Another day and another press release for the Subaru BRZ. This time there’s more pics to give us a better feel for the 147kW/205Nm rear-wheel drive sports coupé. For an even closer look check out the images over at FT86club.com.
Subaru Australia still can’t decide if our market is sophisticated enough to cope with a two-wheel drive Subaru. Perhaps losing sales to Toyota might knock some sense into them.
Lotus (nee Lotus Renault GP) has released a Q&A interview with their new signing Kimi Raikkonen. Laconic as ever, Kimi explains why he chose Lotus over Williams: “Really there were two options – it was this team or Williams. And everything worked out with Lotus Renault GP as we wanted, so that’s really the reason.”
They showed him the money, in other words.
Group Lotus ambassador and former AUSmotive hero, Jean Alesi, has also been wheeled out to share his thoughts. You can read both interviews after the break.
Meanwhile, word on the street says Vitaly Petrov is under some pressure to keep his drive with Lotus in 2012. Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are waiting to fight over the scraps. More news as it comes to hand.
Volkswagen’s latest Golf, the seventh generation, has been seen out and about once again. It’s fairly predictable Golf styling, although the Mk7 is expected to sport a sleeker look. Earlier shots show the Golf’s iconic C-pillar design will continue its evolution.
Speculation over the release date for the new Golf is a bit hit and miss, with some reports suggesting it will hit the market next year, others say we’ll be waiting until 2013.
[Source: Autoblog | Pic: CarPix]
The Formula One future of Daniel Ricciardo is expected to be known by Christmas, according to Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner.
“Daniel has done a good job this year and now we need to look at the opportunities available,” Horner told autohebdo.fr.
“He has learned from the races, albeit in difficult circumstances with a car that was far from the pace. But still he gained some experience and fought against a talented teammate.
“I am confident that his programme for next year will be decided before Christmas.”
Current wisdom suggests the former Hispania Racing driver will end up at Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso or perhaps even Caterham.
[Source: motorsport.com]
We’ve reported a couple of times on the upcoming Top Gear Christmas special. Today FinalGear brings news the episode is expected to air on Wednesday 28 December. Apparently the date was published on the show’s official blog, before being quickly removed.
[Source: FinalGear]
Kimi Raikkonen’s Formula One comeback is now official after Lotus Renault GP today announced he has signed a two-year deal with the team. Remember, the team will be known as simply as Lotus in 2012.
It hasn’t taken long to knock off one F1 silly season rumour and Kimi is happy to be back. “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity,” the 2007 world champion said in a team statement.
“My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.â€
For now we assume he will partner Vitaly Petrov, which would leave Bruno Senna looking for a drive. Senna has been performed reasonably well for Renault since taking over from Nick Heidfeld part way through the season. One would expect he would be reluctant to return to a Friday test drive role.
Now that one domino has fallen will the pressure, perceived or otherwise, on Rubens Barichello (Williams), Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Jarno Trulli (Lotus/Caterham) force more teams to quickly lock in their 2012 roster?
The full statement from LRGP can be read after the break.
UPDATE: A short video interview with Kimi has been added below.
Details of the production-spec Subaru BRZ have now emerged. For now we only have two pics, but expect more will follow soon. Clearly the standard BRZ is a tamer version of the Concept STi and we wonder how long it will take for someone to make an aftermarket rear light treatment that matches the STi look.
As to be expected it’s a like for like machine under the skin when compared to the Toyota 86. Really it’s just a few cosmetic differences to the bodywork that set these Toybaru cars apart.
Although, it’s worth noting the BRZ is listed as weighing 1220kg. Based on the info we could find yesterday that’s 40kg heavier than the 86.
We’ll bring you more as it comes to hand.
[Thanks to Scott for the tip]
UPDATE 30 November: We asked Subaru Australia if the BRZ would be coming here. This us what they said, “There’s still no decision as to whether BRZ will go to Australia.” If you’d like to see the BRZ down under we suggest you contact Subaru and tell them all about it.
Obviously the Toyota 86 has been gaining attention since its official release. So we thought it worth reminding you about the blue half of the Toybaru project. Here’s a small image gallery of the Subaru BRZ Concept STi, starting with some images from the floor of the LA Motor Show we managed to miss first time round.
Sure it’s the hero STi model, but on this viewing the BRZ has it over the 86 in the looks department.
It’s actually not too long until the BRZ will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. We should be back inside 24 hours with more pics and info as it comes to hand.
Now that the dust has settled on the 2011 F1 season we can start dealing in rumour and innuendo; Formula One excels in such matters after all. First cab off the rank, then, is the emerging rumour that young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo will join Caterham after Jarno Trulli has been thanked for his services.
That would increase the chances of Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari remaining at Toro Rosso. Or could French GP2 driver Jean-Eric Vergne leapfrog Ricciardo into a Toro Rosso seat? Like Ricciardo last year, Vergne impressed when given the chance to drive the lead Red Bull car at the recent young driver test sessions in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s a luxury problem, and I’m sure we’ll find a solution,†Helmut Marko told Adam Cooper.
When asked what he thought of his Toro Rosso drivers in season 2011 Marko didn’t exactly lavish them with high praise, “I would say they both improved from mid-season onwards, unfortunately Buemi had more technical issues. But still, we are not looking for a good F1 driver, we are looking for a top F1 driver.â€
In our final F1 in pictures post for the year it’s great that we can reflect on another grand prix victory for Mark Webber. It’s scant reward in the wake of a dominant season from the other side of the Red Bull garage, but a win is a win and for most drivers they don’t come too easily.
As usual there’s some great pics for you after the break; a job touring the globe shooting F1 cars is one we’d rather like if we had the skills.
We trust you’ve enjoyed this series again in 2011 and we’ll be back with our F1 picture galleries in 2012. If there’s anything you’d like to see added future collections please let us know in the comments section below.
This rather messed up looking Mercedes-Benz Estate is the forerunner to what could be the greatest station wagon ever made. Previously an honour held by the awesome Audi RS2, with able support from the RS4 Estate, we reckon a C63 AMG Estate Black Series might just trump them both.
Expect the same fearsome 380kW normally-aspirated 6.3 litre V8 from the Coupé, wrapped up in Estate clothing, the height of Euro chic. Oh yes, consider us very, very excited.
No firm word yet on a predicted production date other than the wide target of 2013. Even if it was due to launch tomorrow that wouldn’t be soon enough.
[Source: WCF]
Now that the Toyota 86 (we’re supposed to say eight-six apparently) has been revealed fans of the car will be more desperate to know what it is like to drive. Thanks to an early review from the seat of a pre-production 86 by UK mag Autocar we can bring you this taster:
“…the key facets of an 1180kg kerb weight, rear-wheel drive, ESP that can be fully turned off, quick steering and a limited-slip differential make it a riot in the twisty stuff.”
“…at its best, the driving experience is a match for the likes of a Porsche Cayman, and accolades don’t come much higher than that. That it can’t reach those heights across as broad a range of conditions as the German-built car shouldn’t detract from its overall success, because the fact that it can even get close is a minor miracle.”
That’s some high praise there, that Toyota and fans alike will be rapt to hear. There were some minor gripes over the car’s transmission and the test was carried out on ultra smooth roads, so a more precise understanding of the 86’s ride was unable to be gained. Follow the source link below for more.
[Source: Autocar]