A signed racing helmet by British Formula 1 driver Jensen Button and a framed steering wheel signed by world champion British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton will be going under the hammer in Queenstown this weekend.
The auction will be held as part of the Queenstown Auto Extravaganza Solid Gold FM Blues Party Night this Saturday night (26 February). Other auction highlights include a framed and signed All Blacks rugby jersey from the current squad, and a framed full size guitar signed by ACDC band members.
Proceeds from the auction will go to the Extravaganza’s charity, the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.
The three-day Queenstown Auto Extravaganza is being held this weekend (Friday 25 – Sunday 27 February) and the auction prizes are expected to draw enthusiasts from around the country, according to committee chairman Miles Wilson. Read the rest of this entry »
After months of videos, photos and specifications the much anticipated McLaren MP4-12C will make its first public outing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which begins today and runs until Sunday 4 July 2010. Event goers and enthusiasts will get more than just a walk around, getting the chance to see McLaren’s new supercar in action as reigning F1 champion Jenson Button and 2008 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will put the MP4-12C through its paces up Goodwood Hill on Saturday and Sunday respectively in the Supercar Run.
Jenson and Lewis had a test with an ‘XP Beta’ 12C prototype at Goodwood Motor Circuit eariler this year, but for the weekend’s festivities they will get behind the wheel of the more advanced in development VP9 Validation Prototype car.
According to McLaren the latest prototype version will be finished in the traditional orange hue and ride on lightweight forged alloy wheels in a Stealth finish, the car will be well-dressed with a carbon fibre splitter, diffuser, engine covers, engine bay panels and seat backs. Read the rest of this entry »
There is no doubt that the all-new 2012 McLaren MP4-12C supercar is going to be a very special vehicle. Down here in NZ we won’t have a chance of seeing one in the flesh until mid next year but to keep us going till then McLaren has launched a new online configurator.
The configurator was developed using data obtained from the McLaren’s design and engineering teams based at the company’s headquarters in Woking, England.
There is a choice of 17 different exterior paint finishes available as standard on the MP4-12C. A further eight may be selected from the ‘Special’ range of finishes, and includes Kiwi favourite McLaren Orange – the solid hue which was the signature color of McLaren race cars in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Unique to the MP4-12C design options is a ‘Driver Zone’ interior option. In addition to combining Alcantara, leather and loads of carbon-fibre inside the cabin, owners are able to further work over the driver’s area. Five different leather trims can be specified solely for the driver’s seat, door trim and dash insert.
In terms of performance, upgrades can include a lightweight sports exhaust system, carbon-ceramic brake discs, polished-finish calipers and two different lightweight forged wheel options. Mirror casings, engine bay panels and engine covers can all be finished in carbon-fibre.
In the video below McLaren lets its two F1 drivers, Jenson Button and burnout master Lewis Hamilton, use the configurator to create their ideal cars. It’s worth a look, click on the link below to check it out.
The final video in ‘The Duel’ from watch company Tag Heuer sees F1 champion Lewis Hamilton taking on racer and actor Steve McQueen on the Le Mans track that made McQueen famous. Using editing techniques and camera tricks the pair are put together on the screen for an impossible race.
As a shrewd marketing ploy the first video invited the viewer to guess whether the ‘icon’, Steve McQueen, or the ‘virtuoso’, Lewis Hamilton would win (click here to see video). Now, this follow up video answers the question, but considering that McQueen is driving his 1970 Porsche 908 and Lewis Hamilton is in his modern-day Formula 1 car, you might think that the winner is obvious. But thanks to movie magic, McQueen and Hamilton slug it out in a tight battle.
Three lucky winners who guessed the right outcome at TAG Heuer’s site each received their choice of a Monaco watch, a signed Lewis Hamilton helmet or a test drive in a Formula 1 race car. Check out the video below to see who won the fictitious race.
2008 FIA Formula One World Drivers Champion Lewis Hamilton recently received a portrait made in Mobil 1 engine oil. The twist is the oil used was taken from Hamilton’s Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car in which he won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last year. The Lewis Hamilton Mobil 1 oil portrait has been commissioned to kick off National Oil Check Week in the UK.
Mobil a sponsor of Hamilton’s McLaren Mercedes racing team, charged US artist David Macaluso with the creation of the picture of Lewis in typically triumphant pose to celebrate his title success and highlight Mobil’s role in the UK-wide car maintenance initiative, which kicks off next Monday, June 15.
The painting will be displayed for the first time at a VIP customer event, on the eve of Hamilton’s home Grand Prix at Silverstone. Fifty prints of Hamilton’s Mobil 1 oil portrait have been made.
Time piece maker Tag Heuer has created a clever new promotional video using clips of Steve McQueen’s famous car movie, Le Mans. The premise is a duel between the racing driver/hard man McQueen in his Gulf-liveried Porsche 917 and current F1 golden-boy Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes.
There’s some well-worked scenes with both drivers interacting as well as some cool racing action. The clip is worth a watch (pun intended) and if you’re willing to enter the competition to pick a “winner” you could win a number of prizes, including a shiny Tag Heuer time piece, one of Hamilton’s helmets or an F1 driving experience.
Check out the clip below or click here to go to the Tag Heuer website.
