The first Tuesday of each month is traditionally ‘New Car Pack’ day for Forza fans. With the Season Pass complete, and E3 just around the corner, players are unsure of whether a new car pack will be arriving soon or not. Ford UK has let slip that, regardless of a car pack’s arrival, all Forza Motorsport 6 players will be receiving a free treat today, in the form of the Ford GT LM. The track-ready counterpart to FM6’s cover star, the 2016 #66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT LM has consistently been one of the most-requested cars by the community. To make the wait even harder, the car was initially unveiled with Forza sponsorship, all but confirming its (eventual) inclusion. Much like the Chryslus Rocket 69, the GT LM will be unlocked via unique code, sent to all FM6 players starting today. Turn 10 have also taken the time to announce a new ‘Forza Racing Championship’. While details are scarce currently – all we have is what you see in the above … [Read more...] about Ford GT LM Arrives in Forza Motorsport 6 For Free, Just In Time For Le Mans
Ford focus wtcc
Paris show: Ford crosses over
Ford has given a strong indicator of its crossover plans with the Iosis X concept car, revealed today (September 28) in Paris. The sporty yet tough – despite the kiss at the end of its name! – five-door has Focus underpinnings and a muscular body that stems directly from Ford’s latest buzzphrase: kinetic design.This ‘energy in motion’ approach is an attempt to convey ‘great driving characteristics via dynamic shapes’. Yes, but what does it look like? A bit like a Puma on steroids. “It’s pretty funky actually,” said John McIlroy, editor of autocar.co.uk. “Ford is saying that this concept is connected to the future production car in the same way the Iosis [revealed to great acclaim in Frankfurt last year] was to the new Mondeo. “I just hope the eventual car is not toned-down as much as the new Mondeo [also unveiled in Paris] has been.” Ford hopes to break into the burgeoning crossover market sector by the end … [Read more...] about Paris show: Ford crosses over
Paris show: Volvo C30 in detail
Looking at the sleek shape of the new C30, it's funny to think that Volvo was once known as the builder of boxy estates. Now the Swedish firm's going after a new market – it's hoping that the stylish C30 will steal buyers away from cars such as the Mini and even the Audi TT, as well as more obvious rivals such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series. Keen pricing gives it a good start – in basic 99bhp 1.6-litre S form, the C30 costs £14,750. That's £765 less than an A3 1.6 and £1245 less than a 116i. There will be four trim levels (S, SE, SE Sport and SE Lux) and eight engines available; 1.6, 2.0 and 2.4-litre diesels; 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrols, a 2.4-litre five-cylinder unit and a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, as used in the Ford Focus ST. Standard kit is generous, with climate control standard, along with all the safety features you’d expect on a Volvo, including front, side and curtain airbags. SE trim adds bigger alloys, more … [Read more...] about Paris show: Volvo C30 in detail
Tom Chilton on why he’s ready to win in the BTCC and WTCC
What’s the biggest challenge facing a racing driver competing in two major championships? Staying focused on each? Balancing the pressure? Or perhaps getting to grips with different cars? Nope. The answer is much simpler. “Jet lag,” says Tom Chilton, world touring car driver for Sébastien Loeb Racing and recently confirmed British Touring Car Championship returnee with Power Maxed Racing. Chilton, who is back in the BTCC after a five-year hiatus, will rack up the air miles this season. He’ll contest a total of 50 races: 30 in the BTCC spread across 10 weekends and 20 in the WTCC at a further 10 events. “It’s the first time this has ever been done in these two series, so I’m a bit of a guinea pig,” says the 31-year-old from Reigate in Surrey. Chilton, who is the older brother of former F1 driver Max, burst into the BTCC in 2002 at the age of 17 and finished third in his first race. Over the next decade he raced in the BTCC for Honda, … [Read more...] about Tom Chilton on why he’s ready to win in the BTCC and WTCC
Why Seat is VW’s answer to the Focus RS
A couple of months back, I gave Seat a fairly hefty kicking in the magazine. The gist? Its current product line-up versus brand identity confused me, and I missed the flare of Cupras and Cupra Rs from years gone by.But it wasn’t all negative. I said that Seat could get back on form with some properly hardcore hot hatch action. Today I’m even more convinced that that’s the case. I’ve recently driven the Focus RS and it’s brilliant – lairy to look at, boisterous but thrilling to drive and ludicrously powerful too. Volkswagen really needs to respond to it. Thing is, I don’t reckon the mother brand’s core values will allow it – those function-before-form, minimalist-though-cosseting, well-rounded attributes we expect from every Wolfsburg product won’t stretch to something as uncompromising as a Focus RS.The new Golf GTI is only a very mild evolution of the old. And look at the GTI-R Golf we’ve scooped online. Volkswagen … [Read more...] about Why Seat is VW’s answer to the Focus RS
Ford evaluating Focus ST for World Touring Car Championship
Ford rolled out the new Focus, it launched a program to adapt the car to various touring car racing specifications. The car has been performing admirably in the British Touring Car Championship, winning several races last season with Arena Motorsport to finish second in the teams standings. But now Ford's reportedly got its eye on a bigger prize.According to Autosport, Dearborn is considering sending the Focus ST touring car up to the World Touring Car Championship. To that end, they've reportedly retained the services of the same Arena Motorsport that fields the car in the BTCC and which has, in its considerable history, run teams in A1GP, Formula Three, Le Mans and even Fomula One – scoring a podium finish under the Onyx Grand Prix banner with Stefan Johansson behind the wheel and Ford power under the hood at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix, just behind Gerhard Berger and Alain Prost.The last time Ford competed in the WTCC was in 2005. But while the World Championship may not … [Read more...] about Ford evaluating Focus ST for World Touring Car Championship
Chevrolet WTCC Ultra (2006): first official pictures
Hidden beneath the WTCC Ultra's wild touring car looks is Chevrolet's 2008 Ford Focus rival. GM's headline concept car at today’s Paris motor show (Thursday 28), the Ultra previews Chevrolet's future design direction, as well as the Lacetti replacement. Although the muscular bodykit, ultra-wide track, funky graphics and slitty rear window will all be toned down for production, 'you won’t miss the connection when the production car arrives,' a GM insider told CAR Online. Although the race spec interior features a roll cage and paddleshift transmission, the concept runs a most un-touring car like 2.0-litre diesel engine. The aggressive nose, far removed from today's range of rebadged Daewoos, shows the future direction for European Chevys. An exaggerated Chevy bow tie-badge dominates the front end, sandwiched between two aggressive grilles. Expect the funky headlamp shape to figure on the finished car, because that sculpted bonnet has been built up to meet European pedestrian … [Read more...] about Chevrolet WTCC Ultra (2006): first official pictures
Honda Civic Type R (2013) details at Frankfurt motor show
The new Honda Civic Type R will, for the first time in Type R history, be powered by a turbocharged engine. That’s the news confirmed today at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show by Honda's European president, Manabu Nishimae, who announced the new hot hatch would employ a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine.Just a teasing hint of the car's performance: 'We have recently spent a week at the Nurburgring, carrying out extensive testing and we are on target, and have already set a time approaching the lap record' said Honda boss Nishimae.The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine will be turbocharged and use direct-injection fuel technology, giving better power delivery and economy than the revvy but torque-light VTEC cars. The power output will be at least 276bhp, all of it being entrusted to the front wheels via a mechanical limited-slip differential. Glimpse the rev counter in the video below and you'll spot the redline is set at 7000rpm: good for a turbo car, but nothing … [Read more...] about Honda Civic Type R (2013) details at Frankfurt motor show
To hell for the weekend: the 2017 Nurburgring 24h race in pictures
► 2017 Nurburgring 24h in pictures ► 180 cars, 600 drivers, 900 marshalls ► Trackside, in the pits, and in the paddock‘You must go to the Nurburging 24h,’ SCG founder Jim Glickenhaus told us when we interviewed him at the Geneva motor show earlier this year. ‘It’s like Woodstock and Burning Man festival, with a race going on at the same time.’‘It’s the least German event you can imagine’, said a press officer for another team. ‘It’s badly organised, it’s dangerous, most of the crowd is drunk, it’s like a race from the ’70s. It’s one of a kind.’We had to see it for ourselves. CAR’s James Taylor, James Dennison and photographer Tom Chapman were trackside and backstage at N24 2017 - here’s a snapshot or two from two days and a night of racing at ‘The Green Hell.’Some of the numbers associated with the Nurburgring 24h warrant a double-take:180 cars, setting … [Read more...] about To hell for the weekend: the 2017 Nurburgring 24h race in pictures
Arena Motorsport Presents Its 199-hp, 1.6-Powered Ford Focus WTCC Limited Edition
Arena Motorsport, the group behind the Team Aon Ford Focus entry in the World Touring Car Championship, has unveiled a limited-edition street version of the Focus the team races in the WTCC. The cars will come with original Ford factory warranties, and, according to Arena, the Focus WTCC Limited Edition will be offered for sale globally, although no details regarding distribution channels or production volume have been revealed—but don’t expect it to arrive on U.S. shores.The WTCC Focus is motivated by a 1.6-liter Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder, which has been massaged by the capable hands at Mountune with their MP200 engine upgrade, the engine produces 199 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. For those keeping score, that’s 21 hp and 52 lb-ft more than the stock 1.6 EcoBoost makes in either the Ford Fusion or the Escape here in North America. You may notice that we don’t mention a U.S.-spec Focus for comparison here; that’s because our market doesn’t get a … [Read more...] about Arena Motorsport Presents Its 199-hp, 1.6-Powered Ford Focus WTCC Limited Edition