Auto News 5

From press release

Jack Daniel's Racing's black and white livery will feature on the Nissan Altima V8 Supercars of Todd and Rick Kelly next year's Australian V8 Supercars series.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

Nissan Australia Managing Director and CEO William F Peffer Jr joined team co-owners and Bathurst-winning drivers Todd and Rick Kelly to unveil the spectacular Altima V8 Supercar.

The Nissan Altima V8 Supercar has been designed and built to the category's new ‘Car of The Future' regulations, which include 18-inch wheels, transaxle gearbox and independent rear suspension.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

“The look of the Altima and sound of the VK56DE engine are second-to-none. Once V8 Supercars has homologated the aerodynamic package on the Altima, we will begin our testing to ensure it drives as fast as it looks and sounds,” said Todd Kelly, 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner and Kelly team Racing Director.

To date over 23,000 man-hours have gone into the design and building of the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar.

V8 Supercars Nissan Ultima. (Photo: Nissan Motorsport)

The Formula 1 engine regulation will change dramatically from 2014. Gone will be the normally aspirated, 2.4-litre V8s in favor of turbocharged, 1.6-litre V6 motors.

With this decision, the FIA hopes to close the gap that exists between the technology of the modern road going cars and the F1 cars.

For a number of years, there have been hybrid street cars available on the market. In a very good technical features written by Wayne Ward and published in Race Engine Technology magazine, the authord explains why road car technology must now find a way in race cars.

Heat Motor Generator Unit (Photo: Magneti Marelli)

Ward explained that basic principle of a ‘normal' hybrid system, such as that in a Honda or Toyota hybrid, is that the kinetic energy which would normally be converted to heat during braking, is stored and then re-used at an appropriate time.

This is called regenerative braking, and is a laudable aim with real environmental benefits. Efficiency is increased, and less fuel should be used.

He points out that the irony is that hybrid systems on roadcars would give the greatest improvement on those that are driven aggressively.

The trucking business relies on what is called turbo-compounding -- a system where excess energy is extracted from an exhaust gas turbine and transferred back to the driveline, increasing torque.

Ward indicates that F1 will embrace a new concept in 2014, when the new engine rules take effect. The F1 rules are published in draft form on the FIA website, and define the energy recovery system (ERS) as “a system that is designed to recover energy from the car, store that energy and make it available to propel the car”, and as part of this it specifies that a “Heat Motor Generator Unit is the electrical machine linked to the exhaust turbine of a pressure charging system as part of the ERS”.

The Race Engine Technology article states that the system will be able to store recovered energy rather than having to deploy or waste any energy available to it. The ERS will combine recovery of heat from the exhaust flow and from braking. Note that the heat recovery is linked to the use of a turbocharger.

Unlike regenerative braking hybrids, this is not a piece of equipment that can be adapted to an existing, normally aspirated engine for an instant performance increase.

Ward concludes by writing “For once, motorsport will be a worthwhile development arena for relevant technologies for passenger and haulage vehicles. The FIA ought to be warmly applauded for bringing in such a brave set of rules. Unfortunately, at this early stage, involvement appears to be limited to wealthy automotive manufacturers. The costs of developing a new energy recovery system alongside a new F1 engine to compete against the likes of Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari are immense”.

Jean-Francois Caubet, a long-time Renault contributor, will step down from his position as managing director following this weekend's Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi.

Caubet arrived at Renault in the '70s and became the director of communication and marketing for the make's Formula 1 team under the orders of Flavio Briatore.

Jean-François Caubet. (Photo: Renault Sport)

In 2009, Caubet became the general manager of [link artid="149196"]Renault Sport F1[/link]. Caubet, who will turn 64 on November 5th, will retire on Sunday night.

Current Renault Sport F1 president, Jean-Michel Jalinier, will take over Caubet's responsibilites.

Caubet is the second boss for Renault Sport F1 to leave the company in just a month. September 21st it was announced that assistant director, Cyril Abiteboul, was leaving Renault to become the CEO of the Caterham F1 Team (which uses Renault engines).

All Hallow's Eve arrives tomorrow night, and in light of the scariest night of the year (besides the fateful spring day Matt St-Pierre breaks out his shorts for the warmer season), I got to thinking about the creepiest cars currently on the road.

Creepiness on the road is all about fear-inducing presence, either with a horror-movie scream from the exhaust or a demon-like look that can't be ignored (or forgotten). The Daimler Double Six comes to mind when I think satanic, scary rides. Sure, Christine was scary and Knight Rider may have been for the bad guys, but I'm talking production cars here: these are goosebump-inducing rides that weren't bred for the big screen, they were built to sit in your driveway (and scare your neighbour's kids).

They definitely don't make 'em like they used to. The likes of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Jonckheere are long since gone, but there are a few modern models that send shivers up my spine whenever I see them cruising down the street - and I know children are screaming somewhere in complete terror.

Nissan Quest

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

I'm shocked that something so monstrous was allowed to leave Nissan's production plant. It's as if they either didn't look at the sketches at all, or purposefully agreed that making the ugliest, most offensive-looking minivan was a goal. And it's not just ugly, it's creepy. Minivans usually bring to mind families and weekend getaways, but the Quest makes me think of dark alleys, forboding music and dense fog on a dark night. Not cool.

Acura ZDX

Photo: Philippe Champoux

Perhaps it's the Acura's pointy, evil little face that gets my hair to stand on end, but there's definitely something about this vehicle that gets under my skin. In black paint, the ZDX looks ready to latch on and never let go, and not in a nice way. Narrowed headlights give the ZDX a serpentine facade that undoubtedly makes some jittery. No wonder there aren't many on the road...

Dodge Charger SRT8

Photo: Dodge

Perhaps this car is extra scary for me because they are the ride of choice for our men in blue. Tricked out with black push bars, the cop's Dodge Chargers aren't just intimidating, they're downright scary when spotted in your rearview (even if the lights aren't on). While our law enforcers do not have SRT8 models, when one such model stalks the roads, other motorists cower in fear as the 6.4L 8-cylinder howels. Like a murderer stalking its next victim, the Dodge Charger is the stuff of nightmares.

Ford Mustang GT500

Photo: Sébastien D'amour

It's not so much about this Mustang's looks that'll have you quaking in your boots, but more about the sheer aural presence it garners on the road. When we had the pleasure of cowering in its wake here at Auto123, the moment it roared to life a collective shiver was felt amongst all in its viscinity. There's something inherently scary about piloting a car that's trying to harness in 631 horses all trying to break free from the rear wheels at the same time. The 5.8L V8 makes such a tremendous sound when it barks to life, it brings to mind thoughts of sawed-off shotguns and Deliverance-type scenarios.

As I hand out candy to the kiddies on tomorrow's spookiest of nights (well, second spookiest), I wonder if I'm actually glad cars like the Buick GNX, Alfa Romeo Montreal and Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon don't exist anymore. Sure, serial killers and vampires have fewer cars to choose from nowadays, but does that just mean we've gone soft as a nation of consumers? Or are creepy cars on the rise again with the likes of the above currently on the roads today?

Luca Filippi and Daniel De Jong set the best lap times of the two test sessions held Tuesday at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

In the morning session, Filippi set his best lap time in 1m29.775, ahead of Daniel De Jong (1m30.115), both drivers running for Team Coloni.

In the afternoon, it was De Jong's turn to be quickest, with a lap in 1m30.408, which was not fast enough however to beat Filippi's morning time.

Formula 3 Euroseries' new champion Daniel Juncadella had an impressive run in the afternoon, as the Spaniard stood on the top of the timing sheets for most of the session, before ending up with the third best performance.

Amongst the drivers on track in Barcelona, Canadian driver Gianmarco Raimondo made his GP2 debuts with team Racing Engineering. Raimondo, who currently leads the F3 Open International standings, ranked 24th and 19th overall.

Brazil's Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, also known as Jacarepaguá, after the neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro in which it was located will soon be demolished.

The road course welcomed the Grand Prix of Brazil 10 times between 1978 and 1990, as well as the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix.

It will be demolished to allow the construction of structures for the 2016 summer Olympic Games. So far, the plan for the site it to become an Olympic Training Centre.

Jacarepaguá was the scene of Michelin's first win in Formula 1 en 1978 when Carlos Reutemann won the Grand Prix of Brazil, driving a Ferrari 312T2.

The circuit was also the scene of the first victory for a semi-automatic gearbox in F1 when Nigel Mansell won the 1989 Grand Prix behind the wheel of his Ferrari 640.

In an effort to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Beetle, Volkswagen has developed a fleet of highly tuned show cars for SEMA. A very special Golf R is on display as well.

APR and VWvortex teamed up to transform a 2013 Beetle Turbo into a 500-horsepower all-wheel-drive hot rod. Meanwhile, the Beetle Beach Battle-Cruiser gets a Revo Technik turbocharger and offers everything you need for a perfect day on the beach and the waves.

The Beetle FMS Automotive pays tribute to the 1956 Beetle, and the retro-looking Beetle Rotiform harkens back to classic tuner's cars from five decades ago.

Finally, Volkswagen unveiled the Golf R H&R, which rides on 19'' BBS Super RS wheels and has been upgraded with the new Phantom series G-Stop kit from Goodridge.

Photo: Volkswagen

President Barack Obama's campaign said it will air an Ohio television ad that rebuts what outside observers call a false impression left by Republican challenger Mitt Romney about Chrysler Group LLC moving Jeep production to China.

Reynolds and Reynolds, a leading provider of business management software for auto dealers in North America and Europe, is exploring a sale to private equity that could fetch around $5 billion, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime

Having your own racetrack.

As automotive fantasies go, what could be better than having your very own racetrack, where you can do as many laps as you want, whenever you want? Where the only other cars on the track are those you invite? And, for the ultimate in convenience, why not have it next door to your house? Because aesthetics count, too, you'd select a scenic location with views all around. Your house would be a beautifully renovated, 150-year-old Dutch colonial with an adjacent restored barn. To hold all the toys, a modern museum building would be ideal, with a 5000-square-foot pole barn as the working garage space. That's exactly what Alan Wilzig has created for himself on 275 acres in New York's Columbia County.

Photo Gallery: Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Ultimate Fantasy 6: Track Time, Anytime - Automobile Magazine

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BMW of North America said it will recall 45,500 of its 7 series luxury sedans from model years 2005-2008 to correct a flaw that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away.

GM and Ford, struggling to reverse growing losses in Europe, will each post plunging third-quarter profits this week as they take different paths to fixing their operations in that economically ravaged region

As the Atlantic's largest-ever tropical storm hit the East Coast, auto dealers closed showrooms, moved cars to higher ground and calculated the effect on October sales.

Spoiler alert: racing results ahead!

Production at GM's Oshawa, Ontario, plant could shut down later today as a strike at Lear cut off supplies of seats used in vehicles assembled there, the Canadian Auto Workers said.

Videos 29 Oct, 2012

Steve Fowler travelled to Morocco to put the all-new Range Rover through its paces

Chrysler Group's third-quarter net profit rose 80 percent to $381 million on strong sales of cars and light trucks in North America.

Ford plunged for the second straight year in Consumer Reports' survey of auto reliability and now ranks near the bottom of the annual scorecard. The Ford brand finished 27th out of the 28 brands; Lincoln fell to 26th from 14th.

News 30 Oct, 2012

The Hot Wheels Chevrolet Camaro has debuted at the SEMA tuning event

Pictures 30 Oct, 2012