Volvo Going Racing with Rear-Drive Volvo S60

Now that the production 2011 Volvo S60 has launched, Volvo is turning its attention to the race track. The Belgian arm of the Swedish automaker outlined the first details of its entry into 2010 the Belgian Touring Car Series, which begins April 11.

The BTCS is a six-race endurance series. Most races consist of two 90-minute heats, while a 12-hour race occurs at legendary Spa-Francorchamps. Competition includes BMW, Audi, Jaguar, and Volkswagen.



The racing S60 falls under Silhouette S1 specification, meaning all cars must use a tubular chassis, identical front and rear suspension, aerodynamics, and an engine no larger than 3500 cubic-centimeters.

The team's goal, including drivers Vincent Radermecker and Eric Van De Poele, is to get acquainted with the new car, per manager Thomas Neri. "Our main objective is to get up to speed and to compete well in the various heats. Next season we hope to put our own in-house developed engine in the car," he said in a press release.

Volvo S60 BTCS Silhouette S1 Specs:
Chassis: Tubular frame
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-drive
Drivetrain: 3500cc V-6, six-speed sequential transmission
Output: 410 hp, 304 lb-ft
Suspension, f;r: Independent, 3-way adjustable shocks; independent, 3-way onboard adjustable shocks
Brake, f;r: 15.0-in rotor, 6-piston caliper; 14-in rotor, 6-piston caliper
Wheels, f;r: 10 x 18-in; 12 x 18-in
Tires, f;r: Michelin 27/65/18; 30/65/18

In related news, Polestar Performance, the team behind Volvo's Swedish Touring Car Team, has announced a road car project based off the C30. Details are slim, but the racing team says the C30 will boast 395 horsepower, all-wheel-drive, and aerodynamic tricks used in racing.
"Polestar has probably spent more time than anyone else in the world to get speed out of the C30, and this time we can realize ideas without being halted by specific race regulations," said Jan Andersson, team technical director.

The project will debut at the Gothenburg auto show between April 22 and 25. Fans can follow project updates at Polestar's Web site.

-By Carlos Lago

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Spyker Set to Sell its Cars in Select Saab Showrooms

Spyker had promised to keep its chocolate discrete from Saab's peanut butter, but it appears Saab's new corporate parent may soon sell its high-end sports cars in Saab showrooms.

"We are signing up Spyker dealerships left, right, and center," Spyker CEO Victor Muller recently told Bloomberg.


Presently, Spyker has only 35 retail outlets across the globe, but that will soon change. Spyker plans on offering its wares -- including the new C8 Aileron -- through a number of select Saab dealerships. Spyker hopes to nearly double its sales network to 60 outlets by the end of this year, and bump that total to 90 by the end of 2011. Doing so may help Spyker move more than the 36 vehicles it sold in 2009.

Adding Spyker models to Saab showrooms will be a big change for most dealers, as pricing and clientele tied to Spyker cars are quite different from that of Saab vehicles. A 2010 Spyker C8 Aileron costs $219,190, while Saab's new 9-5 Aero -- the most expensive Saab model at this time -- starts at $49,990.

Still, every extra dealer helps -- and the extra showrooms are but one of the many Saab resources Spyker hopes to utilize to its benefit. The automaker has previously mentioned using Saab's engineering staff and resources (including the company's wind tunnel laboratory in Trollhattan, Sweden) for new vehicles, and may benefit from lower prices on generic parts that can be used Spyker and Saab models. Muller hopes these moves will help Spyker turn a profit -- something it hasn't done since going public in 2004.

"Spyker will be profitable in its own right, very much helped by its sister Saab," said Muller. "It's wonderful that the company that saved Saab is also benefiting from having done that in its own business."

Source: automobi

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Rent A Racer: Audi Race Experience Program Puts You in Race-Spec R8

Forget the fantasy baseball camp -- if you've got a good chunk of change at hand, we'd recommend signing up for Audi's Race Experience program, which will ultimately put you behind the wheel of a race-prepped R8 LMS on the famed Nürburgring.

The program, crafted in partnership with Team Joest, essentially allows participants to play race car driver for a day. After a series of driving lessons (including earning a current racing license), participants will field one of two Joest-owned R8 LMS cars in a VLN race on the 'Ring. Joest and Audi Sport will provide everything else needed to go racing, including tires, fuel, a pit crew, telemetry -- and, if so desired, a professional co-driver.

"For the first time, customers have the opportunity to participate in a race with a professional Audi 'factory' team without having to enter a long-term commitment, or making a high financial investment," said Klaus Demel, head of Audi's Driving Experience programs.

Demel's last point may be true -- this will be less expensive than sponsoring and running an entire race team on your own -- but we don't expect the Race Experience program to come cheap. Audi hasn't talked pricing, but seeing as there are more costs to amortize than the company's Sportscar Experience (which runs roughly $3500 for a two-day program), we know this experience will carry a lengthy bill.

If cost is no object to you, add this to your bucket list -- and quickly. Team Joest is only running these cars in six VLN races at the Nürburgring, so despite the high prices, expect openings to disappear quickly.

Source: Audi

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Toyota Has No Plans to Return to Formula 1

A difficult economy forced Toyota to withdraw from Formula 1, but don't expect the automaker to return to the series should the automotive industry improve. Corporate officials -- even those once tied to the F1 program -- admit the racing series doesn't reach its customer base.

"There is a big gap between Formula 1 and Toyota's actual [owners]," said Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota's Senior Managing Director. "President [Akio] Toyoda's stance on motorsports is geared more to the customer."

Although Yamashima himself broke down in tears when Toyoda held a press conference last year to announce the F1 withdrawal, the executive seems to have adopted a new perspective on the race series. In an interview with Automotive News, Yamashima says F1 has grown far too "elitist" for Toyota's tastes.

"For the fortunate few who can afford to [stroll an F1 paddock,], it's fine. I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race."

Although F1 isn't on the company's radar, Toyota will remain involved in other motorsports series, including those that do allow spectators to have greater access to drivers and cars alike. Expect Toyota-badged vehicles to remain a part of NASCAR and NHRA, but Toyoda -- a gentleman racer himself -- has pledged to increase the company's activity in grassroots motorsports.

Toyota first joined the F1 grid in 2002, but after seven years of activity, failed to garner a single victory. Along with BMW, the manufacturer was one of two auto companies to walk away from the F1 circus at the end of the 2009 season. Honda withdrew after a dismal 2008 campaign but laid the groundwork for the championship-winning Brawn GP team last year.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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Ohio Ruling Allows Speeding Tickets to be Issued Based on Visual Estimates

It seems the most elaborate radar detector or laser jammer may do you absolutely no good if you're driving in Ohio. The state's Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a decision that allows speeding convictions to be upheld based simply on a police officer's visual estimate of the driver's speed.

Nearly two years ago, motorist Mark Jenney was clocked going 82 mph in a 60 mph zone in Copely, Ohio. During the hearing, Officer Christopher Santimarino reportedly failed to produce proper certification documentation for the clocking device, making the evidence useless. However, Santimarino's 13-year tenure, paired with visual speed estimation training by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy allowed his approximate to be taken into consideration. Santimarino's training reportedly allows him to estimate vehicle speeds within four mph of the actual velocity, but he did estimate Jenney's speed at 70 mph -- a far cry from what the device stated.

After appealing the decision, an appeals court ruled against Jenney. Not the least bit dismayed, Jenney ultimately continued appealing the decision until it reached the Ohio Supreme Court. In a 5-1 vote, the court upheld the lower courts' decision that an officer's judgment is enough to surmount the state's burden of proof.

"A majority of the appellate districts that have considered the issue have held that an officer's testimony that, in his opinion, a defendant was traveling in excess of the speed limit is sufficient to sustain a conviction for speeding," said Justice Maureen O'Connor. "We hold that a police officer's unaided visual estimation of a vehicle's speed is sufficient evidence to support a conviction for speeding if the officer is trained. Independent verification of the vehicle's speed is not necessary to support a conviction for speeding."

Justice Terrence O'Donnell, the single opponent to the vote, wrote an opinion arguing the court had just created a ruling implying a police officer's testimony is always correct.

"Like any other witness, a police officer's credibility is to be determined by the jury or other fact-finder," O'Donnell wrote.

You be the judge -- is this a fair verdict for Jenney, or a bum rap for motorists in Ohio? Regardless of your opinion, we have one recommendation: keep a careful watch on your speedometer when traveling through the Buckeye state.

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, Thenewspaper, automobilemag

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Hyundai Tiburon Replacement First Headed to U.K. in 2011

The long-rumored successor to the Hyundai Tiburon will be stopping in the United Kingdom before coming to the States.

The compact Hyundai two-door, known as the Coupe in the U.K., is slated to go on sale in Britannia in early 2011 according to U.K. outlet Autocar. The British rag recently spotted the compact four-seater in the flesh on a trip to South Korea and noted the small Hyundai looks exceptionally similar to the oft-mentioned Veloster concept. The upcoming 2+2 Coupe will be equipped with Hyundai's direct-injected 1.6-liter inline-four developing around 140 horsepower.

If the Coupe makes it to the United States under the resurrected Tiburon nameplate, it will provide a more affordable (and front-wheel drive) alternative to the Genesis Coupe. Expected to arrive in Fall 2011 for the U.S., Hyundai hopes to achieve 40 mpg without a hybrid powertrain and take on the Honda CR-Z. A high-performance model may also be in the works.

The new Hyundai coupe will make its European debut at the Paris motor show this October.

Source: Autocar,automobilemag

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Report: Saab in Talks with BMW on Underpinnings, Engines for Revived 92

It’s no secret that Saab is hard at work on plans to reintroduce its 92, but it’ll need some help to before the car can be produced. The automaker is preparing to enter into talks with BMW to do just that.

Instead of developing a costly platform from scratch, Saab is in talks with BMW to source underpinnings for the car. Saab is reportedly eyeing Mini’s architecture to underpin the new 92. Saab CEO Victor Muller wants the brand’s new model to closely resemble the teardrop shape of the original car, which was dropped from the Saab lineup in 1956.


According to the report, Saab is also looking into sourcing engines and transmissions from Mini. Mini currently offers 1.6-liter naturally aspirated and turbocharged inline four-cylinder engines here in the States, and 1.4-liter gasoline and 1.6-liter diesel I-4 powerplants are available also. Transmission choices are limited to six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.

With Saab trying to regain market share, this would be a great move for the marque, but the 92 would be a direct competitor of the Mini Cooper. Although producing components in larger quantities would be beneficial to lower costs, we’re not sure it’s a great idea for Mini to bolster its own competition.

Would it be a good move for Mini to help Saab, or would it cannibalize its own sales?

Source: Reuters and automobilemag

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