Touring Car Racing 87-07

Truck GP @ N�rburgring

WTCC Estoril

Trucks in Barcelona

Old Ring

This is fantastic,
That Locations is about 15 km from my home :)
Thx for this beautiful track!

BMW WTCC

Saab 9-3 Out In The Wild

Caught in the streets of Sweden is the new 2008 Saab 9-3 facelift. The exterior has been heavily revised (especially the front end) to impact on the Areo X-concept.

The black plastic around the rear lights will be featured on the production model including the sedan, convertible and possibly the station wagon.

Saab says the rear end has been revised slightly but the interior won't be touched because it received a facelift in late 2006.

First win of the season for Kahne

The first NASCAR Busch Series win finally came for Kasey Kahne this season, sixth of his career, as he got around a 32-spot distance from the pole position to rule Sunday's race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. He led 43 of 200 race laps, and run unoppsed until eventual second-place driver Casey Mears on the final race restart on Lap 189. Kahne passed the finish line 2.448 seconds ahead of Mears.

Talking Points

�NASCAR�s move to run the Car of Tomorrow in all of the races in 2008 is great for the teams, drivers, sponsors, race tracks and, most importantly, the fans. In the first five races the Car of Tomorrow has run, the average margin of victory has been a half second, more than 19 cars have been on the lead lap and 40 percent of the races have been won by a last-lap pass. By any standard, that�s great, breath-taking racing. And the car is still new. Can you imagine how much better the racing will be after they work the bugs out? NASCAR deserves high marks for the success of the Car of Tomorrow. I can�t wait to see it on the high banks at �The Great American Speedway� in front of one of our Texas-sized crowds.�

--Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, speaking before reporters after the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing announced on Tuesday that the racing body will fully implement the Car of Tomorrow races at the 2008 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, including stops at Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung 500 and Dickies 500.

Mini

Returning To The UK

In a historic ceremony today, the media and VIP contingents from both the UK and China will witness the return of MG production to the Longbridge factory, the long-time home of this historic marque. Guest of honour will be Mr Liang Buo Hua, Governor of the Jiangsu Province in China where NAC MG is based and Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council.

Earlier today, Solicitor General Mike O�Brien, MP visited Longbridge, and personally handed over a letter of support from Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, on behalf of the British Government. Mr O�Brien met senior officials from NAC in the UK and China, as well as Mr Liang Buo Hua. Since acquiring the assets of MGR Group in 2005, NAC has been devoted to developing the MG brand and MG products, initially in China and Britain.

In only one year NAC completed the construction of a huge, modern production facility in Nanjing and had its first MG cars rolling off the assembly line on 27th March 2007 � which was also the date of the 60th anniversary of the company. NAC is also proud to have won the award for the �most attractive car� at the Shanghai Motor Show held in April 2007. In the UK, NAC has been hard at work at the Longbridge plant; the production lines have been modified to allow the recommencement of manufacturing; a highly experienced management, engineering and production team is now in place, ready to re-launch MG into the marketplace later this year, initially with the famous TF sports car.

Longbridge is an essential part of the MG project. NAC fully understands that they need to keep the originality and Britishness of the brand and the UK is the only place where NAC can absorb the essence of British culture and transfer it into MG products. The role of Longbridge will be as follows: R&D centre for MG Engineering & testing of MG models HR recruiting for China and Longbridge A purchasing and logistics centre for China and Longbridge Manufacturing base for the UK and European markets Sales & marketing base for the UK and Europe.

Today�s event is the next crucial stage in NAC MG�s ambitious development strategy. �We realised from the outset of this project that retaining a manufacturing link with the UK is of fundamental importance,� says Yu Jian Wei, CEO of NAC.

�Longbridge will play a leading role in our European operation and the plant is now in a position to commence TF production for the UK market. This is a very exciting time for MG and it�s an important boost to the economy of the Midlands manufacturing region.� Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council said: �Longbridge is part of the fabric of Birmingham�s heritage and we are delighted that MG�s will roll off the production line once again. "We have worked in close collaboration with NAC to bring about today's announcement".

Two years ago, many people thought this day would never come. But as we celebrate a new era for Longbridge, I am delighted that NAC MG will breathe new life into this famous marque. "This clearly shows Birmingham making the most of international investment, and I am proud of the part the City Council has played to bring it about."

BMW 3 Series Caught Undisguised

For the BMW 3 Series facelift we can clearly see the newly sculpted lines of the lower center areas of the bumper fascia as well as the larger and deeper side air vents.

Since, this is a minor facelift, no changes are expected to the rear and engines will remain the same but the interior will be updated. The 3 series sedan and wagon mid-life facelift are expected to be unveiled in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show and the car is expected to go on sale in 2008.

The current car has been on the market since 2005 and has attracted alot of customers mostly British. BMW is hoping to lure away customers from the recently launched Mercedes C-Class and the upcoming Audi A4.

The 3 Series is Britain's best selling small executive car. This spy photo shows a pre-production model undergoing final cold-weather testing in Northern Sweden near BMW's test faculty.

Alfa vs BMW

2008 Opel/Vauxhall Vectra Replacement See's Light

Opel/Vauxhall�s Vectra generation 3 has been on the market since 2001, and now generation Vectra 4 is about to see the light.

The car is expected to makes its international debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September. The US version Saturn Aura will follow a year later.

The next Vectra is sitting on the new GM Epsilon 2 platform allowing a wider and taller body to provide a better handling and more space inside for the passengers.

All in all the Vectra 4 will be an all new car with a completely new styling as can be seen on these photos. It will enter the market as a direct competitor against the recently launched Ford Mondeo and the VW Passat. Furthermore Opel will offer for the first time all wheel drive for the new Vectra as an option, and power will come from a wider selection of new engines including a 200 HP 2.7 litre V6 Turbodiesel and a newly developed 2.8 litre V8 fuel engines.

Street-Drifting

Vitaphone Maserati

Eifelblitz

GP2 Monaco

New Car: 2008 Kia Picanto facelift

Press Release:

NEW KIA PICANTO MAKES WORLD WIDE DEBUT IN BARCELONA:

Kia's best seller is about to get bigger and better. Only millimetres bigger but miles better in every way, the face-lifted Picanto is set for a world debut at the Barcelona show on 7th June.

Kia's design teams have updated Picanto to exude glamour while still maintaining its cheeky charm. A rounder nose and deeper rear bumper make the new model 40mm longer than its predecessor. Further changes in Picanto's looks are a result of all-new panels on the bonnet, front wings and front and rear bumpers. This new 'rounded' theme is also reflected in the light clusters and newly designed grille which will be gradually introduced across the Kia range. Fresh new colours and a restyled rounded exterior create a more intimate feel which continues on the interior as well.

The upgraded interior comes in five funky new colours to complement the nine new exterior colours on offer. New audio equipment and power steering will also enhance Picanto's high quality driving experience seldom offered in this sector.

Kia Motors European Vice President, Jean-Charles Lievens commented on this latest addition to the Kia range: "Picanto has been a great success for Kia, achieving more than 250,000 sales across Europe in a segment where we previously had no presence. Now we have refreshed our small car, upgrading its equipment and introducing a range of customer benefits, we aim to maintain its appeal and expand sales to 90,000 units annually over the next few years." Engine choices remain the same � 1.0 litre and 1.1 litre petrol units; there�s still no sign of Kia�s 3-cylinder diesel.

Some of My Favorite Art cars

Meet The GL-Classes Younger Brother

Mercedes has descended upon the N�rburgring with their new GLK compact crossover. The new W204 C-Class-based sport-ute did some hot laps with a BMW X3, which will be its primary competitor, and our sources say that the GLK appeared to hold its own in the track day duel.

Since the "K" in GLK stands for kleine (German for small), the name implies that this car is a smaller version of the GL-Class. True to form, the GLK's styling takes many cues from the Mercedes' large GL-class sport-utility. The GLK won't rival a Land Rover LR2 for serious off-road prowess, but the extra ground clearance should provide a sufficient off-road capability when combined with Mercedes' 4matic four-wheel-drive system. Expect the usual range of C-Class engines to be on offered in the GLK.The exact launch date for the GLK is not clear.

A September unveiling in Frankfurt may be too early, which would leave the Los Angeles, Detroit, or Geneva auto shows as other potential launch events for the GLK to make its official bow.Next SUV to be released will be the little brother of the GL, the smaller GLK, based on the new C-Class Station wagon 4-matic.

Mercedes decided to join the group of smaller luxury SUVs that has been BMW X3 domain for the last years. And with Audi also developing a small SUV, the Q5, it will be crowded in that class. Power is expected to come from four and six cylinder engines, both petrol and diesel and later on there could be a V8 powered GLK 55 AMG version too.

All versions are expected to have the 7 G-Tronic, TouchShift automatic transmissions. The GLK will be built in Bremen/Germany alongside the C-Class, rather then in the US plant that builds the ML and GL. The price is expected to start at about 35.000 Euros or �20,000 when it will hit the showrooms in late 2008.

Scheid BMW

Those were the days...

Alfa 75

NASCAR bids goodbye to standard cars

Say goodbye now to the standard cars racing in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. With the close finishes seen on the initial runs of the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) races and the team owners set to finance only one race program at a time, NASCAR announced on Tuesday its plan to open the speedways only for the boxier �vehicles of tomorrow.�

Equipped with a set of rear wings and front splitters, winning cars at the five CoT races this year average .505 seconds lead, compared to 1.286 seconds with the standard car. And team owners seem ready to unburden themselves of an older vehicle that's only becoming a drain on money and resources.

�It's very difficult for teams to run both the Car of Tomorrow and the current car simultaneously,� said Joe Gibbs Racing president JD Gibbs. �Let's implement it full-time in 2008. We are on board with that, and for us, it makes a lot of sense.�

Talking Points

�The Pass in the Grass�

--The NASCAR art (above) by Gary Hill, featuring the classic move Dale Earnhardt pulled off at the 1987 All-Star. The Pass in the Grass was voted first in the all-time best seen in the races.

"Horsepower does not win races"

Stand on the lookout for car No. 44. Especially after its dismal performance at the Atlanta race of this year's Nextel Cup Series of the NASCAR. For one thing, the past loses have been edifying if you ask Toyota Racing Development vice president Lee White.

�Horsepower is always great when you�re selling engines,� White said. But it�s not what wins races. What we found out when we got the power curves was that we did have equal horsepower on the chassis dyno, but at 7,500 and 8,000 rpm we were down by almost 40 horsepower to the teams that are winning all the races.

Expecting to break cover after the All-Star Challenge is the Toyota Camry determined to make it to the top. Toyota, with White at the front, was reported to have gone back to work on the engine since the Atlanta race. �It�s a little different tune which fills that in and the power curve has a much better shape,� reported the vice president of Toyota racing.

E30

New Car: 2008 Seat Altea Freetrack XL4

You're looking at the first 4x4 Seat will sell in the UK; this is the Altea Freetrack and, unlike the recent crop of faux-4x4s from VW and Renault, Seat�s first attempt at jacking up a road car and adding some body cladding actually has a dose of real off-road ability.

The Altea Freetrack, based on an Altea XL, gets the VW group�s Haldex four-wheel drive system, as used by the Octavia Scout. It also has 40mm of extra ground clearance, which should mean it will be capable of dealing with more than just a gravel path.

Previewed by the Freetrack concept at this year�s Geneva motor show, the production car is essentially the same as the show car without the boot-mounted spare wheel. Some of the concept�s detailing has been toned down � the body-colour mouldings have been replaced by matt black cladding - but it retains protective underbody skid plates at the front and rear.

Engine options will be the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-pot from the Golf GTi with 197bhp, or the 168bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel. The petrol will reach 62mph in 7.5sec, the diesel in 8.7sec.

Inside it�s much the same as the standard Altea XL � the main differences are a new gearknob embossed with the Freetrack logo and a steering wheel with a dash-coloured insert.

Although this is Seat�s first vehicle with off-road pretensions, it is not Seat�s all-new SUV.

Confirmed by Seat boss Eric Schmitt for production at the Paris motor show, that car will be a bespoke model, with front and four-wheel drive powertrains, and will share mechanicals with the new VW Tiguan.

A Smashing Start For Nissan

In a coup that's sure to make sister company and safety champion Renault green with envy, Nissan's new Qashqai hatchback-cum-4x4 has scored the highest rating ever recorded by Euro NCAP for adult occupant protection.

The Qashqai scored five stars and 37 points in the European benchmark crash test; that's maximum points for protection of occupants in a side impact, maximum points in NCAP's offset front pole crash test, and near-maximum points in the frontal impact test.

In the crash safety body's other tests, the car also scored highly; it was awarded four stars for child occupant protection and two stars for pedestrian protection. The only car in the class that betters it in either of those areas is the Toyota Auris.

Mazda2 Production Starts

The first Mazda 2 rolled off the production line in Hiroshima yesterday. Vice President of Mazda, Robert Graziano, led the celebrations claiming that the new Mazda 2 "is the first of our new generation products to evolve to the next stage".

By this, he refers to Mazda's plan to produce driver's cars that are also safer and more environmentally friendly.

Following this strategy, the new Mazda 2 is 100kg lighter than the outgoing model in order to improve performance and economy, whilst the styling should suit the global markets that Mazda are now targeting.

The Mazda 2 made it's debut at this year's Geneva Show, where we reckoned it was one of the best new cars on show.

Sales begin in the UK later this year, and we can't wait to find out if Mazda has managed everything it claims regarding this all-important model. You'll be the first to know when we do.

The new Mazda2 is based on the same platform as the Ford Fiesta. The first image is showing a Lime Green Mazda2 which rolled off the production line.