Since the launch of the new BMW M5 it has gained high praise from many of the world’s motoring press. However, one thing missing from the F10M has been the option of a good old manual transmission. Well, thanks to this spy pic taken in Europe it seems that omission looks like being rectified.
Oddly, though, the report on 5POST reckons the manual box will only be for the US market. Surely not, tradition says that would be the least likely market to embrace the option.
[Source: 5POST]
Porsche is one of the best car companies at protecting and honouring their heritage. And what a proud heritage they have as well, especially in the field of motorsport. At Laguna Seca last weekend Porsche held their Rennsport Reunion IV event. They say it is the largest gathering of Porsche racing cars in the world.
When you have a big family get together like that a family portrait is a must. Porsche has been kind enough to take us behind the scenes. Enjoy the glorious metal and history on display.
Great news for 1980s pop culture fans with word that a revitalised DeLorean Motor Company is making a new electric powered DMC-12. The car made famous by the Back to the Future movie franchise will actually have a flux capacitor, of sorts. Well, maybe not, but looking through the rear window at the “engine bay” it would be an apt description.
DeLorean says the new DMC-12 EV should be in full production by 2013.
[Source: DeLorean]
Back in August we brought you an update on the progress of the third generation Audi S3. At the time it had been spotted undergoing hot weather testing in California. Now we have some video for you as well. It’s not as exciting as seeing a test mule being flogged around the Nordschleife, but it does show a few good details. It looks like we’ll be seeing quad exhaust tips on an S3 for the first time too. Apart from that, not much else has changed from our previous report.
Embedding of the clip has been disabled by the video’s author, so just click on the image above to check it out.
[via audidriven]
While watching the misery of the Wallabies’ demise at the hands of New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup we managed to catch a glimpse at the first episode from a three-part series on ABC1 about Australia’s history and infatuation with the motor car. Wide Open Road promises to explore the reasons why “the car has been tangled up in the social, political and economic fabric of Australia.”
If you missed the first episode you can catch up on ABC iView or via the program’s website. You’ll learn that in the early decades of the 20th century unofficial attempts to break the speed record for the Melbourne–Sydney drive on dusty tracks were commonplace. Nine hours was the benchmark, would you believe! You’ll also wonder why Francis Birtles, who spent much of 1928 driving his Bean 14 from London to Melbourne, isn’t revered as highly as the likes of pilot Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who achieved fame for his solo flight from the Unites States to Australia in the same year.
The remaining episodes are due to air at 7:30pm on the following two Sundays (23 and 30 October). From the portions we saw last night we recommend finding the time to watch the show.
Some very sad news from the United States with word British driver Dan Wheldon was killed in a multi-car accident at this morning’s IndyCar race in Las Vegas. He was 33 years old and leaves behind a wife and two sons.
The incident happened on lap 11 of the 200 lap race and involved 15 drivers, including Australia’s Will Power. He along with Pippa Mann and JR Hildebrand were also taken to hospital for observation. The extent of their injuries is yet to be confirmed.
Wheldon won the Indy 500 earlier this year and was in line for a share in $5 million prizemoney if he won in Las Vegas. It all seems so trivial now.
A mood best captured by competitor and long time friend Dario Franchitti who said, “I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff. I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it’s about. One small mistake from somebody.
“Right now I’m numb and speechless. One minute you’re joking around in driver intros and the next he’s gone. He was 6 years old when I first met him. He was this little kid and the next thing you know he was my teammate.
“We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn’t matter.”
The race was red flagged after the incident to allow marshalls to clear the track. A lengthy delay followed before news of Wheldon’s death was confirmed. The race was then cancelled and drivers voted to drive a five lap tribute for Wheldon. Footage of the tribute laps can be seen after the break.
Wheldon was scheduled to join forces with the James Courtney and the Holden Racing team at this weekend’s Gold Coast 600.
UPDATE: From the IndyCar twitter account: “Will Power has been evaluated and released from the hospital. Pippa Mann and JR Hildebrand are awake and alert, and will be held overnight for further evaluation.”
[Source: IndyCar | Pic: IndyCar]
From one old skool GTI to another, this old television commercial for the feisty Peugeot 205 GTI reminds us that they, Peugeot, don’t make hot hatches like they used to. For a time the 205 GTI earned a reputation as being the hot hatch of choice. We still admire them and smile when we see one on the streets.
In a world of computer-animated and sanitised marketing spin the TV spot also reminds us of how it used to be. There’s no faking here. So when that massive cargo plane flies over the little Pug, it is really flying over the little Pug. Amazing!
If you’re thinking of owning a classic hot hatch from the 1980s, perhaps you should read this account from young Car magazine contributor Alex Michaelides who currently owns a 205 GTI. As the owner of a sometimes temperamental 1980 Mk1 Golf GTI we can attest that there will be plenty of ups and downs.
[Thanks to Stu for the tip | via autoblog]
Jonny Smith, formerly of television show Fifth Gear, has shared his thoughts on the birth of the Volkswagen Golf GTI 35 years ago and its subsequent legacy. Here at AUSmotive HQ we currently have two GTIs parked in the a drive; a 1980 Mk1 and a 2006 Mk5. Having previously owned a 2001 Mk4 GTI as well, we were keen to see what Smith had to say in his article published on Influx.
Here’s a teaser, and make sure you follow the source link below for the full article:
Prior to the Golf GTI’s birth, to reach its calibre of performance you’d need to drive a cramped coupe or a bulky saloon. The GTI didn’t have the temperamental traits of highly-​​strung Italian machinery, the hit-​​and-​​miss quality of British cars or the kitsch of many ’70s Japanese try-​​hards.
Fitted with an eager fuel injected front-​​drive four-​​pot engine the thing just inhaled meandering B-​​roads and returned decent motorway comfort, together with real-​​world mpg. You could cruise it, you could gun it, and you could do the school run without it missing a beat or costing a fortune to keep alive.
[Source: Influx]
Sebastian Vettel capped off a great Sunday for Red Bull Racing by winning today’s Korean Grand Prix. It was the new world champion’s tenth win of the year and it sealed back-to-back constructors’ titles for his team.
Rain had affected proceedings on Friday and Saturday and Lewis Hamilton and McLaren had looked the team to beat. This perception was reinforced when Hamilton became the first non-Red Bull driver to claim pole position.
However, on race day Vettel was able to claim the lead on the opening lap and it was only surrendered momentarily before Fernando Alonso pitted for new tyres. Situation normal, it would seem.
Behind Vettel and Hamilton the opening lap had provided action and excitement. Mark Webber, for example, started fourth, was down to fifth and ended the lap in third place. He managed to stay there and was probably denied a better finishing result when his team called him in for a first pit stop on the same lap as Hamilton.
The Australian was still looking strong and had he stayed out, with clear track ahead, his tyres appeared to have the grip left in them to give Webber an opportunity to build a lead over Hamilton. It was not to be and Mark spent the rest of the race looking at Hamilton’s gear box.
After conventional methods hadn’t worked, Webber tried something different by overtaking Hamilton at the end of pit straight. However, Hamilton was able to get past Mark before the next corner by using his DRS on the long 1.1km straight. Unfortunately for Mark, his car was not as effective with DRS and he finished slightly frustrated in third.
At the back of the field Daniel Ricciardo was able to gain track position from last place and finish ahead of Jerome d’Ambrosio and teammate Tonio Liuzzi. He is expected to sit out the next race in India to allow Narain Karthikeyan a drive at his home race.
If Ricciardo is to secure a drive with Toro Rosso next year the once vulnerable Jaime Alguersuari looks safe; he put in a solid drive today to finish seventh. The Spaniard has performed very well since Ricciardo started with HRT and if the young Aussie has hopes for a better pathway with his Red Bull connections then he must have Sebastian Buemi’s seat in his sights.
Post-race comments from the three podium placegetters can be read after the break. You almost begin to feel sorry for Hamilton after every journo seemed to ask him the same question over and over.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
It’s finally happened. Sixteen races into the season and Lewis Hamilton has broken Red Bull’s qualifying dominance after he put his McLaren onto pole position at the Korean Grand Prix.
Hamilton very nearly took pole last week at Suzuka, but there was no mistimed second run in Q3 this at Yeongam and Lewis topped the timesheets with a best lap of 1:35.820. Unsurprisingly, newly crowned world champ Sebastian Vettel was second quickest in his Red Bull (1:36.042). Continuing the McLaren-Red Bull pattern are Jenson Button in P3 (1:36.126) and Mark Webber in P4 (1:36.468).
Red Bull only used super soft tyres (options) during quali, choosing to keep all three sets of soft tyres (primes) brand new for the race. It will be interesting to see how that strategy plays out, with as many as four stops being predicted.
Daniel Ricciardo will start from the rear of the grid after a lingering cooling issue from Free Practice 3 prevented him from taking part in qualiyfing.
The transcript from the post-qualifying press conference can be read in full after the break. The closing lines from Vettel and Button provide a bit of a chuckle too.
Oh, does anyone else think the sulking and sour faces from Lewis Hamilton of late are way out of perspective with his lot in life? Sure, by his lofty standards, he hasn’t had a great year. But c’mon Lewis, you drive an F1 car for a living, cheer up mate.
[Pics: Red Bull Racing/Getty Images & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]
Here is everything you need to know about the new BMW 3 Series. The F30 model is the sixth generation and will continue the tradition set in 1975 and continue to be built at BMW’s headquarters in Munich.
This is the largest 3 Series yet and when you scroll through the 100+ images below we won’t be surprised if you mistake the new car for an F10 5 Series a few times. The distinctive headlight design on the 3 Series is a new look for BMW, of course, but the widened kidney grille strongly resembles the 5er.
Overall, we think the new 3 Series looks really good. Perhaps the bonnet has one crease too many, that aside BMW’s designers have allowed the company’s most important model to evolve its look. There’s a clear link to the past, balanced by a strong step forward. This is especially the case inside the new 3 Series. It’s still typically teutonic, but now has a bit more interest thanks to a new layout and increased use of mixed materials.
The F30 will go on sale worldwide in mid-February next year, launching with the Sport Line, Modern Line and Luxury Line. An M Sport package and ActiveHybrid will follow later in 2012.
Naturally, the 3 Series retains its rear-wheel drive configuration and will, for the first, time have the option of being coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission. A 50:50 weight distribution provides a platform for balanced handling.
Two petrol and two diesel turbocharged engines will be on offer at launch. The 328i has a 180kW/350Nm 2.0 litre four cylinder and can reach 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. Fuel consumption is rated at 6.4l/100km. Topping the specs is the 335i which features a 3.0 litre six cylinder producing 225kW/400Nm. You’ll knock off 100km/h in 5.5 seconds with your foot planted and sip fuel at 7.9l/100km if you back off.
Entry level diesel power is offered in the 320d EfficientDynamics Edition, to the tune of 120kW/380Nm. Acceleration is very acceptable, needing only 8.0 seconds to reach 100km/h and fuel consumption on the combined cycle is just 4.1l/100km. If you want to reach 100km/h in 7.5 seconds while relying on diesel power you’ll need the plain old 320d model. Fuel use rises slightly to 4.5l/100km.
Towards the end of 2012 the 3 Series ActiveHybrid will be launched. It will use the 225kW 3.0 litre six cylinder petrol engine found in the 335i coupled with an electric motor that can boost power by up to 40kW. Somehow, though, BMW say maximum combined power available is 250kW, while peak torque is 450Nm. Should be an interesting car that one.
There is much more for you after the break, in the form of 2000px super sized images, video and press material. Right at the end of the article you can download 65 pages of guff with thanks to BMW.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the F30 as well, so please share your thoughts in the comments section.
While we wait for images of the new BMW F30 3 Series to become available here’s a few official videos to help you become acquainted with BMW’s most important and highest selling model. BMW’s designers are on hand to provide commentary as well.