Year: 2013

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Caterham F1 in pictures Ferrari Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing Toro Rosso

2013 Belgian Grand Prix in pictures

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Here’s your lot, recapturing Vettel’s dominance, from the scenic Ardennes mountains. It’s a majestic circuit in a beautiful location. Everyone loves Spa-Francorchamps!

We loved Mark Webber’s scenic bike ride and we also loved the many views of Eau Rouge. It’s easy to dismiss the corner in these times when an F1 car can just nail it flat down the hill and over the blind crest of Radillon.

You probably need to see it with your own eyes to appreciate just how steep that climb is. How fearsome it would be, flat out in an F1 car, heading into the unknown searching for the relative safety of the Kemmel Straight. We can only imagine the feeling one’s body would experience with the fluctuation of G forces and messages being fired into your brain from your watering eyes.

Just amazing.

Knowing what we know now about the Greenpeace protest, it’s also interesting to see the evidence of the signs being installed as the cars were lining up on the grid to start the race.

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Porsche

Porsche 911 GT3: A feast for the senses?

991 Porsche 911 GT3

I’m not sure about anybody else reading this, but there’s nothing I’d love more than to have the ability to spec a 911 GT3 to my liking, place the order and wait with increasing anticipation for the day I was able to drive it off the showroom floor.

My own GT3. It would be a dream come true.

In this video Andreas Preuninger, Mr Porsche GT3, tells us a little about the development of the car. It’s a feast for the senses he reckons.

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Peugeot

Peugeot 308 R concept leaked

Peugeot 308 R concept

As far as leaks go this is a pretty good one. No dodgy blurry images, but the real deal, in all their multi-pixel glory. Now, what is this bordering on crazy contraption that we’re looking at? It’s a Peugeot 308 R concept.

Depsite the terribly shit paint job the car itself sounds rather promising. It’s got a 270hp (200kW) 1.6 litre turbo (and why can’t MINI get that much poke from the same engine?) and Torsen limited slip diff from the RCZ R—a car we’re so disinterested in we’ve not featured it here on AUSmotive. The 308, though, is not an awkwardly shaped blob that has proportions that would make John Merrick blush.

So, to start with we don’t mind this cooking 308 model. Presumably we’ll have all the finer details for you as Frankfurt draws closer. With any luck those details will outline a feasible plan of turning this concept into a car that hot hatch buyers can add to their ever growing shopping list.

[Source: Oppositelock via Caradisiac | Thanks to Richard for the tip]

UPDATE 28 August: Official press release added below.

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Porsche WEC

More birthday joy for Mark!

2014 Porsche LMP1 racecar

Porsche has used its dedicated Mission 2014 microsite to bring us more photos of its LMP1 racecar. And we’re sharing them with you to help celebrate Mark Webber’s birthday. We think he’ll quite like his new present, even if he has to wait a while yet to open its swirly camouflage wrapping.

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Volvo

Volvo Concept C Coupé teased ahead of Frankfurt

Volvo Concept C Coupé

Volvo wants to change the perception of its design. It’s too vanilla they reckon. So new design boss Thomas Ingenlath has claimed via a video teaser that he’s about to change all that.

Inside his video four teaser images are flashed at the 11 second mark. They show a new Concept C Coupé, which had already been previewed via an anonymous debut a few days ago (the image above).

Looks like we’ll be seeing more of the Concept C Coupé later this week, before the car stands proudly on Volvo’s stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks. So far it looks like Mr Ingenlath is doing a good job of upholding his word.

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Jaguar

Jaguar F-Type R coupé looks the business

Jaguar F-Type R coupe

Jaguar has been enjoying the sun at the Nürburgring with its new F-Type R coupé. Even with the dramatic disguise wrapped around its body the F-Type coupé still looks fantastic. Based on the F-Type convertible that’s hardly a surprise as the roofless version looks ace too.

What we like most about this hardtop version is that it is expected to debut in R guise with a 540hp (400kW) 5.0 litre supercharged V8. Ceramic brakes should help keep all that power in check; look at the brakes on this test mule, they are serious!

It’s expected we’ll have all the answers on the F-Type coupé before the year is out.

[Source: Autocar]

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Ferrari

Ferrari 458 Speciale video teaser

Ferrari 458 Speciale

After last week’s announcement regarding the Ferrari 458 Speciale we’re very much looking forward to learning more about this car. Ferrari has released a brief video teaser, bringing us very close to the finer details of car and its 445kW 4.5 litre V8. We want to hear it though!

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Audi

Remember the Audi S1 hot hatch?

Audi S1 prototype

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about the Audi S1, but thankfully Autocar brings us an update thanks to a new series of spy shots.

Best guesses now suggest the S1 will be powered by a version of the Volkswagen Group’s EA888 2.0 litre turbocharged engine, with power expected to be around 220hp (165kW). There’s still speculatiom that a manual gearbox, as well as an S tronic, will be available. And, of course, wearing a S badge means the S1 will also employ an all-wheel drive system.

Predictions for the car’s launch say the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, next March, could be the date. The S1 would be introduced as part of a newly facelifted A1 range.

[Source: Autocar]

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Porsche WEC

Happy birthday Mark, here, have a Martini

Porsche LMP1, a new chapter

It’s Mark Webber’s birthday today. The old fella turns 37. In time for his celebrations, Porsche has released a new teaser for its return to LMP1 racing at Le Mans.

For Mark, and for Porsche, it’s almost time to forget history and time to get busy writing a new chapter.

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Citroen WRC

Dani Sordo wins 2013 Rally Germany

Dani Sordo wins 2013 Rally Germany

Citroën pairing Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have shown great personal character to claim their maiden WRC victory. The Spanish duo have been dropped for next month’s Rally Australia, but fought out a gripping battle with Ford’s Thierry Neuville to win Rally Germany.

In truth the win came about because both Volkswagen’s crashed out of contention while leading the rally; Sebastien Ogier on Day 1, followed by Jar-Matti Latvala on Day 2. Neuville inherited the lead from Latvala but was unable to withstand the strong pace shown from Sordo all weekend, who took the lead late on Day 3.

Able to maintain the lead in the final day Sordo was elated with his first WRC win. “It’s fantastic to claim my first win after such a close fight,” he said. “We had no choice but to keep applying the pressure and in the end, Thierry was forced into a mistake. We didn’t get off to a particularly good start, but we all worked together to improve. We did the hardest part yesterday, but we had to maintain our form today and that’s exactly what we did. Now that I have my first win, I want some more!”

Ogier was able to claim the three points on offer in the power stage, so it wasn’t a total loss for him and Volkswagen. Although, Citroën managed to cut 29 points out of Volkswagen’s championship lead.

The WRC entourage hits our shores next month for Rally Australia (12–15 September).

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Ferrari Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing

2013 Belgian GP: Post-race press conference

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel explains the tale of Belgian Grand Prix victory lay in a good opening lap. “It helped the first lap to have the tow off Lewis through Eau Rouge and then I was flying,” he said. “Once I passed him we had incredible pace and really could control the race until the end.”

Finishing in fifth place wasn’t part of Mark Webber’s plans in his final F1 appearance at Spa. “The two practice starts before the race weren’t great and so we were a bit worried about the clutch going to the start, which put us on to the back foot,” Mark said. “We tried our best, but lost a couple of rows off the line which is not good. We then had to try and clear people on the track, which was difficult, as we had set up the top gear to race in clean air, rather than to pass. The bad start put us out of position and it snowballs from there, as you use up the tyres trying to getting to back into position.”

Meanwhile Daniel Ricciardo was happy to finish in the points after starting from P19. “It was nice to get that point! We ran a long first stint on the Hards and I think that helped us build a good base to have a strong pace in the final stints on the Medium,” Daniel explained. “I felt much more comfortable on the Option tyre and that’s when my race really started. With the last set of tyres I was knocking out maybe ten or so qualifying laps and managed to pick off some cars in front to bring home that crucial point.”

The full transcript of the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

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Formula 1 News

Greenpeace protests against Shell at Belgian GP

2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Greenpeace carried out a protest against Shell at yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix. They wanted to bring attention to Shell’s drilling and exploration for oil in the arctic region. A number of banners and signs were placed around the circuit, including the use of two remote controlled signs that were activated in front of the podium (video below).

The appearance of these signs, or perhaps the removal of them, was responsible for the jeering and booing that could be heard during the post-race interview held on the podium with David Coulthard.

Vanessa Hall, protesting with a banner on the pit straight grandstand, said:  “This sport is all about cutting edge developments in engineering and safety, but Shell’s Arctic drilling programme relies on technology and equipment that was developed before today’s drivers were even born. And of course the only reason Shell can drill there at all is because climate change is melting the Arctic ice cap, and they’re going in to drill for more of the stuff that caused the melt in the first place—it’s madness.”

Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director, said: “I was a fan of Grand Prix racing when I was growing up, but I am not a fan of what Shell is doing in the Arctic. Right now we are in the race of our lives against Shell, a company that sees the melting of the Arctic as a business opportunity, rather than a warning. Every driver and F1 fan knows that oil on the tracks spells disaster; an oil spill in the Arctic would be catastrophic. We hope that when they’ve heard about what Shell is up to they’ll join the almost four-million-strong movement to save the Arctic.”

You can read more at Greenpeace.

UPDATE: New images added below courtesy of Greenpeace.

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