The Toyota FT-86 II is the car which is supposed to reignite the soul of the Japanese auto giant. A rear-wheel drive sports coupe with provocative styling is a pretty good place to start, too. Via their FT86club website Toyota has provided some sound clips of their new hero model.
Hmm, we’re sure it will sound better when being driven in anger, rather than revved while stationary. Check it out for yourself after the break. There’s a couple of bonus ‘Toybaru’ clips for you to view as well.
If you thought the release of official images of the new F10-based Concept M5 was going to be the end of the official teasing from BMW, you were wrong. Okay, we know what the car looks like and Autocar has given us a taste of the performance we can expect, but we still haven’t seen full details from Munich. We’ll have to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September for that.
So, then, that leaves us with a couple of customer preview videos that don’t really offer too much. Dr Kay Segler, gives us a bit when he speaks to camera, so watch out for him. He’s the guy in the retro inspired M leather jacket.
You’re looking at the dash layout of the 2013 Volkswagen Golf. Okay, it’s not really that exciting we admit, but it does indicate the Mk7 Golf will make a move away from the current four dial layout of the current Mk6 Golf range—which has been in place since the Mk4 model.
By incorporating the temp gauge and fuel gauge into the rev counter and speedometer respectively Volkswagen can fit a relatively large display screen in between the two major dials. The lack of needles for the smaller gauges indicates LEDs could be used to highlight the required levels.
[Source: Auto Express]
Caterham has wasted no time in honouring its new pay master by releasing a Team Lotus Special Edition of its bread and butter Seven model. If you’d like to get your hands on one, though, you’d better be quick because there’s only going to be 25 of these made available.
The Team Lotus Special Edition takes the shape of an upgrade pack over and above a regular Seven purchase. From the material on offer at the moment, however, it seems the “upgrade” has little to do with performance or handling spec and more to do with landing you with the in-crowd at the Team Lotus factory in Hingham, Norfolk.
Even the cool F1-inspired livery is an extra £3K.
As reported last week Team Lotus has today confirmed their takeover of iconic British sportscar maker Caterham Cars.
Team Lotus Enterprise, led by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin, promise to take Caterham on a new and exciting journey that will embrace both its proud Lotus Seven legacy and the high profile of Formula One.
Speaking about his new venture, Fernandes enthused, “Caterham Cars has remained wholly faithful to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of ‘less is more’, and the DNA of the original Seven can still be traced to the newest additions to Caterham’s product offering.
“It is already a successful business with sales across Europe, Japan, Australia and the Middle East, and under the guidance of the existing management team, we now have all the ingredients and the launch pad to further evolve that spirit and take Caterham to new exciting horizons with innovative products and greater global brand exposure.â€
It’s going to be really interesting to see how this journey progresses. The full presser from Caterham, along with an emotional promo video, can be seen after the break.
Ahead of tomorrow’s expected announcement we bring you these leaked images of the Porsche GT3 RS 4.0, which now appears will be limited to 600 models.
Of course, the 911 GT3 RS is already highly desirable. But this road legal RSR with its racecar looks and 500 horsepower takes the RS nameplate to a whole new level.
We’ll have official details for you as soon as Porsche makes them available. For now, though, enjoy the extra pics after the break.
[Source: Teamspeed]
In a little over six months the Formula One calendar will see the first ever Indian Grand Prix. The world’s latest F1 track is located 25km out of New Delhi in the Buddh district. No surprise, then, to learn the new facility has been named the Buddh International Circuit.
The new racetrack is the latest to roll out from Tilke GmbH and features 16 turns over 5.141km. Expected average speed is a shade over 210km/h and the predicted lap time is around 1 minute 27 seconds.
After the break you can see Karun Chandok preview the Indian track in a clip produced late last year for circuit owners, Jaypee Sports International.
UPDATE 17 October: Click HERE for a new preview of the the Buddh International Circuit from Red Bull Racing and Mark Webber.
Great news for Robert Kubica with confirmation he has been released from hospital a few days ahead of schedule. He continues to recover well following his rally accident in February and will now spend a few days at his home in Monaco before heading to Italy to enter the next stage of his rehabilitation.
In a recent interview on the Lotus Renault GP website Kubica shared news of his progress revealing, “The mobility of my hand is limited but this is pretty normal in this kind of situation, because the connected arm muscles are still very weak due to the long period of immobility. Things are definitely improving day by day.”
[Source: Lotus Renault GP]
While any talk of motorsport biopics this year has centred around Ayrton Senna we recently came across another one that promises to be just as good. Simply called Legacy, it tells us the Barry Sheene story. Sheene was a lovable larrikin with talent and charisma to burn, his life was almost made for the silver screen.
You can get a taste of the film by watching the official trailer after the break. Released in 2007 it can now be found on DVD.
An adopted Aussie, Sheene gained entry into our hearts through his motorsport commentary and a series of television commercials for Shell. For old time’s sake, we’ve included one of those for you to enjoy too.
Sadly, the wretched disease cancer ended Barry Sheene’s life far too early. Almost a decade on, it confirms Sheene’s charm and quality that he still brings a smile to the face of those who remember him well.
[via Motorsport Retro]
Australian Ford fans suffered long and hard when the Focus RS went on sale overseas in 2009. Jason Plato’s review for Fifth Gear only heightened their anxiety.
It seemed unlikely the car would ever go on sale here, leading to one punter from the XR5 Turbo forums to make a regrettable claim about sandwich boards and speedos. Ford Australia surprised us all last August when they announced a limited run of 300 Focus RS models had been secured for Australia.
True to his word, then, “Daisy” took to the streets of Canberra in said attire last week to do his walk of shame. There’s even a short video after the break.
[Source: FordXR5Turbo.com | Thanks to Jimmy for the tip and pics]
Here is an old review from Autocar comparing the Scirocco R and Ford Focus RS. It first appeared on AUSmotive back in November 2009.
At the time neither car was available in Australia. However, the Focus RS has been on sale down under since late last year—don’t believe the hype, either, there’s still plenty for sale. Of course, we now know the Scirocco R will be in Australia early next year.
So, then, with renewed relevance, let’s take a look at what seasoned reviewer Steve Sutcliffe thought when he drove the two cars back to back.
Last week the Australian dollar hit a new high against the US dollar. That high was $1.07 for the record. The news prompted Drive.com.au to publish an article comparing the prices Australian buyers pay for luxury cars compared to other countries, chiefly the United States.
The Drive article states, “Inflated luxury-car prices are not a recent revelation but a rampant Australian dollar—continuing to break post-float records as it stretches beyond parity with the US ‘greenback’—has many car buyers again asking questions.”