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Ferrari's first Le Mans winner, all-new BMW 4-Series and two new racers ...

17 Jun 2013 12:40:28 CST

With the start of the 2013 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans rapidly approaching, we have today taken a very close look at the first post-War winner and the first Ferrari to grab victory in the legendary endurance race. This is, of course, the equally legendary Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta. Introduced at the 1948 Turin Motor Show, the Touring bodied machine was instantly nicknamed Barchetta; Italian for little boat. Although primarily intended as a production model for privateers, the Scuderia Ferrari also raced the two-litre engined machine. In 1949, it was virtually unbeatable as it not only won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it also scored victories in the Mille Miglia and 24 Hours of Spa. Courtesy of our new car layout, we can now present the 166 MM Touring Barchetta in more detail than ever before with the individual history of 15 different examples and an action-packed 127-shot image gallery. Among the chassis featured are both the Le Mans and Mille Miglia winning 0008M and the Spa winning 0010M.
Over the weekend, BMW revealed the first details and images of the all-new 4-Series, which replaces the 3-Series Coupe as a separate model in the German company's range. At the time of the launched the featured 435i Coupe will top the line-up. This is powered by a 300 bhp version of BMW's twin-turbo, six-cylinder petrol engine. All eyes are now on the Motorsport department in anticipation of the high performance M4.
This morning in Australia, Volvo announced its intention to field two Polestar-prepared S60s in next year's V8 Supercar championship. The cars will be run in the hotly contested series by the seasoned Garry Rogers Motorsport team.
British specialists Prodrive, meanwhile, have released more images of the MINI RX, which is intended to compete in rally cross events and the X-Games. Based on the World Rally Car, it is around 10% lighter and 50% more powerful.

Porsche 962 CK6, Morgan LMP2 and Zytek Z11SN ...

14 Jun 2013 12:40:28 CST

Although the Porsche 962C has gone into history as one of the all time great endurance racers, there was still room in the design for improvements. Well known for racing their own modified Porsches, like the Le Mans winning 935 K3, Kremer Racing addressed several of these issues when they created the 962 CK6. This boasted a more sophisticated and much stronger aluminium honeycomb chassis and the CK6 could also be run with a separate rear wing on tracks that required more downforce. The final versions of the CK6 even featured a carbon-fibre composite monocoque chassis. Although they were an improvement over the original design, the Kremer-Porsches still struggled against the much better backed works teams like TWR Jaguar and Sauber-Mercedes. The car nevertheless proved successful, particularly in Japan. As a warm-up to this 24 Hours of Le Mans, we have taken a closer look at this Kremer Porsche, resulting in a 60-shot gallery featuring five different examples.
We have today also added detailed articles on two of the leading LMP2 cars due to take the start in little over a week; the Morgan LMP2 Nissan and the Zytek Z11SN Nissan. Both of these are powered by the 4.5-litre V8 engine developed for endurance racing in partnership by Zytek Motorsport and Nismo. Another similarity is that the chassis of these cars are a direct evolution of designs introduced several years ago. On Saturday, no fewer than five Morgan LMP2s will start the race while three Zytek Z11SNs are entered, including one with backing from the Caterham Formula 1 team.

New Porsche LMP1 Le Mans racer and other news ...

12 Jun 2013 12:40:28 CST

Already some time under development, Porsche's highly anticipated LMP1 finally broke cover today. It was captured at the first test on the German manufacturer's own Weissach track. Although few technical details have been released, it is well known the car will use a petrol-hybrid drivetrain. The car is also not developed by the Porsche Motorsport department but actually by the company's Research & Development department because its purpose stretches well beyond returning Porsche to top sport in endurance racing. The car is also a rolling test-bed for future technologies and fits in the philosophy of development through racing. Works drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas will extensively test the Porsche LMP1 this year ahead of its competition debut in 2014.
At Tokyo Toy Show, Toyota have released this very funky Camatte57s concept car. According to the Japanese manufacturer, the three-seater is a sporty, open-top family-focused car. The body is constructed from 57 separate, removable parts that can be finished in every colour combination imaginable. Power for the compact Camatte57s comes from a mid-mounted electric motor.
Every year, a handful all-new supercars are announced, of which only very few make into production. Whether that will be the case with the Dutch Vencer Sarthe or the Mexican VUHL 05 only time will tell. The former is a very traditional supercar with sharp lines and a mid-mounted V8 engine. It was first shown to the public at the Top Marques Show in Monaco last month. Due to make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, less is known about the VUHL. Judging from the two teaser pictures released this week, the car will be an open two-seater also with the engine mounted amidships.

Le Mans cars old and new from Alpine, Austin-Healey, Bizzarrini and Rebellion Racing ...

10 Jun 2013 12:40:28 CST

This weekend the Le Mans fortnight was kicked off with the official test. Audi dominated, while in the LMP2 class Alpine made its return to Le Mans, exactly forty years after the marque's debut. This has prompted us, in our ongoing coverage of the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, to take a look at that very first Alpine, which raced at Le Mans in 1963. Dubbed the M63, this slippery, Gordini-engined machine was designed to win the Index of Performance and Thermal Efficiency Index. It proved quick straight out of the box, setting the fastest ever time for a one-litre car at Le Mans during test, literally hours after it was completed. The race was not quite such a success and for a variety of reasons none of the three Alpines made it to the finish. All that was forgotten a year later when the subsequent M64 won its class. Our detailed feature includes images of three of the five M63s built.
Another slippery machine that raced at Le Mans during this period was the aptly named Austin Healey Le Mans Sprite. Fitted with an unusually angular body, it finished first in class at Sebring and Le Mans in 1965. Our 14-shot gallery includes pictures of the two cars that scored those class wins.
Roaring around Le Mans a year later was this Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa. Based on the fibreglass and independently sprung 5300 GT America, this probably is the fastest front-engined Bizzarrini ever made. Sadly the competition effort was badly funded with most attention going to the mid-engined P538, while in fact the 5300 GT proved quicker. In more recent years, the ex-Le Mans 5300 GT Corsa emerged from a shed in rather derelict condition. As you can see in our 15-shot gallery, it has since been restored to full running order.
Over the weekend the ambitious Rebellion Racing team announced the new-for-2014 Rebellion R-One Toyota. Due to comply with the heavily revised LMP1 regulations, this impressive looking machine will be developed and build by Oreca.

Gilles Villeneuve's Canadian Grand Prix winning Ferrari and hottest Skoda Octavia yet ...

07 Jun 2013 12:40:28 CST

This weekend the Formula 1 circus visits Montreal and the 'Circuit Gilles Villeneuve', which was named in the driver's honour after his tragic fatal accident in 1982. This was not just because of Quebec roots but also because Gilles Villeneuve scored his maiden Grand Prix victory at the track when it hosted the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time. He took that historic win 35 years ago this year, which is why we have taken a renewed look at the Ferrari 312 T3 he used that day. Built to suit the sophisticated Michelin radial tyres, the 1978 Ferrari was rendered virtually obsolete before it even raced courtesy of the 'ground effect' Lotus 79 Cosworth. Thanks to the Ferrari's superior reliability and hugely powerful engine, and also the skill of drivers Carlos Reutemann and Villeuve, the 312 T3 nevertheless managed to score four victories. We also rank the Ferrari 312 T3 as one of the prettiest F1 cars of its day with simple but efficient lines and a striking red/white livery. You can judge for yourself by exploring our 45-shot gallery, which features images of four different chassis including Gilles Villeneuve's Canadian Grand Prix winning example, which was owned for many year by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.
At the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, Skoda will reveal the most powerful Octavia vRS yet. The Czech machine comes with a choice of the petrol or diesel engine also found in the Volkswagen Golf GTI and GTD respectively. The most powerful of the pair is the 220 hp TSI petrol engine, which gives the hot Octavia a top speed of 248 km/h and a 0 - 100 km/h time of just 6.8 s. The Octavia vRS is available in both Sedan and Combi versions.