Autoblog

Click the above picture for more Superleague Formula photos.

Superleague Formula might sound like a new comic book or a cough syrup but in fact it is the title of a new open-wheel race series coming in August 2008. It plays on the idea that people can't get enough open-wheel racing between all the already existing series such as Formula 1, Champ Car, IRL, A1GP and all those feeder series. Superleague Formula takes an aim at the A1GP concept, but with a little twist. The cars are painted in livery to match the world's top soccer (aka football to most of the world) teams. Many soccer teams are already on board the project, while negotiations are underway to increase the field. The series is run by sports marketing guru Alex Andreu. He says the concept is meant to draw more outside interest to the world of motorsports. The first season will see the races limited to Europe, with plans to expand after that.

The Superleague Formula package is a chassis from Elan Motorsports Technologies and a 750 hp 4.2L V12 engine from Menard Competition Technologies. The chassis is aerodynamically developed to ensure ease of passing on track. The participating teams will be given their cars for the first season and everyone will run the same package with organized test sessions. It sounds like a project with high prospects. If it works, who knows, maybe next we'll see NASCAR team up with the NFL.

[Source: Superleague Formula]

Some travelers insist that a country's character and culture are best understood by tasting their local food. We'll offer instead that you can tell the most about a country by looking at the special-edition cars honoring their football teams. In America, for example, you might find a pick-up truck spangled with decals honoring the local NFL franchise. In Italy, on the other hand, they've decked out a unique Lamborghini in the colors of their national soccer team.

This one-of-a-kind Gallardo has been painted the same shade of blue as the national team's jerseys. The roof has been painted in the tricolore, the red, white and green of the Italian flag. The interior is likewise trimmed in solid blue alcantara, and the engine – which is otherwise left completely stock with "only" 520 hp – is said to be adorned with a gold-tone engine cover.

The one-off Gallardo was produced through Lamborghini's factory personalization program, and is offered by the dealership in Padova at a whopping €230,000...a considerable €85k premium for what amounts to little more than a special paint job. That's more than a few yards difference over that Ford F-150 New England Patriots edition you've been eyeing.

[Source: OmniAuto.it -translated]

Honda's adding to the Super Bowl spot cacaphony this year, joining Toyota, GM, and Ford. Almost as important as the football, the commercials are often more entertaining than the game itself, and it's not unheard of for non-sports folks to actually tune in for the commercials. While there are often new and highly-amusing spots debuted during the big game, Honda's offerings have already aired. One of the spots depicts a CR-V dancing to a remix of Elvis's "Burnin' Love," while the other touts the company's fuel-efficiency by showing the Honda fleet slaloming around gas pumps. One cool thing about the Elvis spot is a shot of the nav screen, zoomed in on Graceland. Nice.The ads are scheduled to air during the fourth quarter of the game, we assume to cash in on the presumption that more viewers are watching the critical last minutes of the matchup. It's just too bad the ads aren't debuting during the Super Bowl - forget the game, our watercooler talk is going to be about the great new spots we saw, and since we've seen these already...

Follow the jump to get the jump on the spots

[Source: Honda]

As two of the world's most popular and action-packed sports, F1 racing and soccer ("football" to just about everyone outside North America) share more in common than you'd think. This past season, the F1 race calendar was adjusted to avoid conflicting with the World Cup. No wonder, as grands prix are consistently second only to the World Cup (and the Olympics) for global television ratings.

Nearly all of the F1 drivers are avid football players, and routinely play friendly matches against each other. In a recent article in F1 Racing magazine, most of the drivers seemed to agree that Giancarlo Fisichella was the best player among them (though Schumacher and Alonso came close). Schumacher himself plays for FC Echichens, a third division Swiss team, whose coach (ironically named Patrick Ferrari) is hoping Michael will spend more of his new-found free time with the team. In the past, Schumi's demanding schedule had meant he'd leave in the middle of games to get to the track. And it was none other than soccer legend Pele who was on hand to present the retiring champ with a parting trophy at last Sunday's season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix.

Most of these intersections between soccer and grand prix racing are ad-hoc, but the Real Madrid football club is making it official. The team is going to sponsor an F1 car for the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, and Williams appear the likeliest candidate, not least because, as an independent team, Williams.F1 wouldn't pose a problem for Audi, Real Madrid's sponsor.

NASCAR racing and American Football are undoubtedly the more popular forms of the two sports in the United States, and aside from the occasional special edition Ford truck, the two don't often cross paths. But everywhere else in the world, F1 racing and soccer are the be-all-and-end-all of sports. The FIA World Championship and the FIFA World Cup, it seems, share more than similar names, they share common fans with a common passion.

Those crazy Europeans and their love of socc... er, we mean football... Auto manufacturers are bracing for impact upon the start of the World Cup, which promises to divert the attention of many a potential car buyer to the telly, where England reportedly has a brilliant chance of grabbing the brass ring in the world championships, taking place in Germany.

Now it sounds like the concept should be pretty fundamental. Potential car buyer is distracted by sporting event in June/July, then goes to buy his/her car after the Cup has finished. Not so much. Stats show that the industry doesn't make up the difference later in the summer, indicating that the World Cup truly does have a negative impact upon the automotive industry.

[Source: AutoIndustry.co.uk]

World Cup hooliganism is a well-documented phenomenon. From crazed fans cheering for their teams in new and inordinate ways, to local pub punch-ups, soccer football mania is a way of life for millions around the globe.

As it happens, back in England, word is that the mania extends to driving practices as well. According to Churchill Car Insurance, accident rates escalate dramatically when the home team is taking part in tournament action. In fact, they were up 14 percent during the duration of the major tourneys,  skyrocketing some 50 percent on game day.

The study mentions increases in driver stresses, along with hurried drives to catch the game at home as some of the reasons for the increase.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Our friends at Luxist report that ex-BMW-owner David Beckham is back on the road, this time in a shiny new Audi Q7. It seems that Beckham's Real Madrid squad are sponsored by Audi, who gifts each of its 23 stars with a new Audi every year. Beckham's newest 4x4 is a 4.2FSI finished in pearlescent Phantom Black, with black leather interior, car phone, video player, Bose sound system, a nav system and keyless entry. All told, Beckham's free Bimmer replacement boasts more than $35,000 worth of options.

Beckham has apparently already tested his off-roading skills at a dirt track near Real Madrid's practice facility (see photo).

Let's see how long he hangs on to this one...

[Daily Record via Luxist]

Real Madrid superstar and English soccer football hero David Beckham has lost his second BMW in just six months. In the latest heist, his armored BMW X-5, which was fitted with the latest in high-tech security features (including an ignition requiring a unique ID code to start the engine), was lifted from a shopping mall parking garage near Madrid.

Apparently, thieves used specialized software to circumvent the X-5's anti-theft measures. Police report that an average of 50 luxury cars are stolen in Madrid every day.

[Sources: The Scotsman, contactmusic.com]

The guys at Top Gear really know how to show a small hatchback a good time... by using it to play soccer. Five a side "football" with Toyota Aygos pits red versus blue for the ultimate sporting experience. Don't try this at home, though -- we hope the Top Gear body shop repair specialists were up for a little reconstructive surgery after this experience.

[Source: TopGear via Putfile]