Formula 1: Brazilian GP Qualifying Results

In Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel matched Nigel Mansell’s record of 14 pole positions in a single Formula 1 season, which stood for 19 years. In the final qualifying session of the season at the Brazilian track of Interlagos, he had his last chance to break it - at least for the current season.

Which of course he did, consistently beating his teammate Mark Weber who will line up beside him on Sunday's starting grid.
"There has been quite some talk before the qualifying, before this weekend, about this particular record and I think the best thing was just not to think about it at all”, said Vettel after qualifying.
“Yesterday we did have sort of a rough start to the weekend where I wasn't 100% happy with the balance yet but then I think we made the right choices overnight and again going in to qualifying,” he added.
Despite topping the timing seats on Friday’s second free practice session, breaking Red Bull's domination on the other two, Lewis Hamilton did not perform as well in the official qualifier. He was 0.2 seconds slower than Jenson Button was in the other McLaren, and 0.562 seconds slower than Vettel.
Predictably, given the teams’ overall performance in 2011, Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari was in fifth place. Nico Rosberg was quick enough in practice to challenge the Spaniard, but eventually had to settle with beating the second Ferrari with Felipe Massa, as well as his team mate in Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher, who couldn’t manage anything better than 10th place.

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Fiat Abarth 500 Takes on Subaru Impreza WRX STI on Italian Track

The Abarth 500, especially when fitted with the 'essesse' performance package that lifts the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output to 160-horses, is a capable little beast for its size and price, but is that enough to challenge a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the racetrack?

Well, as any driver with some experience on the circuit will tell you, it’s as much about the car as it is about the person sitting behind the wheel. That said, the Abarth 500 shouldn't come close to an STI in the right hands but it's plausible under certain circumstances.
Youtube poster Marchettino says that he was able to chase the Impreza WRX STI –even though it was modded, which could potentially mean that it packed close to 300-ponies under its hood, with his Abarth 500.
"While driving at Franciacorta racetrack I played with a modified Subaru Impreza WRX Sti," said Marchettino. "I was also very surprised to keep up with such a fast car with my Abarth. Unfortunately, my GoPro HD [video camera] stopped to record the action for no reason!"

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Top 10 concept cars that never made it to production

CONCEPT CARS are part of the automotive industry, and have been for the last 50 years. We love them, but the problem is a lot of them never make it into production.

Car manufacturers often like to just give us teasers of up and coming ‘design influences’, as opposed to actually building the damn sexy car they’ve just mocked up.

It is an annoying notion, so with that being said, here are the ten best looking concepts that were never given the go-ahead:

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VW Passat Goes Off-Road with Alltrack Version

The VW Group, and more specifically Audi, was the one that started the high-riding estate craze with its A6 Allroad in 1999. Based on the regular A6 Avant, the Allroad featured an all-wheel drive quattro system, higher ground clearance, an adjustable-height air suspension, all-terrain tires and flared fenders, gaining a more adventurous appearance.

Now, Volkswagen has released the first-ever crossroad version of its Passat mid-size model, named the Passat Alltrack. It will receive its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show on December 3 and will go on sale in early 2012.

A successful recipe is not meddled with so the (European) Passat Estate-based Alltrack has all the goods one expects in the segment: raised suspension height, stainless steel-look front and rear underbody protection panels and plastic covered wheel arches that house 18-inch alloys.

Ground clearance has been increased from 135mm to 165 mm. This has improved the ramp breakaway angle from 9.5 to 12.8 degrees, while the redesigned front and rear bumpers have increased approach and departure angles from 13.5 to 16 degrees and from 11.9 to 13.6 degrees respectively.

The 4Motion all-wheel drive system uses an electrohydraulic Haldex clutch. Under normal use, it sends 90% of the power to the front axle and just 10% to the rear, though when necessary almost 100% can be directed to the rear axle.

The Passat Alltrack also sports an off-road mode, which works at speeds up to 30 km/h (18 mph). When the driver switches it on through dashboard-mounted button, the system activates hill descent assist, which automatically brakes the vehicle when the descent angle is greater than 10 degrees, and also alters the function of the ABS and the electronic differential locks (EDS).

On DSG-equipped cars, it also increases the transmission’s change points to make the gas pedal easier to modulate, and it doesn’t upshift when in manual mode.

The Alltrack will be available with two turbocharged direct injection petrol engines delivering 160HP and 210HP, and two turbodiesels with 140 and 170HP.

The 170HP diesel and the 210HP gasoline engines will feature all-wheel drive and a dual-clutch DSG transmission as standard, while the 140HP diesel will be optionally available with all-wheel drive.

Volkswagen did not say if the Passat Alltrack will be offered in the States.

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Porsche Unveils New 911 Cabriolet with Lightweight Roof Structure

Well, that didn't take long, did it? Only a couple of months after unveiling the all-new 911 Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche today revealed the Cabriolet version of its most famous model series.
As expected, Porsche opted for a soft top instead of the folding hard top utilized by some of the 911's rivals. However, the new hood does not use the multi-layered fabric structure of the previous 997 model but composite materials that are supported by a new magnesium frame, which is said to reduce its weight.


In addition, Porsche claims that the design allows the typical 911 roof line to be "retained in its entirety" on the Cabriolet model.


Under its aluminum-steel skin, the new 911 Cabriolet is identical to its fixed-roof sibling. It rides on a new platform with a longer wheelbase with power coming from the same flat-six engines in 350HP, 3.4-liter and 400HP, 3.8-liter flavors for the Carrera and Carrera S respectively, and a choice of manual or dual-clutch PDK transmissions, both with seven speeds.


The new 911 Cabriolet will be launched in Germany on March 3, 2012. Prices will start (in Germany) from €100,532 (US$136,040) for the Carrera and €114,931 (US$155,515) for the Carrera S, including taxes.


In the States, sales start in spring of 2012 with the 911 Carrera Cabriolet priced at US$97,300, and the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet at US$108,000.


In the UK, the 911 Carrera Cabriolet is priced from £79,947, and the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet from £89,740.


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