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This year we commemorate the 30th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's death. Here is a short video of his maiden win in Formula 1 that took place in front of his home fans in Montreal in 1978.

Villeneuve, driving the No. 12 Ferrari 312 T3, qualified third for the race. He passed Alan Jones (Williams) and Jody Scheckter (Wolf) to run in second place. The Canadian inherited first place and the win when race leader Jean-Pierre Jarier (Lotus) retired.

The city of Worthersee, Austria has been hosting the world's largest Volkswagen gathering for more than three decades. And this year, fans coming from all over Europe get to see some pretty exciting models.

Photo: Volkswagen

The German automaker's Motorsport division introduced the new Polo R WRC that will take part in the World Rally Championship in 2013. Sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds thanks to a 300-hp 1.6L TSI engine, this machine is a real head-turner. A street version with a 220-hp 2.0L TSI is also on display.

Of course, two of the main attractions are by far the new Volkswagen GTI Concept White, distinguished by its special Oryx White matte paintwork and black/red interior, and the GTI Black Dynamic Concept, which features a Deep Black metallic exterior with matte anthracite accents as well as a mega-powerful 1,800W sound system that occupies most of the trunk.

As it turns out, we hadn't seen it all yet. Hot on the heels of the mightily impressive 544-horsepower G 63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz is launching the new 612-horsepower G 65 AMG that produces a class-leading 738 pounds-feet of torque.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Equipped with a 6.0L V12 engine (a first in G-Class history) and a 7-speed automatic transmission, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz G 65 AMG rides on 275/50R20 tires and 5-spoke black alloy wheels. It rockets to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, which is a tenth of a second faster than the G 63, while burning 17.0 litres of gas per 100 kilometres.

Pricing is set at 264,180 Euros (about $343,200). The G 65 AMG will hit the European market next month, but North American availability remains unknown.

From HRT

The small HRT Formula 1 Team has officially open its doors to the new headquarters at the Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain.

Team Principal, Luis Pérez-Sala, and drivers Pedro de la Rosa, Dani Clos and Ma Qing Hua acted as the hosts of this meeting with the press, sponsors, suppliers and friends of the team.

Photo: HRT F1 Team

The Mayoress of Madrid, Honourable Madam Ana Botella and the President of the Spanish Motorsport Federation and Vice-President of the FIA, Mr.Carlos Gracia, wanted to accompany the team on this special day.

They toured the new facilities alongside the maximum representatives of the team, through the management, administration, operations and engineering areas up until the workshop where the mechanics were working on the F112 for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Photo: HRT F1 Team

"We're extremely proud to have finally opened our doors to everyone and have shown what, since a few months ago, is HRT's home. It's been a lot of hard work but it's a dream that has finally come true and an exciting project. This is the present but we continue to work looking ahead to the future to make this a top level sporting and technological centre and surely, with the help of everyone, we will achieve this,” said Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal HRT Formula 1 Team.

The first-ever Porsche owned by Bill Gates, a 1979 911 Turbo that he purchased a few years after founding Microsoft with Paul Allen, is now up for bid in Austria.

Sources say that Gates liked to go on high-speed excursions with his Porsche on the desert roads surrounding Albuquerque, NM before he and Allen moved Microsoft to the Seattle area.

Photo: Dorotheum

Allen even had to bail him out of jail after one midnight escapade where Gates received three speeding tickets, including two from the same cop who was trailing him.

Registration slips still with the Porsche indicate that Gates held on to it at least through 1990. The car eventually wound up in Austria where its current owner repainted it in its original metallic turquoise.

Consigned with Dorotheum, the prized 911 Turbo carries a pre-auction estimate of about $55,500 to $71,000. We'll know its exact value on June 6^th.


_{Source: Hemmings}

On Saturday, Bonhams will auction off more than 50 breathtaking cars, including three Aston Martin models with quite a storied past.

The first one is a 1994 Virage Limited Edition Coupe that boxing champion Lennox Lewis purchased new and owned until 2005. It has only 33,000 miles and should fetch $24,000 to $32,000 US.

1994 Aston Martin Virage Limited Edition Coupe (Photo: Bonhams)

The second rare Aston Martin is a 1987 Vantage Saloon converted into a James Bond replica. Modifications include unleaded gasoline compatibility, a 5-speed manual gearbox, fitting 16" wheels, plus an Alpine CD stereo system. The entire work was completed in 2004 at a cost of £135,000. It could sell for $160,000 to $190,000 US.

The third but not the least is a DB4GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe with 4,748 miles that once belonged to Genesis and Phil Collins manager Tony Smith. The 17-year owner could get anywhere between $1.9M and $2.4M for it.


_{Source: Bonhams}

A BMW driver set the best lap time in the free practice session of the third round of the DTM at Brands Hatch. Martin Tomczyk set the fastest time in his M3 DTM.

On the shortest circuit of the season (just 1.9 km long), the gaps are very small, and less than eight tenths of a second separated the 22 drivers.

Driving his M3 DTM, Tomczyk set the best lap in 42.415 seconds. The reigning DTM champion led four C-Class Mercedes Coupés, with championship leader and local hero Gary Paffett, German driver Christian Vietoris, and two rookie drivers : Canadian Robert Wickens and Spaniard Roberto Mehri.

Canadian Bruno Spengler set the sixth best time, 95 thousands of a second behind Tomczyk. Two weeks ago, Spengler gave BMW its first victory this season at Lausitzring, in only its second race after its DTM return.

Meanwhile, that was another disappointment for the Audi team, as the best A5 Coupé, driven by Mattias Ekström, was only eighth, 182 thousands of a second behind Tomczyk.

So, I've been spending some time on used car sites and daydreaming when the boss isn't around. Mainly, I'm looking for my dream car: a 1997 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe. But in the process, I'm also finding many alternatives to that dream car are getting more and more affordable, too.

It's delightful when machinery that made your teenage self drool wind up in used car territory and become considerably more attainable. Here's a look at some models many a gearhead will have found attractive as a kid, and will find attractively priced now.

1997 Dodge Viper GTS: This machine's got an 8L V10, 450-hp and no B.S.. Plus, it's mean as all heck and could hand many a Ferrari from its era their own derriere on a plate. Many Vipers in the used market have upgraded intakes, exhausts and wheels, too. Pricing seems to range from $40,000 to $50,000—though I'm sure you could get a motivated seller down by a few grand with cold hard cash.

2001 Jaguar XKR: Not only does this British pussycat pack a supercharged engine with the better part of 400 hp driving the rear wheels, its comfortable, usable, and classier than Pierce Brosnan. You can even get a convertible. Many Jaguar XKR owners say their machines are like rolling pieces of art—when they're not sipping cognac and enjoying the finer things in life. You could probably pick one of these babies up for about $20,000, and it still looks like five times that much.

1986 Porsche 911: Ah, dirty old Porsches. They're unique. They're charming. They have air-cooled flat-sixes that get hot enough to melt rocks on the intake manifold. The Turbo model lagged worse than a Commodore 64 playing Doom 3D. And you can pick one up for about $23,000 - depending on the trim level and mileage. If you're interested in owning one of the most envied, instantly-recognizable sports cars in history, this is a great way to do it.

1993 Acura NSX (Photo: Acura)

1993 Acura NSX: The NSX wasn't a car anyone bought to be the fastest supercar on their block. It was a car bought because it was cool looking as all hell. And had a gorgeous V6 bolted to the middle. And looked like a Ferrari. And handled like a fighter jet. Ferraris from this era are still priced like real estate. But you can get an Acura NSX for about $30,000. The local Civic Hatch tuner crowd will be envious of your VTEC, too.

2000 BMW M5: Sometimes, accidental creation of offspring gets in the way of owning that sexy two-door dream car. That's why there's the BMW M5. It's got four doors, room for the kiddies, and packs a 5.0L, 400-hp V8. Best of all, it's got three pedals and drives the rear wheels. Fans say it's the best sports sedan on the planet. Most owners agree. Pick one up for less than $20,000.

1993 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1: If you haven't cut the back of your hair since hanging the poster on your wall back in the nineties, you might be interested in the 1993 Corvette ZR-1. Look for an all-aluminum 405-hp V8, rear-wheel drive and all that American-styled Corvette goodness. Pricing ranges from about $20,000 to $30,000—chrome Canadian Tire add-ons not included.

From GMM

Vitaly Petrov thinks it is possible Felipe Massa will lose his Ferrari seat long before the 2012 season is over.

But Caterham's Russian driver, who moved from Renault (now Lotus) at the end of last season, does not believe reports that Ferrari could sack the struggling Brazilian imminently, such as after next weekend's Monaco grand prix.

"I don't think they'll fire Massa just now. At least not until August," Petrov is quoted by the state owned Moscow news agency Ria Novosti.

Will Felipe Massa complete the entire 2012 season with Ferrari? (Photo: Ferrari)

There are six races until August's month-long calendar 'summer' break.

So while Petrov thinks Massa's career is genuinely in danger, he does not agree that Ferrari is ramping up the pressure on the 30-year-old.

"I wouldn't say that Ferrari are criticizing him that strongly. They're not saying he has one more chance or anything like that," he said.

From WRC

New Volkswagen Motorsport chief Jost Capito has told that the firm is likely to extend its stay in the FIA World Rally Championship beyond 2015.

Volkswagen will enter a fleet of Polo R WRCs in 2013 as part of a three-year commitment to the sport's highest echelon. Sebastien Ogier will drive one of the two factory cars, while a programme for a junior driver in a third entry remains a possibility.

“If you see what is here, what is built up here and what is coming, then it's difficult to believe it's going to be for just three years,” said Capito, who has recently replaced Kris Nissen at the helm of the German team. “VW does things on a long-term and strategic basis, it doesn't go in and out of [programmes] easily.”

Photo: WRC

Capito said the Polo R WRC project was on course with further testing planned this year ahead of the car's competitive debut in 2013 when Rallye Monte-Carlo is expected to open the new season.

“The plan is to test this year and wait for Monte Carlo [to debut the new car],” said Capito, who confirmed that it would be unlikely for the car to compete any sooner despite accepting it could be beneficial.

Ford ran its new Focus RS WRC on Rally Australia in 2005 ahead of its full debut the following year. Capito was the company's European motorsport head at the time.

From GMM

Flavio Briatore could be readying to burst back into formula one.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the ousted and formerly banned Italian is busily writing regulations for a 'GP1' championship.

They could be adopted should the FIA not sign up to the 2013 Concorde Agreement, according to the report.

Apparently, the political rumblings in F1 at present are not limited to the sport's planned floatation, or Bernie Ecclestone's spat with Mercedes.

Cost-control is also a buzzword. As reported recently, the vast majority of F1's teams want the FIA to enshrine cost-cutting in the actual sporting regulations, even to the point of pushing for a once highly-controversial budget cap.

F1 chief executive Ecclestone, however, is not famously close with the FIA's new president Jean Todt, and according to Auto Motor und Sport he is not convinced that the Paris federation needs to write and control the rules.

Enter Briatore. The German report said Ferrari will be a fan of the former Renault chief's rumoured regulations, as they steer away from the premium on aerodynamics.

The winner of the Spanish Grand Prix talks about the fire that destroyed the Williams garage in Barcelona, some hours after his first victory.

"At that moment I was so scared for all of us. I think we were so lucky because we had no big damage and especially because our people were okay," said Maldonado in a conference call from the team's factory in Grove, England.

Pastor Maldonado, who won the race starting from pole two hours earlier, was photographed carrying his 12-year-old cousin away from the smoke-filled pit lane. His cousin was wearing a cast on his foot from a previous injury.

"I saw my cousin who was with a small injury, I took him and brought him away from the box. It was a difficult moment for all the team but we've been so happy even after that because of the win," is quoted Maldonado by Reuters.

His victory was the first for former champions Williams in nearly eight years. The Venezuelan driver explains that the happy faces at the factory motivate everyone more than ever and he hopes to challenge again for victory in Monaco.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams FW34. (Photo: Pirelli)

"We will do our best. As you see, all the teams are so close, the championship is so close and the gap is so close," he said. "We are getting better and better all the time. At the moment we don't have the quickest car on the track but we are doing our best and why not? Formula One is changing all the time. It's going to be difficult but we will try again."

"The tire degradation is quite big and it is true that you need to manage them. This is part of the race and it's the same for everybody. There are no easy races. We need to adapt to the tyres, to the rules, to the car," he added.

According to J.Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler, Steve Jobs had dreamed of one day developing his own automobile since he believed American automakers paid no real attention to styling.

Sadly, we'll never know what an ''iCar'' would look like - or if the inspiration came from Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Quebec. Jobs never ended up designing his dream vehicle.

But the good news for fans and consumers is that Drexler also made a statement that gives credibility to all those rumours about Apple televisions. Stay tuned!


_{Source: Wired}

Enthusiasts are already licking their chops as they await the next rear-wheel sedan from Chevrolet.

Also in this episode: Drag racer John Force will honor Elvis, we take the

While it was announced in advance of Carroll Shelby's death last week that Ol' Shel's Cobras would be the

The annual Wörthersee meet in Austria brings GTI enthusiasts from across Europe and the world, and

First Drive: Mazda MX-5 Super20

Call it the Miata RSR.

Sane little Mazda has quietly been producing one of the best sports cars of all time -- the Miata -- for more than two decades. Other than one bone-headed move to rename it (when some nitwit marketing exec decided to kill "Miata" in favor of "MX-5") and one half-hearted attempt to make it fast (the turbocharged Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata), there has been no insanity. No Miata GT3. No Miata GT-RS. No Miata Superleggera. No Miata R.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: Mazda MX-5 Super20 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: Mazda MX-5 Super20 - Automobile Magazine

First Drive: Mazda MX-5 Super20 | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Since the 2013 Subaru BRZ and the

A truly new Porsche 911 is a rare event, and the 991 has predictably been reviewed and tested by just about every auto journalist.