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Porsche Motorsport press release

For the 2013 racing season, Porsche AG will field two new GT racecars based on the newest generation of the Porsche 911 at the Le Mans 24 hour race and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

For the first time since the overall victory in 1998, a factory team from Porsche will tackle the famed long distance classic in France.

Porsche 911 RSR. (Photo: Porsche)

The two new Porsche 911 RSR, which race in the GTE category, will be run by the Porsche AG Team Manthey.

The role of team manager goes to the experienced endurance specialist Olaf Manthey, who has celebrated five overall wins with Porsche at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race and recently fielded a 911 GT3 RSR in the International GT Open.

The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is all about numbers bestowed upon it by an engineering team concerned with your bragging rights. Namely, you get a 6.2L “LSA” V8 good for 580 horses and the better part of 560 lb-ft of torque. That's thanks, in part, to a belt-driven Eaton supercharger the size of a toaster oven.


Some serious output
Owning a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is sort of like owning a bazooka. Both use combustion to propel metal quickly through the air, and can be dangerous to operate. Neither are useful, but, man oh man, if you had a bazooka, you just know some cool stuff would happen.

So, the 2013 Camaro ZL1 has a whole lot of power. Enough to, say, put you sideways through an intersection if you (theoretically) dropped your right foot to clear a (theoretical) yellow traffic light on a mid-fall morning while the road's surface was a bit on the cold side. Did I mention the ZL1's traction control is a bit on the “relaxed” side?

Tame, as needed
On the one hand, the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 can be remarkably tame and uneventful. Clutch take-up is firm and easy, if a little heavy. You could take off in fourth in the Camaro ZL1, if you wanted. You can even get an automatic transmission (don't). The engine makes scarcely more than a muted, crackling burble when driven gently through traffic. Gears shift easily and with minimal effort.

When driving the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 gently, the tremendous amount of unused power translates into a sheer sense of effortlessness and unused awesomeness. Driving the ZL1 modestly is like going to Barberian's Steakhouse and having a salad.

It's easygoing on board, too. Terrible outward visibility and cheap trim aside, there's decent at-hand storage in the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, a very modern touchscreen radio, a great stereo, and fairly logical control layout.

The big, comfortable seats are superb, even for very large folks. You can relax in here, even if you're north of 300 and afraid of celery. The ZL1 even rides nicely, thanks to a fantastically tuned Magnetic Ride Control suspension system borrowed from the Corvette.

Owning a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is sort of like owning a bazooka. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

Lurking performance
However, those 580 horses are always there; as is the handling tuned to benchmark the Corvette Grand Sport. And the fact that available performance figures will embarrass AMGs and Porsches costing numerous times as much.

And the 2013 Camaro ZL1 always tells you that (while you're behaving yourself) you're wasting its potential.

The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fires up with a nearly distasteful belch. You can hear the gears engaging and the rear differential whining. Ditto for the pebbles and sand as it's flung from gummy-bear-sticky tires against the wheel wells. Should a bump in the road cause a sudden poke on the throttle, the Camaro ZL1 leaps forward as if it's been rear-ended by a rhinoceros.

Translation? The 2013 Camarao ZL1 can play nice -- but it never really lets you forget that it's ready to go. It's always inviting you to open it up.

The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fires up with a nearly distasteful belch. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

Careful....
Accept the invitation by hammering down in first on some bare, warm pavement, and it lurches ahead in a startlingly way as if it's had a cattle prod shoved into its backside. Usually, there's no squirming or sliding, just traction, grip, a massive increase in speed, and NASCAR sound effects pumped thickly into the cabin.

Get to banging some gears in the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and mere seconds separate you from “step out of the car please” territory should you wind up on the wrong end of a radar gun.

Mind you, massive Brembo brakes make decelerating just as instantaneous and abrupt in the Camaro ZL1 as getting up to speed. A good stab on the middle pedal will get you out of demerit-point territory in quick order when the radar detector goes off. Steering, handling, grip and even high-speed brake-system durability are all right there, too.

Too Much
Unmistakably, this is a car with performance far exceeding what any driver needs on a public road. Realistically, on said public roads, you can drive the bejesus out of the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in brief, carefully dosed chunks when nobody's looking. The rest of the time, you enjoy the looks and noises, and the flocks of nearby youngsters loudly demanding to see a burnout or hear the supercharger.

The 2013 Camaro ZL1, like the even more powerful and license-threatening new Mustang Shelby GT500, demands massive respect. And forget that the Chevrolet doesn't smash the 600-horsepower mark, because anything beyond about 500 ponies on the road is way too much, anyhow. For both Chevrolet and Ford, the power alone is going to sell a lot of units.

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 an insane thing to drive? Is it unmanageable? Scary? Menacing? Will it get your driver's license shredded by an angry radar-cop with a thick moustache and set of Ray-Bans? That's largely up to the communication between your right foot and the warm, grey mass between your ears.

From GMM

HRT's technical director Toni Cuquerella has acknowledged that the Spanish team's F1 foray is now over.

It was believed the team's departing owner Thesan Capital had set an end-of-November deadline for a new buyer to be found.

Indeed, as November became December over the past weekend, the FIA published the official 2013 entry list, and it made no mention of HRT.

But subsequent reports in Spanish newspapers suggested the dream may not be over for the team, who may have been granted more time by the governing body to pay next year's entry fee.

Toni Cuquerella and Pedro de la Rosa. (Photo: HRT F1 Team)

However, leading team figure Cuquerella wrote on Twitter: "Four years ago, I suggested to a friend to make a F1 team. Today after three seasons the last page of HRT has been written.

"It was certainly an experience," the Spanish engineer concluded.

Ferrari test driver Marc Gene, another Spaniard, commented: "It leaves a bad taste, because the probability of another Spanish project (in F1) is small and the precedent is negative.

"Support in Spain normally goes to the drivers," he is quoted by the EFE news agency. "I can think of several projects in which it was thought that the country would get behind it, but instead only the athletes are supported."

Dominion Dealer Solutions, a major dealership software company, is launching a dealership management system to challenge heavyweights ADP Dealer Services and Reynolds and Reynolds.

Toyota expects to boost U.S. sales at its Lexus luxury division next year even though taxes on the wealthy may rise as a result of a federal budget deal, the brand's global marketing chief said.

Toyota is still struggling to revive sales in China, part of a broader slump Japanese car firms are suffering as a result of a diplomatic dispute between the countries.

News 2 Dec, 2012

Great designs on the horizon from Toyota’s Calty Design Research facility

Pictures 2 Dec, 2012

News 2 Dec, 2012

Lexus could build two new coupes, as part of its design-focussed future

Pictures 2 Dec, 2012

Porsche has given its new small Macan SUV a bolder look after seeing the success of the Range Rover Evoque, according to Michael Mauer, the sports car maker's design chief.

Honda became the first Japanese automaker to manufacture cars in Canada in 1986. Twenty-six years later, the six millionth vehicle came out of its Alliston, Ontario assembly plant.

"Nearly 1.7 million Honda Civics have been proudly parked in driveways all over this country," said Dave Gardner, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Honda Canada Inc. "Our plant capacity was 50,000 vehicles when we started and we're now building 390,000 vehicles per year. This growth is the result of hard work and dedication of all the Associates who have worked with us over the years to produce the quality and reliability that Honda customers truly value."

In 2011, 51% of all Honda vehicles sold in Canada were built in Alliston. With the addition of CR-V production in 2012, that proportion now exceeds 70%.

From GMM

HRT is missing from the FIA's official entry list for 2013.

It was already known that the Spanish team has not signed the crucial Concorde Agreement for next season and beyond, and that staff had been told in Brazil the outfit will fold within a week if a buyer is not immediately found.

Photo: Pirelli

A brawl reportedly broke out at HRT's Madrid headquarters after the Brazilian grand prix, when mechanics returning from Sao Paulo were due to receive redundancy compensation.

F1's other eleven teams were all listed on the FIA's 2013 entry list, published by the governing body on Saturday evening.

It is not the final version, however, as several teams have yet to inform the FIA of their driving lineups.



2013 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List (provisional)

1.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2.Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
3.Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari)
4.Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari)
5.Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes)
6.Sergio Perez (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes)
7.Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1 Team)
8.TBA (Lotus F1 Team)
9.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team)
10.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team)
11.TBA (Sauber F1 Team)
12.TBA (Sauber F1 Team)
14.TBA (Sahara Force India F1 Team)
15.TBA (Sahara Force India F1 Team)
16.Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1 Team)
17.Valtteri Bottas (Williams F1 Team)
18.TBA (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
19.TBA (Scuderia Toro Rosso)
20.TBA (Caterham F1 Team)
21.TBA (Caterham F1 Team)
22.TBA (Marussia F1 Team)
23.TBA (Marussia F1 Team)

31-year-old Finnish rally driver Juho Hanninen, who was released of his contract by Skoda, is expected to contest two rounds of the World Rally Championship (WRC) with M-Sport in 2013.

"My goal has always been to drive and compete at the highest level and on now there is the chance with M-Sport," the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion told Autosport.

His nomination puts Hanninen in the hot seat for the last drive available at M-Sport.

Still according to British medias, Evgeny Novikov, Petter Solberg and Citroën's Thierry Neuville, are all in the running. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mads Ostberg have already been confirmed.

Hanninen had been with Skoda for your years prior to his departure.

Polish driver Robert Kubica missed out on a certain win at the recent Rallye du Var because of a mistake made by his co-driver.

Emanuele Inglesi, who was calling the notes to Kubica aboard their Citroën C4 WRC, called the wrong corner, causing the pair to crash and the car to perish in the ensuing fire, as Citroën boss Yves Matton confirmed to Autosport.

The sad end to Kubica's outing at the French rally has not diminished Matton's admiration for the former F1 driver.

"He was beating his rivals on every stage and all the time he was so motivated," the British publication is quoting him saying.

"In the end, he crashed because of the wrong pacenote - he was 40km/h too fast and it was impossible to take the corner. Unfortunately, the car is finished because it caught fire."

BMW development driver Marco Wittmann will make his race debuts in DTM next season as he was promoted by the german squad.

23-year-old Marco Wittmann made his racing debuts in German Formula BMW that he ran in 2007 and 2008. He moved up to F3 Euroseries the following year, and finished runner up of the series in 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, the young german driver worked as test driver at the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM.

Wittmann will drive the seventh M3 DTM in next year's championship. To drive the 8th and last car available, BMW tested Italian driver Luca Filippi last week. Alessandro Zanardi too tried the M3 DTM, adapted to his handicap, at the Nürburgring.

According to Citroën Racing, Robert Kubica refused an offer to drive in DTM for BMW next season.

Tough choice: When a high-end luxury sedan is so beautiful, so powerful and so soothing to drive, would you prefer being seen in the backseat or behind the wheel?

In the 2013 Bentley Mulsanne, both choices are right.


Hand-built in Bentley's factory in Crewe, England, the Bentley Mulsanne is the brand's flagship, replacing the Arnage last year. This car is big: it stretches more than 18 feet long, and weighs just under 6,000 lbs. With a base price of $358,160 CDN, it's also quite expensive -- depending on what you do for a living.

If the 2013 Bentley Mulsanne must be described in a single word, it would be: “smooth.” There is nothing violent, aggressive or hard-edged about the car, either in the way in drives, the way it flaunts its curvaceous sheetmetal or in the way people will perceive it as it serenely slips through the scenery.

The 6¾ Litre V8 lives on
Introduced way back in 1959, Bentley's traditional 6.75L V8 keeps on going after another round of modifications. Force-fed by two turbochargers, the engine develops 505 hp, a stump-pulling 752 lb-ft of torque, and redlines at just 4,500 rpm. The 0 to 100 km/h dash takes 5.3 seconds and (believe it or not) this mastodon can reach 296 km/h.

The V8 also features modern technology such as cylinder deactivation and camshaft phasing, while being managed by an 8-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Fuel economy in the 2013 Bentley Muslanne is rated at 20.4/11.9 L/100km city/highway, and Bentley actually touts the latest version of the V8 to be 15% more efficient than the one in the retired Arnage, Azure and Brooklands models (which is true), but you probably don't care, and neither will buyers. The engine can also run on E85 ethanol; again, I'm going to assume no one gives a flying -- ah, Spur -- about that.

What's amazing about the engine is the way it fluidly dishes out its prodigious amounts of torque. Power delivery comes on in a silky rush, yet is never violent. You wonder how you got up to speed so quickly, without feeling the car's thrust.

That's nice; after all, if you want neck-snapping, nosebleed-inducing acceleration, I don't think you'd be shopping at Bentley anyhow.

The 0 to 100 km/h dash takes 5.3 seconds and (believe it or not) this mastodon can reach 296 km/h. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

High-fashion cockpit
Step inside the 2013 Bentley Mulsanne and you'll be welcomed by an orgy of wood, scented leather and chrome. Like sitting in a bank vault, closing the door seals you off from the outside world: all you hear is the ticking of your watch.

Press the engine start button, and you'll barely feel the Mulsanne quiver as the big V8 spins to life. Even on the highway at 100 km/h, the engine is sleepwalking at 1,400 rpm, so the cabin remains oh-so silent.

Those used to sitting in Audi products will recognize the MMI multimedia system in the 2013 Bentley Mulsanne. The 8” screen hides behind a motorized and wood-trimmed cover, a nice touch for preventing modern technology from clashing with the old-school elegance of the dashboard. The switchgear is easy to operate for folks of all ages.

Rear-seat occupants are treated just as well, with an excellent amount of legroom and separate climate controls. As in our tester, you can get veneered fold-down picnic tables for cheque signing on-the-go. They cost $3,070, but hey, that's pocket change, right?

Like sitting in a bank vault, closing the door seals you off from the outside world. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Put it on my tab
I don't think anyone walks into a Bentley showroom and asks for a base, no-options, stripped Mulsanne. This one is no exception: as tested, it retails for more than $394,000 CAD. The Maybach brand is going away, so that's one less competitor to think about; the only other true rival is the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

That's lot of dough for a car. Actually, that's a lot of dough for a house, especially in my town. You'd expect some kind of magic to happen while driving the 2013 Bentley Mulsanne, but it doesn't. It doesn't get your adrenaline pumping, and it doesn't entice you to drive four cities away just to pick up a quart of milk.

What the 2013 Bentley Muslanne does do is exclusivity. You get a lavishly sumptuous, painstakingly crafted work of art that is perfect for soothing, relaxing commutes whether you're sitting in the back seat or the front one.

Thank you to Bentley Montreal (www.decarie.com) for making this test drive possible.

BMW's factory team in the American Le Mans Series, BMW Team RLL, will be using Z4 GT3 cars starting next year.

BMW Team RLL had introduced the brand's former GT competitor, the BMW M3 GT, to the ALMS scene back in 2009, and earned both the manufacturers' and teams' titles in 2010 and 2011, on top of the drivers' title in that last year.

BMW's outgoing M3 GT (Photo: ALMS.com)

"This change in model shows that we are focussing fully on the BMW Z4 as an all-encompassing GT car," explained Jens Marquardt, as quoted from BMW-Motorsport.com.

"The BMW Z4 GT3 has been very successful on the GT3 scene in recent years, and has proven its ability to win races. I am confident this car will also play a major role as a GTE car in the ALMS."

In the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) though, BMW ambassadors will continue to use Munich firm's 320 TC model, such as the one Norbert Michelisz drove to the title in the 2012 Independent's Trophy.

Rolls-Royce aims to increase its global dealerships to 120 from 105 within five years to target millionaires in markets like Chile, Thailand and Vietnam, who are unfazed by Europe's debt crisis.

Ford Canada has issued a recall on 1,098 Fusion sedans from the 2013 model year due to a problem with the headlamps.

Apparently, the low beam projector coating may not have properly cured during the manufacturing process. Over time, this could cause the coating to become hazy, reducing the brightness of the low beam lamps and affecting visibility on the road.

Ford dealers will therefore replace the headlamp assemblies on all affected units.

Source: Transports Canada

Photo: Lesley Wimbush