Filipe Massa did everything he could at his home track, but it just wasn’t enough to keep Lewis Hamilton from winning the overall title and becoming the youngest F1 drivers champion in history. For Massa to take the title, he would have not only had to finish 1st, but Hamilton would have had to finish in 6th place or worse. There were more than a few Brazilians hoping for a Hamilton crash. But it didn’t happen that way.
The entire season came down to the final lap of the final race, which was a great end to a great season. Massa led for nearly the whole race, and eventually converted his pole position into a win. The nail biting came from Hamilton’s position. He was in 6th place as Massa passed the finish line, but moved up past Timo Glock in the Toyota to finish in 5th, assuring him the championship by a single point. Glock’s inability to hold off Hamilton also assured that millions of Brazilians will now hate him along with his team, Toyota.
Vertu, a mobile phone manufacturer and subsidiary of Nokia, has recently added a new luxury cellular device to their exclusive Ascent collection, aimed specifically at upper class automotive enthusiasts. Following in the footsteps of Vertu’s multiple previously released Ferrari-themed mobile devices, the new Ferrari Ascent Ti is styled to reflect the superior design of the Ferrari super car with unique accents such as Ferrari hood inspired battery cover, the obligatory Cavallino/prancing horse logo, and a complimentary 12-month or 12,000-mile supply of tadalifil.
Part 3 of Audi’s snarky new adverts, Meet The Beckers, has finally hit the interwebs and like the two videos that preceded it, it’s pretty damn funny. Audi’s characterization of Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus owners is absolutely dead-on-balls accurate (it’s an industry term), and some of the below-the-belt jabs are so subtle, you’ll miss them if you aren’t paying attention. Personally, Episode 2: Getting The Bird, wins my nomination as the funniest of the trio - if I had a dime for every Billy Becker that tried to pick me up, I’d be eating stir-fried bald eagle off of 24k gold flatware right now.
If you didn’t get a chance to catch the first two installments of Meet The Beckers, I would highly recommend doing so before watching Episode 3. Hit the jump for episodes 1 & 2
Recently, the experts at Auto Express managed to confirm that the rumors surrounding Audi’s intention to produce a compact car are indeed correct: Audi is currently developing a small, eco-friendly city car. The Audi city car will share the same underpinnings as VW’s newest micro car, the up!, and engineers are currently burning the midnight Öl developing two super fuel-efficient, 600cc twin-turbocharged engines (one diesel, one petrol). Sources say the tiny Audi is expected to average around 95 mpg and produce less than 100g/km of CO2 emissions, earning it a spot in the fuel-efficient micro car competition next the likes of the 56 mpg Ford Ka and the 80 mpg Toyota iQ.
Official photos giving us a sneak peak at the 2010 Porsche Panamera’s center stack surfaced over the weekend, which join the two pre-existing teaser shots in providing auto enthusiasts with absolutely zero assurance that the production Panamera won’t vaguely resemble male genitalia. Obviously still a little self-conscious abouts its physical package, the 2010 Porsche Panamera has yet to subject itself to a full body shot (recent spy shots excluded) and this newest batch of sneak peeks reveal little more than a heavily over-accessorized cockpit (snicker). Check out the new teaser shots after the jump
Available for purchase is a new, low volume convertible from automaker Breckland called the Beira. Similar to the Mallet conversions reported on several months ago, though disguised with new front and rear styling, the Breckland Beira is born through the marriage of GM’s 6 liter LS2 V8 to the Kappa platform used with great success in the Pontiac Solstic and Saturn Sky convertibles. Unlike the latter two, however, the Beira produces nearly 400 horsepower.
Without naming names, certain automakers churn out the same ‘ole thing time after time to a collective eye roll and yawn by the car-loving public. It’s like every new Nickleback album; they all sound the same. But there are a few companies, like Porsche, that can produce a vehicle whose design remains remarkably unchanged for the better part of 40 years and yet continue to impress. For 2009, the AC/DC of the auto world (to keep the analogy going), has delivered the newest 911 Targa models that remain loyal to the original.
A while ago, we wrote about The Simeone Foundation Museum, which is Fred Simeone’s personal collection of 60 amazing race cars. Well, coming up in November, Mario Andretti will be awarded the first annual Spirit of Competition award from the Simeone Foundation.
The whole ceremony will also include the dedication of the Simeone Foundation Museum by the Honorable Mayor Michael Nutter. Hot stuff.
It’s all going down on from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm on November 12th, that’s almost two weeks away, plenty of time to iron my only suit. So hopefully we’ll get you some pictures and info from the inside.
If you’re interested, the event will take place at the Simeone Foundation Museum on 6825 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19153. Tickets are available from the Foundation for $175. Call 215-365-7233 for reservations and details.
Recently, Top Gear’s Richard Hammond placed his 1997 red Ferrari 550 up for sale in the classic car classifieds in the UK for a cool £39,950. Rumored to be getting the boot to make way for Hammond’s new Morgan Aeromax, the ‘97 Ferrari had only 49,000 miles on the clock with a pristine, perfectly preserved black leather interior that reflected the level of care shown to it. Previously owned by EVO magazine before coming under the protective wing of Hammond, the Ferrari also came equipped with more bragging rights than a brand new California. It’s no surprise then that the listing showed up inactive this morning along with the message “This particular car is no longer listed for sale (e.g. sold, withdrawn, or awaiting approval).” So whose the lucky stiff that was handed the keys?
In California, a 37-year-old San Franciscan hairstylist was found guilty by a jury of his peers of possessing a $125,000 Porsche Carrera that had been stolen from an San Anselmo, CA home. In addition, the man also faces additional charges of auto theft for driving a stolen Lexus SUV to court the day he received his conviction. Apparently, authorities were alerted to the SUV when bystanders expressed concern over several Yorkshire terriers that had been roaming about inside the vehicle. When police observed the man exiting the building with keys to the Lexus in hand, he was promptly arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property.
