The 2012 Mercedes GP F1 car is due for its official reveal at Barcelona next Tuesday, but the car has been photographed early during a secret shakedown test at Silverstone yesterday.
As you can see Michael Schumacher was at the wheel during the light run. It’s also evident that Ross Brawn and his merry men have adopted the ‘platypus’ step prevalent on F1 cars this year.
We’ll have more detail on the W03 for you next week.
[Source: F1 Fanatic | Thanks to Ryan for the tip]
In not totally unexpected news, Caterham F1 Team today announced they have brought in Vitaly Petrov and sent the likeable veteran Jarno Tulli on his way. The 27-year-old Russian was at Caterham’s base in Hingham earlier today for a seat fitting and will be with the team in Barcelona next Tuesday ready for his first test in the CT01.
Naturally, Petrov is pretty happy with the news after losing his seat at Renault (now Lotus). “This is a very exciting day for me,” he said.
“The passion and spirit that Tony and the whole team have to keep moving forwards is infectious, and I am honoured to be able to join them and play my part in helping the team mount a serious challenge to the teams ahead in 2012 and for many seasons to come.”
Team boss Tony Fernades gave a small insight into the team’s decision, “it was not an easy decision to bring Vitaly in to replace Jarno, but it was one we made to ensure that we give fresh impetus across the whole team and with a realistic eye on the global economic market.
“I also want to take this opportunity to thank Jarno for the absolutely pivotal role he played in the formation and progression of our team since he joined us in December 2009.”
In something of a love in at Caterham, on paper at least, Trulli was given the last word on the company’s official statement.
“I want to take this chance to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin, Riad, Mike and everyone in the team for the two seasons we had together,” said Trulli. “I understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead.”
There’s been whispers about this move for several weeks and we received a tip earlier today suggesting an announcement would be made tonight, which we shared via twitter. The full statement from Caterham can be read after the break.
In further good news for Bathurst 12 Hour organisers the Anglo-American United Autosports team has confirmed they will be bringing their Audi R8 LMS down under to compete in the race (24–26 February).
At the wheel will be US-based South African Mark Patterson, Hong Kong’s Frank Yu and Hong Kong-based Frenchman Alain Li. With an average age of 53 they’re living the dream it must be said. It will be the first time at Mount Panorama for all three drivers, but they have solid endurance experience behind them.
Richard Dean, Managing Director and co-owner of United Autosports said: “I’m really looking forward to taking the team to Bathurst, which is one of those iconic circuits where we vowed we would race when Zak and I set up the team, so it’s fulfilling another of our dreams.
“Although we don’t underestimate what a difficult circuit Mount Panorama is to learn, I’m confident with Mark, Frank and Alain in the team’s Audi R8 LMS, they will be quick learners and I’m expecting a top result, especially after an Audi won the event last year!â€
In his latest Drive clip Chris Harris has put a 2012 BMW M5 up against a 2012 Nissan GT-R? That doesn’t make any sense. Well, according to Google and YouTube it does. From the video description: “It’s perfect for YouTube search results, and thats why we’re doing it.”
Okay, then. Well they are both considered heavy cars for their segment. They both have twin-turbo motors, a V8 in the BMW and a V6 in the GT-R. Both have double clutch transmissions. And, so we’re told, they’re both great search fodder.
But that’s where the similarities end, really. That said, in isolation Harris provides some good in-depth feedback on both cars and, well, who wouldn’t spend a few days in these two cars if given the chance?
We reckon the limited-run Audi A1 quattro is a pretty cool bit of kit. And we can think of few better places to have fun in the little fella than on a frozen lake in Sweden. That’s exactly what a few European-based journos have had the chance to do.
Evo: “Grip levels were surprisingly decent on snow-covered ice, although steering feel was still noticeable by its absence (we’ll wait until we get one on tarmac to report on that)—and the A1 has been set up with a pleasingly neutral handling balance, torque being shunted to the rear axle when understeer is detected, with a version of Audi’s torque vectoring system also helping out.”
Chris Harris for Pistonheads: “The Haldex 4WD system still feels front-biased (because it is), but on small studs and a frozen lake it’ll hold great big, all-four-wheels-pointing-in-the-same-direction slides that are immense fun. But don’t actually give any indication of what the car will be like on the road.”
Autocar: “You don’t even need to use the handbrake, just barrel into a corner, lift and then back on the gas in a lovely drift.”
So they had a lot of fun, but weren’t really able to get a good feel for the A1 quattro’s on road abilities. Either way with some of the mods Audi has made for this currently unique A1 you’d reckon there’s more to come, possibly in the form of S and/or RS model designations as well as a Q1 soft-roader.
Although, given the price of the A1 quattro—at around £40K it costs more in the UK than an RS3—maybe they’ll be recouping all their development costs if they manage to sell all 333 examples.
We’ll just have to wait and see what else Audi plans to do with AWD on the A1. For now we can enjoy a short video from Evo showing the A1 quattro on ice.
[Source: Evo, Pistonheads, Autocar | Pic: Evo]
The yet to be born baby SUV from Porsche has been given a new name: Macan. Porsche inform Macan is the Indonesian word for tiger and “combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics”.
Previously referred to by Porsche as the Cajun the new SUV will be built in Leipzig and is scheduled to hit the market in 2014. Already you can hear the cries of “Couldn’t afford a Cayenne mate!”
Stuttgart has also passed on this sketch of its new Macan, which will be based on the Audi Q5 platform. It shows how used to the Cayenne we’ve become when we look at the drawing and think it doesn’t look too bad.
Now that the new BMW 3 Series is about to be seen on local roads it’s opportune to take a closer look at the 328i. It’s powered by a 2.0 litre trubo four cylinder “N20†engine and has official performance figures of 180kW/350Nm. BMW say it can reach 100km/h in 6.1 seconds.
With a list price of $66,900 it’ll probably cost you high 70s-low 80s to get a reasonably well specced example on the road. That said, it’s probably the sweet spot in the F30 range and could be a wise choice for cashed up buyers who have grown out of the hot hatch phase.
Helping to support the case for the 328i are two unofficial sources. The first is from InsideLine taking an in-depth look at the suspension of a US-spec 3 Series. That will keep the boffins among you quiet for a while! The second is a video clip from a BimmerPost member who ran his US-spec 328i on the dyno. It’s never wise to store too much faith into the numbers dynos produce, but they’re still a reasonably good yardstick.
Remember, the claimed figures for the 328i’s N20 engine are 180kW/350Nm. The standard car sampled on the dyno returned figures of 226hp/230lb-ft—that’s 168kW/311Nm in modern day lingo. On paper, then, that’s small power loss of less than 7% from flywheel to the road. A pretty healthy return at the wheels for a standard motor, which indicates the official figures from BMW are probably a little shy of actual numbers. Good news for performance-conscious buyers.
[Sources: Inside Line & BimmerPost]
BMW Australia has already given us a preview of its new F30 3 Series sedan range by announcing pricing late last year, before confirming the addition of two new models in January.
With the new 3 Series ready to roll into showrooms this month they’ve now released extensive detail on local specification and equipment levels. We get the feeling the F30 will be a great success for BMW. Unsurprisingly, that’s a view shared by BMW Group Australia Managing Director, Phil Horton.
“Australian customers have always appreciated the style, luxury features, advanced technology and sporty driving dynamics of the BMW 3 Series Sedan but with the vast improvements made to the new generation, BMW has made the car even more appealing,†Horton said.
“With substantial increases in power and torque with reduced fuel consumption from the all TwinPower Turbo powertrain lineup, more interior space and advanced ConnectedDrive technologies, the new BMW 3 Series Sedan offers a superlative combination of performance, efficiency, luxury and driving enjoyment.â€
Initially Australia will have three models available—the 335i, 328i and 320d—with the 318d and 320i available to order next month.
Basic list pricing for the five models is shown below and a copy of BMW Australia’s highly detailed press release, including local photography, is available after the break.
BMW 318d: In-line four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo diesel engine – $56,400*
BMW 320i: In-line four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine – $57,600*
BMW 320d: In-line four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo diesel engine – $60,900*
BMW 328i: In-line four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine – $66,900*
BMW 335i: In-line six-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine – $91,900*
Trim / Equipment options
BMW 318d – Modern Line – $3900*, Sport / Luxury Line – $4900*
BMW 320i/d – Modern Line – $3100*, Sport / Luxury Line – $4100*
BMW 328i / 335i – Modern Line – $1000*, Sport / Luxury Line – $2000*
Lotus boss Dany Bahar has been told he can continue the five-year plan to revitalise Lotus by the company’s new Malaysian owners DRB Hicom, Autocar reports.
There will be a small two month hurdle to overcome thanks to Malaysian change of ownership laws, during which time Lotus will not have access to previously agreed funds from Proton’s former ownership regime.
Already two years into the company’s ambitious plans Bahar has sold the idea to his new bosses. “We have explained our plans to the new owner and have been told to keep going as we are. The immediate problem is to manage the cash in the business carefully during the 60-day pause, but I am confident that this is a temporary technical issue,†Bahar told Autocar.
Despite this rumours still exist suggesting Proton will offload the iconic sports car maker. Genii Capital, owners of the Lotus F1 Team, are believed to be one of the more likely candidates, but Bahar maintains it’s business as usual for the Norfolk-based manufacturer.
“To the best of my knowledge, no one is about to buy the company,†said Bahar. “You’d have to consider the market implications before deciding to sell. Right now we have crazy demand for the latest Exige—383 orders already. The Evora GTE [pictured above] will be homologated by May, and we have 200 orders for that. Things are looking really promising.â€
Indeed, Lotus this morning issued a brief press release titled “Maximum Exposure” which stated, “Lotus’ philosophy has always been ‘less is more’. Now, with a display of true fighting spirit, we’ll take this one step further in Geneva.” Other clues indicate they’ll be bringing an open-top creation of some sort—an Evora convertible perhaps?
[Source: Autocar]
Here’s your first undisguised look at what is claimed to be the new MY13 Audi A3. It’s expected the third-generation hatch will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
Audi has already given us an official look inside the new A3 and when you compare this image to the screen graphics you’ll see it’s a very good match. We think it’s pretty safe to assume this image is the real deal.
Built on the new Volkswagen Group MQB platform the A3 has taken an evolutionary approach from the outgoing 8P model. The styling has been sharpened up a little while strongly remaining part of the Audi family.
[Source: Auto-forum]
Early this morning images of the new Audi RS4 were leaked, now, a few hours later Audi has released their official word. It’s one of the shortest gaps from leaked to official info we’ve seen and we say “Bravo!” to Audi.
As expected, then, the RS4 Avant has nicked all the juicy bits from the RS5 including the sweet high-revving 4.2 litre V8 engine, which produces 331kW/430Nm. A 7-speed S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system transfers that grunt to the road.
With its crown-gear centre diff the RS4 sends power to the wheels with a 40:60 rear bias. A maximum of 70% can be sent to the front wheels, with up to 85% possible at the rear. Aiding handling is Dynamic Ride Control suspension, which uses connected oil-lines to held reduce body roll.
New “internally vented wave disc brakes” help bring things to a halt. Measuring 365mm up front they save around 3kg of unsprung weight, Audi says. In standard configuration the brake calipers feature eight-pistons, but 380mm six-pot ceramic brakes may tempt you.
New style 10-spoke 19″ alloys debut on the RS4 Avant and the familiar 5-spoke rotor alloys are available as an option. You can also select from up to eight colours. Metallic paint is so passé, too, it would seem with two special crystal-effect colours (Prism Silver and Panther Black) sitting atop the colour tree.
And the best news? Audi Australia has confirmed the RS4 Avant will be on sale down under in the first quarter of next year. Time to start saving!
UPDATE: Over 30 new pics have been added below.
Rally legend Walter Röhrl takes us on a scenic drive around the Ascari race circuit in Spain. His weapon of choice is the 316kW Porsche Panamera GTS. It’s okay though, all the footage is filmed from inside the car, so you don’t have to think to yourself, “yes, your bum does look big in that.”