2012 Mclaren Mp4-12c Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jason Statham and The Rock drive under a semi in 'Hobbs & Shaw' trailer

It's an unwritten (or maybe written) rule that every spinoff has to have heavy nods to the series or movie from whence it came. Jason Statham and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wasted no time checking that box by driving a McLaren beneath a semi truck box in the first trailer for "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." Sound familiar? The stunt, seen at about the 1:28 mark, is a direct callback to the original "The Fast and the Furious," in which the team drives a Honda Civic under a semi while boosting goods. The first film debuted in 2001, and 18 years later, much has changed. In a unique direction, the Fast franchise is branching off into a spinoff that focuses on two former bad guys, The Rock as Luke Hobbs and Statham as Deckard Shaw. In the new movie, Hobbs and Shaw are brought together to work on the same team in order to defeat the new villain played by Idris Elba. Brixton, as he's called, is a "human evolutionary change," AKA a tech-infused invincible superspecimen. As one would expect, Hobbs and Shaw are expected to save the world from his threatening plot. Rather than a trailer filled with dozens of high-end recognizable cars, this one is mostly filled with the wild stunt cars the series has used more and more often. The McLaren 720S is the most noticeable automobile cameo, with several motorcycles and military vehicles also making appearances. Further building the story, The Rock teased a separate part of the film on his Instagram. In the photo, he's at Hobbs Customs, a chop shop turned legal garage owned by the Hobbs Bros. Surely this will make for some major car scenes throughout the film. In other Fast news, The Rock said at a Sundance festival interview that he likely wouldn't be in "Fast and Furious 9" but could return for the 10th installment. Vin Diesel also made headlines via Instagram when he spoke on the upcoming female-focused "Fast and Furious" film, the second of three total spinoffs. "Hobbs & Shaw "will hit theaters this summer on August 2. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Seat expands Leon hot hatch family with new FR+

Buyers looking for a hot hatch could do worse than a Volkswagen GTI. But European buyers also have the option of going with its Spanish version, the Seat Leon, which offers a touch of Latin flavor along with a little bit more power than its German sibling often at a more attractive price. Now, the Iberian auto marque is expanding the range of its Leon FR with a choice of new engines.
Where the Leon FR was previously available with either a 208-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI or a 168 hp turbo-diesel, these have now moved up a notch to the new FR+. Underneath them, Seat is offering the more accessible 123 hp 1.4-liter TSI and 138 hp 2.0-liter TDI, giving buyers the sportier treatment but with smaller engines.
Overseas buyers can also opt for either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG, but those looking for the more hardcore hot-hatch experience can still go for the Leon Cupra R, which also gets a subtle refresh to keep it current. Check out the whole family in the press release after the jump and the images in the high-res gallery for more.

McLaren confirms Alonso's return for Malaysia

Formula One will have one more multiple world champion on the grid in Malaysia as McLaren has confirmed that Fernando Alonso will indeed be returning to the cockpit this weekend. The former two-time champ suffered a major crash during pre-season testing in Barcelona a month ago, and subsequently sat out the season opener in Australia earlier this month. The team refuted rampant rumors that there had been some sort of electrical glitch related to the hybrid Energy Recovery System that caused Alonso to pass out behind the wheel, insisting that nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Since the crash, McLaren reports that its star driver "has followed a rigorous, specialised training programme, designed and closely monitored by leading sports scientists, to ensure his safe and timely return to racing." He visited the team's headquarters in Woking, England, where he met with his engineers and spent some virtual time behind the wheel of the team's state-of-the-art simulator. That means this weekend will mark Fernando's first time racing for McLaren since the end of 2007 when he spent one season with the team, before returning to Renault, with which he had won his two world titles. After two more seasons, he switched to Ferrari, but after failing to emerge from Red Bull's shadow in the seasons that followed, Alonso returned to McLaren. It's a difficult time to be driving for the British team, though: after dismal pre-season testing mired by Alonso's crash and mechanical difficulties related to the new Honda engine, his substitute Kevin Magnussen failed to make it to the starting grid in Melbourne while team-mate Jenson Button managed to finish, but no better than dead last. News Source: McLaren Motorsports McLaren F1 malaysian grand prix