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Mika Häkkinen to drive legendary McLaren M23 around Laguna Seca

Former Formula One champion and arch rival of Micheal Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen has been tasked with belting a McLaren M23 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, this August. The car belonged to F1 legend, Emerson Fittipaldi and helped him clinch the 1974 championship.

Häkkinen will complete a couple of 15-minute exhibition laps to entertain fans as well as showcase the capabilities of the vintage racer. Back in the 1970s, Formula was still a crude, unsafe and unfiltered sport that offered both the best as well as the worst of Motorsports racing.

Between 1973 to 1978, this McLaren-Ford M23 won 16 of the 80 grand prixs that it competed in. Three world championship titles were won with it, including the 1974 drivers’ and constructors’ title and 1976 drivers’ title.

Häkkinen will be sitting in for Jenson Button who was the original choice of McLaren. Since the latter wasn’t able to fulfill this task, the automaker turned to its most trusted ambassador and icon of Formula One.

Nicknamed ‘The Flying Finn’. Häkkinen drove 130 grand prixs for the McLaren team between 1993 and 2001, and winning 20 of them. This included two Drivers’ World Championship titles in 1998 and 1999 respectively.

The rivalry between the Finn and Schumacher was extremely fierce, which gave rise to exhilarating edge-of-your-seat action that is seriously lacking in the current F1 era. Their battles were so intense that they have become part of Formula 1 folklore.

“Though we were looking forward to having Jenson Button at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, we are delighted that a driver of Mika’s caliber is able to take his place,” said Gill Campbell, Senior Vice President of Event Operations at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

He later added, “Formula 1 is the pinnacle of racing advancement, and Mika will be able to showcase a car with great racing history during his spirited exhibition laps. Fans will surely enjoy the link between past and present during the exhibitions and throughout the event. Thank you to McLaren for making this happen.”

This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will be held at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The event will see more than 550 historic cars taking part in the race weekend. Like many shows of this nature, fans will get to see a range of vehicles ranging from the pre-war era cars to more modern ones.

TVR reveal more details of upcoming sports car

TVR has released a teaser picture before the official launch of its first ever production vehicle since going under. According to the automaker, its entire team have worked tirelessly to ensure that the new vehicle is engineered to offer class leading strength, reliability and functionality, but still maintain lightweight and high performance attributes.

Based on the available image, we can see that extensive time and attention have gone into designing the intricate details of the interior. The gear knob, seems to have been machined out of a block aluminium or alloy, the switchgear arrangement seems very aircraft-like but the gauges and thier arrangement on the centre console is reminiscent of 1960s race cars.

What this could be then, is a TVR that has the best elements from the past and present mashed into a slender body that should be on par with the rest of the performance heavy hitters. The premise of this notion is the fact that the automaker has been working closely with Gordon Murray Design to complete the new car.

In case you didn’t know, Gordon Murray was the guy behind the legendary McLaren F1 supercar. It was his brainchild and proved to be the most powerful car of its era. In fact, It held the record for being the fastest production car in the world until recently. Murray has now opened his own design house in the hopes of creating another game changer.

Speaking of the new TVR, Murray, said, “We developed the new TVR as a product that builds on all the magic and excitement of our hand-crafted British motor cars of yesteryear. We combined this with the most rigorous engineering and assembly process design to ensure outstanding consistency, build quality and reliability.”

The car will be revealed in September at the Goodwood Revival Earls Court Motor Show and will only be sold in limited numbers. This year also marks TVR’s 70th birthday and its entry into the high performance vehicle market.

Regarding this, Les Edgar, chairman of TVR, said, “On the 70th birthday of our marque, we are entering a new era with a precisely engineered car that delivers exhilarating performance on road and track, as well as everything discerning customers expect of a car intended for everyday use.”

TVR has’t divulged much regarding the car or what it will be called. They will probably continue to keep mum till the actual release date, as a way to build more hype. Based on what we have gathered though, the new car should be an interesting addition to the current line-up of sports cars and should serve as an alternative to what we are used to seeing from the German and Italians.

Infiniti has created a retro modern racer

Infiniti will be unveiling a new prototype vehicle at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is supposed to be a heritage inspired car that combines the stylistic elegance of vintage racers with modern technology and powerful powertrains.

According to the company, the introduction of the car not only celebrates Infinit’s passion for design, but also the great roots of the company’s pioneering spirit and innovation-mindset. It was developed after careful research into the automaker’s roots and combining that with a fusion of advanced EV technology.

Speaking of the car, Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President, Global Design, said “It started as a simple thought: What if we found a car, down at the southern tip of Japan, buried deep in the bush, hidden from all eyes for 70 years? What if in this car we found the seed of passion planted during our first Japanese Grand Prix and the power and artistry of Infiniti today?”

Unlike Jaguar’s Project 7, which was based on the F-Type but customized with inspiration from the legendary D-Type, here the approach is very different. Based on the published pictures, we can surmise that the car will probably sport the looks and dimensions of a pre-war era of Formula One.

The long and narrow bodywork that becomes even narrower at the rear to form a canoe-like shape. The front and rear axles protrude from the body where they combine with the rather thin wheels. As a whole, it looks like a 21st century interpretation of what a pre-war racing car would have looked like had the designers and engineers of that era had the tools and hardware we take for granted today.

We are completely lost on the logic of introducing such a vehicle. It’s possible that Infiniti plans on using it as a design study or a marketing tool to showcase what its team of designers and engineers are capable of if given free reign.

Muscle cars steal spotlight at Mecum Auctions

Classic American muscle cars are some of the most sought after vehicles in the world, especially in places like the US, Europe and the Middle East. Many of these cars change hands for exorbitant sums of money.

This was especially true at the recent Mecum Auctions in Harrisburg, USA where 858 vehicles passed through the auction floor at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The event achieved a total of $20 million(RM86 million) in overall sales.

There were a huge selection of cars that were up for auction, but the muscle cars were the ones that stole the spotlight. Seven out of the ten most expensive cars at the auction were that from the muscle car era. That’s because, these cars were from a time that is considered the golden era of American design and ingenuity.

A 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird was auction off for a cool $415,000 (RM1,779,935), which is a lot higher than many of the other vehicles there including a 1991 Ferari Testarossa. It was a multi-award winning car that is considered a major collector’s item.

Having said that, here is the list of the top ten cars that sold for the most money at the Harrisburg 2017 Auction:

1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird at $415,000 (RM1,779,935)
1969 Dodge Daytona at $215,000 (RM922,135)
2012 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake at $178,000 (RM763,442)
1971 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T at $165,000 (RM707,685)
1968 Shelby GT500KR Fastback at $162,500 (RM696,963)
1970 Plymouth Superbird at $160,000 (RM686,240)
1969 Dodge Hemi Super Bee at $140,000 (RM600,460)
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 at $140,000 (RM600.460)
1991 Ferrari Testarossa at $130,000 (RM557,570)
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe at $127,500 (RM546,848)

Despite these insane numbers, similar cars have sold for much more at other auctions. Some muscle cars like the original Ford Shelby GT500 have been sold for nearly two or three times the price of the Hemi Superbird in the aforementioned list.

Only street legal BMW M1 Procar to be put on display

The Thermal Club has announced that it will display the only street-legal BMW M1 Procar in existence for viewing at the 26th Annual McCall’s Motorworks Revival. Taking the experience a step further, it is also offering a virtual reality track experience during the same period, giving visitors a glimpse into what the car’s like on the track.

In case you hadn’t heard, the Thermal Club is a premier private motorsports country club that offers exceptional driving experience programmes to its exclusive membership. It operates on a 344 acre facility in the California desert.

It’s home to luxurious villas, three different tracks, a club house, fuel station as well as a tuning shop for repair and maintenance. Basically, its a motorsports enthusiast’s dream getaway. and if you would like to know more, click on the following link: The Thermal Club

Guests of the Motorworks Revival event will get to experience an immersive 360-degree virtual reality ride-along offering a lap around two of the club’s Alan Wilson-designed tracks. Apart from that, they will also get a virtual tour of the race shop, driver lounge, clubhouse, restaurant and a track-side villa.

“We look forward to bringing a piece of racing history and a state-of-the-art virtual tour of our club to this exclusive event,” said The Thermal Club Founder Tim Rogers. “Enthusiasts from around the globe head to Monterey Car Week to celebrate automotive history and enjoy the incredible amenities around the Peninsula.”

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BMW produced a total of 40 of these M1 Procars, which competed in a championship support series during the 1979 and 1980 Formula One seasons. The 1979 car that is on display was restored by Bruce Canepa, a renowned racing driver.

The event is said to also feature an amazing display of rare cars, coveted racers, private jets, vintage airplanes, live music and fine cuisine. The Motorworks Revival proceeds benefit the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation.

VW Bus convoy party at Hannover

Fans of the VW Bus vehicles joined in on an open-air party on the grounds of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Hannover plant. A convoy of around 350 vehicles from all six generations of the platform traveled from Wolfsburg to Hannover, where the current T-series is being made.

The event was the final highlight of the four-day VW Bus Summer Festival in Wolfsburg’s Allerpark, of which Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles was the main sponsor. Members of the Board of Management and Works Council, Hannover Mayor Stefan Schostok, Hannover 96 Football Club President Martin Kind and a number of celebrities took part in the parade.

The convoy’s trip is symbolic of the 1956 relocation of T-series production to Hannover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, where the Transporter has been manufactured since. Though the idea of celebrating the relocation of a van plant may seem peculiar to some, many VW Bus fans consider it as important as a major religious holiday.

Dr Eckhard Scholz, Chief Executive Officer of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand, led the convoy from start to finish. He drove his own cumulus white, 1965 T1 with a near 44bhp engine for the journey. He then had a meet and greet sessions with fans at the Stöcken factory in Hannover.

Speaking of the event, Dr. Scholz, said, “It was a fantastic experience to drive to the Hannover production site with so many proud VW Bus owners in order to celebrate the conclusion of the VW Bus Summer Festival here with even more fans. Our VW Buses are more than just a means of getting from A to B.”

He then added, “They are part of a wonderful lifestyle feeling that constantly travels with you – and has done so across every vehicle generation. This easy-going lifestyle feeling could also be felt throughout the entire festival. It was simply lovely.”

During the event, many VW Bus enthusiasts had the opportunity to look at a number of T-series collector’s vehicles and reminisce about the good ‘ol days and their own past experiences. It is said that each Bus is rich in history, and that cannot be replicated or relived with another. It has offered generations, the freedom to travel where and whenever they desired.