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Formula 1

Williams unveils 2013 F1 car

Williams FW35

The Formula 1 pre-season has sparked into life again tonight with testing resuming in Barcelona. Williams F1 figured they’d best reveal their 2013 car, the FW35, and here it is.

Williams is another team to save us the visual pain of the stepped nose. In all as much as 80% of the car is new compared with the race-winning FW34. Mike Coughlan, Williams Technical Director, is happy to have found improvements given the lack of regulation changes in the off-season.

“I’m pleased with the gains that we’ve been able to make with this car,” Coughlan said. “It’s a better, more refined Formula One car than the FW34 and I think everyone involved in the project can feel proud of the work they’ve done.”

Young Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas starts his rookie season alongside the returning Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado. Bottas is looking forward to making the step from test driver to F1 racer and is eager to try his new wheels.

“We know we have improved our car from last season but I am looking forward to seeing how it compares on track,” Bottas said. “We have a busy test programme ahead but I’m really excited. The moment the start lights go out in Melbourne is a moment I have been building towards my whole career.”

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BMW

BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo revealed

BMW 3 Series GT

Well, it does look a lot better than the 1 Series. That’s probably not the best introduction for the new BMW 3 Series GT, first revealed a couple of weeks ago, but we’re not sure of a better way to introduce this F34 model to you.

To be honest we were ready to embrace this car, to like it, to try and win the inevitable haters over. Now, after seeing these pics and considering them for some time, we’re not so sure. Although, the more we see that image above the more the styling starts to appeal. But the lingering question that remains is, why wouldn’t you just buy an undeniably cool 3 Series Touring instead?

Oddly, to us, the GT is quite a bit larger in dimensions that the Touring. It rides on a wheelbase that is 110mm longer than the wagon, it’s a sizeable 200mm longer overall and some 81mm taller. It’s bordering on being quite a big car, then.

Inside there’s an extra 70mm of rear seat legroom compared with the Touring and 3 Series sedan. While those pretending they don’t actually want an SUV can rest easy sitting 59mm higher than their lower 3 Series brethren.

We can’t deny this should be an immensely capable machine; able to chew up the miles with comfort and driving pleasure. For now, though, we’re just going to have to sit tight and wait until we see one in the flesh before being able to cast a final judgement.

In the meantime we’d love to hear what you, our dear readers, have to say about the 3 Series GT.

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Categories
Formula 1

The Formula 1 cars of 1971

Formula 1 cars of 1971

MotorSportRetro brings us this very cool illustration of the Formula 1 cars of 1971. Before the days of computer-aided design and 3D renders cars had to be illustrated by hand, which makes this image very cool on two fronts.

Follow the source link below for a larger version of the pic and we’ve listed the cars below, with links to more information.

[Source: MotorSportRetro]

Categories
Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

You’ll be treated equally Mark, promise

Red Bull Racing RB9

Following Helmut Marko’s controversial comments earlier this year saying that Mark Webber can’t handle pressure, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has assured Webber he’ll be treated equally.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Mateschitz was asked if Webber would be given a fair shake of the sauce bottle and he replied, “I absolutely believe that and I’m certain that it will be so.”

The billionaire added, “Mark is at the same time a strong and charismatic character and an exceptional racing driver. It’s a fact that competition begins inside your own team. That means that the environment is tough but friendly, and that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

We suspect this will be Webber’s last year in F1 and if Mateschitz is true to his word, we hope Mark can leave the sport on a high.

[Source: Autosport | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Categories
Formula 1

Adrian Sutil in frame for Force India return

Adrian Sutil

In news that strikes us as somewhat intriguing, amateur UFC fighter Adrian Sutil is apparently in the frame for the vacant Force India seat.

Having done his penance for causing grievous bodily harm to the CEO of Genii Capital the 30-year-old will take part in this week’s test program at Barcelona. Sutil had a seat fitting with Force India last week.

Sutil has been granted one day of testing in the VJM06 and he’ll be doing his best to win back his F1 career on Thursday. His chief rival for the job, Jules Bianchi, will take over on for the final day on Friday.

[Source: Force India]

Categories
Alfa Romeo BMW Mercedes-Benz Motorsports Video

VIDEO: DTM was so slow back in the 90s

Racing in slow motion, DTM 1993

YouTube guru Mattzel89 brings us more motor racing joy with his latest Racing in slow motion clip. For his latest installment he has gone back to the glory days of DTM racing in the early 1990s.

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Categories
Toyota

Toyota GT86 convertible spied in South Africa

Toyota GT86 convertible spied in South Africa

We knew it was coming, but this is one of the first images we’ve seen showing the topless Toyota 86. And given we saw the pic posted to the Toyota UK blog we reckon that’s a pretty good unofficial endorsement that this car will be on display at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

It’s probably also safe to expect the 86’s Toybaru twin the Subaru BRZ will also drop its top when the time is right.

[Source: carmag.co.za via Toyota Blog]

Categories
MINI

MINI performs massive backflip!

Guerlain Chicherit completes backflip in MINI All4 rally car

If you happened to be a four-time freestyle skiing world champion and a very handy rally driver you’d want to combine both sports wouldn’t you? Well, why not we ask. Thankfully, for our viewing pleasure, 34-year-old Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit just happens to fit that bill and has indeed combined his love of the snow with his love of driving.

The result is Chicherit being able to lay claim as being the first ever driver to perform a backflip in a car, in this case a MININ All4, using a static ramp (ie. without the aid of a special ramp with moving elements to boost the car’s rotational movement).

Regardless of the caveats that may apply to this bold claim, watching a car do a backflip is not something you see everyday, so what are you waiting for, check out the jump after the jump!

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Categories
Renault

Renault Clio RS 200 EDC specs confirmed

Renault Clio RS 200 EDC

Fans of French hot hatches will welcome the arrival of full specifications for the new Renault Clio RS 200 EDC. The car was first shown in Paris last year and was accompanied by some good detail then, but this time there’s a lot more info to sink your teeth into.

To refresh you of the basic specs, the Clio RS 200 EDC is now powered by a 147kW/240Nm 1.6 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine and coupled to a 6-speed Efficient Dual Clutch. It weighs 1204kg and can reach 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

While some may bemoan the lack of a manual gearbox and the lack of a free revving normally aspirated engine, as found in previous hot Clios, they may gain some comfort in the fact the Renaultsport engineers are still in control of the Clio RS 200’s suspension. Indeed, Renault proudly claims their latest hot hatch is the first production car to be fitted with hydraulic compression stops in its shocks.

We applaud the functionality of the RS Monitor 2.0 that allows data logging to be downloaded to a USB stick, among other very cool things, but cannot criticise Renault enough for adding the R-Sound Effect. This system allows you to tap into the car’s throttle position and so on to electronically pipe the sound of other cars through the stereo system. Really, have we descended that far into the realm of electronic trickery? Does anyone really want their Clio RS to sound like a Nissan GT-R?

After the break you’ll find another 30 or so images (the screen graphics are not available in larger sizing) and access to all the press guff you could hope to read.

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Categories
BMW

VIDEO: BMW M135i review

BVMW M135i

 

We think this video review of the BMW M135i by Autogespot is pretty damn awesome. We especially love the commentary provided, and agree with everything they said.

[Thanks to Matt for the tip]

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Categories
McLaren

McLaren P1 wallpaper porn

McLaren P1

McLaren still hasn’t released any firm performance specifications for its P1 hypercar, but it has released a stunning set of images photographed on the Bahrain International Circuit. And here they are!

The P1 was launched to select clients in Bahrain last month and later this week it will be the turn of the well to do in Dubai who get the fancy canapés and to ooh and ahh at McLaren’s latest creation.

“After a successful launch in Bahrain, we are very excited to be bringing the McLaren P1â„¢ to the United Arab Emirates, where our retail partner, Al Habtoor Motors, has confirmed huge interest in this unique car,” said Mark Harrison, McLaren Automotive Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa.

“This year marks our 50th year anniversary, so it is apt that we are gearing up to launch a car that we feel will redefine the parameters for performance, on both circuit and road. This is why we have released these unique and stunning images, taken at the BIC, a location absolutely fitting for this supercar.”

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Categories
Audi

2013 Audi S3 Sportback revealed

2013 Audi S3 Sportback

In case you haven’t noticed the Geneva Motor Show is just around the corner; the bright lights and smoke machines will be switched on in early March. That means manufacturers are releasing pics and text on the models they’ll be putting on the stage. This time it’s Audi showing us their new S3 Sportback.

We’ve already seen the new 8V A3 in three-door hatch, five-door Sportback and S3 (three-door) form, so there’s no surprises with what we see here.

However, for those who may be interested in buying a new S3 pay attention, because this is the only model we’ll be seeing in Australia. It is expected to be in local showrooms sometime after October.

Since the introduction of the 8P S3 Sportback in 2008 three-door sales have dropped to a trickle and so it has been canned in Australia, which is a shame.

Making use of the Volkswagen Group’s adaptable MQB platform has allowed Audi to shed 70kg from the S3 Sportback; it now weighs 1445kg. And with the new 2.0 TFSI motor producing 221kW/380Nm it can reach 100km/h in 5.0 seconds when coupled to a 6-speed S tronic transmission.

A 6-speed manual box is available, although we’re not sure if that will be the case in Australia, and takes an extra 0.5 seconds to reach 100km/h. Which is rather interesting given that’s roughly the same as the time required for the heavier, less powerful 8P model. Hmm.

We think the A3 range has one of the best interiors of the new baby Germans (see BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A Class), which is par for the course really. What Audi will be hoping for with the range-topping S3 is that they can start making inroads into BMW’s reputation for dynamics, without losing ground to the A Class.

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