Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Followup: Hamilton's Hoontastic Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG slated for charity auction?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/31/followup-hamiltons-hoontastic-mercedes-benz-c63-amg-slated-for/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/31/followup-hamiltons-hoontastic-mercedes-benz-c63-amg-slated-for/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/31/followup-hamiltons-hoontastic-mercedes-benz-c63-amg-slated-for/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Even when McLaren makes mistakes, it makes money. Lewis Hamilton was busted putting a little a lotta extra temperature into the tires of a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG loaned to him during his stay in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. The car was impounded by the Victorian State Police, Lewis paid a fine to remedy his deed and McLaren paid to get the car out.

Turns out there are so many buyers interested in owning said car that Mercedes dealers are bidding to win the car so they can re-sell it. Tips suggest the dealers will have to pay a healthy slice more than the $AUD 148,900 ($136,198 USD) MSRP, and Mercedes will donate any amount above market value to charity. The eventual retail, however, will add another premium above what the dealer paid, and it's a good guess that the dealer won't be donating that money to charity. For that extra dough, the retail buyer will get a surprise "special item" to help tell the story... and maybe justify a markup likely to be on the far side of absurd. Great tip, Andrew!

[Source: Brisbane Times]

Followup: Hamilton's Hoontastic Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG slated for charity auction? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australian gpaustralian grand prixAustralianGpAustralianGrandPrixc63 amgC63Amglewis hamiltonLewisHamiltonmclarenmercedes-benzWed, 31 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19421151/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/31/followup-hamiltons-hoontastic-mercedes-benz-c63-amg-slated-for/19421151/article-detail.xml 19421151 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/screen-shot-2010-03-31-at-4.44.04-pmopt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/screen-shot-2010-03-31-at-4.44.04-pmopt.jpg <![CDATA[Video Followup: Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes-Benz C63 nicked for hoonage]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/video-followup-lewis-hamilton-and-his-mercedes-benz-c63-nicked/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/video-followup-lewis-hamilton-and-his-mercedes-benz-c63-nicked/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/29/video-followup-lewis-hamilton-and-his-mercedes-benz-c63-nicked/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Lewis Hamilton's hoonage aftermath - click above to watch the video

Australia's ABC News was on hand to document the aftermath of Formula One champ Lewis Hamilton's "over-exuberant" driving, and has been kind enough to share the video with the rest of the world.

As you may recall, Hamilton had his loaner Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan impounded after lighting up the rear tires on public streets. Since Melbourne has notoriously vitriolic anti-hoon laws, the British driver will be facing a stiff fine on top of doing without his car for two days. Something tells us that even after his sixth-place finish at the Australian GP, Hamilton won't have any trouble finding another set of wheels. Hit the jump to see the action.


[Source: ABC News via YouTube]

Continue reading Video Followup: Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes-Benz C63 nicked for hoonage

Video Followup: Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes-Benz C63 nicked for hoonage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Australian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

You asked for it, you got it. After what was widely received as a rather dry (if intriguing) start to the season two weeks ago in the sand dunes of Bahrain, many were left clamoring for more exciting race action. And that's exactly what we got this weekend in Melbourne.

The 2010 Australian Grand Prix entered the history books today packed with spins and crashes, rain and dry, wheel-to-wheel action and leapfrog passes. By the end, a good third of the grid had spun out, and the order had been completely shaken up. Click past the fold to see how it unfolded.


Gallery: 2010 Australian Grand Prix

Continue reading Spills, chills and thrills at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix [SPOILER ALERT]

Spills, chills and thrills at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Police only recently released the name, after only confiding that a 25-year-old Briton with Swiss residency was arrested in a Mercedes sedan doing burnouts in a Melbourne, Australia suburb. Yep, that's Lewis Hamilton, driving down a stretch of section used for the Albert Park track in a Benz sedan and lighting the tires up (sounds oddly familiar). The road was open for public use, and the public watchdogs - Victoria state police - nabbed him for it.

Under Oz's anti-hoon laws his car was impounded and will be held for two days. Hamilton might have been celebrating topping the timesheets for Friday practice. If he can win the race on Sunday, he might be able to celebrate winning a brand new car getting the Mercedes out of impound. And who knows, if Bahrain was any indication of the season, after qualifying this could be the most exciting thing to happen all weekend.

[Source: The Age | Image: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images]

Lewis Hamilton busted for doing burnouts in public? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Last weekend's Australian Grand Prix, the season opener to the 2009 Formula One season, may have ushered in a new era in on-track competition, but the off-track politics are already back up to full swing.

Following the race, officials from the FIA convened to decide whether Toyota's Jarno Trulli had illegally passed McLaren's defending champion Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car. McLaren and Hamilton insisted the pass was illegal, but new evidence - namely radio transmissions between the two drivers and their pit crews - reportedly demonstrated indicated that Hamilton deliberately let Trulli by.

The new evidence was confirmed by a meeting of the FIA stewards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the second race of the season is scheduled to take place this coming weekend. Their decision? To take away Hamilton's and McLaren's points altogether, which may seem like a harsh punishment, but the stewards determined that Hamilton and McLaren had intentionally deceived the officials.

The adjusted rankings therefore bump Trulli up to third (in both the race results and the drivers' championship standings, since it was the first race of the season) and Toyota up to second in the constructors' championship, while McLaren remains outside the standings altogether as both their drivers were deemed not to have been classified in the race. Tune in on Sunday for our recap of the Malaysian Grand Prix, where hopefully the finishing order will actually be determined on the track and not in boardroom.

[Source: Autosport]

Hamilton, McLaren retroactively disqualified from Australian GP? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems like F1 has been suffering the wrong kind of turmoil for the past few years: big and little teams failing; espionage; driver spats; owner-and-FIA spats; record penalties and fines; sex scandals; and regulations being changed like diapers - just to name a few things. The 2009 season has started off in a bit of turmoil as well, with six teams' car designs protested against.

But all of that has been overshadowed by the right kind of turmoil, which happened during qualifying for the Australian GP. Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello fought it out for the front row, with Button taking pole position on the last possible lap of qualifying, Vettel in the Red Bull taking third. And Button didn't just get pole, he slapped a leash on it and took it home: Rubens is three tenths behind, Vettel more than a half second.

And the big boys? Massa and Raikkonen are 6th and 8th for Ferrari, Kovaleinen in 12th and Hamilton at the back of the grid because of a gearbox change, where he'll join both Toyota cars, which were disqualified for flexing rear wings. When the lights go out at 3 a.m. EST, we could see the beginning of a most thrilling season.

[Source: F1 Live]

Your Formula 1 season has officially begun, Brawn GP in the lead originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW Concept 1-Series tii

BMW's little 1 Series has proven itself to be a credible performer that's able to hang with nearly anything else it likely to encounter on the road. But against an Australian V8 Supercar and BMW's own Formula 1 racer? Not a chance. Regardless, these three vehicles will indeed face off at the upcoming F1 season opener Down Under. To help level the playing field, each vehicle will start with a handicap, so the real excitement will begin near the end of the lap when the three cars close in on one another as they sprint to the finish line.

The 1 Series that's taking part in the event will be equipped with the German automaker's potent 3.0L twin-turbo inline six and will wear 18" alloys bolted up to a tuned suspension set up with cross-drilled brakes. A set of tii decals and a full BMW Performance aerodynamic body kit top things off. The race will be repeated 5 times starting on Thursday, March 26th.


Gallery: BMW Concept 1 Series tii


[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW 135i tii up against V8 supercar, F1 racer at Australian Grand Prix

BMW 135i tii up against V8 supercar, F1 racer at Australian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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