Vauxhall has begun testing a rally variant of the new Corsa-e electric hatchback, making it the first manufacturer to offer customers an electric rally car. Called the Corsa-e Rally, the model will be available to buy from sister-brand Opel’s motorsport division, with the German manufacturer claiming a sub-£46,000 price tag. The cost represents a near-£20,000 increase over the £26,490 starting price of the standard Corsa-e, with the rally model retaining the 50kWh battery and 134bhp, 192lb ft electric motor of the production variant. “We have two objectives”, said Opel Motorsport Director, Jörg Schrott. “Both cars are covering as many miles as possible, in order to gather the maximum amount of data at an early stage. There is no experience of an electric rally car that we could turn to, so initially we had to rely on calculations and simulations. “These are being gradually replaced with real data. Other focuses are on loads and temperature management of the battery, as well as adapting the software. I am pleased to report that our programme is going smoothly.” Rally-spec suspension has been fitted and the body made slightly wider and higher, with a 2mm-longer wheelbase. Few technical details have been revealed, but it’s also expected to be significantly lighter than the standard car. In terms of design, the Corsa-e Rally bears a strong resemblance to its production counterpart, differentiated only by FIA-mandated towing straps, lightweight performance alloy wheels and a prominent decal package. The Corsa-e Rally will compete in the 2020 ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup, a one-make electric race series that will host 15 young rally
Origin: Vauxhall begins testing Corsa-e electric cutomer rally car
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Toyota teases hot GR Yaris Prototype with rally heritage
The image shows the rear of the machine, with styling that’s familiar from the existing Yaris, but with the addition of far wider rear wheel arches to fit the car’s likely high performance brief. In a further nod to the car’s likely performance intent it sports the camouflage livery used by most recent hot Toyota models of recent years, including the recently revived Supra. At the launch of the revamped Yaris recently, Toyota’s executive vice-president, Matt Harrison, told Autocar that a performance version of the model would likely be launched to strengthen the link between Toyota’s road cars and its Gazoo Racing motorsport arm. Toyota has applied various levels of branding under the Gazoo Racing theme in order to develop a model structure for its high-performance models. These include the hardcore limited-run GRMN versions that are positioned above models that carry the GR badge, which represents an ‘authentic sports model’. The firm also offers a GR Sport trim level that offers a more aggressive look while retaining an unchanged mechanical package. Toyota secured the 2018 World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title with the Yaris WRC, with Ott Tanak claiming this year’s driver’s
Origin: Toyota teases hot GR Yaris Prototype with rally heritage
Opel Corsa-e becomes first electric customer rally car
Vauxhall’s sister brand, Opel, has released a rally variant of the new Corsa-e electric hatchback, making it the first mainstream manufacturer to offer customers an electric rally car. Called the Corsa-e Rally, the model will be available to buy from Opel Motorsport, with the German manufacturer claiming a sub-£46,000 price tag. The cost represents a near-£20,000 increase over the £26,490 starting price of the standard Corsa-e. The rally model retains the 50kWh battery and 134bhp, 192lb ft electric motor of the production variant. Rally-spec suspension has been fitted and the body made slightly wider and higher, with a 2mm-longer wheelbase. Few technical details have been revealed, but it’s also expected to be significantly lighter. In terms of design, the Corsa-e Rally bears a strong resemblance to its production counterpart, differentiated only by FIA-mandated towing straps, lightweight performance alloy wheels and a prominent decal package. The Corsa-e Rally will compete in the 2020 ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup, a one-make electric race series that will host 15 young rally drivers. The model will make its international debut at next month’s Frankfurt motor
Origin: Opel Corsa-e becomes first electric customer rally car
Historic Mercedes-Benz rally driver inspires a toy car for girls
Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Mattel on a toy meant to challenge gender stereotypes. The Matchbox model is a copy of a Mercedes-Benz 220SE that Swedish-born rally driver Ewy Rosqvist drove to victory over male drivers in the 1962 Argentinian Touring Car Grand Prix. Born in 1929, Rosqvist became a veterinary assistant and had to drive 150 to 200 kilometres each day between farms, a commute she used to constantly improve her driving speed and technique. After marrying motorsport enthusiast Ingve Rosqvist in 1954, she began driving in rally competitions, and became a works driver first for Volvo, and then for Mercedes-Benz. Through Mattel’s Dream Gap Foundation, which supports organizations that help girls to reach their full potential, the automaker and toy manufacturer will give thousands of the cars to young girls in the U.S. through a non-profit partner. A teaching toolkit will also be provided. They will also be sold in stores beginning in 2020, with proceeds from the sale used to make and distribute more toys to children. “Through Ewy’s story, we saw an opportunity to inspire young girls to ‘play outside the box’ and imagine all the different opportunities open to them, without the restrictions of traditional stereotypes,” said Mark Aikman, general manager of Mercedes-Benz USA’s marketing services. “We realized that these pioneering women from our past could serve as valuable role models for young girls today.” Rosqvist famously quipped, “They said I could never finish, so I finished first.” That’s a key to a short film clip, No Limits, that Mercedes-Benz USA has put together for the project. We challenge you to watch it below without getting a little lump in your
Origin: Historic Mercedes-Benz rally driver inspires a toy car for girls
German police seize 120 sports cars racing across Europe in high-speed rally
More than 100 supercars were seized in Germany this past week after witnesses reported the owners were driving recklessly and illegally racing on the autobahn. The incidents happened during Eurorally, a US$900-per-person event that sees a bunch of supercar owners get to together to enjoy their sports cars as the manufacturers intended—by driving them as fast as possible on the famously speed-limit-less German autobahns. Apparently, that was too much for some people. According to Global News, one of the drivers said the rally was “just some car guys having fun,” but the police say the drivers were racing each other, and employing illegal maneuvres such as passing in emergency lanes at high speed. Witnesses to the events said the supercars were travelling speeds in excess of 250 km/h. In the video, you can see entrants taking off their Eurorally stickers in order to avoid further trouble from the authorities. The rally started in Oslo, Norway, and was supposed to end up in Prague before it was stopped on a section of the A20 in Germany. View this post on Instagram German police tried to stop EURORALLY by accusing us, but what happened only made us stronger. We are moving forward to our last stop in Prague! ❤️ @rwmedia #eurorally2019 # eurorally #nothingcanstopus 📸 @renarso A post shared by Eurorally (@eurorally) on May 4, 2019 at 5:10am PDT Once the authorities were notified, they didn’t hesitate to bring out all the firepower they could. Dozens of cops descended on the supercars; even helicopters were brought in to follow the vehicles. While almost all the cars were seized, not all were found guilty of driving infractions, and despite the interference, the event was able to reach its finish line happily in Prague, with all drivers receiving their supercars back from the impound
Origin: German police seize 120 sports cars racing across Europe in high-speed rally
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