If you were a fan of the video ‘This is rallying’, then you will love this clip as well. There’s eight minutes of thrills, spills and non-stop action. All your favourites are featured including Audi, Datsun, Ford, Lancia, Porshe, Toyota, many more. The video is all yours after the break.
[Thanks to Tom for the tip]
Formula One world champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton recently got their hands on a pair of prototype McLaren MP4-12Cs and were given an empty Goodwood track to test the car. With a 3.8 litre V8 ‘M838T’ engine producing 600bhp and an impressive 600Nm of torque, coupled to a, F1-like Seamless Shift Gearbox with seven gears, the lads were sure to have some fun.
Given their current employment status it’s no surprise that Button and Hamilton reckon the 12C is a tidy bit of kit. Jenson exclaims, “I was amazed by the car’s great stability at high speeds. It’s very quick in a straight line, too. In fact, the biggest problem with driving this car on a circuit is that sometimes you forget it’s a road car!”Meanwhile, Lewis says, “The 12C is a real driver’s car; it delivered on all my expectations. The visibility is great from the driver’s seat. You really appreciate that in tight corners. I loved the McLaren F1 when I drove it and, like that car, the huge front windscreen of the 12C allows you to take in all the information needed for perfect lines through apex turns.”
By the time the MP4-12C goes into final production more than 50 engineers will have driven 40-plus development cars in excess of 1,000,000 miles. That’s a lot of testing. Around 12 venues were used for testing, including the Top Gear test track and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The 12C has also been pushed to extremes of another kind by being tested at temperatures of -50°C and +50°C.
There’s more after the break, including video of Jenson and Lewis at the wheel of the MP4-12C.
The live launch of McLaren Automotive has just finished and with it comes a plethora of press material. There is a lot of information included in the official press release, including transcripts from today’s launch. Actually, the amount of material below is overwhelming. I suggest you get yourself a nice warm cuppa and sit yourself down for a while.
However, McLaren is approaching their new sportscar venture, and the MP4-12C, in a methodical and considered way. As such there are numerous interesting factoids below and if you missed the launch I recommend you take in as much of the material as you can.
To close here before making the jump, the 12C is simply the first of McLaren’s new sportscar range. There’s already two other cars undergoing development. No rest for the wicked, hey.
Antony Sheriff, speaking at the launch of McLaren Automotive, has just revealed the key performance data for the company’s new road car, the MP4-12C. Outright acceleration of such a car is a given, as the under 10 second claim for 0-200km/h time suggests. However, take a look at the deceleration numbers. The MP4-12C can come to a complete halt from 200km/h in under five seconds. From 100km/h the 12C can come to a stop in under 30 metres, that’s around seven car lengths. That’s impressive!
So, too, is the news that Sheriff just confirmed the MP4-12C will be coming to Australia.
Audi is readying itself to tackle Porsche head on with plans to produce a road-going R8 GT3, based on the V10 powered LMS racecar. The R8 LMS made a successful motorsport debut in 2009 very nearly winning the Nürburgring 24 hour race at its first attempt as well as delivering the 2009 FIA European GT3 drivers title to Phoenix Racing.
The racecar program is over subscribed, with an extra 30 cars set to be made this year, in addition to the 24 made in 2009. Audi insiders have confirmed a road-going prototype is currently under going evaluation, but a final decision on series production has yet to be made.
So, what do you reckon—should Audi add to the already impressive R8 production line up? I know what my answer is. If you’re struggling to make a decision check out the images after the jump and see if they can inspire to come to a conclusion.
[Source: Autocar]
Earlier this week Mark Webber arrived in Australia ahead of the Australian Grand Prix (25–28 March). As you might expect his time in Australia is full of promotional engagements, but Queanbeyan City Council has managed to get dibbs on Mark for a civic reception next Monday, 22 March.
A motorcade will travel down Queanbeyan’s main drag, Monaro Street, at 12:30pm before a reception is held at Council Chambers on Crawford Street. Queanbeyan Mayor Cr Tim Overall has invited the public to come along to support Mark and says, “Queanbeyan is proud of all of its sporting stars and is honoured to have such high-quality sports people representing it on all levels.
“The people of Queanbeyan have followed Mark’s career closely and the town celebrated as one when he crossed the finish line in Germany to record his first Grand Prix victory.”
Webber has also been acknowledged by Australian Grand Prix organsiers after they named a grandstand in his honour. The Webber Stand, just announced today, is situated in between the Fangio and Senna stands, near Turn 16.
You can relive Webber’s finest moments from the 2009 season, by checking out AUSmotive’s German and Brazilian Grand Prix galleries. Let’s hope there is more to come in 2010.
[Source: markwebber.com & grandprix.com.au]
According to Autocar McLaren Automotive will announce its future plans at 9:30pm tonight (AEDT). It is understood a production ready MP4-12C road car will be on show. Lewis Hamilton will also be in attendance to flash his pearly whites and tell us how great this new road car is. You can watch the streamed event live via the Autocar website on the link below.
[Source: Autocar]
The Audi R8 Spyder—who could say no to that 525hp V10 sitting behind your ears? Well, you can see for yourself after the break that the chaps at Evo magazine would be more than willing to join the queue for the roofless R8.
Now, as most readers will know, Evo sets a very high standard for their reviews. They are generally acknowledged as providing some of the better reviews in the motoring landscape. That being the case, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below on how you think the opportunity to review the R8 Spyder was handled.
The latest issue of Winding Road has what might appear to be an odd comparo, the Audi S4 up against the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo MR Touring. In an Australian context comparing the Audi S4 and the closest match here, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, would seem something of an odd couple. After all, before statutory charges and final taxes, the S4 kicks off at $115,000, while the Evo (with dual clutch transmission) starts at $74,390.
On paper, though, comparing the 245kW S4 with the likely nimbler 217kW Evo starts to make a lot more sense. So, would you be better off buying the Evo and pocketing a Golf GTI with the change, or pooling your resources and getting the S4? You’ll need to read the article, of course, for the full run down, but here is a teaser for you:
“Where the Audi whispers soft messages about road an environment, the Evo stands on a ladder and hollers them at you while you’re sleeping.”
Want to hear the killer punch? US pricing on these cars, as tested is US$54,075 for the S4 and US$41,710 for the Evo. That’s around $58,500 compared to $45,200 on current exchange rates. Hmm, apart from reeling in horror at the blood sucking prices we’re paying in this country, you can now see why Winding Road pitted these two cars against each other.
Before you read the article, let us know in the comments section below which car you think will come out on top.
[Source: Winding Road]
Volkswagen have announced the formation of a new performance division; titled Volkswagen R GmbH. The company will be based in Warmenau, a few kilometres from VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters. Today’s news confirms speculation which first came to light in late January.
With over 350 staff assigned to the program Volkswagen R will assume responsibility for existing models such as the Golf R and Scirocco R as well as the R Line and Volkswagen Exclusive range of cosmetic enhancements (generally not available in Australia).
The scope of Volkswagen R appears to closely mirror quattro GmbH’s role for stablemate Audi. So let’s hope we see a few more cars adorned with R badging and the associated performance upgrades. Australian customers should get their first look at the 188kW Golf R in a few months when it goes on local sale.
Audi have recently released a couple of animated clips showcasing their latest quattro technologies. So, if you want to know how all those mechanical bits and pieces work, and why they work, then Audi is ready to send you back to school.
Set aside 10 minutes or so and you’ll find two clips for you after the jump. The clips feature the crown-gear centre differential from the new RS5, as well as explaining torque vectoring, available on the RS5 and also via the sports differential on models such as the S4.
If this sort of stuff turns you on, make sure you follow the links to previous RS5 and S4 articles which give you access to Audi’s press guff on the various technologies discussed in the clips below.
Lexus, in partnership with Gazoo Racing, will return to the Nürburgring 24 hour race this year (13–16 May) with production versions of the LF-A supercar.
The cars will be driven by a mix of Japanese and German drivers, including Toyota master test driver Hiromu Naruse, Takayuki Kinoshita, Akira Ida, Juichi Wakisaka, Armin Hahne, Jochen Krumbach and Andre Lotterer. The driving talent has a great mix of GT racing and proven experience at the N24.
Powered by a 552hp V10 the LF-A certainly isn’t lacking for performance. Indeed, in road-going trim Lexus claim their supercar can reach 100km/h in 3.7 seconds, and is able to exceed 200mph (320km/h+).
Last year Gazoo Racing entered two pre-production models in the 24 hour enduro. They’ll be hoping for better success in 2010 with encouraging, if not spectacular, results achieved in the 2009 race. Only one of the LF-As finished the event, placing fourth in class (from five finishers) and 14th overall, some 41 laps behind the winning Manthey Racing Porsche 911 RSR. The second LF-A managed to complete 106 laps and almost 22 and a half hours of competition before withdrawing from the event.
More after the break.