Autoblog

Remember how excited we got when rumors started flying about the short-list of candidates to host NBC's version of Top Gear? Well, the BBC's original version isn't about to change any time soon, but another motor-related program is coming to the Beeb, and racing fans over on the British Isles have been getting all hot and bothered as the BBC has won the contract to broadcast Formula One grands prix. And it's sure to be a star-studded cast.

For starters, David Coulthard won't be staying in retirement long. After having ended his long racing career at the end of this past season, Coulthard will be joining the BBC coverage team. He'll be joined by former team owner Eddie Jordan, alongside sports anchor Jake Humphrey. BBC's radio coverage of the races will be handled by former driver and longtime commentator Martin Brundle along with Jonathan Legard, while Ted Kravitz and Lee McKenzie report from the pitlanes. Veteran commentator Murray Walker will stay on through the BBC Sport website, leaving the actual coverage to the new crop of talent. Hopefully we'll be able to understand half of what they're all saying.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]

CAR just tested the newly updated Farbio GTS 400 and they seem to have enjoyed it. The original Farbio GTS was already available in normally aspirated or supercharged form, but the old engine put out just 384 hp with the blower. This year's new GTS 400 flagship puts ot 410 hp thanks to new pistons and connecting rods, among other things. Former Marcos and Invicta head Chris Marsh is the man behind this V6-powered carbon fiber-bodied supercar. He bought Farboud from its founder Arash Farboud and restructured the company, renamed it Farbio, and moved it to the Cotswolds near Bath.

He has stuck with off-the-rack, treid-and-true components wherever possible to make this lightweight supercar somewhat affordable, reliable and workable. Still, at £94,000 or 110,000 Euro, it's no Hyundai Accent. Some will say that's way too much for a little-known brand, especially when that amount could get you something like an Audi R8, but where's the fun in that? These cars appeal to the person who wants something different. If this sounds like your cup of tea, know that the GTS 400 will now do the the sprint from zero to 100km/h in just 3.7sec while charging to a top speed of 180 mph. The force-fed V6 is also said to be good for 24 mpg imperial. While many of the details remind us of other supercars on the market, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Knowing these cottage builders still exist is one of the things we are most thankful for this time of year.

[Source: Car Magazine via Caradisiac]

It's only one image, but it's supposedly the real deal. Or so says CAR Magazine in the UK, which published this rendering of the upcoming Aston Martin Rapide today. The publication claims the computer-generated rendering comes straight from Aston and previews the final form of this über four-door coupe. They apparently have another image in hand but are saving that for the January 2009 print issue of CAR. From what we can see, it appears that the Rapide will remain very true to the concept version. CAR notes the front end has changed a bit with the concept's quad air intakes being replaced by an upper and lower grille, and there's now a more creased character line running down the length of the vehicle. The rear has supposedly changed a little as well, but is not viewable from the angle we get in this rendering. The mag is also claiming the Rapide will be powered by a big 6.0L V12 producing 500bhp and 420 lb-ft of torque, which should be enough to keep the large sedan, err... coupe, moving briskly.


[Source: CAR]

Click above to view the Renaultsport Clio Lux in high resolution

Renault makes a hot hatch for every taste. Some burn gas, some burn diesel. Some are track-biased, some are great for hauling around the family. Some are flyweights, and some are luxurious. The latest version is the latter, upgrading the Clio Renaulsport 197 with a host of luxury amenities for those who want it all.

Called the Lux, the new package is being offered to British customers from the beginning of the new year, packed with £2,000 of equipement for only £1,000 over the standard price. Included among those amenities are leather upholstery, automatic lights and wipers, cornering lamps, black tinted rear windows, an upgraded 60W MP3/CD sound system, brushed alloys and satin-chrome trim touches. Electric folding mirrors, electric panorama sunroof, xenon headlamps, Speedline rims in white or black and tightened-up Cup suspension are also available as optional extras. But if this is all sounding a little familiar, you're not experiencing deja vu: Renault introduced a similar package, called "Luxe" (the extra is for "Europe") to continental customers a year and a half ago. Details in the pess release after the jump.

[Source: Renault]

Click above for high-res image gallery of the final Lamborghini Reventon

Lamborghini has cultivated an image for fast and exclusive supercars, but the Reventon broke the mold. Although rumors at one point suggested that the exotic automaker would increase the production run, Lamborghini stuck to its guns by producing just 20 examples as originally promised, all of which were spoken for almost immediately after the announcement was made despite a whopping million-euro price tag. Now the last one has rumbled out the factory gates in Sant'Agata Bolognese into the hands of one elated new owner.

Well, we'd be elated, but the car's owner was instead described as "understandably delighted". That's British understatement for you. The car was sold from a dealership in Birmingham, England, which had the honor of hocking the only Reventon to make it to the car-crazed UK. Fortunately for British supercars fans, the owner – whose identity was not disclosed and his face blurred out in the photo – pledges to drive the machine and will start by driving it across Europe from Italy to Engand.

[Source: Lamborghini]

British racing fans had lots of reason to celebrate this year. Not only did their golden boy Lewis Hamilton win the Formula One World Championship, but their star cyclist Chris Hoy took home three Olympic gold medals from the Beijing Olympics. But the ultimate face-off between man and machine is just gearing up as organizers of the annual Race of Champions have announced the two will face off next month at Wembley.

The race will pit Hamilton in a Mercedes road car against Hoy on his bike on parallel winding tracks. Although Lewis won't be driving his championship winning McLaren, he'll be running a few demonstration laps around the stadium for the fans in his first major public appearance after securing the championship. Since both Hoy and Hamilton will have to rush off to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, scheduled at the same time as the race, the showdown will take place as an opening act. And that's one heck of an opening act. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Race of Champions]

Nanjing is still hanging IV bags on the battered carcass of MG, and there's a new hatchback model coming for 2010 that the automaker hopes will breathe new life into the the brand. Based on SAIC's Roewe 550, the new hatchback is about the size of a Euro Focus, and will reportedly be built at the historical MG home of Longbridge, in the UK. The car looks a little flashier than the Roewe version, and engineers from Ricardo are lending development expertise to make sure the suspension settings are all that they should be. Inside, there's a BMW-esque instrument panel, and underhood will be a 1.8-liter four cylinder, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. With the flurry of new activity at MG -- there's the MG TF and ZS, as well as more models coming soon -- color may be returning to the cheeks of a brand once thought as good as dead.

[Source: Auto Express]

Ferrari's 056 V8 was good enough to propel the Scuderia to the constructors' title this past season, and good enough to bring erstwhile back-markers Toro Rosso to a solid 6th place by season's end. But it wasn't enough to take Force India F1 – the latest incarnation of Jordan Grand Prix – out from the back of the field all season. Notwithstanding the unfortunate incident that saw Ferrari's own Kimi Raikkonen take Force India's Adrian Sutil out from 4th place at the Monaco Grand Prix with only ten minutes to go, Force India didn't manage a top 10 finish all season, earning a grand total of 0 championship points. So rather than stick with Ferrari, Vijay Mallya – the team's owner, chairman, director and main sponsor – has canceled the remaining year left in his contract with Ferrari and defected to McLaren-Mercedes instead.

The new deal, which was widely anticipated, will see Force India using engines, transmissions, hydraulics, Kinetic Energy Recovery System and a variety of other parts from McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines. The collaboration means McLaren-Mercedes will provide pretty much everything but the chassis, which Force India will have to design itself using its new computational fluid dynamics facility.

This new deal with McLaren tips the balance: whereas Ferrari was supplying an unprecedented two teams with engines this past season and McLaren none, in the coming season each will supply another team, while Toyota continues to supply Williams and Renault to Red Bull, leaving Honda (since the demise of Super Aguri) and BMW as the only engine suppliers not supporting b-squads.

[Source: Force India Formula One Team, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]

Click above to view the Brabham BT 92 in high resolution

It's hard to make a BMW M3 any more bad-ass than it already is. Fortunately Brabham Racing is up to the task, as you can see from the image above.

If the name sounds familiar, it could be because it's one of the best known names in racing. Or at least it was. Founded in 1960 by legendary Australian F1 driver Jack Brabham, the racing constructor went bust from financial liabilities in 1992, but not before winning the F1 drivers' title four times and the constructors' crown twice with such noted drivers as Dan Gurney, both Damon and Graham Hill, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. Brabham's own 1966 title remains the only championship won in a car bearing its driver's name. Now after a nearly 16-year hiatus, Brabham is back, and it's starting out by modifying BMWs.

Brabham will be offering modded Bimmers for road and track, and will be showcasing a trio of street-legal Bavarian monsters at the upcoming Essen Motor Show in Germany. They will include the M5-based BT 60, the X6-based BT 70 and the M3-based BT 92 you see above. Little else is known at this point, but you can bet we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabham]

Renault plans to make a splash at the 2012 Olympics in London where the automaker will have a trio of electric vehicles on display and in action at the games. The first EV from the French automaker will be an electrified Kangoo MPV that will shuttle both Olympians and spectators from event to event. Renault's second planned EV will be based on the Megane sedan and will be featured as part of the automaker's Project Better Place rollout in Israel. Lastly, a small city car that seats five occupants is planned on a brand new platform that's not shared with any other models.

Electric vehicle charging is one current (ha ha) sticking point that needs to be addressed before we're driving with electrons, and Renault has plans on that front as well. Quick charging stations would be set up in and around the London area for the car's rollout and these could be replicated anywhere EVs are planned. Alternatively, special stations could be created that are equipped to swap out a vehicle's battery in just five minutes, providing at least 100 miles of range. Each EV would have a standard GPS navigation system with every charging or swapping station pre-programmed. Of course, the cars could also easily be charged at night from a normal power outlet.


[Source: Autocar]