The Countryman WRC complies with the new Super2000 regulations and will be powered by a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport and have an all-wheel drive system. Prodrive, which ran Subaru's world championship-winning team until the Japanese automaker pulled out at the end of 2008, has been working on the development of the car since early 2009.
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Considered by many as one of the most sought after limited edition Imprezas, the P1 was developed as a joint venture between Subaru UK, the Japanese firm's STI division and Prodrive, which was responsible for the automaker's WRC cars.
Based on the Japanese market Impreza Coupe, the P1 had significant enhancements engineered by Prodrive to the suspension, drivetrain, trim and aerodynamics.
UK Subaru-enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's former rally-car partner, Prodrive, will participate in the 2009 Scooby Sprint Championship with a Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 World Rally Car. The Scooby Sprint is a one-make series for Subarus in the UK that allows private road car owners to compete against the clock as well as with some of the fastest and most modified Subaru cars around.To get an idea, according to the organizers, the WRC2008 Impreza will not be the most powerful car to run in the Scooby Sprint as there are entries running more than 800-horsepower! Prodrive will enter the five-round competition as a 2009 Constructor Team.
Steve Smith, Prodrive car sales manager, said: "We are fully aware that there are some very highly tuned Imprezas out there and we know every one of them will be aiming to beat us. But let's be clear, we are not coming along for the ride."
Kuwaiti investment firm, The Investment Dar Company (TID) has acquired a 40% stake in Prodrive, a UK-based engineering company with branches in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The move comes to no surprise as in 2007, Prodrive founder and chairman David Richards led a consortium which saw TID get hold of Aston Martin from FoMoCo and Richards become chairman of the company. As part of the agreement between the two firms, David Richards will remain the majority shareholder in Prodrive and Mahmoud Samy from TID will join the board of the company."We have followed Prodrive's success through the Subaru and Aston Martin motorsport programs and seen the commitment and dedication of all the employees in every aspect of the business," said Mahmoud Samy. "Prodrive has a great heritage and David has a clear vision for growing the business. We look forward to working closely with David and his management team to realize their goals," he added.
David Richards said: "Through Aston Martin, I have worked closely with TID for the last two years. As a result TID has also gained a great insight into Prodrive's expertise and our culture. They very much share our vision for the business and the passion for what we do. With their experience and understanding of the motor industry, they will play a significant role in the long term development of the business."
Automotive tech is now finding its way to the world’s oldest form of transportation which is none other than the horse. British motorsport specialist, Prodrive which is well known for its Subaru products has designed a lightweight horse racing stirrup made from carbon fibre. The high-tech stirrups weigh just 40 grams, half the weight of standard aluminium racing stirrups. On top of being lighter, the carbon fibre stirrups are also stronger as they have a safe working load of 600 kg and in tests have withstood a load of 1.8 tonnes before complete failure. -Continued“Today’s horse racing is like motor racing: weight is critical,” said Prodrive senior composites engineer, Roger Walker. “Every ounce the jockeys can save represents thousandths of a second off the finishing time, which can be the difference between winning and losing by a nose. Jockeys even wear lightweight tights to save weight.”
(Picture edited by CarScoop)
Subaru is broadening its Impreza WRX offerings with the introduction of the Prodrive developed “S” model at the British Motor Show. Thanks to the re-programmed ECU (electronic control unit) and the modified exhaust system, the 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine’s output is raised from 230 PS at 5,200 rpm to 255 PS at 5,400 rpm while the torque improvement is even greater, growing from 236 lb.ft at 2,800 rpm to 287.6 at 3,000 rpm. According to Subaru, while the WRX-S’ top speed remains at 130 mph (209 km/h), 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time drops from 6.1 to 5.5 sec. -ContinuedEngine-aside, the new Impreza WRX-S also features 18-inch anthracite GT1 alloy wheels with 225/40 tires, an STI front grille, STI front lip spoiler and STI rear wing and body-colour tailgate moulding. Furthermore, the WRX-S gets a MOMO ‘Air-Race’ gearknob while the colour choice is between San Remo Red, WR Blue Mica, Obsidian Black Pearl and Satin White Pearl. In the
The rumours we were hearing about the British-honed Alfa Romeo Brera S turned out to be true as the Italian carmaker made it official today that it has teamed up with Prodrive to develop a bespoke version of the Brera coupe. According to Prodrive Project Leader, Peter Cambridge, the collaboration has “built on the existing model’s capabilities to deliver outstanding driver feedback and handling.” Unfortunately for most of our Euro friends, production of the Alfa Brera S will be limited to 500 numbered cars specifically for the British market. -Continued
The Brera S will feature revised suspension settings along with further enhancements to the exterior and interior of the car which will be available with two existing petrol engines in standard specifications. Prices and specifications will be revealed at launch on 19 May 2008.
There’s no official announcement, but the boyz at Brit car magazine “EVO” are reporting that Via: Autoblog.it , Source: EVO
Via: Autocar
We had already prepared you about this sale last week, so it’s not much of a surprise. The deal went down at £479 million - $925 million - 705 million EUR and as part of the transaction, Ford will retain a £40 million - $77 million - 59 million EUR investment in the British car maker. Aston Martin’s new owner is a consortium comprised of: David Richards, founder and chairman of UK Prodrive; John Sinders, Aston Martin collector and a backer of Aston Martin Racing; and finally, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co, international investment companies headquartered in “This is an incredible opportunity – Aston Martin is one of the world’s most iconic brands,” said David Richards. “We are confident we now have all the right ingredients to take Aston Martin to even greater heights.” On Ford’s behalf, CEO Alan Mulally stated, "The sale of Aston Martin supports the key objectives of the company, to restructure to operate profitably at lower volumes and changed model mix and to speed the development of new products" -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see Ford’s & Aston Martin’s Press Releases
ASTON MARTIN PRESS RELEASE
Gaydon March 12, 2007: Aston Martin is pleased to announce the start of a new chapter in its illustrious history following the announcement today that the prestigious sports car manufacturer has been sold to a consortium led by David Richards, John Sinders, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment, ending almost twenty years as part of Ford Motor Company.
The consortium is a group of sophisticated investors who are committed to the brand, its success and existing business plan which envisages growth, profitability and new products, including the much acclaimed four door concept Rapide, shown for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006.
With the full support of the investors, Dr Ulrich Bez remains committed to the future success of Aston Martin and will lead the management team into a new era as its Chief Executive. Since his appointment in 2000 he has overseen a period of growth and investment, steering Aston Martin to its unparalleled status in the world luxury sports car market. During the past six years the company has seen a tremendous change with new headquarters, exciting new products, a successful motorsport programme and a strong corporate identity throughout the expanding dealership network.
Leading the investors is David Richards, founder and chairman of Prodrive, a world leading motorsport and automotive engineering company. He will be joining the board of Aston Martin as non executive chairman in a personal capacity.
“This is an incredible opportunity – Aston Martin is one of the world’s most iconic brands,” said David Richards. “We are confident we now have all the right ingredients to take Aston Martin to even greater heights.”
John Sinders, a banker in finance and shipping from
Investment Dar, a Kuwaiti company, is the largest listed investment company in the Gulf. It owns and manages a group of companies including banking, finance, investment and asset management, real estate, insurance, banking, and logistics. Investment Dar has total assets of US$ 3.66 billion, with net income of US$ 317.3 million in 2006.
Adeem Investment is a Kuwaiti company and owns companies in the banking and finance, real estate and hotels, transport and logistics, food and telecoms industries. It has become the fastest growing investment, corporate finance and asset management company in
Jefferies & Company acted as financial adviser to the Consortium.
“This new partnership is a tremendously exciting opportunity for Aston Martin,” said Ulrich Bez. “Under the ownership of Ford we have become a successful, profitable company and I will be working with the new owners to build on this great foundation. It is a new beginning which will give the company the opportunity to attain an even higher level of excellence.
“This next stage in the company’s history promises to be the most exciting yet. David Richards and I have a great deal of mutual respect for each other and we are equally passionate about realising the brand’s full potential.”
Aston Martin will remain at its high tech production facility at Gaydon in Warwickshire, a purpose-built facility where a skilled workforce of 1800 employees have helped gather numerous awards from the automotive and design industries in the past five years. Aston Martin has also enjoyed considerable success on the track and the company’s sporting heritage continues to infuse every model.
Aston Martin is one of the world’s leading sports car manufacturers. Founded in 1914 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford the company has been responsible for some of the most evocative automobiles of all time. Aston Martin has evolved into a prestige manufacturer with class-leading products and perhaps the most high profile automotive brand name in the world.
The current model line-up of the award-winning V8 Vantage, DB9, DB9 Volante and Vanquish S and V8 Vantage Roadster will soon be enhanced by the eagerly awaited high performance DBS model. Voted the
FORD PRESS RELEASE: FORD ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO SELL ASTON MARTIN
DEARBORN, Mich., March, 12, 2007 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Aston Martin, its prestigious sports car business, to a consortium comprised of David Richards, John Sinders, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co. This transaction is the result of Ford's decision, as announced in August 2006, to explore strategic options for the Aston Martin business as the company restructures its core automotive operations and builds liquidity.
The sale is expected to close during the second quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction values Aston Martin at £479 million ($925 million). As part of the transaction, Ford will retain a £40 million ($77 million) investment in Aston Martin. Other terms and conditions specific to the sale are not being disclosed at this time.
"The sale of Aston Martin supports the key objectives of the company, to restructure to operate profitably at lower volumes and changed model mix and to speed the development of new products," said Alan Mulally, Ford's President and chief executive officer. "From Aston Martin's point of view, the sale will provide access to additional capital, which will allow Aston Martin to continue the growth it has experienced under Ford's stewardship. Today's announcement is good for Ford Motor Company, good for Aston Martin and good for the
The new owner of Aston Martin is a consortium comprised of: David Richards, founder and chairman of Prodrive, a world-leading motorsport and automotive technology company; John Sinders, an avid Aston Martin collector and a backer of Aston Martin Racing; and Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co, international investment companies headquartered in
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Technorati: Ford, Aston+Martin, Prodrive, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, images, pictures, 2007
And this time, it looks like it’s for real as according to a report from Daily Telegraph We remind you that Prodrive has been a long-term partner of the British sports car maker and it runs Aston Martin's racing team. As for the price, it is rumoured that the deal will close at around 500m BP (1bil USD or 750m EUR) meaning that Ford has cut its expectations to half of what it was asking for Aston Martin when it put the British company up for sale last year. Via: Daily Telegraph
Technorati: Astion+Martin, Prodrive, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, images, pictures, 2007
