Month: May 2009

Categories
Carmageddon Ferrari

The most expensive car in the world

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

This stunning 1957 Ferarri 250 Testa Rossa can lay claim to being the world’s most expensive car after an anonymous bidder paid a world record auction price of €9 million (AU$16.2M). The winning bidder, bidding by telephone, boldly told the world ‘You know where you can stick your Global Financial Crisis’ as he, or maybe she, outbid three others. The auction was run by RM Auctions and took place at Maranello last weekend.

This sale beats the previous world record for a car sold at auction by €2 million. That car, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California, was bought by UK radio personality Chris Evans. Shame he’s such a wanker.

Anyway, back to the beautiful 250 Testa Rossa, there were just 22 of these curvaceous machines made and the one on offer had been raced extensively through the Americas.

Highlighting that there is still plenty of folks ready to flash some cash was a rare Ferrari 330 P4. The car was passed in at €7.25 million, in excess of the previous world record. That’s just being greedy, don’t you think.

Extra pics and a full press statement, including background on the 250 Testa Rossa can be read after the jump.

Update 19 May: A tiny teaser about the experience of driving this car has been posted on Jalopnik.

Continue reading “The most expensive car in the world”
Categories
Audi

Inside look: How to build an Audi A4

Regular AUSmotive readers will remember the videos posted of showing Golf VI production. They were very well received, so it’s with pleasure we bring you the Audi A4 installment.

Categories
Green Machines MINI

MINI E enters the blogosphere

MINI E

It is with regret that AUSmotive HQ won’t be able get its hands on the funky zero emission MINI E. Of course, this is due to the simple fact we live in the wrong hemisphere. However, US motoring website Edmunds.com has secured its place in MINI E history by coming up trumps in MINI’s selection process.

They will take delivery of their car next month, so we can expect some decent first hand reports from June onwards. Until then recharge your battery by reading some background info on the electric powered MINI.

[Source: Edmunds.com via MotoringFile]

Categories
MINI

MINI to hit the Roadster at Frankfurt

MINI Speedster rendering

The latest MINI Speedster speculation suggests an official reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, before going into production in 2010. Well, that’s the goss according to French publication L’Automobile.

If you’ve missed the news on the sleek looking MINI it is believed to be based on the R57 Cabrio platform. Except this time MINI will go all out chasing style by flicking the next to useless rear seats of the Cabrio altogether. But, it won’t be all smiling in the mirror at itself, as the Speedster will get on the scales, too, and shed some weight to help improve performance and handling further.

Apart from the computer renderings that’s about all the info that’s out there for now. Save the obvious guesses that the car will use Cooper S drivetrains, among others, and possibly the über JCW package as well. Sounds like fun!

[Source: L’Automobile via autoblog]

Categories
Opel Vauxhall

2010 Opel Astra – official pics

2010 Opel Astra

As is always the case, once material has been leaked manufacturers are quick to get official images out and about. And Opel, showcasing their new Asrta, is no different. Included here are nine official pics (click on each one to load wallpaper sized versions) and a press statement from Vauxhall UK.

There’s still no interior pics, but Vauxhall says they will be released soon. The new Astra will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and will go on sale shortly after.

As noted yesterday, I quite like the look of this new Astra. Although, while some, including Vauxhall, say it is inspired by its bigger brother, the Insignia, I say it’s a homage to its mid-size berthren. Or, in Gen-Y speak, its a mash up of current design cues.

There’s a bit of Mazda 3 in the lower front grille and C-pillar. There’s some Golf VI in the strong shoulder line. A bit of Audi A3 in the lighting treatment, especially at the front. And, oddly enough, some Nissan Murano in the rear hatch badge treatment. No matter, though, because as an overall result it gets the AUSmotive tick of approval.

Continue reading “2010 Opel Astra – official pics”
Categories
Volkswagen

Scirocco R20T hits the road

Volkswagen Scirocco R20T

Volkswagen are playing sneaky by testing the Scirocco R20T at the Nürburgring so close to the upcoming 24 hour race (21-24 May). They want us to think this car is part of the race program. However, with the power of the internet on our side we won’t be fooled by this quasi racecar look. The lack of roll cage and tweaked body kit indicate that this is likely to be a test mule for the über road going Scirocco.

Other giveaways include the larger rear hatch spoiler, tweaked lower rear bumper, featuring a new twin exhaust setup, and the racecar like front air dam. Would be nice if those wheels from the race team made it tofinal production too.

Of course, this also means the drivetrain for the über GTI is getting a run, seeing as it is highly likely both cars will be pretty close to identical under the skin.

Depending on who you believe power should be around the 200-220kW region and full public debuts are expected in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Categories
Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari joins Toyota in F1 quit threat

Ferrari is threatening to make its withdrawal from Formula 1 permanent. So far in season 2009 the prancing horse has been trialling a quasi departure from F1 by running its cars towards the back of the field. Happy with this lack of progress and wildly unhappy at the planned budget cap due for introduction in 2010 the lads at Maranello look set to join Toyota by taking their bat and ball and going home.

Makes a change from a few weeks ago when Ferrari were talking of giving up on this season and starting plans for their 2010 car.

Of course, the nature of F1 dictates there is still an ocean of water to pass under this bridge before any of these announcements become set in stone. Still, makes for the most exciting F1 season in years, with both the on and off track action reaching similar peaks.

Oh, if you want to take Ferrari’s threat seriously you can read their full statement HERE.

[Source: guardian.co.uk & Telegraph.co.uk]

Categories
Holden

2010 Opel Astra – leaked images

2010 Opel Astra
2010 Opel Astra

The new Opel Astra is scheduled for its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show way off in mid September. Thanks to the wonders of the interweb you can now put back your visit to Germany as images of the 2010 Astra have been leaked.

It would appear unlikely that we’ll see this model here in Australia rebadged as a Holden. Which is a shame on two fronts. Firstly, this new Insignia-inspired design is quite smart and would present an appealing option compared to its current hatch rivals. And, secondly, previous Euro sourced Astras were actually quite good cars. They were certainly a better proposition than the Korean sourced replacements that now adorn Holden showrooms.

For more pics, follow the link below.

[Source: Carscoop]

Categories
Top Gear Australia

Top Gear Australia – Series 2, Episode 1

Top Gear Australia - Series 2, Episode 1

Well, I didn’t mind the return of Top Gear Australia on SBS TV tonight. New host James Morrison was not bad. Actually, for a first up effort he was quite good, even if there is room for improvement.

His opening piece testing the Mitsubishi Evo X was more than reasonable, helped by some very good camera work around Oran Park. Hats off to the production team there.

Thank goodness they got rid of the ‘What were they thinking segment’. That was just plain awful. Pleasantly they didn’t take themselves too seriously about it either.

Steve and James walked us through their test track, which was a nice touch. It certainly gave a better appreciation of the course and did well to highlight the trickier sections that look releatively tame from the couch.

There was a ‘race’ featured in this episode that saw Steve in a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 take on James and Warren on jet ski thingy to see who could get from Melbourne’s CBD to Portsea the quickest. There were some cringey moments in there, but overall I thought it was pretty good. Already you can see the chemistry of the three hosts is working better than it did in Series 1.

‘Skaifey’ was tonight’s guest and I was always a fan of Mark Skaife, especially in his early days, but methinks he took himself a little too seriously in this format. Oh, Warren’s not much better at this interviewing gig than Charlie, so let’s hope he improves with time.

I thought the TV commercial recreation was going to be pretty lame, but it gave me a few laughs and won me over.

When The Stig took the Murci around their test track did anyone else think that footage had been sped up? Or was I just imagining things?

Anyway, the Aussie version of this show is now back on our screens and can be seen for the next seven weeks at 7:30pm every Monday night on SBS. Overall, I thought tonight’s show was better than fair. What did you think?

Continue reading “Top Gear Australia – Series 2, Episode 1”
Categories
Formula 1 Toyota

Will Toyota finally lead the F1 pack?

Jarno Trulli at the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix

The latest rule changes earmarked for Formula One could propel Toyota to the head of the field. But not in the way the Japanese giant might like. Such is the dismay at the proposed £40M budget cap for the 2010 season that Toyota team boss John Howett said if the outlined changes stay as they are Toyota will withdraw from F1.

Howett also claims that Toyota would not be the only team to pull out of F1 should the budget cap proposal come to fruition.

“If nothing changes, we won’t be submitting an entry,” Howett told Reuters at the Spanish Grand Prix. “But I don’t think that is a unique opinion among other competitors.”

The draft budget cap plan will offer teams who abide by the £40M limit greater technical freedoms and advantages that many in the F1 paddock think would be insurmountable for teams operating outside the cap. It’s kind of ironic that a team with an operating budget under £40M could produce a car as much as two seconds a lap quicker than a team with no spending limit. However, that is the belief Patrick Head from Williams holds, as reported on autoblog (link below).

Okay, so why don’t all teams comply with the cap? Well, such is the degree of spending in the sport now that a reduction in budgets would bring countless job losses as teams would need to sack staff in order to comply.

[Source: guardian.co.uk via autoblog | Pic: Toyota-F1.com]

Categories
Formula 1

Mark Webber claims podium finish in Spain

Mark Webber

Mark Webber finished in third place at the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix overnight. This is the Australian’s fourth F1 career podium finish and adds to his second placing at Shanghai last month.

In a race that followed recent Formula One trends not a hell of a lot happened during the race. Indeed, it was Webber’s pass on Alonso after a Safety Car restart that was one of the best highlights from the race.

Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello claimed another great result for BrawnGP, finishing first and second. Button’s fourth win of the year extends his Championship lead to 14 points.

Keep an eye on Formula1.com for comments from the top three drivers to be added soon.

[Picture: Rick Guest via Red Bull Racing]

Categories
Volkswagen

evo reviews new Golf GTI

Volkswagen Golf VI GTI

Respected mag evo recently filed a review on the new Mk6 Golf GTI. Reviewer Henry Catchpole almost didn’t like it, “as I link one fourth-gear left-hander with another fourth-gear right-hander there just aren’t any fireworks making me go ‘ooh’ or ‘ahh’. Then we reach The Corner…”

For their take read the review in full, which also includes some neat stuff about Wolfsburg and the Autostadt as well.

[Source: evo | Thanks to Simon for the tip]