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Peugeot to Return to Pikes Peak with Its Stunning 208 T16—And Sébastien Loeb

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By John Lamm

Racing in the rarified air of Colorado’s Pikes Peak has been going on since 1916 and is one of the classics in American racing, but it also has a hold on overseas automakers. Suzuki may not even sell cars in this country anymore, but it and “Monster” Tajima are modern legends on the mountain. The words “Hyundai” and “racing” would be an odd combination at most every racetrack, yet at Pikes Peak, Rhys Millen and Hyundai Genesis are world-record holders. Audi has made a sizable mark of its own on the mountain with the likes of Walter Röhrl, Bobby Unser, and Michèle Mouton. So too has Peugeot, and it’s about to make a comeback.

When the 2013 Pikes Peak hill climb kicks off on June 30, starting number 208 in the top-notch Unlimited class will be taken, appropriately, by a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak. The French marque revealed very little about the car, other than to say, “Its proportions are very different to those of the production 208.” It was revealed, however, that the rear wing is the very same as was used in the 908 prototype racer that won Le Mans in 22009. Regardless of what resides beneath the 208 T16′s beautiful bodywork, it will be fine tuned for the special nature of racing the fully-paved, 12.4-mile, 156-turn course that runs from 9390 feet up to 14,110. The car most certainly will achieve the feat in a time of less than 10 minutes.

We say certainly because Peugeot has the right driver for the climb. Sébastien Loeb, 39, is about as close as it gets to a perpetual title holder in any form of racing, having won the past nine World Rally Championship driver’s crowns. This year he has already won his record seventh Monte Carlo Rally and finished second in Sweden in what will be a reduced-schedule year, as he segues to road racing.

Normally, if you team the words Peugeot and United States, what follows will be “commercial failure,” but the French automaker has a history of racing success in the U.S. Dip way back into Indy 500 history and you’ll find Frenchman Jules Goux won that race in a Pug 100 years ago, Dario Resta did the same in 1916. What has Peugeot done for us lately? Overall wins at Sebring in 2010 and 2011 and a pair more at the Petit Le Mans (2009 and 2011). As for Pikes Peak, famed Finnish rally driver Ari Vatanen first raced there in 1987 with Peugeot’s 205 T16, losing out to Röhrl and his Audi Quattro. Vatanen was back and broke the hill record in 1988 with a Peugeot 405 T16, a run documented in an award-winning video—”Climb Dance.” The automaker returned in 1989 and won again, this time with driver Robby Unser, whose famed family

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Automobiles

Official: Peugeot returning to Pikes Peak with Sébastien Loeb [w/video]

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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In spite of troubles in other areas – and there are plenty of them – sales of the Peugeot 208 are a bright spot for the French carmaker. Attempting to grab that light and make sure it shines everywhere, the company is returning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 30 with a specially prepared 208 driven by nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.

Citroën has loaned Loeb to its PSA/Peugeot-Citroën sister company so that he could contest his first Pikes Peak – it only makes sense that he’s looking to try new pastures after winning all of those World Rally Championship titles with Citroën. The 208, which will have the start number ‘208,’ will be revealed in April. Peugeot has won the race twice, once with Ari Vatanen in a 206 T16 in 1988 and again the next year with Robby Unser in a 405 T16.

To get you ready, there’s a press release and a short film below called Climb Dance which follows Vatanen’s drive. We highly recommend a watch – better vintage car porn is hard to find.

Continue reading Peugeot returning to Pikes Peak with Sébastien Loeb [w/video]

Peugeot returning to Pikes Peak with Sébastien Loeb [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

First Drive: 2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4

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By Matt Davis

2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4

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The One Mini Should Have Taken Rallying

It needs to be said: Mini using the Countryman as their World Rally Championship racer’s bodystyle of choice has done them no favors on the marketing front. And that’s what it’s all about in motorsports these days: marketing and image. We have just driven the 2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4 through Frankfurt’s surrounding rural areas, and even in thick snow where few souls dared to tread, it has singularly rekindled some faith in the John Cooper Works sub-brand – a glorious name whose credibility has been threatened by portly and somewhat pointless products like the JCW Countryman.

The JCW Paceman is a little quicker than its Countryman relative, a little lighter, hunkered down lower, and better looking. We can’t say we’re crazy anymore about the stock Chili Red details and black exterior they keep showing us at these launches, but that’s just paint. Then there’s that projected pricing of $36k-plus that puts us on the verge of yelling “¡No mas!” But the All4 system on our 215-horsepower Paceman worked extremely well when paired with a set of exceptional Pirelli Sottozero Winter 210 Serie II tires (sized 205/55 R17 91H all around). The combination of all-wheel drive and good rubber encouraged us to gradually up the average speed and enthusiasm the further we drove along.

And the JCW hunkers four-tenths of an inch lower on its standard sport-tuned dampers and springs. This is just the start of why the hip point and yaw point – and all those other points – render the Paceman JCW‘s driving so satisfying. Whereas the electro-assisted steering on some of the lower-slung Minis has suffered slightly since the very first incarnations of those models, the Paceman seems to work with it. We were forcing oversteer coming into several of the day’s curves, and the steering and sheer physics of the chassis readily obliged. Just get your inner ear in sync with the 3,252-pounder’s lateral momentum and you’re golden. The odd center handbrake is calibrated not to really snap the car around at will, but we learned to muscle it and deal with the onboard chorus of chimes warning us that we were using the handbrake as a handbrake.

Continue reading 2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4

2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman All4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Citroën DS3 Racing Limited-Edition Hotrod Celebrates World Rally Championship

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By Tony Swan

Citroën may be struggling in the marketplace, but its World Rally Championship record has been unbeatable—eight titles since 2004—and lest we forget, the company is offering this hotrod variant on its 2013 DS3 compact hatchback to commemorate its remarkable achievements.

A limited-production edition similar in spirit to the new Mini Cooper Paceman GT, the three-door DS3 Racing sports a matte-black body highlighted by matte-gold roof, rear wing, mirrors, and Citroën chevron badging. The 18-inch black-and-gold aluminum wheels wear 215/40 Bridgestone Potenza performance tires, backed by bigger brakes and tighter suspension tuning.

Like the standard DS3, the Racing edition is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo. But output goes from the standard engine’s 156 horsepower to a robust 207. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Interior enhancements include racing-style bucket seats, and a mostly black décor with matte-gold accents.

This is Citroën’s second DS3 Racing package. The first was offered in the 2011 model year. Like the original, the latest DS3 Racing will be a limited-edition offering. Citroën plans to cap production at 3000 units.

2013 Geneva Auto Show full coverage

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

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Video: Sony unveils new <em>DriveClub</em> racing game franchise for PS4

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By John Neff

PS4 game DriveClub - screencap of Hennessey's taillamps

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Sony held a big event last night where many thought it would debut its next-next-next-gen console system, the Playstation 4. As it turns out, Sony both did and didn’t debut the PS4, choosing to keep the console’s design a secret for now while premiering the new controller’s look, a new Kinect-like camera peripheral and the machine’s basic hardware specs.

The other thing that got a lot of attention were games, one of which previewed during the event was DriveClub, a new racing game franchise by Evolution Studios that will launch with the PS4 this holiday season. The studios prior highlights include developing World Rally Championship games for the PS2 and Motorstorm for the PS3. The teaser vid for DriveClub can be watched below, and while it looks darn good, these sorts of vids aren’t always accurate representations of what the actual gameplay graphics will look like.

From what we’ve heard and can tell from the video, DriveClub will look and work just like the other major racing game franchises, namely the Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport series. It’s reported, however, that DriveClub will be able to support hundreds of drivers and that it’s graphical detail goes down to a car’s “microscopic” flecks of paint.

As for the cars that will be included, we see a number of vehicles in the teaser video, including the Hennessey Venom GT, BAC Mono and Pagani Huayra, among others. Mercedes-Benz has even issued a press release announcing that the CLA45 AMG and A45 AMG will be in the game and included the first official shot of the former done up in the game’s photorealistic graphics.

So what say you Playstation users? Does DriveClub look like it can give the grand-daddy of next-gen racing games, Gran Turismo, a run for its money on Sony’s console?

Continue reading Sony unveils new DriveClub racing game franchise for PS4

Sony unveils new DriveClub racing game franchise for PS4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: Ken Block rally cars go blue in the face (and everywhere else)

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Well at least we now know why Ken Block “just ain’t care” about smashing up his Ford Fiesta rally car recently. It’s because he’s getting a full brand makeover including a new team name, new paint scheme and even a new headquarters. Formerly known as Monster World Rally Team, Block and his Fiesta will now be competing under the Hoonigan Racing Division name, which is based out of a new 12,000 square foot facility located in Park City, UT.

As you can tell in the image above, Hoonigan Racing will replace the familiar black, white and green paint scheme with a more colorful design featuring plenty of blue, purple and red; the Monster Energy logo retains some of the car’s green. The new paint scheme was inspired by Block’s love of skateboard graphics from the ’80s and early ’90s as well as “Miami Vice-era” speedboats.

Block will continue to compete in multiple rally racing series such as Global RallyCross, World Rally Championship and X Games. The new headquarters features office space on one side and a shop for the cars on the other side. The building features plenty of stuff you’d expect from a company designed around Ken Block, including a massive gaming station for racing video games, recycled shipping containers used throughout the facility and a black bear.

Block also hints at the next Gymkana on the Hoonigan Racing blog:

I can’t comment too much on it at this point, but we’re taking a very different approach to it for this year. That’s all I’m going to say right now!”

So, we guess we’ll be looking forward to that, then.

Ken Block rally cars go blue in the face (and everywhere else) originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: iON introduces Speed Pro action camera for motor and marine sports [w/video]

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Meanwhile, back at the Consumer Electronics Show, iON camera announced its new Speed Pro camera that it says is specifically tailored to high-speed motor and marine sports. Retailing for $299, the Speed Pro offers up to a 170-degree viewing angle and mounts to affix it to cars, motorcycles and boats and other vehicles. Recording at 1080p the field-of-view drops to 127 degrees and the only frame rate option is 30 frames per second. At 960p and 30 fps you get the full 170 degrees, at 720p you can choose 30 fps or 60 fps for its 150-degree field-of-view. Still photos are captured at 5MP and remote control of the camera requires the purchase of the $99 Wi-Fi PODZ.

Alongside the Speed Pro, iOn also announced the $249 Air Pro 2 with an upgraded 14-megapixel sensor and 180-degree lens, and the $349 GPS-equipped iON Adventure with its lens on the side of the body, dual SD card recording and a motion-detecting sensor designed for adventure-seekers that move a little more slowly.

Samples of Speed Pro footage can be found in the two videos below that feature World Rally Championship driver Petter Solberg. Closer to home, you can see them in operation if you visit the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah where the iON has been named the exclusive action camera supplier. The press release below lays it all out in words.

Continue reading iON introduces Speed Pro action camera for motor and marine sports [w/video]

iON introduces Speed Pro action camera for motor and marine sports [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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