The upcoming Opel Astra Convertible was caught testing for the first time back in March when it endured the cold weather to get results. Now, it has been taken for a new round of testing, and the warmer weather has allowed the drivers to completely remove the fake roof it was sporting. Of course, that doesn’t tell us too much because the vehicle seen in these images is just a prototype and features none of the vast changes expected on the production model, such as the new frameless doors and a soft top roof that is non-existent at this point (right now Opel has an army tent to serve as the roof).
Under the hood, Opel will place the same engine line-up found in the sedan version: a choice of eight different engines mated to a six speed transmission. The suspension system will be borrowed from the GTC version.
The date for the next Astra Convertible’s official debut is still up in the air. Some say it will be in September at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and some say it will be in March at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
Recently deceased automotive master and all-around great person, Carroll Shelby, has a history that few can compete with. Not only was he one of the best American road racers, but was also a legendary car designer. But his legend is seemingly endless in the automotive field, as even racers in drift series races are influenced by him.
The most recent evidence was when American driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. took home 1st place in round 1 of the World Drift Series in China while driving his Mustang RTR. Though Mr. Shelby never had a hand in drifting, it is obvious that he had a huge influence on Gittin, as he dedicated this victory to the memory of Mr. Carroll Shelby.
After being declared the winner, Gittin was quoted saying “I would like to dedicate this to win to a very special man that we lost recently, someone I had the opportunity to meet just a few times, and someone that was a true inspiration to me personally and to the automotive world as a whole. That man is Carroll Shelby. He is someone that always did what he wanted to do no matter what anyone thought and I know he would be proud to know we are drifting Mustangs in Olympic stadiums here in China and bringing home a huge first place trophy back to the USA!”
Our congratulations have to go out to Gittin for his victory, but the victory pales in comparison to his heartfelt dedication to the man that helped make the Mustang that won the race what it is today. To say that Gittin has our support throughout the rest of the WDS is an understatement.
Somewhere, Mr. Shelby was smiling as this Ford Mustang slid its way around imports and into first place…
Click past the jump to read the full press release.
It was only yesterday that the new Skoda Rapid was caught testing on the famous Nurburgring track and just 24 hours later, the company whipped out yet another prototype, this time in a red exterior finish. What’s even better is that the interior was readily accessible to our photographers! Unfortunately, there was nothing revolutionary about the Rapid’s insides, but at least it’s another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. It looks like the Rapid will just be another new small family car.
The Skoda Rapid is inspired by the Mission L Concept unveiled at the 2012 Frankfurt Motor Show and will be placed between the Fabia and the Octavia in Skoda’s line-up. It will be built on a standard platform, not the new MQB multi-vehicle platform, and will be offered with the latest engines and transmissions from the Volkswagen Group.
Expect to see the new Skoda Rapid launched in September at the 2012 Paris Auto Show.
Unlike the One Lap of America race, which recently ended, the Houston Half Mile Shootout is a brand new race for 2012. This year it was run in conjunction with the 4th annual Aeros & Autos event at Ellington Airport in Houston, TX.
This race is much like the Texas Mile, as it is purely a top speed-style of race, where your goal is to reach the highest speed within the half-mile-long track. Simple enough, right? Well, driving in excess of 200 mph is never simple, but rules sure are.
This inaugural run includes cars and motorcycles, both street legal and off-road only, which makes for some really intense speeds, but also some utter disappointment. The biggest disappointment that we see is Mario Williams, an NFL Linebacker, running his Aventador down the half-mile track and only hitting 167 mph in the above video. C’mon, man, open her up a little. That’s just getting that $400,000 supercar warmed up.
On top of that, event organizer John Hennessey shows that he is not a football guy, as he calls Mario Williams an “All Pro defensive player from the Houston Texans,” but Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills in March, oops. We have to give Hennessey a pass though, as the video was taken on March 5th and Williams was still a free agent at the time, but he certainly was not a Texan at the time.
Fortunately that was just a warm-up lap, as we saw much more speed as the event went on.
Click past the jump to read more about the event, cool cars and highlights.
We’ve already captured the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf during some of its testing a few months ago, but now we have finally been able to catch the GTI version during its turn on the Nurburgring.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI has been built on the company’s new MQB platform. Compared to the current GTI, the next generation will be longer and lower, but its design will pretty much remain the same. The prototype seen in these images are covered in camouflage, but through the gaps of the coverings we can see that it has received real front lights and door mounted mirrors (the current Golf GTI’s mirrors are mounted at the side window).
Under the hood, there is a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder that will deliver up to 260 HP - an increase of 60 HP over the current generation (if the current rumors turn out to be true).
Expect to see the new Volkswagen Golf GTI launched sometime in 2013, most likely at the Geneva Motor Show.
Not only does the Nissan DeltaWing prototype resemble something out of batman rather than a racer which will take up a grid position at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, but it may also suggest what the future of racing could look like. Unfortunately for many motoring enthusiasts, that does include the elongated, tapered front end and the aircraft inspired hind quarters.
However, the effectiveness of this design will not be proven until after the Le Mans endurance race and despite the car being largely experimental, the guys over at Top Gear recently teamed up with English car customizer, Andy Saunders, to produce a replica of the DeltaWing concept.
Andy Saunders is no rookie when it comes to producing the weird and wacky, and his very own DeltaWing will be testament to the belief that what’s worth doing, is worth overdoing. In order to create the one-off piece of art, Saunders will search the scrap heap for components which not only resemble certain elements of the original but can also be tweaked to get the look just right.
So far, Saunders has borrowed the wheels from a Ford Mondeo, the rear axle from a Ford Escort, and has combined components from the Fiat 126 and Morris 1000 bonnet to shape the rear deck of the car.
And that list will continue to grow as the rear pod sections will be created from old Mazda MX-5 bumpers, while the “DeltaWing kick-ups on the rear” will be formed around the air intakes of Australia’s last F1 champion, Alan Jones’ 1975 Formula One racer.
It’s currently unclear what engine, drivetrain, and transmission Saunders plans to utilize for the car, but you can be sure of two things: they’ll be recycled and when finished, the Top Gear DeltaWing will be significantly heavier, less powerful, and slower than the real racer.
Nonetheless, we respect Saunders’ ambition and wish him all the best!
It’s been about a week since we last offered up spy shots of the next generation Mini Cooper testing on public roads, but today we have another set of images, this time with the future Cooper testing at the famous Nurburgring track.
As reported on other occasions, the next Mini Cooper will be built on the same platform as the next generation BMW 1-Series and will be offered in both FWD and AWD versions. It will also grow slightly in its dimensions and will adopt a more modern design, but will still be immediately recognized as a Mini.
Under the hood, there will be the usual four-cylinder turbocharged engines, but BMW is also developing a new three-cylinder unit to drop in the Coop.
Mini has promised that the 2013 Cooper will be offered in up to ten body versions, including a van. We’ll see how that pans out when the new Cooper is launched sometime in 2013.
Our spy photographers have been on fire these past few days, revealing a number of test vehicles as they make their rounds. Today, the car du jour is the upcoming Mercedes CLA - a model that until recently was known as the CLC. The name change occurred because Mercedes decided that all of its future coupe or four-door coupe models would get a name that starts with CL. Since this baby CLS is based on the A-Class platform, the name naturally evolved to the CLA.
But back to the car. The CLA is based on a long-wheelbase version of the upcoming front-drive B-class platform. It will also get an AMG model that is considered an indirect successor to the classic 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. As you can see in these images, when compared to the previous prototypes caught testing, this CLA is donning less camouflage, revealing more details such as the front, the rear lights, and more of its overall lines.
The future Mercedes CLA will be offered with a four-wheel drive system that will be paired up with the same petrol and diesel engines found in the new A-Class. In the A-Class, the petrol line-up includes 1.6 and 2.0 liters engines, with power ranging from 115 HP in the A 180, 156 HP in the A 200, and 211 HP in the A 250. Diesel versions include the 109 HP A 180 CDI, the 136 HP A 200 CDI, and the 170 HP A 220 CDI. For the CLA, Mercedes will also be offering an AMG version that will get a turbocharged 2.0-liter unit with about 335 HP.
Expect to see the new Mercedes CLA launched sometime in 2013.
If you needed more proof as to how amazing the new generation SRT Viper is, here you go! Youtube user, RealMCR12, caught the Viper on tape outside of a Dodge dealer. Next to its amazing engine rev sound, the Viper was captured doing a few rounds on the road next to the dealership. After the year long Viper hiatus, SRT was able to provide a stunning specimen, allowing the wait to be absolutely worth it.
As a reminder, the SRT Viper is powered by a new 8.4-liter all-aluminum, V-10 overhead-valve engine that delivers a total of 640 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. The new engine is mated to an improved Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission. Official performance numbers haven’t been provided as of yet, but when the time comes, we’ll be there to report them!
Audi just had a successful weekend despite terrible weather clouding the day; the company managed to record its first overall victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with the new Audi R8 LMS ultra. The car was driven by German driver quartet Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock, while Christian Abt/Michael Ammermüller/Armin Hahne/Christian Mamerow from Team Mamerow Racing completed the one-two success.
This latest win adds to the overall success acquired by Audi in this particular event. In June 2011, the brand celebrated its tenth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the R18 TDI LMP sports prototype. In July 2011, the customer racing R8 LMS race car also won the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the first time.
"We are absolutely delighted about this long desired victory," explained Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport. "For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands. Over the last 24 hours nothing whatsoever was handed to us on a plate. Our victorious drivers and teams produced a fantastic, consistent and error free performance. My sincerest congratulations go to our winners. This victory in a race car closely related to the production based car once again proves that Audi Sport customer racing provides its customers with a well refined, versatile and successful race car."
