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TEAM LEXUS ADDS BORCHELLER, BELL, DUMOULIN TO AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES DRIVER LINEUP Torrance, Calif. - A pair of sports car champions and an open-wheel ace will join team owner Chuck Goldsborough behind the wheel for Team Lexus in the 2006 American Le Mans Series. Terry Borcheller, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Townsend Bell have joined the operation for the team's first season of Series competition, it was announced today. Team Lexus has served as Lexus' factory team since 1999. After a successful run in various other sports car series with two championships and numerous wins, pole positions and podium finishes, the team makes the move into the American Le Mans Series GT2S class in 2006 with a two-car IS 350 team. "We're extremely pleased to be able to add drivers the caliber of Terry Borcheller, Townsend Bell and Jean-Francois Dumoulin to our new American Le Mans Series program," said Philip Gaviola, Lexus motorsports manager. "They bring a tremendous combination of speed and experience. Most importantly, they're all proven champions." Borcheller and Dumoulin each have won multiple sports car championships. Borcheller is the veteran of the group having registered six sports car titles since 1998 including the 2001 American Le Mans Series GTS title. He has two Series victories, 26 podium finishes, eight class pole positions and eight class fast laps. He also earned and overall victory in the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Dumoulin holds the distinction of having won Lexus' first championship in 2002 while driving a Lexus IS 300 for Team Lexus. He has made one start in the American Le Mans Series, a fifth-place GT class showing at Trois-Rivieres in 2002 in a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Bell will be making the transition from open-wheel racing to sports cars in 2006, but there's no doubting his speed. The 2001 Indy Lights champion has raced in both CART and IRL, and tested with both the BAR and Jaguar Formula One teams. "We have a huge challenge in front of us with a first-year program," said Gaviola. "But we're confident that we have a group of drivers that are more than up to the task." As it enters American Le Mans Series competition, Team Lexus will be debuting the new Lexus IS 350 racer that is based upon the all-new 2006 IS 350 luxury sport sedan introduced last fall. The second-generation IS marks the third different Lexus model prepared for road racing competition in the U.S. following the GS 400 and the IS 300. The American Le Mans Series begins its 2006 season with the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 12-hour endurance classic is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST on March 18 at Sebring International Raceway. It will be televised live on SPEED Channel in North America and MotorsTV in Europe. In addition, Greenlight-Television will distribute the race worldwide to more than 510 million households. American Le Mans Series Radio will have flag-to-flag coverage available at www.americanlemans.com, along with IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.

PORSCHE RS SPYDER, AUDI R8 HIGHLIGHT AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES' PRESENCE AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW Braselton, Ga. - The American Le Mans Series has been well represented this week at Detroit's North American International Auto Show, with two of its race cars on display for all to see. It is a fitting pairing – a sampling of the world class technology that is prevalent in the Series at one of the world's largest and prestigious auto shows. The American Le Mans Series is the only motorsports body to have multiple cars on display at the show. The Porsche RS Spyder is one of the prominent attractions for Porsche at the NAIAS. Penske Racing will field two of the LMP2 cars in the 2006 American Le Mans Series, with one participating at the Series' second annual Winter Test on January 23-25 at Sebring International Raceway. Nearby at Michelin's display area, an Audi R8 in full 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans livery sits in full view for the nearly 800,000 spectators and 6,500 members of the media who are attending this year's show. More on the NAIAS is available at http://www4.naias.com/ . In addition, Trackbytes.com publisher John Thawley recorded a podcast with Tim Mayer, at http://www.blog.trackbytes.com/trackbytes-podcasts/ which is available for downloading. Mayer also sat down with Racingfanatics.com owner Ken May for an interview, also available on http://www.racingfanatics.com/2006%20Race%...Tim%20Mayer.htm. The American Le Mans Series begins its 2006 season with the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 12-hour endurance classic is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST March 18 at Sebring International Raceway and will be televised on SPEED Channel. American Le Mans Series Radio will have flag-to-flag coverage available at www.americanlemans.com, along with IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.

Erfolgreiches neues Jahr zu allen Próspero Año Nuevo Bonne année Anno nuovo felice Gelukkige Nieuwjaar Feliz Ano Novo С новым годом Glad Ny År Καλή χρονιά Manigong Bagong Taon

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Bugatti Veyron. (Long read but well worth it). "When you push a car past 180mph, the world starts to get awfully fizzy and a little bit frightening. When you go past 200mph it actually becomes blurred. Almost like you’re trapped in an early Queen pop video. At this sort of speed the tyres and the suspension are reacting to events that happened some time ago, and they have not finished reacting before they’re being asked to do something else. The result is a terrifying vibration that rattles your optical nerves, causing double vision. This is not good when you’re covering 300ft a second. Happily, stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table. It has always been thus. When Louis Rigolly broke the 100mph barrier in his Gobron in 1904, the vibration would have been terrifying. And I dare say that driving an E-type at 150mph in 1966 must have been a bit sporty as well. But once you go past 200mph it isn’t just the suspension and the tyres you have to worry about. The biggest problem is the air. At 100mph it’s relaxed. At 150mph it’s a breeze. But at 200mph it has sufficient power to lift an 800,000lb jumbo jet off the ground. A 200mph gust of wind is strong enough to knock down an entire city. So getting a car to behave itself in conditions like these is tough. At 200mph you can feel the front of the car getting light as it starts to lift. As a result you start to lose your steering, so you aren’t even able to steer round whatever it is you can’t see because of the vibrations. Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane. You might point out at this juncture that the McLaren F1 could top 240mph, but at that speed it was pretty much out of control. And anyway it really isn’t in the same league as the Bugatti. In a drag race you could let the McLaren get to 120mph before setting off in the Veyron. And you’d still get to 200mph first. The Bugatti is way, way faster than anything else the roads have seen. Of course, at £810,000, it is also jolly expensive, but when you look at the history of its development you’ll discover it’s rather more than just a car . . . It all started when Ferdinand Piëch, the swivel-eyed former boss of Volkswagen, bought Bugatti and had someone design a concept car. “This,” he said, “is what the next Bugatti will look like.” And then, without consulting anyone, he went on. “And it vill have an engine that develops 1000 horsepower and it vill be capable of 400kph.” His engineers were horrified. But they set to work anyway, mating two Audi V8s to create an 8 litre W16. Which was then garnished with four turbochargers. Needless to say, the end result produced about as much power as the earth’s core, which is fine. But somehow the giant had to be cooled, which is why the Veyron has no engine cover and why it has 10 — count them — 10 radiators. Then things got tricky because the power had to be harnessed. For this, VW went to Ricardo, a British company that makes gearboxes for various Formula One teams. “God, it was hard,” said one of the engineers I know vaguely. “The gearbox in an F1 car only has to last a few hours. Volkswagen wanted the Veyron’s to last 10 or 20 years. And remember, the Bugatti is a damn sight more powerful than any F1 car.” The result, a seven-speed double-clutch flappy paddle affair, took a team of 50 engineers five years to perfect. With this done, the Veyron was shipped to Sauber’s F1 wind tunnel where it quickly became apparent that while the magic 1000bhp figure had been achieved, they were miles off the target top speed of 400kph (248mph). The body of the car just wasn’t aerodynamic enough, and Volkswagen wouldn’t let them change the basic shape to get round the problem. The bods at Sauber threw up their hands, saying they only had experience of aerodynamics up to maybe 360kph, which is the effective top speed in Formula One. Beyond this point Bugatti was on its own. Somehow they had to find an extra 30kph, and there was no point in looking to the engine for answers because each extra 1kph increase in speed requires an extra 8bhp from the power plant. An extra 30kph then would need an extra 240bhp. That was not possible. The extra speed had to come from changing small things on the body. They started by fitting smaller door mirrors, which upped the top speed a bit but at too high a price. It turned out that the bigger ones had been keeping the nose of the car on the ground. Without them the stability was gone. In other words, the door mirrors were generating downforce. That gives you an idea of how much of a *BLEEP* the air can be at this speed. After some public failures, fires and accidents, and one chief being fired, they hit on the idea of a car that automatically changes shape depending on what speed you’re going. At 137mph, the nose of the car is lowered by 2in and the big rear spoiler slides into the slipstream. The effect is profound. You can feel the back of the car being pressed into the road. However, with the spoiler in place the drag is so great you’re limited to just 231mph. To go faster than that you have to stop and insert your ignition key in a slot on the floor. This lowers the whole car still further and locks the big back wing down. Now you have reduced downforce, which means you won’t be going round any corners, but you have a clean shape. And that means you can top 400kph. That’s 370ft a second. You might want to ponder that for a moment. Covering the length of a football pitch, in a second, in a car. And then you might want to think about the braking system. A VW Polo will generate 0.6g if you stamp on the middle pedal hard. You get that from the air brake alone on a Veyron. Factor in the carbon ceramic discs and you will pull up from 250mph in just 10sec. Sounds good, but in those 10sec you’ll have covered a third of a mile. That’s five football pitches to stop. I didn’t care. On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240mph. Where, astonishingly, it felt planted. Totally and utterly rock steady. It felt sublime. Not quiet, though. The engine sounds like Victorian plumbing — it looks like Victorian plumbing as well, to be honest — and the roar from the tyres was biblical. But it still felt brilliant. Utterly, stunningly, mind blowingly, jaw droppingly brilliant. And then I reached the Alps where, unbelievably, it got better. I expected this road rocket to be absolutely useless in the bends but it felt like a big Lotus Elise. Occasionally, if I accelerated hard in a tight corner, it behaved strangely as the four-wheel-drive system decided which axle would be best equipped to deal with the wave of power. I won’t say it’s a nasty feel or dangerous. Just weird, in the same way that the duck-billed platypus is weird. You learn to raise an eyebrow at what’s only a foible, and then, as the road straightens out, steady yourself for Prince Albert’s boiler to gird its loins and play havoc with the space-time continuum. No, really, you come round a bend, see what appears to be miles and miles of dead straight road, bury your foot in the carpet and with a big asthmatic wheeze, bang, you’re instantly at the next bend, with your eyebrow raised again. From behind the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn’t believe me. I also cannot tell you how good this car is. I just don’t have the vocabulary. I just end up stammering and dribbling and talking wide-eyed nonsense. And everyone thinks I’m on drugs. This car cannot be judged in the same way that we judge other cars. It meets drive-by noise and emission regulations and it can be driven by someone whose only qualification is an ability to reverse round corners and do an emergency stop. So technically it is a car. And yet it just isn’t. Other cars are small guesthouses on the front at Brighton and the Bugatti is the Burj Al Arab. It makes even the Enzo and the Porsche Carrera GT feel slow and pointless. It is a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world. VITAL STATISTICS Model Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Engine 7993cc, 16 cylinders in a W Power 1001bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 922 lb ft @ 2200rpm Transmission 7-speed DSG, manual and auto Fuel 11.7mpg (combined) CO2 574g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 2.5sec Top speed 253mph Price £810,345 Rating Five stars Verdict Deserves 12 stars. Simply as good — and as fast — as it gets."

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Bugatti Veyron. (Long read but well worth it). "When you push a car past 180mph, the world starts to get awfully fizzy and a little bit frightening. When you go past 200mph it actually becomes blurred. Almost like you’re trapped in an early Queen pop video. At this sort of speed the tyres and the suspension are reacting to events that happened some time ago, and they have not finished reacting before they’re being asked to do something else. The result is a terrifying vibration that rattles your optical nerves, causing double vision. This is not good when you’re covering 300ft a second. Happily, stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table. It has always been thus. When Louis Rigolly broke the 100mph barrier in his Gobron in 1904, the vibration would have been terrifying. And I dare say that driving an E-type at 150mph in 1966 must have been a bit sporty as well. But once you go past 200mph it isn’t just the suspension and the tyres you have to worry about. The biggest problem is the air. At 100mph it’s relaxed. At 150mph it’s a breeze. But at 200mph it has sufficient power to lift an 800,000lb jumbo jet off the ground. A 200mph gust of wind is strong enough to knock down an entire city. So getting a car to behave itself in conditions like these is tough. At 200mph you can feel the front of the car getting light as it starts to lift. As a result you start to lose your steering, so you aren’t even able to steer round whatever it is you can’t see because of the vibrations. Make no mistake, 200mph is at the limit of what man can do right now. Which is why the new Bugatti Veyron is worthy of some industrial strength genuflection. Because it can do 252mph. And that’s just mad — 252mph means that in straight and level flight this car is as near as makes no difference as fast as a Hawker Hurricane. You might point out at this juncture that the McLaren F1 could top 240mph, but at that speed it was pretty much out of control. And anyway it really isn’t in the same league as the Bugatti. In a drag race you could let the McLaren get to 120mph before setting off in the Veyron. And you’d still get to 200mph first. The Bugatti is way, way faster than anything else the roads have seen. Of course, at £810,000, it is also jolly expensive, but when you look at the history of its development you’ll discover it’s rather more than just a car . . . It all started when Ferdinand Piëch, the swivel-eyed former boss of Volkswagen, bought Bugatti and had someone design a concept car. “This,” he said, “is what the next Bugatti will look like.” And then, without consulting anyone, he went on. “And it vill have an engine that develops 1000 horsepower and it vill be capable of 400kph.” His engineers were horrified. But they set to work anyway, mating two Audi V8s to create an 8 litre W16. Which was then garnished with four turbochargers. Needless to say, the end result produced about as much power as the earth’s core, which is fine. But somehow the giant had to be cooled, which is why the Veyron has no engine cover and why it has 10 — count them — 10 radiators. Then things got tricky because the power had to be harnessed. For this, VW went to Ricardo, a British company that makes gearboxes for various Formula One teams. “God, it was hard,” said one of the engineers I know vaguely. “The gearbox in an F1 car only has to last a few hours. Volkswagen wanted the Veyron’s to last 10 or 20 years. And remember, the Bugatti is a damn sight more powerful than any F1 car.” The result, a seven-speed double-clutch flappy paddle affair, took a team of 50 engineers five years to perfect. With this done, the Veyron was shipped to Sauber’s F1 wind tunnel where it quickly became apparent that while the magic 1000bhp figure had been achieved, they were miles off the target top speed of 400kph (248mph). The body of the car just wasn’t aerodynamic enough, and Volkswagen wouldn’t let them change the basic shape to get round the problem. The bods at Sauber threw up their hands, saying they only had experience of aerodynamics up to maybe 360kph, which is the effective top speed in Formula One. Beyond this point Bugatti was on its own. Somehow they had to find an extra 30kph, and there was no point in looking to the engine for answers because each extra 1kph increase in speed requires an extra 8bhp from the power plant. An extra 30kph then would need an extra 240bhp. That was not possible. The extra speed had to come from changing small things on the body. They started by fitting smaller door mirrors, which upped the top speed a bit but at too high a price. It turned out that the bigger ones had been keeping the nose of the car on the ground. Without them the stability was gone. In other words, the door mirrors were generating downforce. That gives you an idea of how much of a *BLEEP* the air can be a

Fröhliche Weihnachten ¡Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale Joyeux Noël In any language, it still is and will always be "Merry Christmas!" And to all a good night!

Luxury battle looming Most expensive U.S. car dealership faces world's largest Mercedes dealership. By JOHN GITTELSOHN The Orange County Register NEWPORT BEACH – A $65 million new Lexus dealership, believed to be the most expensive car dealership in U.S. history, is under construction down the street from Fletcher Jones Motorcars, the nation's largest dealer of Mercedes-Benz. It might look like car wars, but a looming battle between the two luxury dealers will be waged in a style fitting their marquis brands. General Motors and Ford may lure customers by slashing prices, but Lexus and Mercedes are drawing clients to the corner of Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard by offering premier service. "When you pull in, we want you to feel like you're at a five-star hotel," said A.J. D'Amato, co-owner of the Newport Lexus, which is on track to open in mid-2006. Visitors to Fletcher Jones now pull up in lines where uniformed valets take their keys. At Newport Lexus, a "service concierge" will greet and direct arrivals to the proper department. The Lexus lounge will feature a Wolfgang Puck Café in response to Fletcher Jones's Starbucks, where regular coffee is free, but clients must pay for cappuccinos or espressos. The Mercedes customers can now amuse themselves on a four-hole putting green. Parents can park their kids in a playroom equipped with a TV for videogames. Call in advance and a childcare worker will be there too. Clients can get their shoes shined or their nails manicured. For entertainment, "guests" at the new Lexus dealership will be able to watch one of two dozen plasma-screen TVs. Or they can curl up on a leather sofa warmed by a year-round crackling fireplace. An in-house boutique will "be like Tommy Bahama meets St. John Knits," D'Amato said. There is talk of a hair salon and day spa offering massages and facials, although D'Amato said, "My wife thinks that's going too far." For "guests" in a hurry, D'Amato promises to provide a free loan car within 10 minutes of their arrival. Both dealers will provide "preferred" clients - people who buy cars there - free car washes, free shuttle rides to John Wayne Airport and free parking while you're away. Garth Blumenthal, general manager of Fletcher Jones, said he welcomes Lexus to the neighborhood. The ultimate winner will be the consumer. "Both dealerships will have to try harder," he said. The corner of Jamboree and MacArthur is not the only place in Orange County where luxury dealers offer luxurious amenities. In Santa Ana, Crevier BMW has a Diedrich Coffee shop, free loaners and shuttles to John Wayne. Already the nation's No. 1 BMW dealer in total revenues, Crevier is building a new $31.5 million showroom at its dealership in the Santa Ana Auto Mall, scheduled to open in 2007, where guests will entertain themselves with iPod stations and individual televisions at every seat. A Rudy's Barbershop will offer haircuts. "We feel service separates us from the competition," said Rob McGee, Crevier's director of marketing and technology. When it comes to location, Crevier cannot compete with the neighborhood where Newport Lexus will face Fletcher Jones, a straight shot down the San Joaquin Hills (73) Toll Road from ZIP code 92657, aka Newport Coast, which topped Orange County with an average household income of $290,000, according to 2002 tax returns, the most recent available. "It's an outstanding location to sell cars," said George Peterson, president of Auto Pacific, a Tustin auto industry market analyst. "It puts Lexus in the heart of Orange County's luxury car market." Mercedes typically gets more per vehicle. Data collected by Wards Automotive show Fletcher Jones fetched an average $60,132 per new car sold in 2004 compared to $42,423 per new vehicle at Tustin Lexus, which is owned by the same company as the new Newport Lexus. D'Amato aims to sell 5,000 vehicles in the first year at Newport Lexus, which will hold 1,200 cars and SUVs on site. The new location could help Lexus catch up with Mercedes in Orange County. In the first three quarters of 2005, data on Orange County compiled by R.L. Polk & Co. reported new registration of 6,638 Lexus cars and SUVs compared to 7,817 Mercedes cars and SUVs. It's uncertain whether Lexus, which stakes its reputation on reliability, can bring in as much revenue on service. Instead, the Japanese carmaker is counting on good service to build customer loyalty. "Everyone fixates on sales, but most of your interaction is going to be during service, especially while a car is under warranty, which can last for years," said Charlie Vogelheim of J.D. Power & Associates, the auto rating company. "A putting green isn't going to make or break a store. But it's something that's going to interest you." Premium service benefits Fletcher Jones' bottom line in many ways. In 1994, the dealer earned 15 percent of its $496 million in revenue from its service, body shop, parts and accessories, such as sales of Mercedes clothing and sunglasses, according to Wards data. Among the nation's 100 largest dealers, the average was 12 percent. Service is the main reason Ben Bazargani, an Irvine real estate developer, said he has bought nine Mercedes over the years from Fletcher Jones. "Everything is exceptional," said Bazargani, 65, who enjoyed a coffee and shoeshine while his 2006 CLK 320 was being washed Friday morning. "It's a pleasant atmosphere. I meet friends and get a look at new models." Blumenthal said Fletcher Jones is preparing to launch a special upper tier of service for customers who have bought 10 or more cars at the dealer, which opened in 1991. "It's not enough just to sell Mercedes-Benz," Blumenthal said. "You have to brand your company and differentiate yourself from the competition." __________________

ATLANTA, Nov. 14, 2005 --- Constantly at the forefront of turbo technology, Porsche will once again propel turbocharging to the next level. November 16, 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of the turbocharger, a device that has only added to Porsche’s storied racing and performance legacy. To recognize this landmark date, Porsche announces its latest turbocharging development: Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG). In its next iteration, the Porsche 911 Turbo will offer VTG, a mechanism that continuously adjusts the angle of the compressor’s turbine blades, a world’s first for a turbocharged gasoline engine. Featured in diesel engines since the early 1990s, VTG can provide significant improvements in engine flexibility and responsiveness, particularly at low engine speeds. Until now, this innovation has been limited to diesel applications, due to the far higher exhaust-gas temperatures (up to 1000° C/1800° F) prevalent in turbocharged gasoline engines. But Porsche has overcome this hurdle—working in close cooperation with Borg Warner Turbo Systems—by using temperature-resistant materials derived from aerospace technology. The core feature of the VTG system is the variable turbine blades, which articulate to most effectively guide the flow of exhaust gases from the engine onto the turbocharger’s turbine wheel. The principle behind variable turbine geometry is to combine the benefits of a small and large turbocharger in one unit. This ensures both responsiveness and high torque at low engine speeds, while providing superior output and performance at higher engine speeds. Another benefit is a large torque plateau maintained throughout a much wider rpm range. A Compressed History Swiss engineer Dr. Alfred Büchi invented the exhaust gas turbocharger 100 years ago, receiving a patent on Nov. 16, 1905 for a "combustion machine consisting of a compressor (turbine compressor), a piston engine, and a turbine in sequential arrangement." Büchi used the exhaust gas flowing out after the combustion process to drive a turbine, which in turn drove a compressor to boost the amount of engine intake air. The first application of turbocharger technology was in the 1920s on large marine engines, with the first attempts to use this technology in the automobile beginning in the late '50s. In 1973, Porsche campaigned the 917/30 in the North American Can-Am Series. This fearsome machine developed more than 1100 horsepower, and as a spearhead for turbocharger technology in the United States, the ultra-powerful racecar overwhelmed its opponents on the track. The outcome was a regulations change in the Can-Am Series that sent the almighty 917/30 straight to the museum. Since then, Porsche has constantly strove to advance turbocharging applications. The Porsche 911 Turbo burst onto the scene at the Paris Motor Show in 1974 as the world's first series production sports car with an exhaust gas turbocharger. Porsche has continued to advance turbocharging technology in each generation of “the Turbo”—the intercooler, bi-turbo, VarioCam® Plus, as well as the "Cleanest Car in the World" title—that have all set benchmarks in turbocharger development. Now the next generation of the Porsche 911 Turbo is clearly spelled out in three letters: VTG. Since arriving on this continent in 1976, Porsche enthusiasts have been particularly smitten by the 911 Turbo. Of the more than 50,000 Porsche 911 Turbos produced in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, over 20,000 have been sold in North America. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, GA, and its subsidiary, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., are the exclusive importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne® sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada. A wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, PCNA employs approximately 300 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 210 U.S. and Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.

Porsche 911 Turbo (Type 997) spy shot and article: http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103796

AUDI UNVEILS DIESEL-POWERED R10 PROTOTYPE THAT WILL DEBUT AT MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING Paris, France - Armed with cutting-edge technology developed en route to five overall 24 Hours of Le Mans victories and six American Le Mans Series championships, Audi AG today unveiled its new R10 LMP1 today at a worldwide media briefing in Paris. Described as the most sophisticated and technologically advanced sports car ever produced, the diesel-powered prototype will make its competitive debut at the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18, the opening event of the 2006 American Le Mans Series. "Audi has been an integral part of the American Le Mans Series for six years and is our defending champion. We are ecstatic that our relationship will continue, stronger than ever," said Scott Atherton, president and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "Audi has played a leading role in the success of the American Le Mans Series, and we believe the series has contributed significantly to the success of Audi – certainly in North America. The fact that we are beginning a new chapter together is good news for all involved." Audi's specific plans for the 2006 American Le Mans Series will be announced in the near future. Audi's record in the American Le Mans Series speaks for itself. The marque has won 47 times in the series (all with its R8), including seven in 2005. Six different Audi drivers have won American Le Mans Series drivers championships in LMP1 (most recently Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro in 2005), and Audi teams have won every LMP1 team championship since 2000. Audi has excelled on the biggest stages in sports car racing, as well. The manufacturer swept the sport's three most prestigious races -- Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans -- each of the past two seasons. That record extends to 14 of the last 15 endurance classics, starting at the 2000 12 Hours of Sebring. The Audi R8 also has won 38 pole positions in LMP1, another series record. Audi plans to use this year's 12 Hours of Sebring as a test for the 74th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most prestigious automobile race. One of the most elite marques in the world, Audi will go for its seventh straight overall win at Sebring. "The circuit's characteristics make this race one of the hardest in the world and the perfect opportunity to put a new car through its paces," said Wolfgang Appel, head of vehicle technology at Audi Sport. In a series that features premium automobile manufacturers showcasing the latest in technology, Audi again leads the pack. The most unique feature of the R10 is its 5.5-liter, V12 diesel engine that produces more than 650 hp and 1,100 Newton-meters of torque. It is the most powerful diesel engine in the world, said Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine technology at Audi Sport. The diesel package will provide better fuel economy and a longer life. "The R10 project is the biggest challenge ever to have been handed to Audi Sport," said Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "TDI technology has not been pushed to its limits in motorsport yet. We are the first to confront the challenge. The demands of such a project are accordingly high. Long-term technology partners such as Bosch, Michelin and Shell support us in our quest. Together we have the chance to write new chapters in the history books of motorsport and diesel technology." "Audi stands at the forefront of automotive technology and has been a leader in directly transferring their racing developments to their road cars," Atherton said. "We can now add the use of diesel technology to this list. This will make the R10 a pioneer in terms of alternate forms of fuel." Cosmetically, the R10 possesses many of the same features of the R8. Underneath the surface, however, is a world of difference. The Audi R10 has a significantly longer wheelbase than the R8 (due in part to the larger engine), and the overly wide front tires are, up until now, unique for a Le Mans Prototype. New technologies also were implemented during the development of the carbon-fiber monocoque. The chassis, engine and gearbox form an extremely rigid, fully stressed unit. Already, the R10 has taken its first laps. Audi conducted the roll-out of the car Nov. 29. By the time Le Mans rolls around, it is expected that the V12 diesel will have nearly 3,000 test-bench hours and several thousand miles to its credit before Le Mans. The development team from Audi Sport is supported by Reinhold Joest's squad, which also performed this task during the R8 project. "There has been more speculation and buzz regarding the unveiling of Audi's R10 than any other sports car I can remember," Atherton said. "It is a testament to the level of anticipation and interest the motorsports community has for this world-class, next-generation prototype. The Audi R8 will go down in history as one of the most successful cars in our sport's history, but the R10 no doubt will be a worthy successor." The American Le Mans Series opens the 2006 season with the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, scheduled for March 18 on SPEED Channel. Series teams will have the opportunity to test at the second annual Wheels Down Winter Test from Jan. 23-25 at Sebring International Raceway.

Mercedes cancels by-wire brake system; decision a blow to technology's future JENS MEINERS | Automotive News Europe Posted Date: 12/8/05 Mercedes-Benz is discontinuing the twice-recalled Robert Bosch GmbH braking system on the E-Class and CLS-Class sedans next summer in a move that is a blow to automotive brake-by-wire technology. Mercedes will drop the Sensotronic Brake Control system from the E-Class in June 2006 when it introduces the car's midterm face-lift. At about the same time, the E Class-derived CLS also will lose the system. Both cars will have a conventional hydraulic braking system. "We can now offer all the comforts of SBC in a conventional system," said a Mercedes insider. "SBC was a very expensive system." But the source also acknowledged that customers had lost confidence in the system. Software failure The technology eliminates the mechanical link between the driver's brake pedal and the brakes, substituting an electrical link that actuates the brake calipers. Customer complaints were linked to the failure of software for the brake system. When the system failed, the hydraulic system took over. But that resulted in a longer stopping distance and additional brake pedal effort by the driver. "Statistically, (the Sensotronic Brake Control is) as good as our other braking systems and sometimes better," the insider said. "But we cannot get the doubts out of customers' heads." Mercedes' SL roadster and the low-volume SLR McLaren and Maybach supercars will retain the brake system until the end of their life cycles. It would be too costly to re-engineer those low-volume cars to accommodate a conventional system, a source said. Sensotronic Brake Control was supposed to highlight Mercedes' technology leadership. Instead, it created a double blow to the brand's image. In May 2004, Mercedes recalled 680,000 vehicles to fix the complex brake-by-wire system. Then, in March 2005, 1.3 million cars were recalled, partly because of further unspecified problems with the Sensotronic Brake Control system. $173 million price tag Bosch has no other customers for the system, which it co-developed over nine years with DaimlerChrysler AG at a cost of 147 million euros, or about $173.3 million at current exchange rates. A Bosch spokesman acknowledged that the system has lost some of its competitive edge. "In 2001 we were far ahead with SBC, but conventional technology has not been standing still," the spokesman said. "With the ESP Premium (vehicle stability system), we have all SBC functions in a conventional system

Yoshi!

Which ever college pursuit you decide on...go with the one that you'll enjoy (and make a career with). It's money of course but it doesn't have to be all about making a buck. Just focus, enjoy and give something back.

LEXUS BECOMES LATEST ELITE MANUFACTURER TO JOIN GROWING AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES Braselton, Ga. - Culminating an unprecedented week of competitor growth, the American Le Mans Series announced today Lexus as the second of two elite manufacturers that in a three-day span have made commitments to field a two-car, factory-backed racing program for the 2006 season. For its "Passionate Pursuit of Perfection," Lexus will compete with a pair of IS 350 sport sedans in the American Le Mans Series' GT2S class. "Much like we hope the new IS will become, we view the American Le Mans Series as an aspirational series," said Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter. "It's an ideal fit for Lexus because it celebrates the technology and performance inherent in the best cars." Scott Atherton, president and CEO of the American Le Mans Series, echoed those thoughts. "The Lexus brand coming into the American Le Mans Series is as close to a natural fit as we could ever imagine," Atherton said. "When anyone mentions Lexus, many of the same attributes that are associated with the American Le Mans Series come to mind - words like luxury, high performance, leading-edge technology, style and quality describe both brands. On behalf of the series, and its manufacturers and competitors, we are proud and honored to welcome Lexus into our competitive ranks." Lexus is the second premium manufacturer to announce its participation in the American Le Mans Series this week. Tuesday, BMW confirmed its plan to bring two factory-backed M3s to the series grid starting at the 54th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. Lexus will join with its racing partner Team Lexus, which will build, develop and campaign the new cars with technical assistance and backing from Lexus. Work already has started on preparing the IS 350s for the 2006 American Le Mans Series, and driver lineups will be announced at a later date. "Developing and racing two brand new cars in a series new to us will be a major challenge but one that we relish," said Team Lexus owner Chuck Goldsborough. "We've been building our team along with the new cars this year and are looking forward to some of the most exciting and competitive road racing in North America." One by one, Atherton's promises of delivering new manufacturers and teams to the American Le Mans Series in his September "State of the Series" address at Petit Le Mans are materializing. And with an outstanding 10-race schedule that impacts nine of the top 20 markets across North America, the best television package in the series' history and 2005 season results indicating double-digit increases in sponsorship ROIs, times have never been better. "The American Le Mans Series, with its 'premium brand of motorsport' platform, is experiencing an unprecedented level of growth and expansion, and Lexus has recognized this," Atherton said. "This represents more than the addition of another prestigious manufacturer to our ranks. Lexus will bring another wave of elite sponsors, high-end clientele and a level of activation that we expect will establish a new benchmark. Lexus' involvement in the American Le Mans Series will have a positive impact by every measure. But the best part is that there still is more good news to come." Cars competing in GT2S are not eligible for the 24 Hours of Le Mans at this time. However, GT2S entries will be classified in the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series and will be eligible to score championship points. Series officials are working closely with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to evaluate the involvement of GT2S cars in the American Le Mans Series with the possibility of making them eligible for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future. The American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time. The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a television package that includes five network broadcasts on CBS and five broadcasts on SPEED Channel, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Audi, Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Aston Martin, Lexus and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin, Pirelli, Jean-Richard Swiss Watches and many others. Lexus Lexus has become synonymous with luxury since its introduction in 1989. By offering some of the finest quality luxury vehicles and providing benchmark customer service, Lexus has remained the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States for five years in a row. Lexus and its 215 dealers have repeatedly achieved high honors for both the products they sell and the customer service they provide as rated by the independent research firm of J.D. Power and Associates.