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Porsche

Porsche flat-four to nudge 300kW

981 Porsche Cayman S

Matthias Müller, the bloke running Porsche, says the company will downsize to four cylinder engines for the next-gen Boxster and Cayman. This we pretty much knew already, but Mr Müller has given us some tasty morsels about what the new four-pots engines will be capable of.

“We will continue with the downsizing strategy and develop a new four-cylinder boxer engine which will see service in the next-generation Boxster and Cayman,” Müller explained. “We will not separate ourselves from efforts to reduce CO2.”

Of course the discussion turned to predicted power outputs. “Up to 400PS,” was Müller’s reply. That’s 395hp or 295kW for those of us in the 21st century.

Keep in mind the most powerful factory 981 Cayman you can buy, the recently announced GTS, only produces 250kW from its 3.4 litre flat-six.

Müller didn’t seem to mention it but you can expect the new flat-four to achieve its power thanks to forced induction. Will that be one or two turbos Mr Müller?

Near on 300kW from a four cylinder? Take that Mercedes and Volkswagen!

[Source: Autocar | Thanks to John for the tip]

Categories
Formula 1

Happy birthday Ayrton

Ayrton Senna google doodle

March 21 is Ayrton Senna’s birthday. He would have been 54 today. To honour his memory Google has created a Senna-themed doodle which appears on the internet giant’s home page.

In 41 days it will be 1 May 2014, the twentieth anniversary of Senna’s death.

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Toyota WRC

Toyota begins testing Yaris WRC

Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept

Toyota first hinted it could be interested in a return to the WRC almost two years ago and this week it is testing a Yaris-based WRC ahead of an expected come back to top line rallying in 2017.

Motorsport Italia is currently running the test program in Tuscany on behalf of the European-based Toyota Motorsport GmbH. Toyota factory driver Stephane Sarrazin has joined Finnish driver Sebastian Lindholm for the test sessions.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda was an interested onlooker at Rallye Monte Carlo in January and when pressed on the issue of a possible return to the WRC by journalists he happily obliged.

“Toyota would like to come back to the WRC,” Toyoda said. “But it is difficult to give a concrete timing to this. I said the same thing two years ago, but the distance is gradually getting closer.

“I would like to hear messages that fans want Toyota to challenge the WRC again. Then, the distance might be even closer.

“Personally I would like to see a Japanese manufacturer compete in the WRC again.”

Next year has been ruled out, meaning the earliest possible return would be 2016. However with new regulations to be implemented for the 2017 season Toyota may see fit to wait until then.

Speaking to Autosport in January a TMG source said: “We are building the car [Yaris WRC] to current regulations, but this is to give us experience of running a car like this.

“Certainly we are not looking at running the car in 2015, that’s far too soon.

“It’s more likely that we would wait for the next generation of WRC regulations, which I believe come in 2017.”

[Source: Autosport]

UPDATE: A video of the Yaris WRC prototype in action has been added below.

Continue reading “Toyota begins testing Yaris WRC”
Categories
Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo’s charge of the light brigade

Batshit crazy headlight design

The Alfa Romeo 4C is universally admired for its flowing curves and general good looks. That is until you get to the batshit crazy headlight cluster of the coupé. It’s the pimple on the nose of the 4C and, of course, there’s two of the bloody things!

When Alfa released the 4C Spider the world was pleased to learn that a more conventional headlight treatment was included. We’re not usually beacons for conservatism here at AUSmotive, but this new old approach to the headlights on the Spider does offer a more pleasing result that, finally, allows the eyes to pore over every gorgeous detail of the 4C without that last moment gasp of horror.

Thankfully, that new headlight treatment will also be made available on the 4C coupé as well as the Spider. But, if you’re one of the few who prefers the batshit crazy look—and there will be some of you, bless—you’ll be pleased to know the original lights will remain standard equipment and the conventional lights from the Spider will be optional.

The Spider will only be offered with the lights it debuted with in Geneva.

[Source: Autocar]

Categories
Formula 1 Motorsports Video

2014 Formula 1 sound comparison

Formula 1 sound comparison

Following the world’s first genuine taste of the 2014 Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend much of the discussion has centred around the sound of the new F1 cars. Now powered by V6 power units the turbocharger and energy recovery systems have robbed F1 cars of the high-pitched shriek we became used to with the old V8s and V10s before them.

After spending Saturday at Albert Park we reckon the new cars sound better than we were expecting. Let’s be clear, the 2.4 litre V8s sounded much better, but that’s in the past now and we won’t be hearing those free revving normally aspirated engines anytime soon. So stop wishing those days would come back. They won’t.

The biggest issue with the current power units is they are so quiet compared with last year’s engines.

After the break we’ve got a couple of videos to help illustrate that fact. The first shows F1 cars compared with Porsche Carrera Cup cars and V8 Supercars. It’s worth noting in this comparison the F1 cars were mostly on out laps at the start of Free Practice 3, while the Porsches and V8SCs were filmed during race conditions.

The second clip is very telling and gives a direct comparison between the 2013 cars against the new 2014 machines.

UPDATE: A third clip of F1 cars has been added filmed from various sections of the track between Turns 4 and 11.

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Categories
Porsche

Porsche Cayman GTS & Boxster GTS revealed

Porsche Cayman GTS

If you’d like your Cayman S, or your Boxster S for that matter, to have a little bit more power and to be a little bit sharper then you’re in luck because Porsche has just announced GTS versions for both models.

Powered by the familiar 3.4 litre flat six from the S models the GTS offers 243kW in the Boxster and 250kW in the Cayman. A jump of 11kW and torque has been boosted by 10Nm as well.

The Sport Chrono package is standard equipment in the GTS, along with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). With the optional PDK you’ll be hitting 100km/h in 4.7 seconds with the Boxster GTS and 4.6 seconds with the Cayman GTS.

You’ll notice the slightly revised and slightly cooler front end. The rear valance has also been given a once over for the GTS. Gloss black lettering for the badging is another subtle sign that your 981 is a bit better than the other bloke’s. Oh yeah, those blackened headlights are pretty neat too!

Australian pricing and delivery dates aren’t known as yet, but Euro deliveries will commence in May.

Continue reading “Porsche Cayman GTS & Boxster GTS revealed”
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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Ricciardo appeal unlikely to succeed

Gill Sensors Fuel Flow Monitor

Despite Red Bull’s best efforts we think it will be unlikely that Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix for exceeding the permitted fuel flow rate will get overturned.

Extra impetus has been given to uphold the FIA’s original decision after the controlling body reconfirmed its confidence in the accuracy of the Fuel Flow Meters at the centre of the controversy.

An official statement issued yesterday by Gill Sensors, manufacturers of the homologated part, claims the FIA has, “provided Gill Sensors with positive feedback on the performance of the Fuel Flow Meter, confirming their confidence in the development and stating the meters meet the FIA’s accuracy specification.”

Red Bull Racing immediately announced its intention to appeal the FIA’s decision blaming a faulty FFM with the added claim that their own data shows the rate of fuel being injected into Daniel’s car was within FIA specification. A team statement reads:

Inconsistencies with the FIA fuel flow meter have been prevalent all weekend up and down the pit lane. The Team and Renault are confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations.

Speaking to the media on Sunday night Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal, added: “We could see a significant discrepancy with what the sensor was reading and what our fuel flow was stated as—that’s where there’s a difference of opinion.”

Further harming Red Bull’s chance of a successful appeal is this revelation from the stewards’ findings:

The FIA technical representative observed thought the telemetry during the race that the fuel flow was too high and contacted the team, giving them the opportunity to follow his previous instruction, and reduce the fuel flow such that it was within the limit, as measured by the homologated sensor – and thus gave the team the opportunity to be within compliance. The team chose not to make this correction.

The appeal will be heard by an independent FIA court at a date yet to be specified.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Video

A closer look at the Mercedes V6 power unit

2014 Mercedes-Benz V6 power unit

Formula 1 technical guru Craig Scarborough has teamed up with Peter Windsor to give us a closer look at the Mercedes-Benz V6 power unit. It’s clearly the engine of choice in F1 right now and Scarbs uses an official Mercedes video (also shown below) as a prompt to discuss what’s what, before taking us beyond the PR video to talk through some changes to the turbo design on the PU 106 A Hybrid.

Continue reading “A closer look at the Mercedes V6 power unit”
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Caterham F1 in pictures Ferrari Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

2014 Australian Grand Prix in pictures

2014 Australian Grand Prix

Here’s your first proper look at the 2014 Formula 1 cars in action. We’re lucky to get the first race in Australia and this is especially the case this season with such dramatic changes to the cars and their technology.

We’ve got over 100 photos for you to savour and, yes, we probably did get a bit carried away in the Red Bull photo archive. Although, interestingly for them, there aren’t many pics to choose from on race day showing the RB10 in full flight, so you’ve got lots of background material to admire.

Mercedes AMG has also come to the party with a better than usual selection of images as well. Which tends to be the case when one of its drivers wins a grand prix!

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Porsche

Engine transplant required to prevent 911 GT3 fires

Porsche 911 GT3

A Porsche US spokesman has confirmed the manufacturer has identified faulty conrod fasteners as the cause of the two fires which damaged 911 GT3s in Europe. To remedy the problem Porsche will be replacing the engines of all relevant models sold to date. That’s 785 new engines at last count!

“We are in the process of validating the revised part,” Nick Twork told AutoGuide. “We will be replacing the engines in each of the 911 GT3s that have been built thus far.”

Porsche will build the engines in Germany and then ship them across the globe so that customers can once again enjoy their GT3s. “It will take us a little while to build the engines. I don’t know specific timeframe but we’ll do it as quickly as we possibly can,” Twork added.

Some GT3 owners have received communication from Porsche already. It’s expected it will take one day to fit the new engines once they have been delivered to dealerships. At this stage it’s unclear what will be happening to the old engines.

There is also talk there could be compensation for owners, although Porsche says the focus now is on getting the cars fixed. “We’re going to be speaking with each of the customers individually [about possible compensation], the first priority is to minimize the inconvenience to our customers,” Twork said.

[Source: AutoGuide]

UPDATE 19 March: Now with an official statement from Porsche (below)

Continue reading “Engine transplant required to prevent 911 GT3 fires”
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Formula 1 McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing

2014 Australian GP: Post-race press conference

2014 Australian Grand Prix

While Daniel Ricciardo’s result has been taken away from him it’s hard to know for sure how much advantage, if any, he gained if his car was pumping in fuel faster than it should have been. In reality he crossed the line second and therefore much of what was said post-race still rings true.

For the first two years of his career Ricciardo had the luxury of learning his craft at a relatively young age while being shielded from the F1 spotlight by Mark Webber. Despite his disqualification there’s no way anyone can think Daniel is still in Mark’s shadow. He’s his own man, Australia’s own man and we like what we see!

Oh yeah, they also asked some questions of Nico and Kevin too.

Continue reading “2014 Australian GP: Post-race press conference”
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Formula 1 McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing

Nico Rosberg wins 2014 Australian GP

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG

As I write this belated race report take your mind back to a time where all fuel flow monitors were created equal…

Nico Rosberg cruised to a dominant victory in Melbourne to start what could be a dominant year for the Mercedes AMG team. And yet the headline story is the second place finish by Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo who became the first local to stand on the podium in his home race.

Also deserving of huge plaudits is Kevin Magnussen who earned his spot on the podium with a flaweless debut in his Mercedes-powered McLaren.

Jenson Button had to be content with fourth place and watching his junior teammate steal the limelight. You sense after the season Button and McLaren endured in 2013 both will be over the moon with these results.

Fernando Alonso went quietly about his business and finished fifth. On current form it will be a surprise to see Ferrari win a race in 2014, yet they will be there or thereabouts. They came close in 2009 of course, but can they again build a car commensurate with Alonso’s undoubted talent and guile?

On any other day Valtteri Bottas would be attracting plenty of attention. The young Finn, in only his second season, drove like a man possessed to grab sixth place. His inexperience was on show when he clipped the wall and broke a wheel—and luckily nothing else—but he was able to recover from that, and a five place grid penalty for a pre-race gearbox change, to earn himself some very handy championship points. Without his error he would have found himself fighting for position with two world champions. Not bad after starting from P15.

Elsewhere Daniil Kvyat was another debutant to do well, crossing the line in tenth place for Toro Rosso. He was unable to upset his teammate, though, and Jean-Eric Vergne finished one place ahead in a pleasing result for the junior Red Bull outift. Renault will also be pleased to see three of its cars in the top 10, given four failed to finish (three due to mechanical issues).

Kamui Kobayashi’s return to F1 with Caterham lasted one corner and he took the Williams of Felipe Massa into the gravel with him.

After the race the crowd went wild for Dan Ricciardo as he accepted his trophy for second place. It was a great moment for F1 and motorsport in Australia.

And now is the moment we have to remind you all that Ricciardo’s podium moment in the setting sun was taken away from him by the FIA late in the night after declaring his car had “exceeded consistently the maximum fuel flow of 100kg/h”.

Our Daniel was disqualified and all other drivers move up one position. Ricciardo and Red Bull have no world championship points.

Red Bull have said they will appeal the FIA’s decision and were it not for the fact that the FIA spoke to Red Bull during the race to warn them that Daniel’s car was in breach of the regulations and to fix the problem we might think they were half a chance to have Daniel’s P2 reinstated.

Red Bull will claim they were just doing what they needed to do to remain competetive in spite of (what they will say is) a dodgy fuel flow monitor and that they didn’t actually break any rules.

We don’t expect there will be any joy for Daniel and his team.

If nothing else we do know that the RB10 can go the full race distance and, more tellingly perhaps, that Daniel has the pace to mix it with the best, including the four-time world champ on the other side of the garage.

That gives us hope that someone may be able to challenge Mercedes at some stage during 2014.

Continue reading “Nico Rosberg wins 2014 Australian GP”