Month: March 2013

Categories
MINI

MINI’s Plant Oxford turns 100

MINI Plant Oxford turns 100

It seems everyone has a big birthday this year. Lamborghini turns 50, Aston Martin turns 100. On a smaller but no less significant scale the Porsche 911 turns 50 as well. Even my home town turns 100 this weekend. And so MINI is joining in the fun to celebrate the 100th birthday of what we used to know as Cowley and now know as MINI Plant Oxford.

The site was originally home to the Oxford Military College, which closed in 1896, and was given a new lease of life when William Morris took over the site in 1912. According to MINI, the first car, a ‘Bullnose’ Morris Oxford, rolled off the line on 28 March 1913.

Since then a surprisingly varied number of models and manufacturers have called Plant Oxford home. Almost 12 million cars have been made on the site. That includes 2.25 million MINIs, which began production under BMW’s watch in 2001. Prior to that the classic Mini was also built in Oxford from 1959–69.

There’s a more detailed history of the plant from BMW after the break, including some fascinating historical photos.

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Categories
Formula 1

19 races confirmed for 2013 F1 calendar

DateCountryGrand Prix
March 17AUSGrand Prix of Australia
March 24MYSGrand Prix of Malaysia
April 14CHNGrand Prix of China
April 21BHRGrand Prix of Bahrain
May 12ESPGrand Prix of Spain (Barcelona)
May 26MCOGrand Prix of Monaco
June 9CANGrand Prix of Canada
June 30GBRGrand Prix of Great Britain
July 7DEUGrand Prix of Germany
Jul 21EURNo race scheduled
July 28HUNGrand Prix of Hungary
August 25BELGrand Prix of Belgium
September 8ITAGrand Prix of Italy
September 22SGPGrand Prix of Singapore
October 6KORGrand Prix of Korea
October 13JPNGrand Prix of Japan
October 27INDGrand Prix of India
November 3UAEGrand Prix of AbuDhabi
November 17USAGrand Prix of USA (Austin)
November 24BRAGrand Prix of Brazil
Correct as at 9.3.13

 

There will be 19 races in the 2013 Formula 1 season after the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council met and confirmed there would be no substitute race for the postponed Grand Prix of New Jersey.

In early December last year the FIA rescheduled the 2013 F1 calendar to make space for another European-based Grand Prix. There was talk that Turkey might be reinstated, but nothing has come to fruition.

The short statement from the WMSC concerning Formula 1 read:

FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

It was noted that the negotiations over the Concorde Agreement were proceeding positively in order to be concluded in the near future.
The 2013 calendar was confirmed with 19 races.

Categories
Alfa Romeo

Listen to the Alfa Romeo 4C

Alfa Romeo 4C

The place to be before the Geneva Motor Show opened was outside the doors into the venue where the cars are driven in. One punter was there and captured this video of the Alfa Romeo 4C. It’s not the highest quality clip you’re ever going to see and the sound of the engine isn’t the most definitive you’ll ever hear either, but it does bring us closer to one of the most currently anticipated cars on the planet.

[Thanks to Craig for the tip]

UPDATE 9 March: New video from floor of Geneva has been added below.

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Categories
Ferrari

The LaFerrari in video

LaFerrari video

Ferrari has complemented its release of the LaFerrari with a suite of six videos. They are a bit nerdy in parts, but it’s also fascinating to get a closer look at the production techniques and technology used in Ferrari’s fastest ever road car. You can check them all out after the break.

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Categories
Ferrari

Seven little Australians want the LaFerrari

2013 LaFerrari

The strictly-limited LaFerrari hypercar has reportedly been sold out, although we suspect what that really means is that there’s sufficient interest in the car for Ferrari to follow its usual form of hand picking the punters deemed suitable to collect a set of keys. In the case of the LaFerrari they’ve got 499 happy phone calls to make.

One catch for local buyers is all 499 examples of the LaFerrari will be built in left-hand drive, which makes it tricky getting the car approved for local registration. However, that hasn’t stopped seven Australians from submitting expressions of interest in buying the LaFerrari.

Giving a clue to at least one potential owner, perhaps, was the response given to AUSmotive by Ferrari’s Australian distributor who said the LaFerrari would only be suitable for, “use abroad or for non-public road use in Australia at, for example, track days or their own private road systems.”

We wish the seven little Australians all the best in their quest to own one of the world’s most exciting and desirable machines.

Categories
Motor Shows Rolls-Royce

Geneva 2013: Rolls-Royce Wraith

Rolls-Royce Wraith

Last year it was the Phantom family, this year Rolls-Royce has graced the halls at the Geneva Motor Show with the Wraith coupé. With 465kW/800Nm of grunt from its V12 engine it is the fastest and most powerful Rolls-Royce ever made. With a ZF 8-speed transmission in can reach 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, ushered in the Wraith by saying, “Today we launch the ultimate gentlemen’s gran turismo, a car that embodies the spirit of Charles Stewart Rolls.

“The most powerful Rolls-Royce in history, Wraith promises the sense of adventure and speed that drove our founding forefather. But of course, Wraith’s starting point is luxury, refinement and quality, traits that remain as important to Rolls-Royce customers today as they were more than a century ago.”

Aside from those core values found inside the Wraith it also sports some very interesting satellite navigation technology. It’s been labelled by Rolls as Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT) and uses sat nav to anticipate the correct gear for the road ahead.

In the videos below the context given for the SAT system is doing a lap of the Nürburgring, where the position of the car is constantly monitored and the most appropriate gear for the next corner is loaded as if being driven by a professional race driver. If the system can truly keep up while fighting the Nordschleife then it must work pretty well. In theory.

Overall the Wraith looks kind of cool, we think, and perhaps it’s a sign of the increasing maturity of your AUSmotive Editor, but this model holds a real appeal that could turn into something tangible if we’re to be fortunate enough to fall into a massive pile of cash.

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Categories
Audi Motor Shows Motorsports

Geneva 2013: Audi RS5 DTM

2013 Audi RS5 DTM

Ahead of the 2013 DTM season Audi has rocked up to Geneva with its new weapon of choice, the RS5 DTM. Astute readers will know that DTM regulations prevented any major technical developments during the off-season, so is the move from the A5 badged racecar to the RS5 anything more than a marketing exercise?

There were around 4000 parts that could be scrutinised and optimised within the strict regulations, but has Audi achieved anything meaningful? Naturally, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Audi’s motorsport boss, wasn’t giving too much away on that front saying only, “Our technicians proved to be quite resourceful in the process.”

In an attempt to justify the new naming regime Ullrich added, “The abbreviation ‘RS’ stands for the sportiest Audi models. The performance data of the current RS5 and RS5 DTM are very similar. This is why we are of the opinion that both fit perfectly to one another.”

There will be eight RS5 DTM machines fighting for honours with BMW and Mercedes when the season starts on 5 May at Hockenheim.

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Categories
Alfa Romeo Motor Shows

Geneva 2013: Alfa Romeo 4C ‘Launch Edition’

Alfa Romeo 4C

Finally the long tease for the Alfa Romeo 4C is over. This, though, is the 4C ‘Launch Edition’ and it looks great in either of its two paint options, Carrara White or Alfa Red. There’s been a lot of speculation about this car and rather than rehash it all we’ll just list the facts, some of which are specific to the Launch Edition run. First, though, the all important weight of this sexy supercar has been confirmed at just 895kg!

  • 4C ‘Launch Edition’ priced from €60,000 and is ready to order now
  • ‘Launch Edition’ limited to 400 examples shared between Europe, Africa and the Middle East; 500 in the United States; just 100 for the rest of the world
  • 1750cc turbo petrol engine produces 179kW (240hp)/350Nm (80% of peak torque from 1700rpm)
  • Mid-engine, rear wheel drive configuration
  • 6-speed Alfa TCT twin dry clutch transmission
  • Carbon fibre monocoque central cell (weighs just 65kg)
  • Front and rear structures of the chassis made from aluminium
  • Roof reinforcements made from aluminium
  • Dry weight 895kg
  • 40:60 weight distribution (front:rear)
  • 3990mm long, 2000mm wide, 1180mm high, 2380mm wheelbase
  • Bi-LED headlights
  • Standard alloy wheels 17″ front, 18″ rear
  • Optional alloy wheels 18″ front, 19″ rear
  • Alfa DNA selector with ‘Race’ mode
  • TFT digital instrument display
  • Built at Maserati plant in Modena
  • Annual production capacity 3500 (1500 for Europe, 1200 for US, 800 rest of the world)
  • 0–100km/h in 4.5 seconds
  • Top speed 250km/h+

At this stage rumours suggest a sub-$80,000 price tag for the Australian market. The 4C is due on local shores in 2014.

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Categories
Hyundai Motor Shows WRC

Geneva 2013: Hyundai i20 WRC update

Hyundai i20 WRC

Last September Hyundai officially announced they would be launching a WRC assault with its i20 hatchback. They’re now using the Geneva Motor Show to update the world on their progress.

Aside from the slick looking black paint job the i20 WRC has had revisions to its aerodynamic package and chassis and suspension tune. Hyundai has also announced they plan to start competing in the 2014 WRC season, using the bulk of 2013 to undergo private testing.

Team Principal Michael Nandan said: “We are still in the infancy of our exciting WRC programme so the development curve for the car and team is steep. This latest version of the i20 WRC has centred on aerodynamics with the objective of improving the car’s cooling systems.

“Building up a new motorsport facility from scratch is an ambitious and rewarding challenge. We have begun the recruitment process but already have a number of key people in place who bring with them a wealth of rally and motorsport experience.

“Hyundai has returned to the World Rally stage to demonstrate its technical capabilities on one of the world’s most competitive stages. Our ultimate goal is to be victorious but we know that we have a lot of tough competition ahead of us. We will use this year to lay the solid foundations but hope to advance quickly as 2014 approaches.”

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Categories
Motor Shows Toyota

Geneva 2013: Toyota FT-86 Open Concept

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept

Chances are you may have already seen the topless Toyota 86, but if not here it is. At this stage the 86 convertible is being referred to as a concept model, but production prototypes are undergoing testing as we speak. Apart from that Toyota hasn’t really said much else about its chopped 86 other than it has a pretty white interior to match its white paint scheme.

Overall, if you’re a fan of convertibles, we reckon you’ll probably like this FT-86 Open Concept, it looks quite smart. As is often the case though, there may be a reason we’ve not been presented with any photos of the electrically controlled roof in the closed position.

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Categories
Ferrari Motor Shows

Geneva 2013: LaFerrari revealed

2013 LaFerrari

So, this is it, Ferrari’s Enzo replacement. Wait for it, it’s been named LaFerrari. Huh? The look is a little challenging too, that’s why we’ve started with the side profile above. There’s quite a bit of 458 Italia in the silhouette, which is good, but we’re pretty sure some other angles might leave you scratching your head. However, if you bear with it, the styling does grow in appeal.

As we expected the LaFerrari hypercar is powered by a petrol-electric drivetrain. The 6.3 litre V12, with a 9250rpm redline, does the lion’s share of the work, pumping out 800CV (588kW). The electric system complements that with an extra 163CV (120kW). That means the combined HY-KERS power output is 963CV (708kW). There’s the not so small matter of more than 900Nm of torque to be had as well.

For now, Ferrari remains a little coy on performance stats for the LaFerrari, saying only that 100km/h will take less than 3 seconds, 200km/h requires less than 7 seconds, while the nominate 15 seconds flat to reach 300km/h. It can reportedly lap the Fiorano circuit in 1 minute 20 seconds, which is 5 seconds quicker than the Enzo it replaces. Unsurprisingly, the LaFerrari is being labelled the fastest road car Ferrari has ever made.

The LaFerrari is a technological showpiece in all aspects. Four different types of carbon fibre have been used in its creation and its active aero package was tuned in Ferrari’s F1 wind tunnel. Further milking the company’s F1 heritage, the fixed-driver’s seat was designed in consultation with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa and its the pedal box that adjusts to suit each driver’s height.

Now, the name: LaFerrari. If you’re being polite you’d say it was a bloody stupid name. Yet, we’re told it’s all to do with excellence.

Ferrari’s President, Luca di Montezemolo said, “We chose to call this model LaFerrari because it is the maximum expression of what defines our company—excellence.

“Excellence in terms of technological innovation, performance, visionary styling and the sheer thrill of driving. Aimed at our collectors, this is a truly extraordinary car which encompasses advanced solutions that, in the future, will find their way onto the rest of the range, and it represents the benchmark for the entire automotive industry.”

Only 499 of Ferrari’s collectors will be able to call the LaFerrari their own and earlier reports suggest the order book is already full. Pricing is yet to be confirmed but it will expensive, very expensive!

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Categories
Motor Shows Volkswagen

Geneva 2013: Volkswagen Golf Variant

Volkswagen Golf VII Estate

Today has been a great day at Geneva. The Porsche 911 GT3 was revealed, and that way over the top Lamborghini Veneno, too. As we speak the covers have just come off the Alfa Romeo 4C and Ferrari’s Enzo replacement is moments away from its debut. But, never mind any of that! There’s a new Volkswagen Golf Variant! It’s sure to steal away the limelight from those tinpot models already mentioned.

The Golf VII “Variant” is so versatile it can be called a Variant in Europe, an Estate in the United Kingdom and a Wagon in Australia. Plus, it can fit up to four boxes in the boot. It’s true, there’s even a picture to prove it.

Thankfully, though, the new Golf Variant Estate Wagon is actually pretty nice to look at. For a Golf Variant Estate Wagon. At least, it’s a whole lot better looking than the old abomination it replaces.

Actually, what does sound quite interesting, and sadly there’s no pics from VW HQ just yet, is the Golf Variant R-Line. It features a flash body kit, a 110kW/320Nm 2.0 TDI engine and the latest Haldex V all-wheel drive system. Now that is something that sounds like it could be the perfect family planner Variant Estate Wagon.

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