Video: Ride along in the 440hp VW Golf24 |  |
- Video: Ride along in the 440hp VW Golf24
- Flying Lizards head to Long Beach for ALMS Round 2
- Porsche Said to Gain High Acceptance Rate in Rights Offering
- Lamborghini Super Trofeo series back for 2011
- Centurion Magazine awards Bentley Mulsanne Best Limousine/Salon Car
- Top 10 Green Cars of 2011 for Volkswagen Golf TDI
| Video: Ride along in the 440hp VW Golf24 Posted: 13 Apr 2011 12:32 PM PDT As we move closer to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, Volkswagen is giving us more and more info on the Golf24. The latest comes in the form of on-board cameras attached to the “beast” for your viewing pleasure. *Audio seems to be only on the right side Related posts:
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| Flying Lizards head to Long Beach for ALMS Round 2 Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:09 AM PDT
Flying Lizard heads to Long Beach, California today for round two of the American Le Mans Series: the ALMS at Long Beach race on Saturday, April 16. Following the team’s sixth and seventh place finishes at the season-opener at Sebring in March (for the No. 45 and No. 44 Lizard Porsches, respectively) Flying Lizard is currently third in the GT team championship. No. 45 drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long are fifth in the GT driver championship and Seth Neiman and Darren Law are sixth in the No. 44. Long Beach is the first of two street circuits on the ALMS schedule this year (the second is Baltimore, in September). The race will run two hours on the 1.968, 11-turn temporary course along on the shores of Long Beach. Lizard chief strategist Thomas Blam commented, “Flying Lizard has historically done very well at street circuits and Patrick and Joerg have won here the last two years. Long Beach is always very tough race: the pavement is a rough racing surface and there’s no absolutely no run off. This year it’s a large field – 31 entries across six classes – imagine that group all trying to navigate the hairpin turn together. And at two hours, it could be a one-stop race depending on how the yellows fall. Altogether, there is zero margin for error.” Patrick Long added, “Long Beach is a wild ride. It’s the shortest event of the year and there’s almost no track time prior to the race. In some ways, this really levels the playing field: to do well here you can’t make even the smallest mistake. And the high car count will definitely change the dynamics of the race and make it a very intense two hours.” The race gets the green flag Saturday, April 16 at 4:30 pm PT. Follow Flying Lizard live through the race blog and team radio (www.lizardms.com), on Facebook, and Twitter. The race is broadcast live on ESPN3.com and tape delayed on Sunday, April 17 on ESPN2, starting at 2 pm PT (5 pm ET). Viewers outside of the U.S. may also view the race live at www.americanlemans.com. Qualifying will also be broadcast live on ESPN3.com. Related posts:
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| Porsche Said to Gain High Acceptance Rate in Rights Offering Posted: 13 Apr 2011 09:30 AM PDT Porsche SE, the sports-car maker that plans to merge with Volkswagen AG (VOW), has had a very high acceptance rate for its 5 billion-euro ($7.3 billion) rights offering, a person familiar with the matter said. Stuttgart, Germany-based Porsche is still tabulating the final results of the sale to existing shareholders that ended at midnight, the person said, declining to be identified because the information isn’t public yet. The company hasn’t extended the offer period, the person said. Porsche sold shares at 38 euros apiece during a two-week period that started March 30. One existing share carries the right to subscribe to 0.75 new shares. Porsche preferred shares gained as much as 1.80 euros, or 4.2 percent, to 45.14 euros and were trading at 45.04 euros as of 2:34 p.m. in Frankfurt. Porsche will use the proceeds to cut debt to 1.5 billion euros, a prerequisite for the merger with VW. The sports-car maker and Volkswagen agreed to combine in 2009 after Porsche racked up more than 10 billion euros of debt in an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of VW. The company’s debt rose to 6.34 billion euros by Dec. 31 from 6.05 billion euros on July 31 because of tax repayments. “This is a step forward for Porsche to lay the conditions for a merger with VW,” said Marc-Rene Tonn, a Hamburg-based analyst with M.M. Warburg who recommends selling Porsche stock. The money will help pay back a 2.5 billion-euro bank loan expiring at the end of June, he said. Even Split A statement on the completion of the stock sale will be published tomorrow, a Porsche spokesman said today by phone. The sale is split evenly between preferred and common stock at about 2.5 billion euros each. The common shares are controlled by the Porsche and Piech families which may spend 2.25 billion euros on the sale, while Qatar Holding LLC, part of the country’s sovereign wealth fund which controls 10 percent of Porsche’s voting stock, may contribute 250 million euros. Porsche has said all new preferred shares will be underwritten by a banking syndicate led by Deutsche Bank AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley. Deutsche Bank carried out the sale of common shares while Rothschild served as Porsche’s financial advisor. Europe’s largest carmaker’s merger with Porsche, originally scheduled for completion in the second half, will probably be delayed into next year because of German legal obstacles. An investigation into share-price manipulation allegations will likely push the deal’s completion into 2012, Porsche said Feb. 24. Volkswagen now owns 49.9 percent of Porsche’s carmaking operations. Short sellers of VW stock have sued Porsche in the U.S., claiming the carmaker secretly piled up Volkswagen shares and later caused the investors to lose more than $1 billion. At the same time, institutional investors in Germany are seeking 2.5 billion euros in damages over the matter. Porsche has repeatedly denied all the allegations. Related posts:
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| Lamborghini Super Trofeo series back for 2011 Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:54 AM PDT
Following two successful seasons, the ultra-competitive Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will return to the track for the start of the 2011 season. A field consisting solely of the iconic Italian marque’s Super Trofeo race cars will do battle in the season opener at Monza, Italy, on 16-17 April. With six race meetings across a selection of the most demanding circuits in Europe, including Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard HTTT, the series will see a grid of both professional and ‘gentlemen’ drivers take to the track behind the wheel of a Super Trofeo race car, a lightweight version of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. The 2010 Pro-Am Drivers’ Champion Eugenio Amos will return to defend his crown with Touringauto, which took second in last year’s Teams’ Championship, while 2010 Pro Drivers’ runner-up Fabio Babini will be aiming to go one better and clinch the title this year. Babini and new Pro-Am team-mate Matteo Zucchi will face strong opposition from Blancpain Reiter Engineering’s Peter Kox, 2010 ADAC GT Masters Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, who’ll also be chasing the title with fellow Dutchman Nico Pronk. Brotherly rivalry will continue between Herve and Cedric Leimer as they once again contest against each other, while Swiss pilot Dominique Lucas will also come back to the fold. The three-car team of Charouz-Gravity Racing will compete following a strong showing in 2010, with Petr Charouz signing up for his third season, joining Austrian racer Gerhard Tweraser in the #77 car. Jakub Knoll will make his series debut at Monza partnering Czech driver Jan Stovicek, who is entering the Super Trofeo for a second year. Former Formula One driver Hans-Joachim Stuck will also take to the track at Monza in the #3 Bonaldi Motorsport car with Michael Ruh. However, it won’t be an easy ride as a host of new drivers look forward to beating the well-respected German racer. Among them will be Stuck’s son Johannes, who will share the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car with Autosprint’s Editor-in-Chief Alberto Sabbatini. New entrants for 2011 include Italian pilots Riccardo Ragazzi and Gianluca Carboni, who join the series from the Ferrari Challenge and will be looking to compete for top honours straight away. Italian Pro-Am Roberto Seveso will drive with Imperiale Racing, while Swiss Pro-Am driver Remy Vauthier will make his Super Trofeo debut alongside fellow countryman Laurent Jenny, who took part in two race weekends last season. The opening weekend at Monza will also welcome Luigi Ferrara, winner of the 2005 Italian Formula Three Championship. Ferrara will join the field as part of an agreement between Lamborghini and the CSAI, the Commission of Automobile Sport for Italy. The Super Trofeo race car comes equipped with a V10 ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine, meaning entrants will have 570 hp under their right foot as they vie for position during the series’ 18 races. While the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo is the world’s fastest one-make series, the race car is focused on both speed and safety. Among its many features are an FIA FT-3 fuel cell, a full roll cage, a new Brembo Racing brake system and HANS device compatibility. “We have enjoyed two strong years of competition in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo,” said Maurizio Reggiani, Automobili Lamborghini Director of Research and Development, and responsible for motorsport. “The drivers love the handling and power of the Super Trofeo race car, so I’ve no doubt that the 2011 season will not only be another huge success, but also competitive on the track.” Related posts:
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| Centurion Magazine awards Bentley Mulsanne Best Limousine/Salon Car Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:35 AM PDT Bentley is proud to announce that its flagship Mulsanne has been chosen by Centurion Magazine readers as their outstanding car model in the category Best Limousine/Saloon Car in the magazine’s Readers’ Choice 2010. Centurion, the luxury lifestyle magazine for the holders of the most exclusive charge card from American Express®, the Centurion® Card, inspires the travel and lifestyle choices of its target audience. After more than a decade of providing inspiration to its readers, the publisher decided it was time to let them take the lead in choosing what elements of modern life inspired them and their fellow Centurion® Members internationally. The Readers’ Choice is the first such survey undertaken by the editorial team of Centurion Magazine, and indeed the first worldwide survey on this scale to be conducted by any lifestyle magazine. Readers were invited from across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific to share their favorites in various travel and lifestyle categories, with the top three highest-ranking companies in each category announced in the current issue of Centurion magazine in all markets. Thomas Midulla, International Editorial Director Centurion magazine, Europe, Middle East, Asia & Pacific said: “The inaugural Readers’ Choice survey has taken our relationship with our readers to a whole new level. For the first time, we have been given an insight into the personal favourites of precisely the people Centurion magazine is created for. “The results have proved extremely enlightening, and we are pleased to see the high rankings of so many brands with long-standing relationships with our readers. To be the favourite of just one Centurion reader is praise enough, but for those ranking within the top 3, it is the ultimate recognition from Centurion readers the world over. Wolfgang Duerheimer, Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive commented: “The Centurion readers’ award for the new Mulsanne, which has been designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, is a significant honor for Bentley. We are delighted that our efforts to create a new Bentley flagship combining performance with very high levels of luxury and refinement have been recognized in this way.” Design Director Dirk van Braeckel explains the inspiration behind the Mulsanne’s distinctive appearance: “The opportunity to design a new flagship Bentley is something afforded to very few designers. The team set out to create a sculpted form that blended classic Bentley heritage cues with modern lines.” The body is produced in a new manufacturing facility at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe where traditional metalworking skills, developed over six decades, are still used extensively during the nine-week build process. It is the very opposite of volume-production car-building – but the epitome of Bentley. These traditional and unique skills are complemented by the latest in-car technologies which have been discreetly placed within the Mulsanne’s sumptuous interior. A multimedia system with 60GB hard disc drives satellite navigation, audio/video, personal data, telephone and Bluetooth® connectivity. The upper dashboard houses an 8-inch multimedia screen, positioned unobtrusively behind an electrically operated veneered door, while below sits a stylish, leather-lined media player stowage drawer with connectors for iPod, USB, Mini USB and 3.5mm aux. More than 170 hours – almost half the entire build process – goes into crafting the interior of the new Mulsanne. Customers may select from an extensive range of premium quality veneers, unbleached for a natural appearance, and two marquetry options: picture frame and contemporary cross-banding. True to the Bentley ethos, customers may also select from a virtually unlimited palette of leather hides, including 24 ‘standard’ colors, of which three are new for Bentley. This unrivaled choice of veneers, leather hides and paint colors ensures that the needs of all customers can be matched perfectly. With the leading award from some of the world’s most discerning customers, the Bentley Mulsanne lives up to W O Bentley’s, the company’s founder, desire to be “the best in its class”. Related posts:
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| Top 10 Green Cars of 2011 for Volkswagen Golf TDI Posted: 13 Apr 2011 08:30 AM PDT The 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI was chosen today by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com as one of the Top 10 Green Cars of 2011. This year, kbb.com editors considered the leading vehicles that offered superior fuel economy and CO2 emissions while also providing all the safety, comfort and driving enjoyment that make each vehicle a pleasure to own. As long-time fans of the Volkswagen Golf lineup for its European driving feel, hatchback utility and interior quality, kbb.com editors selected the Golf TDI as a best-in-class vehicle that is both environmentally-friendly and fun behind the wheel. The Golf 2.0L TDI clean diesel model offers 30 mpg city and 42 mpg highway, as well as an 8.6 second sprint from zero to 60 mph. Available in both two-door and four-door models, the Golf TDI is marked by its fusion of German-tuned performance and impressive fuel economy – compliments of an advanced electronically-controlled turbocharger and the electronically-controlled direct injection fuel system. For drivers that desire a fuel-sipping compact that emits approximately 25 percent less greenhouse gas and achieves more than 30 percent better fuel economy compared to a similar gasoline engine, the 2011 Golf TDI is more than up to the task. Related posts:
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