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MINI Australia: 10 WC50 models are coming

MINI Australia have finally confirmed rumours about the local release of the John Cooper Works WC50 that have been around for several months now. This means AUSmotive can now say with certainty that Australia will be getting 10 examples of the WC50, from a limited worldwide production run of just 500 vehicles.

Justin Hocevar, MINI National Manager explains further, “The MINI John Cooper Works WC50 pays homage to 50 years of motor sport for MINI. This is a major coup for the Australian subsidiary to secure these highly sought after special edition models, the number 1 car is destined for the BMW Group museum and the 500th will find an admiring home in Australia.”

“Obviously MINI has enjoyed a rich motor sport history all over the world, however there’s a particularly proud heritage of motor sport for MINI in Australia and the arrival of this special edition, including the 500th car, is yet another testament to that”, says Justin.

It remains uncertain how MINI Australia will coordinate the allocation process for these cars, but expect something unique to be done with car #500.

Customer deliveries should be underway before the middle of the year and car #500 will be on display at the first two rounds of with the MINI Challenge—the Clipsal 500 (11–14 March) and the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix (25–28 March).

If you’ve not heard of the WC50 before then make sure you feast your eyes on the images and press release after the jump. In essence, though, the car is a John Cooper Works model with unique cosmetic changes, including Connaught Green paintwork unlikely to be seen again on a MINI.

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VIDEO: 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo S

If you were too lazy busy to read this morning’s press release giving you all the details of the new 390kW 911 Turbo S then fear not. Porsche has come to your rescue by providing four YouTube clips telling you pretty much everything you need to know.

Enjoy…

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Ferrari 458 Italia wins an award

Big news in the motoring world overnight with the announcement that the Ferrari 458 Italia has been awarded the “Supercar of the Year” by GQ Magazine. What next, are Horse & Hound going to announce the “Car of the year that best avoided the use of glue”?

Who really cares about the award, or what GQ mag thinks of the 458, or any car, for that matter. The best news is the press release came with these stunning images. If I plan to give up a kidney in exchange for a Turbo S, then, well, my wife is in the firing line now. I’m sorry dearest, but you’re out the door for the 458.

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2010 Porsche 911 Turbo S

Not content with the 368kW on offer from the regular Porsche 911 Turbo, but you still want that Turbo badge? Then you’d better call your favourite Porsche dealer and give them a pat on the back because news of a new 911 Turbo S has been officially announced.

Starting with the same 3.8-litre flat six found in the Turbo, the engineers from Zuffenhausen have found that extra 22kW that Franz lost during production. That means you will now have 390kW in total, or 530bhp in the old money. That’s quite a lot, really. So too is the maximum torque figure of 700Nm.

The 911 Turbo S is available only with a 7-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. Now you know why they use “PDK” for short. If you’re still lost, this is the Porsche version of the transmission du jour—the double clutch gearbox.

You’ll be able to feast your eyes on the 911 Turbo S at the Geneva Motor Show next month and European deliveries are scheduled for May 2010.

Now the big question, can I really make do with just one liver?

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Formula One pre-season - Valencia photo gallery

There’s only a couple of days until Formula One pre-season testing resumes at Jerez (10-13 February). To help get you in the mood here is a 50-strong gallery of images featuring pics from Ferrari, MercedesGP, Renault and Williams. As usual you can click on your favourite images to load 2000px wallpaper-friendly sizing.

At the completion of the Valencia testing Ferrari was showing the rest of the field a clean pair of heels, with Fernando Alonso posting the quickest time (1:11.470), just three tenths ahead of teammate Felipe Massa (1:11.722).

Alonso, in front of over 35,000 parochial Spanish fans, was pleased with his time behind the wheel of the new F10, “The car went well and it was fast; it had a good set up, too, which is positive.”

He continued, “It’s absolutely impossible to say where we stand compared to the others. To be competitive you need a reliable car and we’re on the right track. The technicians have lots of data now to prepare us the best possible way for the next tests.”

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Blind faith

You may remember news from November last year about a driverless Audi TTS being prepared to conquer Pikes Peak. Stamford University are providing the technology required to achieve this goal and they recently ran an article on their online newsletter giving some further background on the car they’ve named ‘Shelley’.

Even better than that, there is also a YouTube clip of the car being put through its paces (available after the jump). The Stanford team have even taken the car to the Bonneville Salt Flats and “driven” the car at speeds in excess of 200km/h.

Not content with merely driving Miss Daisy to the summit, the Stanford crew want Shelley to tackle the hill climb at race pace. Chris Gerdes, leader of the graduate research team says, “Our goal is to show that we can do this.

“There are some sheer drops at Pikes Peak in which any sort of self-preservation kicks in and you slow down a bit. We want to go up at the speed that few normal drivers would ever think of attempting.”

Nice! Shelley’s attempted run up Pikes Peak is scheduled for September.

[Source: Stanford University News]

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BMW gives X5 a facelift - due down under in June

BMW have just lifted the wraps off its facelifted X5 range. Australian customers will be able to get up close and personal with the changes in June.

A new line-up of engines, design tweaks and driver assistance systems headline the changes to the car that has topped the sales sheets of the luxury SUV segment in Australia for the past seven years.

Expect Australian specifications and equipment levels to increase over the current model. These details and pricing will be announced closer to local release.

A detailed press release from BMW Australia and enough pictures to keep you happy can be found after the jump. The international release can be downloaded in PDF format HERE (1.9mb). For more detailed coverage of the new X5, check out BimmerFile.

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New vehicle sales report - January 2010

January 2010 showed good signs for the automotive industry in Australia. While sales for the month did fall dramatically from December 2009 it is worth noting there were strong financial incentives, in the form of Federal Government tax breaks, that saw many businesses rushing to buy cars before the program ended on 31 December.

More importantly, the 74,864 new vehicle sales for January 2010 represents a healthy increase of 11.6% compared to the same month last year. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Andrew McKellar believes the new cut in import tariffs has helped kick the year off, “New car affordability is better than ever and has been further enhanced by the tariff cut on many imported vehicles,” he said.

“New car buyers have effectively been handed a ‘tax cut’ and many brands have moved quickly to reduce prices or increase vehicle specifications. As a result, it is expected that this will encourage private buyers to return to the marketplace in greater numbers throughout the year,” Mr McKellar said.

Toyota, Holden and Ford maintained recent tradition as the top three selling marques.

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Bathurst 12 hour to stream live

Next weekend, for the first time, the Bathurst 12 hour race will be streamed live on the internet. The broadcast will feature full screen video and live commentary. Also included in the coverage will be some behind the scenes footage showcasing the field of over 40 cars.

The broadcast commences next Sunday, 14 February, at 6:30am – bathurst12hour.com.au

An entry list for the 2010 race can be downloaded HERE (124kb PDF). Further detail on the internet streaming can be seen after the jump.

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Jaguar back at Le Mans

With seven outright victories Jaguar is one of the most famous names when it comes to Le Mans. Yet, the big cat hasn’t been seen loping around the Circuit de la Sarthe since the early 1990s. In 2010, the JaguarRSR team will put things right when they take to the track in June with their XKR GT2 machine.

Principal Partner of JaguarRSR, Paul Gentilozzi, says “We are delighted the ACO has granted us entry in the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans. It is a race that is held dearly in the hearts of motorsport fans across the world and for Jaguar to be racing again is something special.

“We are fortunate to bring an international line up of the world’s finest driving talent including Scott Pruett and Marc Goossens as our drivers for this race.”

This year also marks Jaguar’s 75th anniversary, so a good showing in their class at Le Mans will be just the ticket for the iconic British marque. If you’d like to learn more about Jaguar’s proud motorsport history you could do a lot worse than track down a copy of the relevant episode of Victory by design, hosted by Alain de Cadenet.

In other Le Mans news, 1992 Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell will be making his debut at the 24 hour race in 2010. He will join his sons, Leo and Greg, behind the wheel of a British-built Ginetta Zytek.

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Pininfarina to woo Alfa Romeo with Spider Concept

Masters of automotive styling Pininfarina will reveal a new Alfa Romeo Spider Concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month. This illustration gives us a good idea what to expect. The concept is currently untitled and, at this stage, is a proposal to Alfa Romeo only. However it will mark the start of a pair of important anniversaries for both companies—Pininfarina will be celebrating its 80th birthday, while Alfa Romeo will be kicking off its centenary.

Pininfarina are no strangers to designing sportscars for Alfa Romeo and there’s some nice eye candy after the jump. For me, the more recent designs don’t quite match the timeless beauty of the models released in the 1950s and 1960s. The concept above, though, might just hit the spot in a very 21st century way.

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60 years of philosophy continued

Another Porsche ad. This time there’s no valet parking. And there’s no family tree. This time it’s, well, to quote AUSmotive reader ‘KGB’, “It’s all turd polish for the Panamera. Good though…”

As well as seeing the ad after the jump, I’ve selected a few of my favourite stills from the clip. Which ones would you have chosen?

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Easy riders

Two of the scooters used in the Top Gear Vietnam Special have recently been purchased by the UK’s National Motor Museum. The 1967 Piaggio Vespa 150cc VBC Super used by Jeremy Clarkson and the rather inappropriately decorated c.1973 Honda 50cc Chaly will be added to the museum’s permanent World of Top Gear exhibition.

Prior to being sold at auction by Bonhams the scooters were on display at the Saigon Scooter Centre. Now, the two-wheeled exhibits will join the many four-wheeled icons from Top Gear at the Beaulieu attraction.

For more check out www.beaulieu.co.uk.

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Ferrari Maserati Sydney open new showroom

Last night 550 guests witnessed the opening of the new Ferrari Maserati Sydney dealership, located on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets in Waterloo. Making their way down under just for the event were Amedeo Felisa, the Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari SpA, and Raffaele Fusilli, Global Corporate Director of Maserati SpA.

The new digs, which also house the headquarters of importers Ateco, are spread over five levels and total 12,000 square metres. In a sign the worst of the world’s financial woes are behind us $30 million was spent on the new building and centralising Ferrari and Maserati operations forms a key factor in the future plans for both marques.

“Bringing these facilities together under one roof is central to our plan to expand our business and offer the highest levels of customer service,” says Edward Butler, Dealer Principal of Ferrari Maserati Sydney. “Our sales team will sell the first car to a customer, but it is the quality of our customer service and our ability to deliver to customers an all-encompassing Ferrari and Maserati ownership experience, which fully encapsulates the passion and style of these unique marques, that will encourage our customers to come back for their next Ferrari and Maserati.”

More pics and detailed press release after the jump.

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F1 @ Valencia - Behind the scenes with Williams

If you’ve been following the F1 testing at Valencia via twitter these past few days you’ll have noticed what a sterling job ClaireVWilliams has been doing. She regularly uploaded images via Twitpic, ensuring F1 fans across the globe got a glimpse of the action as it happened.

The best part, this wasn’t all Williams propaganda either. Claire proved to be a right F1 fangirl for the masses. Cheers Claire, looking forward to your work at Jerez next week.

A selection of images from Claire’s Twitpic gallery can be seen after the jump.

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