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It is exceptionally rare for Bernie Ecclestone to be shown the yellow flag when it comes to his Formula One business dealings, but that’s what happened with two of his projects. A month ago, Ecclestone agreed to terms with France’s sports minister David Douillet to reinstate the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit (which Ecclestone happens to own). The contract hadn’t been signed while minor details were settled, but the plan was that the French GP would alternate with the Belgian GP starting in 2013.

However, with the defeat of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the election of François Hollande, new reports suggest that everything from the previous regime will come under review. And it seems unlikely that Hollande, who was voted in by taxpayers who wanted more for their money and their economic pain, will agree to have the state subsidize the race. Said the president-elect, “I do not think the French state should be responsible for any financial outlay. There are enough issues to consider without spending tens of millions of euros on a grand prix.”

And across the world in Singapore, the GP is safe but the planned F1 Initial Public Offering in the nation-state now has a question mark after it. The squalls in the market that have depressed stock markets everywhere have IPO insiders cautious on the endeavor. Word is that they’ll see how the imminent Facebook IPO fares and how the market responds before making a decision. There is also the matter of the Mercedes-Benz not having signed the Concorde Agreement, and Daimler says it needs to get that settled before F1 can go public. According to Reuters, if the offering isn’t conducted by June then it – and the estimated $2 billion it is expected to raise – might have to wait until next year.

Yellow-Flagged: Formula One’s French Grand Prix and IPO potentially on hold

Shifting gears on a manual transmission was once the only way to get places. These days there are automatics, sequentials, DCTs, CVTs… you name it. But some among us are still faithful to the old three-pedals-and-shift-lever setup. Like the guys in The Fast and The Furious movies.

All told, there have been five full-length features in the series. And that makes for a lot of shifting. A whole lot of shifting. And if you’ve ever watched any of them, you’ll likely recall that the film editors barely missed a single shift – which is probably more than we could say for some of the actors actually performing said shifting.

Now, someone admittedly with way too much time on his hands has put them all together into one video montage. So if you haven’t got the time to sit through all five instalments of the saga, the video below ought to get you up to speed, so to speak.

Continue reading Fast and Furious shifts into montage mode

Fast and Furious shifts into montage mode

The Detroit News reports lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 Systems is set to post a net loss of $125 million on revenue of $10.9 million for the first quarter of 2012. Official results will be released later this week. The loss includes $51.6 million tied to replacing battery packs produced at the company’s Lavonia, Michigan facility. Some of those packs could have been manufactured with defective cells. The figure also includes $15.2 million to increase inventory reserves.

As you may recall, A123 Systems provides battery packs for companies like Fisker. The extended-range EV manufacturer recently reported issues with the supplier’s products, but A123 says it has determined the cause of the defective cells and is working to make sure the failures don’t reoccur.

The report also suggests A123 Systems will lower its revenue forecast for the year to $145 million to $175 million. The company originally projected it would generate between $230 million and $300 million.

A123 Systems posts $125 million net loss

Depth of Speed is Josh Clason’s video series that cosses the country looking for cool automotive stories to tell. He found another one in Utah at JDM Legends. They let Clason take one of their vintage Skyline GT-R projects out on track for some sunset lens time, and the result is nothing less than you’d expect from Clason.

On a side note, while the current Nissan GT-R is totally awesome, we wish it had a bit more of this car’s cool vibe. Follow the jump for the video.

Continue reading Depth of Speed does track time in a classic Skyline with JDM Legends

Depth of Speed does track time in a classic Skyline with JDM Legends

It’s darn near impossible to overemphasize the impact that Carroll Shelby has had on the automotive world as we know it today. Born in 1923, Shelby took part in his very first race, a quarter-mile drag, in 1952. Later that year, he’d go on to win his first road race in an MG-TC. By 1956, Shelby had garnered enough race wins to earn the title “Driver of the Year” from Sports Illustrated. He would win that award again in 1957.

Carroll Shelby was nothing if not a keen businessman. In early 1957, Shelby opened his first car dealership in Dallas, Texas. Bolstered by his success behind the wheel – Carroll won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969, driving an Aston Martin – Shelby went on to build the iconic Cobra using a chassis built by AC Cars in England and powered by a Ford V8 engine. Officially homologated in 1962, the Cobra Roadster won its first race in January of 1963.

Driven by legendary drivers like Phil Hill, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, the Shelby Cobra and its aerodynamic Daytona Coupe sibling won the Sports Car Club of America’s A-production title and the United States Road Racing Championship in ‘63. The following year brought with it the big-block 427 Cobra, and the machine went on to deal serious blows to Ferrari, the dominant sports car manufacturer of the time.

Shelby began his long-running relationship with the Ford factory in 1965, as the Shelby GT350 hit both the street and the race track. That year, Shelby secured the FIA World Championship of GT cars. In 1966, a Shelby-backed Ford team finished in first, second and third place at Le Mans; this was the first time an American team claimed victory in the historic race, but it would not be the last – Shelby’s team would go on to win Le Mans again in 1967. The Ford GT40 ended up in first place four straight years from 1966-1969.

The Shelby GT350 claimed the Trans Am racing title in 1967, and in that year, the very last 427 Shelby Cobra was built. In 1970, Ford ended its partnership with Shelby, and the man would remain mostly quiet in the automotive industry until the 1980s, when Lee Iacocca approached Carroll about building high-performance versions of Dodge products. The Omni and Charger would Go Like Hell for several years, embarrassing V8-powered Mustangs and Camaros along the way.

Carroll Shelby received a heart transplant in 1990 and would go on to reintroduce Cobra 427 S/C continuation cars and 4000-series cars throughout the 1990s. Shelby was also involved heavily with both the Dodge Viper and Ford GT programs. No wonder why Carroll Shelby was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

Today, the name Shelby may be most often tied to the latest and greatest GT500 models from Ford, but it’s clear that the man has impacted the performance world for decades. While he may no longer be alive, there can be little doubt that Carroll Shelby’s influence will be felt by enthusiasts for as long as cars move us from one place to another.

We’ve collected a couple of videos that we thought were a fitting tribute to Shelby’s unending legacy. Join us in watching them by scrolling down below.

Continue reading Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012

Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012

Here’s one from the unsurprising file: The Consumer Electronics Association has written the National Traffic Safety Board in opposition to the proposed ban on hands-free calling.

According to The Detroit News, CEA is all for efforts to create technological solutions to the distracted driving problem, which makes perfect sense, as those products or features would be one more thing for its member firms to sell. To its credit, CEA did write that it supports banning texting and restricting phone use by young drivers.

But the organization insists that there is no “real-world evidence” to support prohibiting all phone use in vehicles, according to the report. In support of its position, it played the makeup card, saying that other distractions like “eating, drinking, applying makeup and engaging with children” would also need to be banned.

The NTSB proposal to ban hands-free calling is somewhat peculiar in that it would ban calls through a paired cell phone, but not calls through a phone built into the vehicle, like the OnStar system from General Motors. The recommendation has been controversial, with even Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood failing to get on board with the idea.

Electronics makers wary of NTSB’s proposed hands-free ban

While the investigation of the Fisker Karma that toasted a Texas garage is not over, pundits have begun to weigh in. Automotive News has found a particularly credible one in Jon Bereisa, CEO of Auto Lectrification and the chief engineer of the General Motors EV1 and systems architect for the Chevrolet Volt. And according to Bereisa, the poor packaging of the Karma’s internal combustion engine is what likely caused the fire.

“The engine is shoehorned into that bay, because they had to use a larger engine, because it was too heavy a car,” Bereisa told AN. “As a result, there’s no room for exhaust routing and heat shielding to route the heat away.”

The Karma uses a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sourced from GM. In the Karma, however, the Ecotec does not drive the wheels, but acts as a generator to supplement and recharge the batteries. The report says that a fluid leak, combined with tight engine compartment confines and the resultant high heat from the gasoline engine’s exhaust and the would have been enough to cause the fire.

Fisker is maintaining that it is not the car’s battery pack that is at fault, and has pointed to other potential sources of the blaze, according to the report, telling AN that, “There are myriad combustible materials that could be in the garage, in the wheel arch, or picked up on the roadside.”

Engine packaging to blame for Fisker Karma garage fire?

Now that the title of world’s largest maker has become a clear and eager battle, we can expect more regular updates on the progress of the combatants. Bloomberg reports that Toyota snagged the #1 crown in Q1, taking it away from General Motors with 2.49 million units sold across its five brands compared to 2.28 million for GM. Volkswagen was just another tenth down at 2.19 million units sold.

What all three might appreciate even more than the crown – except for VW, who is monomaniacal about the No. 1 tag – is that sales volumes and profitability are up, at least in America. Toyota’s sales rebound from the catastrophes of last year (and indeed, the last few years) is being underlined by its performance here, where the Prius Plug-In is the third-best seller against a background of the nation’s best car sales market in five years. Even with double its usual fleet sales in Q1, Toyota expects this financial year’s profits to double.

The year isn’t over yet and it remains close, but for now it looks like there’ll be good news for everyone. Well, until 2016, when Volkswagen is predicted to vanquish all challengers at the top of the podium, two years ahead of its own ridiculously ambitious schedule.

Toyota takes title of World’s Largest Automaker… again, for now

It seems like we’ve been hearing about the Tesla Model S for a decade, but a report in Yahoo! states that the electric sedan is only a month away from production. That’s about one month ahead of schedule, as Tesla is reportedly wrapping up crash testing fast enough to start making the hotly anticipated EV.

The Model S couldn’t come at a much better time for Tesla, as the automaker just announced a first quarter loss of $89.9 million. The prospects aren’t any better for Q2, but the second half of the year should be an entirely different story. Q1 revenue was only $30 million, and the first half revenue is expected to come in around $60 million. With the Model S around for the second half of the year, sales are expected to skyrocket into the $600 million range. Tesla plans to move about 5,000 units in 2012, even though the automaker currently has 10,000 orders in-hand.

Some of those 10,000 hand-raisers might have something more to get excited about, as Tesla announced that the top range Signature model, which features a 85-kWh battery pack, will be able to travel 320 miles on a two-cycle charge. That’s 20 miles more than Tesla previously announced. The first 1,200 copies of the Model S will be Signature models with the largest-possible battery pack.

Tesla posts $89.9M Q1 loss, Model S coming sooner than expected

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.

R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those “orphan owners” have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Caddillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.

Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

As Forbes points out, if you’re driving an orphaned nameplate, you just might be able to use that to your advantage when shopping for a new vehicle.

Automakers tussle over owners of ‘orphan’ makes

Things are good again at Toyota, which reported a $1.5 billion profit for the quarter, wrapping up a fiscal year in which it made just $3.5 billion, according to Business Week.

While Toyota saw sales growth in Europe, Africa, and its home market, North America was a weak point. Sales revenue for the fiscal year totaled $232 billion, down two percent, according to the report.

Though the company still beat its forecast of $2.5 billion, the real excitement surrounds its projections for the next 12 months. As predicted by analysts, Toyota says it expects to make $9.5 billion in the year that extends through March of next year, showing that the automaker has fully recovered from the effects of last year’s tsunami, according to the report.

Toyota releases financial results, predicts profits will double in 2012

Turns out the federal government’s attempts to create enforceable oversight of cellphone use in vehicles has hit a Swiftian snag: it seems there isn’t a government agency specifically empowered with the authority to do so. The legislative boundaries of the Federal Communications Commission end at the phone itself, those of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration end at the vehicle itself. Neither is equipped to address how people combine the two while driving.

So, according to a report in Automotive News, what NHTSA honcho David Strickland wants is to have Congress bestow the authority on some agency to make such laws. For now, the recommendations NHTSA drafts are only just that – recommendations. Automakers aren’t bound by them.

Not that it should or will stop Strickland’s minions, but 37 states and our nation’s capital already have laws – with teeth – addressing the use of phones while driving. If our time on the roads is any indication, those laws are almost universally ignored by police, and we can’t see how a federal fiat would change that, but such laws are on the books. Strickland has testified in front of Congress on the matter, however, no one expects movement on it anytime soon.

Gov’t unsure on who can establish distracted driving laws

With an epic chassis and the lowest center of gravity in the business, there’s plenty for enthusiast to love about the Scion FR-S. Except, that is, for those who prefer to take their nimble, affordable sports cars with the roof down. Their choices are rather limited in this price category to the Mazda MX-5 and Ford Mustang, but if the latest reports prove accurate, the FR-S – which is, of course, virtually identical to the Subaru BRZ and sold overseas as the Toyota GT 86 – is preparing to throw its hat in the ring, as well.

Long rumored, a convertible version of the jointly-developed “Toyobaru” coupe could stand to boost sales figures and help the bean-counters justify the expenditure on the new platform. However while the speedster concept recently showcased at Long Beach lost its rear seats (along with most of its windshield), Car and Driver predicts that the FR-S convertible will keep the auxiliary pair in the back – though the addition of a folding roof mechanism would likely mean that would come at the expense of most of the trunk room.

We’re told to expect the FR-S convertible to arrive sometime late in 2013 or early in 2014, with a price tag that would tack a few grand onto the coupe’s $25,000 MSRP. Look for the same 2.0-liter, 200-horsepower boxer four to carry over with a choice of six-speed transmissions in either manual or automatic configurations. Beyond that, Toyota may be considering basing a larger four-door sedan and coupe off the new platform, which could stand to make the money men back at headquarters – to say nothing of the enthusiasts – even more happy.

Scion FR-S convertible coming by early 2014

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 32,310 people died last year in traffic accidents, the lowest number since 1949.

NHTSA obtained that number though a statistical projection, which shows that traffic fatalities dropped 1.7 percent compared to 2010 numbers. The announcement, released today, also shows Americans collectively drove 1.2 percent less in 2011 – dropping 35.7 billion vehicle miles traveled. (NHTSA expects the fatality rate to drop in 2011 as well, predicting 1.09 American deaths for every 100 million miles driven.)

U.S. traffic fatalities have dropped seven years in a row, with the 43,510 people dying in traffic accidents in 2005. NHTSA attributes a number of factors to the continued decrease in fatalities including increased seat belt use and more safety devices inside vehicles.

By region, NHTSA noted that accidents in New England dropped the most, 7.2 percent, while accidents in California and Hawaii increased the most, 3.3 percent, compared to the year before.

U.S. traffic deaths fall to lowest level in 62 years

Cadillac’s ATS is scheduled to hit dealer showrooms this summer, and General Motors has finally divulged pricing. Its smallest luxury sedan will start at $33,990 including destination(*), but that price will only snag you the entry-level model, powered by a 200-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with a six-speed automatic. Stepping up to the turbocharged, 270-hp 2.0-liter will push the price up to $35,795, and bring all-wheel-drive and manual transmission options into play. The top-of-the-line ATS carries a $42,090 price tag and is powered by a version of the 3.6-liter V6 from the Cadillac CTS, rated at 320-hp and mated to an automatic tranny, with all-wheel-drive available.

While these prices are hard to evaluate without a full breakdown of standard equipment – which Cadillac promises in due time – we can compare them to two benchmarks, the all-new 2012 BMW 3 Series and the slightly larger CTS. While Caddy does undercut the base 3 Series price of $35,795, that entry-level ATS is down some 40 horsepower. The mid-priced ATS, the one with the turbo 2.0-liter, however, trumps the 328i’s 240-hp engine by almost that much. With equivalent starting sticker prices, it only makes the inevitable head-to-head battle all that more interesting.

The CTS, however, starts at $36,810, which makes the top-level ATS seem spendy at first glance. Granted, the CTS is nearing the end of its life cycle, but clearly those looking for a more luxury-oriented, V6-powered sedan are going to have to closely study the standard equipment sheet to determine what justifies the $5,000-plus price premium for the smaller car.

Scroll down for the full press release, and be sure to check out the new images in our gallery.

Continue reading GM announces pricing for 2013 Cadillac ATS, starting at $33,990*

GM announces pricing for 2013 Cadillac ATS, starting at $33,990*

After Lawrence Drake gave up his pickup truck for a Chevrolet HHR, he wanted a camping shelter more hardy than a tent. The trick? Finding a solution that was in line with the HHR’s 1,000-pound tow capacity. He found it when he designed the Teal Camper, a modular enclosure that fits on a four-by-eight trailer and weighs just 630 pounds empty, including the trailer.

Basically, the camper is a set of weather-sealed panels that are bound with Phillips-head bolts and a strap. They come in a few configurations, such as corner pieces and those with windows and door openings, and you can assemble them in rectangular shapes as small or large as you like. The standard kit comes with a bed that sleeps two and a table, but Drake has designed lightweight optional fixtures like canvas cabinets. There’s also a pop-top that can extend headroom to six feet, and the entire assembly can be bolted to a plywood floor with straps or angle brackets.

Drake’s gone as far as he can on his own resources and is looking for investors for manufacturing. As such, there’s no price tag yet but he projects around $3,000 for an empty shell. It’s a neat concept that we think deserves a shot. Check it out in the gallery of photos.

Teal Camper brings modularity to the outdoors

After Lawrence Drake gave up his pickup truck for a Chevrolet HHR, he wanted a camping shelter more hardy than a tent. The trick? Finding a solution that was in line with the HHR’s 1,000-pound tow capacity. He found it when he designed the Teal Camper, a modular enclosure that fits on a four-by-eight trailer and weighs just 630 pounds empty, including the trailer.

Basically, the camper is a set of weather-sealed panels that are bound with Phillips-head bolts and a strap. They come in a few configurations, such as corner pieces and those with windows and door openings, and you can assemble them in rectangular shapes as small or large as you like. The standard kit comes with a bed that sleeps two and a table, but Drake has designed lightweight optional fixtures like canvas cabinets. There’s also a pop-top that can extend headroom to six feet, and the entire assembly can be bolted to a plywood floor with straps or angle brackets.

Drake’s gone as far as he can on his own resources and is looking for investors for manufacturing. As such, there’s no price tag yet but he projects around $3,000 for an empty shell. It’s a neat concept that we think deserves a shot. Check it out in the gallery of photos.

Teal Camper brings modularity to the oudoors

Europe’s financial situation is, well, bad. So no one was surprised to see analysts’ low expectations for German carmakers. But the numbers are out, and whaddya know? Three German auto companies have reported better results than predicted.

BMW reported this week that its first quarter profit rose 19 percent. BMW said 1-Series sales jumped 20 percent, which helped the company deliver a record total of 425,528 vehicles in the first quarter.

Last week, Daimler and Volkswagen blew past analysts’ expectations with VW increasing profit 10 percent and Daimler making 4.9 percent more that last year’s first quarter.

Much of the profit and sales boost is due to growing popularity of German models in U.S. and China. A couple of analysts quoted in a Bloomberg report are split on what the future holds. One says he expects BMW and VW to raise their second quarter forecasts. Another sees China’s market cooling off and gives BMW a neutral rating while rating VW and Daimler as good buys. So far this year automotive companies (including suppliers) are the best performing stocks in Europe.

German automakers defy analyst predictions by earning huge profits

Cadillac Racing just wrapped up competition at Miller Motorsports Park as part of the Pirelli World Challenge. Before the race kicked off, the crew spent a few hard laps getting the CTS-V Coupe Race Cars sorted and was kind enough to strap a few cameras to the machines while they were on track. If you’re looking for a professional view at what it’s like to take a lap while behind the wheel of the fire-breathing Caddy, look no further than the clip after the jump.

Drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell both take the time to talk us through the apexes, brake points and subtle nuances of the track surface at race speed. Very cool.

O’Connell walked away with a second-place finish just behind Patrick Long in his Porsche 911 GT3, while Pilgrim was nudged off the podium by Mike Skeen in third place with his Corvette Z06. Scroll down to check out the video for yourself.

Continue reading Cadillac gives guided tour of Miller Motorsports Park in CTS-V Race Car

Cadillac gives guided tour of Miller Motorsports Park in CTS-V Race Car

The General wants more rear-wheel drive vehicles in its lineup and has plans to bring a few more to America, including a sedan and possibly a wagon and sport utility, according to Car and Driver.

GM already sells a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet sedan in the U.S., but only sworn law enforcement officers are allowed to drive it: The Chevrolet Caprice PPV.

Now, GM will reportedly build a civilian offshoot of the the PPV and market it as the SuperSport sedan, as we reported last week. Under the hood would be GM’s 6.2-liter V-8 creating more than 400 horsepower. That SuperSport badge will also go onto Chevrolet’s NASCAR entry next year.

Car and Driver reports that after the V8 SuperSport launches, a milder 300-plus-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 model will follow. By 2015, when the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform is improved, production of this vehicle (as well as the PPV) will come to America, thus opening up the market for more police car sales, as some local governments can only buy American-made cruisers.

Furthermore, GM is considering building a rear-wheel-drive wagon as well as a sport-utility (read: ute) model. The updated Zeta II platform can handle both vehicles, especially since the next-generation Camaro will be shifting to the new Alpha platform that will underpin the Cadillac ATS and next-gen CTS.

Really, all of these vehicles are derivatives of the Pontiac G8, which is still on sale as the Holden Commodore in other markets. It was, arguably, the best Pontiac ever made. Bringing cars, wagons and utes like that to America, under any name or brand, is an immigration policy we can fully endorse.

GM considering RWD wagon and ute for U.S. market