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When "Need for Speed" comes to theaters on March 14, it will be a fitting centerpiece to the Electronic Arts franchise: For nearly two decades, the games have been getting far more cinematic with each sequel, not just in poly counts and graphical...

-- Hagerty content VP and friend of Autoweek Rob Sass wonders out loud: When the baby boomers put down their auction flags and retire, what will happen to the collector car industry? "Who's going to buy all their cars?" (We will. and#8211;Ed.

What is it?

Mark Loyd, the designer behind the unique styling of the Citroen C4 Cactus, thinks the car fits well into the French automaker's history.

Six consecutive months of year-on-year growth in western European car sales has some market watchers revising their sales forecasts upwards.

Six consecutive months of year-on-year growth in western European car sales has some market watchers revising their sales forecasts upwards.

This week's hottest new auto brand viral video to make our list is ... an Apple product?

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake-tsunami devastated Japan and also torpedoed much of the nation's auto industry for the better part of a year.

From press release

Team Stange Racing owners John and Ashley Stange have announced they have hired Rick Crawford as crew chief for Team Stange for the rest of the 2014 ARCA Racing Series season.

Effective immediately, Crawford will be taking on duties of crew chief for Team Stange and their driver, Canadian Maryeve Dufault.

"I am ready to keep the momentum with the team, moving forward in the same direction that they left with in Daytona," Crawford said.

"The Stanges have been involved in other forms of racing and they have a vision and an understanding of what it takes to be a competitive team. They are fully committed to Team Stange and I am happy to be a part of that vision. I am looking forward to working with Maryeve, getting to know her and learning about what she wants out of her racecar to be able to have that competitive edge. 2014 will be a good year for Team Stange and we are all ready to make sure we are the best we can be."

Dufault is excited about moving forward with Crawford.

"I think Rick has proven himself at many levels of racing and also has an understanding being a driver himself. We started the season on a high note, running up front at Daytona in the season opener. Having Rick on board will keep us moving forward and on the right track as a new team."

The next scheduled race for the No. 46 Team Stange Ford and Dufault will be the ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway Saturday, March 22, 2014.

From FIA

One of the main talking points surrounding the new Formula 1 V6 turbo hybrid Power Units has been the sound they make. The FIA has come to an interesting conclusion.

Some have fixated on the idea that the noise made by current F1 is part of the allure and while the sonic signature is certainly part of the thrill it is but one element of the sport's appeal, allied to technical innovation, glamour, skill and heroism - all contribute to the ‘noise' that constantly surrounds the sport.

Having said that, it is true that the 2014 Power Units will make less noise than the V8 of previous generation. However, it is worth putting this decrease into perspective.

Formula 1 engine manufacturers estimate that the intensity of sound of the F1 powerplants with the former V8s was around 145dB. With the new units it is expected to be around 134dB.

The high pitch shriek of the old V8 engines made them sound louder.

“Quality of sound is a very difficult thing to assess, as we all have different taste,” says Fabrice Lom, former Renault Sport F1 engineer and now FIA Head of Powertrain.

“Some like rock, others classic music. In 1988, V6 turbo F1 engines were revving lower and had less capacity. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost both had fans in those days and the show, as far as we remember, was quite good.”

The table below illustrates the difference in sonic intensity:

Threshold of hearing (TOH): 0 dB
Rustling leaves: 10 dB
Whisper: 20 dB
Normal conversation: 60 dB
Busy street traffic: 70 dB
Vacuum cleaner: 80 dB
Front rows of rock concert: 110 dB
Threshold of pain: 130 dB
Military jet takeoff: 140 dB
Instant perforation of eardrum: 160 dB

The difference of 11db, according to the physics of attenuation of sound in air, is equivalent to 2.5m if you are at 1m distance from the car, meaning that the difference will be hardly heard in the garage.

If you are 15m from the car, it attenuates to 35m - that roughly represents the difference you can hear from seating in the first row to seating in the last row of a grandstand.

The 2014 Daytona Bike Week (March 7-16) is in full swing. The organizers of the 73rd edition hope to attract more than 1.5 million bike enthusiasts to Daytona Beach.

For the 26th year in a row, Harley-Davidson is the official motorcycle of the event. This year, the Milwaukee-based company decided to have just one big stand at the Daytona International Speedway rather than setting up a second one on Beach Street.

The 2014 Daytona Bike Week aims to raise safety awareness among motorcycle riders. After all, not all accidents can be blamed on car drivers.

Check out what's in store at the 2014 Daytona Bike Week.

Photo: France Ouellet

From GMM

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is predicting an all-Mercedes silver duel for the 2014 title.

"Lewis (Hamilton) and Nico (Rosberg) -- who else is there?" he is quoted by the Times after a disastrous winter for reigning quadruple world champions Red Bull.

Horner may not sound confident about Red Bull's chances with its struggling Renault-powered RB10, but he is not writing off the Milton Keynes based team.

"It seems the Mercedes-powered teams are in good shape and we are, er, not," he smiled.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

"Looking at Mercedes' race simulation, it wouldn't be a surprise if they finished two laps ahead of everyone in Melbourne. They have a massive advantage , "said Horner to the Daily Mail.

Renault is taking much of the blame for the crisis, but car designer Adrian Newey admits Red Bull might also have been wiser.

"Looking back," he told the April issue of the Red Bulletin magazine, "it would have been smarter to concentrate full power on the new car earlier on.

"(But) in August, no one could have guessed that we would be so far ahead by the end of the (2013) season," Newey added.

Horner claims that with the 'power unit' so important in 2014, Red Bull is at a slight disadvantage compared to its main rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.

"The split between chassis and engine is obviously different in our team than it is at Mercedes and Ferrari," he is quoted by the Guardian.

"We're not totally integrated."

Outside Red Bull, there are cries of relief that Red Bull's run of dominance appears over.

"One team destroying it for four years, having ass-whipped so badly, is not good for the sport," Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is quoted by the Express.

"I've been flying through all these airports and keep bumping into someone from a different country who says they used to watch F1 but not anymore," he added.

Canadian rally driver, “Crazy Leo” Urlichich is about to contest his first FIA World Rally Championship in a works WRC3 M-Sport Fiesta R2 rally car, nicknamed “Baby Beast”.

Urlichich of Toronto is one of the 12 competitors from 11 countries who will battle it out over the five-event Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy this season.

His first event will be the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, April 3-6.

“Since the announcement of my selection for the 2014 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy on February 10th, I've been absolutely flat out," Leo told Auto123.com.

“There was only one day when I got enough sleep! There are so many things to deal with - the funding, the media, preparation for the event, understanding how things work in the WRC, etc.

"But I have to say that I'm loving it! To be learning the ins and outs of the top level of the sport is truly a great experience! I can't wait to get to Portugal and start driving!”

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 car, the Ford-powered Jordan 191, will be sold to raise money for charity.

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has put two of his most famous cars on sale to raise money for charity.

One of them is the first Jordan Grand Prix car ever built, 191 chassis number 01.

The 191 was the highly significant car driven by Michael Schumacher on his F1 debut at Spa in 1991. This car comes complete with Michael's original signed helmet.

Photo: Cars International

The other car is the first Grand Prix-winning Jordan, the 198 chassis number 03. It was driven to victory by Damon Hill in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix and, perhaps uniquely, comes complete with the Constructor's World Championship trophy won on that historic day as well as Damon's race suit and helmet.

Eddie Jordan's collection has never previously been offered for sale and also contains a further fourteen significant Driver's and Constructor's World Championship trophies, eight Jordan team drivers' helmets and a selection of other memorabilia.

The cars are being sold privately through Cars International who can provide the buyers with an engineering team to service and maintenance the vehicles should the new owner wish to run them at events.

The soon-to-be-released BMW i3 will integrate Life360, a new app that's designed to help you keep track of, find and communicate with family members wherever they are.

Free of charge, Life360 is easily accessed through the iDrive system inside the BMW i3 after plugging in a smartphone that runs the app. It allows drivers to track a lost or stolen phone, create multiple family circles, and receive notifications when members of a circle reach their destination (let's say your son borrows your car).

Life360, which is currently used by 30 million families (according to company executives), only works if all family members have it installed.

Source : mashable.com

Photo: BMW

Reports indicate the second-generation Chevrolet Volt will hit the market next year as a 2016 model. It will be redesigned and built on a new front-wheel-drive platform developed by General Motors.

As for styling, don't look for major changes. "It is different, but not drastically different," a source who asked not to be identified told Edmunds. "Just really a bit of a styling change to it."

The Volt hasn't been updated since launching in 2010. Hopefully, the new model will deliver more range in EV mode than the current 60 kilometres.

Source : edmunds.com

Photo: Philippe Champoux

Fiat enthusiasts, rejoice: The new 500 1957 Edition will go on sale in Canada this spring as a limited-production model. Pricing has yet to be announced, although you should know it will retail for $20,400 in the U.S.

Available in three distinct colours including Bianco (white), Verde Chiaro (light green), and exclusive Celeste (sky blue), the Fiat 500 1957 Edition pays tribute to the 1957 Fiat "Nuova" Cinquecento.

Based on the 2014 Fiat 500 Lounge model, it features a 1.4L MultiAir engine mated to a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional 6-speed automatic transmission. Like all Fiat products, the 500 1957 Edition includes a driver-selectable "Sport" mode on the instrument panel to unleash a more aggressive throttle map.

Photo: Fiat

From GMM

F1 rookie Marcus Ericsson has no plans to move to Monaco.

Many drivers enjoy the Principality's glamorous lifestyle and tax benefits, but 23-year-old Ericsson told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat he is staying put in Kumlo, in his native Sweden.

"When you have no idea how long this adventure might last, and you don't yet have a great income, it is pointless to move to another country," Ericsson told F1 correspondent Heikki Kulta.

F1's famous 'Super Swede' Ronnie Peterson, twice runner-up for the championship before he crashed and died in 1978, also harked from Sweden's Orebro county.

Ericsson will drive for the backmarker Caterham in 2014.

"We've done everything possible to prepare," he said, "but I doubt that anyone has been able to prepare completely. All I know is that I am ready and am able to drive very fast."

Marcus Ericsson, Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandchild of the company's founder, Henry Ford, died from pneumonia on Sunday at the age of 88. He had served Ford Motor Company for 57 years as an employee and board member.

Ford was elected to the Board of Directors on June 4th, 1948, a year before graduating from Yale University. Later, in 1957, he was elected chairman of the Design Committee, a post he held for 32 years. He oversaw the development of a number of classic vehicles, including the iconic Continental Mark II.

In 1978, Ford was elected chairman of the Executive Committee and appointed a member of the Office of the Chief Executive. He was elected vice chairman of the Board in 1980 and chairman of the Finance Committee in 1987. Ford retired from the board and was named Director Emeritus on May 12th, 2005.

His son, William Clay Ford Jr., is now the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company.

William Clay Ford is survived by his wife of 66 years, Martha Firestone Ford, as well as his four children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Photo: Ford

This year's season-opener has the added excitement of being the first race for the brand new 1.6-litre turbo hybrid power units.

It's sure to be an unpredictable weekend at Albert Park and one wonders how many cars will make the finish line on Sunday evening. When Melbourne first hosted the Australian Grand Prix in 1996, only 11 cars reached the chequered flag.

STATISTICS*
Albert Park street circuit
Circuit length 5.303 km
Race laps 58
Race distance 307.574 km
Lap record 1m24.125 (MSC, 04)

Albert Park Circuit (Image: Mercedes AMG)

Circuit characteristics
Number of corners 16 (6 left,10 right)
Distance to first corner 265 m
Braking events 8 (6 heavy)
Pit lane length under speed limit control 289 m
Pit lane time at 60 km/h 17.3 s
Tire energy (1 = low / 3 = high) 2
Brake energy (1 = low / 3 = high) 2
Race Characteristics (2004 - 2013)
Races featuring safety car 5 (06, 08, 09, 10, 12)
Total safety car deployments 11
Historical safety car probability 50%
Winners from pole position 6
Lowest winning grid position
P7 (RAI, 13)

2013 Race Stats
Fastest lap P1 1m27.211 (VET)
Fastest lap P2 1m25.908 (VET)
Fastest lap P3 1m26.929 (GRO)
Fastest lap Q1 1m43.380 (ROS)
Fastest lap Q2 1m36.194 (ROS)
Fastest lap Q3 1m27.407 (VET)
Fastest race lap 1m29.274 (RAI)
Race speed trap 310.7 km/h (VER)
Podium RAI, ALO, VET
Winning strategy 2 stops (L9, 34)

*Supplied by Petronas Mercedes AMG