The 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix may have been the race where Red Bull won the season’s Constructor’s Championship, but the weekend was also marred by a number of scary incidents involving armed attacks directed at some Formula One personalities, including reigning World Champion and McLaren driver Jenson Button.
According to the Press Association, Button, along with his father, trainer, and manager were headed back to their hotel after the qualifying session on Saturday when six armed attackers with machine guns attacked the armored vehicle. Button didn’t say anything about shots being fired at the car, but fortunately, their driver possessed extensive training in avoidance driving, which proved to be extremely useful during the incident as he was able to drive away from the scene by, according to Button, ‘bouncing off about five cars’.
Later on, it was also learned that three engineers from Sauber Motorsports were also given an unfortunate reality check on the rampant number of crimes in Sao Paulo after it was reported that they were robbed after leaving the Interlagos circuit after the qualifying session. This time around, the group was driving in a minivan when, during a stop light, the vehicle was surrounded by five robbers, with one of them wielding an automatic weapon. The robbers ended up stealing a number of items from the Sauber engineers, including two backpacks that had one of the engineer’s passports in it.
A few days ago, we showed you a video of a Koenigsegg CCXR blasting through a tunnel, showing off that remarkable power and ear-splitting engine roar to anybody who ended up watching it.
Not to be outdone, we have another supercar doing the exact same thing: a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale. Recorded somewhere in Brazil, the driver of the 360 Challenge Stradale waits for the perfect opportunity for the tunnel to clear up before going bonkers and blasting off at full throttle. The resulting sound is so glorious, one look and listen to it isn’t enough to appreciate what’s under the hood of that Italian stallion.
So boys and girls, children of all ages, just like we’ve told you countless times, standard protocol dictates that you put your speakers on full blast, sit back, and enjoy the sound of this Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale lay complete waste to this tunnel in Brazil.
In a country where bulls are often the subject of cultural spectacles, a different kind of bull is heading to Mexico, only this time, that bull is 100% pure Italian grade.
Lamborghini, those bulls from Sant’Agata, have opened two dealerships in the country, marking the first time the Italian supercar brand has made it’s way to Mexico. The first dealership that opened on October 26th was the “Lamborghini Mexico City” dealership, which is located at the heart of one of the country’s busiest districts on Insurgentes Sur.
A day later, on October 27th, the folks from Lamborghini opened yet another store, “Lamborghini Monterey”, in San Pedro, Nuevo Leon, widely regarded as one of the richest districts in Central America. The two dealerships are owned by a man that’s no stranger to the automotive world in the region, Martin Josephi Wellman, the former CEO and president of Volkswagen Mexico.
Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s President and CEO, shared his excitement of seeing Lamborghini break ground on a new country. "These new dealerships represent Lamborghini’s commitment to expanding our presence in North America," he said. "Our Mexican clients love the brand for its unique values of being extreme, uncompromising, and unmistakably Italian."
Today, the Kia Soul Flex, the first Korean vehicle that can run on ethanol, was released. It was specially designed for the Brazilian market where these flex-fuel models make up 85% of new car sales.
The vehicle uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder motor that cranks out 128 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque. The car can manage a 44% fuel economy increase in fuel mileage over the gas version.
The Soul Flex will use a reinforced fuel pump, pillar cap, and fuel line. There will also be a gasoline assistance system that will aid engine ignition at low temperatures. In addition to all of this, the motor will use an adapted fuel injection and catalyst system. There will also be a new engine compression ratio.
The Kia Soul Flex will debut this month, with sales beginning early next year in Brazil. The company is also working on a Sportage Flex that should be unveiled at the end of next year.
Fiat’s got a booth booked for the 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show and they’re bringing with them a nifty little concept roadster version of the just-revealed Fiat Uno, called the Fiat Uno Roadster.
Powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged gas engine that produces 152 horsepower, the Fiat Uno Roadster is a bigger, badder, and more powerful take on the Uno hatchback.
The styling of the roadster concept is a lot more aggressive than its standard variant. Fiat also stiffened up the chassis on the Uno Roadster and even installed a set of 17-inch alloy wheels to complete the overall sportier and look of the car.
Since this is just a concept, there’s no word on whether we’re going to see a production version anytime soon. But if we’re basing it on mere looks, this little devil of a ride looks to be one that’s destined for a lot of orders from excited customers. And yes, we’re probably going to be one of them.
There are many things you associate with Brazil – soccer, samba, and fine women come to mind – before you describe them as a supercar factory, but that doesn’t mean that the country doesn’t have its share of exotic automakers.
In fact, there’s an upstart company in the country that’s set to introduce a new supercar at the Sao Paulo Auto Show. Gentlemen, we’d like to introduce you to the Rossin-Bertin Vorax.
As the brainchild of ex-GM designer Fharys Rossin and Natalino Bertin Jr., the Vorax is poised to become a Brazilian-born and made supercar that the company is hoping could become an upstart challenger to established European supercar makers.
Details behind the Vorax are still limited but from what we’ve heard, the car is going to come with a carbon fiber body and an aluminum chassis. As for the engine, the Vorax, which will come in two variants, will be powered with a tuned-up 5.0-liter V10 engine, similar to what’s under the hood of the BMW M5.
The Fiat Uno may not strike a lot of us as a vehicle that’s a certifiable looker, but don’t tell that to the people of Fiat. After all, there’s a thing called ‘variants’ that could turn a mundane looking hatch into a pretty eye-catching ride.
Take the Fiat Uno Sporting for example. It’s got the same 1.4-liter 85 horsepower engine as the standard model, but that’s the only thing the two have in common.
The Uno Sporting was given a sport suspension that’s lowered by 20mm and 15-inch alloy wheels shod in 185/60 tires. In addition to that, the vehicle was given an attractive orange paint finish with a few decals on the side. But the best part of the Uno Sporting are those front and rear spoilers that give it not just a performance boost, but an edgier look too.
The Fiat Uno Sporting is expected to be a production-ready variant of the Uno hatch so you can expect to see one of these orange-clad sport hatches out on the road soon.
The Opel brand has been fairly big in Europe, despite its financial troubles. That being said, the nameplate isn’t that well known outside of continental Europe. That might soon change.
General Motors hopes to use the brand’s brilliant product lineup to attack consumers in China, South America, and Australia, according to Deutsche Welle in Germany. GM hopes to establish Opel as a premium brand.
Last year, the automaker sold 4,000 vehicles in China, as part of its preparation efforts for expansion into the country. The brand will be marketed as a European premium brand, as there are more and more people who can afford such a vehicle in China.
It should be interesting to see what becomes of Buick in China, as they were usually just Opels with a new badge. As we all know, Buick is very popular there, so GM needs to be careful not to hurt that market.
Earlier this year, Peugeot launched and introduced the new Peugeot 408 sedan to the Chinese market. Now it looks like the French manufacturer is also keen on bringing their compact sedan to another market, South America.
In an announcement made earlier this week, the Lion marquee disclosed its plans of bringing the 408 sedan to the South American market. Peugeot also announced that the 408, the long wheelbase version of the 308, is currently being produced at the company’s PSA Peugeot Citroen Palomar production plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina and will eventually be sold in 27 countries, including Argentina and Brazil.
Peugeot has yet to release information on what kind of variants the 408 will have in South America, although if its something similar to what the Chinese-market 408s are, it could come in two powertrains: a 1.6-liter gas engine that produces around 106 horsepower and a 2.0-liter variant that tops at about 147 horsepower.
Of course, we’re just making a couple of guesses on the matter, but everything should all come to a clear sometime in October when the 408 makes its debut in South America at the San Paulo Motor Show in Brazil.
Truth be told, we’ve never seen anything quite like this and the animal lovers that we are, we’re glad that it happened this time. A man that was driving his Citroen along one of Santiago, Chile’s local highways hit a dog a he was speeding along the highway.
Thinking that the dog probably just ran away after it was hit, the man went to a local casa to have his car inspected for any damages. As soon as he arrived at the repair shop, the mechanics working on the car were shocked to find a four-legged guest sitting inside the bumper. It was the dog!
How the dog managed to find itself inside the bumper we’ll never know. We’re just glad it happened because the dog was alive and only had a broken leg to show for his near-death experience. Check out the video and watch how the mechanics were able to free our canine friend from the car’s bumper.
