Categories
Opel

3 door Astra GTC being considered for Australia

Vauxhall Astra GTC

Opel revealed the production version of its three-door Astra GTC at Frankfurt last month. Here’s a few pics we’ve raided from the Vauxhall press gallery. Also included are three videos showing the car in a real world context.

Speaking about the launch of the GTC, Opel Australia Managing Director, Bill Mott, said “Astra GTC is a stunning car and highlights the ‘emotional design’ that underpins the Opel brand together with the dynamic driving performance that will come with the state-of-the art chassis and sporty suspension.

“GTC is a totally different concept compared to traditional three-door models. It will launch in Europe before the end of the year with a range of powertrain combinations and we’ll be looking at it closely for the Australian market.”

Continue reading “3 door Astra GTC being considered for Australia”
Categories
Opel

Opel Australia confirms 2012 product range

Opel Astra

Opel Australia will launch their product range next year. Bill Mott, Opel Australia Managing Director, used the recent Frankfurt Motor Show to confirm Australia’s model line-up.

According to Opel over two-thirds of new car sales in Australia are from the small to medium segments. So it’s no surprise that the expected line-up of Insignia, Astra and Corsa has been confirmed.

“We’re able to draw from our European portfolio and offer the right mix of models that will appeal to Australian customers and hit the sweet spot for these segments,” Mr Mott said.

“Opel will offer a great range of body styles, powertrains and specification levels across Corsa, Astra and Insignia from launch which will be a solid foundation for the brand and position us well for long-term success.”

It looks like the key brand message Opel Australia will employ is to drive home the German connection.

Already Bill Mott is on message, “Australia is one of the most competitive automotive markets in the world with a real appetite for European, and particularly, German marques.

“Australians will quickly discover that Opel delivers on the promise of German engineering, but not in a conservative way.”

You’ll also be seeing a lot of these words too, Wir leben Autos. In case you’re wondering that means we live and breathe cars.

More from Opel after the break, including brief outlines of expected engines to be offered from launch and the future product plans beyond 2012.

Continue reading “Opel Australia confirms 2012 product range”
Categories
Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo to give 4C new 224kW engine

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept

Alfa Romeo has announced details of a new 1.8 litre four cylinder engine which will be launched in 2013. Suitable for both longitudinal and transverse layouts the engine will have an impressive 224kW (300hp). It’s expected this new powerplant will find its way beneath the gorgeous curves of the 4C sportscar (due in Australia by 2014).

Currently, the 4C Concept is powered by an existing “200hp+” 1750 turbo four and has a published body weight of 850kg.

The new 1.8 litre will feature all aluminum construction and its power will be achieved through the use of a high-efficiency turbocharger. Alfa say the engine will set new benchmarks in performance and economy.

Continue reading “Alfa Romeo to give 4C new 224kW engine”
Categories
Porsche

Porsche 991 911 to run until 2025

Porsche 991 911 cabriolet

Last week Car had heaps of Porsche information and one thing to grabbed our attention was the claim the new 991 911 will run for two seven-year model cycles. That will take the basic chassis structure, launched at Frankfurt last month, up until 2025.

With the added support of Volkswagen the pace of model development is increasing at Stuttgart. After the break there’s a summary of what’s in store for the 911 range.

Continue reading “Porsche 991 911 to run until 2025”
Categories
Formula 1 News

Manish Pandey talks about Senna DVD release

Senna: The movie

Manish Pandey the film maker behind the Senna documentary has spoken about the extra material included on the DVD release of the film.

Speaking to James Allen he said, “We’ve added in many of the interviews we filmed, we show them as extended talking heads; there is a lot of Alain Prost, Ron Dennis, a lot of the key journalists. What we are able to do is be more forensic about some of the events that took place.

“Another key feature is the whole of Gerry Donaldson’s interview with Ayrton from 1989, when he was quite down, which culminates in his speech about Monaco 1988, which takes in his spirituality, and his philosophy as a driver.”

Senna is due for DVD release in the UK on 10 October. If you’re keen to get your hands on a copy now check eBay where there seem to be plenty of options available.

[Source: JAF1]

Categories
Volkswagen

Golf VII test mule spied in Europe

Golf VII prototype

You’re looking at a prototype of the next-generation Golf VII. It has to be the most heavily camouflaged car we’ve ever seen. That crazy magic eye puzzle pattern really messes with your senses!

In profile view, though, we get a preview of the more heavily raked front windscreen and see that the famous Golf C-pillar will remain. We’ve placed a pic of the current model Golf VI after the break for comparison.

While this pic is new there’s no new speculation on what the new Golf will bring since we last brought you up to date back in June.

[Source: WCF]

Continue reading “Golf VII test mule spied in Europe”
Categories
MINI WRC

MINI finally breaks Citroën-Ford duopoly

Dani Sordo, MINI WRC

When Dani Sordo piloted his MINI John Cooper Works WRC to second place at Rally France on the weekend he ended a 1218 day Citroën-Ford duopoly. Sordo’s result is the highest place finish in a WRC event by another manufacturer since Petter Solberg drove his Subaru Impreza to second in the 2008 Acropolis Rally.

Incredibly, you have to go way back to 2005 to find the last time a car other than a Citroën or Ford won a WRC event. That was at Rally Japan when Marcus Grönholm was driving a Peugeot 307; remember them! The WRC diversity drought now stands at 2192 days. MINI is currently the only credible contender to end the sequence with a win. Can they do it in 2011, or will we have to wait until 2012?

To celebrate this new and welcome diversity in the WRC we bring you a photo gallery of the MINIs in action. Let’s hope there is more success to follow for MINI, and Volkswagen too, in years to come.

Continue reading “MINI finally breaks Citroën-Ford duopoly”
Categories
Citroen WRC

Sebastien Ogier wins Rally France

Sebastien Ogier, Citroen DS3 WRC

Citroën will be overjoyed that a Frenchman won the team’s home event on the weekend. But it was the other Sebastien standing atop the Rally France podium, not seven-time world champion Sebastien Loeb.

Sounding yet another warning shot to his established rivals was Dani Sordo at the wheel of his MINI. The Spaniard led the rally on Day 2 and finished the race in second, just 6.3 seconds behind Ogier.

Loeb retired on Day 1 with an engine failure. “There’s never a right time for something like this to hit us, but it’s the last rally in which I would have wanted it to happen,” he said. “I’m going to have to fight hard in the last two rallies of the season if I want to win my eighth world crown.”

It was Ogier’s fifth win of the year and he now has 193 points. His 26 points from Rally France closing the gap to Loeb to just three points in the drivers’ title race.

Speaking after the rally Ogier said, “It’s been a very long rally as I carried the responsibility for the whole team on my shoulders. I’m just happy to be able to relax. Obviously, this victory means a lot to me from a personal point of view. Five wins in a season is already a pretty good achievement. I’d like to thank the team which gave me a perfect car. Congratulations also to Dani Sordo; he drove really well all weekend and it wasn’t easy to beat him.”

Petter Solberg finished the event in third place, placing another Citroën on the podium. However, he has since been disqualified after scrutineers revealed his car was 4kg underweight. That moved Mikko Hirvonen into third place for the rally and equal first with Loeb in the championship race.

More from Citroën after the break.

Continue reading “Sebastien Ogier wins Rally France”
Categories
Audi Fifth Gear Past master

Behind the wheel of the Audi Quattro

Audi Quattro

Time for a look at an old rally legend now, with the Audi Quatrro. It’s a car we’ve featured in our Past Master series and we’re always keen to see new material. This review from the Fifth Gear web team gives a reasonable insight into the car’s history and modern day context. Shame about the smoke from test car!

You can see the review in full after the break.

Continue reading “Behind the wheel of the Audi Quattro”
Categories
MINI WRC

Behind the wheel of the MINI WRC

Evo magazine journo Henry Catchpole was given a rare opportunity to spend some time behind the wheel of the new MINI WRC. In tarmac spec it sure looks like Catchpole would have had a lot of fun. But as there’s no words after his intro you’ll need to buy the mag to find out.

Categories
News Safety Issues

UK authorities plan motorway speed limit increase

M1 motorway, England

The British Government has plans to increase the speed limit on its motorways from 70mph (113km/h) to 80mph (129km/h).

The current 70mph was introduced in 1965 and statistics show the rate of road deaths in Britain have dropped by 75% since then. A survey held earlier this year by the Institute of Advanced Motoring revealed over 70% of those surveyed support an increase in motorway limits.

Studies have also shown that 49% of UK motorists admit to breaking the current 70mph limit on a regular basis. While 60% say they would be more likely to adhere to an 80mph limit.

Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, says: “It is time to put Britain back in the fast lane of global economies and look again at the motorway speed limit which is nearly 50 years old, and out of date thanks to huge advances in safety and motoring technology.

“Increasing the motorway speed limit to 80mph would generate economic benefits of hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times. So we will consult later this year on raising the limit to get Britain moving.”

Continue reading “UK authorities plan motorway speed limit increase”
Categories
Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari 599XX and historic F1 cars at Spa

Ferrari XX programme corse clienti at Spa

Imagine you’re lucky enough to own a Ferrari 599XX. It’s a limited run 599 sent to the extreme, with a worked 6.0 litre V12 producing 540kW (725hp).

Only trouble is, being a what is essentially a racecar made for the wealthy, it cannot be driven on public roads. Just as well Ferrari rents out world-class circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps through its corse clienti programme, then.

After the break you’ll see a few official photos and two very cool unofficial videos of the 599XX and FXX circulating at the famous Spa race track.

Perhaps, even cooler than this, is the F1 corse clienti programme, which allows mug punters with wads of cash to live the ultimate dream.

If the pics below don’t make you insanely jealous you’re not human.

Continue reading “Ferrari 599XX and historic F1 cars at Spa”