Recently we’ve been able to bring you previews of upcoming Grands Prix thanks to McLaren. Ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, though, they’ve given us nothing.
Instead we’ve gone for a new approach with Porsche Carrera Cup driver Yuey Tan’s video. He’s pretty excited about racing in front of his home crowd so this preview adds a nice local touch.
Also available after the break is onboard footage of Mark Webber’s fastest lap from Q3 in 2010.
We bring you a great video after the break where Rob Irwin, electronic engineer with McLaren, talks us through four generations of F1 steering wheels.
Irwin starts with the wheel used by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974; it doesn’t get more basic than this. Next is the wheel used on the MP4-4 by Ayrton Senna in 1988.
Mika Hakkinen’s 1998 wheel is when we first see the number of buttons really increase. It’s also the first wheel shown to have gearshift paddles on the back. Still, that’s nothing compared to the confusion and number of choices faced by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson button with the steering wheel they use in today’s F1 car.
We brought you a bit closer to the MP4-26 steering wheel earlier in the year, but this comparison wheels from four separate decades really highlights the level of sophistication of modern day motor racing.
[Thanks to Graeme for the tip]
Ferrari has released a short video explaining the origin of its famous prancing horse logo. The emblem was used by a WWI Italian fighter pilot called Francesco Baracca.
But it was actually Baracca’s mother who suggested to Enzo Ferrari that he use the prancing horse as she believed it would bring him good luck. Enzo Ferrari took her advice and added the yellow colouring of Modena and the Ferrari brand was born.
Oh, let’s hope the logo is not too often referred to as a “Pranging Horse” as an innocent typo describes it in the video’s YouTube description.
[Via: Logo Design Love]
Audi plans to shed 100kg from the weight of its next-generation R8, which is due to go on sale in 2014. In order to do this Audi will use innovative bonding technologies to introduce carbon fibre and other materials to its aluminium spaceframe.
The current R8 uses a solely aluminium spaceframe, but this new technique will allow for greater strength; up to 40,000Nm per degree, making it stronger than the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lexus LFA. There will also be some cost-saving benefits in the event of repair.
Audi’s new bonding method is called ‘Ultra’ and Audi engineer Dr Lutz-Eike Elend explains one of its key advantages, “With this concept you can always just take out and replace the particular elements—even the (central) tunnel. In the event of a side collision, you can take the rivets and bonding out and put the new part right back in.”
Dr Elend also says the next R8’s body-in-white will weigh just 198kg, which is, he says, “better than any vehicle with a carbon-fibre monocoque.”
[Source: GoAuto]
We welcome news that Mercedes-Benz is set to produce a Black Series version of the SLS AMG. Speaking to Motor Trend about the SLS AMG, Tobias Moers, Director of Vehicle Development at AMG, said “We absolutely have to do a Black Series.”
The standard Gullwing model offers 570hp from its 6.3 litre V8. Expect the Black Series to be somewhere north of 600hp.
[Source: Motor Trend via World Car Fans]
The latest Formula 1 gaming effort from Codemasters is now upon us and here is the official trailer for F1 2011. If this clip is anything to go by then the game is sure to be a great mix of reality and fantasy. Best of luck to you all in winning the drivers’ championship from the comfort of your couch.
MINI USA has been embarking on a campaign to convert lazy automatic drivers into manual. The campaign is called Becoming a manual and uses cheesy 1950s style instructional techniques to get the point across.
‘Driving stick’ as Amercians uniquely call it is one of the world’s great cultural divides with almost everywhere else in the world able to manage the simple pleasure of choosing when to change gears. Americans, it would seem, have struggled with the concept for generations. We doubt this MINI campaign will have a lasting impact, but applaud them for having a go.
Their two-minute instructional video can be seen after the break.
Spare a thought for amateur racer Zahir Rana who put his edo competition tuned Ferrari Enzo into the drink during the recent Targa Newfoundland rally. Luckily he and navigator Roland Linder walked away unharmed. The poor Enzo, though, has some good drying time ahead of it.
Rana seems confident his car can be repaired. But would you trust a Ferrari with flooded electrics?
After the break you can watch how the incident happened; it was surprisingly low speed actually. You’ll also see brief interviews with both Rana and Linder.
Thanks to cnet Car Tech we can take a closer look at Audi’s developing Multi Media Interface (MMI) systems on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
In a large saloon like the new S8, for example, there’s plenty of room on the centre console to fit all the gadgets that control the car’s on board systems; navigation, stereo, climate control and the like. But can we expect the same level of control in a much smaller car, like the urban concept or A2?
In addition to last week’s news that a production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C will be on sale in Australia by 2014, we bring you these pics of the concept model from the floor at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. All can be viewed at 2000px super sizing by clicking on each image.
We’ve also added the pics from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. That’s 17 images in all of one of the prettiest sports coupés around.
It’s just a blinged up Cayenne. That’s right this new Eterniti brand, for now, takes a Porsche Cayenne adds a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic body kit and says voila—a brand new car!
To be fair they say they do a chassis-up rebuild of the car, including a bespoke interior. They also manage to find in excess of 620hp lurking inside its 4.8 litre twin-turbo V8 engine (compared to 500hp in the Cayenne Turbo).
Production of the Hemera will start early next year with deliveries expected by mid-2012. You’ll need around £150,000 to get your foot in the door, but we suspect the options and customisation possibilities will see many prices well beyond that. So around double the price of a Cayenne Turbo, then.
To help give the brand some credibility, Eterniti is being assisted by former race engineer Alastair Macqueen and former F1 driver Johnny Herbert. Most will be up to speed with Herbert’s 10-year F1 career as well as his Le Mans success. Macqueen has likewise experienced victory at Le Mans, as a race engineer for Jaguar and Bentley.
Eterniti say they have more plans in store, including a high-performance car from which a racing program could be developed. So, what of this Hemera then, and of Eterniti as a brand; are they onto something? Can this Cayenne on steroids really be a Hemeraroid—a pain in the backside to the major luxury players?
While the world had its eyes on the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, Audi set its sights on the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. They were there with a very well disguised RS4 Avant prototype.
Previous speculation has suggested the new RS4 would source its power from the same 331kW used in the RS5. However, we’d not be surprised if quattro GmbH simply turns up the wick on the new 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 now found in the S6, S7 and S8.
When tuned for the S8 the 4.0 litre unit offers 382kW (520hp), that’s a pretty good place to start for an RS4 we reckon. We just hope there’s a proper manual transmission offered.
[Source: Autoblog]