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Petter Solberg


Today is an emotional day, with some very big news... I feel very proud and honoured to have had such a career in motorsport, but now there will be no more world championships for me - it's time for a change in life. I'm not hanging up my helmet completely though! I still want to do some cool stuff, including a 'Farewell Tour' this year that I talk about in the video, and hopefully lots more after ????
It's incredible to think of all the achievements we have had across different motorsports, and I need to thank all of you, my amazing, loyal fans, for being with us every step of the way ????????. But the journey and the dreams don't stop, they just change, and now more focus can be put on Oliver Solberg's career and other possibilities!
Thanks again to all of you for your support always, and I'll see you all very soon! ????????
Click to expand...
 
what forbes know about cars?
https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-wrx-sti-makes-10-cars-you-should-avoid-buying-list


Subaru WRX STI Makes "10 Cars You Should Avoid Buying? List

According to Forbes, the 2019 Subaru WRX STI performance car is one of 10 cars you don't want to buy.

Forbes says there are 10 cars in 2019 that you do not want to buy and should avoid at all costs. The sport-tuned 2019 Subaru WRX and performance tuned WRX STI make the top cars to avoid list 2019 at number 10. Forbes says they wouldn?t recommend these cars to their friends or relatives so that means you don?t want them either.
Forbes based most of its ranking on the most-recent new-vehicle reports from Consumer Reports and dependability and initial quality scores from J.D. Power?s owner surveys. They also put weight on a number of other reviews and their own test drives.
What?s wrong with the WRX/STI?
According to Forbes, the WRX and WRX STI is basically a rally car version of the Impreza compact and you need to be a ?certain disposition? to enjoy it. They say it has a ?skittish demeanor? that feels underdeveloped when held up against ?more sophisticated performance-minded models.?
They also say the WRX ($27,195) and WRX STI ($36,595) are too pricey compared with other models. They cite Consumer Reports giving it a low overall rating among sports cars, and poor ratings for reliability from CR and J.D. Power, ranking it below average for initial quality. Forbes says you are better off buying a Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86, or a Honda Civic Si or Type R.


Forbes says the new cars, trucks, and SUVs to avoid for 2019 are as follows in order of ranking from one to ten. Number one is the Alfa Romeo Giulia, followed by the Dodge Journey, Fiat 500L, Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Titan XD, Smart EQ ForTwo, and number 10, the Subaru WRX and WRX STI.
We do agree Subaru needs to get a handle on the reliability factor and quality issues the WRX STI has had. We couldn?t disagree more with Forbes on the WRX and WRX STI performance handling and overall driving dynamics. The car is for those who want a dynamic driving experience, not a refined ride. Its rally-inspired all-wheel-drive technology and Subaru turbo Boxer engine that sits low in the chassis is what sets the car apart. The 2019 Subaru WRX/STI does have some issues, but they are still the most affordable fun sports cars in the world.
 
another story you may not know:

CONCEPTS: The Subaru X-100 was designed to cross the US on a single tank of fuel

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/concepts-subaru-x100/?fbclid=IwAR2VvilqaXMe97LlEyjooFtYW4y3JbA7-6EhohwdVclSAce7Yz21yf_abH8


A big leaps to JNC popularity worldwide came as a result of the 1973 oil embargo. The crisis inspired designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to think of ways to push the automobile?s fuel efficiency limits. One such person was no less than Alex Tremulis, designer of the Tucker 48, the Gyro-X, and bits and pieces of the Subaru BRAT. With the embargo, the time seemed right for Tremulis to execute an idea he?d long wanted to try: An extremely aerodynamic three-wheeled car. His dream, as he put it, was ?eliminating the sadistic torture of innocent air.? With this idea in mind, he approached Subaru of America at their Technical Center in Garden Grove, California.


The meeting resulted in a green light from Harvey Lamm, Subaru of America?s CEO at the time. He envisioned a promotional cross-country tour with publicity stops along the way. The goal was to create a car that could cross the United States on one (relatively) normal tank of fuel. The agreed upon formula was 100 miles per gallon and a 25-gallon tank, in order to complete a 2,500-mile route from California to Florida.

Tremulis designed the exterior, using an old airplane wing tank he?d been saving as the basis for the body. The design and construction of the chassis and drivetrain was handed to Subaru engineer Ron Jones, who in turn brought in a talented fabricator by the name of John McCollister. Walt Biggers, director of Subaru?s Technical Center, oversaw the project.


Jones was directed to use as many off-the-shelf Subaru parts as possible. To that end, he utilized the engine, transmission, and rear suspension from the Rex, a kei jidosha not sold in America. Although aluminum wheels with a custom offset needed to be made in order to fit under the drivetrain under the body, the combination worked like a charm.
Much of the rest of the car was built from scratch by Jones and McCollister, including the frame, shift linkage, front suspension, front wheel, and steering system. To his credit, the chassis weighs only 70 pounds (32kg)!

One non-Subaru part you may have noticed was the taillight. It?s from a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, one of Tremulis? favorite designs, and a knowing wink to his time as the head of Ford?s styling studio.
The X-100 was a side project, done in the team?s spare time in Jones? shop at the Technical Center. As other projects got in the way ? development of the BRAT being just one ? the X-100 ended up taking six years to complete. The original oil embargo only lasted about six months, so the initial panic had long subsided. Still, the team saw the project through and testing began in August of 1980 at Ontario Motor Speedway in California.

Before a cross-country run could be attempted, the car had to prove it could achieve 100 miles per gallon while cruising at the national speed limit of 55 mph. For the track testing, a 1-gallon tank replaced the original 25-gallon tank.
In initial tests, the car ran out of fuel a frustrating half a lap from the desired goal. Jones, who describes himself as ?a bit of a lightweight?, offered to give it a try. He nailed it in one shot, finishing half a lap past the 100-mile goal. Tremulis was on hand to congratulate Jones and the team.
And that?s it. With the embargo in history?s rear-view mirror, Subaru already established in the US, and the 100-mpg goal achieved, the cross-country promotional tour was canceled. The car has remained in Subaru?s storage facilities since that day.


Until just recently, that is. For 2018, the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee held an exhibit celebrating Subaru?s 50 years of being in the American market. Along with 360 variants from the museum?s own collection, Subaru of America loaned a new WRX STi, the very first BRAT, and the almost-forgotten X-100.
The curator for the exhibit was the Lane?s Education Director, Rex Bennett. Out of all the cars in Subaru of America?s History Collection, the X-100 was the example Bennett wanted for displaying in the museum. And how did he learn about it? From this very website, of course:
?While researching the Subaru Heritage collection, I came across the X-100 in a 2013 article on JNC. I knew it would be a great addition to the exhibit; it showcased an innovative and not-often told story about the Subaru Technical Center in the 1970s. I was also thankful to have BRAT Number 1, as a link to Alex Tremulis (the museum has quite a few Tremulis designs), as well as the WRX STi, to show how far Subaru of America had come from its roots in the humble 360. It?s quite a success story.?


After the exhibit ended, the BRAT and WRX STi were shipped back to New Jersey to rejoin the rest of Subaru?s historic collection. But the X-100 was left on loan to Lane for another four years. It is currently on display with other high fuel mileage cars such as a Honda Insight and a Volkswagen XL1.
Somewhere over the past 35 years or so, the graphics on the sides of the nose have been changed, but otherwise, the prototype looks like Ron Jones had just hopped out of it to shake Alex Tremulis? hand. To see the car in person, it?s fascinating. That it?s on public display, with thanks to Japanese Nostalgic Car and Subaru of America, is something you should take advantage of while it lasts. Who knows, after this, it might be hidden away for another four decades!





 
Gordon Murray Is Making A Manual V12 McLaren F1 Successor

The legendary F1 designer is building a follow-up to his seminal supercar for his Gordon Murray Automotive brand, and it'll weigh less than a tonn




https://www.carthrottle.com/post/go...B6IHJhZ7aPsxj3Mk20XKsgYhRR6Jo0_B0_qq8-gDxI45o

We?ve said it before, and we?ll say it again: the petrol era of the motor car is definitely going out with a bang. Amidst the rise of electrification there?s a dizzying array of new ICE sports cars on the way, and at the other end of the spectrum, more and more hyper-expensive, enormously powerful hypercars are coming through the woodwork.
And the best one yet has just been announced. It comes from Gordon Murray Automotive, and it?s called the T.50. Designed by Murray ?to the same exacting engineering standards as the driver-focused McLaren F1,? it?s very much a successor to his three-seater supercar. Even down to the layout: it?ll have a central driving position with two passenger seats set slightly further back.
The more you read of the press release, the better it gets. Let?s kick off with the mid-mounted powerplant: it?s a Cosworth-developed, 3.9-litre naturally-aspirated V12 which produces 650bhp and revs to an obscene 12,100rpm. That?s a higher ceiling than the Aston Martin Valkyrie?s 12-banger - another Cosworth design - and although it?s considerably less powerful, it won?t have as much car to punt along - the carbon-tubbed T.50 is to weigh just 980kg.


That engine sends its power to the rear wheels exclusively via a six-speed manual gearbox. That?s a big clue as to this car?s main focus. ?I have absolutely no interest in chasing records for top speed or acceleration,? Murray says, adding, ?Our focus is instead on delivering the purest, most rewarding driving experience of any supercar ever built ? but, rest assured, it will be quick.?
The T.50 will also feature ground effect aerodynamics, thanks to ?intelligent management of underbody airflow? and ruddy great fan which literally sucks the car to the floor. Yep, Murray is resurrecting the controversial aero element of his Brabham BT46B ?Fan Car?, a vehicle banned from F1 after just one race despite the team claiming at the time that the fan bit was just for cooling.


This tremendous list of ingredients all fits into a car that?s just 4380mm long and 1850mm wide - about the same length as a Porsche 718 Cayman and only slightly wider. It is, inevitably, going to be very expensive - the pre-tax price is ?2 million.
Gordon Murray Automotive will make 100, which we don?t foresee being terribly difficult to shift. First deliveries will happen in 2022.
 
[h=1]
The great motor insurance rip-off: Profits jump 1,300pc for insurance firms[/h] [h=2]Data reveals 17 insurers rake in combined total of ?227m, with their highest returns from motorists[/h]
https://www.independent.ie/business...o9ksLs8o_OYxOFBLaSCAvpwx1DE8JtdBP01Mq3vOXJlEM

Insurance companies have enjoyed a profits surge from covering homes, drivers and businesses.

Profits have jumped by a staggering 1,300pc, despite the country being gripped by an insurance crisis.

New figures from the industry show 17 general insurers in this market made combined operating profits of ?227m in 2017, the latest date for overall data on the sector.

These profits were up from ?16m in 2016, according to Insurance Ireland - equal to a rise of 1,318pc.
Motor cover proved hugely profitable in 2017.

The 17 domestic non-life insurers made combined profits of ?125m from private and commercial motorists.


From 2013 to 2016, average motor insurance premiums increased by 70pc.

Motor premiums have fallen recently, but are still 50pc above 2008 levels.

Insurers had more than 200,000 motor claims made against them that year. Some six out of 10 claims are motor-related.
Property insurance, both household and commercial, had combined profits of ?84.3m.
A big chunk of the general insurance profits came from investment income where insurers use premium income to buy bonds and property assets.
Chairman of the Consumers Association Michael Kilcoyne branded the situation a "rip off" for customers.
"It is time they started sharing the profits with the rest of us," he said. "They have a captive market in motors and they charge what they like."
However, insurers made losses on liability insurance, which is what covers businesses when they are sued. Few insurers in this market are prepared to cover public liability and employer liability, forcing firms and charities to seek cover from the UK.
The cost of liability cover and the reluctance of the industry here to cover this market is forcing the closure of businesses, job losses and the cancellation of festivals.
The Promenade Festival, in Tramore, Co Waterford, and the Ballina Salmon Festival in Co Mayo are among those to have been cancelled this year, due mainly to rising insurance costs and the compensation culture.
Rathbeggan Lakes Adventure Park in Meath will close this year due to an annual insurance cost of ?40,000. Killary Adventure Company in Galway has also been affected by insurance issues.
General insurers lost ?24.6m on liability insurance last year. But only ?417m of business was written in that area, compared with ?1.8bn gross written motor premium income, and ?870m in property premiums.
Pressure group Alliance Ireland questioned how much money insurers are repatriating to their parent companies.
Peter Boland of the Alliance said: "This figure has distorted performance in the past."
He said the Central Bank forced insurers to bump up their reserves in 2015. Insurers will now find they have over-reserved and will be able to boost their profits by writing these back.
The losses made on liability insurance were questioned. "How can losses on employers' liability be so high when workplace fatalities are at the lowest since records began?"
An Insurance Ireland spokesman insisted general insurers had made underwriting losses for five years in the run-up to 2017. An underwriting loss is incurred after an insurer has paid out claims and accounted for administrative expenses over a certain period.
"Irish general insurers had underwriting losses in motor and liability insurance of over ?1.1bn in the five years to 2017 - ?757m in motor and ?349m in liability.
"The liability markets were still loss making in 2017 with underwriting losses of ?47m," the spokesman said.

Irish Independent
 
[h=1]The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Might Be Coming Back After All[/h] There may be a chance that Mitsubishi will add a performance car to its line-up of practical SUVs

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a...3qXw6yYQIx0lR3uyr8FL0Nd-As25aC77zJMW5wqVO6Np0


Rumours have surfaced that Mitsubishi might answer the calls of car enthusiasts across the globe and bring back its four-wheel drive performance car, the Lancer Evo.
Autocar has reported that the successor to the Mitsubishi Evo X could be built on the new CMF-C/D F4 platform, an architecture developed by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
The 11th generation ?Lan Evo? (as Initial D connoisseurs refer to it) may share elements with future Renault Sport Meganes. The proposed engine for the next-generation French hot hatch is a turbocharged 2.0-litre mated to a dual-clutch gearbox that drives the front wheels. It?s this drivetrain that the Evo XI could be equipped with, but rather than powering just the front wheels, Mitsubishi?s version will be adapted to make it four-wheel drive. If previous Evos, and even Mitsubishi?s current SUVs, are anything to go by, it?ll be a very trick four-wheel drive system with S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control).


Don?t hold your breath waiting for a new Evo, though. Rob Lindley, managing director of Mitsubishi UK, explained to Car Throttle earlier this year the company was not looking at producing performance cars. ?Mitsubishi?s focus is now SUVs, crossover, four-wheel drive, along with alternative fuel technology [?] If you try and be in all the different segments of the market and follow trends, like sports cars, it would be difficult to be economically viable.?
The glimmer of hope we have is that platform sharing and inter-brand collaborations do allow cars for enthusiasts to be created. Projects that wouldn?t get off the ground if the costs couldn?t be shared are made possible by using existing engines and platforms. Just look at the new Toyota Supra and its BMW basis.
With Mitsubishi now tied in with Renault, which clearly intends to keep building hot hatches, and Nissan, that surely won?t let the GT-R name die, there may be plenty of resources for it to borrow to make a worthy addition to the Evo dynasty.
 
[h=1]MINICARS: The new Matchbox Subaru SVX was a designer?s dream[/h]http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/matchbox-subaru-svx/?fbclid=IwAR0ymeNxlKTwikzFtwkX3TVY4bAE5luNAK9D6DM-FQy5i4Pp2jbGdrFV2-M

Hot Wheels designer and Osaka native Ryu Asada is beloved around the world for infusing the popular toy car line with brilliant Honda castings. With his catch phrase ?Honda for life!? Ryu has not only been responsible for the majority of the Hondas that Hot Wheels collectors clamor for, but has a long family history of Honda ownership in real life, too. It may surprise many, then that the first car he bought as a young automotive design student was a Subaru SVX.

?A lot of things attracted me to the car,? Ryu told us. ?The 90s unique styling, weird window-in-window design, and the fact that it was so rare.? In fact, Ryu loved them so much that he has owned three SVXes in total. His first was finished in 267 Pearl White, purchased when he was still a student at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

At one point, he even owned two at the same time, one in 249 Liquid Silver and another in 265 Claret (burgundy). ?I enjoyed the fact that it was so rare and nobody else (around me) had it,? Ryu added. ?That made me feel kinda special!?

In 2004 Ryu went to work for Mattel, but initially on the Matchbox brand. That stint lasted until 2012, during which he designed cars such as the Honda Civic Type R, Honda Ridgeline, Lexus GS, Tesla Model S, and everything from a fantasy Dakar race truck to a forklift.

We met Ryu when he was still on the Matchbox side around 2011 or so. Even then, he had an 1:64 SVX model done the Matchbox style, complete with the standard Matchbox wheels at the time. It was a one-off custom, though, not slated for production. Just because you are a designer at Mattel doesn?t necessarily mean it?s easy to get your cars transformed into miniatures on a whim.
Ryu moved on to the Hot Wheels brand in 2012, but his influence during his time at Matchbox can still be felt. The Matchbox Subaru SVX is very much a tribute to him, which is why the first color will be white (Matchbox also debuted a yellow Honda S2000 this year, just like another one of Ryu?s 1:1 scale cars).


The SVX has also been selected for the fourth annual Matchbox custom contest. Builders of custom Matchbox will get advance raw metal versions of the SVX before it?s available in stores, and all compete to create their best interpretation. The winner will then be crowned at the Japanese Classic Car Show in September.
As for the model itself, as seen from these prototype images, the essence of the SVX is beautifully captured. The distinctive two-tone roof and body, fine details of the nose and rear skirt, and even the subtle flaring of the fenders are all rendered exquisitely. Brilliantly, the windows are cast open to highlight the SVX?s one-of-a-kind greenhouse.



Even in Japan, it?s difficult to find a diecast SVX. ?My favorite is the rear three-quarters angle,? Ryu revealed. And the amount of detail seen in the prototype model is truly impressive. The real SVX is such an unequaled car in terms of design ? Subaru lost money on every single one it built ? it is great to see Matchbox make it into diecast form.
Indeed, it even swayed a very important loyal Honda owner. ?I wasn?t a Subaru guy, but I do like Subaru, mainly because of the SVX,? Ryu explained. ?I might?ve loved it equally even if it was made by Isuzu or Nissan. Or even better, Honda. Then again, I can?t imagine this car without the Boxer 6!? Like Ryu, we are excited to see a Matchbox version come to life. It?s true for any Japanese car, but particularly with the SVX; it?s been nearly a decade in the making.
 
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