Categories
Motor Shows Video

Video highlights from Goodwood FoS 2014

Jay Kay, LaFerrari, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed truly is one of the motoring world’s great events. It’s becoming increasingly important for manufacturers, who often turn up with world premieres, such as the McLaren 650S GT3 this year.

After the break there’s a collection of clips which showcase the diversity of the cars and drivers on show. Most of the clips have been sourced from the official Goodwood YouTube channel and if you have a spare 24 hours to kill you can watch all the action from the three days of the event.

2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed Full Replay // Day 1 // Day 2 // Day 3

Categories
Motor Shows Volkswagen

Wörthersee 2014: Volkswagen GTI Roadster

Volkswagen GTI Roadster

The fearsome GTI Roadster has just been wheeled out at the Wörthersee show and, oh boy, what a beast it is! Just look at the key stats. It’s powered by a 3.0 litre V6 biturbo pumping out a staggering 370kW (503PS). Peak torque is 560Nm and is on tap between 4000–6000rpm. Mind, 500Nm of that torque is all yours from just 2000rpm.

That power is sent through a 7-speed DSG and 4motion all-wheel drive system and Volkswagen says its 1420kg concept can reach 100km/h in 3.6 seconds. Keep your foot planted and you’ll top out at 309km/h.

In a case of life imitating art the GTI Roadster began as nothing more than a virtual creation for the Sony Playstation game Gran Turismo 6. After being asked by Sony to create a car for Gran Turismo’s fifteenth anniversary Volkswagen launched an internal design competition.

Judged by Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen Head of Design, and Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of Gran Tursimo, the winners were Malte Hammerbeck and Domen Rucigaj (exterior) and Guillermo Mignot (interior). They became informally known as the Vision GTI-GT6 taskforce.

The taskforce was joined by other designers and their visual creation was developed entirely by computer, including the 3D modelling. The press material below doesn’t offer any detail on the production of the model you see in the photos, though. But there are some very cool cutaway images for you after the break.

Freed from the reality of real-world production constraints the GTI Roadster is described by Volkswagen as the “most spectacular GTI ever” and it’s pretty hard to disagree with that claim.

Categories
Motor Shows Video

Chris and Mark have a chat in Geneva

Chris Harris and Mark Webber

This week’s video update from Chris Harris was filmed at the Geneva Motor Show. You know the drill, he walks around points a few things he likes and a few things he doesn’t. Along the way he caught up with a couple of Porsche Nine Ninenteen drivers, including our very own Mark Webber.

Categories
Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz MINI Motor Shows Nissan Peugeot Porsche Renault Rolls-Royce Seat Skoda Subaru Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo

2014 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2014 Geneva Motor Show

Here’s your second batch of photos from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, that makes it 155 photos in all. We start part 2 with the very cool Maserati Alfieri concept and end with the very cool Volvo Concept Estate. Cool!

Categories
Alfa Romeo Audi BMW Bugatti Chevrolet Citroen Dodge Ferrari Fiat Gumpert Honda Hyundai Jaguar Kia Lamborghini Lexus Motor Shows

2014 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 1

2014 Geneva Motor Show

Like us you probably haven’t had a chance to duck over to Europe to check out the Geneva Motor Show. So here’s the first of a two part series bringing you a selection of the cars on show. Here we start with Alfa Romeo and go through to Lexus.

Categories
Audi Motor Shows

Geneva 2014: Audi TT quattro sport concept

Audi TT quattro sport concept

Audi clearly wasn’t content with unveiling the new production-spec TT in Geneva, so they brought along this 420hp (309kW) TT quattro sport concept as well.

You might think that this is a preview of what to expect in the next TT RS. Maybe it is. Audi isn’t really giving any concrete rationale for the model other than these words from Technical Development boss Dr Ulrich Hackenberg: “With our Audi TT quattro sport concept show car, we wanted to demonstrate what the new TT’s technology can do if you take it a step further. This car is designed for racing—an extreme driving machine for the motorsports enthusiasts among our customers.”

To that end, and with any luck, expectations this is a forerunner to a production TT RS are lost when it’s revealed the concept car is powered by a heavily worked engine based on the familiar EA888 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder and not an inline five cylinder. Yeah, we know the days of the unique five-pot may be over, but we can live in hope.

It’s clear this can’t really be considered an EA888 engine when you consider the quattro sport concept motor has a lightweight crank, revised pistons, a new cylinder head and a specially created cast alloy block.

All told there’s 309kW/450Nm on offer and it can propel the 1344kg concept to 100km/h in only 3.7 seconds, thanks also to its S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system. Audi proudly boasts the engine produces 155kW/litre, which it describes as “a new benchmark” for a 2.0 litre.

We’re a bit unsure about the aggressive and angular body styling, what about you?

Categories
Motor Shows Seat Video

Geneva 2014: Seat Leon Cupra 280

Seat Leon Cupra 280

Seat has launched its Leon Cupra 280 at the Geneva Motor Show and in doing so has officially confirmed its claim on the unofficial front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring.

Of the record setting lap Seat says the Leon Cupra 280 was fitted with an optional Performance Pack, which includes uprated Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Former Seat WTCC driver Jordi Gene handled the driving duties around the Nordschleife on a dry day with ambient temp of 10°C.

Interestingly the Seat UK press release also states the car used was fitted with a DSG transmission, but on the video published by Top Gear you can clearly see Gene changing gears with what appears to be a manual transmission.

The Leon Cupra 280 is powered by a 2.0 litre TSI four cylinder engine producing, as its name suggests, 280PS (206kW). It’s also available in a detuned state with 195kW on offer. Both tunes offer 350Nm of torque.

If this is all sounding a little familiar that’s fair enough, the engine is also found in Volkswagen and Audi models. Unlike its stablemates the Leon is not available with an optional all-wheel drive system.

Categories
McLaren Motor Shows

Geneva 2014: McLaren 650S & 650S Spider

McLaren 650S Spider and 650S Coupe

We already knew McLaren would unveil its new 650S Coupé at the Geneva Motor Show, and we knew there would be a 650S at some stage too. We didn’t know both would be taking centre stage under the bright lights in Geneva.

The 650S, then, is a cross between a 12C and a P1, in that it’s built on a 12C platform but has styling tweaks clearly inspired by the P1. Following the Porsche style performance is somewhere in between the two.

There’s a stack of written text from McLaren after the break and before you begin to get stuck in here’s a quick look at the key numbers for the 650S Coupé, which is powered by a specially tuned version of the familiar 3.8 litre twin turbo McLaren M838T engine.

  • Drivetrain Layout: Longitudinal Mid-Engine, RWD
  • Engine Configuration: V8 Twin Turbo / 3799cc
  • Engine (PS / rpm): 650 / 7250
  • Torque (Nm / rpm): 678 / 6000
  • Transmission: 7 Speed SSG
  • Dry Weight (kg / lbs): 1330 / 2932
  • Power to weight (with lightweight options): 500 PS (493 bhp) /tonne
  • Power to weight (with lightweight options): 500 PS (493 bhp) /tonne
  • 0-100 kph (62 mph): 3.0 s
  • 0-200 kph (124 mph): 8.4 s
  • 0-300 kph (186 mph): 25.4 s
  • 0-400 m / ¼ mile: 10.5 @ 224 km/h (139 mph)

The Spider version weighs in at 40kg more than the Coupé and there’s a slight performance drop in some of those numbers above as you might expect. But it’s so close as to be barely noticeable. Read more below.

Categories
Alfa Romeo Motor Shows

Geneva 2014: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

When I was a young lad my mum had a white Alfa Spider. One of the first car memories I have is sitting on her lap holding the steering wheel as we drove along, turning on the indicators and just having a fun time.

So for more reasons than this new 4C Spider “design preview” looks fantastic, I really like this car. I think my mum would too.

For the less sentimental among you, you’ll be pleased to learn the 4C Spider will go into production early next year and will feature a lightweight soft-top closing roof.

Of course, a low kerb weight is the party trick of the regular 4C and Alfa has obviously not wanted to undo all that good work with the Spider. Just when you got used to the CFRP acronym we’re introduced to a new one here, low-density SMC or Sheet Moulding Compound. More fancy plastic, in other words.

The SMC is used around the rear window area and is topped off by carbon fibre rollover hoop. Carbon fibre has been used to strengthen to the top of the windscreen as well. All up Alfa says the Spider is “approximately 60kg” heavier than the hardtop.

This design study features a dual stage titanium exhaust from Akropovic with carbon fibre tips for added bling. You get the same 1750 turbo four cylinder from the coupé and with the 6-speed dual clutch ‘box the Spider Alfa says it can reach 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, just like the coupé.

The other major change with the Spider is the introduction of a new and more conventional headlight design. It’s a much cleaner result, too.

Categories
Motor Shows Porsche WEC

Geneva 2014: Porsche 919 Hybrid & 911 RSR

Porsche 919 Hybrid

Porsche has now released preliminary details for the 919 Hybrid, following the earlier leak. Not much else to add except to invite you to check out the images and information after the break.

Pics are also included for the 2014-spec 911 RSR which will fight for Porsche in the GTE Pro class during the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The full press kit from Porsche at the Geneva Motor Show is available below as well.

Categories
Honda Motor Shows

Geneva 2014: Honda Civic Type R Concept

Honda Civic Type-R concept

Honda has given us the first look at the all-new Civic Type R with this concept model now on show in Geneva. Yeah, it’s easy to laugh at the massive rear wing and 20″ alloys and dismiss this as another rice rocket, but this, this Type R is going to be good.

At least it will have to be in order to stand up to the hype and bold statements Honda is already making about the car. It’s a “racing car for the road,” Honda claims.

For now this is all part of Honda’s lengthy tease before the Type R is launched in Europe in 2015. So all they’re giving us is that the car will be powered by a 2.0 litre four cylinder turbo producing “at least” 280PS (206kW), which we already knew.

That leaves you to enjoy the pics and video after the break.

Categories
Motor Shows Volkswagen

Geneva 2014: Volkswagen T-ROC concept

Volkswagen T-ROC Concept

Volkswagen has revealed this T-ROC SUV concept at its pre-launch event ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. We’re told it’s a design study for a new model to sit beneath the Tiguan, while also providing a glimpse of what to expect from all future SUVs adorned with a Volkswagen badge.

Not that it matters too much, but the concept is powered by a 135kW/380Nm 2.0 TDI mated to a 7-speed DSG. Designed around Volkswagen’s MQB architecture includes three different driving modes: Street, Off-road and Snow.

The targa-style removable roof panels are pretty cool, too. Shame they won’t make it to production.