The biggest pain for me in building some kits are the tires I was wondering how others handle the problems with some of the vinyl tires that come in kits Some time sanding works some times it won't Trimming excess is also a pain and 2 piece tires are hard to glue Ideas?
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1003373.aspx
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem Jean Behra
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A major auto show isn’t complete these days without the presence of the supremest of all supreme super cars: the Bugatti Veyron.
So it’s no surprise that Bugatti will be bringing yet another special iteration of the Veyron Grand Sport, this time called the Grand Sport Vitesse.
Just like everything that Bugatti does with the Veyron lately, the Grand Sport Vitesse is completely ridiculous and over-the-top. According to Bugatti, the model is considered the most powerful serial produced convertible in the world, boasting of a monstrous 16-cylinder engine that produces an output of 1,200 horsepower. In order to accommodate the increased pony output, Bugatti engineers carefully modified the car’s chassis while also adding four enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers to the car’s overall technical equation. Together with the 1,200-horsepower output of the Grand Sport Vitesse, the supercar also delivers an astounding 885 lb/ft of torque.
As far as performance numbers, Bugatti is keeping it tight-lipped until Geneva. But considering the kind of car we’re dealing with here, you can expect it to be in the vicinity of the record-setting Veyron Super Sport’s 0-62 mph time of 2.5 seconds and overall top speed of 279 mph.
And the price tag? Those numbers are Veyron-like, too, which is to say that they’ll sell of around ?2 million, which is about $2.64 million based on current exchange rates.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 23 February 2012 18:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bugatti/2012-bugatti-veyron-grand-sport-vitesse-ar125063.html
Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/02/21/mercedes-formally-unveils-the-new-w03/
Duane Carter Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert
At McLaren Technology Centre, Woking
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button sat on the stage in front of the car they both hope will take them to the world title this year looking relaxed and happy.
Yet in their responses to apparently innocuous questions, both men revealed much about the different ways in which they approach the 2012 Formula 1 season.
They were asked how they had spent the winter. Button, fresh from arguably his best season yet in the sport, had spent some time in Hawaii. "Somewhere warm to chill out and train," he said, "but it's always the same - you spend a couple of weeks away and you are missing racing, so I was back on 5 January".
Hamilton's 2011, meanwhile, was self-admittedly his worst season yet in F1, with three superb wins interspersed with errors and controversy.
McLaren are set to compete for the title with their new car which was unveiled ahead of the beginning of the Formula One season due to start in March. Photo: Getty
His response to the same question was enlightening."The opposite of Jenson," he said. "I was over in the cold in the mountains in Colorado. I wasn't missing the car too much - it was nice to be away from it awhile, to refresh, start anew, and just getting back to training was great.
"I altered it a little bit this year, I think last year I was training too much. I had a good break and I was grateful to Martin (Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal) for giving me such a good break."
Later, Hamilton revealed a little more about his desire to make amends for 2011 with a sparkling 2012.
Which race are you most looking forward to, he was asked. "Monaco is the one for me - I want to get back there and have a better race [in which he collided with two drivers and caused a storm with his post-race comments] than last year."
It was a stark illustration of just how much is at stake in 2012 for the man who many still regard as the most naturally talented and out-and-out fastest racing driver in the world.
Whether Hamilton has found the mental equilibrium he desires to enable him to perform consistently at his brilliant best remains to be seen, starting with the first race in Melbourne, Australia, on 18 March.
But much of it may depend on the reason he and Button were up on that stage - the McLaren MP4-27.
His team's failure - for the third year running - to produce a car with which he could consistently challenge at the front was one of the main causes for Hamilton's frustrations last year.
He knows exactly how good he is, so it was galling for him to see yet again that he was not realistically going to challenge for the championship.
As is the way of things, the launch of the new McLaren shed no light whatsoever on whether that will change in 2012.
The car looks nice enough - and it mercifully lacks the "platypus" front seen on the Caterham, the only other new car to break cover so far this year, as a response to new rules lowering the height of the nose.
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There was a lot of talk about McLaren's focus on the aerodynamics at the rear of the car, which featured noticeably tighter packaging than last year, and particularly of the need to make the most of pre-season testing and start the season strongly.
That was where McLaren's campaign began to unravel last season - an over-complex exhaust system led to a terrible pre-season with a car Whitmarsh has described as "neither reliable nor quick".
This year's car contains no obvious stand-out innovations but the team were quick to deny suggestions that McLaren had reined themselves in an attempt to make sure the car runs in testing, which Whitmarsh described as "data-gathering".
Engineering director Tim Goss described the MP4-27 as "a complete re-work from nose to tail".
Technical director Paddy Lowe added: "The regulations are trimming us into narrower and narrower boxes so we don't see the big radical changes from one year to the next, so the car looks quite similar.
But there is a great deal of change underneath.
"There still are obvious innovations. We have done a lot of work around the back end, a lot more tidy packaging there. We have had to respond to the change in the exhaust regulations (banning the blowing of exhausts along the rear floor to boost downforce).
That's given the aerodynamicists a big challenge to come up with the (lost) downforce and the balance."
Lowe and Goss are old hands and they did a great job of straight-batting the questions on the stand-out features of the car and it was left to Whitmarsh to utter F1's dreaded c-word.
"I don't believe we've been inherently conservative," he said. "We've set ourselves some tough targets, targets that we think if we achieve them we will win the world championship. I think we will meet those targets, and if they are the right targets, we will win the championships."
To achieve that obvious aim, though, there is the small matter of having to beat the twin formidable forces of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso and, the combination expected to remain the one to beat, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel.
Just as the car's tight rear takes more than a small bow towards the all-conquering Red Bulls of the last two seasons, it is clear that McLaren have had their eyes on other aspects of their rivals' dominance as well.
"It didn't go unnoticed that Sebastian Vettel put the car on pole a lot and then pulled the gap (from which he controlled the race)," said Goss. "We're aware of it; we've attempted to find ways to deal with it."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/02/at_mclaren_technology_centre_w.html
Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/lotus-f1-team-cancels-test/
Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari
AC Schnitzer has announced plans to introduce their new tuning program for the BMW 3-Series at the Geneva Motor Show.
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell Raul Boesel
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The Audi A3 began production back in 1996 and, after being previewed by the A3 Concept, is preparing to enter its third generation sometime in the middle of 2012. The new model will be slightly larger than the current model and will be offered in both hatchback and sedan versions. Audi hopes the sedan will take off in the US market, where hatchbacks aren’t as readily accepted as in Europe. Depending on the market, the new Audi A3 will feature both petrol and diesel engines.
The new Audi A3 will be built on Volkswagen?s new MQB platform and will be slightly larger than the current model. Depending on the market, Audi will be offering a choice of six engines, both TSI and TDI, all of them with an improvement of 20% in terms of fuel economy. In the upcoming years, Audi will be also offering a hybrid and even an electric version of the car.
The new Audi A3 will be offered in two body versions: hatchback (three and five-door versions) and sedan, all further identified by unique design features. When talking about the next A3, Audi?s design boss, Stefan Sielaff said: "Three-door cars will be more compact and sharper in design, while the four-door will have different dimensions and detailing around the car ? it?ll be a sporty, peppy design with a sexy back end!"
UPDATE 08/25/2011: Don’t like trying to look past the camo in the spy shots of the future A3 facelift? Check out our rendering of the future model for a clearer look!
UPDATE 10/13/2011:AutoExpress has revealed new details on the next generation Audi A3 set to be unveiled in early 2012. According to the British magazine, the A3 engine line-up will include 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, and 2.0-liter turbo petrol units delivering between 105bhp and 210bhp, as well as 1.6 and 2.0-liter TDI engines producing up to 170 HP. All-electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid versions will also be launched in 2013.
UPDATE 02/22/2012: The new generation Audi A3 will be making its world debut next month at the Geneva Motor Show, but for the impatient Audi fans, here are the first leaked images of the luxury vehicle. From what we’ve learned from past events, this means that tomorrow we will also get the official details on it. Stay tuned! (Carscoop)
Audi A3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 14:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2013-audi-a3-ar114027.html
Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer
Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/sx-it-starts-here/
Patrick Depailler Pedro Diniz Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem
Hi
Anybody here ever seen a 1/16th scale Willys Gasser Body-shell available in the aftermarket? I am sure that I saw one in Model Cars (?) magazine around 3 years ago and was wondering whether I just dreamt it or not??
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1003157.aspx
Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Chastened by the disappointments of 2011, Ferrari promised an "aggressive" approach to the design of their new Formula 1 car and they have not disappointed.
The new F2012, unveiled via the internet on Friday because of unusually heavy snow at the team's base in Maranello, is the most radical of the four new cars that have broken cover so far this season.
Many will also regard it as the most unattractive, featuring as it does a pronounced 'step' on the upper nose that even Ferrari themselves have described as "not aesthetically pleasing".
Fernando Alonso, the man on whose shoulders rest Ferrari's huge expectations, paused when asked for his impressions of the car and said, politely, that it "looks very different".
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It is a design that will feature, to a greater or lesser extent, on most of the F1 cars this season - with the notable exception of the McLaren which was unveiled on Wednesday.
The McLaren is undoubtedly more beautiful than the Ferrari but it also appeared a little conservative - a charge vigorously denied by the team. In fact, that is a charge Ferrari have levelled at their own recent efforts, and the Italian team's new car is certainly anything but.
There is no doubting Ferrari's ambition. "We want to go back to the top level," said the company's flamboyant president, Luca di Montezemolo. "We want to win. We don't want to lose the world championship at the very last race [as they did in 2010]. We have all the ingredients for a perfect recipe."
That remains to be seen. Certainly this season could not be more critical for the sport's most famous team.
The fact is that since a major set of new regulations were introduced into F1 in 2009, Ferrari have not produced a car that was right on the pace.
The 2009 car was uncompetitive - taking only a single win in Kimi Raikkonen's hands. The 2010 was their best stab yet, but even though Alonso took it to the brink of the world title, he was only able to do so because Red Bull, who had a faster car, made so many errors between the team and drivers.
Last year was not quite as bad as 2009, but still Alonso, a man regarded widely as the most complete racing driver in the world, was able to take only one win, despite producing what he said himself was his best season in F1.
It's not hard to see where Ferrari may have created a problem for themselves.
Having put such emphasis on the need to be competitive this year, on the need to rid their design department of what they described as its conservatism, what happens if this year's car does not live up to their expectations?
They have already dismissed one technical director. Aldo Costa - who was at the team through the glory years with Michael Schumacher - was pushed aside and replaced by ex-McLaren engineer Pat Fry.
Equally, Alonso has effectively committed his career to them. This is, as team boss Stefano Domenicali has said, a huge benefit - he is a gold standard and no failure of pace can be laid at his door. But that is a double-edged sword. If the car is not winning, it is clearly Ferrari's fault, not his.
"Fernando did an incredible, extraordinary season [in 2011]," Domenicali said on Friday. "He has extended his relationship with us for many years and that is a sign of the responsibility we feel - we have to offer you a competitive high-performing car. I'm sure it will be winning from the very beginning."
Ferrari's F2012: Is this the car that will complement the exceptional talents of driver Fernando Alonso?
A lot rests, then, on the performance of the F2012. Whether its stepped nose, pull-rod front suspension and exhaust exits angled low down will make it competitive remains to be seen, but it is at least clear what Ferrari are trying to do.
The ugly step on the nose will undoubtedly cause more airflow disruption on the top of the car than any other seen so far, but it also means that Ferrari can get the much more important bottom part of the chassis higher across its entire width.
In theory, that means more airflow under the car, and therefore increased downforce, the holy grail for all F1 designers.
However, according to BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson - a man with 20 years' experience of designing grand prix cars - the curved chassis underside that will result from the 'eye-let' design on the Force India is actually advantageous in terms of directing the air where it needs to go - under the floor.
The pull-rod front suspension - where the rocker arms run from the top of the wheel to the bottom of the chassis rather than the other way around - has advantages in that it gets the weight of the suspension lower down in the car, and Ferrari claim there is an aerodynamic benefit, too.
And it remains to be seen whether Ferrari's solution on exhaust exits - which look like remaining a key issue this year, despite the ban on exhaust-blown diffusers - is as effective as that of their rivals.
"I really believe in the skills we have here in Ferrari," Alonso said. "We have to be optimistic. We have two months to get ready for the first race in Australia. We have to fight for this title."
Alonso, Ferrari say, works more closely with the team than even Schumacher did. But he is a very demanding man, who expects the absolute best from those around him, just as he delivers it on the track.
If the F2012 does not go better than it looks, things will get very uncomfortable at Maranello.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/02/ferraris_f2012_is_a_bold_step.html
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd
