Force India reveal first picture of VJM07 - F1 Fanatic

Force India reveal first picture of VJM07 - F1 Fanatic
First image of Williams FW36 reveals 'anteater' nose - F1 Fanatic
Next-gen Mini Clubman spotted - new pictures | Autocar
Images Of iOS For Cars Leak On Twitter | WebProNews

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 12:59 AM PST

Force India have become the first team to reveal an image of their 2014 F1 contender.

The VJM07 was shown for the first time by the team on Twitter.

"I always enjoy seeing a Formula One car come to life, but I can't remember so much anticipation ahead of a new season," said managing director Vijay Mallya.

"The rule changes have presented us with a huge challenge, but I'm very proud of the approach we have taken and the direction of the technical team. It will be fascinating to see how different teams have interpreted the rules and at this stage it's impossible to predict who has done the best job.

"It's this uncertainty that should make for a very entertaining season of racing, which is great news for the fans."

One of the first noticeable changes on the new car is a revised colour scheme. "The new car livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving."

"I've always believed the saffron, white and green livery has made our cars the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look."

"The national colours of India remain an integral part of the car, but the tiger has become a panther! As we enter our seventh season with new partnerships and new names on the car, our contemporary new look helps signal our ambition."

The new car is the first to benefit from Force India's expanded agreement with Mercedes which includes its 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine, energy recovery systems and eight-speed gearbox. Force India confirmed the car uses pullrod suspension at the rear and pushrods at the front.

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Force India reveal first picture of VJM07

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First image of Williams FW36 reveals 'anteater' nose - F1 Fanatic

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 01:07 AM PST

Williams have become the second team to reveal the look of their 2014 F1 car – and the first to show off the design of the widely-debated 2014 noses.

The FW36 features the strikingly narrow, tapered nose which is expected to feature on many of this year's cars due to the framing of the new regulations.

It is the first Williams to be powered by a Mercedes engine, and chief technical officer Pat Symonds said he was pleased with their collaboration so far.

"This is the first time that Williams has worked with Mercedes in F1 and we've been very impressed," he said. "Their professionalism and commitment have been notable and we're as confident as we can be that the power unit will be competitive."

Aside from the striking nose design, which is expected to feature on most cars this year, the car features enlarged air intakes to cool the sophisticated new engines and energy recovery systems.

"Overall the cars will need more cooling this year," Symonds explained. "The demands on water and oil cooling may be slightly diminished, but the [Energy Recovery System] is significantly more powerful and hence needs more cooling. We also have to cool the charge air from the turbocharger compressor which requires a substantial intercooler."

"There's a lot more technology on the cars this year," he added. "We've had turbo-charged engines in F1 before; what's different this time is that it is much more than just an engine change, it is a completely different system."

"We've gone from a slightly hybridised normally aspirated engine to a fully integrated hybrid power unit with novel technology at its heart."

Symonds said production of the car went according to plan. "But it's been a challenge to get the car down to the weight limit."

"It's been achievable, but it hasn't been easy because the new power unit is heavier than the outgoing V8."

More Williams FW36 pictures

: Williams FW36, front, 2014

: Williams FW36, side, 2014

: Williams FW36, front high, 2014

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Next-gen Mini Clubman spotted - new pictures | Autocar

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 04:10 PM PST

These are the latest pictures of the new Mini Clubman, which has been spotted undergoing cold weather testing near the Arctic Circle.

The Clubman, which will switch to a larger and more conventional sporting estate for its second generation, will be one of the initial four models in the third-generation BMW Mini lineup.

It will follow the three-door hatchback into production alongside new convertible and five-door hatchback versions.

While the current Clubman has an unusual 2+1 side-door arrangement, with the rear door being rear hinged, the new model has conventional doors on each side for rear passengers. The twin side-hinged door arrangement for the tailgate remains, however.

The new Clubman takes advantage of the new UKL1 platform used on the Mini range. It's available in a range of different wheelbase lengths and track widths, so Mini has taken a longer wheelbase variant to create a longer and more spacious estate model.

Those who have seen the car have noted that it appears almost as long as a BMW 3-series Touring, and looks considerably wider at the rear than the current model.

The Clubman will go on sale after the five-door hatchback is launched early in 2015.

Images Of iOS For Cars Leak On Twitter | WebProNews

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 11:49 AM PST

It's no secret that Apple wants to get in your car. Back in June of last year, Apple announced that it would be bringing iOS 7 to cars with voice controls provided by Siri. While iOS 7 is already out, a car-specific UI is nowhere to be seen. Well, that is until now.

On Tuesday, Twitter user @stroughtonsmith shared a series of images that appear to be what iOS will look like when it's used in conjunction with a vehicle. It's obviously a very early build as the only app available in this mode is Apple's own Maps app. Even then, the pictures provide a great look at what may end up being the UI Apple uses for iOS in the car.

So, how did @stroughtonsmith get access to what appears to Apple's answer to Google's Open Automative Alliance? No clue, but we've sent a request @stroughtonsmith a request for comment and will update this story if we hear back. At the moment, those replying to the images seem to think he was able to gain access to this mode through the developer version of iOS 7. While that's likely the case, we've also reached out to Apple for their take on the images.

If it turns out that these images are real, we're likely very close to an announcement of a new car mode for iOS. What's unclear at this point is if Apple will just release a new UI for iOS 7 that's activated when you're in the car or if Apple will be going the Google route by working with automotive manufacturers to integrate iOS into the vehicles themselves. With this being Apple, my bet's on the former.

[h/t: chiploco]
Image via @stroughtonsmith/Twitter

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