Sebring 12 Hours Looks Like a NASCAR Race

Ferrari 458 crash at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
Photo by Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Race winning Peugeot 908 at 2011 12 Hours of Sebring

Maaco Fremont watched the 59th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on ESPN.  We thought we were watching a NASCAR event instead of American Le Mans. Endurance racing used to be tough enough without worring about other racers hitting you on purpose. No longer. Drivers bumped & grinded all 12 hours. Cars were destroyed, carried back to the pits, rebuilt and went back out on the track. Favorites from Audi & Ferrari were totaled allowing Peugeot to win overall for the 2nd year in a row and BMW to win the GT2 class.

Here's footage from one of the big crashes that took out the Ferrari 458:

Seat Start Production of Audi Q3 in 2012

It seems that the VW Group’s Martorell plant in Spain will not only build the new Audi Q3, but a similar version of the compact SUV for Seat as well, according to a report from British car magazine, What Car. Industry sources told the publication that the Seat IBX crossover study shown at Geneva this year will be built in the same plant with the Audi Q3, with both models to share the same platform. The production version of the IBX is expected to be introduced next year.

The IBX is Seat's second SUV concept after the Tribu shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007. The Tribu was initially supposed to spawn a production model but the project was canned due to the grim economic outlook at the time.

Now a Seat SUV is closer than ever to reality, even though the production version could differ from the three-door IBX design study. The series production model could feature a more conventional five-door bodywork and internal combustion engines, as opposed to the concept's full-electric setup. The IBX study uses an electric motor to power the front wheels and a battery package that offers a driving range of 45 kilometers (28 miles).

The road-going model is expected to adopt a variety of TSI and TDI engines offering buyers the choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. At 4.26 meters long, 1.80 meters wide and 1.62 meters tall, the IBX is very close in dimensions to the Audi Q3, which measures 4.39 meters in length, 1.83 meters in width and 1.60 meters in height.

GALLERY

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Audi 2012 Q3 SUV

If you’re done looking over the official gallery of the new Audi Q3 compact SUV, we have some good news as the Ingolstadt-based automaker has released the first video of the smallest Q series model yet. The new promotional clip shows the Q3 testing on an oval circuit while also offering us a quick walkaround of the exterior and interior.
The 2012 Audi Q3 will be one of many new production and concept models to be introduced in a world premiere at next week’s Shanghai International Auto Show in China. It will first go on sale in Germany this June, and shortly after to the rest of Europe. Audi has not yet decided if it will bring the Q3 to North America.
In European guise, Audi’s answer to the BMW X1 will offer buyers a choice of two gasoline and two diesel engines, all of which are four-cylinder units with a 2.0-liter displacement and turbocharging technology.

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New Audi Quattro Life Again

The name of the Audi Quattro rally ever formations in the world arena in the era of the 1980s. In fact, HP's 550-powered car driven by motion of four-wheel racer French woman, Michele Mouton, had seized the world's runner-up position in 1985. However, entering the 1990s, Audi disappeared from the scene of the rally.

Reportedly, the German car manufacturer wanted to produce the Audi Quattro. Concept car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show 2010. However, according to some information, the Audi Quattro will be built by Audi S5 platform.

The designers and engineers have demonstrated the concept to Audi board Audi. The company reportedly is ready to give the green light to the production phase, although there has been no confirmation of when it will be announced. However, Autocar Audi Quattro leaking information that will be marketed in 2013.

In terms of design, appearance of the Audi Quattro is very cool and has a very strong impression that sport. The lines are a strong feature of the Audi Quattro longer appear on the front, except for double headlights hidden in the bumper above, plus a hood that there is a kind of thin air cavity.

BMW Vs Audi and Mercedes with Six M3 Race Cars

BMW's Motorsport division announced today that it will enter six M3 race cars in the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) starting from the 2012 season. The Bavarian company will be represented in the highly competitive championship by three teams, each entering two cars. The chosen teams are long-term partners BMW Team Schnitzer and BMW Team RBM, plus the newcomer Reinhold Motor sport GmbH.
Development of the M3 DTM car has been running at full speed in Munich for the past few months, with the first track tests are scheduled to begin this month. “The concepts presented by BMW Team RBM, BMW Team Schnitzer and Reinhold Motorsport GmbH ultimately convinced us. This is an excellent team line-up for BMW. For us, it is important that all three teams have absolute equal rights. We are looking forward to cooperating over the coming years – and hope to enjoy great success together,” said BMW Motor sport boss Mario Theissen.
No announcement has been made regarding the BMW driving line-up for the DTM. Of the three teams, only Schnitzer was part of BMW's DTM participation in the 80's and early 90's, winning the 1989 title.
BMW was officially involved in the DTM between 1987 and 1992, winning two titles with the M3 E30 in 1987 and 1989, with drivers Eric van de Poele and Roberto Ravaglia respectively. Before that, private team Gubin won the inaugural 1984 DTM season with Volker Strycek behind the wheel of a 635CSi.


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O.CT Brings 420 Ponies to the Audi TT RS

Need to add a some extra oomph to your Audi TT RS Roadster (or coupe, for that matter)? No worries, there's an army of tuners out there that will most gladly up the performance ante of your car. One of the latest tunes for Ingolstadt's TT RS model comes from O.CT which has developed a sport package that includes an engine kit, suspension upgrades and a set of alloy wheels.
Thanks to a new custom exhaust system, an ECU mod and some fiddling around with the turbo system, O.CT pushes output from 340HP to 450Nm to 420HP and 570Nm. The conversion also includes a KW coilover suspension and a set of lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels.

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ABT Adds Style to New Audi A7 Sportback

Less than month after ABT announced its plans to unveil its tuning take on the new Audi A7 Sportback at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group specialist has shared the first photos and details on its available packages.
The rather modest cosmetic upgrades include a front apron along with discreet side skirts and a rear apron that makes space for the new rectangular-shaped quad tail pipes. The luxury fastback's stance can be further enhanced with a lowering kit and a choice of various alloy wheels available in sizes from 19- to 21 inches.
ABT Sportsline also offers a variety of power kits for the A7's range of engines. Starting with the popular in Europe 3.0-liter V6 TDI, after the German firm's engineers tweak the turbo diesel unit, power jumps from 245HP to 282HP, while a second stage kit that brings an in-house turbo charger can boost the TDI's output to 310HP and 610Nm or 450 lb-ft of peak torque. For the gasoline lineup, ABT's offerings are limited for the time being to the 3.0-liter supercharged V6, which gets a jump from 300-horses to 410HP.

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New Car Audi A6 Hybrid for US

New car Audi A6 Hybrid is designed for U.S. and European markets. This car has a hybrid powertrain that combines Audi's 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct injection gasoline engines with electric motors. This combination gives the combined-245 hp. Audi A6 Hybrid has a fuel economy, estimated at just below 38 mpg. Hybrid powertrain uses 8-speed automatic transmission. transmission sends power to the front wheels. (Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system is not available in hybrid models.)

Audi A6 Hybrid can operate in a mode-own gas, electricity-alone mode, or a mixture of the two. When running only on electric power, Audio claims A6 has a maximum speed of 62 mph, accelerate to speeds that at about 7.3 seconds. Range car electric power alone is only about two miles.