Auto News 5

The auto industry is currently undergoing a monumental shift - definitely one of the biggest in its long and rich history which dates back to more than 100 years ago.

Up until the end of the 20th century, people didn't really bother with fuel economy given how cheap liquid gold was. Things have dramatically changed in the new millennium, with skyrocketing prices forcing budget-minded and environmentally conscious drivers to turn to more fuel-efficient alternatives.

Barely ten years ago, green cars were a pretty rare sight on the road; in 2013, consumers have a host of models to choose from in various segments: highly efficient gasoline engines, diesel engines, hybrids (including plug-in hybrids), extended-range electric vehicles, and 100% electric vehicles. Automakers have fully embraced this new trend, and continue to make sizable efforts to reduce your bills at the pump and our collective dependence on fossil fuels.

In this section you will find anything and everything about today's green vehicles. Enjoy!

	Green Car Reviews and Comparisons These reviews will help you understand the benefits, the joys, and the limitations of these all-new vehicles that are rapidly growing in popularity among Canadian drivers... Read more
	Green Car Previews The “Green Car Previews” section of the Auto123.com Green Car Guide contains a list of previews and reviews of most hybrid, all-electric, diesel, and highly... Read more
	All-Electric Cars 101 The "All-Electric Cars 101" section of the Auto123.com Green Car Guide is an introduction to the fascinating, yet confusing world of all-electric vehicles... Read more
	Green Car Buying Guide Fourty years ago, right after the second oil crisis, regular unleaded gas was selling for 12 cents per litre. At that price, a run-of-the-mill 6-cylinder-engined vehicle that burned... Read more

From GMM

Kevin Magnussen has admitted he wants to make his formula one debut in 2014.

The 20-year-old Dane, whose father is the former F1 driver Jan Magnussen, is a leading figure in McLaren's driver development programme.

He impressed in the Woking based team's 2013 car last week, topping the times at Silverstone as he spent Wednesday at the 'young driver test'.

But McLaren's 2014 driver lineup seems locked up, as Jenson Button has vowed to stay put, and Mexican Sergio Perez will surely get another chance.

Kevin Magnussen. (Photo: McLaren F1 Team)

"My goal is to compete in F1 as early as 2014," Magnussen told Italy's Italiaracing.

"If I can't do it with McLaren, we'll try it with another team," he added.

"That wouldn't mean that the relationship with McLaren is affected, as there are other similar situations in F1 that are going smoothly."

Magnussen was surely referring to Jules Bianchi, who made his grand prix debut this year with Marussia, despite featuring in Ferrari's driver 'academy'.

I was chatting with Miranda recently about some of our memorable drives and how those memories related mostly to the cars we were driving. In the course of the conversation, I came up with my three favourite 2013 model year cars I had the chance to drive.

The list is a little odd, to say the least, but it all makes sense -- at least to me. If you've read any of Auto123.com's material, mine in particular, you'll have probably noted that the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 have left indelible marks on my psyche.

These two cars embody everything that the car business represents in my books. They are magnificently efficient and rapid ways to cover ground in a whirlwind of sights and sounds. As I write these lines, I'm developing goose bumps thinking about the two cars -- or is that because I'm listening to Portishead?

It is then fairly easy to understand why these cars are on my list; they're fast, sexy, and freakin' fast! Wait, did I say that already? But the third car?

The last member on this list is the 2013 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD. How's that for a contrast?

If the ‘Stang and ‘Maro are young and “hip” cars; the Volvo is the exact opposite. It's a station wagon (which I absolutely love), and, well, it's a Volvo... Tack on the fact that my tester was brown and the image is complete.

You see, here's a car that with 300 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque can really move and can also cover ground at quite the clip.

This is how we got on the subject as I took the XC70 to New York City in the spring for the Auto Show. A part of the road to get there from my hood crosses the Adirondack Mountains and I could not think of a better road trip car with space, luxury, comfort, lots and lots of comfort, and power other than the XC70.

Truth be told, I'd probably take the Volvo XC70 over the other two if I could only pick one... Nah, I wouldn't... Or would I?

Tastes are a matter that cannot really be discussed and many are often baffled by my often ridiculous or off-the-wall discriminations, but I'm of the opinion that variety is the spice of life.

Tastes come in all shapes and sizes. Clearly, this applies to me. Now, if Porsche built a pickup, my list would have to grow to four units...

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

From GMM

Sergey Sirotkin's current boss, Igor Salaquarda, thinks the Russian teen's formula one opportunity has come way too early.

Sirotkin, not yet 18, is in line to make his grand prix debut next March with Sauber, as his father is linked to the Swiss team's new Russian partners.

But Speed Week reports that, amid the new F1-fueled fanfare surrounding Sirotkin as he raced in Austria at the weekend, his boss Salaquarda "shook his head".

"All this hype is not good for him," the owner of the Czech team ISR was quoted as saying at the Red Bull Ring.

"That's way too much pressure -- he's only 17! He is definitely too young (for F1)," Igor Salaquarda continued. "I don't mean that he can't do it physically -- anyone can drive a formula one car today. It's much harder to cope with the enormous pressure of the world championship."

Sergey Sirotkin. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Salaquarda compares Sirotkin with Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian who drove for ISR in 2011 before he made to the leap to formula one with HRT.

"Daniel came from British F3 and was then in the World Series for two years," he said. "But Sergey has only driven in Formula Abarth - a series I don't know - and Auto GP and Italian F3, but in both those series he had little serious competition. As such, he was fast. But if anyone is expecting him to win here right now, it's simply too much to ask. Already in the Eurocup 2.0 there is a great deal of competition, same as the (European) F3 championship, but Sergey skipped both those steps. He should spend more time in the 3.5 litre class to gain more experience."

Igor Salaquarda also questioned Sirotkin's approach to motor racing this year.

"Daniel (Ricciardo) was always alone at the tracks, spending the whole time with the team," he said.

"But Sergey comes with a whole entourage; sometimes it's hard for us to catch up with him. These guys should concentrate on working with the team," he insisted.

BMW Canada today announced that its first-ever all-electric production car will go on sale in the first half of 2014 starting at $44,950. The BMW i3 is scheduled to make its world debut next Monday at simultaneous events in New York, London, and Beijing, as well as online via YouTube.

BMW i3 products and services will be sold via a multi-channel sales model comprised of authorized BMW i partners, a Customer Interaction Center (CIC), as well as an online platform. Customers will be able to personalize their entire purchasing process to suit their needs.

Some markets will also introduce a mobile sales force, a sales team which will be available to customers outside the traditional showroom.

Moreover, BMW will provide the following services with the i3:

• Domestic charging station (''Wallbox'') installation;
• Partnerships with public charging providers ;
• DriveNow car sharing, which has over 130,000 members;
• ConnectedDrive apps and roadside services such as mobile recharging equipment

Photo: BMW

From PMRA

Reigning series champion Eric Latino won his first race of the season in the Pro Modified Racing Association in an event held during the 14th Annual IHRA MOPAR Nitro Jam Nationals presented by Parts Canada held over the weekend at the Grand Bend Motorplex.

The win was the second in a row at the prestigious IHRA national event for the Team Green 1969 Chevy Camaro Pro Modified driver from Whitby, Ontario.

Latino, who qualified number two with a 6.103-second, 240.08-mph pass, bested three-time PMRA champion Bruce Boland of Stoney Creek, Ontario with his 1953 Corvette Pro Modified in the final round.

Latino eliminated Steve Legere of Trois Rivieres, Quebec and then Kenny Lang of Manitoba to advance to the final.

Meanwhile Boland, who qualified number four in the field (6.218, 230.92), eliminated Jack Grainy of Basom, New York and number one qualifier (6.080, 239.31) Rocky De Lecce of Mississauga, Ontario to meet up with Latino the final.

Other PMRA racers out in the first round included Sam Andreacchi of Toronto, Ontario and Tim Martin of Barrie, Ontario.

Presently leading the PMRA Championship Point Award Series is Di Lecce with 1357. Second is Grainy with 1194 points, and Boland is third with 1132. Derek Hawker of Corbyville, Ontario is fourth with 1113 points, and Paolo Giust of Osgoode, Ontario is fifth with 757 points.

This was the fifth of seven races on the 2013 PMRA schedule.

Next event for the Pro Modifieds is August 9-11 at the Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals presented by Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts to be held at Grand Bend.

From press release

Marco Sorensen (Lotus) produced another clean sweep at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. The Dane took victory ahead of Nigel Melker (Tech 1 Racing) and his compatriot Kevin Magnussen (DAMS), penalised though his championship prospects were boosted by the retirement of Stoffel Vandoorne (Fortec Motorsports).

Nigel Melker was the fastest man in qualifying, but the Dutchman had his best lap deleted for blocking Kevin Magnussen. Marco Sorensen was duly promoted to pole position, with Melker alongside him on the front row. Championship leader Kevin Magnussen qualified in third, with his closest rival, Stoffel Vandoorne, joining him on the second row.

As the lights went out, Antonio Félix da Costa (Arden Caterham) remained glued to the grid. Marco Sorensen held his lead from the start, with Kevin Magnussen passing Nigel Melker after Stoffel Vandoorne had spun at turn one.

Marco Sorensen, Lotus. (Photo: Renault Sport)

When the pit window opened, the majority of the drivers used the opportunity to make their stops. Nigel Melker pitted on lap seven, with Marco Sorensen and Kevin Magnussen following two laps later. The race order remained unchanged, and Sorensen soon stretched his lead.

The Lotus driver, however, had his advantage wiped out on lap 22, after the safety car was introduced to remove Carlos Huertas' car from the track. The Carlin man's single-seater had stopped on the track following a spin.
Kevin Magnussen pushed hard after the restart, but Marco Sorensen held on to win the race. Nigel Melker finally recorded another second place after Kevin Magnusen got penalised after his first-lap off-track overtaking.

Fourth, Sergey Sirotkin was the best-placed rookie and gained six places thanks to a late pitstop. William Buller (Zeta Corse) came fifth, followed by Marlon Stockinger (Lotus), Nico Müller (International Draco Racing), Pietro Fantin (Arden Caterham) and Norman Nato (DAMS).

The infamous DeltaWing race car ran the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this past weekend in the capable hands of Katherine Legge and Andy Meyrick.

Saturday, it clocked a time of 1m10.256 in morning practice, good for second place overall and second spot in the P1 class. The team changed engines between practice and the afternoon sessions. The DeltaWing LM12 qualified with a time of 1m10.531, to start the race in third place overall.

The DeltaWing LM12 (Photo: René Fagnan)

Putting a five-second gap between himself and the third place P1 car, Andy Meyrick was looking forward to a solid race until a minor chassis failure caused the oil pump to fail on lap 16.

Compared to last year, it is now powered by an Elan Power 1.9-litre turbo gasoline engine that boasts 350 horses. The tires are now provided by Bridgestone.

A narrow Bridgestione front tire (Photos: René Fagnan)

The aerodynamic negative lift is generated by twin vortex underbody downforce system - BLAT (Boundary Layer Adhesion Technology).

The DeltaWing weight distribution is necessarily more rearward than traditionally seen with 72.5% of the mass between the wide track larger rear tires. Seventy-six per cent of the aerodynamic downforce acts on the rear of the car which has a lift to drag ratio of >5.0.

Generating so little drag allows the 590kg DeltaWing to reach a top speed of more than 300 km/h with an engine power of just 350bhp.

Photo: DeltaWing Race Cars

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Type: 4 cylinder 1.9-litre Elan Power (Direct Injection Gasoline Turbo)
Maximum Power Output: 350bhp at 6800 rpm
Maximum Torque Output: 270 lb/ft constant from 3500 to 6800 rpm
Cylinder Head: Mazda-Speed Direct injection.
Engine weight: 176 lb (80kg)
Exhaust system: 4 into 1 exhaust with external waste-gate

TRANSMISSION
Gearbox: 5-speed sequential
Clutch: 2 Plate Carbon-Carbon
Shift System: Pneumatic paddle shift

The front end of the monocoque, with the front suspensions and brakes. (Photos: René Fagnan)

CHASSIS
Chassis type: FIA homologated carbon fibre monocoque
Front suspension: Double-wishbone, unequal length, with coil over shock units to lower wishbones. 4130 heat-treated thin wall tubular steel welded construction
Rear suspension: Double-wishbone, unequal length, with pushrod/rocker actuation of coil over shock units. Motion ratio discrimination between heave and roll via fulcrum arm on rear anti roll bar axis
Fuel tank: 40 litres FIA-specification gasoline fuel cell
Brakes: Vented PFC Carbon/Carbon discs with 4-pot aluminium monoblock calipers
Brake bias: 40% torque bias front
Front brake size: 280mm diameter, 18mm thick
Rear brake size: 320mm diameter, 25mm thick
Front wheel size: 15" diameter, 4" wide
Rear wheel size: 15" diameter, 12.5" wide
Front tires: 4.0/23/R15 Bridgestone
Rear tires: 12.0/24.5/R15 Bridgestone

The impressive floor with the side vortex generators. (Photos: René Fagnan)

WEIGHTS & DIMENSIONS
Weight: 490kg without fuel or driver, 590kg with fuel and driver
Weight distribution (front/rear): 28/72
Overall Length: 4.65m
Front width: 0.76m
Rear width: 2.08m
Height: 1.03m
Wheelbase: 3.05m
Track width (front): 0.6m
Track width (rear): 1.74m
Minimum ground clearance (front/rear): 30mm/60mm

Rear end of the car showing the engine installation. (Photos: René Fagnan)

PERFORMANCE
Top speed: 195 mph (313 km/h)
0-60mph: 3.3 sec

In order to showcase the robust quality and reliability of its vehicles, Mazda will send 8 all-new 2014 Mazda3 cars on a unique endurance trip from Hiroshima, Japan, to Frankfurt, Germany -- in time for the auto show that opens on September 10th.

All of these Mazda3s will be powered by a 118-horsepower SKYACTIV-G gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual transmission.

After taking a ferry across the Sea of Japan, the main overland portion of the adventure will begins in Vladivostok, with 3 legs separating the drivers from Krasnoyars. The 7 ensuing legs of the tour will take between 3-6 days each to cover.

Overall, the 2014 Mazda3 cars will cross 9 time zones, 5 countries, and 2 continents.

This will be the third time that Mazda models have taken part in such an extreme test drive. In 1977, German reporters drove Mazda 323 hatchbacks from Japan to Frankfurt. The expedition was followed up successfully in 1990, when 4 Mazda 626s crossed the former Soviet Union.

Photo: Mazda

From Humberstone Speedway

Erick Rudolph from Ransomville, NY drove away from Mat Williamson to claim his second DIRTcar Modified main of the season on Boltworks Industrial Fasteners Night at the New Humberstone Speedway.

Paul Grigsby from Springville, NY claimed his second Peters Excavating UMP/DIRTcar Late Models feature of the season while Jason Fontaine from Port Colborne, Ontario claimed his third J.C. Auto Street Stock feature of the 2013 racing season.

Leroy Buscumb from Welland, Ontario, racing in a borrowed ride picked up his first Trackside Decals Mini Stock feature. Sam Iftody from Fenwick, Ontario claimed his seventh Frontier Auto Dismantlers Pure Stock feature event of 2013. Tim Zack from Dain City, Ontario made it two for two in the Vintage Cars.

Chad Chevalier and Erick Rudolph led the field of DIRTcar Modifieds to the green flag with Chevalier leading the way early. Williamson up to third by lap three and just two laps later, was taking over second place away from Chevalier.

Dale Planck started dead last on the grid after having problems at the border and was moving up through the field in his Page Trucking 7z for Mike Payne. Planck was inside the top ten until getting tangled up with Tommy Flannigan. Plank was unable to continue on.

On the restart it was Rudolph continuing to show the way with Williamson, Susice, Bowman and Chrysler running behind the third generation driver Rudolph. Erick Rudolph would pull away and pick up his second win of the season.

Mat Williamson, Ryan Susice, Mike Bowman and Randy Chrysler completed the top five.

Ken Winfield and Paul Grigsby led the field of Peters Excavating Late Models with Grigsby getting the lead. Rob Pietz passed Tim Gillespie for second place early one and the rookie in the division tried to reel in Grigsby. Jorden Peters was able to get around Pietz for second but couldn't reel in Grigsby as the Springville, NY pilot picked up his second win of the season in the Late Models.

Mike Greene and Ryan Turner led the field of J.C. Auto Street Stocks to the green flag for their 20 lap feature event and it was Ryan Turner taking over the lead on the opening circuit. Cory Turner, coming into the nights action in second place in points came to a stop on the front stretch with a trail of fluid underneath the 19 machine. On the restart, James Thompson, Jason Fontaine and Billy Hogue went three wide for the lead and Hogue got loose and lost several positions. James Thompson, Turner, Kevin Knapp and Jason Fontaine went three wide for several laps and the heated battle continued throughout the 20 lap affair. At the end, it was Fontaine pulling away and edging out Knapp and Thompson to pick up his third win of the season.

Leroy Buscumb in a borrowed ride and Nate Monahan were on the front row of the Trackside Decals Mini Stocks and it was Buscumb showing the way early on. Buscumb, Tyler Lafantaisie and Kyle Pelrine pulled away from the rest of the field. Evan Curtis broke away from the second pack to pick up the fourth spot.

After Nate Monahan and Brandon Iudiciani spun in one, Buscumb was able to keep the lead on the restart but Kyle Pelrine was able to sneak past Buscumb for the lead on lap 12. Buscumb was able to retake the lead coming off turn two and held off Pelrine to score the win.

Al Harju and qualifying event winner Rick St. Pierre led the Vintage Cars to the green flag and it was St. Pierre showing the way. Last Sunday's feature winner Tim Zack tried to reel in St. Pierre and coming off turn four on the final lap, Tim Zack drove around St Pierre to pick up the win. St Pierre was able to cross the line in second after St. Pierre having problems on the final lap.

Mason Smith and Brad Booker led the field of Frontier Auto Dismantlers Pure Stocks to the green flag for their feature event and it was Marcel Beauregard, starting in third taking the race lead on lap one. Sam Iftody was on the move and by lap five, racing in second place. Iftody and Kyle Tomaski were able to reel in Beauregard. Beauregard and Iftody came together coming to the white flag lap and Iftody was able to take the lead and held off Tomaski for the checkered flag.

Consumption competition
Sometimes, change is necessary. It might not always seem like the best idea, or even be easy, but sometimes it's needed. A change can be refreshing it can even be enlightening. Sometimes, sticking to the same-old, same-old is just that: the same old.

Such is very much the truth when it comes to automobiles. Change brings about new technology, inventions, and designs. Change means customers have more to choose from, other options; sometimes better options.

What does all this have to do with diesel vehicles and our latest comparison drive? Well, when we suddenly got our hands on a brand new 2014 Chevrolet Cruze 2.0TD (powered by a diesel engine), we immediately wanted to pit it against the name tried and tested in the auto industry, in North America, when it comes to diesel: Volkswagen.

It's no lie that Volkswagen is the leader in diesel cars in our market, and that's not necessarily because they're the best, but more because they are the only option. Besides the American diesel trucks, there are very few options in North America when it comes to affordable diesel-powered family sedans.

However, the time has come for Volkswagen to have some serious competition, and not just from the likes of Chevy. Mazda is lining up the Mazda6 diesel, and Honda is teasing with a diesel Accord. Finally, we'll have a few more options.

But do we want them?

Well, that's what we set out to discover. While we tried out best to get our hands on a Jetta TDI, we had to settle for a Golf TDI which we knew was identical in all specs to the Jetta and nearly every point to the Chevy Cruze diesel (vehicle weight, price, space, engine), despite the segment difference.

So, we set out on a daylong drive -- covering close to 375 kilometres on open highways and country lanes and some traffic laden city settings. Who proved more efficient? More pleasant to drive? More economical overall? Did we prove that VW still holds the diesel crown or are they about to be dethroned by the newcomers?

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Continue reading VW vs. Chevy: The diesel Comparison Drive

A few weeks after Chevrolet launched an ad to promote its all-new 2014 Silverado pickup truck, here comes a different version specifically aimed at female customers.

Titled ''Her Horse,'' the clip shows how women can appreciate the many attributes of the Silverado as much as men.

From GMM

Andy Webb, the Marussia team chief executive, insists he is not disappointed F1 rival Sauber landed the major Russian sponsor deal.

Reports on Sunday indicated the value of Sauber's new Russian investment could top an incredible half a billion dollars.

But, already flying Russia's flag on the grid, might Marussia - the team with the smallest budget in formula one - have expected to secure the deal?

"First of all," Webb told Russia's Championat, "I don't think the deal with Sauber is actually finalised. Some aspects are yet to be completed.

"In any case, in my view, the higher the interest in formula one in Russia, the better. I don't think the agreement between the Russians and Sauber will be the last thing like that we will see (in F1).

"I think Russia is more and more interested in formula one and supports it more and more. I can only welcome that," Marussia's Webb added.

Photo: Marussia F1 Team

Sauber's Russian tie-up will also bring a Russian driver - the teen rookie Sergey Sirotkin - to the grid.

Andy Webb admitted Marussia is also open to signing a Russian driver.

"We've been aware of him (Sirotkin), of course," he told the Ria Novosti news agency. "We want a Russian driver, but we want a Russian driver there on merit. There's the obvious one, (Vitaly) Petrov. But it's very difficult to find the next one coming through."

From GMM

Michael Schumacher has singled out a quartet of drivers as the very best in formula one at present.

The great German, who with 91 wins and seven titles is the most successful driver in the sport's history, finally called time on his long career at the end of last season.

Now, watching on, the 44-year-old Schumacher said he is most impressed by a group of four.

"Vettel, Alonso, Raikkonen and Hamilton are the best at the moment," he told the Italian Sky programme I Signori della Formula 1.

"They're all human, of course, so they all have their weaknesses, but they all work hard to hide them. But that is also the secret to always-better results and to not making mistakes. I am not going to analyse it further -- I think the best one wins," Schumacher smiled.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) leading Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) in Montreal. (Photo: WRi2)

The former Ferrari and Mercedes driver was also asked to comment on the 2013 season, and unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before the 't'-word was uttered.

"The season is not so much different from the previous one," he said, "except perhaps when it comes to the problems with the tires. I already said last year after Bahrain that something is not working quite right, that there are problems, but now everyone has noticed.

"On the other hand, as always, the best one wins. And that is rightly so," added Schumacher.

"The biggest problem for me is that the tires should be compatible with the majority of the teams, not just a few cars as has happened in these last two years," he said.

This month's management briefing considers the latest developments in automotive interiors. In this instalment, we include questions to Harman about its new product for BMW, and take a look at global HVAC shares. Exclusive extracts are provided from our QUBE intelligence services.

A new Korean plant built by Toyota affiliate Denso, which will supply Hyundai and its sister enterprises, underscores a shift in the auto parts industry, from suppliers linked closely to one automaker to a handful of global giants that assemble...

Nissan plans to start selling more China-inspired cars around the world in a nod to the growing importance of China's auto market and the country's up-and-coming design talent. GM and VW are also using China as a springboard for global design.

From Press release

Mathias Beche and Pierre Thiriet at the wheel of Thiriet by TDS Racing ORECA03 finished the third round of 2013 ELMS season on the first step of the general podium at Red Bull Ring in Austria, ahead of n°36 Signatech Alpine of Pierre Ragues and Nelson Panciatici.

Natacha Gachnang and Franck Mailleux driving n°43 Morgan Judd of Morand Racing climbed onto the third step of the podium.  The overall podium was a carbon copy of the top three finish at round 2 held at Imola in May.

Photo: TDS Racing

In the LMPC Category Gary Hirsch and Paul Loup Chatin win for the second time of the season at the wheel of Team Endurance Challenge FLM09 n°49, ahead of teammates Alex Loan and Nico Verdonck in the n°47 FLM09.Algarve Pro Racing FLM09 n°46 claimed third place in the class on the series debut.

In the LMGTE category, Ram Racing sandwiched the n°66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari F458 Italia of Andrea Bertolini and Joel Camathias, with Johnny Mowlem and Matt Griffin in n°52 on the first place, and n°53 Ferrari of Gunnar Jeannette and Frank Montecalvo, third.

SMP Racing Ferrari F458 GT3 claims victory for the second consecutive time after Imola, with Imola race victors Fabio Babini, Viktor Shaitar and Kirill Ladygin winning in the n°69 car. N°62 AF Corse Ferrari driven by Andrea Rizzoli, Stefano Gai and Lorenzo Casé finished second, while the only BMW Z4 of Ecurie Ecosse (Ollie Millroy, Andrew Smith and Alasdair McCaigh) finishes third of the class.

Corvette Racing's Tommy Milner was perfect in the dying minutes of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport, to deny Viper its first win since coming back to the series.

Jonathan Bomarito started on pole aboard the No. 93 SRT GTS-R co-driven by Canadian Kuno Wittmer, but as the race unfolded, it was Dominik Farnbacher, in the No. 91 he shared with Marc Goossens, who was fighting for victory with the No. 3 Corvette C6 ZR1 of Milner and Oliver Gavin.

Despite his best efforts and the occasional helping backmarker, Farnbacher never found a way past Milner who, by denying Viper its first win since coming back to the series last year, gave Corvette its second win of the season, and its first since the opening round at Sebring.

Wittmer and Bomarito completed the podium.

The overall win went to Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf (Muscle Milk Pickett Racing), who completed 132 laps of the Bowmanville circuit, without any real competition.

Scott Tucker and Marino Franchitti (Level 5 Motorsports) finished some four laps down on them, second in the overall standings and first in the P2 category.

Ed Bennett and Colin Braun (CORE autosport) won the Prototype Challenge, and Cooper MacNeil and Spencer Pumpelly (Alex Job Racing) the GT Challenge.

Originally introduced on the 1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail and the H-4 Baby Grand, the brand's iconic bowtie is now celebrating its 100th anniversary as new products make their debut, such as the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel compact sedan in the U.S. and the Trax small SUV in 40 international markets.

No one knows for sure how exactly this logo came about. Some people said Chevrolet co-founder William C. Durant was inspired by the wallpaper design in a Parisian hotel; others, like his wife, claimed it was a newspaper advertisement he spotted while vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia.

His daughter Margery, however, recalls her father sketching out the design on a piece of paper at the dinner table "between the soup and the fried chicken.''

Anyway, the bowtie has since wound up on the front of 215 million vehicles around the world, 60 million of which can still be found on the road. Chevrolet has dealers in 140 countries, and sells a new car every 6.39 seconds.

1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail (Photo: Chevrolet)

1914 Chevrolet H-4 Baby Grand (Photo: Chevrolet)

1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster (Photo: Chevrolet)