Wheelers Blog & News

We're talking about you, Henrik Fisker.  Take a look at Henrik Fisker’s most recent creation, the Thunderbolt. Beautiful, right? Now look at anything from Aston Martin. Look kind of similar? Aston Martin certainly thinks so, and now it has sued Henrik Fisker for using an unauthorized copy of its designs, and even its logo. Only a couple of weeks after Fisker showed off the Thunderbolt coachbuild design concept at the Concours d’Elegance in Florida, Aston Martin has filed suit claiming...

Roberto Merhi is having to keep his options open even after making his grand prix debut on Sunday.   For now, the rookie Spaniard is part of the resurrected former Marussia team, Manor, having travelled to Australia and Malaysia in the race driver role.   After the troubles of Melbourne, Merhi finally made his F1 debut on Sunday, while teammate Will Stevens could not make the grid with a technical problem.   Merhi even made it to the chequered flag, but the modified 2014 car is a long...

Dr Helmut Marko left Sepang 400 euros richer - by betting on a Ferrari.   Germany's Sport Bild reports that, in an internal paddock bet, the Red Bull official put his money on his former protege Sebastian Vettel.   "I knew that Sebastian could do it," he said.   "You could see it as early as Friday practice."   Although Vettel left Red Bull after a fallow season last year, Marko says it was obvious the 27-year-old had not lost his quadruple title-winning talent.   "He did not...

Hockenheim and Bernie Ecclestone on Wednesday denied responsibility for the demise of the historic German grand prix.   The Nurburgring was scheduled to host this year's July 19 race, but confusion regarding the ownership of the fabled track moved Ecclestone to observe in January: "It can't be Nurburgring because there's nobody there".   Talks, then, kicked off with Hockenheim about stepping in at short notice, even though the circuit is only contractually obliged every other...

Manor has been told it must fire its engines this weekend in Malaysia.   In Australia, where the former Marussia team stayed in the pits all weekend, suspicions arose that Manor never even intended to exit the Albert Park pits.   "They couldn't have raced if someone had gone there with a machine gun and put it to their head," said a furious Bernie Ecclestone.   Like the FIA, F1's chief executive suspected Manor travelled to Australia merely to satisfy its contractual obligations and...

You know their reputation by now. Time and again we’ve seen Chinese-built and designed cars that are, let’s just say, not exactly original. Is it really all that hard to come up with styling that’s not a blatant rip-off from other automakers? Apparently it is, something China has proven many times over. There are reasons why people make fun of Chinese cars, and these six examples are further proof. Each one is shown with the vehicle (the real deal) in which it’s supposed to copy. They...

A trio of former F1 drivers are hoping the 2015 season opener was just a blip.   In Australia, Sauber battled for survival in court with Giedo van der Garde while Manor never left the pits, before the smallest field in recent memory set the scene for what Daniel Ricciardo called a "boring" race as Mercedes utterly dominated.   Afterwards, Red Bull threatened to quit in protest of the technical regulations, leaving F1 experts and pundits to wonder if the fundamentals of the sport are...

Renault's relationship with works team Red Bull continues to crumble.   Cyril Abiteboul, chief of the French carmaker's F1 engine programme, on Tuesday accused Red Bull technical boss Adrian Newey of lying.   He admits that Renault is struggling at the start of 2015, insisting: "I am not looking for excuses".   But he said it is wrong of Newey to say the only problem with his 2015 package is the 'power unit' supplied by Renault.   "In addition to our problems," Abiteboul told...

McLaren on Monday confirmed reports Fernando Alonso is preparing to return to action this weekend in Malaysia.   Spanish media reported on Sunday that, after meeting with FIA-appointed doctors at Cambridge, the 33-year-old got the green-light.   McLaren announced on Monday that Alonso will indeed race in Malaysia "subject to a successful final FIA medical assessment" on Thursday.   The team also revealed for the first time on Monday that Alonso "recalls a sense of 'heavy' steering"...

This is one of those things that's either loved or outright despised. But say what you will about the world of donk, those hi-risers that look beyond ridiculous get countless stares. Typically, if one wants to "donk-ify" (we’re not sure that’s even a word) their car, the common donor cars are old GM full-size rear-wheel-drive sedans and coupes. Examples include the Chevy Impala, Caprice, Oldsmobile 88, Buick Roadmaster, Pontiac Grand Prix, and CadillacFleetwood. So here’s a gallery...