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Report: Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari

Rumors are swirling that Ferrari may be contemplating a return to Le Mans racing as soon as 2015. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports the Italian automaker may apply the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine for Formula One to an LMP1 car for Le Mans, and have it ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two years. This follows hints made by Scuderia Ferrari CEO Stefano Domenicali last month that the newly developed F1 engine could be used for “some interesting projects.”

Ferrari has a history of success in Le Mans racing, though it hasn’t won the big endurance outright since 1965. The image above captures the exact moment when the No. 21 car of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt crossed the finish line that year to win the race. That win was the last of six consecutive outright victories before the infamous arrival of the Ford GT40 in 1966. Despite never reaching the top of the podium again, Ferrari’s nine wins still stand as the third most overall by a manufacturer behind Porsche (16) and Audi (11).

If Ferrari does return to Le Mans in 2015, the LMP1 class will suddenly be teaming with worthy competitors for Audi, which has dominated the race since 2000. After Peugeot’s exit from the sport in early 2012, Toyota entered the race in 2012 and has continued to develop its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 car. Porsche, meanwhile, is well into developing a new LMP1 car that will first compete in next year’s race.

Ferrari considering return to Le Mans racing in 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford Australia to kill off FPV by 2014 in advance of Mustang return

Filed under: Performance, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford, Australia

Ford Falcon XR8 - front three-quarter view, black

Ford seems to be having a good time yanking our friends in Australia about. First, there was the news that after 90 years, the Blue Oval would be ending Australian production, effectively killing the legendary Falcon sedan. Then, yesterday came the announcement that Oz would be getting the next-generation, global Ford Mustang in 2016. And now, we have news regarding Ford’s Australian tuning partner, FPV.

The group responsible for hot Falcons will be disbanded in 2014, according to Aussie newspaper The Age. FPV’s most recent creation, the GT Falcon, will be discontinued. This news isn’t a tremendous shock, as FPV was recently taken in-house by Ford. The tuning house’s death will not lead to any job loss.

Ford will reportedly continue building Falcons with the GT’s mechanicals, though. That means its 449-horsepower, supercharged V8 will live to fight another Holden. Along with the GT’s upgraded suspension and brakes, the new model will wear the unused XR8 badge, allowing Ford to continue building cars for enthusiasts without spending extra on the pricey styling bits of the GT Falcon.

The XR8 Falcon’s days will still be numbered, though. Falcon production is still on track to end, at which point the Mustang will look to take over the XR8’s performance reins. The Falcon will well and truly die when the Mustang takes over for it in the V8 Supercars series, and the US-built Taurus arrives to handle the sedan’s more domestic duties.

Ford Australia to kill off FPV by 2014 in advance of Mustang return originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years

Filed under: Classics, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Jeep, Military

Earlier this month, a very significant Jeep was celebrated at the Toledo North Assembly plant. No, it wasn’t the upcoming reincarnation of the Jeep Cherokee, but instead it was a 1943 Willys MB that visited the Toledo grounds where it had been built exactly 70 years ago to the day.

Of course, the actual building where the MBs rolled off the assembly line before heading to Europe for World War II no longer exists, but that didn’t stop Italian owner Vittorio Argento from having the vehicle shipped to the US to make its trek back to its birth place. According to Chrysler, Argento’s MB is still 95-percent original and it drove 1,000 miles from New Jersey to Toledo.

The whole adventure was chronicled on a blog aptly named A Jeep Comes Home. Scroll down for a brief video from Chrysler and for some photos of the Toledo visit and be sure to read more at Argento’s blog.

Continue reading Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years

Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Robert Kubica not expected to return to F1 before season’s end

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Renault

Robert Kubica

If you’ve been counting down the days until Robert Kubica returns to the Formula One grid, you may want to stop counting for now. The latest reports suggest that the Polish driver is not likely to return before the end of the season, if at all.

Kubica, for those who may not recall, suffered a terrible accident during the off-season while contesting a rally in Italy some four months ago. His car was impaled by a dislodged guardrail and Kubica sustained extensive injuries to his right-side limbs. Now released from hospital and recovering at home, Kubica’s boss – Lotus Renault GP chief Gerard Lopez – reportedly says it is not likely the star driver will be back by season’s end.

Renault may give Kubica the opportunity to test drive during a Friday test session on a grand prix weekend at some point, but that should not, Lopez warns, indicate that he’d be ready to relieve Nick Heidfeld and take on a full race. Whether Kubica ever gets back into racing form remains to be seen – his doctors are reserving judgment until the summer – but we wish him the best for a suitably speedy recovery.

Robert Kubica not expected to return to F1 before season’s end originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mulsanne-based Bentley Turbo R to return?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Bentley, Rumormill, Luxury

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Auto Express, Bentley may be working on a new version of its legendary Turbo R coupe. Word is that the new Turbo R would be a luxury super coupe based on the Mulsanne, packing close to 600 horsepower from a tuned version of the sedan’s twin-turbo 6.75-liter V8.

If Bentley builds the car, we could see it as early as 2013, possibly designed very similar to what you’d imagine a two-door Mulsanne would look like. Bentley is still mum on whether the car will be built, but if it is, it could serve as a fitting replacement for the aging Brooklands.

At this point, the Turbo R is still purely theoretical; with no confirmation about its existence, it’s hard to say for sure when it will debut or what it will actually look like. Look for more updates as they arrive.

Gallery: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne: Review

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

[Source: Auto Express]

Mulsanne-based Bentley Turbo R to return? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Alfa’s return to the U.S. delayed until 2013

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Design/Style, Fiat

Alfa Romeo Giulietta – Click above for high-res image gallery

Alfa Romeo is reported delaying its return to the States until 2013 because Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is unhappy with the proposed vehicle designs bound for the U.S. Marchionne cited manufacturing and styling issues that need fixing before the 2013 Alfa Romeo Giulia is ready to be released both in the States and abroad.

The delay pushes the Giulia back from a late-2012 release to sometime mid-2013, which leaves Alfa Romeo in the lurch in two continents. Without the Giulia, Alfa will have a gaping hole in its lineup and nothing to offer in the hotly-contested mid-range market.

Marchionne is also unhappy with efforts from Chrysler designers to retool the Giulia as a replacement for the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger, models which Fiat-Chrysler is hoping to debut in 2013. Since the two new Chryslers and the Giulia will share a platform, a delay for one means a delay for the others.

With the Giulia’s release postponed, Alfa will have to make do with a three-model lineup, comprised of the MiTo, the 159 and the Guilietta, until its new small SUV arrives in late 2012, followed by the Giulia the following year.

Gallery: Alfa Romeo Giulietta

[Source: AutoNews]

Report: Alfa’s return to the U.S. delayed until 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai vehicle return program ending tomorrow

Filed under: Car Buying, Hyundai, Earnings/Financials

Hyundai dealership window

Effective tomorrow, Hyundai is reportedly ending its vehicle return program, which allowed Hyundai owners who unexpectedly lost their income to return their cars. The program was a breakthrough when it was introduced in January, 2009 at the height of the global credit crunch.

According to Inside Line, only 350 people have taken advantage of the program, which fell under the blanket of the automaker’s Hyundai Assurance coverage package. With the job market slowly returning to a somewhat normal state and economic conditions on the rise, Hyundai apparently feels that the program has outlived its usefulness.

In the face of a worrying economy, Hyundai of America moved 538,228 vehicles in 2010. Despite the loss of the vehicle return program, the Korean automaker will apparently continue other programs associated with Hyundai Assurance, including its 10-year/100,000-mile warranty and five-year roadside assistance plan.

[Source: Inside Line | Image: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty]

Report: Hyundai vehicle return program ending tomorrow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Cadillac documents return to racing with CTS-V Coupe race car

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Videos, Cadillac, GM, Racing

cadillac cts-v coupe scca race car

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car comes to life – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Cadillac is pretty excited to head back to the race track. It’s no simple task, however, to go from luxury sports coupe to competitive racer in a short amount of time. Thus, the automaker is spending plenty of time making sure its got the CTS-V Coupe race car completely dialed in before heading off to compete in various SCCA events.

Cadillac is documenting this return to racing with a series of YouTube episodes titled Refueled: Return of the CTS-V. We have the trailer and episodes one through three waiting for you after the jump, showing the race cars’ origins, the build process and the Cadillac race team testing out on the track.

[Source: YouTube via 0-60mag.com]

Continue reading Videos: Cadillac documents return to racing with CTS-V Coupe race car

Videos: Cadillac documents return to racing with CTS-V Coupe race car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: De Tomaso Pantera will return in 2011

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Rumormill, MISC

De Tomaso Pantera

The De Tomaso Deauville concept debuted at the Geneva Motor Show to mostly disappointed reactions. Even if it wasn’t a re-dressed Cadillac SRX, it would be tough for anything to live up to the spectacular and long-running Pantera that DeTomaso is most commonly known for.

If you’re concerned that the new De Tomaso will descend the rat hole of unattractive milquetoast cars, fear not! The Pantera will be back. According to Pistonheads, De Tomaso will bring a new Pantera to the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. No further details are forthcoming, but it’s a glimmer of hope for enthusiasts.

[Source: Pistonheads | Photo: dave_28ca via Wikimedia Commons ]

Report: De Tomaso Pantera will return in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Aston Martin mulling return to straight-six engines?

Filed under: Aston Martin, Rumormill

Aston Martin logo

Aston Martin boss Dr. Ulrich Bez let the cat out of the bag this week, revealing that the automaker is seriously contemplating bringing back the straight-six engine. Up through the most recent DB7, Aston’s silky inline-sixes defined the brand.

According to Bez, if Aston decides to go back to its old standby, the engine would likely be a 2.5-liter unit sporting direct injection and a turbocharger. Dr. Bez’s thoughts have turned to engines since Aston’s universal VH platform won’t need updating for a few more years. According to Bez, getting a six-pot in the current architecture won’t be an issue, since V12s already slide in nicely.

We wouldn’t look for a six-cylinder Aston for at least another five years, but the idea of a turbocharged, six-cylinder Vantage-style baby Aston does pique our interest.

[Source: Piston Heads | Image: Drew Phillips/AOL]

Report: Aston Martin mulling return to straight-six engines? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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