Allard J2X MK II Roadster to go on sale in Europe


It ran around the world?s streets before our time, but the Allard J2X roadster was one of the most awesome cars to be produced in the UK back in the 50?s. Apart from its sheer awesomeness ? a number of prominent people were fans of the roadster, including Carroll Shelby and Steve McQueen - the J2X was also unbelievably rare, with only 83 models being built from 1951 to 1954 before finally vanishing from the face of the planet.

Okay, the car?s unceremonious end wasn?t that exaggerated, but the car did run for only three years. That is until the Canada-based Allard Motor Works decided to produce the long-overdue successor to the J2X, the J2X MK II Roadster. The look is undeniably not one you?d mistake for a modern-day roadster, but for what it?s worth, that?s what makes the car so appealing. It?s the perfect combination of classic styling meeting new-school performance specs, giving you a modern-day classic that can hold its own against any of the new-blood sports cars running around the world?s streets these days. The car will eventually be sold in Europe through UK dealers Premium Classic Cars.

Details after the jump.

Allard J2X MK II Roadster to go on sale in Europe originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 15 November 2010 19:00 EST.

read more




Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/allard-j2x-mk-ii-roadster-to-go-on-sale-in-europe-ar100009.html

Philippe Etancelin Bob Evans Corrado Fabi Teo Fabi

Pressure mounts on Webber most of all

Mark Webber, typically, cut to the chase when weighing up what could be the weekend of his life with a colleague.

"It's simple, mate," he said. "Put it on pole, then disappear!"

As long as Fernando Alonso, the championship leader, finishes third or worse behind the Australian in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it would be that simple.

Webber would be champion, with no need for a last-lap shuffle from team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and Red Bull would have completed a deserved double entirely in keeping with chief technical officer Adrian Newey's magnificent RB6 design.

But little in this switchback season has been straightforward - particularly at Red Bull, where Vettel could have wrapped up the title some races ago had he had greater reliability.

Instead, he and his older team-mate find themselves chasing Alonso who, remember, was 47 points off the lead following the British Grand Prix in July.

"All the pressure is on Red Bull this weekend," according to one team manager with recent championship success. "And the biggest load is on Webber.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.



"He's not a young driver and you don't get many chances like this. Vettel will have many more days to challenge for the title. The team clearly back him."

"As for Fernando, he's been there already - twice."

Webber's outburst about his team's lack of driver equality before the last race in Brazil was interpreted by many as evidence that he's feeling the heat.

And those same observers viewed his quiet, reserved performance here in front of the world's media alongside his three rivals as another display of nerves.

Contrast his demeanour with Vettel's front row smiles, they were saying last night.

Consider Alonso's matter-of-fact handling of any barbed team orders related probing and Hamilton's back row cheeriness: "The guys in front of me have everything to lose, so for me I'm going to be flat out as always."

Hamilton's role could be a significant curve-ball if he can repeat his pole-winning lap of last year. But let's stay with Webber for the moment.

A one-time Jaguar official who worked with the Australian at the team and still works within Formula 1 gave me an interesting slant on his comments in Brazil.

"Mark seems to need to rev himself up, needs to feel he's got to fight something," my source said.

"He's a strong character and a good driver but for some reason he doesn't always show it unless he's gets himself wound up."

Red Bull's Mark Webber

Will Webber keep his nerve in Abu Dhabi? Photo: Getty Images

His race-winning performance at Silverstone was a case in point. Vettel got the only new, surviving front wing off Webber's car before qualifying.

The Aussie got the hump. But he also got the victory - fast and furious to the end.
That was in the middle of his purple patch which continued until the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August, when he was second to Hamilton.

Webber has not been on pole since then, and has not won a race since Hungary, the grand prix before Spa. He has been out-qualified by his team-mate at the last five events.

He lost valuable points by crashing in Korea, where he also lost the lead in the championship - which he had held for the longest period of anyone this season - to the driver he rates the strongest on the grid, Alonso.

So it is easy to see why so many in the F1 paddock believe Webber faces the greatest challenge of all the contenders this weekend to fulfil an ambition that's been losing momentum at the wrong time.

Essentially, it's now or never.

Even Webber admitted on Thursday that age is against him to enjoy more opportunities like this.

Indeed, one leading driver manager even suggested to me that, whatever happened this weekend, Webber's position at Red Bull was untenable.

"If he's champion, he should get out at the top. If he doesn't win the title, then why would he want to be in a team where he feels his team-mate is being treated differently?" he said.

By contrast, the Alonso Fan Club nodded sagely at the Spaniard's cool fatalism yesterday.

"I will not have anything to be disappointed about in 2010," Alonso said.

"This first year of the relationship we are fighting for the world championship in the last race against two Red Bulls who are dominating by far in terms of speed so overall I don't think it matters on Sunday."

Um, really?

Make no mistake, Alonso and Ferrari will be going all out to win the title on Sunday, however much they make out it would be an unexpected bonus.

But this chance has been as much to do with Red Bull's fallibility as Ferrari's remarkable recovery from a desperate mid-season slump which was threatening to turn the screw on team principal Stefano Domenicali.

If anybody can drive to a title-winning script on Sunday to join a select club including previous three time winners like Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Sir Jackie Stewart, it is Alonso.

He is the man in front, with the experience of his 2005 and 2006 triumphs, seemingly able to work out the points as effortlessly as the strategy.

Above all, he knows that his rivals all have to beat him on the track to have a chance of the 2010 championship, whereas he could do the job even if he failed to finish through a mistake or a breakdown.

Vettel, who must have nightmares about that engine failure when leading in Korea, has appeared like a man who will be driving more in hope than expectation of coming first or second to have any chance of becoming F1's youngest champion.

The prospect of waving through Webber has not fazed him because both of them know their first priority is getting ahead, and staying ahead of Alonso before any switch comes into the equation.

And that is where Lewis Hamilton fits in.

He accepts that he is clearly the outsider of the four contenders; 24 points off the lead, he's all but written off his chances

But if the McLaren performs like last year - extra straight-line speed from the F-duct instead of last year's Kers power boost - on Abu Dhabi's two big straights, the 2008 champion could be the joker in the championship pack.

Hamilton gave a hint of what might be in the offing with his pace in second practice, especially in the final sector where he was supreme.

Another McLaren pole position backed up by race reliability, and those carefully prepared championship permutations at Red Bull and Ferrari will be crucial props in a juggling act which could keep us guessing until the final lap of the final race of this momentous season.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jonathanlegard/2010/11/webber-feeling-the-pressure.html

George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard

Shelby EXP500 Timepiece by MARCH LA.B


In 1968 Carol Shelby unveiled the Shelby EXP 500, a Mustang hardtop double prototype dubbed the ?Green Hornet? that was powered by a fuel injected 428 CJ ?X? engine and outfitted with a ?68 Shelby custom hood and independent suspensions. Being a one of a kind model, this hot muscle car is a very valuable collector car, and one that deserves the honor of being paid tribute to in the form of a limited edition watch. MARCH LA.B has done just that with their Shelby EXP500 Timepiece

"This car is a part of the Shelby history," noted Jerome Mage, creative director of MARCH LA.B. "We designed the watch to celebrate one of Carroll?s greatest automotive creations. The timepiece includes the finest materials and craftsmanship that reflects Carroll?s car designs."

There will only be 200 Shelby EXP500 Timepieces available, each featuring a wood dial face that replicates the original dash of the muscle car along with Shelby?s signature and Cobra logo. The watch also gets a genuine leather buffle perforated style with green leather lining, an anti-reflective domed glass with sapphire logo, and a screwed case back with Glass encrusted Shelby logo.

Prices for this tributary watch have yet to be announced, but we highly doubt a timepiece that honors such a unique vehicle is going to come cheap.

Press release after the jump.

Shelby EXP500 Timepiece by MARCH LA.B originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 12 November 2010 20:00 EST.

read more




Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/shelby-exp500-timepiece-by-march-lab-ar99862.html

Gary Brabham Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla

Citroen Traction Hotrod

I had this car sitting in a box and I didn't know what to do with it, then I saw on a website a guy that transformed it into a hot rod. I thought that I might as well give it a try! the car has a metal body and a plastic shassis, I am going to chop the front wings of and put a v8 chevy 150 engine in it.

Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/scacs/forums/thread/922700.aspx

Mark Donohue Robert Doornbos Ken Downing Bob Drake

Is Alonso writing Formula One?s Hollywood script?

A brave run to third for Fernando Alonso ensured a Hollywood script was once again written for an F1 title decider – but with finally hinting he’ll help Mark Webbers challenge, it is up to the Spaniard to prove himself as the star of the show instead of a bit-part extra.

While Alonso’s challenge ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/hKfjc2U6sYg/is-alonso-writing-formula-ones-hollywood-script

Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz

Red Bull train sights on second title

Red Bull clinched their first Formula 1 constructors' title at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday and experts have been marvelling at just how an energy drinks company came to topple the racing powerhouses of Ferrari and McLaren six short seasons after buying the ailing Jaguar team.

Driver turned BBC pundit David Coulthard, who raced for Red Bull from their debut season in 2005 until 2008, believes the success of any F1 team is built first on the strength of its technical department.

"Bringing in designer Adrian Newey was the first piece of the jigsaw puzzle of putting together a successful team," Coulthard explained.

"The technical chief is the king of the castle and Adrian had already won more grands prix than Michael Schumacher."

Coulthard was influential in persuading Newey, who had masterminded six championship-winning cars for Williams initially and then for McLaren, to join Red Bull in time to design the 2007 car.

Team principal Christian Horner says the next step was to create the "right environment" in which Newey, who had become disillusioned at McLaren, could work.

The English designer needed a nimble operation that allowed him to spend more time at the drawing board - the only literal drawing board you are likely to find in F1, where computers are king - and which was capable of responding quickly to his 'eureka' moments.


Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber celebrate a Red Bull one-two at the Brazilian Grand Prix

Relations between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have been strained this season. Photo: Getty

"Adrian is like the conductor of an orchestra and he has to have the relevant players so we had to make some key appointments early on," Horner told BBC Sport.

"Guys like our head of aerodynamics Peter Prodromou, who was also at McLaren, Rob Marshall who joined us as chief designer from Renault and Paul Monaghan and Ian Morgan on the engineering side.

"Unlike Williams and McLaren, who already had [established] structures which Adrian just fed into, with Red Bull he started with a clean sheet of paper."

After two seasons spent moulding the team's technical department, Red Bull came alive on the track in 2009.

Sebastian Vettel scored the team's first win in China ahead of team-mate Mark Webber. It was to be the first of six victories in Red Bull's breakthrough season.

When I asked Horner to put a percentage on how important Newey - who Mercedes boss Ross Brawn ruefully described in Brazil as his nemesis - was to Red Bull's success, he said it would not be fair to do so.

But most F1 insiders believe Newey's design genius is Red Bull's main weapon.

Red Bull also helped their 2010 championship charge by retaining both stability and momentum in the team.

While rivals Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes bedded in new drivers, Red Bull stuck with Webber and Vettel.

Between them they have captured pole position 14 times and won eight races for Red Bull on their way to the constructors' crown.

"Mark and Sebastian are both vitally important because they had to deliver their part on the track," Horner added.

"They are different personalities and characters but they share a common determination and drive, which is winning.

"Mark and Sebastian are not superstars in the factory, they are two drivers and they show great camaraderie with their team.

"Mark lives near the Milton Keynes factory and so you often find him out riding his mountain bike with members of the team up in the hills.

"I vividly remember Sebastian's first visit to Red Bull when he was 17. He had only just got his driving licence and so he drove over to the factory just because he could. He turned up in reception and said, 'Hi, I'm Sebastian Vettel.'


Adrian Newey celebrates with Red Bull at the Brazil Grand Prix

Adrian Newey gets front and centre in Red Bull's Brazilian celebrations Photo: Reuters

"Sebastian injects a lot of enthusiasm because of his infectious personality and sense of humour."

The relationship between Red Bull's two drivers has, at times, threatened to undermine the team's title ambitions and Horner has played a crucial role in defusing a powder-keg of internal team tensions.

First, Horner had to smooth over relations after Vettel took Webber out when trying to pass him for the lead at the Turkish Grand Prix.

At Silverstone accusations of favouritism towards Vettel blew up after a new version of the front wing was taken off Webber's car and bolted on to Vettel's.

In Brazil the pride in winning the constructors' title came only three days after Webber had cast a shadow over the team by publicly claiming they were not supporting him emotionally.

Though reluctant to talk about his own role, Horner said: "Inevitably when you have two fiercely competitive animals, who are both competing for the same target, there will be times when tensions bubble over.

"Yes, we've had blips this year where tensions have run high between the drivers but we've always recovered from those very quickly - and that's about not being afraid to deal with issues head on and being as transparent and open and straightforward with the drivers as possible.

"Red Bull are probably the least political team in the pit-lane. It is all about racing, it is all about the sport."

What Red Bull are not, however, is a privateer racing team such as Williams, or a manufacturer team like Mercedes or the Fiat-owned Ferrari.

They are a marketing arm for Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz's energy drink company and that brings no guarantees that Red Bull Racing are in F1 to stay.

The team are understood to run on a similar budget to McLaren - around 200m euros - with Ferrari's coffers stacked a little higher.

But Horner sees no reason for Mateschitz to cut off the F1 team saying: "There has never been any timeframe on Red Bull's commitment.

"They have been in F1 for the last 15 years as a sponsor, a shareholder [in Sauber] and now as a team owner, so they are as committed, if not more so, as any other team in F1.

"Dietrich always had a clear vision for Red Bull to run at the front and to become a winning race team. It been a lot of hard work but I'm very proud of what's been achieved."

Red Bull are famous for throwing parties but the celebrations will not have lasted long in Sao Paulo as there is still one more prize to be won.

Red Bull go two-handed to Abu Dhabi where the desert will decide if Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Webber, Vettel or McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will be crowned champion.

"It's nice to get the constructors' championship out of the way," smiled Horner among the confetti strewn outside Red Bull's garage.

"Now we can focus on the drivers."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2010/11/red_bull_train_sights_on_secon.html

Alberto Uria Nino Vaccarella Bob Veith Jos Verstappen

Brazil set for thriller as F1 season reaches climax

In Sao Paulo

The 2010 world champion will be crowned either in Brazil on Sunday or in Abu Dhabi seven days later as one of the most thrilling Formula 1 seasons in history reaches an intense climax.

The F1 teams gather in Sao Paulo this weekend with five drivers still in with a chance of clinching the title at the end of a contest that, before it began in Bahrain in March, was billed as potentially one of the greatest there had ever been. It has fully lived up to those expectations.

The battles between Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button have made this an all-time classic season, arguably the closest between the highest number of world-class drivers in the history of the sport.

It is astonishing in many ways that so many drivers have remained in contention until now. But, inevitably, with only two races left, it is increasingly unlikely that this will remain the case by Sunday evening.

There have been so many twists and turns this season that it would be very unwise to rule anyone out, but Button, particularly, is entering the last chance saloon at Interlagos.

The reigning champion is returning to the track where he clinched the title for the Brawn team last year. But at 42 points adrift of Ferrari's Alonso with only 50 remaining, his chances are already effectively over - as he admitted himself after a disastrous race last time out in South Korea.

F1 title contenders Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel pose together at the Korean Grand Prix

Five men are still in with a chance of winning the F1 drivers' title - but for how much longer? Photo: Getty

Since then, Button has said he will keep fighting until he is mathematically ruled out, while his McLaren team have said they will continue to support his bid.

Realistically, though, he has no chance.

It has become something of a mantra for drivers who are struggling in the points table this season to hark back to 2007, when Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen made up 17 points (almost two wins in that year's scoring system) on Hamilton in the last two races to steal the title at the last race.

That was remarkable in itself. But for something similar to happen to Button this year it would require all four drivers in front of him to hit major trouble - the 30-year-old is 17 points behind even the fourth-placed driver, Red Bull's Vettel.

On top of that, Button has not won a race since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April, and has struggled for pace as the season has gone on. The Italian race in September, where he was a close second to Alonso, was a rare exception.

The mathematics of the situation are complex. But for Button it is more straightforward than for the others.

To have any chance of staying in the championship, he must finish in the top two in Brazil - and even then he is out of it if Alonso or Webber win. And if Alonso finishes anywhere in the top six, Button is out of it regardless of where he finishes.

In these circumstances, the most likely scenario is that Button will drop out of contention this weekend and either in Brazil or at the final race in Abu Dhabi seven days later be asked to support team-mate Hamilton's bid, assuming the 2008 champion's chances are still alive.

Indeed, on Wednesday, team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted to BBC Sport for the first time that they may make that decision during the race in Brazil depending on the situation.

In third place, 21 points behind double world champion Alonso, Hamilton is also facing an uphill struggle trying to close the gap on a man who has won three of the last four races and four of the last seven.

The biggest problem for both Hamilton and Button is that the McLaren has generally not been quick enough in the second half of the season to challenge Red Bull, still easily the fastest car in the field, and Ferrari.

This weekend, the team are again promising to bring updates to improve the car, but so they have at most races, and the pattern for the second half of the season has been that McLaren have struggled to make them work effectively straight away.

Their main hope could be that Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit is one of those tracks where it's difficult to predict the relative competitiveness of the top three teams.

Red Bull have started virtually every race weekend as favourites for pole position and victory, such has been their pace advantage at most tracks - either Webber or Vettel has been on pole at 14 of the 17 races so far.

But Interlagos has a long pit straight, which will favour the McLarens and penalise the Red Bulls. On the other hand, the track is also pretty bumpy, which might make things a bit tricky for Hamilton and Button's cars, which tend to be more stiffly sprung than their rivals'.

The Red Bulls will be easily the strongest cars through Interlagos's twisty infield section, which swoops up and down the gradients of the natural amphitheatre in which the track sits.

The Ferrari sits somewhere between the Red Bulls and McLarens in both areas - but is particularly strong in braking and traction, two characteristics that are important in Brazil.

Given Red Bull's qualifying record, though, it would be a surprise if either Vettel or Webber was not on pole - and it must also be expected that Alonso will be their closest challenger.

On balance, you would expect Vettel to be the strongest driver over the final two races, at least in terms of outright pace. But making up a 25-point deficit on Alonso may well be too big a task, given the Spaniard's consistency and the German's lack of it.

Incredibly, Vettel has converted only two of his nine pole positions into victory in 2010 and has lost significant points no less than eight times, with the causes split more or less half and half between driver errors and reliability problems.

Even if Vettel wins in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the Ferrari driver still only needs a third and a fourth to be champion. Both eventualities must be considered unlikely on the evidence of the season so far.

Webber, in the second Red Bull, has a much better mathematical chance of becoming champion, but although the Australian is only 11 points (slightly less than a fourth place finish) adrift of Alonso, his problem is a worrying lack of momentum.

The 34-year-old's last win was in Hungary at the beginning of August, he has finished on the podium only twice in the last four races, when he was second to Vettel in Japan, and he crashed out of the last race in Korea two weeks ago.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.


It is little wonder, then, that BBC F1 pundit Eddie Jordan thinks Alonso is in a "very, very strong position".

Alonso is the only driver who can tie up the championship this weekend. This is how:

  • If he wins in Brazil, Webber must finish fourth or higher to keep the championship alive. Everyone else would be out of contention, regardless of where they finish.
  • If Alonso is second, Webber must be higher than eighth to stay in it, Hamilton higher than fourth and Vettel must win.
  • If Alonso is third, Webber must score points, Hamilton must be in the top four and Vettel in the top three.
  • If Alonso finishes lower than third, the championship will stay open to the last race because Webber, at least, will still be able to win regardless of where he finishes.

With so much at stake, the pressure on all five men will be intense. Almost every race this
season has been brilliant. But Brazil, where the track nearly always produces high-action races, promises to raise the bar yet again.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/11/the_2010_world_champion_will.html

Ron Flockhart Myron Fohr Gregor Foitek George Follmer