Todt To Tell Teams Of GP Host Nation ‘Protocols’, McLaren Admits Victory Repeat In Malaysia Unlikely

FIA president Jean Todt will respond to the lingering saga following incidents involving Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber during the 2010 Australian GP.

Lewis Hamilton was charged by local Victorian police for doing a burnout on public roads late on Friday, prompting Mark Webber to slam the “nanny state” road laws that now exist in Australia.

Following high-level meetings in Australia on Tuesday, race promoter Ron Walker said Todt will respond by informing teams with a ”protocol” covering all the host nations on the the F1 calendar.

“The protocol will be about a list of what can be done in this country and the rules and regulations for the (other) places they visit,” he said.

“I actually don’t think he (Hamilton) knew he was breaking any laws or would have any problems doing wheel spin-outs.”

(GMM)

McLaren Admits Victory Repeat In Malaysia Unlikely

Two days after Jenson Button scored McLaren’s first win of the 2010 season, the British team has warned that a repeat in Malaysia this weekend is unlikely.

The MP4-25 car was better suited to Melbourne than it had been at the Bahrain season opener, but reigning world champion Button said on Tuesday: “I think we travel to Sepang mindful that the characteristics of the (Sepang) circuit probably won’t suit our car as well as it will suit some of the others.”

Teammate Lewis Hamilton played up the situation, noting that this year’s car “will be far better” in Malaysia than its predecessor was a year ago, when it qualified just 13th at Sepang.

But team boss Martin Whitmarsh said the Woking based team is “under no illusions” that it will be the “regular pacesetters” – presumably Red Bull and Ferrari – who will be “up at the front” this weekend.

Button, however, is not ruling out his chances of defending his title in 2010, with his Melbourne win propelling him to within 6 points of Fernando Alonso’s early lead.

“I always thought the (2010) title might be on. It’s a long season,” the Briton is quoted by the Mirror.

(GMM)

Heidfeld ‘Struggling’ To Adapt As F1 Reserve

Nick Heidfeld has revealed his struggle to adapt to merely watching qualifying at the Grands Prix from the reserve bench.

After holding out for the race seat in 2010, the 32-year-old is instead Mercedes’ reserve driver, due to Michael Schumacher deciding to mount a return to F1 following three years of retirement.

“It feels strange, especially when it’s just before qualifying, I’m struggling with it,” he told the German national newspaper FAZ.

“Before, it (qualifying) was always a moment where you had the adrenaline rush and then off you went. I really miss it,” said Heidfeld, who will be present for all 19 races this year in case Schumacher or Nico Rosberg are unable to race.

Heidfeld insists he does not regret his decision to turn down lesser offers this year in the hope of finding a “top team” to race with.

“I am convinced that I will get a place in a (race) car again, although of course I am worried and would prefer to be there now.”

2010 TopCar Bentley Continental GT Bullet

Bentley is known as one of the most popular names when it comes to high-end vehicles. They are known for providing the best possible creature comforts without compromising anything when it comes to performance. The company has introduced an option for Continental GT and Continental GT Speed owners to use a sleek Bullet body kit.
The 2010 TopCar Bentley Continental GT Bullet includes tinted front and rear lights, exhaust tips, a front bumper with a set LED daytime lights, front bumper lip and black window frames as well as lower side moldings. The aforementioned cater mostly to aesthetical value and convenience. The bonnet, GT Speed radiator grill and a pair of composite side skirts are meant to provide the system with better air intake through the additional provisions for air inlets. There is also a rear bumper and a diffuser as well as a rear wing. All these are mean to enhance the car’s performance and aerodynamics.

2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Teased: The Big Wing Is Back

Subaru has released a single solitary teaser image of the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. While little is known about mechanical and cosmetic updates, one thing is clear: the big wing is back.

The Japanese carmaker has offered no other details, confident that the wing alone will be enough to get STI enthusiasts eagerly awaiting its unveiling at this week’s New York Auto Show.

Last week, Subaru revealed the 2011 Impreza WRX, now wearing the WRX STI’s widebody flared guards in both hatch and sedan form.

While the teaser image above is clearly the ‘regular’ hatch STI, could we see a return to the STI’s sedan roots in 2011?

Watch this space for more details as they become available from New York.

Mazda To License Toyota Hybrid Drive Technology, First Hybrid Due 2013

Mazda has today announced that it will licence Toyota’s Hybrid Drive technology. Japanese-market sales of its first hybrid model will begin in 2013.

Mazda plans to combine Toyota’s hybrid technology with its upcoming Sky-G petrol engine, with an overall aim of increasing the company’s average fuel economy 30 percent by 2015 – compared to its 2008 levels.

Neither company has offered specific details on how Mazda will integrate the Hybrid Drive system with the Sky-G engine, or whether the deal will include the supply of transmissions and battery packs.

Mazda’s initial unveiling of the Sky-G and Sky-D engines in October last year was accompanied by the decision to skip hybrid technology, focusing purely on ultra-efficient petrol and diesel engines.

While Mazda has clearly changed its tack, it remains to be seen how big a role hybrid models will play in Mazda’s future line-up. A report in Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun last year claimed Mazda is aiming to sell tens of thousands of hybrids, with a hybrid Mazda3 among the first models to use the technology.

Mazda says the new Sky-G direct injection petrol engine offers significantly improved fuel economy – 15 percent greater than the carmaker’s current 2.0 litre engine – thanks largely to enhanced thermal efficiency.

Lexus LFA Special Edition Launched, Only 50 To Be Made

Only one day after announcing its return to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in May, a handful of images for the ‘warmed’ but blandly named Lexus LFA Special Edition leaked online.

Today, the Japanese luxury and supercarmaker has revealed official details for the Special Edition, launched to mark the LFA’s race return.

Lexus says the Special Edition will get a small power boost, rising from 412kW to 420kW – thanks, most likely, to a reprogrammed ECU. The time to 100km/h remains unchanged however, covered in the same 3.7 seconds. Top Speed is 325km/h.

Giving the LFA SE an advantage on the track over its ‘regular’ sibling, canards, a new front splitter and a GT-style fixed rear wing crafted from carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer feature on the new model.

A recalibrated transmission cuts 0.15 seconds from the LFA SE’s shift time, while stiffer suspension and special alloy wheels shod with semi-slick tyres round out the main technical tweaks.

Available in black, matte black, white and orange, the LFA Special Edition will account for 50 of the 500 LFAs available. Lexus has not revealed a price for the LFA SE.

2010 RDSport BMW M3 RS46

The BMW Company is well-known for being able to produce cars that are built for performance, comfort and luxury. The company has an impeccable taste for style and cutthroat driving performance. They have recently introduced the 2010 RDSport M3 RS46 in to the markets.

RDSport has recently introduced the use of a V8 4.6-liter engine that provides a great 524 horsepower in to the drive. The aluminum pistons used herein are forged, larger and lightweight. It also uses a billet crankshaft that has a longer stroke. The front brakes consist of 6-piston Aluminum block calipers and the back uses the same aluminum block calipers that has 4 pistons.

Other features can be used by M3 owners everywhere to further enhance their car. These would include diffusers, bumpers, body kits, etc. These are all meant to further enhance the car’s performance especially in terms of giving the intake the extra airflow that it needs.

Vehiclez: Yahoo!’s Flickr

Hello!

We have finally decided to enter the famous photo sharing website Flickr. You will be finding most of the pictures from the new posts, which we are posting regularly. We upload only HIGH RESOLUTION images on Flickr. So, as you visit Vehiclez, don’t forget to visit Flickr. You can click the images and you will be directed to Flickr in new window!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT RIGHT NOW!

We don’t mind if you share the images. Have fun!

-from management team

2010 ART Mercedes-Benz G Streetline

The ART G Streetline was inspired from the Mercedes Benz G55K. This is a modified version that has been expertly tuned. This is mostly focused on SUVs. This is especially applicable to those that has been recently introduced overseas – particularly in Dubai.

The G Streetline offers a supercharged V8 5.5-liter engine that can take on the challenge of the roads. This can provide great driving performance with the help of the modifications and tuning that has been done to enhance its handling. It uses a boost kit as well as the signature xenon headlamps and lighting system to give the vehicle the advantage to drive under different lighting conditions. According to ART, the main feature of the G Streetline is the single seat system. There are two-individual seats in this vehicle that can be electronically heated and adjusted to suit the comforts of those who will use it.

2009 KW Dodge Challenger

The 2009 KW Dodge Challenger has been able to mark its place in the KW books with their development of the car to make it one of the most unique performance cars on the market. They have been able to refine the Dodge as they have taken the earlier models in to consideration for them to make the engineering more efficient. This can be considered as a modified approach to the traditional American muscle car.

This car packs quite a wallop with the use of a powerful 425 horsepower from a 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine. It used HRE wheels and a K&N sport air filter as well as a newly redesigned exhaust system. The prime pipe of the exhaust system is an 18-inch pipe. It then roots down to the four 3.5-inch end pipes. They have also offered a variant on the coil over system that uses 1 inox line that is featured to have a stainless steel casing.

GM Developing New Twin-Turbo V6 To Combat Ford EcoBoost Engine: Report

Reports out of the US today suggest that GM is nearing completion of a new twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 engine, bearing the Regular Production Option (RPO) code ‘LF3′ – possibly an extension of the naturally-aspirated 3.0 litre V6 LF1 engine offered in a number of GM models.

While specific power figures are unknown, American website GM Inside News reports that the new engine will rival Ford’s new 272kW EcoBoost engine. For now, GM offers only a 2.8 litre V6 – in the Cadillac SRX – producing around 225kW and 400Nm of torque.

Production of the LF3 engine will reportedly begin in late 2011 or early 2012, with the upcoming Cadillac XTS likely to be the first model to gain the new engine.

Speculation in the media this week also suggests that GM might look to install the new engine into the Camaro, a rumour likely inspired by the twin-turbo 3.6 litre Camaro shown at last year’s SEMA tuner and aftermarket parts show.