Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Italian Grand Prix

Racing fans are used to tuning in on the Saturday of a grand prix weekend to find the words "Scuderia" and "Ferrari" at the top of the qualifying list. But interrupted by the words "Toro Rosso"? Never. But that was only the first of many surprises at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel shockingly secured his first pole position thanks to some exceedingly brilliant driving joined with good strategy on the part of his Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso team, which wisely stuck with the extreme wet tires on the rain-soaked Monza circuit while others experimented with intermediate treads. The young German's unprecedented qualifying performance put him in the record books as the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position, supplanting Fernando Alonso's previous record. But with so many other drivers with more experience and backed by teams with immensely bigger budgets, surely Vettel's lead would quickly be stolen by an established front-runner. Wouldn't it? Follow the jump to find out.

click above for gallery of the Ferrar Monza concept

It appears that after seeing a number of its finest works crashed by errant drivers, Ferrari should consider making something like this. It's called the Monza, and it's part car, part motorcycle, part flying wing, and all anime.

Independently designed by Iman Maghsoudi, the Monza, whose name recalls historic Ferraris of yore and the race track that hosts the Italian Grand Prix, can go 125 miles per hour. But because humans cannot muster "sufficient concentration" to keep it on the ground and upright, computers take over. They change the angles of the canards over the front wheels and make sure the Monza doesn't go airborne in violent gusts. This study in advanced aerodynamics appears to be the road-going equivalent of an F-16, which seems to be a rather complicated way to go speeds that aren't considered that fast anymore. But hey, it's a Ferrari, it's red, no one else has one, and if we got the chance we'd drive it, too.


[Source: Telegraph]

Motorsport is a game of inches and tenths. A few inches here and a few tenths of a second there can mean the difference between spectacle and tragedy. Case in point: Team ORECA driver Stephane Ortelli's horrifying crash during today's Le Mans Series race at Monza. Ortelli, driving the ORECA Courage LC70-Judd, lost control of the car, which spun off the pavement and onto the grass. The prototype then became airborne, barely missing Allan McNish in the Audi R10 TDI. And then things got really ugly. The Courage touched back down and went into a series of cartwheels, shedding bodywork all over the place before crashing into the wall and landing right-side up. Ortelli suffered a broken ankle, but Team ORECA reports he is otherwise in good health. As you'll see in the video, things could have been a whole lot worse. You know. A few inches here, a few tenths there...

We wish him a speedy recovery.

[Sources: Maximum Motorsport, Crash.net]

We first told you about a little Italian company called Gioielli Circuiti a bit over a year ago. The jewelers craft necklaces and other sparkly things in the shape of race tracks around the world, all decked-out in diamonds, rubies and other precious stones.

Being the Italian racing fans they so evidently are, Circuiti couldn't have their national circuit get the same respect as all the others. And so the jewelers are offering the Monza "Pole Position" bracelet, featuring white diamonds, black diamonds and rubies on a white gold setting laid out in the outline of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

The pictures are enough to tell that this must make for quite the dazzling tribute to the track and the race, but for €9000, you'd have to really love Monza. For the rest of us, Circuiti offers an array of pendants, cufflinks and such at a variety of price points. But if you're the kind for whom nine grand is pocket change and who watches the Monaco Grand Prix every year from a yacht in the Monte Carlo harbor with a delicate model on your arm, what else would look better on hers?

[Source: Gioielli Circuiti]

High res gallery with nine shots available by clicking any image!

Guess this really is racecar revelation Thursday. First Mazda and Peugeot showed off their prototype racers and now we are hearing about production-based racecars. At the same Birmingham show that will see the debut of Aston Martin's V8 Vantage N24 customer track car, Jaguar is showing its new XKR GT3 car. The Autosport International Show at the NEC, Birmingham is the place and the car is the race version of Jaguar's sporty new aluminum-bodied, supercharged XKR, this one eligible for the FIA GT3 European Championship.

More info after the jump and click here for the gorgeous high-res gallery of this hot racer.



[Source: Apex Motorsport]

Nokia has an upscale division that goes by the name Vertu, which happens to make some pretty nifty phones. They aren't for everybody -- not with pricetags that sound like the down payment on a Porsche -- but they will certainly appeal to those of us who are interested in automobilia. One line of phones in particular should prove irresistible to motorsports aficionados. Vertu's Racetrack Legends series consists of six limited-edition phones, each featuring a different racetrack on its shell. The final two members of the set were just released, depicting Monaco and the Nürburgring.

Like the previous issues (Monza, Silverstone, Indianapolis and Le Mans), the new models each have a uniquely-colored casing (yellow for Monaco, titanium gray for the 'Ring) with a map of the track etched into it. Available for around $6,400 each, they make quite a stocking stuffer. If you really feel like splurging, you can get the whole boxed set. The box alone probably costs more than most of our cars. It's made of carbon fiber, with three drawers under the display level for the cases and oth accessories. Stylish and exclusive, the limited edition ractreack phones are limited to 1000 units each. Limited or not, six grand is an insane amont of money, but hey, to each his (or her) own.

[Source: Vertu via Sybarites]

Back in April we told you about Vertu's Racetrack Legends series of mobile phones. At that time only Monza and Silverstone were available. But now filthy rich fans of LeMans and Indianapolis can chat on phones more expensive than a 10-year-old Miata. Made by Nokia, the $6,000+ phone is made of carbon-fiber-like leather, and an alloy called LiquidMetal laser-etched with a map of the namesake racetrack. Only 1,000 of each of six tracks will be produced.

But if you must talk on the phone while in the car, do the safe, courteous thing and pit.

[Source: www.sybarites.org]