Archive for April, 2010

Impreza STI sedan sighted at Nurburgring

// Posted in Subaru

One of the great things about living and working in Nürburg is getting to see what the manufacturers are up to during their test sessions at the famous Nordschleife. Dale from Bridge to Gantry, and also RSR Nürburg, doesn’t like to waste such opportunities. As well as his BMW ‘M1′ sighting, he also saw this [...]

BMW ‘M1′ spotted during Nürburgring testing

// Posted in BMW

Another possible ‘M1′ prototype has been spotted in testing, this time at the Nürburgring. Devlopment of the widebody 1 Series seems well underway and this sighting follows last week’s ‘M1′ appearance. The prototype captured in the images here were taken during an industry testing session at the Ring, so we can be fairly certain this [...]

MINI E goes green around Green Hell

A specially prepared 150kW electric powered MINI has just lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 10 minutes. The MINI E Race is based on the MINI E road car which was first announced in October 2008. Modifications to the standard MINI E include the addition of a roll cage, KW Variant 3 suspension, MINI Challenge [...]

Mark Webber drives virtual lap of Shanghai

Here is the latest installment in the Red Bull Racing Grand Prix previews for the 2010 season. This time Webber is driving the Shanghai circuit in the Red Bull simulator. At the Chinese Grand Prix Mark thinks of millions of people, a nightmare drive to the the track and a fantastic circuit. At last year’s [...]

Audi Centre Canberra acknowledged for excellence

// Posted in Audi

The Audi Mark of Excellence awards were held earlier this month and Audi Centre Canberra was named the Metropolitan Dealer of the Year for 2009. This is the third major award for the Canberra dealership after winning the Provincial category for 2007 and 2008. Audi Centre Canberra happens to be my local dealership and after [...]

BMW prototype Z2 spied in California

// Posted in BMW

Around this time last year rumours were growing of a BMW Z2 based on the next generation 1 Series. This spy shot, captured in Laguna Beach, California, appears to confirm those rumours were on the money. Note the soft top roof, which would be used, partly, to keep weight down. Surprisingly, in this day and [...]

Autocar drives the Audi RS5

// Posted in Audi

Autocar is one of the first publications to get their hands on Audi’s new RS5. With a revised 4.2 litre V8 sourced from Ingolstadt’s famed RS4 and a svelte coupé body can the RS5 match the rave reviews of its sedan and wagon siblings? Here’s a grab of what reviewer Jamie Corstorphine had to say: [...]

New vehicle sales report – March 2010

March was another strong month for Australian vehicle sales. So much so that the 94,744 sales recorded represented a new monthly record for March, an increase of 352 sales over the previous high set in 2007. Compared to last month sales increased by 12,525 units. While all vehicle segments fared well, the SUV sector continued [...]

For sale: 1980 Williams FW07 driven by Alan Jones

This coming weekend Sothebys Australia will be auctioning off a unique piece of Australian motorsport history when they put Alan Jones’ ex-Formula One car under the hammer. Built in 1979 and raced in the same year, as well as Jones’ 1980 championship winning year, the Williams FW07 is expected to sell for close to one [...]

Hey this Hybrid thing might just work

Earlier this year when news broke about the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid there were a few sceptics around suggesting the car would be a triumph of marketing over substance. That may yet prove to be the case, but, for now, Porsche’s working Hybrid experiment is showing good early signs. In a four hour endurance [...]

Rapide ready for Nurburgring 24 hour race

Aston Martin’s new four-door saloon, the Rapide, will be racing at this year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race. As usual Aston’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez will be at the wheel of the Rapide for the race, despite having the choice of the Vantage V12 as well. The Rapide will hit the track as close to production [...]

Volkswagen Golf VII rendering

The current Golf VI is not even two years old yet, but renderings and speculation for the new Golf VII are already building. Dutch website Autointernationaal is the latest to throw their hat in the ring, and here’s a round up of what they’re saying. Continuing the evolution theme so well mastered by the Golf [...]

2010 MINI Challenge – Round 1, Adelaide

The Australian MINI Challenge has been underway since mid-March, and the 2010 version is showing mixed signs. On the plus side the series has two title sponsors in Hertz and Pizza Capers. On the down side there are only six confirmed races, with the Gold Coast SuperGP only pencilled in at this stage. As yet [...]

Robbie Maddison jumps Corinth Canal

// Posted in News

Australia’s Robbie Maddison has added another stunt to his impressive list by jumping the Corinth Canal in Greece. At the peak of his jump Maddison was almost 100 meters from the water below and the leap spanned roughly 90 metres. You can see footage of the leap after the break. There is also a brief [...]

Don’t cry for me Argentina

So, what does the title of one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best known songs have to do with Hummer? Well, there’s about as much relevance there as there was of Hummer being a legitimate option in the automotive marketplace. In case you’ve missed it, earlier this week came the unsurprising revelation that General Motors could [...]