While you’re still coming to grips with the world’s obsession for all things SUV here’s a new bit of motoring gossip to make you choke on your breakfast. Range Rover, apparently, wants to chop the roof off its new Evoque.
Worse, they want to do this to counter chop-top versions from their competitors, namely the Audi Q5 cabrio and Nissan Murano CrossCabrio.
What on earth is the world coming to?
[Source: Autoblog]
After BMW revealed their M3 DTM teaser the other day Audi didn’t want to be outdone, so they’ve given us these concept sketches of their 2012 A5 DTM touring car. Audi Motorsport will present the A5 DTM at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The Ingolstadt team currently use a four-door A4 platform and they’ve used it to great effect as well, winning four DTM titles since 2004. Like the A4 DTM the new ‘R17’ A5 DTM will be powered by a 340kW 4.0 litre V8 coupled to a 6-speed transmission.
Using the sleeker, more dynamic A5 coupé as a base means this new DTM racer is sure to look sensational when revealed in its full glory.
More from Audi Motorsport after the break.
BimmerFile gives us a closer look at the new and dramatic looking BMW M3 DTM Concept Car with a couple of videos. Above you’ll see the a shorter clip with no audio, just hulking matte black paint and lots of carbon fibre. After the break there’s a 13 minute clip featuring more detail from the reveal in Munich.
[Source: BimmerFile]
Motorsport Retro brings us another update from the Cahier Archive, this time featuring four-time world champion (and AUSmotive favourite) Alain Prost.
Cast your mind back to the 1988 Formula One season. That was the year McLaren won 15 out of the 16 races, obliging a home win for Ferrari at Monza. Under today’s scoring regime, where the driver with the most points from all races wins, Prost would have pipped Senna by 11 points.
While Senna won eight races to Prost’s seven, the little Frenchman retired twice and in the remaining 14 races finished no worse than second. That’s right, no worse than second. An amazing display of consistency by ‘The Professor’. History tells us that only the best 11 races counted towards the championship in that era and hence Senna won the title by three points.
We wonder how history would reflect the often hostile Prost–Senna rivalry and the standings of both men if it was five world championships to two?
[Source: Motorsport Retro | Pic: Cahier Archive]
Advance screenings: Melbourne (20, 22 & 30 July) // Sydney (28 July & 4 August)
As most of you will know the general Australian release of the Senna documentary is 11 August. Not too far away. For those who can’t wait any longer there are a few advance screenings coming soon.
The award-winning movie has already screened at festivals in Adelaide and Sydney. Now Melbourne is getting ready for its premiere screening of Senna at an invitation only Australian Grand Prix Corporation event later this week.
However, Sydney movie goers will have two further chances to catch Senna before general release, with tickets for both still currently available. First is the Circuit Club charity event (28 July) before Alan Jones, 1980 F1 world champ, presents the movie at the Orpheum (4 August).
[Pic: Facebook | Thanks to Tom for the tip]
UPDATE: Senna will also be screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 22 and 30 July.
A few weeks ago Matt Prior from Autocar got his hands on the highly desirable Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0. And here is the resulting video review.
It’s not the most exciting review you’re ever likely to watch, but Prior offers plenty of detail and tells us why the 4.0 litre is different from the regular 3.8 litre GT3 RS. Even though he makes a bold claim while concluding his review, it’s interesting to note he makes use of the words “in the right conditions” more than once.
Whatever the conditions, we’d love the chance to file our own Drive Thru report.
We like to keep a watching eye on the items for sale at the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney. Today’s news brings word of a genuine classic up for sale—a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing in Fire Red paint with only 23,075 miles on the clock. It’s simply beautiful.
The ad reads in part:
This stunning 300 SL was built in 1955 and was fully restored in America in the early nineties. This was a nut and bolt back to bare chassis with body off restoration and when it was finished it was shown at several national Concourse events where it duly won them hands down.
The car has been in Australia in a large collection for several years now and has had little use other than maintenance and short runs.
We bow down in the presence of such beauty and wish we had the money to buy an icon like this.
The recent Jay Leno European tour has already taken in Wolfsburg and Woking and now the Chambray Chin has sung for his supper at the AMG factory near Stuttgart. He was humming with David Coulthard to the tune of the SLS AMG Roadster. Incidentally Jay, Roger Federer was the first. See, he can still beat someone.
The obligatory video, pictures and press release follow after the break. We must admit, helping to build an AMG V8 would be a very cool thing to do.
What we have seen from these recent Jay Leno visits to Volkswagen, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz is how much weight his opinion must carry back in the US. While we’ve been a little bit rude about him in our recent posts we admit we’re just plain jealous at the opportunities he’s been presented with. Half his luck!
Jay Leno has moved on from Volkswagen and over to England to tell us about taking delivery of his new McLaren MP4-12C. As well as hearing Leno’s life advice for Charlie Sheen we learn that chambray shirts and an endless budget don’t add up to a lot of talent when things get serious on the track.
With BMW’s return to DTM racing drawing closer by the day it is welcome to see just what form their new M3 DTM racecar will take. In this matte black scheme the car looks fantastic, so just imagine how good it will look in trad BMW colours.
Okay, in truth, the M3 DTM does look a bit stupid; but that’s the norm in DTM these days. There’s more wings and fairings that you can shake a carbon fibre oven at.
In his new role, replacing the evergreen Dr Mario Thiessen, BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said, “Getting a new racing programme up and running is a bit like doing a jigsaw. New pieces are added almost every day, and we must put them together to create the big picture.
“The BMW M3 DTM Concept Car is an important milestone on our route to the start of the 2012 season. The roll-out of the car was successful, and we are now starting our test programme out on the track.”
More from BMW Motorsport after the break.
The blown diffuser/off-throttle exhaust gasses issue has finally been put to bed by the FIA. Unhappy with the trickery and innovation shown by teams in interpreting the sport’s regulations and wanting to put a stop to it—yes, halfway through the season—the FIA has now given teams a clear directive to follow for the rest of 2011.
In short, teams will revert back to the ruling used in Valencia. That means off-throttle blown diffusers can be used whenever the teams see fit. However, they will not be allowed to run a different engine map for qualifying.
For 2012, though, exhaust placement will be moved away from rear diffusers so that any aerodynamic benefit from exhaust gasses will be “incidental”.
An official Q&A from the FIA can be read after the break.
After seeing the new Audi A6 up close in Melbourne recently, it confirmed our thoughts that the mid-large Audi is now quite a smart looking car. It has a presence the A6 has never enjoyed. With our love for Euro wagons well-known it’s little surprise that news of a new S6 Avant being spotted has piqued our attention.
Expected to be powered by a 450hp (335kW) twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 engine it’s sure to have plenty of grunt for family expeditions. Add a quattro all-wheel drive system and a new 8-speed auto box and it’ll chew highway miles with blissful ease.
We like it. We like it a lot. We think we will like the new RS6 more, though. But that won’t arrive for a few years yet, so the S6 will be a nice stop-gap until then.
[Source: Autoblog | pic: CarPix]