After a three-year hiatus, Formula One is coming back to the states in 2012 and the city that’s been chosen to host the World Cup of Motorsports? Austin, Texas. Yes, Austin.
According to the release from F1, the race will be held in the city from 2012 to 2021, and since Austin doesn’t have a race track, a facility will be purpose-built to host the events. Get all the details in the press release after the jump.
Audi A1 e-tron concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
The original, all-aluminum A2 was a unique beast, which Heinrich Timm, Audi’s head of lightweight design, maintains was ahead of its time. However, the rumored is likely to utilize a steel unibody platform, and the latest reports indicate that Audi’s mini-lux will have a new reason for being special.
Autocar quotes anonymous sources who say the next A2 could be Audi’s first electric-only vehicle. While the UK rag doesn’t go into detail, Audi has dropped hints that a variant of the A2 could utilize the extended-range EV hardware under the hood of the shown at the Geneva Motor Show. The e-tron utilized a 60 horsepower electric motor paired to a 330-pound lithium ion battery pack. The “extended range” part of the A1 e-tron concept comes courtesy of a small, powerful rotary engine that would work as a generator whenever the battery pack was depleted. Audi quotes the EV range of the A1 e-tron concept at about 33 miles per charge.
Do we think the A2 will be electric-only? Our magic eight-ball says “ask again later,” so we’re thinking the earliest we’ll know anything is this September at the Paris Motor Show.
Renault Zoe Z.E. concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Any marketing person will tell you that coming up with the right name is one of the most difficult aspects of launching a new product. Big companies will spend millions of dollars researching names to make sure that they aren’t already trademarked or have strange or offensive meanings in other countries.
, however, has a slightly different problem with the name of one its upcoming electric vehicles. The Zoe Z.E. is a compact, urban commuter due to be launched in 2012. Renault is not an uncommon name in France, wit its namesake, Louis Renault having begun building cars in the late 19th century. Unfortunately for a certain Parisian woman, having both her first and last names associated with a new car is apparently just too much. Thus, according to Autocar, Zoe Renault is threatening to sue Automaker Renault unless it changes the name of its forthcoming EV.
While we can certainly sympathize with Ms. Renault, her complaint here seems to be a bit of a stretch. The automaker apparently chose the name Zoe because it means “life” in Greek. Unless automakers start using nothing but made up or alphanumeric names, there is bound to be someone, somewhere that will have an issue with just about every name. It’s time to get over it.
Bimmerfest 2010 – Click above for a high-res image gallery
Bimmerfest is billed as the celebration of being a enthusiast – but to most it is simply the world’s largest BMW event held in North America. After starting as a small get-together at a BMW dealership in Santa Barbara just over a decade ago, the show has outgrown all of its venues… until now. The 2010 show, its 11th annual event, was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena this weekend. Thanks to strong online forum support for , this year’s show was packed with thousands of BMW models covering decades of production and dozens of vendors peddling accessories. If you have a Roundel on your hood, it’s worth the trip (some drove from as far as Alaska and Florida just to attend).
The best part of Bimmerfest – and the reason we enjoy the show so much – is that nearly every single BMW at the show is privately owned. Sure, BMW North America brought some cars to display (among them an and a Alpina B7), but the diversity and customization of the owned cars meant no two were alike. We weaved our way through hundreds of freshly detailed and models to find dozens of real gems. Our favorites included the race-bred E30 M3 models, a sweet BMW Z8, and a rare BMW 850CSi six-speed manual. Check out our gallery to find some of your favorites.
Gallery:
Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
Look at any legislation related to cars, and it seems pretty obvious that lawmakers hate automobiles. While it seems odd that people who get driven around Washington D.C. gridlock in full-size SUVs are railing against the same kind of vehicles, there’s also a contingent of legislators on the state level who understand that “” has nothing to do with .
For the last five years, SEMA has partnered with state lawmakers interested in preserving and protecting the automotive hobby in the form of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus. If you’re a gearhead interested in knowing who your friends are at your state’s Capitol when it comes to the love of cars, SEMA’s list of state Senators, Reps and Assemblymen who are members of the Caucus is where to go.
There are even photos of some members posing with their personal rides. , but you can easily figure out where to send your greasy-fingerprinted, crayon-composed love letters.
The current Volkswagen Beetle will be going out of production later this year, but VW has promised an all-new replacement by 2012. So far VW hasn’t released any teasers or sketches that indicate what the New New Beetle might look like, but we have to assume anything that retains that name will have to also have a rounded, bug-like shape. But the problem with any retro design is where do you go next?
Artist David Cardoso has created some renderings of a car that very clearly says Beetle, with its prominent wheel arches and round headlamps and greenhouse. At the same time Cardoso moves those elements forward by stretching the greenhouse and integrating those arches while ringing the headlamps with the de rigueur LED running lights. With VW’s recent jump into the electric vehicle arena, a battery powertrain would be an excellent way to set a new Beetle apart from the crowd, much as the original air-cooled boxer did. If the Beetle were to be a dedicated EV, the compact electric drive system could facilitate some improved interior packaging as well.
Hispano-Suiza – Click above for high-res image gallery
The car you see above is not a Hispano-Suiza. That much every one seems to agree with. But is it a Hispano Suiza (note the intentional lack of a hyphen)? And, does that lack of a hyphen make any difference at all? Apparently, the answer to those questions would depend on whom you ask.
According to Erwin Leo Himmel, a designer that formerly worked for Volkswagen, his company “is not the legal successor of the historical brand Hispano-Suiza.” He stated as much at the earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show. It seems rather obvious, though, that the car was given that name on purpose to bring to mind the awesome pre-Depression vehicles built by the original Hispano-Suiza. Right?
That point may soon be argued in court, it seems, as La Hispano Suiza Fàbrica de Automòviles SA and Safran SA – two European companies that apparently do hold the rights to the somewhat famous moniker – “are determined to take appropriate legal actions against such unlawful conduct that infringes their rights and constitutes a practice of unfair competition misleading the public’s and consumer’s opinion intentionally.”
As a refresher, the Hispano Suiza in question is based heavily on the , though pumped up with the addition of twin electric superchargers to the tune of 750 horsepower. That’s all well and good, but we’re not so sure there will be a large contingent of buyers for a rebodied and boosted R8 that carries a sticker price of $950,000 (€700,000). In the end, depending on the outcome of any possible legal proceedings, it may not matter at all.
Episode 2 of JT, Dania Ramirez and the Audi A1 in The Next Big Thing – Click above to watch video
You see that look on Justin Timberlake’s face? It’s called Acting – yes, italicized and with a capital “A” – and you need to get ready to see it like you’ve never seen it before. Timberlake is bringing his best Stanislavski chops to episode two of ’s short film series for the A1, The Next Big Thing. There are plenty more chases, guns, and Dania Ramirez to follow up from , and the plot and everything else is getting thick as Vermont maple. So don’t waste any more time – and check it out.
ESPN has ESPN3 as a dedicated online portal that streams live sports events; SpeedTV is about to have Speed2 for the same. Coming online in June as a beta and in July to the wider public, unlike ESPN3 the SPEED2 channel will only be available to those who pay for the the cable channel. (Boo!)
Among the many offerings will be, of course, bunches (and bunches, and more bunches) of NASCAR, along with FIA GT1 and GT3 championships, touring car series’ WTCC and BTCC, the FIM Enduro World Championship and programs from SpeedTV’s 14-year-old programming library.
Follow the jump for the press release; and don’t you think it’s about time we get more complete motorsports coverage over here, even if you do need to be online to watch… or you were looking for a good reason to buy a Boxee Box…
All is not well in Maranello. It would appear that the ripples of the global recession have finally reached mighty . According to Bloomberg, the Italian supercar manufacturer has decided to cool production and send a healthy handful of workers packing amidst the announcement that production targets have been nearly halved for 2011. The report points the blame directly at . Ferrari’s sister company has scaled back its orders for Ferrari-built engines, leaving both companies’ coffers light.
Ferrari is contemplating drastic moves in order to maintain its profitability, including nixing 120 office positions and 150 factory jobs. The company also wants to idle its production facility for a full week – effectively laying off nearly 600 workers in the process.
Needless to say, the announcement has led to unrest, and workers walked out in protest for four hours yesterday. But numbers are numbers, and Ferrari has said that it will cut production from 20,000 units this year to 11,100. For what it’s worth, last year, the company built 4,500 engines for Maserati – exactly half of what it built for 2008.
2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Click above for high-res image gallery
Greetings from England, where we are attending the international launch of the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne. We’ve just returned from touring the model’s new assembly line in Crewe with Project Leader Ashley Wickham, and we have some powertrain tidbits to share with you.
As the head honcho of ’s range-topping line, Wickham informs us that the Mulsanne was designed exclusively as a rear-drive model, preserving the decades-old lineage of the Arnage and its variants. When the new model was being conceived, all-wheel drive and a higher cylinder count were indeed on the table, as the Mulsanne’s less-expensive stablemate, the Continental, has both more driven wheels and more firepots (twelve versus eight). However, the decision was made to keep the new Mulsanne as a more traditional grand touring model in the Arnage mold, hence its RWD and identical 6.75-liter V8 engine displacement (despite outward similarities, the twin-turbo engine is, in fact, all-new).
When we asked Wickham about future powertrain possibilities, he acknowledged that flex-fuel is in the cards; a predictable enough development considering that Bentley’s high-profile spearheaded the news that the entire Continental range . And while Wickham stopped just short of ruling out a future diesel model, he did comment that one isn’t presently in the works. Despite diesel’s low-revving, torque-rich similarities to the company’s gasoline V8, Wickham openly questioned how well such a powerplant would align with the marque’s heritage. Equally unsurprising is that Wickham didn’t mince words about hybrid technology, making it clear that gas-electric power is most definitely not in keeping with Bentley’s flagship model.
For the moment, at least, those planning on commissioning a new Mulsanne will be forced to make do with the traditional gas-fed V8. Given that the new engine offers 505 horsepower and Bentley’s famous ‘Wall of Torque’ delivery (752 pound-feet of the stuff) along with improved emissions and fuel economy, we’re guessing that buyers won’t find this any great hardship.
It was to be expected, but the rapidly changing auto industry is experiencing a shortage of mechatronic engineers to assist with the development of EV cars and systems. As it is, there are plenty of electrical engineers and mechanical engineers, but those who are adept at integrating mechanics and electronics – in areas like battery management and algorithms – are desperately needed.
Several universities, especially in the Detroit area, have inaugurated or will soon begin programs to graduate these kinds of engineers, but in the meantime it’s every EV company for itself when it comes to finding talent. Larger players like don’t appear to be worried, saying that programs will only be pushed back by a couple of years or so and that’s only in the worst cases. Smaller EV companies with exceptional talent are a little more nervous, knowing what a big company can offer when it wants to poach. If you’re a skilled electromechanical engineer, it might be time to ask for a raise no matter who you work for…
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde SBK safety car – Click above for high-res image
As one of the most historic racing tracks in Italy, if not the world, Monza is inextricably intertwined with Alfa Romeo. Now those ties have been reinforced with the introduction at the circuit of the as the safety car for the Superbike World Championship, which held its fifth round at Monza this past weekend.
The Giulietta takes over pacing duties for SBK (as the series is known in shorthand) from the MiTo, which itself had assumed the mantle from the 159. The Quadrifoglio Verde version, with its 235-horsepower, 1.7-liter turbo four, will continue its role for the eight rounds remaining in the series this season. If your Italian is up to snuff, you can read more about it in the native-tongue press release after the jump. And if not, well, we’ve gone ahead and translated it (thanks, Google!) for you, too.
With its lightweight aluminum spaceframe and miniature luxury aspirations, the first generation Audi A2 was a vehicle a bit ahead of its time. That would make the little a revolutionary vehicle were it not for the fact that customers weren’t all that interested with the price premium that comes with expensive spaceframe technology, and it could be argued that the A2 wasn’t all that attractive, either. See above and decide for yourselves.
In any case, Autocar reports that the four-ringed automaker will make a second go at the A2 in 2012, but this time the innovative and expensive spaceframe won’t be part of the package. The British site claims that the next A2 will inherit a version of the traditional steel unibody layout from the , giving Audi more cost leverage when competing with the likes of and in the small front drive near-lux segment.
Audi chairman Rupert Stadler reportedly stated that an EV variant is a possibility for the upcoming A2, with hardware not unlike that of the . Regardless of the variant of A2 Audi is considering, we’re not too hopeful that the little German will ever make its way Stateside.
2011 Shelby GT350 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Different people like different things, and this is especially true with cars. Even with something as specific as the new 2011 Shelby GT350, customers want to have options. When the car was earlier this year it only came equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and a Ford Racing supercharger good for 500 horsepower, but according to Shelby they will now be offering both a naturally aspirated and an automatic version to customers. The company cites qualifying the GT350 for SCCA racing as the main reason for offering a non-supercharged model, although the overall price point may have been a factor as well. Leaving the supercharger off the options list will save you $7,000, and there will still be 412 horsepower to play with from the 5.0-liter V8.
Supercharged or not, automatic or manual, each GT350 will be a serious performer. The car comes standard with a Shelby-tuned Ford Racing suspension system, Baer front and rear brakes, Borla exhaust and new compound of Goodyear tires. Each GT350 will only be available in legendary White with Guardsman Blue stripes, and all will be built as a post-title program at Shelby’s Las Vegas facility. The upfit package (base car not included) now starts at $26,995 for the naturally aspirated model and $33,995 for the supercharged version. Follow the jump for full details.
Are you a fanboy? It’s fine, you can admit it. While the term often carries a negative connotation, being a fan of one particular brand isn’t really anything to be ashamed of, and we all have our built-in biases and preferences anyway. So strong was Steve Marsh’s love of automobiles that his family decided it would only be proper to bury him under one when he died at the young age of 51 years old.
Marsh, somewhat ironically an engineer at , apparently had a particular fondness for the convertible. Nothing wrong with that, we say. And so wife and two children contracted a mason to help them design a headstone in the shape of that very automobile. No big deal, right? Wrong. This particular headstone happens to be life-size and was chiseled out of a single block of granite.
So large is the M3-shaped stone that it cost a whopping £50,000 (over $75,000 U.S.) and had to be shipped in from China. Total weight comes in at one ton, which meant it took a crane and 20 operators to lower the stone in position in its final resting place at the Manor Park Cemetery in East London.
A tad offbeat, for sure… though not nearly as much as the Puerto Rican who was . As you might expect, the massive hewn BMW headstone is raised the ire of some locals. Local resident Rene Dryden commented:
You have to admit it’s totally different to everything else around it. It’s definitely not my taste. I think some people will say it’s tacky and it could end up as a target to be vandalised. It could open the floodgates for anything to be built in a cemetery. When I walked past it the other day, though, I have to admit it did make me smile.
Honestly, it’s not really our taste either. We’d have gone with a hardtop for all those rainy London days.
2011 Buick Regal – Click above for high-res image gallery
As it turns out, the rumors swirling around both the new and have turned out to be true. The company confirmed that by 2012, it will boast a total of three new vehicles in its lineup, including the new . That leaves the remaining two slots to be filled by the likes of a small crossover built on the bones of the all-new as well as a small four-door based on the upcoming .
According to The Detroit News, you can also expect a range of other changes to hit Buick soon. is bent on reworking the brand, and as a result, it has asked dealers to refresh the exterior of dealerships and retrain sales people at the same time. Don’t expect to see too many more ads to pop up during the PGA, either. Buick says that it’s moving away from the golf set in order to focusadvertising at places like Whole Foods, Starbucks and Ikea.
GM is hoping that the new models will allow the brand to compete in 47 percent of the current auto market. Combined with the change in advertising strategy, Buick just might be able to drop a generation or two when it comes to the average age of its customers at the same time.
Audi A1 low-rider – Click above for high-res image gallery
The may be making its first official public appearance at the Wörthersee Tour 2010 this week, but the big push for is unarguably the new A1. Of the 19 cars that Audi is showing, nine are the new A1 mini-car. Seven of those have been customized with special wraps and interior treatments running the gamut from an Austrian police car to an airport guide vehicle.
Of special note is the white-walled, flame-sprouting low-rider riding on black steelies. With this display, it’s clear that Audi wants to go after the same audience that has been applying personalized finishes to modern Minis for the past decade. To help that effort, Audi will be offering a variety of “competition kits” of interior and exterior bits that will be available when the A1 goes on sale later this year.
Take a look at the customs in our high-res image gallery below. Have a favorite?
Ricardo Teixei crashes at Formula Two Marrakech – Click above to watch the
As a rule of thumb, crashes aren’t as big a deal when you’re on track in a professional race as they would be on public roads. But once in a while, the world of motorsports suffers a crash so spectacular that it eclipses convention.
The latest involved a driver by the name of Ricardo Teixeira. After working his way up through Formula BMW, Formula 3 and GP2, the Portugese-Angolan driver now races in the new Formula Two championship.
This past weekend the series went to Marrakech, Morocco, for a double-header. Teixeira scored a career-best fifth place in the first race, but in the second, he hit the back of another F2 car, sending him airborne. He landed (fortunately) right-side up, only to hit a concrete wall, and was lucky enough to walk away from the shunt relatively unscathed. Follow to watch the footage from rival Paul Rees’ car, where you can see Teixeira’s car doing an impeccable Superman impression.
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: Formula 2’s Ricardo Teixeira goes airborne in Morocco
