Apparently the folks at Land Rover thought the Nissan CrossCabriolet was such a good idea that they’d give themselves a go at chopping the top on an SUV with the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept.  While this is certainly less offensive than the CrossCabriolet (partially because the Evoque is infinitely better looking than the Murano in the first place), we can’t say that the idea of a convertible SUV appeals to any of our driving senses.  Not only have you lost the utility, but there was very little sport in the first place with soft-roaders like the Evoque.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept makes its début at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Full Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept press release after the jump

Gaydon, Warwickshire, 24^th February 2012 – Land Rover will unveil a Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The Evoque Convertible Concept vehicle will explore the potential for the world’s first premium convertible SUV.

This bold concept builds on the global success of the Evoque and continues Land Rover’s tradition for creating and leading new market segments. The concept is being shown to gauge reaction and to assess the potential for what could be another white space product from the world’s leading SUV brand.

The concept has been developed by Land Rover Design Director, Gerry McGovern and his team. Commenting on the concept, McGovern said: “The Evoque lends itself beautifully to the idea of a convertible. This study is not a traditional convertible design execution – instead we have worked with the balance of the Evoque’s lines to retain its distinctive shape and create something that is unique and, we believe, highly desirable.”

The soft-top convertible concept is based on the Range Rover Evoque Coupe.  It features a fully retractable premium roof system with a Roll Over Protection System [ROPS]. The concept cleverly combines capability and versatility with a drop down tailgate and a comfortable four seat package. The vehicle has been developed with Land Rover DNA at its heart, retaining key characteristics including a command driving position and all-terrain capability.

The Evoque’s dramatic rising waist line and distinctive shape has been retained and the new convertible body style has been achieved with minimal changes to weight and torsional rigidity. The hood is housed in a neat tapered finisher with the roof mechanism stowed discretely below the belt-line.

Inside, the concept is packed with Evoque’s award winning technology including Terrain Response, surround cameras, Park Assist and class leading infotainment featuring an 8-inch dual view touch screen and a sound system from British audio experts, Meridian. The Evoque Convertible Concept features unique 21-inch Titan silver wheels and is finished in a new metallic Causeway Grey paint.  The interior is in Lunar and Ivory with leather seats featuring sporty perforated panels and Ivory contrast stitching.

The Range Rover Evoque has been on sale for six months and is widely recognised as an international success with strong sales performances in 170 global markets, and achieving excellent customer satisfaction and class-leading residual values. The Evoque has been launched to worldwide media acclaim and to date has been honoured with over 90 international awards.

John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director said: “The Evoque Convertible Concept is a new twist to the Evoque story and explores the potential to further extend the nameplate’s appeal by giving existing customers more choice, whilst at the same time reaching out to a completely new customer base. We are excited to see the response to this concept as we assess the potential for building on the Evoque’s exceptional success so far.”

The Evoque Convertible Concept will be revealed at Geneva as a design and engineering study. There are no production plans confirmed.

It’s no secret around here that I’m a long time Audi owner.  I’ve been a fan of the S and RS cars as long as they’ve been making them and generally speaking I haven’t looked at the other German brands (with the exception of Porsche) with lustful eyes.  There are of course a couple of exceptions, and two of those are the hot hatchbacks BMW has produced over the years that wore the letter ///M on them.

From the raw feel of the clownshoe looking first generation MCoupe to the slightly more elegant and refined second generation MCoupe, my mouth starts watering at the very thought of them.  I was VERY close to buying an MCoupe in 2008 before I ultimately ended up with an Audi TT simply because the deal was too good to pass up.  I always regretted passing on the opportunity to own one of these M-powered hot hatches while they were in production, but it looks like BMW might be giving people like myself another chance to lust over a hot hatch wearing ///M badges.

Enter the BMW Concept M135i which will make it’s debut at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show.  BMW has fitted the Concept M135i with a straight-six Twin Power Turbo engine that creates more than 300-horsepower and delivers power to the rear wheels.  While there isn’t much detail on what’s done underneath, BMW says the Concept M135i is fitted with a model-specific suspension with an M sports braking system and M specific 18-inch lightweight wheels.

I can only guess that a lot of the underpinnings of the successful BMW 1M coupe are found underneath the Concept M135i, which is completely fine with me.  Unfortunately, this hot hatch is currently only a concept and the chances of it making it to U.S. shores even if it made production are slim to none.   It’s just nice to see a few companies are still focusing on the importance performance cars in their lineup, U.S. bound or not.

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BMW Press Release:

BMW presents the concept study of a BMW M Performance automobile featuring a six-cylinder petrol engine – consistent further development of the new BMW 1 Series’ dynamic characteristics – world premiere at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show.

Munich. Simultaneously with the world premiere of the first BMW M Performance automobiles, BMW’s concept study of a further model from this new product category will be showcased on the media days (6 – 7 March 2012) at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. The BMW Concept M135i consistently utilises the dynamic potential of the new BMW 1 Series for the concept of the first BMW M Performance automobile featuring a straight six-cylinder petrol engine. The body design of the BMW Concept M135i assigns the youthful and sporty looks of the new BMW 1 Series to a three-door compact model, complementing it with the distinctive athleticism so typical of a BMW M Performance automobile.

Concept study with characteristics typical of a BMW M Performance automobile.
With its sporty appearance, the compact three-door car authentically conveys the typical qualities of BMW Performance automobiles to yet another vehicle segment. BMW M Performance automobiles offer an ideal symbiosis of outstanding performance and everyday suitability. Using the expertise gained by the BMW M division from decades of motor racing experience, the supreme performance of its tremendously powerful engines specifically designed to suit each model, the meticulously modified suspension technology and the aerodynamic characteristics are all combined into a harmonious overall concept. As a result, BMW M Performance automobiles have noticeably increased agility, precisely controllable handling characteristics and an emotional design. One look at the BMW Concept M135i and the qualities crucial to that characteristic M Performance feeling are instantly evident.

The employment of a straight six-cylinder petrol power plant featuring M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology with a power output of more than 300 hp creates the ideal prerequisites for maximum dynamics in the premium compact segment and, in conjunction with rear-wheel drive concept still unique in this vehicle class, ensures unsurpassed driving pleasure so typical of a BMW.

Moreover, the characteristic handling precision of BMW M Performance automobiles is obtained through model-specific suspension technology that includes an M sports braking system and is perfectly adapted to match the supreme road performance. 18-inch M light alloys with a double spoke design additionally complement the concept car’s sporting character.

Body features typical M athletic design.
The front apron of the concept car boasts a typical M design, signalising intensive road-orientation, its large air intakes designed to match the cooling requirement of the powerful engine, ancillary components and large brakes. The three-dimensionally designed flaps on the air intakes give indication of the car’s direct association with motor racing.

In addition to intense road-orientation, the specific design of the rear end of the BMW Concept M135i emphasises above all the vehicle’s width. This is supplemented in particular by the three-dimensional modelling of the surfaces and the lower section of the rear apron finished in Dark Shadow metallic. Furthermore, the rear apron accommodates the exhaust system’s double tailpipe that features a dark chrome trim.

The BMW Concept M135i’s exterior mirror caps in Ferric Grey and side window surrounds in BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line are a further feature of BMW M Performance automobiles.

Dynamic, stretched appearance. Concept study of the three-door BMW 1 Series.
Compared with the silhouette of the five-door BMW 1 Series, the three-door BMW Concept M135i makes an even more sporting and elegant statement. On the whole, the car has a more dynamic and elongated appearance. Viewed from the side, the car’s athletic, low-slung appearance and its nearness to the road are even more intensely expressed by an entirely horizontal contour line in the area of the doorsills. A dynamically rising character line symbolises the BMW Concept M135i’s urge to move forwards.

The wide doors are a further characteristic feature of the BMW Concept M135i’s body design. Together with the rear side windows, the frameless windows form a coherent window surface reaching back to the rear end, accentuating the body’s dynamically stretched appearance.

In addition, the surface design in the area of the rear side panels helps above all to emphasise the powerfully flared wheel arches. The visual accentuation of this part of the body directs the eye to the rear wheels, where the power of the six-cylinder power plant is transformed into driving dynamics in typical BMW manner.

Attractive prospects for the further development of the BMW 1 Series model range.
Thanks to a distinctively sports-oriented appearance, the BMW Concept M135i offers attractive prospects for the further development of the BMW 1 Series model range. At the same time, a clear signal has been given for the expansion of the new product category of BMW M Performance automobiles. The BMW M Performance automobiles being presented at the Geneva Motor Show and shortly to be launched are powered by the world’s most high-performing six-cylinder diesel engine available for series production vehicles. The petrol-fuelled models in this product category will also assume a similar unique position. The pre-series concept car BMW Concept M135i offers a fascinating outlook on a corresponding offer in the premium compact segment.

Alex Job Racing and Lotus Motorsports have teamed up to compete in the American Le Mans Series GT class for 2012.  The new team has been named Lotus Alex Job Racing and will be a factory-supported effort focused on North America.  The car will be a 2012 Lotus Evora GTE, which those of you who watched Petit Le Mans last year will be familiar with.    While Lotus AJR will be skipping the ALMS/WEC season opener at Sebring next month, they promise that they will have a full fledged effort for the rest of the season  starting with the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix the weekend of April 14th.

We’re glad to see more teams entering the American Le Mans Series as there has been some question as to how long the series will last with some of the big players being split between ALMS and the World Endurance Championship.  Though the European Lotus Evoras didn’t have much luck at Petit Le Mans last year, the fact that this effort is factory backed might result in some additional competition for BMW, Ferrari, and Porsche.  The driver lineup has not yet been announced but there is at least one rendering of the Lotus AJR Evora with the name B.Senna on the door.

Full Lotus AJR Racing press release after the jump.

ETHEL, ENGLAND; TAVARES, FLA., (Feb. 21, 2012) - Lotus Motorsports and Alex Job Racing are joining forces to compete for the American Le Mans Series GT (ALMS) championship beginning in 2012. The team will be known as Lotus Alex Job Racing (AJR). The factory-endorsed sports car team will focus its primary efforts in North America.

After lunching an engine at the ChumpCar Laguna Seca event in November 2011, the team throws a new engine in the car and heads back to “The Corkscrew” to take second place just weeks later. After some countless hours nerding out in front of a laptop the post-race compilation video is up and viewable here.

The incredible engine swap could not have happened without the help and support of some great people. Most notably Rich Olivier at T.E.M. Machine Shop who put our motor together in record time and the engine ran flawlessly. Also big props need to go out to Atomic Speedware, G Spec Performance, Sampson Racing Communications, Carbotech Brakes, Performance In-Frame Tuning, B & G Tires, Figstone Graphics, S Gear gauges, I/O Port Racing Supplies, Hoosier Tires, Jim Wolf Technology, GoRacingTV.com, All-Engine Distributing, Circuit Sports, Miracle Auto Body and Paint and Nissan Motorsports. This whole project came together with everybody’s hard work and support.

The success on track goes to the dedication of our crew chief Dan “Gadget” Bordeau, who insisted on personally checking the torque on every single bolt on the car that I touched (smart guy).

The Krider Racing Crew handles another flawless pit stop for fuel and a driver change at Laguna Seca.

The race itself turned into a fuel mileage battle which our thirsty little Nissan Sentra SE-R lost. Two liters of fury under the hood equals two liters of “give me some go-go juice” and the Nissan required four fuel stops, whereas the winning number 20 BMW 3-series of North Loop Motorsport only required three pit stops. After 7.5 hours of racing we lost by two laps. With an average lap time of 1:54 and a minimum pit stop time for fueling of 5 minutes in ChumpCar our extra stop certainly took away our chances to have a great end of race battle on the same lap with the winners –WOW that sounds like a mouth full of excuses! Spoken like a true second place finisher, the first loser in the race.

The trophies at ChumpCar are wicked to say the least and will make a nice addition to the team’s collection.

But after ending the last ChumpCar race on the trailer (before the race was over), we are certainly happy to bring home a podium finish.

Our ChumpCar record looks like this:

Infineon Raceway 2010, 7-hour, Second
Infineon Raceway 2010, 7-hour, Third
Willow Springs 2010, 24-hour, DNF (blown head gasket)
California Speedway 2010, 7-hour, Second
California Speedway 2010, 7-hour, First
Buttonwillow Raceway 2011, 14-hour, First
Laguna Seca Raceway 2011, 7.5-hour, DNF (blown motor)
Laguna Seca Raceway 2012, 7.5-hour, Second

After 8 races we have 6 podium finishes including two wins and, of course, the two DNFs which means we exemplify the saying, “Checker or Wrecker.”

The Krider Racing crew at ChumpCar Laguna Seca February 12, 2012. From left to right: Travis Kramer (fire bottle), Keith “Triple Stint” Kramer (driver), Dave Nees (fueler), Dan “Gadget” Bordeaux (crew chief), Brandon Lindlahr (pit stop timer), Matt Gentleman (pit stop board), Rob “You CAN drift FWD” Krider (driver), Roy Lindlahr (fueler), Rod Kramer (spotter), Bryce Lindlahr (windshield cleaner), Jake Kramer (driver change belts), not shown Darrel Price (spotter/steaks), Judy Kramer (food services) and Gayle Price (food services).

The crew are the ones who really help our team succeed in ChumpCar and so this video is dedicated to all of their hard work. Check it out here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here it is, the new Audi RS4 which makes its official début at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show in March.  This is the third generation RS4, and like the first generation RS4, is only available in Avant form factor.  The new RS4 uses the same high-revving 4.2-liter V8 engine that powers the RS5 Coupe and produces 450-horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque.  Audi claims that the RS4 Avant can get from zero to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.  There isn’t much to report by way of new tech that isn’t already found in the updated RS5, but the updated front fascia of the RS4 shows the design direction of RS cars for the near future.  Also new are the 19-inch, ten-spoke forged aluminum wheels which ride on 265/30 rubber.

Now, it’s time for my two cents on the new RS4 as a current generation S4 owner.  This car could have been and should have been equipped with the new 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine or a higher output 3.0T engine.  The 4.2 engine has never been a gem in anything but the R8 and with the exception of the sound, doesn’t offer anything compelling to the driving experience.  You can say this is conjecture since we haven’t driven the new RS4, but this is basically the same engine used in Audi’s lineup for the last several years and has had less than stellar results in most comparison tests of the RS5 vs. the world.   Yes, much of that is attributed to the RS5′s steering feel, but the performance numbers also were lackluster when compared to the competition.  While the steering is probably fixed with the new RS4, the car really deserves a forced induction engine to go with the wonderful B8 chassis.  On the bright side, the new RS4 looks fantastic and probably sounds fantastic.  We won’t be seeing this in North America in Avant form but hopefully this paves the way to a sedan version in the next couple of years.

Click through for a full 2013 Audi RS4 Avant photo gallery

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Every racer has an “off-season” to do list. It is usually those few items that didn’t get taken care of during the year because other matters were more pressing (like an engine throwing the piston out of the side of the block). In the winter, you can finally get around to maybe throwing in some S Gear gauges or updating your old racing harnesses with new ones from I/O Port Racing Supplies. Or, if you’re not in the mood to hang around the garage and stress out about how hard your unused Hoosier tires are getting in the off-season, you can always numb your mind with some Mexican beers and think about summer. Of course, in California, winter is summer, so we skip all of our off-season to do lists, go to the beach and procrastinate. It is a good time to kick back, turn on the iPad and flip through the National Auto Sport Association’s (NASA’s) new e-magazine called SpeedNews. Yes, I’m glad you asked, you will see coverage from Speed:Sport:Life in future issues.


This is why there is a lot of “overnight” shipping to California. With this as a wintertime backyard, who can find time (until the last minute) to wrench on the car?

After the Super Bowl is over, and as the racing season quickly approaches, teams start their last minute thrashes to get things done. Suddenly, instead of having all sorts of time to start a project you’re on the phone with Jim Wolf Technology screaming, “I don’t care how much it costs to ship! Send me the new cams air freight, overnight, with an A.M. delivery ASAP!” This is called Panic Planet and eventually all racers get there.

No amount of JB Weld is going to fix the hole in this engine block.

Panic Planet, that is where I am currently living right now. With a Nissan SR20DE engine block with a gaping whole in it (after a season-ending-rod-throwing-failure at a 7-hour enduro with ChumpCar at Laguna Seca) I am merely 120 hours from taking the first green flag of the season. The problem is the engine in my car is currently out of my car which is the wrong place to make it go fast. So I threw up some cameras borrowed from the guys at GoRacingTV.com and filmed a time lapse of me pulling the engine out of my Nissan Motorsports Sentra SE-R. No, you won’t learn anything from watching it, other than to learn that I’m not much of a mechanic. Check out the video here.

A little help from Addy Krider got the engine out of the car.

After a quick trip to All-Engine Distributing I scored a JDM Nissan block (without a big ass hole in it) and took it to Rich at T.E.M. Machine Shop in Napa, CA, to have the engine checked over. With some parts and advice from Nick Arias at Atomic Speedware I got the motor back together just in time to “panic” about how much time I didn’t have to get the engine back into the car and chassis dynotune it at Performance In-Frame Tuning and align the car at B & G Tires.

If everything comes in on time, hopefully the SE-R will run again. –corner segment shots put together by Gabe Carvey.

The UPS man and I are getting to know each other quite well since packages began to arrive on a daily basis from G Spec Performance (genuine Nissan parts), Sampson Racing Communications (yay, I can hear the crew tell me to slow down before I blow the engine), Carbotech Brakes (I can stop!), decals from Figstone Graphics (everybody knows stickers add 100 plus horsepower) and Circuit Sports. With those silly brown shorts my UPS guy wears and the frequency he was coming over to my house I think my neighbors may have been getting the wrong idea about me.

The good news in all of this is that I have confidence in the engine which was built by Rich at T.E.M. Machine Shop. At least in this event I can keep my foot on the happy pedal and be assured that I won’t have a repeat of the last race where we were parked in the paddock with the hood up, before hour three of a seven hour race.

When everybody is standing around with the hood up, and nobody is holding a tool in their hand, your day is over.

Long story short (too late and way too many shameless sponsor plugs “I sure do love these Fig Newtons!”) I only have 120 short hours to finish the car, load up the trailer, beg the Krider Racing crew to come out and play (and they should since I didn’t burn them out on the dirty labor of the motor swap –hence the “one man, one motor” part of the story) and then get my sorry tired ass to the track this weekend. I have to do all of that in the short amount of time and answer texts from my co-driver, Keith Kramer, every hour asking me, “Is the car ready yet?” Short answer, “No.” Long answer, “STOP TEXTING ME SO I CAN FINISH DAMMIT!” Just kidding around Keith, but seriously, stop texting me. Eventually all of this hard work and overnight shipping should pay off and when the green flag drops, we can have some real fun!

That BRE paint job from Miracle Auto Body and Paint sure stands out on the track. Photo by Gabe Carvey from Parabellum Motorsports.

Enjoy your day and evening, and know that when your tucked in bed, I’m lying on the cold garage floor trying to get that last engine mount bolt through that hard to reach rear mount. Good times! See you at the track!

S:S:L test driver extrordinaire, Michael Mills, took delivery of his new 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car yesterday in Atlanta.  The car as shown here is literally as fresh off the boat from Germany as they come with all the tags in tact and rear wing still in the box.  The car has to undergo some modifications from its current form to meet the IMSA GT3 Challenge specifications and be setup in time to make the winter tire test at Sebring in a few weeks.  Lots of work to be done but we’ll be covering the transformation as much as we can.  For those of you who don’t remember, Michael won his first IMSA GT3 Challenge race in the Gold class on his first attempt at Petit Le Mans last year and placed 2nd by a very close margin during the second race.  This year Michael will be competing in the Platinum class with this brand new car and S:S:L be along for the ride for the entire season.    We can’t wait to see this thing on the track!

Michael Mills at the 2011 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

In case you missed it on Facebook last night, here is the 2013 SRT Viper teaser that DriveSRT shared with fans last night around Midnight.  SRT says this is the only glimpse we’ll get of the 2013 SRT Viper before it gets unveiled at the 2012 New York International Auto Show in April.  There isn’t a lot to see here but from the teaser you can tell they’ve definitely tried to keep it true to form.  This is the most anticipated car of the 2012 auto show season here at S:S:L and Byron Hurd will be on the ground to get up close and personal.

Honda’s Acura brand has released their full-length Super Bowl ad starring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno fighting to become the first to order the new Acura NSX Concept which debuted at the 2012 NAIAS. Pretty strange to see Seinfeld pitching for Acura but we all know Seinfeld and Leno are car lovers, no matter what the brand.

 

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