Monday, July 12, 2010

RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed)

RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed)


Motorsport Weekend: Formula 1 British GP, WRC Rally Bulgaria and Nascar Chicagoland race results

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 04:30 AM PDT

Motorsport Weekend: Formula 1 British GP, WRC Rally Bulgaria and Nascar Chicagoland race results

Welcome to a new edition of Motorsport Weekend, our own feature where we talk about the best motorsport events in the last three days.

This weekend saw quite a few events take place, starting with the Formula 1 British GP at Silverstone, the WRC Rally Bulgaria and the Nascar LifeLock.com 400 race, that took place at the Chicagoland Speedway and counted for the Sprint Cup.

Curious to see how Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Loeb or David Reutimann faired? Then hit the jump and find out.

First off, Formula 1 held one of its most important races of the season, with hundreds of thousands of fans descending upon the new and improved Silverstone circuit. Even though Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber dominated the qualifiers, plenty of people hoped for a British win by one of the McLaren boys, Lewis Hamilton or reigning champ Jenson Button.

Sadly, that wasn’t so. The start of the race was pretty heated, with Webber trying to prove to his team that he is as important as Vettel, who was favored before the start of the race with a new front wing. In the first two corners though, Vettel’s tire was punctured, which meant that he had to crawl around the track until he could enter the pit lane and change.

Meanwhile, at the front, Mark Webber was in the lead, with Hamilton breathing down his neck. Once again though, the Red Bull RB6 race car proved its worth, alongside Webber, who started building up a healthy lead in front of Hamilton.

The safety car was also used around the middle of the race, in order to have debris cleared from the track. This allowed Vettel, now last, to mount a serious offensive, while many Brits were hoping that Hamilton could take down Webber after the safety car entered the pit lane.

Webber was without fault, once again distancing himself from Hamilton, who now had Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg to worry about. Vettel showcased his skill, overtaking drivers left and right, including the iconic Michael Schumacher. He eventually finished the race in points, at number seven.

Mark Webber finished first, followed by Hamilton and Rosberg. Button also showed impressive skill, after starting 14th and finishing fourth.

Overall standings show Hamilton in the lead, with 145 points, followed by Button, with 133 points, and Webber, with 128. Team standings see McLaren with 278 points in the lead, followed by Red Bull, with 249. Ferrari is third, with 165 points.

The World Rally Championship held its first ever Rally Bulgaria stage, pitting its teams against the South European tarmac in a pretty interesting event that, like always, was won by Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb.

This stage marked a stunning 1-2-3-4 finish by Citroen, being the first manufacturer to achieve such a feat since Toyota, in 1992. Loeb was followed by his teammate Dani Sordo and private race Petter Solberg. Fourth spot was occupied by Citroen Junior driver Sebastien Ogier.

Ford occupied the next three spots, thanks to works drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, and Stobart’s Per-Gunnar Andersson.

Overall standings show Sebastien Loeb in the lead, with 151 points, followed by Ogier with 100 points and Hirvonen, with 86 points. Team standings see Citroen in the lead with 232 points, Ford close behind with 185 points and the Citroen Junior team in third, with 125 points.

Last but not least, Nascar’s Sprint Cup competition held the LifeLock.com 400 race at the Chicagoland Speedway, in Joliet, Illinois.

This is where David Reutimann shined, taking advantage of some problems for both points leader Kevin Harvick and reigning champ Jimmie Johnson.

Seeing as how there were very few crashes, Reutimann just had to fend off Carl Edwards, who finished second, and Jeff Gordon, who completed the podium.

Overall Sprint Cup standings see Kevin Harvick still in the lead, followed by Gordon, trailing by 103 points, and by Johnson, who trails by 188 points.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Motorsport Weekend: Formula 1 British GP, WRC Rally Bulgaria and Nascar Chicagoland race results

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Ford wants to give away a new 2011 Explorer on Facebook

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 03:45 AM PDT

Ford wants to give away a new 2011 Explorer on Facebook

Ford is definitely trying to become one of the coolest automakers around, as it hasn’t shied away from using the new social networks in order to promote its models.

First we had the Fiesta Movement, which gave long term test drive vehicles to influential social media members, and now the 2011 Ford Explorer is slowly being revealed on its special Facebook page.

The Blue Oval wants to kick things up a notch for its overhauled SUV, and has announced it will be giving away a free model on Facebook, on one condition.

What’s that condition? If the 2011 Ford Explorer page will get 30,000 ‘Likes’ (aka fans). If it will reach that goal, the Blue Oval will organize a sweepstakes and give away the new SUV.

Currently, 10,699 people like the new Explorer. If you fancy a shot at getting the new SUV for free, then check out the official Facebook page and click on the Like button. While you’re at it, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you ‘liked’ our own website. Check out own Facebook page here.

Source: Ford Explorer Facebook

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Ford wants to give away a new 2011 Explorer on Facebook

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Video: Fiat 500 Prima Edizione revealed for North American Fiat fans

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 03:24 AM PDT

Video: Fiat 500 Prima Edizione revealed for North American Fiat fans

Fiat is busy preparing for its comeback on the North American market, seeing as how it now controls reputed US carmaker Chrysler. The first model to hit US shores is the diminutive Fiat 500 city car, which will be built at Chrysler’s Mexico plant in the following months.

As a special treat for its North American fans, Fiat has now revealed the 500 ‘Prima Edizione’ (First Edition) at the yearly Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited gathering. At that event, existing Fiat fans were able to pre-order the Prima Edizione before everyone else.

Only 500 cars will be made, each equipped with Fiat’s new 1.4-liter MultiAir engine, and decorated with special badges and a unique plate on the inside. For those that didn’t get a chance to attend the event, Fiat will be opening up pre-orders in the following weeks for the 500 Prima Edizione.

Until then, hit the jump to see the video of the special Fiat 500 and its debut among North American Fiat fans.

Source: Fiat

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Video: Fiat 500 Prima Edizione revealed for North American Fiat fans

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Alfa Romeo might be planning two compact crossovers

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 03:02 AM PDT

Alfa Romeo might be planning two compact crossovers

The Alfa Romeo brand is set to be further developed by the Fiat group, even though it hasn’t been experiencing big sales.

According to a new report, Alfa will be launching two new crossovers in the following years, in order to fill that niche for Fiat and to prepare its range for a re-launch on the North American market.

Bear in mind these won’t be actual SUVs, but more compact crossovers. One will be based on the C-Evo platform of the recent Giulietta hatchback, and will target the future Audi Q3. The other, slightly larger crossover, will presumably sit on a new Jeep platform.

Alfa Romeo crossovers have been rumored for quite some time (the Kamal concept above), but seeing as how the lineup needs to be increased with models that will cater to the American market, we just might see these new models in the following years.

Source: Autocar

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Alfa Romeo might be planning two compact crossovers

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Video: See how the 350 HP Ford Focus RS500 is built

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:12 AM PDT

Video: See how the 350 HP Ford Focus RS500 is built

The Ford Focus RS500 is definitely something else, as it has surpassed the status of hot hatch and entered the world of sportscars, thanks to the 350 HP it develops from the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine.

In order to showcase that even with all of the serious enhancements, the RS500 still starts out as an European Focus, Ford has just released a video detailing the manufacturing and customization process of its brand new hot hatch.

In it, you can see how performance parts like the bodykit, or mechanical upgrades to the engine are made, as well as how it gets its matte black vinyl wrap.

Curious? Then hit the jump and check out this new video.

Source: Ford

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Video: See how the 350 HP Ford Focus RS500 is built

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Toyota’s Akio Toyoda wants a new Supra, his company doesn’t

Posted: 11 Jul 2010 11:53 PM PDT

Toyota's Akio Toyoda wants a new Supra, his company doesn't

As we revealed a few weeks ago, Toyota’s current president, Akio Toyoda, is quite a petrol head, and really wants his company to release fun to drive models. At that time, he mentioned several iconic models like the AE-86 or the Celica.

Now, the president has name-checked another former glory of the Japanese company, the Supra.

Toyoda mentioned that he cut his teeth by driving around Supra models around the Nurburgring and other test tracks. As such, he would love to create a successor to the former model.

Sadly, before you start jumping up and down, Toyoda is realistic, saying that the recent recall problems have made plenty of other executives in his company reticent to new models. As such, even if he would push a new Supra, his colleagues would no doubt pull the hand brake on the project.

Hopefully, even if a new Supra won’t appear in the next few years, Toyota still has projects like the FT-86 concept or the MR2 Sports Hybrid that might see the light of day much sooner. Also, let’s hope that Toyoda’s enthusiasm wears off on some of his colleagues.

Source: Autoblog

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Toyota’s Akio Toyoda wants a new Supra, his company doesn’t

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Video: BMW showcases new iPod connectivity in its iDrive system

Posted: 11 Jul 2010 11:17 PM PDT

Video: BMW showcases new iPod connectivity in its iDrive system

BMW knows most of its customers are pretty tech savvy, and that’s why it has just revealed a brand new feature for its comprehensive iDrive infotainment system: iPod connectivity.

Actually, this is a bit more than just plugging your iPod/iPhone in and listening to the music, as BMW enables you to use the iDrive’s main joystick to browse through your iPod’s media library, with contents being displayed on the screen of the car.

All of the new features currently being worked on by BMW are part of the company’s new Connected Drive strategy, which aims at making the interaction between driver, car and the driver’s third-party devices, to be as smooth as possible. Expect the iPod functionality to arrive in all new BMW models at the beginning of 2011.

To see what the new BMW iDrive features is all about, hit the jump for a video demonstration.

Source: BMW

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Video: BMW showcases new iPod connectivity in its iDrive system

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Ford recalls around 34,000 2010 Transit Connect over headliner issues

Posted: 11 Jul 2010 11:05 PM PDT

Ford recalls around 34,000 2010 Transit Connect over headliner issues

Ford has just announced that 33,728 Transit Connect models from the 2010 model year will be recalled to dealerships due to a problem with the headliner.

It seems that vehicles manufactured between December 5, 2008 and May 30, 2010, fail to meet the crash standards. This is due to faulty retention pins in the headliner, which, in the case of an accident, might cause even more injury to the occupant(s) of the van.

The recall is set to begin on July 19, and the repairs will be made at dealerships, free of cost. For more information, you can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

Source: NHTSA

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Ford recalls around 34,000 2010 Transit Connect over headliner issues

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BMW presents X6 Performance Unlimited and Mini Saville Row limited editions in Japan

Posted: 11 Jul 2010 10:49 PM PDT

BMW presents X6 Performance Unlimited and Mini Saville Row limited editions in Japan

BMW knows Japan is still a good market for its upmarket models, that’s why the German company has decided to reveal two limited editions of its popular models in the Land of the Rising Sun.

First off, we have the Mini Saville Row edition, which features an all-black paint scheme. Customers will also be getting, besides the special color, polished chrome accessories like the gas cap, mirrors or exterior trim, as well as the set of 17-inch wheels. Other features include bi-xenon headlights, clear indicators and privacy glass. Just 100 models will be made, each retailing for 3,100,000 yen ($35,028).

BMW presents X6 Performance Unlimited and Mini Saville Row limited editions in Japan

For those that feel confined in a Mini, BMW is also offering the X6 Performance Unlimited series. On the outside, the aerodynamics package has been fitted, as well as a set of 21-inch wheels and a blacked out grille. Powering this special X6 will be an improved version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine, coupled with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Just 20 BMW X6 Performance Unlimited models will be made, retailing for a hefty 9,450,000 yen ($106,823).

Source: BMW

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BMW presents X6 Performance Unlimited and Mini Saville Row limited editions in Japan

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