BMW specialist website BimmerFile has a nice gallery of images showcasing the 1M Coupé. The pics of the newest M car were taken at the BMW Welt in Munich. Although still mostly under cover, as we’ve already seen, these shots do offer some closer details of the car. BMW are expected to show the 1M Coupé in full before Christmas, so we’ll be able to see how close these renderings are to the mark.
Follow the source link to access the full gallery.
[Source: BimmerFile]
Lamborghini recently released information on its new Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante, the soft-top sibling of the Superleggerra. The Sant’Agata engineers have used plenty of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic to help keep the weight down. This approach managed to shed 65kg and the final weight of the Spyder Performante is a respectable 1485kg.
The 5.2 litre V10 produces, as the name suggests, 570bhp (419kW) and can do the 100km/h dash in under four seconds. With a top speed of 324km/h (201mph) this is one rapid convertible. Might mess your hair up a bit, don’t you think!
More pics and full details from Lamborghini after the break. Make sure you take the time to appreciate the Alcantara interior. It’d probably be a bitch to live with long-term, but it is simply beautiful to look at.
Jeff Kennett, former Victorian Premier and Chairman of beyondblue, has put himself in some very hot water today by recommending Kool Mints to drink drivers as a means to defeat Police breathalyzers.
Speaking to Neil Mitchell on Melbourne station 3AW Kennett said, “If you have had a couple of drinks and you want to absorb the alcohol quickly Kool Mints will do it.” Digging himself into a deeper hole Kennett proclaimed, “I would very rarely drink and drive, but if I’ve had anything at all to drink I will reach into my little pocket and have some Kool Mints.”
Unsurprisingly “Bloody Jeff” has attracted criticism from all angles. There’s not a lot more to say, to be honest. You can watch footage of the interview after the break.
[Thanks to Tim for the tip]
A tweet made by Evo magazine from the LA Auto Show suggests the Audi quattro concept could be positioned above the R8 if it goes into production. Also predicted is a £200K price point and a limited production run of no more than 1000 cars.
From a pure power point of view the 300kW concept car is unlikely to knock the 412kW R8 GT from its performance perch. As a result, we remain a little unsure that Audi would place the quattro concept above the R8 in its model line up.
Of course, it is entirely possible that any road going version of the Paris concept could redefine performance Audis; using an entirely different engine to the tweaked TT RS powerplant previewed back in September.
Whatever the case, if Audi builds it, we will want one!
Announced at the LA Auto Show is news of a formal cooperation agreement with Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG with Italian superbike maker Ducati. In its early visible form this new partnership will be seen with AMG sponsoring the Ducati MotoGP team.
Other activities would see Ducati motor cycles available for test rides at AMG performance days and so on. It’s all about exploring new markets that suit each brand. Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH explains, “AMG and Ducati ideally complement each other, as both companies share the same values: racing as the driving passion, and high performance plus exclusivity as the central brand messages of both AMG and Ducati. This long-term cooperation will help us to jointly access new customer groups.”
You can read the full press release after the break.
UPDATE 22 November: According to Autocar AMG is keen to take its relationship with Ducati to the next level by buying the Italian superbike maker. Click HERE for more.
What’s this – has Subaru got its mojo back? You’re looking at a new Impreza Concept, which was revealed by Subaru overnight at the LA Auto Show. As you can see it’s nowhere near as bad as you might think. Recent designs from Subaru have been, well, let’s be honest, pretty ugly, but this new direction could launch Subaru into new heights.
Okay, the details around the front grille are a little fussy. And it’s pretty clear Subaru just put a sheet of tracing paper over the Mazda 6 to create those chunky wheel arches. But, the general look is very successful. In side profile the car looks smart, sharp and very stylish. From the front three-quarter angle you see that strong shoulder line which gives the car a great presence.
Just don’t look at the back. No, really. Don’t.
On the second and final day of young driver testing Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, driving for Red Bull Racing, stayed on top of the time sheets by setting a fastest lap time of 1:38.340 – a blistering effort that bettered Sebastian Vettel’s pole position time from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by 1.3 seconds.
Ricciardo was driving Mark Webber’s chassis which won the Hungarian Grand Prix and the 21-year-old used it to his best advantage by setting the quickest times in both the morning and afternoon session. A full list of times can be seen after the break.
The F1 teams will have a rest day before commencing testing with new Pirelli tyres on Friday.
[via Autosport]
UPDATE: A new statement from the Ricciardo stable has been added below.
Here’s a brief video of Sebastian Vettel talking about his Formula One World Championship success. He starts by talking about his relationship with Mark Webber, before discussing his emotional response to discovering he had just won F1’s biggest prize.
[Thanks to Wes for the tip]
As promised Porsche has revealed a new lightweight Cayman model at the Los Angeles Auto Show. As expected the car is badged as the Cayman R.
Porsche didn’t really offer up any surprises either, which means the Cayman is a bit lighter, has a bit more power and will cost a few more beans, as well. Peak power from the mid-mounted 3.4 litre flat six is 243kW (330bhp). Weight has been reduced by 55kg to a new unladen total of 1295kg. The ride height, too, has been lowered by 20mm.
Buyers can pick from a 6-speed manual, or a 7-speed PDK. Porsche reckon you can reach 100km/h in 5.0 seconds with the manual, or 4.9 seconds with the PDK. The optional Sport Chrono Plus package reduces the 100km/h sprint time further to 4.7 seconds. Top speed is around 280km/h.
Now, onto the use of the R badge. Keen Porsche scholars will remember the 1967 911 R. Just 19 were made with 210bhp powering a super lightweight 830kg body. The R stood for Racing (or Rennen in German). Since then the R badge has been used very rarely by Porsche and when it has been used it’s mainly been for true race cars, such as the GT3 R. Purists might not be happy that a Cayman with a mere 10bhp more than a Cayman S and a respectable, but not spectacular, 55kg weight difference has been granted such special status. Quasi-celebrity motoring journalist Chris Harris is not pleased.
You’ve got video, pics and Porsche’s press release available after the break to help you decide if Porsche has used the R appropriately.
Here at AUSmotive we like it when the motoring and AFL worlds collide. So it is with keen interest we follow the news of Skoda Australia being named as the major sponsor for the 18th AFL team the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
You’ll be able to see the GWS Giants and Skoda more when the team enters the AFL competition in full for the 2012 season. There’s a full statement from Skoda after the break.
Yesterday we brought you news and pics of Lamborghini’s new 6.5 litre V12. Today, via Lamborghini, we bring you video of the beast in action. To be honest, this clip is a little disappointing. The build up is great, but I’m sure there will be better audio will be available in the future.
Last December young Western Australian Daniel Ricciardo made a name for himself by topping the time sheets at the Formula One end of season testing held in Jerez. That was enough to earn him a spot as the Red Bull reserve driver for the 2010 season. Now, Daniel is back behind the wheel of an F1 car taking part in the Young Driver Testing taking place at Abu Dhabi. Daniel was expected to do well, given his access to the title winning RB6, and he has met expectations by returning to the top of the time sheets.
Ricciardo says it’s great to be back, “I’m really happy to be back in the car after such a great experience last year. 12 months may be a long time ago, but it felt good to be out there again and I was surprised at how quickly I felt comfortable. We still have a few sets of tyres to work through which is nice and means I will be able to have another good run tomorrow.”
Impressively, Ricciardo’s best time of 1:39.616 would have qualified him in third place for last week’s Abu Dhabi GP and was just a quarter of a second off Sebastian Vettel’s pole position time. But that’s not enough for the young Aussie, “The car feels amazing and to be given the opportunity to test the car that has just clinched two championship titles is a real honour. I’m happy with the progress I made today and can’t wait to get back in the car. I’m still a little bit off Seb’s time so hopefully I can find a bit more tomorrow.”
Speaking to Autosport, Ricciardo says he is ready for a full-time role in Formula One, “I think I’m ready and tomorrow we’ll try and do a few more long runs, maybe prepare more for a race situation to see how the body holds up, but I think I’m probably as ready as I can be.”
More pics after the break, as well as a brief statement from the Ricciardo stable. A full report from the first day of testing is available at Formula1.com.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]