In a little over one week from now Season 14 of Top Gear will be going to air. Like last series, some jammy kids are telling us all about it.

You know the drill, you can see the teaser after the break.

[via FinalGear]

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BMW have been overwhelmed by to the response to their original teaser video for the M3 GTS, so much so, that they wrote to AUSmotive asking to ease the burden by showing you two new clips.

The first starts off with a bit of track action before going into to full PR mode. The second, however, could be straight out of a Top Gear film, with lashing of super slo-mo and trick focusing effects.

Well, what are you waiting for, check the vids out now after the jump.

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Good news for the car industry last month, with sales increasing for the first time since the middle of last year. Official VFACTS data shows sales were up 2.2 per cent last month when compared to October 2008.

“The industry is looking to round out the year on a positive note and we expect a further surge in sales as businesses move to take advantage of the successful tax break prior to the end of the year,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

However, the overall downward trend remains for year-to-date new vehicle sales, which are down 11.7 per cent compared to the same period last year (762,787 sales to date).

Toyota, Holden and Ford round out the usual top three placings for overall sales, but that hasn’t stopped a number of manufacturers from putting their spin on things. A bunch of press releases to that effect can be viewed after the jump.

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The BBC website has an excellent review of the 2009 Formula One season. Included is commentary on all the teams and drivers from the 2009 season. Although, notably, Nelson Piquet Jr is absent from the drivers’ list.

Former team owner Eddie Jordan reviews the team performances, while former F1 driver and BBC expert comments man Martin Brundle covers the drivers.

The drivers have also been asked a series of simple questions and you actually do get a bit of an insight into their personalities by the way they answer the same questions.

[Source: BBC | Pic: JensonButton.com | Thanks to Sean for the tip]

Here’s one for our Sydney readers looking for a Sunday morning activity. The Mercedes-Benz Club of NSW will be staging a convoy of Benzes from all eras, with as many as 150 cars crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge tomorrow.

Apparently there’ll even be a 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ in attendance. The original Gullwing is one of the most beautiful cars ever made, surely this is enough cause to check out the day if you can. You’ll need to be up bright and early, though, as the club plans to leave their Hickson Road departure point by 8am. Full details below.

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Selling ice to the Eskimos has always been acknowledged as a tough gig, but I wonder, is it as tough selling Civic Type Rs to the Japanese? Whatever the answer may be, we can say the latter is possible as Honda UK are proudly boasting.

Honda’s Swindon plant is the only production facility to produce the eye catching three door Civic Type R and they will be sending 2010 examples to Japan. Well done them.

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More Porsche Boxster Spyder goodies for you now. It’s like the earlier article, but with less words and more moving pictures. Official clip from Porsche above, with some extra clips below for good measure. Sounds half decent, too.

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European motoring hacks have started filing reports on the stunning Ferrari 458 Italia, which is great news for them, and frustrating for those of us never likely to drive one. So instead of looking at more pics, or listening to what some F1 has been says about the 458, let’s grab a few choice quotes from the scribes behind the wheel.

Chris Chilton from Car: “Definitely an everyday supercar in the mould of the Audi R8. The ride comfort is excellent, visibility good, noise levels low, build quality leagues above the F430’s and that dual-clutch gearbox means the 458 is just as happy trickling through traffic as blasting around Fiorano.”

Aaron Robinson from Car and Driver: “Turns out, driving the 458 quickly is practically effortless, like strapping on parabolic skis or doing square roots with a calculator … the grip is tenacious, the turn-in to a corner so fierce and direct that you’ll swear it has a rudder tilling the asphalt.”

Chris Harris from evo: “Performance: Fast! Really, really fast. It doesn’t tend to just build, it just goes from about 1500rpm up to about nine. Transmission: Well, I think it’s a little bit of a triumph actually. I was worried it was going to be anodyne, it was gonna be a bit removed, a bit clinical—because it’s obviously a double clutch gearbox—but it’s not.”

For added marks evo have been kind enough to allow video embedding of Harris’ first thoughts from the road and track. So, what are you waiting for, take the jump…

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This is the Porsche Boxster Spyder, and it will be the lightest Porsche on the market in February 2010 when it arrives in showrooms around the world. It weighs in at 1275kg, fitted with PDK, which makes it 90kg lighter than a PDK equipped Boxster.

Adding more sweetness to the package is news that the Spyder will produce 320bhp from its 3.4 litre flat six. More astute Porsche connoisseurs will have already clocked that is 10bhp more than a Boxster S.

With the roof up, the fabric only cover is unlikely to do more than offer basic protection. Porsche have said the Spyder “has been developed first and foremost for driving in the open air”. Which also probably explains why they didn’t bother too much with how the roof looks.

If you are chasing that wind in your hair feeling, though, you can do this in very brisk fashion by sprinting to 100km/h in a mere 4.8 seconds. With retuned suspension you can bet that Stuttgart’s finest have made the most of lighter weight to ensure this car steers and handles with absolute precision.

The rear bulges over the engine cover are not the most convincing aesthetic solution ever seen on a motor car, but this is a small price to pay for what is sure to be a cracking drive. Speaking of prices,European customers will be paying a bit under €63,500(AU$105,000) to drive a Spyder away from their favourite Porsche dealer. The public will get their first look at the Boxster Spyder at the LA Motor Show in December.

More after the break.

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Ferrari has slammed the management of F1 over the loss of Toyota, and other manufacturers, to the sport. Describing the departure of major players as “a war waged against the major car manufacturers” the Scuderia are clearly not happy.

Even the arrival of new teams to fill the void left by the likes of Toyota and BMW is not enough to placate the passionate Italians who question the longevity of the new arrivals such as Manor, Lotus, USF1 and Campos Meta by asking “how many of them will really be there on the grid for the first race of next season in Bahrain and how many will still be there at the end of 2010.”

The fiery statement from Ferrari (available in full after the jump), which is not attributed to any staff member, compares Formula One’s management to Agatha Christie’s novel Ten Little Indians, declaring “the guilty party was only uncovered when all the other characters died, one after the other. Do we want to wait for this to happen or do we want to pen a different ending to the book on Formula 1?”

Let’s hope Renault doesn’t pull of F1 too, looks like Ferrari will be apoplectic if that happens!

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If you’re in the mood for a bit of the old ultra-violence at your next track day, then perhaps you might like to engage yourself in BMW’s latest weapon—the M3 GTS. You can watch a teaser clip after the jump, and I’m sure you’ll agree it would have been better if the soundtrack featured a bit of Ludwig Van.

But never mind all that, what does this M3 have that others don’t? Well, actually, it’s more a case of what the GTS doesn’t have, given that the interior has been stripped out. There’s lightweight seats, plastic windows and a half cage for starters.

BMW’s M boffins have also played around under the skin offering coilover suspension and serious braking power, with six-pot calipers up front, and four-pots at the rear. A very tidy titanium exhaust will be found underneath the car, as well.

Of course, you can’t miss the bright orange paintwork, which is complemented by matt black detailing in the form of aerodynamic plastic bits. And all this is set off nicely by gorgeous 19″ alloys. Perfect!

Well, almost, despite all the dieting, the car still tips the scales at 1490kg, some 165kg lighter than a regular M3 coupé. But with 450bhp available, through a 7-speed M dual clutch transmission, the car is sure to get along quite rapidly without too much bother.

The M3 GTS will be built to order, with initial deliveries for Germany only commencing in May 2010. Customers wanting to indulge themselves in this lovely bit of kit will have to swap €115,000 with the BMW M production workshop.

Apparently there’s going to be more on this car from BMW over the weekend, so set your clocks and stay tuned for the next update. If you can’t wait to read the latest on AUSmotive, there’s plenty more to keep you occupied at the M-power website.

[via BimmerFile]

UPDATE: Press release from BMW added below.

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Last month Ferrari announced they would be selling this limited edition 599 GTB Fiorano at auction. With an exterior created by Chinese artist Lu Hao and inspired by Ge Kin porcelain the car did indeed sell at auction, and for a very tidy two million bucks, thanks very much.

The funds will allow students of Tsinghua University’s Department of Automotive Engineering to study at Italy’s Politecnico di Milano University. The sale of the unique 599 GTB and subsequent windfall follows the spirit of Enzo Ferrari, who often supported research projects that helped improve the skills and knowledge of young talents.

All the official guff after the break.

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Is Renault the next manufacturer to pull out of Formula One? That’s the story currently doing the rounds on the internetz. According to a report on Autocar.co.uk the Renault board is meeting in the next few hours to discuss its future in the sport.

It is understood that Renault, still a bit gun shy after the “Crashgate” saga, may follow Toyota out of F1. Although, having secured a new sponsor and previously confirming Robert Kubica as a driver for 2010, Renault some reasonably serious commitments already locked away for next season.

Hmm, could be an interesing story developing here. Watch this space!

[Source: Autocar]

Australia’s Mark Webber came desperately close to securing a season’s best F1 award this year by finishing equal first with Red Bull Racing teammate Sebastian Vettel in the DHL Fastest Lap Trophy award. Both drivers claimed three fastest laps in season 2009, however, Vettel was awarded the trophy on countback by completing three second fastest laps, to Webber’s one.

Webber went into the final race at Abu Dhabi ahead of Vettel and the young German had to wait until the second last lap to tie with Webber and force the countback.

“I am very pleased. It means a lot to me to have my achievements recognised in this way. I wanted to post the fastest lap of the race, which is why, just before the finish, I really put my foot to the floor again.” The 22-year-old Vettel added with a laugh, “It was more than worth it.”

[Source: DHL Fastest Lap & Formula1.com]

English motor mags Autocar and Car have filed their initial drive reports on Volkswagen’s 195kW Scirocco R. With all that power going to the front wheels only, will the feisty ‘Roc be a blithering mess or a competent B-road balltearer?

Autocar: “Keeping the Scirocco R front-drive has kept weight in check, and there’s no denying that power figure, so this is a car that feels entirely at home in the company of mega-hatches like the Focus and the old Megane R26.”

Car: “VW seems to be enjoying a strong run of sporting excellence at the moment, after losing the plot in the 1990s. The Scirocco R is another reminder they can build cracking sports cars at democratic prices. Bravo.”

While it seems unlikely that we will see the Scirocco in Australia in the short term, there are enough whisperings around to ensure all hope is not lost. Indeed, a sole Scirocco model lineup consisting of the R only may be Australia’s best option. If you’re keen on seeing this car in your local Volkswagen showroom then the best I can suggest is to contact VW and ask them “Where the bloody hell is my Scirocco?!”.