Russian Prime Minister and former president, Vladimir Putin, is a man of great influence. Whenever he says something, people tend to listen.
So when Putin told investors that an agreement has been signed for Russia, particularly the city of Sochi, to host at least seven Formula One GPs, you can pretty much take that to the bank.
According to Ria Novosti, a state news agency, Putin was on hand to tell investors during a meeting at Sochi that “an agreement with the organizing company has been reached to host the 2014 Russian Grand Prix at the Black Sea resort town." Incidentally, Sochi will also be hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone added: "I sincerely hope that the Formula One is going to play a big part in what I can see happening in Sochi. I’m sure the circuit can be a super circuit. It’s all the things we need and wanted, and we are very happy."
Putin added that plans to build a world class racing circuit at the Black Sea resort city would need the organization of a management company, which Putin stressed should be comprised of private national companies. A number of companies have already come forward in investing for the 200 million race track, including oil company Lukoil, the state-run Rostekhnologil, and cell phone carrier Megafon,.
While the return of Formula One in Russia is already signed, sealed, and delivered, the hope for most Russians is to eventually field a Russian team in the world’s most prestigious racing series.
Russian supercar maker Marussia has already bared its plans of entering Formula One in 2012 and if all things fall into place, we could very well see a Russian outfit racing in its home race two years later.
It took almost two years, but the Russian sports car maker, Marussia Motors, has finally green-lighted the production of their two creatively-named supercars, the B1 and B2. What’s more, the company is also set to open their very first showroom in Russia with Moscow being given the nod. Break out the vodka, people!
In case you’ve forgotten about the B1 and B2, the two Marussia-built supercars carry the same 3.5-liter V6 Cosworth engine that produces three different pony levels: 300, 360, and 420. Add that to the car’s suggested weight of just over 1,100 kilos and both the B1 and B2, despite the relatively pedestrian horsepower, can blast out of the block and go 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The two cars are also expected to sell for about 100,000 euros with the company targeting 10,000 cars to be built per year by 2014.
If you can follow a little audio dubbing, then we suggest you check out the video and watch how, at least according to Marussia, their supercars are unlike anything that’s ever been built. Strong words, indeed. We’re just not sure if the names of these two supercars warrant the same awe and respect as Marussia would like.
We’ve just about had enough of burning supercars recently with all those burning Ferrari 458 Italias having traumatized us already. But unfortunately, the reality of it all is that we’re still going to see them whether we like it or not with this Bentley Continental GT serving proof that exotics aren’t exempt from freak accidents like this.
In this particular case, the burning Continental GT, which happened in Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia, may have come as a result of a pre-meditated attack and not some sort of accident. Details are sketchy, but from what we’ve heard, it looks like arson may have been the cause with two probably scenarios: either somebody didn’t want the car anymore – and decided to burn it - or people got upset at the owner for parking the car in three separate parking spots.
Whatever the case may be, it doesn’t take away the grim reality that another exotic – a beautiful one at that – has now been toasted to a crisp, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have burned with it.
The recently concluded Moscow International Motor Show was eventful for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the highly touted debut of Jaguar’s B7 ballistics-protected XJ Sentinel. And while most of us were thrilled to finally see the armored XJ break cover, the Moscow International Motor Show captured our attentions more than the plethora of vehicles that were exhibited during the multi-day event.
And just like any self-respecting man would tell you, unveiling a new car at an event as grandiose as the Moscow International Motor Show wouldn’t be as complete and as thrilling without the presence of some ridiculously gorgeous girls by its side, flaunting the car’s features and their own, much to our collective delight.
So, this album is a tribute to all the foxy ladies of the Moscow International Motor Show. The very same ladies whose presence made the event all the more exciting!
This time around, they take a break from all the drag racing madness along the streets of Moscow to give us a sample of what they’re cooking up next: drifting.
Nobody needs to remind us the awesomeness that is drifting and, while we’ve seen our fair share of unforgettable drifts in the past, we’re always on the lookout for the next sick video to come out of the woodwork that is the World Wide Web.
This video, apparently, is only a brief sample of how those naughty Russians use their streets and highways as their own personal drifting lots. Nothing screams danger more than drifting in a highway, but to be fair, these guys are at least doing this at a time when not a lot of vehicles are around to spoil their fun.
Check it out to see the tease before the full show is released soon.
Status Design, a Russian tuning firm, has unveiled a styling and performance package for the Ferrari F430, proving that a car with that much power as it is can still be tweaked to give it even more boost. Overkill? Perhaps, but that’s how Russia rolls, right? Give them a vacuum cleaner and they won’t waste a minute putting some rocket boosters in it.
But we’re digressing. To be honest, we actually love what Status Design has done with this F430 using their SU35 kit. For starters, they gave the supercar’s already powerful 4.3-liter V8 engine a recalibrated engine control unit and an off-the-wall exhaust, which spikes up the car’s overall power to 525 horsepower with a top speed of over 200 mph. For those who think that figure’s still a little on the turtlish side, Status Design will be offering these whack jobs a supercharging kit courtesy of Novitec, which boosts the F430’s power to an eye-popping 700 horsepower.
As for aesthetics, the SU35 package comes with an integrated carbon lip with a rear bumper and a rear wing made from carbon fiber. Speaking of carbon fiber, the SD-tuned F430 has loads of it all over the car. In addition to the wing, there’s also more of the material in the mirrors, side skirts, rear wing, and hood.
Like what you see here by Status Design? Well check out the BMW X6 they featured a couple weeks ago. These guys seem to know what they are doing.
The Russian supercars Marussia B1 and B2 have been taken to France for a test drive at the Circuit du Castellet (Paul Ricard HTTT), France. These photos were taken there by Sevan Calians.
The B1 will be released via serialized production so you can expect that only a limited run will be seen out on the roads. Marussia is bringing two of these babies to Frankfurt, in addition to the company’s brand-new concept car, the Marussia B2.
The Marussia duo are a two-door sportscar made of aluminum and carbon fiber on a spatial frame powered by a 3.5L six cylinder V-shaped engine. Horsepower ranges from 248hp to 298hp. The cars won’t stop until they hit 155mph and make the 0-60mph sprint in 5 seconds.
Volkswagen unveiled today the all new Polo Sedan in Russia. It is the first time in the company’s history that they have developed a car especially for the Russian market. It will premier in Moscow.
The new Volkswagen Polo Sedan is powered by a 1.6-liter Otto engine that develops a total of 105 HP and is mated to either a 5-gear manual gearbox or a 6-gear automatic gearbox with sequential shift function (Tiptronic) which makes Volkswagen the first automaker to offer Tiptronic in Russia.
It will be offered in three trim levels. The Trendline comes standard with two airbags, head rests, and three-point seat belts for all five passengers. The Comfortline offers ABS as standard and the Highline offers side air-bags and ESP as standard.
Pricing for the Russia-only VW Polo Sedan will be announced at a later date.
You can always count on Russians to make a stand on the blatant disregard of some of their bourgeois countrymen who seem to think that they’re above the law, especially when it comes to cutting through Russian traffic by using - illegally, by the way - flashing blue rooftop lights. These are normally reserved for cops and official government officials. Nowhere in the rulebook does it say that civilians are permitted to use rooftop lights, no matter how much of a VIP that person claims to be.
That being said, we found this video of this one car that was sporting the flashing blue rooftop lights and the subsequent action one pedestrian took to demonstrate his distaste for the high-brow owner of the car. Watch him draw the ire of the Russian "VIP" as he puts on a blue bucket on his head and proceeds to climb over the car and walk across it. Poor Mr. VIP had no idea what to do with Buckethead.
Maybe that should serve as a reminder that if you continue to use rooftop lights, then you better get ready for more "public demonstrations" of this kind.
When it comes to Russians and their cars, you never know what will come next. The X6 Interceptor by Met Ru is no exception. The tuning kit is offered in two versions: a normal version priced at 297,000 rubles ($9,689) and a carbon fiber version, 397,000 rubles ($12,951); both being all about getting aggressive.
The Russian tuner added an aggressive front bumper with huge air intakes and kidney eyebrows derived from the 6-Series, expanded arches and sills, a new rear bumper, diffuser and vertical fog lamps. The car is topped off with huge BBS wheels.
The package was designed by Zaur Khalilov and was done using a 3D rendering software. And there is something the tuner would like to tell you: "Be individual, do not be afraid to take risks and enjoy the revolution." Interesting, no?
UPDATE 06/01/2010: Check out the new promo video made by Met-R for the new BMW X6 Interceptor! Just click on the picture above.
