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News

Robbie Maddison jumps Corinth Canal

Robbie Maddison jumps Corinth Canal

Australia’s Robbie Maddison has added another stunt to his impressive list by jumping the Corinth Canal in Greece. At the peak of his jump Maddison was almost 100 meters from the water below and the leap spanned roughly 90 metres. You can see footage of the leap after the break. There is also a brief interview available with Robbie from this morning’s Sunrise program.

In July last year Maddison backflipped over the Tower Bridge in London and he has performed many other stunts around the world, including Las Vegas and Melbourne.

[via ESPN | Pic: Predrag Vuckovic, Jörg Mitter, Stefan Aufschnaiter]

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Carmageddon GM

Don’t cry for me Argentina

Hummer H2

So, what does the title of one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best known songs have to do with Hummer? Well, there’s about as much relevance there as there was of Hummer being a legitimate option in the automotive marketplace. In case you’ve missed it, earlier this week came the unsurprising revelation that General Motors could not find a willing buyer for the Hummer brand. This led the once mighty US car giant to commence winding down the SUV marque. My question to the readers out there is, does anyone really care?

I feel for the families of any workers that may be affected through job losses, but really, the Hummer was the best example of the worst aspects of the American car industry. It was a big fat ugly waste of space, and they take up a lot of space, too, that only seemed to work in blinged up junk time over produced “rap” videos.

Still, I guess we have much to thank GM for with their decision to remove Hummer from the automotive landscape. All of a sudden the car industry is a better place.

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Ferrari

Ferrari 599 GTO – official details

Ferrari 599 GTO

Wow!

If you are one of the 599 people who will get to buy this car, let me say I will be forever envious. Pencil in the 599 GTO as one of Ferrari’s all time great cars. It is Ferrari’s fastest road car ever released and it has to be one of the most purposeful and best looking models adorned with the Prancing Horse.

Based on the mega-awesome, but somewhat restrictive track only 599XX, this GTO model features a 6.0 litre V12 producing a stupendous 500kW (670bhp) along with a mighty 620Nm of torque. The transmission is an F1 inspired 6-speed box. The GTO has a dry weight of 1495kg and is capable of reaching 100km/h in 3.35 seconds and on to a v-max of 335km/h.

As expected Ferrari’s engineering boffins have done some serious work under the skin and the magnetorheological suspension system, well, it just has to be good with a name like that. Ferrari say the SCM2 system makes the car extremely responsive to driver inputs and offers sharper turn-in, precise cornering and quick exit speeds.

The 599 GTO has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano text track in 1 minute 24 seconds which isn’t exactly hanging about. For more on the 599 GTO take the jump where you will find more pics and Ferrari’s press release. You can also see more on the Ferrari website. The car’s official reveal will take place at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of this month.

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Audi

Flaming heck

Audi TTRS v R8 V10

The Audi TT RS and the R8 V10. Two very, very nice cars. Most readers would pick the R8, right? But what if you could only muster the cash for the slighty oddball five cylinder powered TT RS, would you really be missing out on that much?

In rough UK numbers the R8 V10 is £100K, the TT RS around £50K. So, there is, obviously, a huge discrepancy in price. In Aussie dollars the numbers look even more insane, the R8 V10 starts at $350K, that’s heading towards triple the asking price of the $135K TT RS. Does the mighty R8 have the performance to justify its massive gap in asking price compared to the TT RS? That’s a question Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar asked. You can watch his answer in video form after the jump.

[Thanks to Timbo for the tip]

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Audi

Audi TT facelift – official details

Audi TT

Audi have just given its TT range a bit of a freshen up. To be introduced with Model Year 2011 production the changes are mostly minimal, with subtle styling tweaks for the exterior and interior. Most obvious on the outside is the new lower spoiler design at the front. There’s a new chrome detail for the foglights, too, just in case you missed it.

New front grille treatments have been added to the TT and TTS models and the rear bumpers across the range have been tweaked to match the styling cues up front.

Inside there’s a few extra bits of aluminium and piano black trim, but that’s pretty much it. The TT’s colour palette has been fiddled with meaning there’s more options to choose from, inside and out.

The most significant changes have been made to the engine line up. Mostly, though, this just brings the TT inline with the rest of the Audi range. For example, the old 3.2 V6 has been dropped, the 147kW 2.0 TFSI has been swapped in favour of the 155kW version found in the Golf GTI, and so it goes. Hmm, I was under the impression these engine tweaks took place with the MY10 round of updates. Maybe not.

There’s more pics and Audi’s full press release available after the jump.

UPDATE: 39 extra images added at the end of the article.

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BMW

BMW ‘M1’ spy shots

BMW 'M1' spy shot

The thought of an ‘M’ badged 1 Series is one that will make most enthusiasts go weak at the knees. Talk of a baby ‘M1’ has been around for a while, but speculation has generally been a bit wishy-washy in terms of will they, or won’t they make it. BMW specialist website BimmerFile have been quite firmly placed in the yes they will build it camp and these spy shots justify their position.

So what are we seeing here? Try as it might the BMW trademark swirl disguise cannot hide the car’s flared guards (see second pic after the jump). Those guards are probably hiding some very tasty hardware, too. Namely drivetrain components from the M3, such as an adapted rear axle, including mechanical rear diff.

Wider bodywork would also allow for an increased track. Couple that with the 18″ wheels from the new M3 Competition Package and cornering stability should be improved.

Also note that the rear exhaust is dual-tipped on the left side only. No quad-tipped exhaust as on the M3. Sure, this may be part of the development process, but a single exit exhaust would allow for a less complex arrangement for a 1 Series that is already tightly packed at the rear. It’s also a bit old skool, too, which is nice.

Will this car be badged as the ‘M1’? That is not yet certain, perhaps BMW will extend its nomenclature from the X5 M and call this car the 1 M. If you’re dead against the ‘M1’ nameplate being revived, then click here to re-live the grand old days.

There’s more info, speculation and inside word on the ‘M1’ across at BimmerFile, so make sure you follow the link below to be kept up to date.

[Source: BimmerFile, via 1addicts]

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Chevrolet

Chevrolet Camaro – World Car Design of the Year 2010

Chevrolet Camaro

Has the world gone mad? Did pigs just fly by my window? An American car acknowledged on the world stage for its design. Surely there must be some kind of mistake, great automotive design comes from Europe, doesn’t it?

Apparently not, as jurors for the World Car Awards have seen fit to bestow the Camaro with the honour of World Car Design of the Year. One of the judges, Sam Livingstone, Associate Editor of Car Design News, praised the Camaro for its “innately seductive exterior and interior.” He went on to say, “It’s well resolved and I’d argue evidence that General Motors strikes a better balance than Ford and Chrysler do in their pony cars.”

The Camaro pipped the Citroen C3 Picasso and the Kia Soul to earn its stripes. According to ex-pat Aussie Mike Simcoe, who now holds the position of Chevrolet Design Director, it was passion that inspired the retro coupé, “In recreating this modern sports car, we have proven that people are just as passionate about Chevy as ever. We have been delighted about the strong reaction to the Camaro—even in markets that are new to Chevy, it has been creating an emotional appeal for the brand.”

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Subaru

Subaru announces STI sedan

Subaru Impreza STi sedan

Subaru Australia have confirmed a sedan version of the high-performance Impreza WRX STI will go on sale before the end of the year. The news was announced at the New York International Auto Show and follows the introduction of flared panelwork to the regular WRX range. Previously the widebody look was available on the STI hatch only.

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Audi Motorsports

Audi refreshes R15 Le Mans racer

Audi R15

Audi Sport is in full swing with its preparations to win back the Le Mans 24 hour race. However, rather than boasting of new technical changes, or improvements to Team Joest’s R15 racer, they are announcing the car has a new paint scheme. Along with the image shown above, there are detail images shown after the break.

Supposedly the new paint job demonstrates “pleasure in efficiency”. Markus Auerbach and Tobias Drews from the Audi Design Team tell us, “We wanted to add a dash of surprise when the Audi leaves the pits at Le Mans. We practically opened up the bodywork and are exposing the light-weight construction and its uncompromising technical development – and with a little rock’n’roll for good measure.” Okay, then. Moving right along.

The R15 will continue its development during an 8 hour race at Paul Ricard later this week, so we can expect to see more of this car soon. In the meantime, check out the teaser pics below along with Audi Sport’s press release.

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Audi

Audi R8 V10 – World Performance Car 2010

Audi R8 V10

In further news from the World Car of the Year awards the Audi R8 V10 has been named 2010’s World Performance Car. The R8 has double dipped with this title after the R8 4.2 V8 was awarded the same honour back in 2008.

The R8 knocked off some very stiff opposition to win this award, too. Joining the Audi in the final three was the Ferrari California and the Porsche 911 GT3.

The V10 powered R8 is fitted with a 5.2 litre direct injection engine, closely related to the powerplant used in the Lamborghini Gallardo. The unit develops and impressive 386kW and the car can reach 100km/h in under four seconds. Readers are invited to send in next week’s lotto numbers to AUSmotive HQ at your earliest convenience.

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Volkswagen

Good vibrations

Volkswagen Touareg - lane assist TVC

Volkswagen is responsible for some of the best car advertising of all time, this one, though, is a little bit esoteric. The ad is promoting Volkswagen’s Lane Assist technology and does so by using a man dressed a bear while using a jack hammer.

Lane Assist will be seen in VW models such as the new Touareg, which means Australian readers won’t have too long to see just how well it works. If you’re already falling asleep at the thought, then take the jump, watch the ad and let us know what you think.

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Renault

2010 Malaysian GP in pictures

2010 Malaysian Grand Prix

After an unfulfilled Australian Grand Prix local hope Mark Webber felt he had something to prove in Malaysia. Webber dared to dream by making what proved to be an inspired tyre choice during a rain sodden qualifying that allowed the Australian to claim pole position. Could he win his third Formula One race?

No, sadly. An overly cautious start by Webber left the door open for a fast charging Sebastien Vettel to take the inside line into turn 1 and that was pretty much that. Webber’s cause wasn’t helped by a clumsy pit stop from his Red Bull team and the young remained unchallenged on the way to his German his sixth race win. Webber strolled home in a comfortable second place and, finally, Red Bull Racing delivered a result befitting their early season pace. In a minor consolation for Webber he set the fastet lap of the race on lap 53.

Nico Rosberg, who started from P2 on the grid, finished the race in third place, and in doing so earned the first podium finish for the newly formed Mercedes GP team. A nice collect for the bookies, there no doubt, with the early season money surely resting on Schumacher.

Following a dreadful qualifying for McLaren and Ferrari leaving all four drivers starting from P17 or behind, they were able to restore some pride, with Lewis Hamilton the pick crossing the line in sixth place. Hamilton was followed by current championship leader Felipe Massa and his McLaren teammate Jenson Button. Fernando Alonso finished outside of the top 10 and failed to add to his 2010 season tally. A full list of results is available at Formula1.com.

After the jump you will see more than 85 images from Sepang, all (except a couple of the Lotus pics) accessible in 2000px wallpaper-friendly sizing by clicking on the photo you want.

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