Rumormill : Mini GTI

BMW is examining proposals for a new Mini GTI, based on the upcoming Mini Crossover model due next year.

The new front-drive machine would slot in just below established favourites such as the VW Golf GTI, offering a more compact – but equally well engineered – package.

It’s too early to say definitively how the car will be priced, but it could be around 10 per cent cheaper than a similarly specified and similarly powerful Golf GTI, according to early projections.

If it’s given the green light, the Mini GTI would be built alongside the Mini Crossover at the Steyr factory in Austria and won’t appear much before 2012.

The GTI is likely to deliver at least 180bhp and will be lower and more dynamically focused than the jacked-up Mini Crossover. A John Cooper Works variant, delivering at least 220bhp, is also likely.

Although the new five-door platform will accommodate four-wheel drive, a super-powerful Mini Quattro is not currently on BMW’s wish list, although it could be introduced relatively easily.

The GTI would get its own distinctive styling, with new bumpers front and rear, different sill covers and a unique rear spoiler and wheel designs.

A more sporting interior is also a certainty, with proper sports seats, a bespoke steering wheel and new trim options.

BMW sources have told Autocar that the company is looking at eventually spinning off three new models from its new 4m-long, five-door Mini platform.

First up will be the production version of the Crossover concept, which is due in 2010.

Autocar understands that BMW’s Munich-based Mini design studio is currently putting the finishing touches to the production model.

Aside from the GTI, also in the frame is a cooking version of the Crossover, which will be offered as a relatively conventional, though upmarket, compact family hatchback.

Modern Interpretation Of Volvo P1800

Mattias Vöx is a petrol head through and through. As if his work at Swedish hypercar company Koenigsegg wasn’t proof enough, these stunning pictures reveal his eye for the other Swedish company, Volvo. It’s not his first Volvo based project either, he’s reworked show stopping Volvo Amazon's before as well.

Vöx has a natural passion for Volvo, so much so that he plans to take a classic Volvo P1800 and bring it up to modern standards. He is producing the car in co-operation with the Swedish design firm Vizualtech who have already been busy changing the shape of the car to accomodate some of the new technology.

A wheel base extension is one such change, an extra 70mm will be added alongside larger wheel arches to allow for modern tires. Other design changes will be necessary to bring the car up to date including greater air flow and a rear diffuser.

The Volvo V8 from the XC90 will produce the power to the tune of 600bhp via a new turbocharger. A six-speed manual gearbox will be used instead of a modern semi-automatic style ‘box.

It’s expected to be shown at one of the major motorshows this year as work has good underway already. We suspect it’ll probably show at SEMA in November.

Lamborghini Toro pays homage to Lamborghini’s tractor roots

Many people are not aware of the true roots of supercar manufacturer Lamborghini. The supercar company was founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini who owned a successful tractor factory called Lamborghini Trattori in the village of Sant’Agata Bolognese.

Ferruccio, who owned a Ferrari 250, ran into Enzo Ferrari at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy where he complained about the quality of the clutch on his car. Enzo told Ferruccio that the “problem is not with the car, but rather, the driver.” He said that Ferruccio should leave the sports cars business to others and look after his tractors.

Angered and resentful, Ferruccio headed home and discovered that the transmission of his Ferrari 250 was built by the same company that built the transmission used in his Lamborghini tractors. Ferruccio eventually called upon some talented men who built Ferruccio’s dream GT to rival Ferrari. They eventually ended up producing the GTV prototype and later produced Lamborghini’s world debut with the 350GT.

Enough with all that history. Designer Jason Battersbyhas released his latest creation that pays homage to Lamborghini’s tractor legacywith the Lamborghini Toro study.

http://www.behance.net/jb_design

Novitec Tridente Maserati GranTurismo S

The Maserati GranTurismo is a sportscar that’s not quite often going into a tuningshop. Novitec Tridente noticed that an decided to upgrade the GranTurismo S. They gave the engine a supercharger creating 600 bhp. That together with an exhaust system, ECU upgrade, KW/Novitec Suspension, NM3 wheels (21 inch) and a full aero kit including a front lip, side panels, rear skirt and a rear wing should make your Maserati look different from the standard ones.

The aero kit is also completely available in carbon fibre to reduce the weight and increase the performance figures.

New Euro-spec Ford Focus RS in USA

The holy grail of all Ford Focus aficionados, the 300hp euro-spec Ford Focus RS, has been spied here in the States and in particular, in Royal Oak, Michigan, by FocusFanatics forumer, 2004SVTAutoXer. No one has any idea what the M-plated white Focus RS was doing in the area, but before you get all hyped up and everything, let us say that from what we know, Ford has no intention of importing the current generation of its scorching Euro hatch to the U.S.

Via: FocusFanatics

GT4 at Silverstone : two Ginetta G50 on two first place

The English "artisans" were to celebrate and honor this weekend at Silverstone at the launch of FIA GT3 and GT4 EC seasons. While Morgan won in FIA GT3, stalks two poles and two wins, Ginetta, with its G50, also won two races scheduled. The victories of the English "artisan" will undoubtably make some waves in the paddock, particularly with those who have invested in more expensive cars ... In the first race, Moore and Firth have emerged with a tiny gap on the G50 for Osborne / Broadhurst. The third step of the podium was acquired by the surprising D8GT Denis Donkervoort Donkervoort, 19 seconds. In the second race, Broadhurst and Osborne took their revenge in the raids under another Ginetta, the Simpson / Linn, six seconds, the podium was completed by the Nissan 350Z Buncombe / Ordonez. This time, victory in the Supersport returned to the KTM X-Bow Augustin Eder.

Mantide by Bertone

Times are tough for custom coach builders and designers. The German coach builder Karmann and Pininfarina, the legendary Italian design firm, have both recently reorganized.

To show that it is still flourishing and ready for work, Stile Bertone is showing off a new concept by its design director, Jason Castriota, who is known for his work on the Ferrari P4/5 while he was at Pininfarina. Built on the chassis and running gear of a Ferrari Enzo, the P4/5 was a one-of-a-kind car, commissioned by James Glickenhaus, an investment manager, film producer and Ferrari collector from Westchester County.

The Bertone Mantide has a more pedestrian platform, though perhaps only slightly. It is built on the mechanicals of a Corvette ZR1, but Mr. Castriota’s car shows no similarity to the Detroit body. It’s a sophisticated design that takes a lot of visual sorting out. The shape is complex and blends a wing and teardrop together. It appears to have a folded and rolled skin. There are vents everywhere, giving it overtones of a stealth fighter, enhanced by its triangular rear thrust frame, like a jet’s afterburner.

Bertone said the Mantide is more aerodynamic than the Corvette, with a lower coefficient of drag and considerably more downforce.

Mr Castriota showed his latest creation at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this month. Teaser images have been appearing on the company’s Web site and will track the car on the show circuit.

Mr. Castriota chose the Corvette for the Mantide as an intentional gesture of support for General Motors in its time of crisis, although Bertone’s financial hopes are more closely tied to working for the Chinese industry than the American one. The Mantide’s price tag? Just shy of $2 million.

Who will buy the car? “The project has an anonymous benefactor, but it is in fact for sale either as a singular example, or with the possibility of building an extremely limited series,” Mr. Castriota said in an e-mail message. Bertone might build three or five of the cars, he said. “Though we would not rule out producing as many as 10.”

He added: “At the moment there is considerable interest around the world as we have been contacted by potential clients in Asia, Europe and America.”

Mosley says F1 could survive without Ferrari

FIA president Max Mosley has insisted that Formula 1 could live without Ferrari in response to Luca di Montezemolo's criticism of the budget cap regulations.

The Ferrari chairman hit out at the introduction of the budget cap in a letter to the FIA revealed by AUTOSPORT yesterday.

In the letter di Montezemolo said the budget cap could undermine the credibility of the sport and be difficult to implement. He suggested that "all aspects of the new regulations should be carefully reviewed."

But Mosley insists that the £40 million budget cap is vital for the health of F1, saying that if Ferrari was to be lost to F1 it would simply be "sad". He added that he expects it to be difficult for the team to justify its opposition to the budget cap to the Ferrari board given the amount of money it could save.

"The sport could survive without Ferrari," Mosley told James Allen in the Financial Times. "It would be very sad to lose Ferrari. It is the Italian national team.

"I hope and think that when a team goes to its board and says, 'I want to go to war with the FIA, because I want to be able to spend £100m more than the FIA want me to spend,' the board will say, 'Why can't you spend £40m if the other teams can do it?'"

Mosley emphasised that the FIA would not back away from the budget cap and that it is vital for the financial health of F1 in both the long and short term.

"The cost cap is here to stay," he said. "There is room for discussion, it might go up or down in 2011 and if the economy picks up, say in 2014, then it might go up. You might adjust the cap in the interests of the sport, but you'll have everyone on a level playing field.

"The credit crunch hasn't really hit F1 yet. Obviously we lost Honda, but the real crunch will come when current contracts come to be renewed.

"Those contracts were signed before their share prices took a dump. I believe FOM [Formula One Management, the commercial rights holder of F1] will not be able to give the teams as much money as they have."

Mosley admitted that policing the budget cap would be difficult, but that any suspected irregularities would be thoroughly investigated.

"The difficulty and danger of cheating would be enormous," Mosley told the FT. "If we had the slightest suspicion that anyone was cheating, we'd send a team in to check. That's part of the deal.

"The [Inland] Revenue can't put even one tax inspector into each business on a permanent basis, we can put several in."

Di Montezemolo to start Le Mans race

Ferrari's participation in Formula One is so firmly entrenched in the identities of both the world championship and the Italian automaker that its abandonment of the series is almost unthinkable. But thinking about just that, according to some commentators, is what Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo wants people to start doing, as a spate of heated correspondence flies back and forth between Maranello and Paris, seat of motorsport's governing body, the FIA.

Montezemolo, who also serves as chairman of the Fiat group and head of the Formula One Teams Association, has been invited to ceremonially start this year's 24 hours of Le Mans by the ACO, where he will be joined by Scuderia Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicalli. And while to some it may seem entirely benign, others insist that it's a shot across the bow of the SS Max Mosley, the FIA chief who's been pushing new cost-cutting regulations to which Ferrari, among several other teams, is vehemently opposed. But could Ferrari really leave Formula One? This isn't the first time the idea's been floated, following a recent campaign to form a renegade spin-off series and Ferrari's Indy program in the 80's, to name just a couple of examples. The hard, cold truth that Mosley must be realizing is that Le Mans series endurance sports car racing has grown in profile to rival that of Formula One, and even if Ferrari's participation in the series is currently limited primarily to GT2, where it has taken numerous class victories, its heritage at the iconic French track is nearly as firmly entrenched as it is on the world's grand prix circuits.

Porsche 911 GT3 restyling : video with Walter Rohrl

Walter Röhrl drives better than you can. In fact, he drives better than most people presently walking this Earth. The rally legend and Porsche test driver recently took the 435 hp Porsche GT3 and lapped the 'Ring in a blistering 7:40. Now he's tossing the track-ready 911 variant on video for all to see. It's too bad we can't switch off the underwhelming promo music so we can focus in on the beautiful noises emanating from the GT3's tailpipe, but Röhrl's handiwork more than makes up for it.

Ferrari F450 Mule testing video

Looks can be deceiving. What appears to be a modified F430 in this video is in fact a test mule of Ferrari's forthcoming F450 supercar sporting new hardware under the current generation model's bodywork. The F450, which is set to be revealed at this fall's Frankfurt motorshow, will be powered by a direct-injection V8 engine producing somewhere north of 500 horsepower. Get a taste of the new Ferrari revving its V8 powerhouse on the track and on the road in the two-minute-long video.
(Via: Worldcarfans)

Kepler about to purchase Bertone

While all the attention is focused on the mega-transaction that is bringing the Fiat on the bridge of Chrysler, in another Torinese "take over", of very different proportions, is looming on the horizon. The Kepler, a company which belongs to Domenico Reviglio, returned to the office for the purchase of Carrozzeria Bertone and its brand. The Kepler today its offer to the College of Commissioners appointed last year by the bankruptcy court in Turin, after the Bertone went into receivership.

Kepler's commitment has been made possible by the association with Ti-Cam, right Austrian companies active in the trading of commodities and industrial plants, and the Royal Soparfi, the finance company under Luxembourg law that deals with mergers and industrial restructuring.

Reviglio aims to acquire the industrial complex of Bertone in Grugliasco, for their research, design and production of light commercial vehicles (ie with a range from 1.5 to 3.5 tonnes) powered by LPG, methane or electric scooter and electric powered quadricycles and bicycles with pedal assistance. In the plans, even CityCar electric sports car of medium size.

According to the Kepler says some of these projects are in advanced stage of planning and could already be presented in autumn this year. The employment plan to use two hundred people initially and as many as 450 within the next three years.

The "Infamous" Gumball 3000: from Los Angeles to Miami rally

The "infamous" Gumball Rally is scheduled to start this weekend, and participants have started to gather in the Los Angeles area for the start of the race tomorrow. We caught up with several of the cars in Santa Monica this afternoon, already prepped with their unique liveries and vinyl wraps. The rally will officially start at 1:00pm on Saturday at the Santa Monica pier, so if you are in the Southern California area you can head down to check out all the cars and celebrities. They eight day rally will also be stopping by Las Vegas, Sante Fe, Dallas, New Orleans, and Miami, so check the Gumball web site to see when they will be coming through your city. We've put together a small preview gallery from today, but check back for plenty more photos from the start of the rally tomorrow. You can read additional details in the Gumball 3000 press release after the jump.


PRESS RELEASE:

Ladies, Gentlemen, prepare to start your engines... as the 11th annual Gumball 3000 Rally from Los Angeles to Miami is about to begin!

Attracting 'rock stars' to 'royalty', the entry grid of over 100 amazing cars and participants in this year's Gumball is nothing short of spectacular! From David 'The Hoff' Hasselhoff to Jackass's Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn in a custom BMW; next to action sports legends Tony Hawk, Danny Kass, and Dave Mirra in tricked out Jeeps, Chevy Trucks and Porsches; alongside Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs, British indie stars The Enemy, MTV's Dirty Sanchez, the hilarious Cuban Brothers and the fire-breathing Fuel Girls together with vintage rocker Lemmy from Motörhead and Avenged Sevenfold – Gumball has it all – showcasing Bugatti Veyrons, Lamborghini's to Low Riders and classic American muscle cars. With event sponsors including lifestyle sportswear brand Puma providing 'Gumball 3000 Edition' driving shoes, Nixon creating unique timepieces, and Monster Energy supplying the drinks – this eight-day 'road trip' is certain to live up to all expectations of being a stylish, adrenaline fuelled adventure. Think of Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett and Captain Chaos in the 70s Cannonball Run movies and you start to get the picture. Playmates, supermodels and an international cast of eccentrics come standard issue!

On Friday May 1st Gumball 3000 is hosting a 'free' music concert on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade – With live performances from LA hipsters U-N-I, Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs and the Cuban Brothers – followed by a 'VIP' party at the Viceroy Hotel with guest DJs including DJ Spider, DJ Homicide and Beef Warehouse.

The amazing super, muscle, import and luxury cars will all be displayed next to Santa Monica Pier on parking Lot 1550 from midday on Friday May 1st - ready for the flag to drop at 1pm on Saturday 2nd May! From Santa Monica the 3000 mile route includes a spectacular sight-seeing tour of the good 'ole USA, peppered with overnight stops, parties and checkpoints in Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Dallas, New Orleans and Orlando - before crossing the finish line on Miami's Ocean Drive on Friday 8th May.

In addition to experiencing a classic road trip adventure, racetrack stop-offs at the Lonestar Motorsports Park in Sealy, Texas, and at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida will allow drivers the chance to put pedal to the metal and test their supercars to their limits. One participant that will undoubtedly use these stops to show the other drivers "how to drive" is legendary champion ex-Ferrari Formula 1 racing driver Mika Salo, winner of last years '24 Hours of Le Mans'- taking his Ferrari F430 Risi Competizione Scuderia GT2 on the rally!

Gumball 3000 Rally are officially working with the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organisation benefiting and raising awareness for the needs of severely injured United States Service men and women. Wounded Warrior representatives will be present throughout the event as well as partnering with Gumball 3000 at forthcoming events and fundraisers.

For daily updates go to www.gumball3000.com, and catch highlights of the action on YouTube, Pumamotorsport.com, Monsterenergy.com and on MTV - but if you live on route – then stop whatever you're doing, get out of the house - and come along to see your favorite stars and cars roll into a town near you!

http://www.gumball3000.com

The Future of BMW

Over the last several weeks we have been hearing interesting news in terms of what BMW is thinking about the future and future models. We all know that over 20 new models will be coming to market within the next few years but in which direction is the company moving?

Most enthusiasts are concerned about the overall increases in size and weight of BMWs in general. We have heard from several (reliable) sources this is not necessarily the direction of the future. With the possibility of new legislation being passed throughout the world to help combat pollution BMW has been investing in Efficient Dynamics to decrease emissions and make cars lighter. We have seen the first stage of the this program with stage 2 to be released shortly to the buying public in the form of hybrids.

That is not the end of the program; the team at Project-i is mandated to defy conventional thinking. And with the Vision Concept (the Z2) they will do just that in Frankfurt this September. The Z2 is not expected to hit dealers until 2013.

The Z2 is being designed on the next generation 1 Series platform which we have learned will be extremely flexible; allowing for front, rear and all wheel drive systems. What this means is that development cost for future models across the brands will be decreased due to economies of scale and that BMW will not have to co-develop platforms with other manufacturers (bye-Fiat). BMWs will remain rear/all wheel drive, MINI will remain front and soon become all wheel as well.

The Z2 will weigh in at UNDER 1,000 kg (2200 lbs) and feature a variety of power supplies, from the 1.6L MINI engines (including JCW), to a new 2.0l twin turbo unit putting out around 250 hp. Environmental friendly hybrid, plug in hybrid and diesel will be offered. BMW going along with its naming convention of using “Drive” will call the drive system in the cars with electric “eDrive”; to add to sDrive, xDrive, and iDrive. A new transmission will also be a feature of this model and possible future MINI variants which is derived from the BMW Motorrad division. Anticipated cost is around $30,000 and the base model will reach mid 50s in the mpg area.

To keep the weight down, composites and light weight materials will be used in key areas such as the engine, drive train and in the body shell. Additionally there will be a manually operated top which will allow the roof to fold flat and not require motors etc. to help keep costs and weight down. There will initially be a convertible and later a coupe version will be offered. There are no plans at this time for the ///M division to create a version of these cars but a high probability of a Super Sports edition.

In traditional BMW fashion, handling and performance will be key to the Z2, not just efficiency. As in the GINA concept, the Z2 will feature Active Aerodynamics- this will allow the car to increase efficiency or sportiness based on the driving style. The front spoiler and intake slats will adjust to make the car more efficient or to provide additional down force.

The Z2 will usher in new technologies such as LED lighting and external black panels- all you initially will see is the large driving lamps then the when activated the LEDs will come to life with the black panels to create a version of the standard BMW double headlamps.

While this is still somewhat speculation we have heard this same information from several extremely reliable sources in just the past week so we thought we would keep you informed as to what we are hearing. Either way this will be ground breaking.