Roberto Ricci, Italian surfboard maker, is a pretty wealthy dude. Wealthy enough to buy an Aston Martin Rapide only to carelessly crash it after asking himself “what does this button do?” Afterwards it all seemed a bit of a laugh, really.
Perhaps he should have spent some of his money on driving lessons. Check out the video after the break.
[Source: Jalopnik]
Talk of an Audi TT RS ‘Plus’ emerged a few months back. Now French website L’Automobile is reigniting the charge.
They say the ‘Plus’ will lose 60kg in weight, partly due to the removal of the rear seats. It is also thought power will be boosted to 380PS, up from 350PS in the standard TT RS. Model specific alloys and a revised fixed rear wing are also likely to feature.
Earlier speculation suggested this model would start production in May of this year. That didn’t happen, so it looks as though we’ll have to wait until next year now.
We had a great time when we drove the TT RS and, on paper, the changes outlined in the TT RS ‘Plus’ can only make it an even better package. Hopefully Audi comes out with some firm details soon.
[Source: L’Automobile]
At the Australian International Motor Show earlier this year we were impressed by the gorgeous Mazda Shinari concept. It would seem the Shinari has spawned the equally stunning Takeri concept you see here. The Takeri will be presented to the public for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show in early December.
Where the larger Shinari was a design concept only, the mid-size Takeri offers a few more details. Although, it looks as though Mazda is keeping the real detail for Tokyo.
For now we know the Takeri will be powered by a SKYACTIV-D turbocharged diesel engine. Capacity, power and fuel consumption are yet to be published, although if you’re feeling a bit nerdy you can learn more on the Mazda website. Helping to reduce consumption will be an i-stop idling system and some of the car’s ancillaries will run on power gained via regenerative braking.
Of course, the ‘Kodo’ design language shown in these concepts is expected to filter its way to future production models. And we reckon that’s a pretty good thing. Could the next Mazda6 really look as good as this?
You can see more of the Takeri after the break. Is it just us, or is there a bit of Audi in the interior?
Boulevard East and River Road in Weehawken, New Jersey, is likely to form part of the street circuit for the rumoured New Jersey Formula One Grand Prix, according to a report published by the BBC. The roads run along the banks of the Hudson River with the west side of New York City on the other bank.
Confirmation of the new grand prix is expected to come through within the next day and should see the first event take place in mid-2013. It’s likely the race will run back-t0-back with the Canadian GP.
West New York mayor Felix Roque appears both enthusiastic and hopeful for the riches the F1 circus will bring, “It’s incredible. This is going to be an economic boom for this whole region.”
Meanwhile, West New York attorney Joe DeMarco has even bigger stars in his eyes. “It will provide a very challenging course. They compare it to Spa in Belgium but it will have the feel of Monaco,” he said.
More news as it comes to hand.
[Source: BBC F1]
“Audi intends to be the leading premium manufacturer of electric vehicles by 2020.”
That’s the opening line from the video you can see after the break which showcases the Audi e-tron Spyder. Audi first showed us this stunning hybrid coupé at last year’s Paris Motor Show.
To refresh your memory the e-tron Spyder can send 221kW of 3.0 litre V6 diesel power to the rear axle and a maximum of 64kW to the front wheels, thanks to a pair of electric motors. Audi reckon it’ll be faster than a TT RS to 100km/h. They also say the e-tron Spyder can travel over 1000km on 50 litres of fuel (but can’t a Golf 2.0 TDI already do that?). Their claim of 2.2l/100km sounds much more impressive and makes a mockery of their maths, too (2.2l/100km from a 50 litre tank would offer a range of over 2000km).
The good news for all Audi fans is they say the e-tron Spyder offers the best clue yet as to how their future sportscars will look.
In addition to the official Audi promo clip is a short video from US website Autoblog who were granted access to the same car last week. While they were capped to a top speed of only 40mph (64km/h) their video offers a more realistic insight into the stylish Spyder.
One of the world’s newest supercars, the McLaren MP4-12C, has unofficially lapped the Nürburgring in 7 minutes 28 seconds. The time was recorded by respected German magazine Sport Auto.
Perhaps McLaren would secretly wish for a faster time, as the mighty Mac is around 16 seconds slower than the Dodge Viper ACR, 12 seconds slower than the Lexus LFA and 10 seconds slower than a Porsche 911 GT2 RS. At least it’s four seconds faster than a Ferrari 458 Italia.
UPDATE: Official video from McLaren Automotive has been added below, which confirms the Sport Auto lap time and includes a few words from their noted test driver Horst von Saurma.
[Source: Teamspeed]
Back in May we brought news that BMW M GmbH was considering a new standalone ‘M-One’ supercar designed to give some curry to Audi, Ferrari, McLaren et al.
Albert Biermann, head of product development in Munich, has breathed new life into the idea with his recent comment saying, “From an engineering perspective we have the skills and we’d love to do it.”
“We’ve discussed it several times but we’ve never been able to make the business case. Everything we do has to make money,” he added. Ahh, it’s those rotten bean counters spoiling the fun once again.
Biermann also left the door very much open for that diesel-powered M5 we mentioned a while back, “We’d never say never if the technology becomes available, but right now we don’t have the diesel technology to match the responsiveness of the new M5.”
[Source: InsideLine]
Fifth Gear has put the 250kW/400Nm Audi RS3 and 250kW/400Nm BMW 1M on a racetrack and endeavoured to find out which is best. At the wheel are Isle of Man hero Mark Higgins (Audi) and regular presenter Tiff Needell (BMW).
It’s a match made in heaven, even if Audi Australia have ensured it’s one we won’t see down under. So, cast your pre-ordained judgements, then watch the clip after the break to see how your script pans out.
Let us know if your expectations were confirmed.
It is with deep regret that we bring you more sad news from the motorsport world with word that young MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli lost his life at yesterday’s Malaysian GP. The 24-year-old Italian rider crashed out on lap two of the race and fell into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. The race was stopped immediately and was subsequently cancelled.
Simoncelli was well loved by fans around the world and he had a bright future in MotoGP ahead of him. Fans can leave tributes to Simoncelli at the MotoGP website.
Rest in peace.
[Source: MotoGP]
Citroën super star Sebastien Loeb won Rally Spain from Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen on the weekend and in doing so put himself back in the outright lead in the chase for the 2011 drivers’ world championship.
Despite an engine failure and subsequent DNF from Citroën driver Sebastien Ogier, Loeb’s victory was enough to secure a seventh manufacturers’ title for the French outfit. Failure in Spain was a double blow for Ogier who is now out of the title race with just one rally left in season 2011.
It was another solid outing for MINI with Dani Sordo finishing fourth and teammate Kris Meeke behind in fifth. You sense there’ll be a victory or two in store for MINI in 2012.
Loeb now holds a slender eight point lead over Hirvonen, despite the Frenchman winning five races so far this year to the the Finn’s two. There’s 25 points plus bonuses on offer for a win and the final race in Wales (10–13 November) shapes up as being a nail-biter.
Speaking after his win in Spain, Loeb said, “For the moment we’re celebrating Citroën’s seventh title! But the drivers’ crown is far from over. Mikko Hirvonen has done a good job by finishing second here and we know he’ll be competitive on the stages in Wales. We must finish in front of him. The best thing we could do would be to win. So our destiny is in our own hands!â€
Bernie Eccelstone has already ensured we’ll be getting one Grand Prix in the United States from 2012 onwards. But it now seems the Austin race will be joined by a new street race in New York, well, New Jersey to be correct.
It’s understood confirmation of the race could be announced later this week with a press conference scheduled by New Jersey officials for Tuesday. If everything goes as expected the first New Jersey Grand Prix would take place in 2013.
Speaking to Autosport, Bernie said, “It’s happening. We are talking to them and trying to do our best. Let’s see what happens.”
At this stage no concrete plans are known for the track location, but speculation suggests it would be on the banks of the Hudson River, with the Manhattan skyline forming a perfect backdrop for promoters.
With the Formula One calendar likely to remain capped at 20 races which event would get the boot in order to fit another grand prix in the US?
[Source: Autosport | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Ever wondered if car manufacturers have Top Gun style sections within their hallowed production halls? Mercedes has one, it’s called the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center. It’s where they send their best workers to go and restore old cars.
The centre in Irvine, Calfornia claims it “is the ideal place for owners, collectors, and enthusiasts to connect with this legendary brand. In addition to meticulously restoring and selling classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the Classic Center offers appraisals, provides Genuine Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts.”
You can see a brief promo on the centre after the break.