If we're playing the odds game, chances are you don't own a Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's okay. Neither do we. At the same time, there's a good possibility that there's either an iPhone or iPod touch on your person as you read this, which means you can now come a little closer to the dream of Ghost ownership via a brand-new app from Rolls-Royce. The company has answered the call of the masses by providing the world with a mobile Ghost configurator. Now you can wow your friends and waste time by flipping through the myriad of options that go into building your very own Rolls.
The app also features a few other goodies. For one, you can flip through a selection of Ghost photos and watch a few clips of the car as it oozes luxury all over the country side. There's even a specifications section for the tech-minded out there, and the app will also help you find the closest Rolls-Royce dealer. You can pick it up from the Apple App Store completely free of charge.
The Indy Racing League is coming to Baltimore, and not just for the crab cakes and football. The Maryland city announced that it will be an official stop on the IRL schedule next year with a 2.4-mile loop that will snake through the heart of downtown and the inner harbor. The announcement means that around $7.8 million in state and federal funds will be used to repave the majority of the streets on the course. One road will also need to be widened in order to meet IRL regulations.
The race is slated for August 2011, and while the city says that the road work will take more than a year to complete, actual preparation for the race will take closer to four weeks. That includes the construction of 50,000 temporary grand-stand seats, though officials claim that the work will be minimally intrusive for both residents and workers in the area.
Baltimore has signed a five-year contract with the IRL, and as a result, officials forecast that it will see around $11 million in tax revenue from the partnership. Likewise, around $250 million is expected to flow into the local economy due to the races.
With Jaguar celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, honoring the automaker's motorsports heritage surely has to play a big part in the party. With that in mind there are 27 Jags of various vintages entered in this year's Mille Miglia revival. The factory and Jaguar Heritage Trust are bringing a team of six XK120s, C-Types and D-Types for the 1,000 round trip tour from Brescia to Rome and back.
The current Mille Miglia is open to cars that competed in the original race between 1927 and 1957 as well as other examples of the same model and vintage. In addition to the Jaguars, this year's field includes the usual suspects like Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari as well as makes you've likely never heard of. Those more obscure brands include OM, Morettini (based on a Fiat) and Siata. The 2010 Mille Miglia began yesterday and runs through May 8th.
The Barcelona GP is less than a week away, and you know what that means: original Red Bull content. This time it's Sebastian Vettel talking us through a flying lap of the 4.6-kilometer Barcelona track, and since he's doing it in German they put Mark Webber on translating duty. Except for Bahrain, the season has so far delivered brilliant action, and with the return to Europe and upgrades slated for a host of teams we see no reason Spain should be the same. Follow the jump to watch Vettel, and does anyone else want that RedBull simulator as much as we do?
It's barely been a couple of months since Volkswagen confirmed the formation of its own high-performance division, dubbed R GmbH. But with the Golf R and Scirocco R already released, what is the highly anticipated new performance studio up to next?
According to reports, a new Polo R is on the way. Picking up where the (above) Polo GTI – due for release this summer, complete with 178-horsepower, 1.4-liter Twincharger four – leaves off, the Polo R is tipped to benefit from a 1.6-liter turbo four. Because the Polo's platform reportedly can't accommodate the VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive system, the Polo R will likely drive around 210 horsepower through the front wheels only, slotting in nicely below 270-hp, all-wheel drive Golf R. Sources expect the Polo R's arrival in 2012.
It's no secret that BMW, like many other automakers, is working on smaller three cylinder engines for its future products to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Some of those engines will go into the next generation of Mini products and the goal is to provide a significant improvement in fuel economy without sacrificing performance.
The new Mini engines will incorporate much of the same technology that exists today in the high performance John Cooper Works edition. The 208 horsepower JCW uses direct injection and a twin-scroll turbocharger to extra extra power from the 1.6-liter four-cylinder. The three-cylinder will likely have a 1.2-liters of displacement with 120 and 180 hp for the Cooper and Cooper S. The next-gen Cooper which will probably arrive in 2012 and will likely be rated around 50 mpg on the highway, similar to the current Mini Cooper D available in Europe.
The infamous Porsche tuners at Techart have unveiled the company's new tuning program for the 2010 911 Turbo. If you find the car's styling boring and the power lacking, the crew has what you need to wrench a full 620 horsepower out of the factory 3.8-liter flat-six. Techart starts by ditching the factory exhaust manifolds and pipes for an easy-breathing system built in-house. Throw in a sports air filter and an ECU reflash, and you've got an extra 120 horsepower over what Stuttgart deems necessary.
As usual, Techart has worked over the rest of the car's systems to keep up with the nudge in power. A set of fully-adjustable coilovers have found their way under the Turbo, along with massive brakes on all four corners. The company will even throw in its "Nose Lift" system for the right price, meaning the 620 horsepower missile won't quiver in fear at the site of a speed bump.
The tuner is also providing a selection of aero kits, from the subdued Stage I to the somewhat more air-inlet happy Stage II. Both of the front fascias wear Techart's new Audi-esque day time running lights set low in the car's grille. We can feel Porsche designers cringing from here.
