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2015-04-30: Porsches and Ferrari that starred in the 2015 Tour Auto ...
At last week's Tour Auto, arch-rivals Porsche and Ferrari were very strongly represented. Among the rarest of Porsches competing was the 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 of which two were raced. Built by Porsche in 1974 and 1975, it was the ultimate evolution of that naturally aspirated Porsche 911 racers before the German manufacturer switched to the turbo-charged 934s and 935s. Although homologated as a GT racer, the three-litre engined Carrera RSR also scored two outright victories each in the Sebring 12 Hours and Daytona 24 Hours. Added to the six examples already featured, the pair of RSRs were extensively raced in period by prominent French and German privateers. They are pictured in what is now a 178-shot gallery.
Of a somewhat earlier vintage is this Ferrari 212 Export Touring Berlinetta, which ran strongly for three of the event's five days. One of just four built, this rare fixed-head machine combined the classic Touring lines with latest 2.6-litre engine introduced by Ferrari in 1951. The example that participated in the Tour Auto burst back onto the scene early in 2014 when it sold for over $3 million at a Bonhams auction. As can be seen in this 37-shot gallery, it has since not only competed in the Tour Auto but was also shown at Pebble Beach back in August. |
2015-04-27: 2015 Tour Auto report and 310-shot gallery ...
This past week, the streets of France were once again treated to the annual Tour Auto. The annual, five-day event visited some of the country's most scenic regions, including the volcanic 'Les Puys' and the Pyrenees mountains on the route from Paris to the famous beach resort of Biarritz on the Atlantic coast. Also on the schedule were four different tracks, including one of our favourites, the undulating Charade or Clermont Ferrand. Especially the mountain stages provided scenic backdrops with snow-covered mountains and steep drops. Celebrating the Barchetta, the 2015 entry featured a Porsche 550A, Maserati 200S and OSCA MT4. Among the other highlights were machinery ranging from a Citroen 2CV to a Ferrari 250 GTO, while Shelby Cobras, Ford GT40s and a wide variety of Porsche 911s also lined up for the road rally.
Our photographers shared the roads with the 233-strong field and have returned with a truly mouth-watering 310-shot gallery, which serves to illustrate a concise, day-by-day report. |
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2015-04-24: Rare Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Clienti and Chevron B24 ...
For many years Ferrari had been very successful at exploring the very limits of the homologation requirements. Only when they tried to convince the governing bodies that a 250 LM was merely a 250 GTO with the engine at the other end and then also tried to pass of a purpose-built 4/5th scale 275 GTB as based on the road car, the Italian manufacturer was met with a firm 'non' for two years running. To ensure that would not happen a third time, Ferrari created the 275 Competizione Clienti, which was ready halfway through the 1965 season. As the name suggests, it was built for the company's wealthy privateer racers. By keeping the car very close to the standard 'short nose' 275 GTB, Ferrari ensured it would pass even the closest scrutiny. Among the changes were a larger fuel tank, equipped with an external filler and additional vents behind the rear wheels. Over the years we have captured six of the ten examples built, which can be admired in this 67-shot gallery. Among them is chassis 07641, which competed in this week's Tour Auto but sadly failed to reach the finish due to a mechanical failure. We are one day short of making it to the finish and have built up an impressive collection of photographs over the past few days. They are due to be published early next week as part of our comprehensive report of the ever spectacular event.
Most new Chevrons upheld the impressive tradition of winning on their debut. The British specialist manufacturer's first F5000 car, the B24 Chevrolet, did that and one better. In the 1973 Race of Champions, Peter Gethin used the B24 to score the only ever victory for a F5000 car in an F1 race. We have featured the actual Chevron B24 used by Gethin to clinch that historic win to kick off our celebrations of Chevron's 50th anniversary. |
2015-04-20: Shanghai round-up with McLaren 540C, and Mercedes-Benz and VW concepts ...
Early this morning, the 2015 Auto Shanghai kicked off with a press preview day. Among the numerous world debuts at this ever more important motor show was the new McLaren 540C. The second member of the recently launched 'Sports Series', it is the most 'affordable' McLaren road car yet. Powered by a 533bhp version of the familiar twin-turbo V8, it is priced at GBP 126,000 and available in all of McLaren's major markets. Compared to the 570S introduced earlier this month, the 540C features a slightly more forgiving suspension, which makes it even more useable for use on the road.
Mercedes-Benz uses the Shanghai Motor Show to offer a first glimpse of a future addition to the range. Appropriately dubbed the Concept GLC Coupe, it will for the basis for the coupe version of the new GLC range. The show car is powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine, which is good for 362 bhp and mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Volkswagen carried on where it had left off at Geneva with the C Coupe GTE. This stylish machine is powered by a hybrid drivetrain, which is at full pelt produces a combined 241 bhp and 500 Nm of torque. The styling of the C Coupe GTE will be carried over to future Volkswagen sedans. |
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2015-04-17: 2015 Techno Classica report and gallery, and the latest from Shanghai ...
Boasting over 1,250 exhibitors and attracting close to 200,000 visitors over a five-day period, the annual Techno Classica is the Germany city of Essen is one of the largest events of its kind. The classic car motor show staged in the vast Messe Essen features a wide array of exhibitors, ranging from major manufacturers to specialist suppliers. This year's edition included a special display of cars that competed in the 1929 Tourist Trophy, a look back at the bittersweet 1955 racing season by Mercedes-Benz and unique machinery like a Group 4 Alfa Romeo Montreal and Mansour Ojjeh's one-off road-going Porsche 935. Our photographers explored all halls with more care than ever before. The result is a concise report, illustrated by an exclusive 230-shot gallery. In the coming weeks, we will take a more detailed look at some of the 2015 Techno Classicas most interesting highlights.
Quickly becoming one of the most important motor shows and alternating with the Beijing Motor Show, Auto Shanghai will open its doors next week. The Volkswagen Group will be represented strongly in this key market. Audi will showcase the Prologue Allroad Show Car, which is the third in a line of Prologue show cars. It is powered by a hybrid drivetrain good for a combined 724 bhp and 900 Nm of torque. Parent company Volkswagen will reveal the new Scirocco GTS. Powered by a 217 bhp engine, this is effectively a Golf GTi in Scirocco clothing. Another highly impressive machine to break cover this week is the Peugeot 308 R HYbrid. A plug-in hybrid, equipped with an electric motor on both axles, it boasts a combined 500 bhp. Right now the 308 R is still a technology showcase but it would certainly give the new Civic Type R or Focus RS a good run for their money. Skoda meanwhile have introduced the final version of the Fabia R5. Built to the latest regulations, this rally racer is eligible to run in both national and international events. |
2015-04-15: Rare Touring bodied OSCA and Arrows' most successful F1 car ...
In 1960, the Maserati brothers expanded the OSCA line-up by adding the road-going 1600 GT. The race-bred machine featured a lovely twin-cam, four-cylinder engine and was usually bodied by Fissore or Zagato. Among the rarest versions is the Touring Coupe, which was introduced at the 1961 Turin Motor Show. Only two examples were produced of this elegant machine. One of the design's most unusual features is the location of the spare tyre. This was stored on the parcel shelf, inside a cover made from the same material as the rest of the interior. Over the years, we have managed to capture both examples of this rare machine. The result is this 32-shot gallery.
Established during the late 1970s, the Arrows team was a set fixture on the Formula 1 grid for over 25 years. No season during that period was more successful than 1988 when Eddie Cheever and Derek Warwick scored a combined 23 points at a time when a race victory was only good for ten points. They used this Arrows A10B Megatron, which had been designed by Ross Brawn and featured a rebadged BMW engine. Although the A10B was a regular point scorer during the final season of the original turbo era, Arrows' engineers struggled for most of the season to get the mandatory pop-off valve to work properly. When this was finally sorted, Cheever and Warwick immediately placed third and fourth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. At recent editions of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we were treated to two different examples, which can be seen in full detail in this 28-shot gallery. |
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2015-04-13: Le Mans class winning Lola Mazda and yesterday's Tourist Trophy winner ...
American tyre manufacturer BF Goodrich proved during the 1980s that the famous express 'race on Sunday, buy on Monday' does not only apply to cars. To showcase the potential of their latest T/A Radials road tyres, they shod a series of competition cars with the same compound rubber. For the 1984 season, the Jim Busby run team fielded this Lola T616 Mazda. Powered by a howling, 300+ bhp twin-rotor engine, the lightweight machine was fielded in the World Sports Car Championship and the IMSA GTP series. Raced in the Group C2 class, the T616 Mazda was particularly successful in the World Championship, winning the class at Monza and most importantly at Le Mans. Following the highly successful season with the Mazda-engined Lolas, the team stepped up to a GTP specification Porsche 962. The T616s continued to be raced by others for many more seasons. The two cars used in the World Championship were eventually restored to their original configuration by Busby himself. We captured both cars in this 46-shot gallery fittingly in action at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Goodwood Festival of Speed where Mazda will be the featured marque this year.
This year's World Endurance Championship kicked off this weekend with the 6 Hours race at Silverstone, run for the legendary Tourist Trophy. While the very powerful Porsches proved fastest in qualifying, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro turned out to be the better package during the race. Despite a late stop-go penalty, the R18 piloted by Marcel Fassler, Benoit Treluyer and Andre Lotterer clinched the first win of the season. |
2015-04-10: V12 Friday with Sunbeam record breaker and BRM F1 racers ...
Although often associated with thoroughbred Italian sports cars, the V12 has also regularly been used for British road and racing cars. Among the very first was this Sunbeam 350hp, which was built in 1920. It featured a sophisticated V12, which was derived from an engine originally developed for a naval seaplane. The massive, 18.3-litre V12 featured three valves per cylinder and produced a staggering 355 bhp. It helped prepare the unique machine to various land speed records in the hands of Kenelm Lee Guinness and Malcolm Campbell. Part of the British National Motor Museum collection, it was recently restored to full running order. A fabulous video about the car is also included in our detailed article about this unique machine.
Following a difficult two seasons with the overly complex H16 engine, BRM turned to a V12 layout for the 1968 Formula 1 season. Originally developed for sports car racing purposes, the twin-cam engine first powered the BRM P126 raced by the likes of Pedro Rodriguez and Richard Attwood. Although they missed out on a win, both drivers managed to place second once with the V12-engined P126 in 1968. The same basic design ultimately evolved during the 1968 and 1969 seasons into the BRM P139. Compared to the original V12-engined BRM, the final evolution featured a four-valve head, which helped boost the power of the three-litre V12 to nearly 420 bhp. Driven by John Surtees and Jackie Oliver, the P139 proved not quick or reliable enough to match the Cosworth DFV-powered rivals. |
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2015-04-08: BMW Touring Cars, 1,000 bhp Hennessey CTS-V and new Citroen concept ...
The introduction of the new 'Group A' regulations at the start of the 1982 European Touring Car Championship prompted BMW to reconsider their effort. The German manufacturer strongly believed that the 635 CSi previously used, could not be homologated, mainly due to the 5,000-car production (over a single year) homologation requirements. So instead, the 528i Group A was created together with specialists Eggenberger. The four-door saloon complied with both the letter and the spirit of the regulations, unlike the quicker Jaguar XJ-S, Tom Walkinshaw Racing had cleverly managed to get homologated. Mainly due to its reliability, the 528i nevertheless dominated the 1982 season, scoring six wins, including in the all-important Spa 24 Hours. Our feature car was one of the works back BMW Italia machines, which finished second on three occasions.
Taking no chances, BMW had figured out a way to also homologate the 635 CSi as a Group A car for 1983. The racing cars were a collaboration between Alpina, who supplied the engines and Schnitzer, who assembled the cars and also ran the works team. It proved sufficient to stave off the Jaguars for another season, and the ever striking 635 CSi Group A would go on to win the Spa 24 Hours on three different occasions. Our 59-shot gallery includes four different examples, pictured at tracks all around Europe. American go-fast specialist Hennessey has taken the upcoming Cadillac CTS-V to a new level by creating the HPE1000. As the name suggests, it is powered by a 1,000 bhp version of the Cadillac's V8, which boasts twin turbos instead of a supercharger. Hennessey plans to produce just 24 examples as a 2016 model. Citroen has reached the production milestone of 50 million vehicles and will celebrate the occasion by introducing the Aircross Concept at the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show. The compact SUV features a hybrid drivetrain, good for a combined 308 bhp. |
2015-04-06: Matra's earliest Grand Prix cars ...
Originally an aeronautics manufacturer, Matra expanded to the automotive industry by acquiring the ailing Rene Bonnet company in the early 1960s. Within a few years, the French company produced a successful range of sports cars and single seaters. With backing from the government, Matra stepped up to Formula 1 in 1968. An inspired move was to employ the services of team manager Ken Tyrrell and his hugely talented protege driver Jackie Stewart, who had already successfully competed in Formula 2 with a Matra. Based on one of these four-cylinder engined machines was Matra's very first Formula 1 car; the MS9 Cosworth. Powered by the newly available Ford Cosworth DFV engine, it mainly served as a test and development vehicle. Stewart nevertheless managed to qualify the unique MS9 on the front row at its sole Grand Prix outing. In recent years, it has been meticulously restored to its original configuration and we captured it while displayed at the fabulous Donington Grand Prix Collection.
All the lessons learned with the F2-based MS9 were used to create a pair of Matra MS10s used for the remainder of the 1968 season. After some teething problems in the car's first Grands Prix, Stewart scored a breakthrough victory at Zandvoort. This was the first Formula 1 World Championship win for a French car. Stewart added three more victories to the MS10's tally, including a remarkable win during a rain-soaked German Grand Prix, where he beat the nearest rival by a startling four minutes. In 1969, the Scotsman would claim his first World Championship with the new Matra MS80. Both MS10s survive and we have captured the pair in full detail with this 36-shot gallery. The chassis used by Stewart to score each of the four victories is shown in a variety of aero configurations, all of which were used during the 1968 season. |
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2015-04-03: World Championship winning Spice, and New York and Seoul round-ups ...
In 1988, Gordon Spice became the first driver since Juan Manual Fangio to win four consecutive World Championships. He dominated the Group C2 class with a succession of cars and scored the fourth World Championship with his own Spice SE88C Cosworth. This second generation Spice Group C racer was a simple but highly effective machine, and it was the class of the field from the moment it first turned a wheel. Among the three examples featured is the chassis used by Gordon Spice and his team-mate Ray Bellm for most of the season. Liveried in striking Listerine and Rexona colours, it scored numerous class wins including at Le Mans, where it also placed 13th overall. Today, this very car is still among the very fastest in its class and depending on the track can even challenge the much more powerful C1 machinery for outright victories. The formidable Spice is pictured in an action-packed, 73-shot gallery.
On Wednesday, we already took a first look at the releases from the New York International Auto Show and today we round-up our coverage. Our eye was particularly caught by the BRZ-based Subaru STI Performance Concept. Although few specifics were released, it has lead us to believe that an STI version of the BRZ will, finally, be added to Subaru's line-up. Another interesting debutant in New York is the all-new Cadillac CT6. The large, luxury saloon is powered by a choice of engines, including a Cadillac exclusive, 400 bhp V6, which drives all four wheels. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the Seoul Motor Show also opened its doors this week. Definitely one of the most exciting new machines on display was this Hyundai RM15 Concept. Short for Racing Midship 15, the RM15 is built around an aluminium tubular spaceframe chassis and boasts a mid-mounted, 295 bhp four-cylinder engine. Although, unfortunately, not slated for production, the rear-wheel drive machine serves as a showcase of Hyundai's engineering skills. Fellow Korean company, Kia, used the show to take the wraps off the Novo Concept. As the name suggests, it represents a new or fresh approach to the needs of urban commuters. |
2015-04-01: All-new McLaren 570S, Porsche Boxster Spyder and more New York news ...
Today, the annual New York International Auto Show kicks off with the official press day. As has become the standard in recent years, most manufacturers have already revealed full details of their releases on the eve of the show. Among the most spectacular new cars on display in the 'Big Apple' will be this McLaren 570S Coupe. It is the first representative of the new 'Sports Series', which is aimed at the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GT and Porsche 911 Turbo. While it shares some mechanical components with its bigger brothers, the 570S boasts a fresh new design, complete with flying buttresses in the C-pillar. Powering the new 570S Coupe is a 570 hp version of the twin-turbo V8, which seems more than sufficient to power the lightweight machine to terminal velocity in mere seconds.
Porsche is due to expand the line-up with the hardcore Boxster Spyder. By removing unnecessary luxuries like a radio or air conditioning, and using a minimalistic foldaway roof, a lot of weight was shed. Performance further benefited from using the brakes and the engine from the Porsche 911. Some of the styling cues of this very quick machine are inspired by the classic Porsche 718 RS racers of the early 1960s. The Boxster Spyder also shares some cues with the similarly hardcore Cayman GT4 launched in Geneva last month. The big news at Lincoln will be the imminent return of the range-topping Continental in the line-up. Offering a preview, Ford's luxury arm will debut the Continental Concept in New York. Although thoroughly modern in appearance, it still has hints of some of the great Continentals of the past, especially on the inside, which is finished in blue leather. The Continental is powered by a Lincoln exclusive, 3-litre EcoBoost V6. Mazda have livened up the market introduction of the all-new MX-5 with the introduction of the MX-5 Club. Compared the standard model, it features bigger brakes, bigger wheels, a tighter suspension and a more aggressive bodykit. |
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