VW Golf Cabrio 006 Big

Filed under: Motorsports, Hatchback, Volkswagen, UK, Racing AmD Milltek Racing Volkswagen Golf touring car - Click above for image gallery Touring car racing is big business overseas. Think of it as European stock cars and you've got an idea of the fan base. And while there's a World Touring Car Championship, it's the individual national series that draw the most attention: series like DTM in Germany, Australia's V8 Supercars, Italy's Superstars series, and this, the British Touring Car Championship. The UK series dates back for decades, and has attracted the participation of many of the world's biggest automakers. Now, for the first time in ten years, a Volkswagen will be competing in the series. Prepared by AmD Milltek Racing, this VW Golf will be dicing it with the likes of the BMW 320si, Vauxhall Vectra, Seat Leon and Honda Civic Type R for the glory as an independent entry. (In fact most - if not all - of the entries are now privateers since the major manufacturers packed up shop.) The Golf touring car was brought over under the new S2000 rules from the Baltic Touring Car Championship - one of the more obscure series in the discipline - and modified by Milltek before recently undergoing a shakedown at Brands Hatch where the team is based. The car was driven, as it will be throughout the season, by the team's managing director Shaun Hollamby, whose past experience had him competing in the Volkswagen Cup and directing the television department for Formula One Management. Gallery: AmD Milltek Racing Volkswagen Golf touring car [Source: AmD Milltek Racing via JonSibal.com]AmD Milltek Racing brings the Volkswagen Golf back to the British Touring Car Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo, Rumormill 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Click above for high-res image gallery Coach Sergio Marchionne has asked his temperamental star player, Alfa Romeo, to raise its game. Working to help that happen, the coach hasn't stopped tinkering with the gameplan, trying to get Alfa out of another quasi-bust sales cycle. It's been said the Giulietta has will "reinstate the marque's reputation for fine handling and performance," and if it does, a properly handling sports car accessible by the masses ought to help restore Alfa's reputation and coffers. The Giulietta given the task is one implanted with a the 1.75-liter, turbocharged TBi engine with Multiair. However, that engine currently makes 200 horsepower in the Alfa 159, but for the Giulietta application, Autocar is reporting that it will be additionally boosted to 235 horsepower. Getting that power down in a front-wheel-drive car is likely to be a trick, so plans reportedly call for the Alfao to be aided by a new electronic differential and active dampers, as well as a dual-clutch transmission. Will all of this make a car that can truly challenge the Volkswagen Golf/GTI - or the Ford Focus family? Fiat claims the current hatch already bests those other two, not that that matters - Alfa has to actually make this spicier variant and let the customers decide which one has the chops. We will gladly admit that right now, though, it at least looks good on paper. Gallery: Geneva 2010: 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Photos by Noah Joseph / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Autocar]Report: Hotter Alfa Romeo Giulietta to get dual-clutch gearbox and 235 hp originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments