2019 Mclaren 570 on 2040-cars

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Seat bringing boatload of hot hatches to Lake Worthersee

GTI Treffen may have started out as a gathering for owners of Volkswagen pocket rockets, but by now it's blown into a full-on celebration of everything related to hot hatches and more. And though it remains a grassroots event by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, Volkswagen is wise not to ignore it. These days, it comes to the annual lakeside gathering in Austria with a handful of show cars in tow, and brings its sister-brands along for the ride, too.
Audi has already announced the Q3 Red Track concept destined for Wörthersee, and Skoda is coming with a pair of Citigo concepts - one made up as a DJ booth and the other as a rally car. Now their Spanish cousins at Seat have revealed the veritable motorcade of show cars it's bringing to the meet-up.
Seat will be showcasing the Ibiza Cupra Concept it unveiled in Beijing, but that's not all. It'll also display a customized Ibiza FR and Leon Cupra R, a Mii city car (that's the Spanish version of the Volkswagen Up!) imagined in sporty FR trim and, most enticing of all, a pair of racing models that are ready to hit the track.

Alonso wants an NSX, but did Honda block him from Le Mans?

One of the biggest changes in store for the 2015 Formula One World Championship will see Fernando Alonso moving back to McLaren. That means he'll be driving under Honda power for the first time, after spending the bulk of his career driving for Renault and Ferrari. And being Honda's new poster child, as the two-time World Champion is fast discovering, has its advantages and its drawbacks. According to the latest reports, Alonso had been negotiating a clause in his contract with McLaren that could have seen him driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans this year, but Honda reportedly stepped in at the last minute and scuttled the plan. The drive would have been Alonso's first in the famous 24-hour race, after having had the honor of waving the flag at La Sarthe last summer. In one of the wilder rumors that emerged during the prolonged silence over his move for this season, the Spaniard was also linked to a potential return for Ferrari to Le Mans. That prospect came to naught, and now the Porsche deal has been wheeled into the garage, as well. The upcoming F1 season is expected to be one of transition, adjustment and development for McLaren and Honda, but the Japanese automaker's involvement in his hiring may not be all bad news for Alonso. Following the reveal of the new Acura NSX, Alonso tweeted "You still don't know, but one day we will be together..." followed by a series of heart-eyed smiley-face emoticons and accompanies by images of Honda's new supercar. The implication is that the two-time World Champion is expecting to get his talented hands on an NSX of his own, and we can certainly see how Honda would appreciate the imagery of Fernando driving around in its flagship. Even if it doesn't, though, we're sure McLaren would be glad to hook him up with a company car of its own – though Lewis Hamilton encountered some trouble securing (a very specific) one for himself. Even discounting the front-running F1 machinery he's been tasked with piloting on track to an impressive 32 career wins, Alonso has had some lustworthy company cars at his disposal over the years. At Renault, he had a Megane RS to drive, and during his last stint at McLaren, he had an SLR 722. But since signing with Ferrari, he's been given the keys to FCA models as varied as a Ferrari FF, a special 599 GTO, a Maserati GranCabrio, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and an Abarth 695... and those are just the ones we know about.

McLaren P1 GTR Design Concept previews super exotic track stormer

McLaren says the P1 GTR has one goal: "to be the best driver's car in the world on track." And with no intentions of making the thing road-legal, McLaren was able to freely put together this design concept, showing a car that, to our eyes, looks absolutely capable of delivering the best in track-focused dynamics. Under the hood, the P1's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 has been enhanced to deliver 986 horsepower, an increase of 83 hp versus the engine's already ludicrous tune in the standard car. McLaren paid extra close attention to improving aerodynamics, with the sole intent of allowing the GTR to offer "more extreme performance," according to the company's press release. The front track is wider, with a larger, GT-style splitter. Cooling for the engine and brakes has been improved. The ride height has been lowered. The car's mirrors are now repositioned on the A-pillar to reduce drag and allow for better visibility. What's more, the racer rides on a unique set of 19-inch lightweight motorsport alloy wheels, and tire changes are easier managed thanks to an onboard air jacking system derived from the setup used on the 650S GT3 racecar. Active aerodynamics are found out back, too, with a fixed-height wing that uses a hydraulically operated drag reduction system, working in tandem with the active aero flaps placed ahead of the front wheels. Alongside the P1 GTR launch, McLaren offered up a few details about its new driver program, an exclusive ownership experience that includes specialized driver training, access to a racing simulator and more, all of which is "designed to prepare each driver mentally and physically to fully exploit the abilities of the McLaren P1 GTR." It sounds pretty intense, with each experience being individually tailored for each specific driver. Read more details about the driver program, as well as the P1 GTR in the press release below, and have a look at the gallery above to see live photos of the car direct from its debut here in Monterey.