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Sebastien Loeb to take on steep banking of Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry

Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb will be taking part in the race up the steep banking of Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry at this year’s Les Grandes Heures Automobiles (LGHA). He will be piloting his monstrous Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, the very same car that he used to shatter the Pikes Peak Hill Climb record in 2013. A feat that remains unbeatable till this day.

Unlike its road going brethren, the the 208 T16 Pikes Peak is powered by a 3.2-litre turbocharged V6 engine that puts out 875bhp. The whole car weighs a minuscule 875kg even with all the aerodynamic bits tacked on. In 2013, the car oly took 8 minutes and 13 seconds to complete the legendary hill climb race in Colorado Springs, a record that still stands today.

As such, judging from Leob’s track record, at at this year’s Les Grandes Heures Automobiles (LGHA), we may witness another record being broken. That said, it isn’t the only Peugeot competing though, because Peugeot will be showing off its Group B 205 T16s, African Rally 204 and CD-Peugeot LM66 short-tail Le Mans racer too.

The new second-generation 3008 road car will be making its world dynamic debut at the very same event, which will be a big deal for the fans of the French automaker. We will get into more of that at a later date, but we digress.

The LGHA will also play host to a display of rare classic cars and motorcycles for the public to view and admire. Though this is an annual event, this year, the organisation is hoping to attract more international car clubs and competitor participation.

Sebastien Loeb and his racer will be in action on the 23rd of September, which isn’t that far away but until then, check out his Pikes Peak hill climb attempt in this video below and let us know what you think.

Honda Odyssey converted into Minnie Van

Honda USA teamed up with Disney-ABC to produce the Minnie Van, which is essentially a 2018 Odyssey that has been reworked to resemble the looks and colours worn by the iconic Disney character.

The car features the signature polka dots worn by Minnie. And the idea of creating such a vehicle was inspired by the magic of Disney, its beloved characters and the power of imagination.

“The all-new Odyssey was developed for modern families offering high-tech features, flexible seating and new styling, all aimed at keeping everyone in the family happy,” said Susie Rossick, Assistant Vice President of Honda Marketing.

He went on to say, “In creating the MINNIE VAN that will be on display at the D23 Expo, we’re proud to partner with Disney-ABC and be inspired by the style of the most fashionable gal around – Minnie Mouse.”

The MPV will be put on display at this year’s Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, which is said to be the company’s ultimate fan event. The vehicle isn’t meant to serve as just a tourist attraction, rather its to educate the public on the improvements made to the Odessey and the benefits that it is able to offer to families across the country.

It’s now quieter, more spacious, safer and offers a whole host of connectivity as well as entertainment features. There’s even a slew of tech that include Magic Slid second row seating, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, CabinWatch and CabinTalk technologies, and Honda Sensing® technology.

Developed in Honda’s R&D facilities in Ohio and Califronia, the Odyssey is the best selling MPV in the US for the past 7 years. And this latest vehicle should help bolster the interest in the brand and the namplate even further.

Hyundai i30 N, the Korean version of a hot hatch

The performance hatchback market has heated up these past few years. So much so that even Hyundai has decided to get in on the action. It’s setup its own performance tuning arm called the N. Vehicles that bare this letter are more performance oriented than the base models that they are based on.

If this sounds very familiar to you, that’s because it is. BMW has its M division, Mercedes-Benz has AMG and Ford has SVT. According to Hyundai, there are two reasons why the letter N was chosen to denote performance of its model naming system.

The first, N stands for Namyang, the place in South Korea that the automaker calls home and is where the idea of the creation of a performance arm came was conceptualized. The second reason is, the letter N resembles a sequence of corners of a racing track that is referred to as a chicane.

“The Hyundai i30 N has been developed for no other purpose than to deliver maximum driving fun to our customers in an accessible high-performance package,” says Albert Biermann, Executive Vice President Performance Development and High Performance Vehicle Division.”

He went on to say, “With the high-performance N models we will enhance our brand’s appeal with emotional products that cater to the needs of people who love to have a smile on their face when they drive their car on a winding road and listen to the sound of the engine.”

https://youtu.be/UUfVBi-igUQ

Whatever the case maybe, the first Hyundai to come with the N nomenclature is the i30. The humble yet striking family hatchback has been reworked from the ground up to be a performance vehicle that is able to go toe-to-toe with cars from the likes of Ford and Renault.

The front fascia has been tweaked to offer a more sporting appeal, but has been left largely untouched. The subtle bodykit provide the car with a more aggressive stance yet being tasteful enough not to seem tacky.

Behind the grille, special air curtains help limit air flow to reduce turbulence in the wheel housing and allow for more efficient cooling of the engine.

There are also special channels in the front bumper that direct air to the brakes for cooling. The rear features more angular contours than that on the standard car, too.

There’s a large rear spoiler mounted on the roof to improve downforce and to maintain stability at high speed. In fact, the entire car’s body panels have been tweaked to increase aerodynamic efficiency for maximum traction.

That coupled with an electronic limited slip differential help increase grip especially during high speed cornering. The dual sports exhaust, rear diffuser and trim pieces add to the sporty appeal that complement the 18/19 inch alloy sports rims.

Under the hood is a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that produces nearly 275bhp and 353Nm of torque. the turbo is designed to offer boost at the lower end of the rev range allowing the engine to output linear power delivery. Power is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox, which should appeal to the purist fraternity.

As for the interior, the N version of the i30 receives a more sporty look which is evident by the addition of sports seats and an N exclusive, steering wheel.

This steering wheel has unique blue stitching and an N logo at the bottom. On the left of it, there’s drive selection options (Normal, Sport and Eco) that alter the drive behaviour.

On the right side of the steering wheel, there’s an N button that readies the car to match the optimum designated setting. There’s also a rev-matching feature that allow for better engine control during shifting, which should offer better acceleration and shorter sprint times.

The i30 N comes with a slew of tech that include Electronic Controlled Suspension (adjusts suspension behaviour), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Limited Slip Differential and a Variable Exhaust Valve System.

Despite the performance credentials, the car gets safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Driver Attention Alert (DAA), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Speed Limit Information Function (SLIF) and High Beam Assist (HBA).

Hyundai’s i30 N has gone through extensive testing at the Nurburgring to ensure that they got the hot hatch recipe just right. That said, its a relatively new car, and we shall have to wait and see how well it stacks up against the VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST as well as other established models.

Gran Turismo Sport will be arriving in mid October 2017

After a substantial number of delays, we finally have some concrete evidence that GT Sport, the highly anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive game, will be here soon. Based on the information we managed to gather from the gran turismo website, we now know that the highly acclaimed fifth installment of the world renowned simulation-like racing game will be put on sale on 17th October 2017.

The new game features a super realistic graphics engine that adds a sense of realism that has been absent from most of the current generation games. The vehicle textures seem very real and the attention detail that has been placed on every car, especially the interior is something that is awe-inspiring.

There’s even a specifically designed and tailored steering wheelcontroller that took four years to develop just for GT Sport, providing players with more realistic control and feedback. It’s called the Thrustmaster T-GT and it mimics the looks of a real racing steering wheel pretty well.

More details regarding the game will be divulged as we approach the launch date which is about three months away. According to the game makers, it will blitz all previous versions when it comes to performance, realism, graphics quality as well as vehicle drivability.

Till the actual launch, take a look at these trailers and let us know what you think about the upcoming game.

Handmade eccentric Mad Max-like truck driven by Jay Leno

Jay Leno, the former Tonight’s Show host, has one of the most comprehensive collection of the world’s most coveted vehicles from the infancy of the automotive era right up to the present day onwa. Name a vehicle that has left a mark on this world in any way or form, and there would probably be an example of it in Jay’s garage.

His Youtube channel titled Jay Leno’s Garage regularly publishes car reviews and other videos that showcases the various other vehicles that he has in his collection as well as those that his guests bring on his show.

This particular episode will be most intriguing to those who are fans of movie cars as well as those that border on the eccentric. Several of the ones featured on this episode, especially the replica of the first generation batmobile and an authentic one from the Batman Returns movie will resonate with DC Comics fanboys everywhere.

That said, their uniqueness, pale in comparison to the weird artistic contraption that was dreamed up by an Henry Chang, engineer turned artist. Realizing that the world of computer programming wasn’t as fulfilling as he would have liked, Henry Chang now a designer/musician, has built a one-of-a-kind automobile that looks more at home in a Mad Max movie than on regular city streets.

Watch the video of Jay Leno and fellow comedian Jeff Dunham ride on this giant handmade, monster truck. Let us know what you think of the vehicle in the comments below.

Top Gear exhibit opens in the UK

Chris Harris, one of the current Top Gear presenters, launched the World of Top Gear exhibit at Beaulieu. The exhibit showcases the more memorable vehicles that were featured on the famous automotive programme in its 40 year history.

Regarding the launch, Chris Harris said, “It’s very exciting, seeing all these incredible cars in one place. It’s a privilege to have a home for all of the weird Frankenstein creations that we have on the show.”

The display is open to the general public over there in the UK and is meant to reflect the recent changes to the BBC’s Top Gear. That said, the new look includes homage to the past, with a heritage corridor timeline paying tribute to the show’s 40-year history.

It all began with Angela Rippon as the first presenter, but back then, it wasn’t the show we know today. In fact, it wasn’t till the early 2000s that Top Gear starting growing in popularity. And we all have Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to thank for making the automotive show, a global phenomenon.

Visitors to the exhibit will get to see the Panda limousine, which Jeremy used to ferry a celebrity about in one of the trio’s famous challenges on the show. Then there’s the infamous Reliant Robin that was converted into a space shuttle, which the boys used to demonstrate to the world’s space agencies, that space travel isn’t that complicated. They had an impressive launch, but everything went south soon after.

Other notable mentions include the Caravan Airship, red Lotus Excel Motorhome complete with its rocket-shaped roof-mounted sleeping compartment, Porsche 944 Turbo ambulance, indestructible Toyota Hilux and double-decker racing cars.

There’s also memorabilia from Top Gear on show throughout the display, including the Jaguar steering wheel from The India Special and door panels from the Hindustan Ambassador, which raced to victory over all other taxis in one of the most entertaining races that we’ve ever seen.

To complement the launch of the exhibit, there will be a demonstration by Harris to entertain the crowd and remind us all that the shenanigans that comes with the programme is alive and well even though Clarkson, Hammond and May have moved on to another show.