Toyota in the UK has released details of the first GT4 racing version of the Toyota 86, due to hit the track later this month following completion of the first chassis by UK-based motorsport engineering specialist GPRM.
The track-focused powerhouse is powered by a 2.0-litre direct-injection turbocharged version of the car’s four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine, developed in conjunction with Nicholson McLaren Engines.
With close to 300kW on tap (double the standard car’s 147kW), it’s no surprise GPRM directors Gary Blackham and Roger King believe the new Toyota will be a serious contender in British GT4 competition.
Toyota GB is officially supporting the GPRM 86 program as a cost-efficient entry-level endurance racing car.
Nissan has created a limited edition, strictly two-seater version of it’s GT-R supercar, with a special suspension set-up tuned at the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany, and lightweight, quilted cloth mats in place of the usual rear seats.
Producing 406kW/630Nm, this lightened ‘Track Edition’ version of the beast, known to its many fans as ‘Godzilla’, also features special brake cooling guides, and a front spoiler with carbonfibre air ducts.
The bad news is there will be just 150 of these monsters produced, and the extra bad news for local enthusiasts is they’ll only be offered for sale in the United States.
Known as ‘The man of Steel’, Superman has been transformed into ‘Wheels of Steel” thanks to KIA’s tribute version of its Optima Hybrid unveiled at this week’s Chicago Auto Show.
The one-off car is a continuation of a 10-month, eight vehicle partnership between Kia and DC Entertainment based on the characters that make up the Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.
An eighth and final vehicle will be an amalgamation of all seven Super Heroes in one.
The Optima has been widened with custom fenders, enhancing its muscular look, and features a push-button, height adjustable suspension.
If the new Mazda 6 was just 50 cents longer, it would be as big as a Commodore.
The third-generation car has grown to the point that it is within a coin-width (38mm) of a big Australian sedan.
Mazda executives bristle like a Lillee moustache if you suggest the new 6 could be considered a large car, because they don’t want their new product to be compared to a moribund local.
Even so, the Mazda folks realise the game has changed, that cars like the 3 and CX-5 are now more important to their soaring sales total and have adjusted Mazda 6 expectations accordingly.
For the new 6, there will be 14 models, including sedans and wagons, and prices start from $33,460 and peak at $51,160. Given the 6 will no longer be offered with a manual, this represents only a $10 price rise for the entry car.
Mazda built the new model from the ground up, introducing a larger body, a 105mm-longer wheelbase and replacing double wishbones with struts at the front.
A different approach has been taken for the interior, which is neat, verging on dull. Mazda has included two efficient petrol and diesel engines from the SkyActiv family and a new energy-recovery system using a capacitor, which improves fuel economy by a claimed five percent.
The oiler, which made its debut in the CX-5, is a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with an extremely low compression ratio of 14.0:1. This 129kW/420Nm unit is a sublime powerplant for this car and is far more civilised than most diesels. A six-speed torque-converter automatic is standard in all cars (including diesel for the first time) as the manuals have been dumped due to poor sales.
Mazda appears to have targeted comfort when it came to developing the new 6. There is considerable vertical movement over pronounced uneven surfaces and noticeable bodyroll in the bends, but it falls short of lurching.
While the 19-inch rims of test cars picked up minor bumps, it is a generally compliant set-up that makes the car easy to live with day to day while the electric steering is progressive and provides ample feel, even if it is ever so slightly lighter that it should be.
The most technically sophisticated and electronically advanced car ever built in Australia, Holden’s VF Commodore, has broken cover.
Designed to be lighter and more aerodynamic, to improve fuel-efficiency, the new car features an alloy bonnet and boot lid, as well as redesigned front and rear sections.
The interior is arguably the biggest change, with a sweeping new treatment updating the Commodore cabin to a clearly euro prestige-influenced standard.
There are gadgets galore, including GM’s ‘MyLink’ infortainment system, a self-parking feature and a head-up display for read-outs including speed and navigation.
MOTOR has full detail on the VF’s development and tech upgrades in its March issue, on sale Wednesday (Feb 13).
We are at Holden’s design centre in Melbourne today to get preview of VF Commodore, and MD Mike Deveraux has just confirmed VF will be followed by another Commodore, built in Adelaide, and built on one of two (yet to be determined) global platforms.
Ernie Adams, 72, lives in Maricopa, in the heart of desert country, just south of Phoenix, Arizona, and builds incredibly detailed, road-legal, roughly half-scale replica cars, by hand, from scratch, in his workshop shed.
He’s been building these amazing machines for close to 50 years, and filmmaker Jeff Diehl has made a documentary on Adams and his pint-size fleet, that includes classic American sedans and convertibles from the 1920s to the late ‘40s.
His first dwarf car was a 1928 Chevy two door sedan, using steel from old refrigerators for an authentic feel, and powered by a 10kW two-cylinder engine.
Watch the trailer for a taste of the doco to come, or check out Ernie’s website here – Dwarf Car Promotions.
James Bond’s 1965 Aston Martin DB5 has been offered for sale in Europe.
The iconic Aston, which comes fitted with machine guns, bullet-proof windscreens and revolving number plates is expected to fetch more than $4.5 million.
Just four of the classic British cars were made for the Bond franchise, with only two examples given Q Branch’s famous gadgets.
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This particular example was built to propel Bond in the 1964 film Goldfinger but never actually saw screen time, instead being used for promotional purposes.
The main car actually used in the Goldfinger and Thunderball films mysteriously vanished from a Florida aircraft hanger in the 1990s, making this the only remaining DB5 with original Q Branch modifications.
But don’t think this aging Aston is simply a show car. A 4.0-litre engine lies under the bonnet, producing 210kW – enough power to push the DB5 to a top speed of 240km/h.
The DB5 was the first Aston to be used by Bond and spawned an iconic partnership that spanned 11 films and 50 years of cinema. This car was last sold in 2006 where it fetched $3 million.
Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka McDreamy) in the TV medical drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, has been confirmed as a factory Porsche driver for this year’s Le Mans 24 hour sportscar race (June 22/23).
It’s not the first time Dempsey has been in the cockpit for the gruelling ’round-the-clock classic. Having strapped in to a Ferrari in the 2009 event, he’ll be steering a Porsche 911 RSR this time around.
And he’s not the only show business celebrity that’s taken on the endurance challenge at the famous Le Sarthe circuit in central France.
Film legend Paul Newman famously finished second outright in the 1979 running, Steve McQueen took on some driving duties in the making of his 1971 feature film tribute ‘Le Mans’, and notorious petrol head, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason took part in the event several times in the early 1980s.
In a stroke of marketing genius, a Formula One car will belt along the Great Ocean Road in a world-first stunt to promote Victoria and the Australian Grand Prix to the world.
The brainchild of Tourism Victoria and the Australian Grand Prix Corp, the stunt will take place in the lead-up to next month’s GP at Albert Park.
The iconic stretch of road will be closed for the event, with the F1 car, which is capable of reaching 300km/h, to be filmed by air and land near landmarks such as the Twelve Apostles.
The resulting footage will then be used to sell Australia to the world. Details of the event remain secret, but it’s understood the F1 car won’t exceed 80km/h during the stunt.
Using Formula One cars to create publicity is a proven winner for tourism, and grand prix ticket sales. Webber previously raced his car across Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge in 2011 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2005. Jenson Button also lapped the historic Bathurst circuit in an F1 car in 2011, setting a lap record that is unlikely ever to be broken.
