the 1976 Formula One World Championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

It’s sure to be an epic movie, not in the least because it will bring Lauda’s horrific accident at the NÃ¼rburgring to the silver screen.

Here’s a little of what Howard had to say (follow the source link for more):

“Weâ€™ve got guys like Alastair Cauldwell [James Huntâ€™s chief engineer] helping out and weâ€™re asking them to flag up inaccuracies. But itâ€™s not a literal story, weâ€™re not making a documentary. It takes inspiration from the rivalry. It gives a broad overview of racing in the ’70s, but itâ€™s more than a racing movie.

“Itâ€™s a challenge to shoot race scenes but thatâ€™s the ying and yangâ€”the attraction and the headache. Weâ€™ll be using every contemporary cinematic tool at our disposal to make the audience think theyâ€™re actually there. But weâ€™re doing more in the cameraâ€”even the SFX people want as much analogue source material to work with as possible.”

We hold high hopes for this movie and hope it will deliver on the promise shown to date. It’s not due for release until next year, though, as filming will continue through the European summer. So we’ll have a while to wait.

[Source: Car]

BMW

VIDEO: BMW 4 Series playing in the snow

Post author By Liam
Post date 21 March, 2012

The new BMW 3 Series CoupÃ© replacement, the F32 4 Series, has been caught on video testing in the snow. If nothing else it looks like a lot of fun and would be a great way to refine your mad drifting skillz.

We first got a look at the F32 coupÃ© late last year, with a com-gen rendering not long after, and, really, you’re not getting much more to see now. Thanks, of course, to BMW’s familiar patterned camouflage.

Current speculation suggests the two-door F30-based 4 Series will debut at the Paris Motor Show in September.

[Source: WCF]

Porsche

Porsche at Techno Classica Essen

Post author By Liam
Post date 21 March, 2012

The Techno Classica Essen show is about to get underway. Organisers describe the event as the “World show for vintage, classic and prestige automobiles, motorsport, motorcycles, spare parts and restoration”.

Porsche will be on hand at Techno Classica once again with a suite of classic parts, but more importantly, with two of their most important models. The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 (pictured above), celebrating itsÂ 40th anniversary, will be joined by the equally classic 1973 911 RSR (pictured below). Complete in Martini Racing livery the RSR looks fantastic.

Datsun Nissan

The Datto is back!

Datsun 1200 ute

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan CEO, has announced they will be reviving the Datsun brand for use in new growth markets. From 2014 you’ll be able to buy a Datsun in India, Indonesia and Russia.

We reckon this is pretty good news, although bemoan the fact that a new 21st century logo has been created for the relaunch. The retro Datsun logo would be a welcome relief in a sea of slick corporate design.

To celebrate Datsun’s return we found this great brochure cover of the classic Datto 1200 ute, check out the uncropped version after the break.

[Source: Nissan | Pic: hugo90]

Porsche

That’ll buff right out

Holy Moses!

That’s Brian Taylor, upside down, in what was his 1977 Porsche 911. The accident happened a couple of weeks ago at the Phillip Island Classic. This image is one of a spectacular sequence brought to us by the excellent Motorsport Retro website.

Although he was quite badly bruised Taylor emerged from the wreckage with no serious injuries.

If you have the stomach for it there’s a couple of amateur videos of the crash after the break.

[Source: Motorsport Retro]

Motorsports Nissan

Does this look weird to you?

Post author By Liam
Post date 20 March, 2012
4 Comments on Does this look weird to you?

Last week Nissan revealed its radical DeltaWing concept. The idea behind the car isn’t actually to see how odd a racecar can be, rather to try and halve the weight, engine size and fuel consumption while maintaining a cracking pace. Indeed, when the DeltaWing races at Le Mans later this year Nissan expect it to lap in between the times set by the outright-chasing LMP1 category and the LMP2 cars.

But how can it steer? Those skinny tyres, so close together? We bring you a couple of videos, then, to prove that it does work. Thanks to Road and Track you can see former F1 driver Eric Comas explain the initial success of the concept.

The DeltaWing was originally conceived for a submission to IndyCar, where it would provide a chassis to teams. It was around the middle of 2010 that they got knocked back by IndyCar. Hopes were boosted a year later, in mid-2011, when word came through the Le Mans project had been approved. You can read more at the DeltaWing website.

After the break you can watch a couple of videos of the DeltaWing in action. We’d love to hear what you think.

Caterham F1 in pictures Ferrari Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

2012 Australian Grand Prix in pictures

Post author By Liam
Post date 20 March, 2012
1 Comment on 2012 Australian Grand Prix in pictures

If you didn’t make it to Melbourne on the weekend, or even if you did, here’s your chance to relive the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. With thanks to the F1 teams we bring you almost 100 photos from Albert Park as our F1 in pictures series returns. Remember to click on the pics to open a 2000px super image.

Formula 1 McLaren Red Bull Racing

2012 Australian GP: Post-race press conference

Post author By Liam
Post date 18 March, 2012

The dust has settled, the crowds are enjoying Melbourne’s nightlife and the FIA has released the transcript of the post-race press conference from the Australian Grand Prix.

It goes without saying that Jenson Button now leads the drivers’ championship and with a first and third to their name McLaren also takes the early lead in the constructors’ race.

Read on to see what Jenson, Sebastian and Lewis had to say after the race.

Formula 1

AusGP: Jenson Button wins in Melbourne

Post author By Liam
Post date 18 March, 2012
2 Comments on AusGP: Jenson Button wins in Melbourne

Jenson Button has won the 2012 Australian Grand Prix by 2.1 seconds from Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton, a further 1.9 seconds back, claimed the final podium position.

Despite yet another poor start, in which he dropped four places, Mark Webber recovered well to fight back to fourth place. That’s his best result in Melbourne following a trio of fifth places in 2002, 2005 and 2011.

In the early corners Webber found himself mid-pack and was sandwiched between two other cars who both made contact with the Red Bull’s front wheels. In a rare stroke of luck for Mark in Melbourne his car was not damaged and he showed excellent race pace from that point forward.

Jenson Button claimed the race lead from teammate and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the first corner and controlled the race thereafter. He would have become a little tense with around 15 laps to go after the Safety Car was deployed to allow an expired Caterham to be removed from pit straight.

However, on the restart he quickly established a 2.5 second lead over second-placed Vettel. For the remainder of the race the top four cars were spread by little more than five seconds, but with clean racing and no mistakes being made there were no late race dramas and Button comfortably claimed his third Australian Grand Prix title.

Holden Motorsports

AusGP: V8 Supercars don’t stack up

Post author By Liam
Post date 18 March, 2012

An impromptu experiment to see if you can stack V8 Supercars one on top of the other failed at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday.

Tipped off by James Courtney, Jamie Whincup set up the all-Holden Commodore experiment by parking his car in the middle of the track. Karl Reindler, Taz Douglas and Russell Ingall then obliged by trying to squeeze Douglas’ car on top of Ingall’s, using the other two V8s as barriers.

Despite the best efforts of the four men the experiment didn’t work, although they did go close and with more work that might pull it off. Thankfully, no driver was hurt in the incident.

Check out the video after the break.

Tags V8SC

Formula 1 News Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

AusGP: 2 Aussies 0 Italians

Post author By Liam
Post date 18 March, 2012
1 Comment on AusGP: 2 Aussies 0 Italians

Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber, 2012 Australian Grand Prix

When 22-year-old Daniel Ricciardo and 35-year-old Mark Webber line up on the grid today it will be the first time ever two Australians have started an FIA-sanctioned Australian Grand Prix.

It’s an amazing stat when you consider there are no Italian drivers in F1 this year. You have to wind the clock back over four decades to 1969 to see when that last happened. Indeed, in 1989, the year of Ricciardo’s birth, there were 14 Italian drivers in F1. Now, the young West Australian with his latin heritage is Italy’s best hope, alongside Scotsman Paul di Resta.

Further rubbing it into the Italians is the fact that Ricciardo will start today’s race as the highest qualifier using Ferrari power. The factory Ferraris are back in P12 and P16, while the Ferrari-powered Saubers qualified in P13 and P17.

We’ve taken inspiration for our headline from a recent commenter here at AUSmotive and we’re sure all our readers will join us in wishing Daniel and Mark the best of luck for this afternoon’s race.