Monday, January 31, 2011
Chevrolet to speed up Volt rollout
Chevrolet has announced plans to launch the Volt in all 50 states by the end of 2011. Details inside
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/PAy5Suo-bXE/chevrolet-to-speed-up-volt-rollout
Red Bull, Mercedes and two more car launches today
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/ch076Cq5L80/
Scale ruler
Where can I buy a 1:24th scale ruler? also, is there a conversion chart somewhere?
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/933470.aspx
AUTOS: Fiat 500 Variations Poised For US
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-fiat-500-variations-poised-for-us/
Sauber C30 hits the track in Valencia | 2011 F1 cars
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/x7_y7W6FLSA/
Fernando Alonso Q&A: ?The pressure I put on myself is high?
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/01/28/fernando-alonso-qa-the-pressure-i-put-on-myself-is-high/
"JUNKERS" AND "BEATERS" Post 'em here if you got one!!
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/426698.aspx
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Aston Martin DBS
For those of you who know me, lately, I have taken to adding a short story to some of my WIPs. My new project comes with a new storyline featuring a new character and not related to any of my previous storylines. This WIP is focused more on the build than the story. The story is only to show what is influencing my WIP.
The Build
The kit is the Tamiya Aston Martin DBS.
The paint is Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf. The interior will be shades of dark gray.
If I have any disappointments about this kit, it has to be the body. The mold lines are quite noticable. It is unfortunate since the body is molded in a nice shade of metallic gray that would look fantastic if polished.
The Story
Mr. Allen is a long time spy who has worked for just about every letter agency in the government and for some agencies that don't officially exist. His last mission, though technically a success, nearly cost him his life and after a considerable amount of time recuperating from his wounds, he is given an office job for the Department. But, coping with the cold winter in Washington, DC is difficult for him and he retires from the Department to a warmer climate in the Florida Keys. Getting there will require one last "job". Finding the double agent in the Department who almost got him killed.
More to come.....
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/934250.aspx
Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
Petrov Secures Seat For 2011 and 2012 at Lotus Backed Renault Team
Aston Martin Rapide True Power film Part III [video]
Third installment in online series advances the plot then it doesn't as the Aston Martin Rapide winds its way through the Portuguese countryside. 
Michael Schumacher has no regrets
Michael Schumacher has admitted he "feels good" about his decision to race in Formula One again.
The German driver, who won the world Drivers' Championship seven times, has had a disappointing 2010 season. He had been expected to challenge for the title but ended the season ninth in the standings with 72 points.
He couldn't even beat his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who finished 70 points ahead of him in seventh place.
This ...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/XPnEyiQ-Rws/michael-schumacher-has-no-regrets
Saturday, January 29, 2011
'The point of no confidence is quite near'
 The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona |
?Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. ?Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.?A little more than a year later Rindt's Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Alessandro PesentiRossi Josef Peters Ronnie Peterson Vitaly Petrov*
Nelson Piquet Jnr explains infamous crash
Nelson Piquet Jnr has revealed he felt 'good' when asked by his former employers at Renault to crash his F1 car.
The incident, which took place at the Singapore Grand Prix during the 2008 season, went to court after Piquet sued Renault for libel after they claimed the Brazilian had lied about the orders he was given to crash.
Piquet has come out and described the crash which he was ordered ...
JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
MINI Paceman will be launched in 2013 - report
A a new report is indicating the MINI Paceman will go into production in late 2012, ahead of its launch in 2013. 
Ayrton Senna vs Jack Brabham | Champion of Champions
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/GKxrvVMXWOU/
Ringing the changes for 2011
Well, here we go then, my first blog of a new year - and it will take me a while to type it. I've just returned from a skiing trip to France and used so many muscles that even my fingers ache. Mind you, I've promised my wife Harriet a six-pack as a New Year's resolution for the past few years so maybe it's actually the perfect start to 2011!
It may only be January but another F1 season will be upon us before we know it - and judging by the tweets I've been receiving it can't come soon enough for lots of you! There's a lot going on and you might have read about changes to the BBC team - I'll come onto those in a bit.
But there is no doubt that since taking this job it feels as though my life has has entered a warp-speed stage. I look at the calendar ahead of the season and feel rather daunted by the travel, the hours of live television, the garish Eddie Jordan outfits and the drama that awaits us... but before I know it, we'll be at the final race of the year with the champion crowned.
The winter break is the same. Knowing when the season starts meant that even before we signed off in Abu Dhabi we had already announced how many weeks it was until the 2011 season. So I've spent most of the winter (in between sore throats/colds/flu) ticking off the weeks until we're back in Bahrain.
I can't believe it's time to turn our attention towards Sebastian Vettel's defence of his crown already.
Coulthard (right) will dove-tail his pundit's role with his new commentating duties. Photo: Getty
I vividly remember coming off air in November, having signed off from the final F1 Forum of 2010, and immediately feeling really down. I mentioned it to Martin Brundle, who told me that it's par for the course. After giving so much both mentally and physically to a gruelling nine-month schedule, it's natural that you experience a dip the moment the adrenalin leaves your body and the slog is over.
Mind you, my dip wasn't quite as big as Ferrari's, was it? I'm sure over the winter you've read the revelations that team principal Stefano Domenicali considered walking away after the Scuderia's strategy calls contributed to Red Bull's double success. Well, to understand what Domenicali must have been feeling, you need to realise how much emotion is involved in a sport more famed for its technical element.
Many of the Red Bull engineers and mechanics have worked for that team throughout all the name changes, back-of-the-field struggles and double retirements they have experienced in less successful years, so you can imagine the outpouring of joy that greeted Vettel's title in Abu Dhabi. And from men who spend their days in the macho world of racing there were plenty of tears as the best partiers in the paddock lived up to their reputation of working hard and playing hard, too.
As I left them to their celebrations, I walked into the pit lane and looked along the garages, where I was met with the clearest example of what suspect calls on the pit wall can lead to.
Right next door to the loud music and joy emanating from the Red Bull garage, there was just one lonely mechanic standing and talking on the phone in a still, silent Ferrari garage.
The money they'd spent, the car they'd devoted thousands of hours to, the flights they'd taken and the dreams they'd had eventually came to nothing. The car was now obsolete, the season over and all because of one split-second decision on the pit wall. That is what makes this such a fascinating sport.
I think we all felt a bit odd at the end of the season. Imagine how it was for our own former Red Bull driver David Coulthard, seeing the team you raced for achieving the ultimate success. He must have had all sorts of emotions.
You'll get the chance to hear for yourself next season just how emotional grand prix racing makes David because, as well as chasing around the paddock with Eddie and me, he is stepping up into the commentary box.
I'm really excited about a 13-time winner sharing his knowledge in the race with you. Remember, David has raced most of the guys on the grid, has first-hand experience of the inner workings of current champions Red Bull and, most importantly, has driven contemporary F1 machinery.
There is no doubt that it is a daunting prospect for him but I think he will fly once he settles in. I always tell him that the pre- and post-race "waffle", as I jokingly refer to it, is important and an interesting way of adding depth to a race weekend. However, we don't directly affect people's enjoyment of the actual racing.
In my mind, the commentary is a somewhat more responsible role for that reason and is also the trickiest job going. I wouldn't swap the pit lane for the commentary box for all the sand in Bahrain!
Although David is moving to the commentary box, the 'three-o' of myself, DC and EJ will remain. We love working together and, when you get an on-screen chemistry that people seem to enjoy, it would be foolish to break it up.
However, David will need to hustle his white jeans to the commentary box a little earlier so immediately pre- and post-race will be a chance for EJ to get on his soap box and share his views at a time when the audience is joining us in their droves for the racing.
The most fascinating part of any race weekend for me has always been settling down to watch the grand prix with Eddie and David as they discuss the race unfolding while regaling me with anecdotes of their first-hand experience. Well, I won't get that anymore but my loss is certainly your gain and I think we've a really strong team in place for 2011.
And who will be alongside David in the box? His long-time friend, one-time business partner and full-time expert on the sport - Martin Brundle.
Martin has had more races behind the microphone than behind the wheel - and what better qualifications can you have than to have taken part in the sport for so long, commentating on almost every race for the past 14 years? I thought in 2010 his instincts, ability to read the race and general enthusiasm for the sport he has dedicated his life to were as prevalent as ever.
I don't envy the work that lies ahead for Martin, though. It might seem like a small change on paper but, in reality, while DC will be sharing his views on drivers, strategy and taking us as close to the cockpit as possible, Martin will need to be aware of every little story, political development and technical development as he calls the action. Racing drivers only exist to be the best, so expect to see him giving it his all to make it a huge success.
Clearly, however, the changes I've talked about mean that Jonathan Legard will no longer be part of our team - I know I'm going to really miss him.
I first met 'Ledgy', as we affectionately call him, at Craven Cottage, where we were both covering football. It was November 2008 and we had both been lined up for the new F1 season. We got talking and were both brimming with excitement and anticipation about the adventure ahead.
I remember before the 2009 season started and we were both incredibly nervous about taking on something as important and prestigious as F1 and I told him how worried I was about the challenge ahead. His instant reply was: "We can both either have an easy life or an exciting life and I know which one I want!"
That is typical Jonathan - always encouraging, incredibly enthusiastic, a good friend to us all, and without doubt the hardest working member of the BBC's F1 team, doing an incredibly difficult job. I know I speak for every member of the production when I say we're all going to miss his entertaining company and his absolute dedication to the job. All the best for the future Jonathan!
One thing you may well also miss is standard-definition coverage. Finally, we are delighted to bring you F1 in high definition, which I think will make the sport even more dramatic and addictive than ever.
So why will you miss SD? Well, mainly because in HD I think Eddie's shirts might be un-viewable. I've warned him, but I'm still expecting something outrageous come March!
So, the clock is ticking for the new season and March will be here in a flash. We have a new Indian driver, a new Indian Grand Prix, the prospect of three British drivers battling it out if Scottish DTM champ Paul di Resta gets the nod at Force India, six world champions on the grid... and once again the whole season will be live and uninterrupted of the BBC.
I can't wait to share the 2011 season with you all. Feel free to leave comments below about the kind of stuff you would like to see in our coverage this year and remember that throughout the season I post plenty of exclusive pictures and other juicy stuff on my Twitter page.
Eight weeks and counting...
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/01/ringing_the_changes_for_2011.html
Rolls-Royce Phantom EW by Wald International
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Extend Wheelbase is an exceedingly rare car, but Wald International has just unveiled a new styling package for the luxury behemoth. 
Toro Rosso Announce 2011 Launch Date
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/toro-rosso-announce-2011-launch-date/
Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever Andrea Chiesa
WRC: Quesnel: Solberg relations better now
Quesnel: Solberg relations better now By David Evans Friday, January 28th 2011, 07:12 GMT Citroen team principal Olivier Quesnel says working with Petter Solberg on last week's Monte Carlo Rally has helped his relationship with the Norwegian ahead of this year. Related posts:- IRC: Solberg impresses Peugeot in Monte Solberg impresses Peugeot in Monte By David Evans Saturday, January...
- IRC: Solberg enters Monte with Peugeot Solberg enters Monte with Peugeot By Matt Beer Monday, December...
- IRC: Hanninen: Solberg isn’t beaten yet Hanninen: Solberg isn't beaten yet By David Evans Thursday, January...
Source: http://doxcar.com/wrc-quesnel-solberg-relations-better-now/
Friday, January 28, 2011
MINI Cooper Mat Edition
Special edition MINIs are nothing new to us, so when word spreads that the brand is going to release a new limited run model, we shrug our shoulders because we pretty much have an idea of what to expect. The only time a special edition MINI catches our attention is when the car looks stunning enough to make us want to actually buy one.
For better or for worse, the Cooper Mat Edition fits that description to a tee. The good news is that we absolutely love it, despite the minimal changes done to it relative to other special edition MINIs. The matte black paint finish usually has something to do with it, but in this case, the overall stealth and sleek look certainly makes it a barn-burning, head-turning, smoke-belching piece of machinery.
The bad news is that it?s going to be run on only 250 units making it a little more difficult to scoop one up. Unfortunately, though, that?s not even the worst part. As if the 250 units isn?t bad enough, the cars are being sold exclusively in France. Yep. France. Land of the Louvre and the Eiffel.
So much for getting our dibs in on this special edition MINI?
Details on the MINI Cooper Mat Edition after the jump.
MINI Cooper Mat Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 28 January 2011 13:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/mini/2011-mini-cooper-mat-edition-ar103881.html
Fernando Alonso drives first laps in the Ferrari F150 | 2011 F1 testing
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/XGRZ25hO4aA/
Vitantonio Liuzzi Dries van der Lof Lella Lombardi Ricardo Londoño
Ferrari to launch F150 in Maranello today | F1 Fanatic round-up
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/W9BogshpN2Q/
Show Us Your 1:1 Replica Builds!
Ever build an exact copy of someone's actual 1:1 car? Maybe Dad's old DeSoto? Your brother's Mustang? Even your sister's VW? Then SHOW US! (If you can, post a photo of the real car along with the model)
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/805524.aspx
Toro Rosso Announce 2011 Launch Date
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/toro-rosso-announce-2011-launch-date/
Ferrari Four FF Concept prowls the night [video]
Video footage shows Ferrari FF Concept night testing at the Balocco Circuit in northern Italy. 
Vettel?s contract
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/vettels-contract/
Noble M600 announced for April launch
After a number of setbacks, Noble has announced the M600 will be launched in April. 
