Word is that Porsche has almost sold all of its 918 Spyder hybrid hypercars. They’re only making 918 of them and the first delivery is expected on the 18th of September (there’s that 918 number thing again).
And unless you have the seven figures likely required to buy one for yourself the closest you’re likely to get is to pretend you’re building your own. Don’t like the 918 in guards red, then go make your own at the official configurator. You’ve got 11 other colours to choose from!
Mark Webber has given more insight into his move to Porsche in 2014, revealing he has started to lose motivation for Formula 1.
Speaking to F1 Racing magazine the likeable Aussie said: “I’ve been on the edge with F1, motivation-wise, for the past couple of years.
“You have to be driven. You turn yourself around each winter and the fire in the belly is not quite what it was when you were 24.”
Mark has often said he’d rather leave F1 while he was still competitive, rather than hanging on a season or two too long.
“I still enjoy being belted in the car and driving down the pit lane, which is a bit disappointing,” he added. “But I’ve spoken to some really good sportsmen and women who have been at the crossroads where making the call was not easy and they messed it up.
“I’m probably leaving F1 a year too soon but with the [regulation] changes next season and the opportunity to join Porsche, it’s the best move for me.
“It’s not about driving or racing, it’s about keeping my own F1 program going for 11 months of the year. And it’s just got to the point where it’s like, well, I’ve achieved a lot of things.
“But it does, in the end, force you to ask yourself the question: ‘Do I have to be here, doing this?’ And when Porsche came along, I could look myself in the eye and say: ‘Well, you know what, I probably don’t have to do some of those things any more.”
Meanwhile, McLaren driver Sergio Perez says he expects Daniel Ricciardo to make the most of his promotion to Red Bull’s senior team.
[Source: BBC | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Here you can see a pair of LaFerraris take to the Fiorano test track. Maranello’s hybrid hypercar is powered by a 588kW 6.3 litre V12 complemented by an extra 120kW of electric power. The combined HY-KERS power output is 708kW (963CV). Torque is a very handy 900Nm as well. Put all that on a track and we reckon the blokes behind the wheel were having fun!
Volkswagen ace Sebastien Ogier enjoyed a commanding weekend around Coffs Harbour winning 19 of 22 stages on his way to a dominant Rally Australia victory. It’s his sixth win of the year and came within a whisker of confirming his maiden world championship.
In order for Ogier to claim the title in Australia he needed to finish nine points or more ahead of Ford’s Thierry Neuville. And for much of the event, with Neuville in third place out of Mikko Hirvonen’s reach in second place, the stars seemed aligned for Ogier.
However, Hirvonen’s Citroën suffered a puncture on the final stage and cost him enough time to promote Neuville into second place. It was rotten luck for Hirvonen who has endured a difficult year. He is a three-time winner of Rally Australia and was enjoying a good rally and looked set for a comfortable second place.
The mathematical chance for Neuville to upset Ogier now hangs on by a single point, although most now expect Ogier will have the luxury of confirming his world title in front of his home crowd in next month’s Rally de France-Alsace.
Elsewhere in the field Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a puncture to his Polo R WRC on the opening day which put him out of contention. He was able to earn some decent points for Volkswagen in the manufacturers’ championship, though, coming home in fourth place. Young Volkswagen driver Andreas Mikkelsen put his name in the spotlight ending Day 1 in the lead of the event. His inexperience showed and he finished the race in sixth place.
For Citroën it had subbed out Rally Germany winner Dani Sordo for Kris Meeke. In the early stages Meeke was repaying that faith on the difficult Australian gravel running well and looking secure in third place. On Day 2 a small mistake sent Meeke down a steep embankment and his car rolled several times. The Citroën crew did an amazing job to rebuild the car overnight and Meeke was able to rejoin the rally on the final day. Unfortunately he made another error and ripped the right rear suspension from his car. The 34-year-old Irishman cut a forlorn figure at rally’s end.
A quick shout out too for Coffs Harbour local Nathan Quinn who was competing in a Motorsport Italia MINI JCW WRC and brought it home in one piece in eighth place collecting four world championship points.
Photos, videos and official press statements from both Volkswagen and Citröen are all yours after the break.
In 12 months the FIA will launch its Formula E racing series. For the first season, at least, this Spark-Renault SRT 01E racecar will be the only car you’ll see in action.
An assortment of 10 teams, with two drivers each, will compete in races held across 10 cities spanning four continents. The inaugural season is scheduled to run from September 2014 through to June 2015.
The Spark-Renault SRT 01E has been supported by many leading names from the motorsport world. Design and assembly has been carried out by Spark Racing Technology and Renault is responsible for the electric drivetrain. Behind the scenes McLaren Electronic Systems has played a role in development and assembly of the powertrain, along with the electronic controls. Williams Advanced Engineering did the battery design while Dallara is responsible for the chassis.
Peak power is capped to 200kW, although during races the cars will be limited to 133kW, with the full power in short bursts available in a push to pass mode. Highlighting the limitations of the current technology drivers will have to pit twice during each race, which lasts for one hour, in order to change cars. Yes, change cars!
During practice and qualifying the cars, which weigh 800kg including the driver, will have the full 200kW available to them. Qualifying will consist of just two timed laps per driver.
While wishing the FIA all the best with this Formula E, we’re expecting it to have quite a few teething problems while the series matures.
It’s been over three years since German entrepreneur Michael Stoschek captured the imagination of the motoring world by commissioning a 21st century interpretation of the legendary Lancia Stratos.
Styled by Pininfarina and wrapped around the shell of a Ferrari F430, we were teased with the prospect of the New Stratos being built in strictly limited numbers. And then, Ferrari crushed all hope.
Now all we are left with is a series of photographs and the opportunity to buy a specially created book and DVD. Still, at €25 for the pleasure we’re guessing many more people can own this piece of motoring history than could have afforded an actual New Stratos!
[Source: New Stratos]
More often than not track days are fun. If you like them the next step is amateur level club racing. That can be fun too. You get out on track, with like minded souls wanting to push themselves and their cars to the limits.
Sadly, sometimes some club racers confuse ambition for talent. Sometimes they confuse fun for win at all costs. And sometimes that ends up in arsehole moves like you can see in this video.
Thankfully, the affected driver walked away unharmed from this totally unavoidable incident which took place recently at Croft in the UK. Just make sure you watch the video again, and pay special attention to the head movements of the red baron.
This happened on lap three of a schedule which consisted of two 30 minute races. We’re only seeing one side of the story here, of course, but it’s pretty hard to mount a defence for the dickhead in the red MX-5.
Unfortunately the camera car ended up as a total write off. If you feel strongly enough about the plight of our unsuspecting victim, follow this link and lend a hand.
[Thanks to Pete for the tip]
The McLaren F1 team is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013 and to help bring you closer to the team’s history go to the McLaren website where you can scroll through a list of some of Formula 1’s most iconic cars.
Former Ferrari sporting director (1989–91) Cesare Fiorio has shared his views on the return of Kimi Raikkonen to the Scuderia. And it’s fair to say he’s not happy.
“I’m not a fan of the new hiring,” Fiorio told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I admire his talent, but I don’t agree with his lifestyle and his technical approach. I wouldn’t have gone for him.
“In my opinion it’s a conservative choice. I would have gone for an emerging driver rather than one at the tail end of his career.
“He doesn’t live like an athlete and to be champion in F1 talent is not enough. You need physical, technical and psychological effort and, from what I know and have seen, he’s the type of guy who takes his bag and leaves shortly after the sessions.
“I don’t know how much technical contribution he can bring.”
Regarding the relationship between Kimi and current number one driver Fernando Alonso, Fiorio doesn’t think there’ll be any dramas. “In my opinion Alonso is happy: his worth will grow by beating him [Raikkonen],” Fiorio added.
And while he was on a roll Fiorio took the opportunity to lay the slipper into Felipe Massa, as well.
“I think that it’s better to have two champions and having to deal with a rivalry problem three or even ten times a year, in the knowledge that both are able to win races and championships, than having a useless number two race driver,” he said.
When asked to expand on his views of Massa, Fioro replied: “I’m just saying that in the last four years Massa has waned a lot.
“His only strength was the single lap, but he has no race quality, has no rhythm, and he often fades in the races.”
[Source: Autosport | Pic: Ferrari]
“We are intensively thinking about entering the SUV segment,” said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes.
Sigh.
Mueller-Oetvoes made his comments at the Frankfurt Motor Show and added, “The SUV segment is very interesting. It has been incredibly stable during the crisis, and I think a luxury niche will develop.”
For two reasons, reluctantly, we can see why a Rolls-Royce SUV may make sense. First, Bentley looks like beating them to the party and BMW-owned Rolls-Royce probably can’t afford to be left behind.
Secondly, you are responsible! Yes, you. All the punters out there who continue to buy SUVs are giving the manufacturers little choice but to keep making them.
If nothing else, we’d expect Rolls-Royce to lead the way in step accessories to make it easier for Sir and Lady to access their LUV (luxury utility vehicle).
[Source: Automotive News]
Word going into the Frankfurt Motor Show said Audi could very well make its new sport quattro concept a production reality. And the word coming out of Frankfurt only heightens that expectation.
Audi boss Rupert Stadler said Ingolstadt could sign off on production plans for the sport quattro and that he would like to see that happen. “But we have to fix some numbers first,†Stadler added. “I think the car is really terrific and it’s worthwhile to think about.â€
Wolfgang Egger, head of Audi design, gave a more sterile answer, “With every design concept we do we are thinking about everything becoming reality.â€
Interestingly, Egger, hasn’t ruled out reviving the original 2010 quattro concept as the one to be sent down the production line. “We have done one (designed for MQB platform) and now we have done the other (on larger MLB platform) so now we need to make a decision.â€
A choice between a 300kW turbocharged inline five cylinder, or a 515kW petrol-electric hybrid with a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8? Remember the 2010 model was seriously looked at for production before being ruled out.
Egger also reminded us that whatever happens, the latest concept will influence future Audi designs, including, “The C-pillar, the sexy blisters on the wheelarches and the interesting front.“We wanted to clean up the interior by removing buttons and functions. It is a complete reduction, designed to make it feel lightweight.â€
[Source: Auto Express & CarAdvice]
We’d like to introduce you to what we hope will become a YouTube sensation. Looking at the view count three weeks after this video was published it looks like there’s a way to go, but the ingredients are certainly there.
So what are those ingredients. We start with the crusty, rusty Austin Mini 1000 you see above and just out of picture is a slightly less crusty Toyota Celica GT4. Nik Blackhurst and Richard Brunning, from the appropriately named Bad Obsession Motorsport, have decided it might be a good idea to take the running gear from the Toyota and attempt to stuff it into the Mini.
The video you see after the break is the first episode in what we we expect will be a long, painful, but most of all, rewarding journey. From what we’ve seen so far it looks like Nik is the type of guy who doesn’t give up until he gets the result he wants.
This YouTube clip has elements of Wheeler Dealers, Beetle Crisis and An MG is Born, and is every bit as entertaining and educational. So tune in, and enjoy.
[Thanks to Richard for the tip]