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2010 Australian GP in pictures

2010 Australian Grand Prix

It’s safe to say that the final result in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix is not on the majority of Australian F1 fans were hoping for. Local boy Mark Webber had his best chance yet to win his home race. He qualified on the front row, alongside pole sitter and teammate Sebastien Vettel.

However, through a combination of poor tyre strategy and some over exuberance on his own part, Webber’s race ended in tears after a coming together with Lewis Hamilton with two laps to go while fighting for minor placings. Finally, Webber regathered himself to stumble home in ninth place.

Just as in Bahrain, Vettel looked like he was just out for a lazy Sunday drive. He held a comfortable lead until his front left brake rotor exploded and sent him crashing out.

This left Button in the lead after he put his fortunes in the hands of an early switch to slick tyres on lap six. A move that eventually took the reigning champ from zero to hero. From then on it was a case of managing tyres and through a combination of cooler weather and a smooth driving style Button was able to complete the race on the softer compound tyres.

So, then, it has taken Button just two races to get the better of Hamilton. And do you think the 2008 World Champion was happy about that fact? Not on your life. It had Hamilton blowing smoke of a different kind with stern questions asked of his team and the tyre strategy his team employed. Apparently he deserved better.

Well, that’s enough commentary, let’s look at some pics. After the jump you can feast your eyes on over 50 of the best images from the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Teams featured include Red Bull Racing, Renault, Ferrari, MercedesGP, Williams, Lotus and Virgin Racing. See a pic you like, then simply click on it to load a 2000px super image.

Next weekend it all starts again, with the Malaysian Grand Prix from Sepang. Can Red Bull Racing finally find some luck and land a win that their current early season pace would indicate they deserve?

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Porsche

Renn Sport

Porsche RS gallery

Mention the model name Porsche 911 GT3 to any car person and chances are they’ll start to go weak at the knees. Add two more letters to that model, namely RS (for Renn Sport) and you’ll complete the task of turning an otherwise sane looking person into a drooling mess. The RS is the quintessential road and track weapon. Well, the quintessential German road and track weapon, at the very least.

So, then, what better way than to have all that explained to you by a Scottish bloke driving around the Porsche Experience UK test facility in England. You can see said video after the jump, and as an added bonus you will also see an extensive range of RS models, starting right back with the original 1970s version and finishing off with the latest 997.2 iteration. Ladies and gentlemen, start your downloads.

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Motorsports Volkswagen

Geneva: Volkswagen CrossGolf

Volkswagen CrossGolf

Volkswagen claim the Golf is “the most successful vehicle concept of all times”. Presumably they have reached this conclusion based on total sales. So, is it any wonder that they are milking the platform with the CrossGolf, the sixth model line in the Golf range.

Essentially what you see is what you get. A body based on the GolfPlus, including an extra 20mm ride height, a few exterior plastic bits and some model specific interior trim. Voila, a new model.

It is unlikely we will ever see the CrossGolf in Australia. Which is a shame. A real shame. Just wait until you see the new Subaru Impreza XV, which will be here mid-year. Somebody really needs to tell Subaru’s designers to stop the madness!

I digress, more pics and details of the comparatively attractive, but probably quite pointless CrossGolf can be seen after the jump.

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Audi Motor Shows

Geneva: Audi A1 e-tron

Audi A1 e-tron

Audi have given the motoring world a new acronym—MCV—Mega City Vehicle. It is used to described Ingolstadt’s third e-tron concept, this time built on the A1 platform.

The A1 e-tron is fitted with a transversely mounted synchronous electric motor. It can be found under the bonnet at the front and has a continuous power and torque rating of 45kW/150Nm. Although, in short bursts those numbers peak at 75kW/240Nm. A low mounted engine and below-floor battery storage ensures the A1 e-tron has a low centre of gravity.

Battery life offers a range of 50km for city chores, but a rotary engine, called a “range extender”, is capable of recharging the batteries for longer drives. It sounds like a pretty ingenious solution really.

Full details available after the break.

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Motor Shows Porsche

Geneva: Porsche 918 Spyder with hybrid drive

Porsche 918 Spyder

Just a couple of months after Porsche CEO Michael Macht declared they didn’t want hybrid technology in their sportscars comes this superb looking 918 Spyder concept model. Announced at the Geneva Motor Show, the 918 Spyder features a race-inspired 500hp V8 and is supplemented by 230hp of electric power.

The 918  joins the GT3 R Hybrid announced last month. Add in the Cayenne S Hybrid and you now have three Porsche model lines featuring hybrid technology.

Back to the 918 Spyder, though, and, well it is clearly the most stunning of the trio. All that power is said to propel the car to 100km/h in around 3.2 seconds. Proving further that hybrid doesn’t mean slow and steady wins the race, the 918 can (supposedly) lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 7 minutes 30 seconds. Faster than a Carrera GT, no less.

When you’re not exploiting all that power, Porsche reckon you can return a fuel consumption figure of 3l/100km with CO2 emissions of just 70g/km.

Pretty tidy numbers all round for a mid-engined two-seater with a very tasty 3.4-litre V8 from the RS Spyder racecar.

Check the pics and press release after the jump.

UPDATE 3 March: Two new “next spark” promo videos featuring the Porsche 918 Spyder have been added below.

UPDATE 29 July: Porsche have confirmed the 918 will go into limited series production.

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Audi

Audi UK confirms RS5 pricing & specs

Audi RS5

Audi UK have just released details confirming their local specs for the RS5 featuring a 450PS 4.2 FSI V8 which will go on sale there in October. It’s all as expected and pricing starts at £57,480 OTR (approx AU$96,000). Expect Australians to be paying significantly more than that. Sigh.

You can read the press release below.

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Audi

OFFICIAL: Audi RS5 confirmed for Geneva Motor Show

2010 Audi RS5

Just through from Audi now is official confirmation that the RS5 will debut at Geneva as expected. Following the leaked images of the RS5 over the weekend Audi has also confirmed the car’s basic specs, which are pretty much as reported last week.

Powered by a naturally aspirated high rev 4.2-litre V8 FSI, the RS5 will have peak power of 331kW (450PS) at 8250rpm, with maximum torque of 430Nm available from 4000-6000rpm. Coupled with a specially reinforced 7-speed S tronic transmission the RS5 is able to accelerate to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. Not bad for a car tipping the scales at more than 1725kg. This is the first of Audi’s RS models to be fitted with the double clutch technology and, at this stage, there is no word on a manual gearbox option.

The engine is derived from the acclaimed B7 RS4 model, but advancements to the engine management, intake and exhaust have enabled Audi engineers to find more power and torque, while at the same time improving overall efficiency. Highlighted by the claimed average fuel consumption of just 10.8l/100km. That’s impressive.

Also getting a once over is the car’s quattro all-wheel drive system. Now fitted with a self-locking crown-gear differential, up to 70% of available torque can be sent to the front wheels, or up to 85% to the rear. In normal conditions the torque is split 40:60, front to rear.

Riding on either 19″ or optional 20″ alloy wheels the RS5 is fitted with 265/35 tyres as standard. To ensure the RS5 can stop effectively 365mm vented discs can be found up front, with the option of 380mm ceramic carbon discs, as well.

After driving the V8 powered S5 last year, I was left feeling like the car was more lazy cruiser than ball tearing coupe. The added power of the RS5 is one thing, but have Audi been able to give the overall driving experience a bit of a nudge as well? Something a car like this both demands and deserves. I’ve heard one unsubstantiated rumour about the RS5’s exploits around the Nürburgring Nordschleife (sub 8 minutes), and if that proves correct it would seem Audi have got it right. For reference, the E92 BMW M3’s best unofficial time stands at 8:05 as tested by Horst von Saurma from German publication Sport Auto.

Other points of interest include an ESP system that can be completely disabled if required. A rear wing, usually hidden in the boot lid, will raise automatically at speeds over 120km/h, it will retract again once speed is below 80km/h. The underbody of the RS5 has been designed to aid downforce, while also providing optimum cooling benefits to the brakes and S tronic gearbox.

Usual Audi RS styling tweaks, such as flared wheel guards and twin oval exhaust tips are also seen on the RS5, as most readers will already be aware.

The RS5 will go on sale in Europe in a few weeks, with a starting price of around €77,700 (AU$117,500). Sadly, you can bet the RS5 will cost a lot more than that when it makes it to Australian shores before the end of 2010.

The full press release from Audi can be read below and six more new pics are also available in 2000px super image sizing.

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Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz F 800 Style Research Vehicle

Mercedes-Benz F 800

Today is the turn of Mercedes-Benz to reveal their star before the Geneva Motor Show. One wonders if there will be any surprises left when the show opens to the public on 4 March. However, Mercedes have most definitely surprised with this new concept called the F 800 Style Research Vehicle. Just look at it. An astonishing blend of curves and surfacing that looks for all money as though it could never have emerged from Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz are also spruiking the news that the F 800 Style will be the vehicle future Benz models are inspired by. Bravo!

The surprises don’t stop with the F 800’s exterior either. The rear doors slide back, as you might expect on a people mover. The front doors open conventionally and the lack of a b-pillar offers a generous opening to make access into the car a breeze. Once inside you are greeted with a pretty wild interior, as well. It’s quite sparse, but take a gander at that steering wheel. What is that all about!

Pushing the envelope even further the F 800 Style has two drivetrain options, a petrol-electric hybrid or a hydrogen powered fuel-cell electric motor. The latter has a theoretical range of 600km of emissions-free travelling.

There’s heaps to see and read after the break, so sit down and enjoy.

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Volkswagen

CrossPolo bobs up prior to Geneva

Volkswagen CrossPolo

Volkswagen’s new CrossPolo will join the Polo GTI in making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in just over a week. The CrossPolo is the fourth in the range, also including the regular Polo hatch, the fuel efficient BlueMotion and the sporty GTI.

Described by Volkswagen as an “all-rounder”, the CrossPolo has been raised by 15mm. A number of exterior tweaks have also been carried out which further enhance the model’s individual look compared to the rest of the Polo lineup.

A total of six engines will be offered to European customers, split evenly between petrol and diesel power. Following tradition, the CrossPolo will only be available in a 5 door layout and, new for this iteration, all models will be available with a 7-speed DSG transmission.

German customers will get their hands on the CrossPolo first, with deliveries commencing in May, with the rest of Europe and Japan to follow shortly after. No word yet on Volkswagen Australia’s plans for the car, but I would expect they will want it, but possibly with a limited engine lineup.

Further details and more pics are available after the break.

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Audi

Audi RS5 leaked images

Audi RS5 brochure

Following the news the Audi RS5 will be released at the Geneva Motor Show comes these leaked images from a forthcoming sales brochure. There’s 28 images in all, but not a lot of written detail is given.

There are no shots of the engine bay, but we’re still expecting to see a normally aspirated V8 under the bonnet to be badged as a 4.2 FSI HDZ. Peak power from the high-rev concept engine should be around the 330kW (450PS) mark. Looking at one of the pics below redline starts around 8200rpm, and it looks like you may be able to extend past that a little. Maybe?

You can see that there will be three choices for seating and four alloy wheel designs to choose from. As expected there is no manual gearbox shown, so it will be S tronic only for now. Hopefully a 6-speed manual transmission is released later at a later date. It would also seem apparent that Audi’s familiar flat bottomed steering wheel is not standard equipment, with all interior shots showing a conventionally shaped wheel. This is offset by the fact it can be optioned in alcantara, along with the S tronic shifter.

So, for now, just feast your eyes on these images and let your excitement build in anticipation for official details to be announced soon. Make sure you click on the pics below to load the larger 1460px sizing.

UPDATE 23 Feb: Official details and images have now been released by Audi.

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Formula 1

Webber leads the pack at Jerez – photo gallery

F1 pre-season testing, Jerez, February 2010

Formula One pre-season testing at Jerez finally saw some sunshine overnight and Australia’s Mark Webber made the most hay while it did. Webber piloted his Red Bull RB6 to the quickest time posted at Jerez so far in 2010 with a time of 1:19.299. Last week Lewis Hamilton topped the sheets with his lap of 1:19.583.

A full list of times from last night can be seen below, with the dry weather allowing all teams to record their best times for the week.

Mark Webber isn’t getting ahead of himself, though, and he knows pre-season form doesn’t count for much. Speaking to autsport.com he said, “I promise you that in Malaysia we won’t be talking about the second test in Jerez, things change fast in F1.”

Fernando Alonso was second fastest last night (1.20.115) and the word on the street is that the Ferrari F10 is shaping up as the car to beat in 2010.

After the jump you can see a gallery of pics featuring Ferrari, Lotus, Mercedes GP, Red Bull, Renault and Toro Rosso.

The final day of testing will start in a couple of hours and the only change to the original schedule will see Jenson Button behind the wheel of the McLaren instead of Hamilton. You can follow all the action by reading AUSmotive’s F1 list on twitter. Also keep an eye on the autosport.com website for their live updates as well.

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Volkswagen

Volkswagen Polo GTI breaks cover ahead of Geneva

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Volkswagen have released three images of its new Polo GTI ahead of next month’s Geneva Auto Salon. As expected, the latest baby GTI will be powered by a 1.4 litre twincharge engine, which has a supercharger providing low down boost before a turbo chimes in to keep the smile on your dial up to redline.

The headline stats of the TSI powerplant are, peak power of 180PS (132kW) with 184ft/lb (250Nm) of torque. Tipping the scales at a modern day lightweight 1184kg the Polo GTI can accelerate to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. This is achieved, in part, thanks to a 7-speed DSG transmission and and electronic XDS differential, similar to the system found in the Golf GTI.

Aside from all that, the new Polo GTI looks fantastic. There’s been a huge step in interior layout and refinement over the underrated model it replaces and the new exterior styling of the regular Polo has been enahnced by LED daytime lighting and a subtle body kit.

The Polo GTI promises to be one cracker of a hot hatch. A press release from Volkswagen UK is below and when we hear from Volkswagen Australia you’ll be able to read it here.

UPDATE: Volkswagen Australia have confirmed with AUSmotive that the Polo GTI will be on sale locally before the end of 2010. No news on pricing or final specs at this stage.

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