This design touch, which can now be found across the entire Renaultsport range, is a tribute to Renault’s recent success in Formula 1. The rear wheel arches, including air vents that reinforce the car’s sporty character, house a distinctive new 16-inch Renaultsport wheel design.

Customers can personalise the exterior with a design pack which sees the F1 splitter, door mirror housings and Renaultsport spoiler all finished in a dark anthracite colour.

Inside, the yellow stitching used for the steering wheel and seats matches the hallmark colour of other Renaultsport models, whilst the centre console and rev-counter housing are finished in Gloss Black. A new white interior tone has also been introduced, and is used for the upper part of the steering wheel, for the vertical stripes on the sport seats and for the rev-counter bezel. The optional Renaultsport Monitor onboard telemetry system which has proved so popular on Clio Renaultsport 200 and Mégane Renaultsport can also be ordered as an option.

Under the bonnet, Twingo Renaultsport remains powered by the same 131 bhp 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Sebastian Vettel in the Twingo Renaultsport 133 at Frankfurt yesterday.

New Twingo Gordini

The Malta Blue body colour and white stripes of New Twingo Gordini provide a more affordable step into the Gordini range. Its striking, instantly recognisable looks are ideal for customers looking for a chic and sporty car rather than the more performance orientation of the RS 133.

The 1.2 TCe 100hp petrol versions should deliver decent-enough driving enjoyment matched with fuel efficiency in a fun looking city car.

Drivers looking for a more subtle design can opt for the new grey interior trim and one of the alternative body colours: Glacier White, Pearlescent Black or Capsicum Red. And those who want even more from their car will soon be able to discover Twingo Gordini 133 with the same 1.6-litre engine as the Renaultsport 133, a version which packs all the sporting DNA of Renaultsport but with the Gordini’s visial flair.

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“With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers,” said the BBC’s Head of Sport, Barbara Slater.

The new deal will save the BBC £16.5 million per year, which is not an insignificant sum.

The deal means that the BBC will broadcast half the races and qualifying sessions, along with other key races such as the British Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix and the final race of the season, while Sky Sports will broadcast all the races, qualifying and practice sessions on their Sky Go service.

BSkyB recently launched Sky Go combining their web and mobile TV services and this will the be its first major sports rights deal, although not Sky’s first foray into F1. Back in 2002 Sky and Bernie Ecclestone’s FOM organisation launched F1 Digital, commentated on by Ben Edwards and John Watson with studio guests Damon Hill and Perry McCarthy – pit lane reports were provided by Peter Windsor. The service was ahead of its time, offering a multi-camera real-time broadcast for £12 a race, but less than 10,000 viewers subscribed to it, compared with the 6-7 million viewers who now watch F1 on the BBC.

2002 was a challenging time for F1, with Ecclestone floating his holding company SLEC and investor, Kirch Group, over-stretching themselves in their appetite to gain control of motorsport’s crown jewel. With the banks (Bayerische Landesbank, JPMorgan Chase and Lehman Brothers) taking over the 75% stake in SLEC during 2002/2003 it’s of little surprise that the expensive F1 Digital service was closed down, ending Sky’s association with F1 until now.

During the last few years I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the man behind F1 Digital and subsequently spoken with a number of teams about F1′s grasp of social media and the internet. Teams and their sponsors are frustrated by their ability to reach F1′s 500+ million audience and deliver better value to their shareholders. Bernie on the other hand distrusts the internet, seeing it as the home of pirated content and is happier charging for a handful of rights agreements which earn him money up front.

But the potential audience for F1′s sponsors are far greater online than on television, with the added opportunity of engaging directly. Television suits the rights holder and broadcasters, due to the control they can maintain over content and the revenues earned from broadcasting, but the brands who invest in F1 get an increasingly poorer deal. The tension has been building for some time with Renault, Williams F1 and McLaren being the most outspoken, so with today’s BBC/Sky announcement, expect to see more fireworks over the forthcoming months.

So this is bad news, right?

Yes and No. Reaction by the fans and pundits to this morning’s news has been predictably negative and teams are seeking clarification this morning on the implications for their sponsors and the business of F1. FOTA’s chairman Martin Whitmarsh has already been quoted as saying “..it may breach the Concorde Agreement”, but the implications are much broader than that. Martin Brundle, lead presenter of the BBC’s F1 coverage had this to say on Twitter..

I’ve worked within digital media since the mid-90s and since as long as I can remember we’ve talked about the convergence of web and TV, which initially assumed would see us watching TV programmes through our computers, then more recently that TV’s would become smart devices able to browse the web simultaneously as broadcasts are received. But the pace of technology moves faster than products can innovate, so the industry has already moved on from such a premise.

The Entertainment Industry comes of age

You may already have heard about Augmented Reality, assuming it was some form of web-geekery with little use to those without the nerd gene, but it actually represents the future path of broadcasting – both for live and on-demand transmissions.

Digital broadcasting, just as with digital publishing involves much more than merely producing content on a different platform. It opens up the possibility of combining different types of content and personalising the way a viewer engages with that content.

Augmented Reality is one of the ways this is being achieved and is best described as the process of adding layers of digital information or content to a users viewport, thereby enhancing their experience. You’ve already seen it working in the Head-up displays of BMW’s premium models, or in the display of lap countdowns, KERS displays and rev-counters in today’s F1 broadcasts. Information is added from separate sources benefitting the primary viewing purpose.

Whilst the approach has thus far been controlled by whoever initiates the broadcast, that’s not likely to remain so. In fact we’ve been working on a piece of technology that transfers the control of which content gets augmented to the user, thereby enabling an F1 viewer for example to watch the broadcast on Sky, take the audio feed from BBC 5Live and the telemetry/race-data from McLaren. Over time we will see many more of these layered feeds available in an AppStore environment enabling the viewer to customise their experience to suit their preferences.

So what happen’s next?

There will of course be plenty of argument (and discussion) about who should really own the commercial rights to F1 – especially since the boundary to these rights is becoming blurred by the internet. The Concorde Agreement is due for renewal (i.e. renegotiation) in the next few years, so this will become an even more critical focus.

An augmented reality headset from ABB, but we’re more likely to see tablet apps leading the way for sports and entertainment such as F1

But with the uptake of Twitter, you can already follow the teams and their drivers in real-time, keep track of each practice session and even catch updates on team strategy before they are broadcast on TV. Nearly every team produces their own pre and post video content and will increasingly invest in this off-broadcast form of media. Perhaps we’ll see the teams eventually licensing their own content to broadcasters as an augmented layer over the main F1 transmission.

As with any sport it’s ultimately the sponsors and advertisers who will win out, so rather than see today’s news as a nail in the coffin of F1’s television experience, consider it as a catalyst that may finally see F1 embrace digital media in today’s social age.

The new Twingo’s face receives a more aggressive (less jovial) look with Juke-like oversized fog-lights together with a larger Renault badge.

The Twingo retains the same bodyshell and will most likely continue with the engines used in the current model. No news yet on the Renaultsport variants, but Renault traditionally use this mid-life facelift to introduce some engine or chassis upgrades in its most sporting models.

In the event Dayraut claimed 3rd place overall in the unlimited class, behind Rhys Millen and the incredible Monster Tajima-san, who broke the course record and achieved the first sub-10-minute time up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with 9:51.278.

Dayraut was just under 27 seconds behind this record-breaking time and the car’s run and podium finish were unanimously praised by the organisers, fellow competitors and spectators alike.

Ahead of the big day, Jean-Philippe had just three days of practice to prepare for the competition, familiarise himself with the terrain and size up his rivals, many of whom have been contesting the event for years and know the course by heart. Covering the full 20km course and its 156 turns in one go was predictably an unforgettable experience for the Dacia Duster No Limit driver.

Indeed, this is an event for professionals with experience of circuit racing and loose surface competition, and Jean-Philippe Dayraut’s record of six French circuit racing titles (single-seaters, touring cars), as well as in ice racing (he has won the Trophée Andros three times, including the 2010/2011 series), made him an ideally qualified opponent for the other participants.

“It’s got to be the most incredible and craziest event I have ever done,” he smiled afterwards. “The mix of asphalt and gravel calls for special driving skills and I am thrilled to have finished on the podium and competed up there with best.”

In terms of outright performance, the Frenchman’s Dacia Duster – which tipped the scales at 950kg, and which was powered by an 850hp Sodemo-tuned engine based on the Nissan GT-R’s 3.8-litre V6 – fell well short of its chief rival prototypes, the power of which exceeded 1,000hp.

However, Dacia Duster No Limit’s chassis – purpose-built for the occasion by Tork Engineering (design, production assembly and development) in association with Renault Sport Technologies, which brought its unique motorsport experience to the table – was certainly the one of the most effective in this year’s field.

The performance of Dayraut and his Dacia was made even more remarkable by the fact that the project only dates back to last December. The purpose-built car was produced in just three months and this was the debut attempt at the Colorado-based event of both the driver and the Dacia brand.

Predictably the team have been bitten by the Pikes Peak bug and plan on repeating the adventure in 2012… Well it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?

Top 3 finishers in the Pikes Peak Unlimited Class

Image source: V-Images

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At the heart of the VXR Nürburgring is a re-worked version of the Corsa VXR’s existing 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which now produces 202 bhp (on 98-octane fuel) at 5,750rpm (up from 189 bhp) and 250-280Nm of torque (up from 230-266Nm). A modified engine management and turbocharger system, sports exhaust with reduced back pressure – and the ability to run on 98-octane fuel – have all contributed to the rise in power.

To harness the Nürburgring’s new-found power potential, Vauxhall has fitted it with a mechanical, multi-plate limited-slip differential, ensuring that its 202 bhp doesn’t go up in a cloud of tyre smoke, and providing the car with optimum traction at all times. The LSD also reins in understeer caused by excessive throttle loads during cornering, or changes in the texture of the road surface.

But perhaps the icing on the Nürburgring’s cake is its chassis, which received its final sign-off at the Nürburgring’s notorious Nordschleife, or North Loop. Vauxhall commissioned Bilstein to develop bespoke spring and damper units for the new model, allowing drivers an even higher degree of control and involvement. A visual clue of this work is a ride height which is reduced by 20mm at the front and 15mm at the rear.

Complementing this are newly developed Brembo brakes, which are 30 per cent lighter than before, and have high-performance brake linings covering a 10 per cent larger area. In addition, the Corsa VXR’s ABS, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control systems have all been recalibrated to take into account the Nürburging’s new set-up.

With performance of 0-60mph in just 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 143mph, the Corsa Nürburgring will deliver all the driving thrills you’d expect from a car wearing the legendary track’s name. But just in case anyone was in doubt, the new model gets a raft of visual identifiers: a stainless steel dual exhaust, newly designed forged aluminium wheels in high-gloss grey, and ‘Nürburgring’ logos on the B-Pillars and front spoiler lip. There are also two new colours available – apple green ‘Grasshopper’ and red ‘Henna’.

Inside, black and red ‘Nürburgring’ lettering adorns the sill plates and front Recaro seat backs, with bespoke white stitching on all seats, as well as the handbrake and gearshift console.

The Corsa VXR Nürburgring Edition goes on sale in late May, priced at £22,295.

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All the teams have been busily developing their new cars ready for the 2011 season, and it was Rubens Barrichello who drew first blood in February practice with the fastest lap, which he completed during his first 100 lap trial stint in the new AT&T Williams FW33.

Now that we are into the final practice session in Barcelona before the start of the season and the Edge Global Team are in place again to report on their findings. Can Barrichello and Williams maintain their competitive edge, or have the other teams closed the gap since the last test?

With new rules for the 2011 Season, it will be the teams performing the most testing and putting the most miles under their new chassis that are likely to start the season strongest. Ferrari are in pole position in this respect, having already covered over 5,200 km, with Red Bull Racing following with a still impressive 4,400 km of testing. Both teams have so far experienced excellent reliability, with very few technical problems for either team impeding their progress.

McLaren however are believed to be falling slightly behind, with less than 3,000km under the wheels of the MP4-26 and a series of early technical issues keeping the car away from the track. To add insult to injury, both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are unhappy with the new Pirelli tyres – although Jenson is notorious for being sensitive to a car’s balance in testing.

If they can get through this difficult period, their car should be well equipped to compete at the top. Meanwhile McLaren has confirmed that it has re-signed Pedro de la Rosa as its test and reserve driver for the 2011 F1 season, which will be a bonus given the development role he’s performed in recent months for Pirelli.

So far in the final testing session in Barcelona, it appears once again that Sebastian Vettel is the man to beat. Not all the teams managed to get their cars out on track, with HRT still to launch their 2011 car, but early indications are promising for Red Bull fans. Both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Torro Rosso had successful tests yesterday, with Torro Rosso’s Sebastian Buemi finishing only half a second slower than Vettel after having completed an impressive 120 laps:

“We can be pleased with what we achieved today, because with 120 laps, it meant we completed all the program we had planned,” Said Buemi.

Vitaly Petrov did well in the Lotus Renault, setting the third fastest time of the day in a confidence-inspiring run. He went on to say “It’s the first time I’ve been able to do consistent long runs and really start understanding the tires.”

It appears understanding the new tyres is a main focus of this test, and could shape the start of the championship when it starts in Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton and McLaren only managed to complete 57 laps after various technical issues, although still set the fourth fastest time.

As we near the end of the final testing session, expect Ferrari and Red Bull, together with Williams, Sauber and Mercedes to all show strong performances by the end of the week.

As ever, we’ve taken some time to enjoy the fantastic hospitality offered to us as guests of the F1 teams.

For more information on how you can get involved in the Paddock Club with EDGE, visit www.edgeglobalevents.com.

Picture Gallery

Perhaps the most effective use of sex in advertising is when combined with humour and the automotive industry has a history of using this to great effect. During the past week we’ve seen video ads from Nissan and Subaru – all tastefully done, but nevertheless using sexual imagery to brighten up an otherwise potentially dull product and attract eyeballs that wouldn’t otherwise seek out a Nissan Juke or Subaru Forester.

Sometimes when you don’t have too many clever ideas and the flash of inspiration is merely a dim glow, the adage of ‘”sex sells” can seem an easy route to follow, but does it always work?

We’ve collected together the most recent creative blockbusters, then picked out a few our favourites from the SkiddPlayer archives. Take a look (as if you had to be asked!) and then tell us what you think – did any inspire you to look more closely at the cars?

Nissan Juke – Model vs Model

A side-by-side comparison of the Nissan Juke™ and a gorgeous, scantily clad bikini model. Nissan USA launched four video ads this week featuring the lovely ‘Amber’ performing a series of comparison tests against Nissan’s newest fashion SUV.

1. Model vs. Model “Curb Appeal”

2. Model vs. Model “Agility”

3. Model vs. Model “Acceleration”

4. Model vs. Model “Aerodynamics”

Subaru Forester – Sexy Sumo, where sexy comes standard.

This one may come as something of a shock after the lovely Amber, but Subaru Canada believe the ad will grab the attention of their target buyers annd sell more… err, well we’re not entirely sure what it will sell. The Music track used is “Girls” by Peaches.

Lexus LFA – “Supercar Meets Supermodel”.

And now for the perfect antidote to Subaru’s Sumo ad.

Lexus recently joined the photoshoot for the 2011 Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue, bringing its LFA supercar along to run rings (or donuts to be precise) around supermodel Rianne ten Haken. To make it ‘really’ sexy Rianne would need to have talked about the 10 independent throttle bodies of the LFA’s Yamaha-designed engine, or that it can rev from 0-9,000rpm in 0.6 seconds when standing still..

Ken Block – MWRT 2011: all new WRC Ford Fiesta and Ken’s 2011 Schedule.

A roundup of the latest sexy car ads would not be complete without a nod to the viral-meister himself, Mr Ken Block. When Ken decides to publish his 2011 schedule of events a web page listing would be far too ordinary, instead he turns to the beautiful Monster Girls who wiggle along to a track by Rusko called “Woo Boost”. And yes that’s real snow – the video was filmed in the ski tunnel in Torsby Sweden.

Renault Clio – Va Va Voom TV commercial – with extra footage.

You may already have seen Renault’s latest TV commercial for the Clio, but this is an extended behind-the-scenes version with considerably more of Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese (and Thierry Henry for the ladies). Renault chose to revive the ‘Va Va Voom’ strap-line in its latest Clio ads set in a contemporary art exhibition and featuring music from David Bowie, Clare Maguire and Rihanna’s latest single ‘S&M’.

It’s certainly one of the most sexy ads in recent years, but does it have you checking out Renault’s website for a local dealer or a copy of Timeout magazine for the next Rihanna or Dita Von Teese performance?

Chevy Camaro Commercial – Miss Evelyn.

This is more about sexual innuendo than anything particularly sexy, but Chevy’s Miss Evelyn super bowl commercial is undoubtedly using the imagery of a sexy female who can drive hard as the lure to gain a viewers attention. And it worked, the ad has already collected over 1.5 million views online with more that 100 million watching it on TV.

The twist at the end as she’s revealed to be a teacher, can either be seen as a humorous piece of irony or a nod to the vivid imagination of male viewers seeing a beautiful woman overcoming the power of the beastly 426 hp Camaro.

Mercedes-Benz: Trailer for ‘Speed Date’.

A beautiful woman, a beautiful roadster and you get to play the leading roles in ‘Speed Date’, the interactive road movie featuring the new SLK. The trailer uses plenty of sexual innuendo and suggestiveness to encourage viewers to visit the SLK microsite and play the game.

Romanian Car Insurance Commercial, ‘Girls insured’.

You can always trust the East-Europeans to push out the boundaries on the use of women in automotive ads. This particular commercial entitled, ‘Girls insured’, provides a series of handy tips on what to do in a car accident for Romanian insurance company RCA Asigurare. Someone forgot to include a car in the advert though..

From the Archives

You’ve seen the best sexy ads produced during the past month, but here are a few more from our archives worthy of a mention. If you’d like to see more, then take a browse through the 1400 video commercials in our Adverts Channel on SkiddPlayer.

Renault – The new Twingo Miss Sixty.

The following ad was banned from TV shortly after it was launched in Italy – you won’t need me to tell you why..

Nissan Pathfinder – Independent Suspension Demo.

Sometimes you really need a visual metaphor to explain the technical intricacies of a new development, …and sometimes you’re all out of ideas on how to advertise a truck and think “..let’s just go for some boobs.”

Ford StreetKa – Kylie Ad.

The sexual innuendo in this Ford ad, produced by Wilder Films in the UK, should provide inspiration to advertisers looking to add a bit of spice to their automotive ads. It’s a multi-award winner and made a huge difference to the StreetKa being perceived as something more just than a dumpy Ford Ka with its roof chopped off.

Toyota – Cool Nipples.

An 1999 advert created for Toyota Brazil to advertise the virtues of air conditioning in the Toyota Corolla

Alfa Sportwagen – Featuring Catherine Zeta Jones.

The perfect example where sexual suggestiveness in a car advert complements the main message – Alfa built a more practical 156, called it the Sportwagen and then advertised it as a sexy addition to the range, rather than merely a humdrum family estate.

Dutch Car Wash – Call Me.

There’s pleny of humour in this advert for a Dutch telephone directory service, using a sexy car wash to show the value of good information..

VW Golf R32 – Beautiful Chassis.

Hilarious German advert for the Golf R32 where in the midst of lovemaking the guy makes the classic mistake of mentioning another’s name, only it’s not another women he whispers, instead it’s his Golf R32: [SHE] “What?”, “Rev Counter?”, [HE] “Yes. I mean no! No!”, “No, I didn’t mean that!”, [SHE] “Sure”.

2010 Honda CBR600RR – Pure Thrust.

If you thought only car advertisers could be a bit risqué, then spare a thought for the bike makers who’ve being doing so for years. This one is intended to advertise the Honda CBR600RR but is about as condescending and sexist to women as it gets. Use of the Prodigy track, “Smack my bitch up”, makes even our Romanian Insurance ad look subtle…

Bennetts Bikes Insurance Advert.

Unapologetically sexist advert for the specialist bike insurer, Bennetts. Charlotte and Stephanie from the Bennetts Babes 2010 squad team up with celebrity model Lucy Pinder to create the Bennetts Babes Bikini Bike Wash video with the lucky bike being Yamaha’s 2010 R1.

Smart – Mermaids on the Rocks.

Ahh, the classic Mermaid-themed ad, every man’s dream but somehow we’re supposed to prefer a Smart ForTwo instead.

Mercedes E-Class 4Matic – Not in this weather.

An all-time classic that shows how it should be done – racy and intelligent, all in a single 47 second ad.

Porsche Carrera – It Pulls.

Just to prove that risqué ads are not the exclusive preserve of the ordinary mass-producer brands. Porsche made this ad to show us chaps the effect that a 911 Carrera has on sexy woman. As if we didn’t already know…

Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy, is described by his brother Lewis as his biggest fan and also his greatest inspiration – he also regularly beats Lewis when the brothers compete against each other on driving games.

“I have loved motor sport from a young age and watching my brother achieve so much has given me inspiration to make my own racing debut,” says Nicolas.

The 19 year old from Hertfordshire will contest Britain’s premier one-make saloon car championship and breeding ground for drivers for the British Touring Car Championship.

“I know this will not be an easy task, but I hope that my doing this will give inspiration to others who have challenges in their life,” he says. “I can’t wait to be racing.”

The deal to put Nicolas in the Renault Clio Cup was brokered by his father, Anthony.

“Nicolas has followed his brother’s career from an early age and it was natural that he would want to get behind the wheel competitively himself,” says Anthony.

“The Renault Clio Cup offers a tremendous platform for him, with great television coverage and exposure and I’m sure it will be highly enjoyable too.”

The Hamiltons have chosen three-time championship winning Total Control Racing for Nicolas’s debut.

“Nicolas has superb passion for motor racing and great support behind him so it is a great honour for Total Control Racing that he will be racing with us,” says TCR team principal, Lee Brookes.

Nicolas, who gained his MSA Competition National B racing licence last week, has undertaken initial runs in a 2010 specification Clio and will soon be testing ahead of the season start at Brands Hatch on April 2-3.

Photo credit: MarcelTauch on Flickr.

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Renault are supplying 70 of these to France’s national police force, Gendarmerie Nationale, so you know what to look out for if you’re heading down to Le Mans in June.

The Gendarmerie chose the “Chassis Cup” version of the Mégane R.S. so it has the limited-slip differential and 18-inch tyres, but the engine has been adapted to meet the specific needs of the Gendarmerie in terms of acceleration and speed.

Tough job being a traffic cop in France..

To see a galery of previous high-performance Gendarmerie pursuit cars, click here.

Photos: Renault

Galerie de Photos

So when we heard that Renault was applying its Gordini touch to the diminutive little Roadster, we immediately knew it was bound for success.

Following the Twingo and Clio Gordini models, the exclusive new Wind Roadster Gordini will be presented at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show from 1 March 2011.

Renault claim it’s a true driver’s car – shod with 17-inch black diamond alloy wheels, it features Malta blue bodywork with trademark twin white stripes, Glacier white door mirrors, grille trim and rear wing, and a gloss black roof. A badge marked with a “G” completes the Gordini look.

The Wind Roadster Gordini also places particular emphasis on interior design. The cabin features special “Gordini” black and blue leather upholstery, blue and white door straps and a blue leather steering wheel with the signature white stripes on the centre-band. A leather gear lever gaiter and polished metal gear knob bearing the Gordini name complete the look.

But first and foremost, the Gordini name expresses a spirit that has travelled down through the years. Just as Gordini drivers of the 1960s and 1970s flashed their headlamps as a sign of recognition when they met each other on the road, so the modern Gordini community meets up on social networks. In an innovative move by Renault, its community members were the first to receive news of the Wind Roadster Gordini with a teaser posted on the Gordini fan page on Facebook this past Monday.

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