This short video of a BMW F32 4 Series is the first we’ve seen of the new 3 Series-based coupé. You don’t get much in the way of sound and you certainly don’t get much in the way of excitement, it’s just a car with stacks of camouflage being driven sedately in regular traffic. But you do come away from the video wondering how you would answer if the F32 asked “Does my bum look big in this?”
[Source: F30POPST]
Here’s some excellent video of a truly great Audi Quattro S1 replica from Bulgaria. The back to the future rally weapon was made by ProSpeed from a road going Quattro donor car and is said to be good for 770hp. We approve.
Bulgarian hillclimb champ Niki Zlatkov is at the wheel and provides us with the speed and sound of a bygone era. You’ll like this, we promise!
A Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, similar to the one pictured above, broke the lap record at Mount Panorama during the Sprint Bathurst event held on the weekend. Danish driver and endurance specialist Allan Simonsen set a fastest lap of 2:04.956, some 1.85 seconds faster than Craig Lowndes’ previous record time of 2:06.801.
Formula One driver Jenson Button, driving a McLaren MP4-23, posted a much quicker time around Bathurst in March this year. However, the promotional event was not officially timed and so his 1:48 lap is not recognised as an official record.
Simonsen was taking part at Sprint Bathurst in order to prepare for the 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour race.
UPDATE 15 November: Click HERE for the official word.
In the end it was good fortune that handed Sebastien Loeb his eighth WRC title. Loeb was forced out of Wales Rally GB following a low-impact collision with a tourist on a non-competitive stage. Thankfully, for Loeb, his closest rival, Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen, had already retired from the event.
“It’s proof that a rally isn’t over till you’re back in the parc fermé!†said Loeb of the race-ending incident. “It’s a pity because I would have liked to have finished the battle with Jari-Matti. What happened is fairly ordinary: we were on a narrow road and we came upon a car on the top of a crest where there was no visibility. The Spanish driver had the wrong reflex and pulled in to the right and we collided!â€
“So far we haven’t really had time to celebrate this title as we were completely involved in the rally. Again this morning we had to get up at 4.30 am to go and tackle the stages,†added Loeb. “Now we can celebrate it at last with the whole team. All the titles are important and memorable as they’re never put together in the same way. This season, the overall level was very high and we had to fight right down till the last rally.”
Citroën is making a fair bit out of Loeb overtaking Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships. Loeb followed suit, saying, “I’m proud to have become the most-titled racing driver, even if one shouldn’t really try and compare the different branches of the sport. I never thought I’d achieve this when I started my career!â€
More after the break, including a short video and interview with Loeb at the scene of his accident.
Ford began the Wales Rally GB with high hopes, Mikko Hirvonen was still a mathematical chance to win the championship. Alas, an accident and the subsequent damage forced Hirvonen out at the end of Day 2. That handed the 2011 WRC drivers’ title to Sebastien Loeb.
Ironically a bizarre accident on a liaison stage with a Spanish tourist put Loeb out of the event. “We were on a very narrow road section between the two stages, there were some crests. I was just driving and I saw a car in front. I brake, I go to the side but the problem was it was a Spanish driver and she was on the wrong side. In [Wales] you drive on the other way but it was the wrong reflex. We just hit two cars in the front and we broke the radiator,” Loeb explained to wrc.com.
So it was a case of to finish first, first you have to finish for Latvala who held on for his fifth WRC victory. Ford begun the year with their Fiesta WRC finishing in the top three and they ended the year in the same fashion. Latvala hopes it is a sign of things to come, “I’m really hoping we can challenge now the Citroëns, really after so many years I would really like to see Ford be world champion.”
A highlights package from the Ford WRC team can be seen after the break.
Well there’s something you don’t see every day; a Formula One podium with no Red Bull drivers present. It’s been 19 races since that last happened (2010 Korean GP). Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, tortured soul, apparently, has given his life new meaning by winning the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
As can sometimes be the case in F1 there was action aplenty on lap one before boredom set in. So it proved at Yas Marina when Sebastien Vettel made a clean get away only to spin out of the race thanks to a tyre failure. Hamilton then made sure his McLaren led the remaining laps that counted, only surrendering his lead during his two pit stops.
Likewise, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso made a ripping start and was quickly up three places into P2 half way through the first lap and that’s where he stayed. Jenson Button was the only one on the podium to earn his money really. The McLaren driver had a reasonable scrap with Mark Webber. They swapped places a couple of times, but ultimately the DRS overtaking zones favoured the McLaren as Red Bull’s achilles heel of poor top speed left Webber powerless to defend.
Due to a woeful first pit stop Webber then found himself behind Felipe Massa. Can you imagine the embarrassment! For Mark’s second stop RBR gambled by sending him back out on soft tyres, but with clear track ahead of him it was hoped he could build enough of gap over Massa to stay clear when he made his compulsory final stop to fit the harder compound tyres. In the end it was a formality after Rob Smedley radioed Massa to say, ” Felipe, your rear tyres are faster than your fronts, do you understand?” The subsequent spin by Massa indicates he understood.
At the back of the field Daniel Ricciardo lost position to his HRT teammate, but managed to work hard to establish a comfortable gap over Liuzzi. However, an electrical failure ended Ricciardo’s race with just three laps to go.
After the break you can read what the first three drivers had to say in the post-race press conference.
[Pics:Â Ferrari & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]
Once again Sebastian Vettel proved his qualifying prowess by putting his Red Bull on pole position for the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is his fourteenth pole for the year and equals the record for most poles a single season with Nigel Mansell’s efforts in 1992.
Incredibly, Vettel, now on 29 career pole positions, needs just five more to move into third in the all-time list, behind Michael Schumacher (68) and Ayrton Senna (65).
Second fastest at Yas Marina was Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver had been the form driver of the practice sessions and was quickest in Q1 and Q2, but his best lap of 1:38.622 could not match Vettel’s time of 1:38.481.
Jenson Button completed the familiar trend of McLaren and Red Bull qualifying in the top three with a 1:38.631 lap time.
Australian drivers Mark Webber (Red Bull; 1:38.858) and Daniel Ricciardo (HRT; 1:44.641) qualified fourth and twenty-first respectively.
Comments from the first three can be read below.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]
A retirement for Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen at the Rally of Great Britain has handed Sebastien Loeb his eighth consecutive WRC title. The rally is still in progress, but Loeb can no longer be beaten for the crown.
“Mikko was going like a bat out of hell and we were scrapping for every tenth of a second. In SS7, I started flat out as I wanted to get back in front,” said Loeb at the end of Day 2.
“There was fog and the grip suited me a lot better. Mikko made a mistake and the situation has turned in our favour. If his retirement is confirmed it means that we’re world champions, and we can take it easy.”
We’ll have more from Citroën after the rally is finished.
[Source: Citroën WRC]
BMW UK has released this promo video for the F10 M5. It’s well shot, the audio sounds good (even though we suspect it’s been enhanced a little) and does anyone ever get tired of watching a car going sideways? Find out for yourself after the break.
In the coming days we’ll have a special insight into the M5. Stay tuned!
[via BimmerFile]
Volkswagen’s sassy Golf Cabriolet is now on sale in Australia. With four seats and and retractable soft-top roof it further enhances the model range of the Golf for local buyers. Offered for sale with only the 118 TSI spec engine the Golf Cabrio is priced from $36,990 for the 6-speed manual and $39,490 for the 7-speed DSG.
The roof opens in nine seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 30km/h. Those concerned about the lack of roof and safety can be assured an automatic roll-over hoop deploys within 0.25 seconds of its sensors being alerted. The Golf Cabrio has also earned a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP.
More detail from Volkswagen is available after the break, including PDF downloads for the detailed press release and full Australian specifications.
The stylish Range Rover Evoque has just launched in Australia and get ready, you’ll soon be seeing these everywhere. Certainly, Range Rover is doing its part to cater to the largest audience possible by offering the market an extensive model range. There’s four basic models—three 4WD and one 2WD—available in ‘Pure’, ‘Dynamic’ or ‘Prestige’ specification. On top of those 12 basic variations, you can also choose a three or five door layout.
The Evoque range starts at $49,995 for the five door 110kW diesel-powered eD4 2WD ‘Pure’ and reaches its pricing-peak at $75,895 for the five door 177kW petrol-powered Si4 ‘Prestige’; add $1500 for Coupé models. That’s pretty sharp pricing for entry into Range Rover ownership. Although, the cheaper front-wheel drive models won’t be in Australia until mid-2012.
At launch, then, you’ll need $53,395 to get into an Evoque, the 110kW TD4 five door. Diesel models offer the choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto ($2480). It’s also worth noting there’s more than $13,000 difference between the ‘Pure’ and ‘Dynamic’ spec, before a much smaller step of $2000 from ‘Dynamic’ to ‘Prestige’.
On top of the numerous model choices, Range Rover is offering 12 exterior colour options, plus three contrasting roof colours. It’s all a bit MINI-like, really, with thousands of possible permutations. It’s almost a bit too much to take in, which explains the lengthy press release available after the break.
As well as style, Range Rover claims substance when it states the Evoque provides “class-leading all-weather, all-surface capability with legendary Land Rover Terrain Response.” Naturally, these days, there’s an alphabet of traction and stability systems. Try these on for size: DSC, RSC, TCS, TSA, HDC, GRC and EDC. Let’s not forget the brake-related ABS, EBD, EBL, EBA or CBC.
We expect Range Rover will struggle to meet demand for the Evoque and predict they will fast become the must-have fashion accessory of 2012. Do you agree? Check out the photo gallery and extensive press release below and let us know what you think.
McLaren’s Principal Race Engineer Phil Prew talks us through a lap of the 5.5km Yas Marina circuit ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After the break you can see a preview of the race from Pirelli’s point of view.