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Formula 1 Toro Rosso

17yo Max Verstappen to drive for Toro Rosso

Max Verstappen

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
– Ferris Bueller, 17

First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Helmut Marko and Red Bull for all their trust and giving me the chance to make my Formula debut in 2015 with Scuderia Toro Rosso. Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true.
– Max Verstappen, 16

Max Verstappen, son of Jos the Boss, and currently just 16 years of age will replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso in 2015. He will be 17 and 167 days old when the Australian Grand Prix is held on 15 March next year, comfortably the eldest boy youngest man to race in Formula 1.

Previously, Jaime Alguersuari held the title of youngest man in F1 when he made his debut at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, aged 19 years and 125 days.

This time last year Verstappen Jr was still racing karts. He graduated to Formula 3 with Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing at the start of this season and scored a podium during his debut race weekend at Silverstone. He’s since added eight victories from his 27 starts to date, included in that haul was a run of six consecutive wins.

All very impressive no doubt, but F1 won’t be an easy step and it will be fascinating to see what the latest Red Bull protege can bring to the sport.

You only have to look at the soon-to-be-discarded Jean-Eric Vergne to see that you don’t get much time to shine.

[Source: Toro Rosso]

Categories
Formula 1

The majesty of Spa and the future of F1

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Nigel Roebuck is one the first Formula 1 writers I can remember. I had a collection of his season annuals from the mid–late 1980s. I like that he’s still covering F1 because, in a small way, it takes me back to my youth and helps for a moment to delay the advancing years.

In his role as editor-in-chief of Motor Sport Magazine Roebuck has written a preview for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. He starts with some very current views, analysing the current season. Of equal value, though, is his reflection on the sport in the immediate post-Senna era and what F1 can do to help its future:

As Spa looms, followed by Monza, there is no getting away from the fact that neither the Belgian nor the Italian Grands Prix have anything like the longterm security of more nondescript ‘rich’ races, where the size of the crowd is irrelevant. Bernie Ecclestone, while confirming that Azerbaijan is shortly to be taken into the bosom of the World Championship, recently cast doubts on Monza’s future as a ‘commercially viable’ Grand Prix venue.

For now, at least, Monza survives, and – as with Spa – I am much looking forward to it. I couldn’t hide my dismay, though, when an Italian colleague told me last week of the construction of an asphalt run-off area – in place of the previous gravel trap – at the exit of the iconic Parabolica. Is this to be yet another ‘white line’ corner, with mistakes punished only by stewards?

Follow the link below for the full article.

[Source: Motor Sport Magazine | Pic: Sahara Force India Formula One Team]

Categories
Lamborghini Motorsports

Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo revealed

Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo

As expected Lamborghini literally took the cover off its new Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo in California on the weekend.

As its name suggests the race version of the Huracan produces 620hp and all of it is sent to the rear wheels. It tips the scales at 1270kg (2800lbs) and we think it would be a lot more fun than this understated reveal would indicate.

Turns out that video preview gave us a far better look at the car and all we have from the official source is three pretty crappy pics.

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Ferrari Video

VIDEO: Inside Maranello

Ferrari factory at Maranello

Here’s a relaxing video to start your week. There’s no words, just soothing music as you are taken on a video tour of Ferrari’s factory in Maranello. Perhaps it would have been better if they followed one car from start to finish. But that’s just being picky!

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Categories
Auctions & Sales Ferrari

Ferrari 250 GTO now the most expensive car ever

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

Thanks to market demands and well funded egos the title of the world’s most expensive car is a fluid thing. The current title holder is this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO which just sold at auction for a shade under AU$41 million.

Sold by Bonhams as part of the Pebble Beach festivities in California this weekend the car was introduced with the following text:

The Ferrari 250 GT ‘Omologato’ needs little introduction as the most iconic, most habitable, street-useable, race-winning, World Championship-winning – and simply gorgeous – closed two-seat Coupe car from the world-famous Maranello factory. The GTO was developed to contest the 1962 3-litre class FIA GT World Championship series of classical endurance racing events. Selective production at Maranello and in the Scaglietti body plant in Modena ran on through the 1963 FIA GT World Championship and – sure enough – the Ferrari 250 GTO won the World title both seasons in succession.

Chassis 3851GT was last purchased in 1965 by Fabrizio Violati, then a young Ferrari enthusiast, who has kept the car for 49 years. The car’s original owner was French racer Jo Schlesser, who ensured his 250 GTO saw plenty of competition.

It’s a beautiful car with outstanding heritage and the sound of its screaming 3 litre V12 would be hard to put a price on. Still, $40 million plus would buy you a fleet of some truly outstanding cars!

Continue reading “Ferrari 250 GTO now the most expensive car ever”
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Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT photos leaked?

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT leaked image

Mercedes-Benz is talking a big game for its new AMG GT, which is due for an official reveal next month. But as we’ve become accustomed these days images have a way of leaking out and spreading around the interwebz.

It’s not totally clear if these two AMG GT images are genuine, but based on a previous teaser from Mercedes they look pretty damn close.

The images are watermarked by the Italian website Quattroruote and that’s exactly where we followed our nose. Alas, aside from a couple of pics on the Porsche-based Rennteam forum we could find any extra info.

A few weeks back Mercedes-Benz confirmed details of the new M178 4.0 litre V8 biturbo which will power the AMG GT. It boasts 375kW (510hp) at 6250rpm and 650Nm of peak torque is available between 1750–4750rpm.

Perhaps inspired a little by the innovative turbo configuration from the F1 W05 the M178 V8 features what’s been labelled as “hot inside V” whereby the turbos are mounted inside the V layout, rather than outside the engine.

You can read more about that below. There’s also a new video from Mercedes talking up the AMG GT, which was published yesterday.

[Source: Quattroruote via Rennteam | Thanks to Wayne for the tip]

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Categories
McLaren

McLaren P1 GTR design concept revealed

McLaren P1 GTR design concept

Mention the name McLaren F1 and most car nuts go wobbly at the knees. Add the letters GTR, to make the McLaren F1 GTR, and we turn into a blubbering mess of admiration and awe. It really was that good.

Well, the F1 GTR will soon have a successor: the P1 GTR. At this stage we’re dealing with a design concept only and the final production models are scheduled to roll off the McLaren Special Operations floor in a bit under 12 months. The concept was revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in California.

As the name suggests the new McLaren GTR is based on the already fearsome P1 hypercar and it will carry the company’s hopes to build the “ultimate drivers’ car” for the track.

To achieve that aim McLaren says it has extensively re-engineered the car “from the ground up”. Of course we don’t have final detail or specifications yet, but of note is the fact the P1 GTR will run with a fixed ride height. You’d think some fancy electronic active suspension gubbins might make the cut.

To help extract more power from the revised twin-turbo 3.8 litre V8 and electric power combo McLaren has made a new competition-focused exhasut from Inconcel and titanium alloy. This car will sound awesome! Peak power will be as high as 1000PS, up from the 916PS in the road-going P1.

Hopefully McLaren will take us on the journey of the P1 GTR’s development and we’ll be able to drip feed you information until the car’s official launch.

McLaren is never a company to miss a marketing opportunity and also announced at Pebble Beach is the McLaren P1 GTR driver programme. This is branding at its best and owners of the P1 GTR will be offered the opportunity to be fully immeresed in the McLaren racing experience.

Every owner will have a fully customised program which will include access to fitness staff along with race engineers and driver tuition. It sounds pretty cool.

Described as an exclusive driving club the program will be operated by McLaren Special Operations who will maintain and manage the cars as well.

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Categories
Audi Video

Is the Audi S1 a hyperhatch?

Audi S1

The Audi S1 is a hot hatch that we would very much like to try for ourselves. It was released back in February and at the time Audi Australia told us it would go on sale locally in the third quarter of 2014. Guess what quarter we’re in now? That’s right, it’s the third, so the S1 should be here very soon.

XCAR has chimed in with a timely video to give us an idea of what to expect when the S1 is ready and waiting for the AUSmotive treatment. As noted we’re keen to learn more, but will it really be a hyperhatch?

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Holden

HSV GTS Maloo ute sold out before announcement

HSV GTS Maloo ute

It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but already the limited-edition HSV GTS Maloo ute with an $85K+ price tag has reportedly sold out. With only 150 examples of the you beaut ute to be made (or is that 155?) it’s no surprise to see the enthusiast market has mobilised quickly after news of the GTS Maloo broke late last week.

In basic terms the GTS Maloo is the coupé ute version of the Gen-F GTS sedan, which brings with it the 430kW/740Nm 6.2 litre supercharged V8. It’s going to be totally obnoxious, but also very, very cool.

At least five AUSmotive readers have got their name on the buyers list and hopefully one of them will be nice enough to let us have a fang when their new toy arrives.

[Source: news.com.au | Thanks to John for the tip]

Categories
Lamborghini Motorsports Video

Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo preview

Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo

The official reveal for the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo is expected to take place later today as part of the increasingly important Monterey Car Week. For now here’s a brief amateur teaser video. Thanks to Carspotter Jeroen for capturing the footage and making it available to share.

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Categories
Formula 1

They don’t sound like this anymore!

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

A bit over a week from the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix here’s a great soundtrack reminding us how good Formula 1 cars used to sound. Go put some headphones on, take the jump to the YouTube clip below, listen and enjoy.

It’s a binaural recording of a previous generation V8 flying through Eau Rouge at Spa. Even the fading sound as the car bullets over Radillon and along the Kemmel Straight is worth another listen.

We’ll be surprised if you don’t say to yourself: “F@#k that sounds good!”

[Source: WTF1 | Pic: Toro Rosso/Getty Images]

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Categories
BMW

BMW’s muscular M2 spied on the prowl

BMW M2 prototype

We’re always happy to follow the gestation of a new M product and here’s one of the latest snaps of a BMW M2 prototype in testing.

Obviously all that crazy camouflage makes it hard to see, but if you plant your eyes just behind the front wheel arch you’ll see how much the front guard will be flared. It’s going to give the car a muscular appearance that should leave it as the best looking model in the 2 Series range.

We always liked the look of the E82 135i but once the beefier 1M hit the streets the donor car never quite looked as good. We expect the same to happen with the F87 M2, which will make the otherwise pleasing M235i seem a tad weedy.

There’s not much else we can tell you about the M2 that we haven’t already mentioned, other than that little sensor just above the driver’s door is used when BMW is testing different tyre configurations.

[Source: Bimmerpost]