Gazoo Racing (full name: Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) has unveiled a concept racing version of the famed that features both a turbocharger and a supercharger to offer up 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.
The car, officially called the Sport FR Concept, oozes high performance out of its fenders and includes Gazoo brakes, spoilers and suspension tuning, according to . However, few specifics were available.
teamed up with Gazoo earlier this year to help jump start it’s small-displacement engines. Earlier this year, Toyota gave the green light to the . Gazoo was expected to build about 100 of those cars.
When we think of the M division, the 1978 M1 comes instantly to mind, followed by the E30 and then the 2001-2002 M Coupe. But the company’s in-house hot rod shop actually dates back to 1972, when it was formed as a subsidiary to manage the company’s racing operations, dubbed BMW Motorsport.
It was this month 40 years ago that what is known today as BMW M GmbH was launched. So to celebrate its anniversary, BMW has offloaded some 50 lustworthy images celebrating that performance history. See them all in our .
Our spy photographers appear to have grabbed the first glimpse at Jaguar’s upcoming F-Type R. Judging by the not-so-subtle “F” camouflage and quad exhaust outlets, odds are this is the more high-strung version of the next convertible from . What exactly is under the hood? That remains to be seen, though early reports suggest its something other than the tried-and-true blown 5.0-liter V8 we’ve come to know and love. The base F-Type will get along with a turbocharged V6, and the brawnier R model will likely bow with something packing eight cylinders and power figures in the neighborhood of 500 horsepower.
So, when can we get our hands on this creation? A final launch date is murky at best, though there is some indication Jaguar could hold onto the V8 F-Type until later in the model’s lifecycle, but doesn’t quite dovetail with the fact that Jaguar is already road-testing the machine. Chances are we’ll see the F-Type R earlier than expected.
Automotive News reports Pininfarina projects it will turn a profit for 2012, thanks in part to debt restructuring. The Italian design studio hasn’t seen a profit in eight years, but signed a deal in April to restructure $182.6 million in debt. The move effectively stretched the studio’s repayment deadline from 2015 to 2018. At the same time, Pininfarina announced it will likely see an operating loss this year, but a one-time gain of $57.6 million will result in the net profit. Last year, the company lost $8.3 million in the first quarter, though that figure has dropped to just under $4 million during Q1 2012.
Pininfarina also saw its net revenue increase by $2.9 million. The company designs vehicles for manufacturers the world over, including makes like , , and , though CEO Silvio Pietro Angori recently announced China is set to become the studio’s largest market this year. That title was previously held by Germany.
Lola may not be a name recognized by the average consumer, but racing fans will know it well. The British concern has built and continues to build race cars that have spanned an enormous variety of series and disciplines since its founding in 1958, including (but not limited to) Formula One, Le Mans, CART and just about every formula feeder series you could think of, including Formula Two, Formula 3, Formula 3000, Formula 5000 and A1GP. Now, unfortunately, the company is filing for bankruptcy protection.
The reasons are pretty simple: too many expenses and not enough revenue, although tax credits it was due from the British government are also said to be partially to blame. As a result, the outfit responsible for – among numerous other accolades – five LMP2 titles at Le Mans since 2000 alone is entering financial administration as it seeks new investors.
Along with it, Lola Cars is taking Lola Composites, however the effect this might have on its concerns in defense and aerospace (among other areas) remains to be seen. As is the future of the track car which Lola builds for Caterham, or the countless racing teams that continue to count on Lola to build and support their sports prototypes. But with so many racing programs at stake, we can hardly imagine the company’s considerable capabilities and expertise will go unclaimed for long. for the official announcement.
and are gearing up for this year’s Nüburgring 24 Hours. The two companies plan to take to the track with a total of five entries, including four Toyota GT 86 race cars and one . Prepped by factory tuner Gazoo Racing, the LFA will compete in the SP8 class while two of the GT 86 models will go fender-to-fender in the SP3 class. Those will be joined by two more GT 86 racers built by Toyota Motorsport and competing under the Toyota Swiss Racing Team banner in the V3 class for production vehicles.
Gazoo Racing has already had a little fun at the Nüburgring this year. While competing at two shorter events at the legendary track, the LFA took home two wins. This year’s 24-hour endurance race kicks off this weekend, May 17-20. The even will be streamed online and . for the quick press release.
Give a Lexus LFA to an auto journalist and there’s going to be an attempt to drift it. Give that same LFA to the gents at Blendtec and they’re likely to see if it, or at least a piece of it, will blend. Then turn that LFA over to Tony Hawk to use for his birthday and he will, naturally, line the thing up outside of his office and see if he can ollie it.
Sure, he had the help of a generous ramp, but we can’t blame him. The LFA is $375,000 of sensitive parts that wouldn’t react well, nor inexpensively, to flying skateboard trucks. to see the 44-year-old Hawk do what he does best.
The extended-range plug-in vehicle will start production about a year after its previously estimated mid-2013 date, Inside EVs blog reports, citing leaked company documents that were dated “a few weeks ago.”
The Atlantic, formerly known as Project Nina, will compete pricewise against the and sedans, as well as the and , and and . That would put the model in the $50,000 to $60,000 range, according to the publication. The model, which will still be produced at Fisker’s Delaware plant, will have 300 horsepower, a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and emissions of 50 grams per kilometer of CO2, Inside EVs reports, citing the documents.
“As these documents are obviously leaked investor documents and highly confidential, I am not prepared to comment any further,” a Fisker representative tells Autoblog sister site, AutoblogGreen.
The status of the Atlantic has since plans for the former plant in Delaware were put on hold once the U.S. Department of Energy froze most of the $529 million in loans earmarked for the California-based company.
Fisker the Atlantic at the last month, saying that the car’s price tag would be “a much lower price point” than Fisker’s sedan.
Stability control was made mandatory on passenger vehicles for this current model year, but it’s still not a requirement for semis and busses. But that could soon be changing, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed requiring the technology on all new large commercial trucks, motorcoaches, and other large buses.
While big rigs and their brethren are often available with stability control, the rule would make the feature standard, with manufacturers given between two and four years to comply. NHTSA says the change in policy could save about 50 lives a year, and prevent over 2,300 crashes. Further, research into the effectiveness of stability control systems in preventing rollover crashes shows that over half of all such accidents could be prevented by adopting it.
It looks as if Jay Leno has welcomed a Tata Nano to his Big Dog Garage recently. The comedian even went so far as to don traditional Indian garb and hire a troop of Bollywood dancers to mark the occasion.
Details are scarce at the moment, but judging from the photos that have shown up on Leno’s Facebook page, it looks as if we’ll see the machine on an episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage” sometime soon. The car boasts a white paint scheme with the Indian tri-color laid over the rear doors and hood. Whether or not Leno actually bought the machine remains unclear.
The comedian took the time to bow for the cameras and place his hands together in the “Namaskar” greeting. We look forward to seeing the full episode. In the meantime, check out the behind-the-scenes photos in the gallery.
We officially have a new motorcycle hero. Genki Hagata rolled his Yamaha YZF-R6 out onto the track during the second AMA Pro Supersport qualifying session at Sears Point recently. Partway through his out-lap, the bike lost traction in the rear before abruptly regaining it. We likely don’t need to tell you that scenario almost always results in a one-way ticket off of the saddle in a not-so-glorious highside. But not for Hagata. The racer exhibited nothing less than super-human strength by clamping onto the handlebars and holding on for dear life.
Miraculously, it worked. After the bike settled down, Hagata managed to cling to the machine as it rode upright until he was able to fling himself back into the saddle. The guy’s efforts kept the Yamaha off of the asphalt, but cost him a spot on the grid. Hagata missed the cut-off by a few tenths of a second. Still, we haven’t seen heroics like this in a long spell. to check it out for yourself.
The current Renault Espace has been on the market since 2003. Next year that will make it ten years old, which is a long life cycle for any vehicle. But it’ll still be a few years until its replacement is ready. So following the facelift it performed on the Euro-market minivan in 2003, Renault is releasing another update.
Refreshed to fall more closely in line with Renault’s current styling direction (the company has changed aesthetic strategies a few times since the introduction of the fourth-generation model), the new Espace has a fresh grille that better incorporates a larger emblem than the model it replaces, and it’s flanked by new headlights and a new bumper fascia below.
Further details on what else Renault has tweaked will be released in July when it hits showrooms overseas.
Given the spate of new models has introduced in the past few years, from the to the to the to the , it sometimes seems like has forgotten about the original model, the plain old hardtop. It was last redesigned for the 2007 model year, which seems like a long time ago because, well, it is. Which is why Mini will shortly introduce an all-new hardtop Cooper, which our camera spies have captured testing in Europe.
We’re told that the new model is codenamed F56, but more importantly, its underpinnings are said to be shared with the next-generation . While Mini will continue to put four-cylinder engines underhood, there’s presumably a three-cylinder in the works as well, though we’re not sure whether that model will make it to our shores.
While we’ve seen some before, these seem to confirm that the car will grow a bit in size, both length and width. We are told that the longer hood and greater front overhang may be the result of fake front body panels, but the new front and rear glass appears to accurately represent the forthcoming production car, which will have a more raked angle to its windshield and rear window.
is expected to start production of the 2014 Mini Cooper early next year.
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives persona Guy Fieri is making more news with garages these days than kitchens. The Food Network host, who recently had his and then , has been selected to drive the at the Indy 500 this year.
Guy’s an admitted car fan, and he should feel at home in the ; he owns seven models that span the decades from 1968 to 2011, and a ESV. He’ll be pacing the field in the 638-horsepowerspecial edition Arctic White coupe on Sunday, May 27 at noon EST.
This post isn’t for the weak of stomach or faint of heart. The sad truth of being an automotive enthusiast is that we’re all hoarders on some level. We yearn to collect various bits of paraphernalia plucked from our favorite race teams and derelict junkyard hulks. Now Charly Molinelli Design has elevated our pack rat tendencies to high art. Or at least clever interior design. Using the cubed remains of an indistinguishable , the designer set about crafting a coffee table that doesn’t look like it belongs tucked away in a tacky man cave.
Behold, the Crashed Ferrari Table. The designer calls wedging the squared remains into the glass case “a dead hero placed into a coffin.” Sounds fitting to us. There’s no word on how much one of these would cost you if you wanted to take it home. Then again, there’s something more than a touch depressing about seeing all that red crammed into a pine box. Head over to the for a closer look at the table’s creation.
We will cop to having arrived at work suffering from memory loss, but never from hitting a moose. At least not that we can remember, anyway.
It’s a story that verily defines “news of the weird,” courtesy of CNN: A Canadian woman not only hit a moose with her car on her way to work, she drove some 25 miles after the collision, unaware that she had struck the beast. But this was no glancing blow. The force of the impact killed the moose, but not before it had shattered the windshield and peeled back the roof of the Michelle Higgins’ .
The woman was traveling on the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, according to the report, when the accident occurred. When Higgins arrived at work – on time, mind you – she had blood streaming down her face and was unaware of what had transpired. Her injuries included two broken bones in her neck, bruises, a hoof print on her forehead… and memory loss. to watch the remarkable video report from CNN.
Saint-Tropez is a charming town in southeastern France nestled along the Mediterranean Sea. Internationally recognized as a summer playground for the wealthy and famous, it is also famed for its “clothing optional” beaches where more than just noses and shoulders get burned in hot weather. While still a couple months shy of warm weather and the influx of tourists, chose to get an early start on the topless party by flying us to the Côte d’Azur for some seat time in its newest high-performance droptop, the 2013 .
Our first taste of the new SL-Class was behind the wheel of the standard less than two months ago. The two-seater impressed us with its stout chassis, strong engine and lavish appointments – but it failed to stir our emotions. The base SL long ago steered away from being a driver’s car, and its latest incarnation proved no different. It was, in effect, just a very capable and posh GT.
But the SL63 AMG, boasting upwards of 557 horsepower thanks to a burly twin-turbocharged V8, still seems promising. Its luxury appointments are nearly identical, yet it wears AMG attire and its entire powertrain has been upgraded to appease warm-blooded automotive enthusiasts. Do fresh duds and a new muscular system make a more compelling athlete? We roughed in the French Riviera to find out.
Not long ago, released the of its commercial with Marisa Miller, and now the supermodel’s 30-second spot has begun airing. Note: This is a spot for the current Enclave, not the the debuted during April’s .
The Sports Illustrated staple and lingerie model might just be the first person ever to wear a swimsuit in a Buick ad. We could say more about it, but that would delay you from watching Ms. Miller and the Enclave in action. So just and check out the video, why don’t you.
A month ago, signed with China’s Chery Automobile Company. JLR’s 12.1 billion yuan ($1.9 billion U.S.) investment, if approved, will pay for a plant in Changsu to build Jaguars, Land Rovers, engines and joint-venture models. The facility will also house a research and development center. Chery has submitted the paperwork to clear the deal with the Chinese government. The agreement must pass muster with the Ministry of Enviroment Protection, after which it will go to the National Development and Reform Commission.
When the agreement was first inked an Indian analyst said, “it will be some time before we see the results,” a nod to the fact that government approvals can take a long time. is an instructive example, having signed an agreement with Chery a year ago. Sources said the deal was last November, but that was the last that has been heard of it – it’s still waiting on the necessary signatures.
But JLR has the long view in mind: it sold 38,890 vehicles in China last year – all imported – a figure representing double-digit sales gains for both brands. The proposed factory will have a capacity of 130,000 units, providing a healthy buffer in case the bureaucracy sits on things.
The Internets are buzzing over the upcoming initial public offering of Facebook, but doesn’t seem all that impressed. The Huffington Post reports that The General has pulled its Facebook ad campaigns just days before the social media site is scheduled to officially hit the stock market.
The pricey ad buy reportedly wasn’t paying sufficient dividends for GM, which spends billions of dollars on advertising every year. GM Spokesperson Pat Morrissey confirmed that Facebook was being reassessed, but added that the automaker routinely reviews where it is spending its ad dollars. Morrissey then added that GM is looking for effectiveness when it doles out marketing cash, which doesn’t bode well for Facebook’s ability to draw clicks.
If GM’s decision sounds at all irrational, the statistics seem to show that Facebook isn’t exactly an ad-click magnet. A recent CNBC poll showed that 50 percent of all Facebook users never click on any ads, and only 12 percent of those polled feel comfortable purchasing anything through Facebook. Google appears to be more effective at attracting clicks, as The Wall Street Journal a click-rate that is seven times that of Facebook.
Regardless of GM’s decision to break up with Facebook, we’re guessing that the news probably won’t drown out much of the anticipation for the IPO. After all, it isn’t every day that an Internet site with 900 million mostly addicted users goes public.
