Following yesterday’s update on the all-new Lamboghini Gallardo replacement, the Cabrera, here’s a couple of videos for you. Both were filmed trackside at the Nürburgring and the second clip has a small bonus for Porsche fans as well.
It’s week two of Red Bull’s four part lesson in how to make a Formula 1 car and this week they’re teaching us all about composite materials. In this case, of course, the composite in question is carbon fibre. The material has revolutionised the sport in the 30 odd years since it was first introduced, so take the jump and learn all about it.
The 708kW LaFerrari is the latest in the triumverate of hybrid hypercars to attack the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
It joins the brief video we’ve seen of the McLaren P1, with a rumoured 7:04 lap time, and the apparently all-conquering Porsche 918 Spyder. Of course, the 918 grabbed headlines recently when Porsche announced it had broken the 7-minute barrier with a 6:57 lap time.
We shall have to wait and see what the Ferrari marketing department deems worthy of publishing in future to see if the 918’s time in the sun is about to be over.
For Volkswagen fans this is a story you’re going to like. Word is Volkswagen is working on an all-new 3.0 litre narrow angle V6 engine. With a 15° angle, suitable for transverse mounting, this marks a return to its much loved VR6 engine, first seen with a 2.8 litre capacity in the Mk3 Golf VR6 of the early 1990s.
Last seen in the Passat R36, with a 3.6 litre capacity, the VR6 was thought to be banished forever in favour of more efficient and lower emitting four cylinder units.
The news of the VR6’s return gets better, too. Fritz Eichler is the man in charge of the new engine and in a former life he had a role in the development of AMG engines for Mercedes-Benz.
But there’s still more! Cast your mind back to May this year when Volkswagen revealed its Design Vision GTI at the 2013 Wörthersee show. It was powered by a 370kW (500hp)/560Nm engine. That’s a lot for a GTI, right. So what sort of engine had VW dreamed up for this creation? A 3.0 litre V6 with twin turbochargers.
And therein lies the secret to its probable return. The benefits of turbocharging, fuel efficiency and lower emissions, look like giving the narrow-angle V6 a new future. Expect production engines to have somewhere around 250–335kW.
While the addition of turbocharging may rob the VR6 of some its rorty induction sound we’re pretty sure most fans will accept that as a small price to pay.
Let’s hope improvements in production techniques also result in a lighter weight engine, thereby removing one of the old VR6’s major flaws where the heavy engine mounted on the front axle increased the tendency to understeer.
Thinking further ahead, though, a next-gen Scirocco with a 250kW+ VR6? Sign us up!
To remind you all what a well-sorted VR6 engine sounds like we’ve added one of our favourite YouTube clips after the break.
[Source: AutoWeek | Thanks to SlyOne for the tip]
Noted F1 photographer Darren Heath reminds us in his latest blog why his thoughts are essential reading. Heath starts off by giving an insight into the behind the scenes discussions over cost saving in the sport:
Laying a barely concealed trap for the hapless team heads, the F1 supremo’s tactical play ensures that the teams can hardly complain about having more races if they are quite prepared to spend many millions of dollars – which they supposedly haven’t got – on engineer-pleasing but essentially unnecessary testing. Agreeing with Bernie, Franz Tost – in his typically practical Austrian manner – argues well that having more races is preferable to testing. Far better to spend budgets on races, and earn money as a result, than to see no financial return from extended and lonely trips to Jerez, Barcelona, Bahrain, Dubai et al.
Before sharing an opinion on Christian Horner many will not have concluded themselves, declaring the Red Bull Racing boss is “streets ahead of the competition”:
He doesn’t harp on about money-saving measures. No – he gets on with doing his job, playing the game, walking a clever political path, ensuring that everything is as it should be for his mechanics, his engineers, his designers, his strategists, his multi-title-winning driver, and ultimately his Austrian paymasters.
Make sure you note the singular use of the word “driver” too.
[Source: Darren Heath | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
With the movie world descending into the 1970s through the imminent worldwide release of Ron Howard’s F1 movie Rush, Martin Brundle and Karun Chandok have put together a timely feature for Sky Sports where they drive the 1974 Ferrari 312 B3 and the 1977 McLaren M26.
Ferrari and McLaren are two giants of Formula 1. It’s certainly interesting to hear two former F1 drivers, from separate eras, discuss what it’s like to drive these 1970s icons. And to illustrate just how much of a momentum shift the sport has seen in recent years Karun Chandok signs off by saying, “These were the Red Bulls of the 70s.”
Forty years ago, who would have thought the established Ferrari and emerging McLaren would be shown up in F1 by a marketing company whose stock in trade is soft drinks!
Lamborghini is well known for releasing new iterations of its very fine Gallardo supercar and now we’re facing the prospect of another one. But the good news here is that this is an all-new model and not another “one-off” limited edition finale.
A new Lambo prototype, codenamed LP724, has been snapped at the Nürburgring in recent days. It’s expected the Gallardo-replacement will be ready for sale around the middle of 2014, after making its show debut in Geneva next March.
Believed to be called the Cabrera the new name follows tradition by referencing a family of Spanish bulls and not likeable golfers from Argentina.
Parent company Audi won’t be missing the boat here either and the Cabrera and the next-gen R8 will be built around a common modular spacefame. There will still be major differences between the two cars with the R8 to have its wheelbase extended by 30mm to allow for greater interior comfort.
Meanwhile, the new entry-level Lambo supercar will look to the ball-tearing Sesto Elemento for its exterior inspiration. Lamborghini will stick with a 5.2 litre V10 for the Cabrera with revisions expected to deliver as much as 600hp (450kW).
Interestingly Autocar reports the car will come standard with a 6-speed manual transmission, leaving a 7-speed DSG from the R8 to be an option only. This would contradict a two-year-old rumour suggesting Lamborghini would not be using manual boxes for any future models.
[Source: Autocar]
Sebastien Ogier has displayed the petulance of a world champion by saying he deserves to win the Rally de France-Alsace (3–6 October) on the way to clinching his maiden WRC crown.
On current form you’d think Ogier doesn’t have a lot to worry about, but all-time great Sebastien Loeb will emerge for one final hurrah in France and on his home tarmac Loeb could pose a genuine threat to Ogier’s ascension plans.
Talking about his approach to racing in France Ogier said: “I will go there for the victory. The only point which would make a bad situation for me, of course, [is] if Seb Loeb wins the rally and I got trouble or something.
“Then it will be a bit of a shadow on my championship against his victory again and I think I don’t deserve that.”
Hmm, getting a bit ahead of yourself there Sebastien?
So far in 2013 Loeb has competed in three WRC events: Monte Carlo (win), Sweden (second to Ogier) and Argentina (win). It’s been 12 months since Loeb competed in a tarmac event. But let’s face it, the nine-time champ is no rookie and he will be up to speed in no time.
Ogier missed securing the WRC title in Rally Australia by a single point, as such he only needs to finish in the top 10 in France to inherit Loeb’s title. If we were him we’d take a conservative approach in France and be prepared to lose a battle on the way to winning a very satisfying war.
[Source: Autosport]
Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann says he now expects the Urus SUV to be signed off for production.
Speaking at the opening of a new showroom in Tokyo, Winkelmann said: “We’re working on it and it will come, which will be good for the brand.
“We’re going low profile now. I can’t tell you much on details now, but when we get close to the launch, we will have more.”
Those keen on getting dirty in the Urus have time on their hand with the model not expected to be launched until 2016 or 2017. When they do have an SUV ready for sale Lambo reckons they can shift up to 3000 units annually.
[Source: Automotive News Europe]
Sunday night lights! We bring you another mega-gallery of images from the world of Formula 1, this time from under the lights of the Singapore Grand Prix. For the third race in a row Sebastian Vettel dominated the weekend and further tightened the screws on securing a fourth straight championship.
The new BMW M3/M4 will have “approximately” 320kW (430hp) and “substantially more” than 500Nm of torque. It will be powered by a “high-revving” 3.0 litre inline six cylinder engine with two mono-scroll turbochargers.
A 6-speed manual gearbox will be available, along with an optional 7-speed DCT featuring launch control. The M4 coupe will weigh less than 1500kg, around 80kg less than the E92 model.
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic has been used throughout and will be used for the roof of the M3 (sedan) for the first time. Even the pro-shaft is made from CFRP, which saves 40% in weight compared with the old M3’s prop-shaft.
These are some of the key highlights for the new F80 M3/F82 M4 and you can read more detail after the break.
Everybody loves the Alfa Romeo 4C. And all of us have probably, at some stage, thought about buying one. So what would you think if us Australians could buy a 4C for $75,000? Hmm, an A45 AMG hot hatch or a rear-wheel drive sportscar?
The 4C has the potential to mix it with the exalted Porsche Cayman and for almost half the price. Of course the truth may bear some difference, but a $75K starting price was the word coming out of the 4C’s recent launch in Italy.
A sub-$80K price rumour has been on the cards for several months now. However, it’s always nice to hear such rumours continue as the local launch draws closer.
The 4C ‘Launch Edition’ is confirmed for Australia and is expected to be around $20,000 more than the regular model.
Limited to 1000 examples worldwide, 400 ‘Launch Edition’ models will be shared between Europe, Africa and the Middle East; 500 to the United States and the remaining 100 cars to be shared between the rest of the world.
We asked Alfa Romeo’s Australian contact for a comment on the $75K rumour. Our question and the official reply can be read after the break.