Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A.

Toyota's campaign of the Lexus LF-A racing prototype at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring wasn't lacking for drama, with a serious crash that took place during the night-time qualifying session followed by some technical issues on race day. Details haven't been released as to what caused the crash, but the damage to the driver's side rear quarter panel was enough to cause the vehicle to limp back to the pits, where KGP spies snapped off 15 shots of the LF-A before it headed back to Toyota's 'Ring workshop.

The V10 nestled deep into the engine bay proves that Lexus is going for a front-midship layout for its first supercar, and judging by the extensive use of carbon fiber in the cracked body panels and underbody diffuser, keeping the LF-A as light as possible is a top priority. Despite the race-ready interior, KGP's shots show an office very similar to that found in the LF-A concepts we've seen at shows, with a massive central tunnel to house both the transmission and a substantial amount of the engine.

The following day, the LF-A got out to the starting grid, but after an hour of racing, smoke began pouring from the rear of the racer, diagnosed later as an oil leak. The pit crew worked feverishly over the ensuing two hours to get the LF-A back out onto the track to finish a total of 106 laps, with a fastest lap of 9:19.757 on lap 85, and placing 120th overall.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scirocco racer.

Volkswagen is taunting us again with another shot of its 'Ring-bound Scirocco, and this time, we get to see the race-ready hatch in profile. VW has been testing the Scirocco in the run up to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race that's set to begin on May 24, and according to VW Motorsport Director, Kris Nissen, the Scirocco is living up to expectations. With 300 hp provided by its 2.0-liter TFSI engine, Nissen says that, "the new Scirocco was in its element from its very first lap around the Nordschleife." It's a grueling test and we're looking forward to how the Scirocco fairs later this month.


[Source: VW via Carscoop]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A racecar.

Toyota has confirmed that the Lexus LF-A will campaign in the 24 hour Nurburgring race this May in an effort to shake down the new supercar before its launch next year. Toyota has no intentions of winning the grueling enduro, instead, it's using its unconventional entrant into the race to aid development of the super coupe and gain feedback for the production car.

The LF-A was recently spied making laps around the 'Ring outfitted with a new GT-style wing, bigger wheels, brakes, a revised aero kit, more carbon fiber and a full roll cage -- all of which confirms that the mule is more than just a production prototype. It's an impressive tactic that shows Toyota is serious about its first entrant into the supercar fray, and proves that the Nissan GT-R might be causing serious bouts of panic around Toyota HQ.

Thanks to Ben for the tip!


[Source: Toyota]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkswagen Scirocco.

Volkswagen will use the 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring in Germany to showcase the new Scirocco's sporting credentials when the event gets underway the weekend of May 24 and 25. The race-prepped version of the low-slung, Golf-based coupe will be spitting out 300 hp from its tuned 2.0-liter TFSI engine. Volkswagen didn't reveal a lot of details about the Scirocco racer in its press release (after the jump), but you can be assured that serious suspension and brake tweaks will be accompanied by all the prerequisite safety equipment to make the Scirocco competitive in the 2.0-liter turbo class. And VW isn't skimping on drivers, either. The Scirocco will be piloted by two-time WRC champ Carlos Sainz and two-time Le Mans winner and 'Ring legend, Hans-Joachim Stuck.


[Source: VW via WCF]

"Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" is how the old saying goes, but maybe we can change it to "Finish on Sunday, Sell on Monday" in the case of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. That's because an almost-stock Vantage entered and completed this past weekend's Nurburgring 24-Hour race. The only modifications to the car were to address safety requirements and pit lane needs. The car had a roll cage, racing fuel system, fire protection, racing seat, and hydraulic jacks installed. Nothing else was touched. It ran on the stock engine and transmission, and wore stock bodywork.

Aston didn't exactly pack the driver list with no-names either. The group of four who piloted the Vantage was headlined by none other than Aston Martin's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez. He and three co-drivers completed 130 laps in the endurance race, finishing 4th in class and 24th overall.To further put that achievement into perspective, 220 cars started the race, many of them pure race-spec models.

The eyebrow-raising performance makes one think. If an almost dead-stock Vantage can run competitively in a 24 hour endurance race, imagine what a fully race-prepped car could do. Such a vehicle would make the already competitive, and growing ALMS/Le Mans GT2 class even more interesting than it has already become.

The entry of the Vantage at the Nurburgring 24 was a factory experiment, but the results are a very clear warning shot to other manufacturers:

On the racetrack, the DBR9's baby brother looks like its quite capable of holding its own.

(Press release, more pictures after the jump)

[Source: Aston Martin]