If you insist on your 4 Series Coupé being a convertible, BMW has now answered your prayers. Available at launch in 420d, 428i and 435i (pictured above) designations, the F33 4 Series convertible features a three-piece roof that can be opened in 20 seconds at speeds of up to 18km/h.
Pretty much everything else is the same as the coupé, so knock yourself out below with the pics and press guff BMW has supplied.
After missing out on the win at today’s Japanese Grand Prix, Mark Webber explained he started the race on a two-stop strategy, but the team switched him to a three after his first stop.
“I think we tried to race Romain at the start and then in the end we switched to the three,” Mark said. “So I was the meat in the sandwich, trying to beat Romain on a two and then all of a sudden we decided to do a three. I was a little bit surprised. I asked was it the right thing to do because I felt we could get to the lap we were looking to get to.”
Daniel Ricciardo reflected on his drive-through penalty, which he says cost him a points finish. “I am disappointed not to have scored some points today, because I am convinced I was heading for the top ten, which would have been an encouraging result, after struggling with the balance of the car on Saturday,” he said.
“We started on the Hard tyre and after I made a good start to move up two places, it was looking good as I passed Bottas on the track and moved up the order as those on the Medium pitted ahead of me. I was moving up the order again after my first stop and then I made a move on the outside of Sutil at the 130R and got past him. But after that, I ran wide onto the grass, which lost me a bit of time. Sadly, the Stewards decided I had gained an advantage by going off the track and had to take a drive-through penalty, which of course ruined my race.â€
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]
We bring you a tasty one minute video of what appears to be an Audi R8 GT circulating at the Nürburgring. The limited run of 333 R8 GTs was launched back in 2010 so it would stand to reason if Audi was going to release a new version based on the since facelifted R8.
And yet this mystery car lapping during an industry pool session is running pre-facelift headlights. Although, you can see the rear wing is bigger and reportedly the rear diffuser was different too.
While you’re speculating on what this R8 may or may not be you can enjoy the sounds of its V10 at work and also spot a few other prototypes doing their thing.
We’d never heard of the Autoline Network before stumbling across this post on Autoblog, but we were intrigued by the promise of a discussion on styling versus design. Are they one and the same, or two completely different things?
Jim Hall fronts a segment called Design Handbook and he has a crack at defining the two terms for us. Perhaps this is being too harsh, but if you’re going to discuss the differences between style and design wouldn’t it be a nice idea if you had a bit of the former and your outlet practiced the latter?
Similarly, towards the end of the clip Hall uses a couple of modern day cars to help explain his point. We were left wondering, are they the best examples he could come up with? While his first example perfectly described his point, the latter, not so much. Not to us at least.
Anyway, watch the video and let us know what you think.
Oh how all of Australia wished Mark Webber could convert his pole position into a race win at the Japanese Grand Prix today. Yet, just as Stuart MacGill’s cricketing talent was never fulfilled thanks to the presence of Shane Warne, Webber had to once again watch, seemingly powerless, as his teammate went on to craft another grand prix victory. Mark left to content himself with second place.
Both Red Bull drivers made clumsy starts from the front row and the Lotus lead-driver-in-waiting Romain Grosjean took the opportunity to take the lead into the first corner from P4. In the melee of the start Vettel clipped Lewis Hamilton’s left rear. Hamilton had made a good start too, but his race was ruined after the subsequent puncture and damage to his floor of his Mercedes AMG eventually sent him into retirement.
The rest of the field was left to fight over the scraps as the leading trio got down to the business of winning the race. A mix of strategies—Webber, three stops; Vettel and Grosjean, two stops—meant we spent the bulk of the race waiting for Mark’s final pit stop so we could finally see what would happen next.
Grosjean left himself the longest final stint on his tyres and after Vettel emerged from his final stop behind the Lotus driver his task was to overtake as soon as possible in order to build a lead in anticipation of Webber’s closing pace in the last few laps. True to form Vettel got the job done, forcing his way past Grosjean without losing too much time.
Webber entered the pits in the lead, with the gap back to Vettel closing by the lap. But with a brand new set of prime tyres, and close behind Grosjean, he had 10 laps to overtake the Frenchman and set about chasing down Vettel. What Vettel made look easy, Webber made look hard. He eventually did get past Grosjean, but with just two laps left in the race, the damage was done and Vettel cruised to a seven second victory.
Daniel Ricciardo had an anonymous race and finished in P13, one place behind Jean-Eric Vergne. Daniel’s race was affected after he ran wide on the exit of 130R overtaking Adrian Sutil. The race stewards said he gained an unfair advantage by running off the circuit and issued him with a drive-through penalty. Elsewhere not much else happened.
Today’s win is Vettel’s fifth in a row since the mid-season break and his ninth race win of the year. Fernando Alonso’s fourth place was enough to delay Vettel’s championship party for a couple of weeks until the teams reassemble for the Indian Grand Prix.
Back when I tested the BMW M5 another car joined us on the test. As you’ve clearly guessed by now that car was an Aston Martin Rapide. And while I didn’t get a lot of time behind the wheel it would be rude not to share the experience with you.
Prior to hitting the road we met for a bite to eat and while walking back to the cars the Aston had to drive past us to join our small convoy. Right away it was clear that Aston Martins enjoy much public adoration. People stopped to look as the V12 Rapide drove by, one person clearly heard saying, “Wow, did you see the Aston Martin!”
And with good reason, too, because the Rapide is a beautiful looking car. Long, lithe and beautfully proportioned.
Even during our test, where the road is shared with weekend warriors of all persuasions—cars, motorbikes and cyclists—we enjoyed a chat with a few like minded souls. Nobody seemed to care about the M5, they just smiled at the Aston and wanted to ask all about it.
Inside the Rapide it’s just as beautiful as out. The materials are first class and its assembly was difficult to fault. It has a few ideosynchrasies, like the gear selector buttons beneath the central air conditioning vents, but you really could spend all day snuggled inside this cabin where all your senses are spoilt.
Although, not so much if you had to ride in the back seat. Curiously, for a car designed as a dedicated four-seater the back seats are a very snug fit. Indeed, if anyone in the front row is tall then the rear seat is not much good for anyone other than a small adult or child.
Okay, so we know the Aston is special enough to make the experience an event even before the 6.0 litre V12 is fired up, what happens when you press the start button?
Those of you keen on the Mk7 Golf GTI will have probably already been to check out the car. If you haven’t you can arm yourself with more info courtesy of this brochure (2.5mb PDF) detailing all the specs for the Australian market.
The brochure complements the material we’ve already published on Australian specification GTIs, including pricing and the local press kit.
Mark Webber’s F1 farewell tour finally has a highlight after he claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix this afternoon. It’s the first time he’s out qualified Sebastian Vettel this year and is the twelfth pole position of his career.
Webber (1:30.915) was the only driver to lap the much loved Suzuka circuit under 1:31 and he was almost two tenths quicker than Vettel (1:31.089). For a change it was Vettel who struggled today with a KERS issue, which first arose during the morning practice session and reappeared during Q3.
It was a fact acknowledged by Mark in the post-race press conference. “Sebastian had a problem in qualifying, so a little bit of a hollow pole position if you like, because he still did a phenomenal lap, but I’m happy to be on pole,” Mark said. “You’ve got to grab the opportunities when you can and still put the laps in.”
It’s clear that Mark and all the other drivers love Suzuka and it would be a great result if Webber is able to convert his pole into a race win. The good news for Mark is that a Red Bull driver has been on pole for the last four starts at Suzuka and he has gone on to win the race three times. The bad news is “he” is Sebastian Vettel, who will be doing his best to get into the first corner ahead of Mark and control the race.
Lewis Hamilton (1:31.253) has been on the pace all weekend for Mercedes AMG and he will line up on the second row, with a resurgent Romain Grosjean (1:31.365).
Speaking of resurgent, Felipe Massa (1:31.378) has out qualified Fernando Alonso (1:31.665) again and the soon-to-be unemployed Brazilian will start from P5. Nico Rosberg (1:31.397) will line up from P6.
It was not a good day for Toro Rosso, Daniel Ricciardo (1:32.485) will start from P16. Although, he had better luck than Jean-Eric Vergne (1:33.357) who was forced out of Q1 after his rear brakes caught on fire.
“That wasn’t a good session for us,” Daniel said. “Which is disappointing as yesterday was one of the best Fridays we have had in a while.
“The wind has played a bit of a part today, but we definitely should have been further up than that. I would have liked a better result of course, but we will have to see what we can do in the race.”
The full transcript of the post-quali press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sad news in the world of Formula 1 with confirmation former Marussia test driver Maria de Vilotta passed away on Friday. The 33-year-old was found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain.
“I can confirm that her death was due to natural causes. The family has been informed,” said Dr Joaquin Lucena Romero, head of forensic services at the Institute for Legal Medicine.
In July last year de Villota was involved in a serious accident while testing for Marussia at Duxford Aerodrome in England. She lost her right as a result of her injuries, making her first public appearance three months later.
The Marussia F1 Team issued a brief statement, which reads: “It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that Maria de Villota has passed away.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria’s family and friends at this very difficult time.â€
An obiturary can read at the Autosport website.
[Source: BBC]
In this brief video you will see a Mk7 Golf GTI with Performance Pack and DSG going from go to go! For a hot hatch the new GTI pulls pretty strongly to about 200km/h at which point the fuel needle begins to move almost as quickly as the indicated speed.
Of course, we’re showing you this video because you’d never be silly enough to try this yourself. Would you?
Porsche is readying us all for the launch of the new Macan SUV with a dedicated microsite, which includes a new teaser image and two new sketches.
Of the new Macan, Porsche says:
Build a compact SUV? No, we’d rather think outside the box.
We’ve built what we always build: a Sports Car. Five doors, five seats and yet intimate with the road; boasting plenty of space for hobbies, leisure and sport. But no room for compromise. Compact, concentrated and intensive, but still powerful. Practical but never ordinary.
There’s also a teaser video showing a couple of prototypes on the company’s Weissach test track, as well as carving it up on some sand dunes. We hate to admit it, but we think Porsche is about to make the SUV very cool!
The official launch of the Macan is scheduled for the LA Auto Show on 20 November (although we expect details will be released a day or two earlier).
In a nciely choreographed piece of timing Mario Muth is back with another in-depth interview, this time it’s F1 royalty with Murray Walker the man in front of the camera. Yesterday, of course, was Murray’s 90th birthday.
The interview goes for almost an hour, at this stage we’re only half way through and already Murray has touched on how he got started in commentary, his relationship with James Hunt and what he really thinks of Murrayisms.
You’ll enjoy this.