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mclaren showcase at sonoma historic motorsports festival - us automobile mclaren - Historic Motorsports - Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival Notes: "It never rains in California..."

And, yes, it pours. Saturday's official opening day of the Second Annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival dawned with rain showers dampening the 2.52-mile Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, but not the spirits of the 400 participants, as many took to the wet course for practice and qualifying for Sunday's 13 group races. Fine wine, fine food and vintage and historic race cars are highlighting the weekend activities for race fans and foodies in the heart of Northern California's wine country. Sunday's weather predictions show clear skies.

Of the six historic McLaren race cars displayed, alongside the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car, at the McLaren Automotive display during the Sonoma Motorsports Historic Festival, two are especially significant. McLaren is the featured marque at this event.

The 1972 McLaren M20 that Denny Hulme took to second place in the Can-Am championship that year, after which the team retired from the series for good, ending the era, is owned by the National Automobile Museum, the Harrah Collection, in Reno, Nev. "(Event organizer) Steve Earle will come to us and tell us that his event is featuring a certain marque, and if we have a car that fits, then we'll try to figure out a way to get it to the event so people can see it and enjoy it," said Ranson Webster, chairman of the board of trustees of the Museum, and a competitor at this event. "And it's good publicity for the museum.

"We have roughly 240 cars in the museum, everything from an 1892 Phiion (one of the first cars built) to Mr. Harrah's 1976 Wagoneer with a Ferrari engine.

"We also have a tremendous collection of pre-1916 brass cars, cars from the '30s, and a whole race selection. The carM20 is one of four featured cars because of its history."

Webster is competing in a 1960 Abarth Carrera and a 1976 Kremer K3 Porsche 935 this weekend.

"Senna" film previewed by more than 225 in Sonoma

The second significant McLaren on display is Ranson Webster's 1985 McLaren MP4/2B, the Marlboro-sponsored Formula 1 car raced by Alain Prost and Niki Lauda. It is featured in the new "Senna" film, a documentary of Ayrton Senna's years as an intense competitor on the F1 circuit and a fierce rival to Prost, his one-time McLaren teammate.

More than 225 invited guests had the chance to preview the film at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma on Thursday evening, June 2, and it was well received.

"Having seen the preview of the Senna film, which will be released in August, and to have the MP4/2B here that Alain Prost drove in 1985 that was featured in the film, is exciting," said event organizer Steve Earle. "It provides something special to the fans and participants who've seen the film to come out here and see a car that was prominent in the film in the McLaren Automotive display."

As for Earle's review of the film, "I thought the film was very good as a documentary and it certainly showed a side that people would never see of Formula 1," he said. "It shows the improvements and the changes that have been made to F1 racing since that time and, while it doesn't seem like a long time ago, it is actually 25 years ago. You can see how the FIA worked together with the teams and drivers to make it what it is today, and how good that is.

"It's an enthusiast's film, for sure, the in-car camera work is terrific, and you see a side of Senna, or any driver during that era, that you would never see. And seeing the change in Senna at his last race was really dramatic (he lost his life in a racing accident at the 1994 San Marino G.P.). His concern was very evident, and realizing what was going through his mind is something few of us, if any, have ever experienced."

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proton will sell lotus in 2011, malaysia proton - Lotus Boss Wants Malaysian Parent Proton to Sell: Malaysian automaker Proton, which bought Lotus in 1996, is finally receiving help from Lotus to develop a range of cars; a small city car shown at the Paris Motor Show last fall will be one of the cars shared by the two companies. Lotus needs a city car to help it meet new, more stringent fuel consumption regulations, just like Aston Martin needs the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet.

According to Danny Bahar, Lotus CEO, Proton “is getting the benefit (of owning Lotus) for the first time,” and he claims the new hatchback will look just like the concept, assuming it happens at all.

Lotus needs its five-year plan to succeed if it wants to survive in the long-term. Although owned by Proton, Bahar feels Lotus’s cars are too distant from Proton’s compact car lineup to be able to co-develop future cars that meet stricter emission and crash regulations.

Even though it’s not up to him, Bahar would like Proton to sell Lotus to a larger manufacturer such as Toyota. This would give Proton and other investors a way out. Toyota may be the smart way to go because of Lotus’s extensive use of Toyota engines in its current cars.

deadlock continues, management & workers at the plant maruti manesar - indian maruti suzuki - NEW DELHI: The dispute between the management of the automobile manufacturer of the country's largest Maruti Suzuki India, and workers at its plant in Manesar, which went on strike Saturday, continues today.

"The situation remains the same as yesterday. However, no loss of production that we have a normal holiday on Sunday," the company spokesman told PTI.

Yesterday, about 2,000 employees working in the factory has stopped production of the second amendment of the date of loss of production is about 650 points. Plant to throw out about 1,300 units per day Manesar plant.

Workers on strike for recognition of the new covenant - Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSEU) - associations, working in Manesar plant in addition to keeping workers on contract for two new units coming within the complex. When no disciplinary action against 11 office holders of the new alliance is also another requirement.

Meanwhile, sources said workers three rounds of talks with the administration have come to the date of his application, but in vain.

Workers said the company currently has a union, Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union, which is mainly dominated by people working in the factory in Gurgaon.

"Manesar plant is completely different, and things are separated. So we ask you to recognize the new union. But the leadership has made a commitment to force the adoption of workers who are satisfied with the Old Covenant," the source said .

The last time the company has experienced a major strike when workers was halted production for three months from November 2000 to January 2001.

Maruti Suzuki India is the creation of two new annual installed capacity of 2.5 lakh units each within its Manesar plant with a total investment of Rs 3.625 million rupees. While the existing facility can produce 3.5 lakh units per year Manesar, Gurgaon three units have a combined annual capacity of 8.5 lakh units.

GAZ, one of the largest Russian automobile companies - GAZ (RTS: GAZA) or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, translated as Gorky Automobile Plant, started in 1929 the NEOC, a partnership between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the automotive industry in Russia.

In May 1929 the Soviet Union signed the agreement, Ford Motor Company. Its terms, the Soviet Union has agreed to purchase $ 13,000,000 worth of automobiles and parts, although Ford has agreed to provide technical assistance until 1938 to build a car factory built in Nizhny Novgorod. Production began January 1, 1932, and the factory and the brand has been named Nizhegorodsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or NAZ, but also visible in the name "Ford." GAZ first car was half the price Ford Model, Naz-selling cars and light trucks, Ford Model AA (NAZ-AA). NAZ-production began in 1932 and lasted until 1936, during which were built more than 100,000 copies.

In 1933 the factory was renamed Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or GAZ, when the city was named after Maxim Gorky, as well as models and was named GAZ GAZ-AA. From 1935-1956, the official name has been increased imeni Molotov (literally, named after Molotov).

GAZ-followed the modern GAZ M1 (based largely on four-cylinder version of the Ford Model B), with 1936-1942. Molotovets letter M stands for ("Molotov and fame), started as a nickname of the car, M'ka (Эмка).

Experience with A-M1 GAS engineers and allowed to develop their own car model independently of Ford. Called the GAZ 11, this more upscale model entered production in 1942 and remained in limited production in times of war until 1946. M2 body came into limited production in 1941, riding a four-wheel drive chassis and sold in small quantities as GAZ-61 (probably the first car with AWD).

During the war years, GAZ engineers worked to develop a new car model in production by the end of hostilities. Call GAZ-M20 Pobeda (Victory), this affordable sedan with a streamlined aerodynamic styling, entered production in 1946 and was produced by GAZ until 1958. (Licensed production under the name of FSO Warszawa Poland continued until 1970). GAZ-72, a version of four-wheel drive, came in low volume.

dies at 67, june 4 2011, owner of gillman automotive group - dealership of pontiac; HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Ramsay Gillman, owner of the Gillman Automotive Group, died Friday, june 4 2011. Gillman began his career working in the parts department of his father's Pontiac dealership in downtown Houston.

He grew it into one of the state's largest car sales companies with more than a dozen dealerships across Texas.

Saturday evening, the family released a statement, saying, "Ramsay Gillman was extremely proud to be a sixth generation Texan and loved his Houston heritage. He will be sorely missed by the Gillman companies' employees and friends and family.

"Way to go."

Gillman died of natural causes. He was 67 years old.

saab usa - saab fails to deal funds injection, may 2011; Saab's on the ropes after Chinese bailout deal falls apart: Saab has fallen to the board today after his property for a cash injection from China Hawtai Motor Group collapsed. Saab has not made a car since April 6 because it is short of money to pay suppliers.

The owner of Spyker Cars said Hawtai could not get permission to deal with $ 223,000,000. Hawtai said in a statement that "strategic cooperation" with the Spyker and the Saab has been completed through consensus. " Hawtai said: "The current situation is complex and has not been possible to reach agreement on the documentation in time to consider."

The Chinese company said, however, that negotiations with Spyker continue to try to reach a new agreement. Saab spokesman Gunilla Gustav The Associated Press that the company has not given up on investment and is in talks with potential Chinese partners, but gave no names. Before the agreement was Hawt Saab also talks with BAIC, Great Wall Motors and Youngman.

Saab said it would resume production this week with a six-month loan from one of its shareholders and by tapping its credit facility with the European Investment Bank. EIB was not OK, that bit, and Saab is still closed.

Moreover, like China, Saab has also proposed a plan to rescue Russia's sale of the factory in Russia, Vladimir Antonov businessman in exchange for 30% of Saab, but the plan has been approved by the Government of Sweden.

Antonov representative of Sweden, Lars Carlström told Reuters today that Russia is "still very interested and eager to get the Saab, the Saab to invest." Although the loss Hawtai deal and remains "optimistic" about investment in China.

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