Toyota FR-S Is The New AE86

Image from leaked brochure photos. You'd think they'd be sure to take decent pictures...

After three different concepts cars and plenty of teasing and rumours, Toyota's light, FR-layout coupé has finally been revealed, although Toyota themselves weren't going to unveil it until the Tokyo Motor Show later in the year. This should teach them not to print manuals and brochures until the car has been unveiled properly... [UPDATED]

Called the Scion FR-S in the US, and a joint project with Subaru (whose "BRZ" version will also be revealed at Tokyo, but hasn't been leaked yet, maybe because they haven't printed images yet?), the FR-S or "FT-86" is meant to be exactly what any petrolhead thinks the world needs, an antidote to the Toyota Prius. It's small and compact (about 200mm longer than a Mazda MX-5 or Honda CR-Z, but 20mm shorter than a Mazda RX-8), and that helps them give it a low weight of about 1210kg (~100kg over MX-5 and CR-Z but ~100kg below RX-8).

Power comes from a 2.0 litre Subaru-sourced boxer engine with Toyota's direct injection system, which gives it 197bhp (200PS) at 7000rpm, the same power as a heavier Golf GTI Mk.V, as well as 151lb/ft of torque at 6600rpm. That should be enough for many, but not only will the Subaru BRZ be more powerful, the FR-S is designed to be the ideal base for some good old fashioned tuning. The revvy naturally-aspirated engine (which was Subaru's until Toyota completely re-engineered all of it, with help from Yamaha, before putting it on Subaru mounting points, in case you want to put an Impreza rally engine in it or something) is designed to be tuneable, there are apparently holes in the interior for a rollcage to go into, the body is deliberately easy to work on, and it should really recapture the magic of the '80s cult classic and drifter's delight,  the AE86-generation Corolla coupé and hatchback (the latter of which starred in manga and anime series Initial D). That power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission, or an automatic if you want to pay extra money to completely miss the point... and add 20kg.

Of course, power isn't everything. That's why it's designed to have as low a centre of gravity as possible (the lowest of any production car, no less), thanks in part to an engine that barely goes higher than the wheels, and probably a 50:50 weight distribution. It has also been tested extensively at the Nürburgring, as is fashionable, and early tests have suggested that it goes exactly where you point it, and its outputs directly reflects your inputs, so punch the throttle in a corner and you'll go sideways, balance the throttle instead and it'll remain completely neutral, so you can take aim and fire at apexes and exits of corners in the same way as a Porsche or Lotus. If this is true, and it really is better than the ever-present Mazda MX-5, then it's damn impressive. That said, you'd hope it was after 5 years of development...

According to a leaked Japanese spec sheet (which has been partially translated), there will be two specs for the Toyota version, the higher of which will add a mix of LED and HID headlights, more leather, "smart entry and start", a shift light on the white rev-meter, 6 speakers instead of 2, and 17" alloy wheels instead of 16s. All manual versions come with a Limited-Slip Differential, but the high-spec version also gets an LSD for the auto. The extras on the high-spec version add another 20kg, so if you want creature comforts, 1210kg becomes 1250kg, which will dent the fuel economy estimated at around 32mpg. All versions get stability control and many airbags, as well as the more important double wishbone rear suspension (with struts at the front).

Click To Enlarge

Basically, it's what driving enthusiasts want. It's light and agile, it's affordably priced (much unlike Toyota's last FR-layout car, the Lexus LFA), handles like a dream, with the engine in the front, a limited-slip differrential at the back and a 6-speed manual transmission in the middle, and it's easy to make it your own, either mechanically thanks to the Subaru mounting points/engine or cosmetically thanks to Toyota's MODELLISTA styling upgrades. It even has 4 seats so you can take your friends or relatives with you to the track. What more do you want? Reliability? Well, it's Japanese, so don't worry about that. More power from the factory? Well Subaru's going to have that covered with their BRZ, which shares all but the body panels with the FT-86, and will have "under 300bhp". Perhaps the 276bhp (280PS) that used to be the figure for every Japanese sports car? Who knows. All I know is that I want one. It's everything I want in a car, and the no-frills base spec's interior has only the essentials, namely air conditioning and an iPod-friendly radio, which are all I'm bothered about when it comes to interior features.

Source: FT-86 Club

[UPDATE, 17:54] The "Toyobaru" is now at a point where journalists and select people can drive pre-production cars (which are typically about 90-95% finished), and not only have CAR and Autocar magazines had a go, but the man who made this car's inspiration famous, Mr. Keiichi "Dorikin" Tsuchiya, has now been allowed behind the wheel, and all three brief reviews are very positive, with the one they call the 'Drift King' even comparing it to a BMW M car. You can read them and follow the links from here.

[UPDATE, 3/11] Toyota Racing Development (or rather unfortunately, TRD) have now unwillingly released a brochure for their own cosmetic parts, as well as a couple of minor engine and chassis/suspension tweaks you can add on so the engine can take more serious work. Y'know, this car's not going to be much of a secret anymore if you keep printing information about it pre-unveiling, Toyota! Also, the Subaru BRZ STI Concept (basically a riced-up version of the "Subieyota") has now been revealed on the internet, if these renders are official anyway. Looks Subaru-y. I'm not keen on the plastic lip though...

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Video Sunday - The Fastest Brick... In The World

Uploaded: 5/9/11

Running Time: 1:42

Views When Posted: 15,726

When a car rocks up alongside you with enormous rear tyres that say "Hoosier" on them and a turbo the size of a dog, you know you're in trouble... even if said car is a Volvo 850. Think Volvo and you probably think "brick", or "soccer mom" or "bad driver" or "safe" or something like that. What you don't think of, if you're normal that is, is "sub-seven-second quarter mile". Prepare to have your mind bent.

Pictured: Doomsday Device

This heavily turbocharged dragster may not even have started out in life as a real Volvo, and if it did, there isn't much of its original skeleton left. What there is, however, is a full set of drag tyres, a tubular space frame to stop the immense power and torque from folding the car in half when you stamp on the throttle, and a 2.3-litre 4-cylinder engine instead of some gigantic 7-litre V8, proving that there is a replacement for displacement, or rather an alternative. Thanks in no small part to the tornado that's surely generated by that turbocharger sitting outside the car, this Inline-4 produces over 1300 horsepower. Sure, that's not as much as the last unusual dragster I showed you on here, but considering the source, that's pretty gosh-darned impressive. What's more impressive is that while that Rolls-Royce needed a 9.6-litre V8 to do a standing quarter-mile in around 8 seconds, this Volvo does the same thing in just 6.85 seconds, maybe even faster with a smoother run. Not so weighed down with walnut and cashmere, perhaps?

So that's mightily impressive, but if this 850 with 1300 is not quite roadworthy enough for your tastes, may I suggest instead this brown Volvo 240 Estate fitted with the 2JZ-GTE 3-litre twin-turbo straight-six from a Toyota Supra RZ? Sleepers, as cars like this are known, are great because they look completely normal - dull, even - and yet one squeeze of the throttle will easily embarrass those who underestimate your machine. This one, complete with faded brown paint and a roof rack, even shows a blinged BMW M5 a clean pair of moose hooves! Video below:

Uploaded: 15/5/11

Running Time: 1:38

Views When Posted: 378,007

So that's just two of many unassuming Volvos with hidden talents. Pick your favourite!

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Mini-Rant - Sinking To A New Low

No, I didn't mock this up on Photoshop. It's real...

If you don't mind, I'd like to write about something that isn't cars. You see, I went to the cinema to watch Tintin in 3D yesterday, which was actually very good, featuring spectacular graphics and scenery, faithfully recreated characters (including a digital cameo of Hergé at the start), smatterings of light comedy, a good story, and lots of Citroëns. :D

Normally when a silly or crap film pops up in the adverts before the movie starts, like many, I just dismiss it as something I won't watch/care about, but today I actually laughed out loud at a trailer. Not to make a point or anything, genuine laughter. The trailer in question wasn't a comedy - since when is a Hollywood comedy genuinely funny? - but a serious action film with a big Transformers-esque machine jumping out of the ocean, missiles firing and serious faces, even Liam Neeson's in it, and then the title popped up at the end...... it's called Battleship. Yes, that kind of Battleship.

Are you actually kidding me?! I would expect such a trailer to be an online parody, like the Minesweeper movie trailer, but this is a real movie, which looked completely straight-faced, and stars serious action guy Liam Goddamned Neeson (I've decided that's his action name). I sincerely hope it's not taking itself seriously, because no-one, but no-one, could watch a stressed military-mode Liam Neeson gazing a long gaze at a radar screen and saying "......B Four" without laughing their face off as a missile lands in the ocean, hitting nothing, before Neeson's destroyer gets annihilated and he drops to his knees going "YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP! YOU BASTAAARD!!"

It couldn't get any worse than that, could it? Well put your elbows on the table and aim your palms at your face, because they're fighting against aliens. As if the word 'why' hadn't entered my mind often enough already at the idea of an action movie based on a board game, an alien race is involved, for reasons I can't even begin to work out. Maybe Americans are too sensitive about which nations the good guys can still shoot down? Maybe Hollywood wants us to believe it has a sense of humour? One person told me that they're also locked into battle zones so they can't move, making it the same as the board game, except its budget is not the £10 or so that, y'know, normal people pay to play Battleship, but $200million. Oh, and the aliens. That's different too. Normally.

It's an absolute joke, this film. I wouldn't pay to watch that at the cinema. I wouldn't even wait for it to come out on DVD. I'd wait for it to appear on Sky Movies during a slow day...

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A Dark Fortnight In Motor Racing

In the last two weeks, three highly respected racing drivers have died, with two of them dying shortly after brutal accidents in their respective series. Is this the sign of a lack of safety in motorsport? Is organisation getting worse? Nope, it's just a horrible coincidence. Even though I don't follow Moto GP, IndyCar or American off-road racing (think DiRT games), but I am aware of them, and whether you follow them or not, a dead sportsman is always a tragic loss, especially when in two weeks we lose an off-road champion, double Indy 500 winner and "a rising star in the world of Moto GP", someone rising to the very top of motorcycle racing. It's also a chilling reminder that despite the huge emphasis on safety in motorsport (hell, in everything) these days, and even though it's nothing like 1960s/70s Formula 1, it's never impossible to die racing.

To be honest, I think that getting to a point where it did become impossible to die while motor racing would be a shame, not because I'm one of the sick ones who wants to watch fatal accidents/crashes often, but because the result would be an incredibly sterile and watered-down version of the sport. The drivers know they can die, and unless we're kidding ourselves, we know they can die each time they belt up and don their HANS device (even if we don't consciously think about it each time), and yet they're prepared to accept the risks as par for the course and go for glory, because that's what they want to do. I think anyone can appreciate people doing what they love for a living.


Rest In Peace, Rick Huseman (1973 - 2011)

Mr. Huseman was the 2009 PRO4X4 Traxxas TORC Series Champion, scoring 6 wins and 10 podiums that year driving something pretty similar to the "Trophy Trucks" you get in DiRT 3, with lots of suspension travel for the huge jumps, AWD, a substantial rollcage and a big V8. The following year he won the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 Championship, and was second in the same series this year, 23 points down on the leader. His achievements also earned him the DirtSports Magazine Driver of the Year Award last year. On the 16th October this year, he and his younger brother Jeff (27) died along with friend and pilot Andrew Hicks (35) in a plane crash, when the Beechcraft 33 Bonanza light aircraft attempted an emergency landing at Barstow-Dagget Airport. His race teams's website confirmed:

"The plane was travelling from Las Vegas to Corona when it went down about 5 miles north east of the airport. Coroner's officials say it took three hours to recover the victims because the wreckage was in a canyon.

Before the crash, Rick used his cell phone to alert his mother that the plane was having trouble, a friend told KTLA. Rick's mother did not know Jeff was aboard the plane.

The cause of the crash is under investigation but the National Transportation Safety Board."

It sounds like he had a lot more in him despite being 38, if he was champion two years in a row and fighting for another championship this year, so it's a terrible shame that the off-road world will never get to see his potential fully realised. RIP


Rest In Peace, Dan Wheldon (1978 - 2011)

Mr. Wheldon won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 twice, once in 2005 when he also won the IndyCar series, and this year after race leader J.R.Hildebrand crashed out on the last corner of the last lap when overtaking a backmarker and running wide into the wall. Wheldon scored 16 career wins. He started the Las Vegas 300 on the 16th October in 34th and last place, apparently commenting before the race about concerns of all the dirty air of 33 cars ahead of him. He started there with the hope of winning the race as anon-regular series driver to subsequently earn $5million from IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard. [skip to the next paragraph to avoid the crash description if you want] Many had concerns going into the race about having 35 open-wheeled cars racing around the fairly tight Las Vegas Motor Speedway at speeds of around 220mph, and after climbing up 10 places to 24th, Dan was involved in a horrendous 15-car pile-up on turn 2 of lap 12, wherein he caught the backs of two slow-moving cars ahead of him - who slowed to avoid the ensuing chaos - catapulting him into the air. His car landed and then bounced up again, sending him into the "catch fence" (that stops cars hitting spectators) while travelling backwards and with the cockpit facing the fence. The car ignited, and the crash blew both the sidepods and all the wheels off. The chassis then landed right-way-up, spinning a few times as it skidded down the banking, and came to rest along with the other crashed cars. He was alive when he was airlifted to hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries, which I won't list.

Earlier in the year he was testing next year's car, which is complete with a lot of new safety features that, who knows, could have saved his life in the same kind of crash next year. Alas, that fact is really neither here nor there, as the crash happened this year. Dallara will name next year's IndyCar car after him in some way. From what I've read and heard of Dan Wheldon, he was a great asset to the sport and will be sorely missed by many drivers and many more fans, especially his wife, who got the couple's initials tattooed on her wrist with Dan before raceday, and their two children, Sebastian (2 years old) and Oliver (6 months old). RIP


Rest In Peace, Marco Simoncelli (1987 - 2011)

Mr. Simoncelli was fast becoming a big name in Moto GP, the premier motorbike racing series, having secured many pole positions this year and extended his contract with Gresini Honda for next year. His best result was a surprise 2nd place in the Australian GP at Philip Island last week, when he looked set to finish 3rd, but overtook Andrea Dovizoiso in the closing stages of a rainy race, getting within inches of the rider that passed him earlier in the race and finishing just 0.2 seconds ahead of him (although quite far back from winner Casey Stoner). Like Rick Huseman, his potential will never be realised, although "Super Sic" is arguably a more tragic passing - not that one should compare things like this - as he didn't even have the chance to win a Moto GP championship, something that may well have happened within the next 3-5 years (that said, he did win the 250cc title in '08). His accident was also very violent, so skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know. On lap 2 of the Malaysian round at Sepang, at turn 11, the front end of his bike lost traction, and when he finally regained it he was leant over at quite a steep angle, so the bike veered over to the right. He would've had to leave the bike anyway and slide onto the grass, but then Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi hit Simoncelli in the upper back/neck with the front wheels of their bikes, one of which impacts knocked his helmet off his head. He suffered severe trauma to the head, neck and chest, and when he was reached he was in cardiac arrest. He died aged 24. Colin Edwards also had a dislocated shoulder after falling off his bike.

Simoncelli was known for his exuberant riding style, always going all-out. This unfortunately resulted in many crashes in his career, but there was no doubt about his talent. It's terrible that one of the crushing blows was dealt by Valentino Rossi, who was very close with Marco. Sic was Rossi's "protégé" of sorts until he started beating him in races, after which they remained friends. I could try writing more, but coverage on Jalopnik has brought about two tributes that I can't hope to top as a casual observer, one by commenter BtheD19 and one by writer Mike Spinelli. Like the other racers, he will be sorely missed. RIP

Fatal Accidents Below:

Of course, some of you reading this probably don't want to watch the crashes knowing someone dies in each one, but for those who do want to, here they are:

Dan Wheldon

(he's the white-on-black car that takes off and hits the catch fence)

Marco Simoncelli

(slow-motion)

My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those who were tragically lost over the last 2 weeks.

Drive Safely.

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Video Weekday - Gymkhana Faux

Uploaded: 12/10/11

Running Time: 3:42

Views (When Posted): 277,427

Hopefully by know you have seen the works of Mr. Ken Block (who has the same birthday as me, ignoring the year), a man who is now well-known for three things: Crashing out of the WRC, Gymkhana and DC Shoes, probably in that order for most rally fans. Thankfully, some British youths have acquired their own Monster Energy-branded Ford Fiesta and engaged in a good old-fashioned piss-take, entitled "Gymkhana 0.2: No Budget? No Problem!" Featuring just 10% of the power of Ken Block's purpose-built Fiesta Gymkhana, this 1986 Ford Fiesta (the Ghia version, no less) proves to be 90% as entertaining, and the video itself is hilarious! Watch out for the coughing exhaust pipe at 2:15.

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Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix 2011

Suzuka Circuit. Dunlop Curve at Turn 7, Degner at T8 & 9, Esses = T3-6, Spoon = T13/4, 130R = T15

The Race In a Nutshell:
- Vettel forces Button to put two wheels on the grass off the line, dropping him into 3rd
- Hamilton and Massa rub cars, leaving debris, bringing out the Safety Car
- Michael Schumacher leads a Grand Prix for the first time since Japan 2006
- Button beats Vettel in the pits, Red Bulls suffer with tyre wear
- Alonso passes Vettel, closes in on Button, fails to pass him
- Vettel wins by finishing third

Top 5 Finishers: Button, Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Hamilton

Over the years, Suzuka Circuit in Japan has played host to ten F1 championship wins, including the likes of Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Michael Schumacher, and early this morning (by which I mean late in the afternoon), it became eleven. It's a good place for Formula 1, partly because Japanese fans are as dedicated as the most hardcore of Tifosi and partly because the drivers absolutely love this track, particularly the likes of the Esses section after turn 1 and the flat-out-if-you-dare 130R. Other testing corners include Spoon corner and the turn one-and-two combo, both of which are about carrying as much speed through the two parts as possible without running wide and being punished. The two "Degner" turns are just as unforgiving, even catching out Sebastian Vettel in Friday practice as he went wide out of T8 (Degner 1) and was sent straight into the close tyre wall. Not that he should feel bad about it, as over the years all the best F1 drivers and many besides have been in that wall at some point (Rubens Barrichello also slid off there on Friday, catching two wheels on the grass under braking for Degner 1 and gliding over the gravel into the tyres). It's one of the all-time great racing circuits, as well as a previous Honda test track, which explains the variety of different corner types. One sign that it's a true driver test is that all five of the world champions in the 2011 grid finished in the top six places.

Starter Button: Jenson Button got off to a great start, but Vettel, keen on securing the World Driver's Championship with a win, was determined to keep his lead, and leapt over from the grippier right-hand side of the circuit to fend him off, forcing him to put two wheels on the grass and back off, subsequently letting team mate Lewis Hamilton past and into 2nd place. Button was quickly on the radio asking for a penalty, but moves like this have been pulled before, and it's not uncommon at the very start of the race. Besides, if Vettel wasn't punished for forcing a Ferrari halfway onto the grass at Monza, there was no way doing the same to someone else at a different track would get him in trouble. Meanwhile, Kamui Kobayashi - who had done a great job all weekend in being an ambassador for the sport in Japan, important now he's the only Japanese element left in F1 - went into anti-stall mode, meaning the car bogged down and his career-best grid spot of 7th place quickly became 12th, which was a shame really, as he was never able to climb back up to 7th.

Early Pit Stops: Due to high degradation of the Pirelli tyres on this track (which, being a figure-of-eight, wears them roughly evenly), the first pit stop was only on lap 9, with Hamilton struggling for grip and changing onto another set of Option tyres. Prior to pitting, he had slid wide at the first part of Spoon Corner, and Jenson Button got past him, back into 2nd place. The following lap saw Vettel sacrifice his 5-second lead over Button, who came in a lap after him, returning to the track with less road between them than before. Fernando Alonso pitted on the same lap as Button, and managed to sandwich himself between the two McLarens. Mark Webber and Felipe Massa also pitted, and by lap 16 the gap from Hamilton to Webber was just 1.5 seconds.

Later, Vettel had to dive into the pits again, as the Red Bull cars were apparently eating their tyres. That said, even tyre-saver Button wasn't going to stay out much longer on his Options, but he didn't waste his time, setting a fast in-lap and then exiting the pits just ahead of the German, clinching the lead of the race.

Safety Car or No Safety Car? On lap 13, Sébastien Buemi exited the pit lane to find his right-front wheel wasn't attached properly, and had to park it on the edge of turn 4 and watch it flop off the wheel bearing. There was a question mark over whether or not the Safety Car would need to be called, because on one hand it was comfortably off the racing line, but on the other hand, if he wound up there, maybe someone else could too, and trying to put two into one always ends in an expensive mess. In the end though, Bernd Mayländer kept his AMG SLS in Park for the time being, until...

Hamilton vs Massa... Again: Later, on lap 22, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa crossed paths, and this year we've learned that when this happens, something gets damaged, Felipe gets mad and Lewis gets penalised. Thankfully this time it wasn't so bad, but it did still bring out the Safety Car.

Going into the final chicane, Massa went down the left of Hamilton from behind, but Hamilton didn't see him (blaming vibrating mirrors at high speed after the race), and the two rubbed cars. The only outcome of this was that Hamilton's left-rear tyre knocked off one of the two end-plates on the right of Massa's front wing, which ended up in a hard place to get to safely, right in the middle of the entry to turn 16, which is dangerous for marshals because it's just after 130R, a blind corner taken resolutely in 7th gear, with only a short straight after it before T-16. This, along with other debris taken off the right side of Mark Webber's front wing by Michael Schumacher at Dunlop corner, was enough to warrant the Safety Car slowing things down so they could be retrieved and those corners could be swept up by keen Japanese marshals.

Prime Time: Near the end of the SC period, Button was bunching them up pretty tight, which he has every right to do, but Vettel was getting impatient in second, getting very close up behind him. That didn't stop Button leaving him for dead out of the final chicane and instantly pulling out a lead, while Vettel slowly fell into the eager cluches of Fernando Alonso. On lap 34, Vettel was the first to put the harder, more durable Prime tyres on, as the leaders were now fresh out of Option tyres for the weekend. After the other leaders pitted in, Michael Schumacher ended up in the lead of the race. Sure, he wasn't going to stay there - not unless he could get his Prime tyres to last for about half the race - but it was the first time he had lead a Grand Prix for exactly five years, when he was in a Ferrari at Suzuka. I'm sure that was nice for him to do. It wouldn't have lasted anyway, however, as by lap 41 Button was really on him as the headed towards the DRS zone (pit straight), so Schumi pitted for more Primes. Meanwhile, Alonso managed to get ahead of Sebastian Vettel, which wasn't shown on TV, so was most likely done in the pits. Despite only needing to finish 10th to win the championship, Vettel wasn't keen on giving up and pressured the Ferrari for a few laps, to no avail. Overtake of the day looked like it would go to Mark Webber for slipstreaming past a Force India (Di Resta) while heading at 200mph towards 130R, but then Adrian Sutil (the other Force India) did the same thing on local hero Kamui Kobayashi, cutting it even finer before moving back over to take the corner, and making it stick in a car that's not massively faster than the Sauber C30.

Final Phase: Towards the end of the race, the focus became the battle for 10th position between Kamui Kobayashi, Vitaly Petrov, Nico Rosberg (who started 23rd after failing to qualify and had risen to 12th) and Paul Di Resta. Petrov running wide at Dunlop corner (T7) on lap 47 of 53 meant that Di Resta had to lift off, and Rosberg pounced on the exit, going down Di Resta's inside round the long, sweeping left-hander and immediately challenging Petrov into Degner 1, althoguh it would take a brave or delusional man to try overtaking someone there. Kobayashi unfortunately slipped down into 13th place in all this, meaning that the only Japanese driver finished out of the points despite starting in 7th place. A tough race for him then, and perhaps he regrets bogging down off the line and letting four or five cars past him.

At the front though, things were hotting up in the last 5 laps, as Alonso in 2nd place had caught right up to the back of Jenson Button, who previously had a big enough lead to turn the engine down and generally bring it home until Alonso closed the gap from 3 or 4 seconds to around 1 second, putting him in DRS range with Vettel still not far behind. As soon as Button was alert to this, he responded by setting the fastes sector 2 time of the race so far, and setting a time for lap 51 that was 0.3

seconds faster than Alonso's keeping just out of arm's reach. Just to make sure, he set the fastest lap of the race on lap 52, and that was that. Winning by just 1.1 seconds, Jenson Button had to immediately bring his McLaren MP4-26 to a halt outside the pit lane exit, because he'd driven the car clean out of fuel. This also gave him the chance to wave at the crowd while wearing what's now a race-winning helmet that he's auctioning off for charity to aid Japan after the terrible earthquake on 11th March. He needed to do that to be in with even the slightest chance of winning the championship, but Sebastian Vettel only needed 1 point to win it right then and there, and he scored 15 points for 3rd, concluding a truly one-sided battle for the championship and giving Red Bull Racing four races to just enjoy themselves after being ferociously competitive. The youngest ever back-to-back world champion (a record he took from the man who beat him to 2nd this race), Vettel has won 10 of the 15 races so far, and wanted to make it 11, but in the end it doesn't matter.

So there you have it. Just as we all expected, and probably just as everyone in the paddock expected this weekend, Sebastian Vettel has won the 2011 Formula One World Driver's Championship, and it didn't seem as euphoric as previous years. It's like he had almost come to terms with it himself, so while he made sure to run around the steel fence and hug his team members, it didn't feel as exciting as the last three or four champions. Maybe because he alson won it last year, maybe because everyone was sure it was going to happen already, but the bigger story (on the BBC at least) did seem to be about Jenson Button winning the race, when normally it's the other way round. He has a very strong affinity with Japan, as he spends a lot of time living there with his girlfriend Jessica Michibata, and raced for Honda for many years, before it became Brawn GP in '09 and he then moved to McLaren last year, so it clearly meant a heck of a lot to him and his significant others.

Next race, however, will take place in a place that Japanese people hate: Korea. It shares the same time zone with Japan (so an early start to Saturday and Sunday for Europeans watching it on TV), and now we shall see how the racing changes when there's no longer a championship in it. Will the drivers be looser? Are they still fighting for points with the people around them? We shall see this coming weekend.

Results and points below, click to enlarge

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Video Sunday - Supercar Sunday

Uploaded: 17/9/11

Running Time: 3:53

Views When Posted: 8,913

I'm not sure I really need to justify why you should take 4 minutes out of your time to watch this. It has a McLaren F1 in it, and that's all the persuasion you should need. Just listen to that 6.1-litre BMW V12, peek at the gold leaf under the rear spoiler/airbrake at ~1:20, ignore the squiggly sticker on the bonnet and enjoy the view. Hopefully this one won't have any copyright issues...

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Formula 1 - Singapore Grand Prix 2011

Marina Bay Circuit

The Race In A Nutshell:
- Vettel wins from pole, not losing the lead at any point
- Hamilton and Massa make contact during and after the race, Hamilton penalised but climbs up to fifth place
- Schumacher gets airbourne trying to pass Pérez and brings out the Safety Car
- Vettel not crowned Driver's Champion...... yet

Top 5 Finishers: Vettel, Button, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton

Since 2008, Formula 1 has had a night race at Singapore. The artificial lights running over the cars makes them look much prettier somehow, and despite a lack of overtaking opportunities (I would straighten out turn 2 completely, make turn 1 faster and make 2 a high-speed braking zone for a less tight turn 3), it still makes for eventful racing. Recently, local government types criticised it for being "a playground for the rich", but isn't every GP?

Start: This was the first race where Sebastian Vettel could be crowned the 2011 champion, making him the youngest ever back-to-back winner. He needed the nearest rivals to finish far enough back, and they knew it. Behind the ever-dominant Vettel - so eager to escape trouble he's not even in this picture - the start was busy as the other 23 cars piled into the left-right-left of the first corners. We saw something that has been true in most of the races: a very fast-starting Fernando Alonso, and a disappointingly slow start from Mark Webber, which allowed the Spañard and Jenson Button past him. More grid shuffling happened further back, with Nico Rosberg being forced wide and cutting turn 2 without gaining a place (the grid was oddly amusing actually, with both Red Bulls leading both McLarens, then both Ferraris, both Mercedes GPs and both Force Indias. It mixed up a little after that, then the last three teams (Lotus-Virgin-HRT) were paired up as well). Lewis Hamilton had a look down the inside of Webber as well, but was squeezed out, allowing both Ferraris and Rosberg past him. After turn 6, Michael Schumacher also worked his way past Hamilton, but with memories of Monza, he wasn't going to sit behind him long, and got past him a lap or two later in the DRS zone (between turns 5 and 7).

Hamilton vs Massa: A lap later he pulled the same move on Nico Rosberg, to get 6th place, but taking 5th from his old sparring partner Felipe Massa wasn't as straightforward. Not managing to get past him before or in the braking zone, he was on the outside and tried to cut back under him, which would make a straighter exit and get him alongside the Ferrari again for the next corner, or even past him, alas it didn't quite work, perhaps because of a locked up inside wheel at the end of the braking zone, and his front wing sliced through Massa's right-rear tyre, causing a puncture and taking off some of Hamilton's left front wing. They both dived into the pits, and a few laps later the stewards decided that Hamilton shouldn't get away with a botched overtake that had put Massa miles behind where he was, and gave him a drive-through penalty (his 5th of the season), messing up his race as well by putting him way down in 19th. He later succeeded in passing Massa for 12th place, but the Brazillian second fiddle at Ferrari was keen to show his displeasure after the race, saying that he "doesn't use his mind", and even finding him in the press pit later to tap him on the shoulder a few times and sarcastically say "good job", which BBC pundits reckon would've resulted in a fight in other less sponsor-driven sports...

Schumacher Flies, Safety Car Out: After a few pits stops and Fernando Alonso swapping places with Mark Webber a couple of times, Michael Schumacher was trying to overtake Sergio Pérez at turn 7, but after this failed, tried going up the inside into turn 8, only to miscalculate and hit Pérez's rear wheel, sending the nose of his Mercedes GP car flying into the air. When he landed, his final destination was only ever going to be the tyre wall, and sure enough he crashed into it, bringing out the safety car and continuing Marina Bay Street Circuit's annual tradition for needing Mayländer's AMG Mercedes to calm things down. There was concern over any lower back injuries after an incident of this nature, but over the years Schumacher has probably had to become quite thick-skinned, so that may have served as light body armour. He was subsequently unhurt. Massa's "Plan B" however was hurt, as he had just stopped for Super Soft tyres when this happened, and when the SC came out most of the leaders pitted for Soft tyres (yellow ones) that would take them much further, whereas Massa's albeit superior red SS tyres would run out of grip much earlier. This closed up the grid and evaporated Vettel's substantial lead over Jenson Button, but when the race restarted there were three lapped cars between the two of them, so Button couldn't do anything about it. In fact, the first two positions didn't change at all throughout the entire race.

By this point Hamilton was 8th, and over the next few laps he made the most of the closed-up field and climbed to 5th, dropping back behind them after a pit stop but passing all three of them once more to finish 5th, not bad considering his penalty dropping him to 19th on this streeet circuit, but what could he have achieved if he wasn't penalised?

Finish: From the end of lap 1 to the chequered flag, Vettel was first and Button was 2nd, although with another 3-5 laps, Button could've easily been in with a shot of winning, as he was really on a surge in the final stages and, partly due to backmarkers (athough they both had to navigate another set of them), the win was by just 1.7 seconds. 30 seconds behind was Mark Webber, who ended up ahead of Alonso by 25 seconds at the flag. Hamilton finished 5th. This finishing order was enough to keep Sebastian Vettel from winning the World Driver's Championship, but this weekend at Suzuka, he only needs 1 point if Button wins, otherwise it's all over. It will all be over too early in my opinion, with four more races still to go after the Japanese Grand Prix, and Vettel's dominance arguably undermines how exciting the racing has been this year, and true enough the race for second place has been excellent viewing, but unless Button wins every race left this season and Vettel finishes lower than 10th at Suzuka, 2011 will always go down in history as going one man's way pretty much all year (no-one remembers who came 2nd in the championship), and only YouTube will remember the rest of it.

Results & points below, click to enlarge:

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Video Sunday - Supraman Returns

Uploaded: 30/9/11  4/10/11

Running Time: 3:32  3:38

Views At Time of Posting: 37,215  65,507

Feel free to sit back and enjoy some uphill drifting in Lillehammer in Norway, courtesy of Kenneth Moen and his modified Toyota Supra producing what I can only assume is a million horsepowers.

P.S. I only titled it as such because it's the best Supra-based pun I could think of off the top of my head. I don't know if he's actually returning from anywhere.

[Update - 12/10/11] Sadly it has been taken down for copyright reasons, which is a shame, because it was pretty cool...

[Update - 14/10/11] Happily the video was re-uploaded since I was informed of it being taken down on copyright grounds. It now has different music at the start to avoid a lawsuit. Now Supraman really has returned!

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2011 Frankfurt Motor Show Highlights

Mercedes-Benz celebrates 125 years with the F125, as modelled by Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche and his magnificent facial hair

Last week, car companies from all over the world were gathered in Germany for the Frankfurt Motor Show, one of the major shows on the calendar. In total, 91 different new models and concept cars were shown off during the ten-day event running from the 15th-25th September. Here are ten of them that stood out for me.

1. Kia GT Concept

Yes, a Kia. For those of you that don't pay attention to these things, Kia and Hyundai (who are joined like Peugeot and Citroën) are not a punchline anymore. In fact, I sat in a few Kias at EcoVelocity and they felt pretty darn good. The Koreans are also moving away from mimicking European styling and developing their own look out of it, which is where this beauty comes in. Some have criticised it for still having one or two details from other cars (notably the intakes that cut into the headlights, à la Aston Martin One-77), but I'm not terribly bothered by that. If you showed someone this car five years ago and told them it was a Kia, they would not believe you, and Kia say they want to start making more exciting cars, so who knows? Maybe this rear-wheel-drive 3.3 V6 GT with 390bhp and 394lb/ft could one day be a reality. In fact, Autocar reports it could happen in 2013, although probably without the carbon fibre wheels and rearview cameras (pushed forward, so they sort of look like the wing mirrors on an old Japanese car). Also note the delightful absence of batteries here. This isn't a V6 hybrid as opposed to a V8, this is a pure GT car sitting in the Nissan 370Z/Infiniti G37 area of performance. An 8-speed automatic makes sense in a car like this, too. If they do it properly, this could even prove to be a cheaper and interesting alternative to a BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz CLS or more likely the VW Passat CC. If it keeps the ~400 horsepower, maybe even Jaguars and Maseratis if one is optimistic. It's brave of them to start going for this neck of the woods, but if Kia improve at the rate they currently are, in 2013 the GT could be a genuinely good car. We'll just have to wait and see...


2. Jaguar C-X16

Ian Callum does it again. Another beautiful British sports coupé from the designer of the Aston Martin DB7, Jaguar XK and many more (personally though I'd only have one air intake either side of the grille). Of course, this one is different. This concept car is shorter and meaner than an XK or DB7, and a strict 2-seater. As well as a 3.0 V6 producing 375bhp and 332lb/ft of torque, there's a hybrid system including a 70kW (94bhp) electric motor that also adds 173lb/ft for 10 seconds at a time, meaning the C-X16 - temporarily - makes a total of 468bhp and 505lb/ft of torque, putting it between an XK and an XKR, both of which use a much thirstier 5.0 V8. Of course, the real point of doing this is that it produces just 165g/km of CO2, and low CO2 figures are important nowadays. Despite XK power figures, the XE production car that this will spawn is going to sit below the luxury sports GT and take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman S and 911 Carrera, being priced accordingly. Perhaps to keep it light, it's actually smaller than a Cayman. Other than that, there's not that much to say about it, really. It's a concept with a hybrid powertrain that previews a new sports coupé lighter and more agile than the golfer's XK. Until it gets de-concepted and becomes the XE, it's there for staring at, a purpose it is generally well-suited to.


3. Lotus Exige V6

Some people look at the fly-weight Lotus Exige and wonder what it would be like with a bigger engine than the Toyota 1.8 VVT-i that sits in the middle (with or without a supercharger attached), and it would appear Lotus has thought of that too. Perhaps inspired by the fire-spitting, window-licking Hennessey Venom GT, they've stretched the back out and squeezed the supercharged 3.5 V6 from the Evora S in there to make a 1080kg sports car with 350 horsepower. When said 1080kg sports car is a track-focused Lotus, that's quite a recepie. When I first read about it though, I felt negative. In one fell swoop, the lightest Lotus (aside from the barely-legal 2-Eleven) has gained 150kg and now weighs more than a tonne, something that has never, ever been true before. Yes, cars get fatter as they get replaced, but that fact immediately put me in mind of the five Paris concepts, none of which embraced company creator Colin Chapman's lifelong philosophy of  "simplify and add lightness", and this just seemed like the start of their slippery slope from unique purveyor of lightweight driver's cars to just another seller of premium sports cars with strong badge value. We don't need another one of those, Mr. Bahar. Still, when viewed in isolation from all that, this is still a Lotus, and they could write what they don't know about suspension on a pin head, so this - which is still 250kg lighter than an Evora, let's remember - should be a seriously good little car, especially as its creators want it to give "the ultimate Lotus experience". The last hurrah for light Lotuses? Maybe...


4. Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

And now for something without a V6. In fact it would be a travesty if this car had a V6, so instead Lamborghini have spent time tweaking the 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 in the Gallardo and adding racing paraphernalia to make the ultimate edition of their junior supercar. You see, they apparently don't have to worry about average CO2 levels (odd considering their only two cars have a 5.2 V10 and a 6.5-litre V12), so they can spend more time and money on putting their Blancpain Super Trofeo one-make race series on the road with this beast. With the same 1340kg weight as last year's Gallardo Superleggera LP 570-4, the same eponymous 570PS (562bhp), the same 0-60 time and a top speed 4mph lower than the Superleggera, what makes this run of 150 worth any extra money or attention? A much bigger spoiler. It's adjustable, too, and adds that extra stability on race tracks, which despite still having All-Wheel-Drive is where it wants to be. It also has a racing gearbox with a launch control system brilliantly named "Thrust Mode". Oh Lamborghini, you so crazy! The suspension promises to deliver "unmatched precision", the interior features race harnesses and a rollcage and it has lots of lovely red accents. When I say red of course, I actually mean "Rosso Mars", which sounds like the name of a pop singer. The thing is, looking at the Press Releases for both this and the Superleggera, these two "ultimate Gallardo" editions are... exactly the same. So all this special 150-piece limited edition is after all is a Superleggera with red paint and a bigger spoiler on it. Oh! I found something else: "The V10's unique firing order delivers the striking sound you hear in motor racing". So there you go. It also sounds better. Totally worth it...


5. Peugeot HX1 Concept

While Lotus was putting an engine it already had into an existing car, and Lamborghini was busy exaggerating things and mixing up some red paint (sorry, "Rosso Mars"), Peugeot decided to do something that actually is different: a new take on luxury transportation, and for six people too. Of course, the world's press decided that having six seats made this 2+2+2 an MPV, but there is no way a family of six such as, let's say, my family could go on holiday in this. There's nowhere near enough boot for that, unless we packed light or bought a roof box, which looks lame on most cars (not all of them though). All the same, it's a smart-looking thing, and the way the middle seats can sink into the front seats to make it a 2+2 is pretty cool. Unlike MPVs, it's low and wide, mostly for aerodynamic purposes, and the aero theme continues with transforming wheels (that either look like the ones pictured or fan out to make a disc) and pop-up flaps to complement a pop-up spoiler, all to mix style and low drag. Low drag, of course, helps them get the best mileage out of the car's Hybrid4 system, with a 2.2-litre diesel driving the front wheels and a 70kW motor driving the rear. They combine to make a 4-Wheel-Drive car with 300bhp, which would make for a pretty good MPV! Of course, this will never get made, and anyone disappointed by this news was kidding themselves from the start, but the Hybrid4 system will appear in the 508 RXH (Peugeot's Audi Allroad of sorts) and the 3008 Crossover. The pull-out middle seats and butterfly-wing doors? Probably not.


6. Citroën Tubik Concept

As usual, if it's really mad concepts you're after, it's Peugeot's hallucinating brother Citroën that you must turn to. Their latest creation is the pig-faced Tubik, which is again a new take on MPVs, but this time inspired by the corrugated H-Van from the company's past. Well, the front is, but the rest of it is pure sci-fi-meets-acid-trip. The driver gets his own McLaren-style butterfly-wing door which opens up to reveal "The Cyclotron", which Citroën describes as "a system that groups - in one circular line - the seat, pedal assembly, steering wheel and circular head-up display". Yup. Everyone else enters kerbside via a giant carbon fibre gullwing door, with a step that drops down like on a Lear Jet, allowing passengers to simply step into a highly adaptable interior that lets you forget entirely that you're in a traffic jam. It does this partly by looking like the interior of a Covenant spaceship from Halo and partly by being a "lounge-style cocoon". You can have a pair of two-person sofas that face eachother from either end of the cabin, or you can accomodate 8 people in a 2+3+3 set of benches (the two front seats are beside the Clyclotron), or the middle bench can fold down to make a table, or all of the seats can lay flat to make a bed for three, either making this a good place for a family to sleep or a pimp van. The seats themselves are purple felt with silk backrests, the door panels are also silken, and the floor is made of leather, so while you're saving the environment with the same Hybrid4 technology as the HX1, your passengers can walk on dead cows. There's also a TV screen on the ceiling (because at this point, why the hell not?), cameras instead of rear-view mirrors and two-way glass in the side door that means you can see out without others seeing in. Pervtastic! Meanwhile, all your luggage goes in a kind of giant pull-out drawer that sits at the back of the car. How can you not love Citroën concept cars after all that? Don't worry though, some of their other ones are much prettier.


7. Honda Civic (2012 EU Version)

Of course, motor shows aren't just about crazy concept cars, they're also used to unveil cars you can actually buy, and seeing as the interior of this one doesn't appear to have any purple silk in it at all, this must be a production car. In fact, it's the new EU-market Honda Civic, the sequel to the first production car designed entirely with triangles. It must be hard for them to redesign something quite as unique as the outgoing Civic, and for the most part they haven't done a bad job of it, however the tail lights let it down for me. While the 2006 car's rear lights were the same pointy strip as the headlights, these new ones look like they've been glued on from an entirely different car, and don't work with the rest of the design. Considering the development apparently spanned four years, they should arguably look better integrated, or maybe they spend too much time fiddling with them or something. The rest of it though, I think looks rather good. Honda say they focused on the ride and handling, which is a smart move when one of the main criticisms of the 2006-11 Euro Civic was the ride being too harsh, as well as improving the interior quality. Hopefully it still has the same funky-yet-super-clear blue dials, because the ones in the CR-Z were something of a highlight for me when I drove one. Of course, it's customary for writers at this point to mention that there's currently no word on when the Type-R version will arrive, but I would expect it to be around 12 months after the standard car hits showrooms in early 2012. Personally, I would also expect it to have more than 200bhp and be powered by a 1.6 turbo engine, but I can't back that up with anything other than observations of other hot hatches. Meanwhile, the Civic will be available with 1.4 and 1.8 litre petrol engines and a 2.2 diesel, all paired with a 6-speed manual (or a 5-speed auto for the 1.8), and all coming with "Hill Start Assist, ECO Assist, advanced fuelling control technology and Idle Stop", the latter of which I assume is a Stop/Start system of some description. Prices haven't yet been announced.


8. Maserati Kubang

Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that Maserati is building a Jeep-based SUV. One horrible consequence of Fiat merging with Chrysler is that the brands they each own are merging as well. This has already lead to Lancia's Ypsilon and Delta being sold in the UK with "Chrysler" hastily scribbled on them, and Maserati bumping uglies with Jeep to make this, the Kubang SUV. Is this really necessary? Unfortunately it is, as people with more money than sense flock like magpies to shiny-wheeled not-really-off-roaders with fancy badges attached to them. Porsche sells more Cayennes than 911s, for instance, which is amazing given how ugly it is, and proof that the rich are outright determined to buy stupid cars. Why not cash in on this with a Maserati SUV? They've put a positive spin on this by saying the following: "Until today Maserati has been producing sedans, coupes and two- or four-seater convertibles. Whether we named them Quattroporte, GranTurismo or GranCabrio - or, before them, Ghibli, Mistral, Bora or Indy - their common denominator rested in two words: sportiness and luxury. Times have changed: sportiness and luxury today don't have just one definition. They can also take the form of a very dynamic looking and high performing sport luxury SUV." If you say so, guys. Premiership footballers will get to choose from either the usual Ferrari-derived 4.7 V8 found in the current Quattroporte and GranTurismo, or a 3.0 V6 diesel. Outside of Europe, you can only have it with the V8, and of course there's no manual gearbox. That would make it a driver's car, of all things...


9. BRABUS Rocket 800

As well as manufacturers showing off their latest wares, tuning companies are flocking to motor shows nowadays to show you what they can do with last year's exhibits, and this is the latest creation from Mercedes-Benz specialists and power addicts BRABUS. Called the "Rocket 800", it started out as a new CLS-Class, but has since been completely overhauled. The engine bay is stuffed full of V12, which is then heavily modified and boosted by twin turbos to produce a whopping 800PS (788bhp) and 811lb/ft of torque, or roughly enough to propel a large house to 60mph. Probably. It's also enough to propel the Rocket 800 from 0-60 in just 3.7 seconds. BRABUS mention that the V12 BiTurbo can actually generate 1047lb/ft (1420NM), but this has to be limited to stop the gearbox from effectively turning itself inside out. Considering it can go from 0-200km/h (124mph) in just 9.8 seconds, and 0-300km/h (186mph) in 23.8 seconds - not miles away from a Veyron - the limited torque is probably not something to feel disappointed about. As for the top speed, which unlike most German super saloons isn't limited to 155mph, it can do a record-breaking 230+mph, making it the fastest 4-door car you can buy today. I recommend only buying one if you live near the Autobahn, though. 230mph isn't exactly wise anywhere else. It's also reassuring to read that "To keep the enormous performance of the world's fastest sedan safely in check at all times, the vehicle's aerodynamic properties, suspension and brakes were modified extensively." As well as colossal air intakes to stop the powerhouse from exploding, a rear spoiler and diffuser have been added to improve high-speed stability and prevent an attempt at that top speed from simply being an elaborate method of suicide, something BRABUS clearly don't want to be responsible for, as the top speed is limited to 217mph for road use (i.e. to stop the tyres bursting), suggesting you can delimit it for using on an airfield or drag strip, or when you get better tyres. Just in case you were wondering, BRABUS do stuff like this for a living, and make tons of money out of it. What do you do for a living?


10. BMW M5 (F10)

Having already seen the new BMW M5 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as well as countless near-identical speculative renders before that, the appearance isn't surprising. I also won't be surprised if it proves to be the new class benchmark and is heralded as the best performance saloon on sale today. I guess I've become slightly jaded by the M5. For some reason it was never exciting during the run-up to its release. It looks like a 5-Series M-Sport with some chrome bits, it has a V8 Twin-Turbo like the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and it makes 552bhp, which is on par for its class nowadays (it's also quite a lot). It does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and has a limited top speed of 155mph, which again is the kind of thing one can expect from the current generation of mid-sized super-saloons. Maybe instead we should compare it to the outgoing M5 (E60) to see why this is so good. That had a 5-litre V10 making 507bhp (when you told it to, otherwise 400bhp for better fuel economy) and a tremendous noise. It also struggled greatly to get 20mpg and would even drop below 10mpg if you ever decided to get on with it. The new F10's 4.4 V8TT will apparently do 28.5mpg, probably averaging above 20mpg during average driving in real life. Peak torque in the E60 was at 6100rpm, and there was but 384 lb/ft of it (red-lining at 8250rpm), whereas the F10 reaches its full 502lb/ft of torque at just 1500rpm, and holds onto it until 5750rpm (red-lining at 7200rpm), thus giving it much more linear acceleration and acres more grunt in the low-mid range, which is the area in the revs one actually uses most of the time. You can thank the twin-scroll turbochargers for that. The DCT is also much smoother than the single-clutch automated manual in the E60, so really it's the powertrain where this new car shines. I also think it's good-looking, mixing executive smartness with underlying muscle, although I could do without the faux Aston Martin vents ahead of the doors. It seems to have all the bases covered. New benchmark it is, then.

Honourable Mentions include the new Porsche 911 (991), Ferrari 458 Spider, a preview of BMW's i8 hybrid supercar, a look at the next Land Rover Defender, another Alfa Romeo 4C Concept, the Fisker Surf (an estate version of the Karma electric hybrid) and the production version of the Suzuki Swift Sport. The Swift is an unsung hero of sorts in the supermini category, and a fizzy little hot hatch version could be a lot of fun. Apparently the last one was, and this one's still small and light, so who knows? It could be a hidden gem on eBay in the years to come. Until then, why not gaze at next year's new Formula Ford car? It's pretty cool, you know.

For press releases and wallpapers of all the cars from the Frankfurt Motor Show, use the tool below from Netcarshow.com.

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