Autoblog

Prodrive boss David Richards led the consortium that bought Aston Martin last year. His company also fields race teams that have a habit of winning (including Aston Martin's). Now, in the interest of the winning part of the equation, Prodrive's efforts aren't necessarily confined to four-wheeled racers. Some trade wheels for legs and have just one horsepower. That's because they're, you know, horses. Prodrive has developed ultralight, super-strong carbon fiber stirrups for Alan Webb Racing saddles used by steeplechasers. (Steeplechase is also known as jump racing or national hunt racing.) They help bring the weight of the company's latest saddle down to 1.3 pounds (600 grams), the idea being that every gram of weight saved can manifest itself as fractions of a second gained on the race course. In that sense it's no different than motorsport, so is it any surprise then that a saddle manufacturer would want the Aston Martin of stirrups for its equipment?

[Source: Prodrive]

If you watched the first episode of Top Gear's season 11, you likely smirked at the lackluster Vauxhalls that the British bobbies have to drive in pursuit of "the baddies". But once in a while the constables in the UK gets something special in their motor-pools, like the Caparo T1, Lotus Exige, Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. While few officers have actually had the chance to drive any of these epic exotics since they're used purely for demonstration purposes, the latest addition is here to stay: Prodrive has prepared a fleet of Subaru Impreza GB270s especially for the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Team at the Essex Police department.

Not only did Prodrive set up the vehicle for the team, commonly known as "The Intereptors", but the 21 officers that make up their ranks received a day of special instruction on how to get the most out of their new 270hp all-wheel-drive speed machines. As you can see in the press release after the jump, however, "The day was not about driving these cars fast, but understanding how and when to use their capability in a safe way." Way to make something exciting very boring, guv'na.

[Source: Prodrive]

Click above for new high-res gallery of the Alfa Brera S

As we reported earlier, Alfa Romeo handed over its Brera to Prodrive, which has extensively honed the hot hatch into what's being called the Brera S. Prodrive fit the new Brera S with Eibach coil springs and Bilstein dampers, and then conducted extensive testing to find the right balance of spring and damper rates for sharper handling without ruining the ride. The steering was also tweaked to take advantage of the car's faster reflexes, and 8C Competizione-inspired lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels wearing Pirelli rubber keep the car affixed to terra firma. Along with lighter wheels, hollow anti-roll bars and aluminum suspension components further reduce the car's weight below the rest of the Brera range. Exterior mods are minimal, but the exhaust has been reworked and is capped with chrome tips featuring Prodrive's logo, and there are now Prodrive-branded mud flaps up front and either 'S' or 'SV6' badges on the C-pillar. The Brera S has also been fitted with new seats that, along with the dashboard, door panels, steering wheel and gear shift, feature red stitching. There are drilled aluminum pedals for your footsies and a limited-edition Brera S aluminum plate featuring the flags of each company's home country (Italy and Britain) is located in the headrest recess. The Brera S package can be had with either the 2.2 JTS model powered by a 185bhp four-cylinder or the 3.2 JTS V6 powered by a 260bhp V6, though only 500 will be made. We'd love to have one but suspect they'll all be acquired by the time Alfa Romeo gets around to selling cars in the U.S. again. Check out the new gallery of high-res Brera S images below and the official scoop from Alfa Romeo after the jump.


[Source: Alfa Romeo]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Alfa Romeo Brera.

Prodrive is in the process of developing a performance package for the Alfa Romeo Brera S, the first collaboration between the two since Prodrive campaigned a pair of factory-built Alfa 155s in the British Touring Car Championship in 1995. Based off the 2.2 JTS and 3.2 V6 models, between 250 and 300 special edition models will be released. The majority of the focus will be spent on the suspension, aero enhancements and (thankfully) some weight savings. 19-inch rollers are expected to fill the wheel wells, while a handful of driver-oriented improvements, along with some S-badging, will find its way inside. Beyond that, details are scarce, but anytime you mix one-part unobtainable Italian with another part British racing legends, good things are on the way.


[Source: Italiaspeed]

So you want to work for Prodrive/Aston Martin, but you don't quite have the qualifications to be a bodyshell fabricator or a chief engineer? Then perhaps you have what it takes to fill the position of estate manager for the chairman of the company. You won't need to know your way around a sheet of carbon fiber, but you will need to be able to manage the garden and domestic staff, have a good sense of humor, and "carry out occasional driving duties," among other things. For your dutiful service, your rewards will include a fully paid-for cottage on the property, a mobile phone, and a company car. But remember, Ford still owns part of Aston, so that car could be a Mondeo... but that wouldn't be too bad, would it, guv'nor? Thanks for the tip, sndkick!

[Source: Prodrive]

Prodrive has developed a new system that can actively manipulate the toe angle of the rear wheels on front-wheel-drive cars so handling limits can be increased on the fly. The system, named "Active Toe Control," has the ability to make a standard twist beam rear suspension behave more like a complex multi-link arrangement by changing the wheel's angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (i.e. toe). Prodrive is actively pursuing a partnership to develop the system and believes that it can increase safety and handling performance at a fraction of the cost of newer, more expensive multi-link setups.

All the details are available in Prodrive's press release after the jump.

After a two-year effort to launch the twelfth team on the Formula One grid, Prodrive has finally conceded to the phrase "Give up all hope, Ye who enter here!". Prodrive boss Dave Richards had protracted negotiations with McLaren about buying their chassis and Mercedes-Benz engines. Objections, however, to customer programs from teams such as Williams resulted in a new Concorde Agreement that killed the plan. As a result, Dave Richards, having seen what happened to Tom Walkinshaw a few years ago, decided against sacrificing his entire business empire and will instead re-focus the company on GT racing and the World Rally Championship. Richards himself will again take a hands-on role in leading the Subaru WRC team that was so successful under his guidance in the 1990s. It's a shame it didn't happen, but it's probably for the best given past history.

[Source: AutoCar, via Winding Road]

Word filtered down this week through the interweb that Prodrive's operations in the U.S. would cease to exist when the 2007 calendar year concludes. Prodrive America has been around for over five years, mainly supplying Subaru enthusiasts with all the necessary gear to flog road courses and plug holes on rally stages. There's no word as to why Prodrive is pulling out of the U.S., but to all its employees, we wish them the greatest of luck on their future endeavors.

[Source: Driving Sports via Straightline]

If you've got your money on Prodrive making an unprecedented F1 debut next season, we'd recommend calling your bookie and changing your bet. The British racing consultancy was preparing to hit the grand prix circuit using equipment obtained through a deal with McLaren, but the agreement that was all but dotted and crossed has reportedly fallen apart.

Neither Prodrive nor McLaren have yet to comment, but according to Autosport.com, the deal is off. As we'd reported previously, Prodrive were to become an effective second McLaren team by using the same chassis next season, but that all depends on the FIA Court of Appeal's ruling on the legality of such an arrangement. That procedure was, according to Prodrive chief David Richards – also chairman of Aston Martin and former lyteam principal at first Benetton and then BAR-Honda – was the last obstacle standing between the new team and its fight for podiums in 2008. It would appear, however, that McLaren is less than confident that the regulatory body will rubber-stamp the customer-car deal, as they've reportedly told their employees not to prepare the additional Prodrive cars.

Mad props to our reader andybee for the tip!

[Source: Autosport]

F1 panjandrums have been working all year on a suitable definition of the term "non-constructor." If they can get that done soon, and then figure out how to split F1 income among constructors and non, then Prodrive will officially join the 2008 F1 circus.

McLaren and Prodrive have recently signed a "detailed commercial agreement." However, it is being held up due to a lawsuit initiated by Spyker (and supported by Williams) that is now in arbitration. Spyker, an independent full constructor, has argued that allocation of income should be different for Toro Rosso and Super Aguri, since they essentially "buy" cars from other teams. The outcome of that will affect this year's income disbursements as well as next year's.

It isn't revealed yet just how much collaboration there will be between McLaren and Spyker on the chassis-engine package. Regardless, one just hopes McLaren will have a better experience with them than Red Bull and Honda have had with their respective "junior" teams.

[Source: Motor Authority]