Iran Wants To Build F1 Circuit On Qeshm Island

The Middle East has become a most welcoming motorsport destination for both Formula 1 teams as well as their fans. Now, Iran is looking to add their name to the calendar.

Even though Iran's Cultural Heritage VP Masoud Soltanifar thinks Formula 1 racing has a "great future" in Iran, building a track on Qeshm Island and getting Bernie Ecclestone to sign off it isn't as simple as it sounds.

On the flip side, the location could be quite spectacular as it's situated in the Strait of Hormuz, only a few kilometers from Dubai. But with a stacked calendar for 2016 (at least), odds are they'll have to wait and hope they come up with a solid bid.

As Soltanifar added while being quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency, "It has the potential to become one of the world's most beautiful destinations." Can't argue with that, especially since Iran's climate is exceptionally good for F1 racing due to its long hot summers and short cool winters.

At the moment, there are quite a few other nations trying to bring Formula 1 to their shores, such as Qatar (they already host MotoGP races), and of course there are rumors of a second Grand Prix in the U.S. It's a tough business.

Story references: planetf1

Note: Track image shows a Lotus E23 Hybrid racing in Bahrain

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Using the running gear of the V12 Vantage, Zagato penned a unique body and interior for the limited run special.

The bonnet along with the ‘double-bubble’ roof and doors are hand-crafted aluminium, while the front and rear fenders, door sills and boot lid surround are made from carbon fibre. Customers will be able to choose from four bespoke exterior colors including Scintilla Silver, Alloro Green, Alba Blue and Diavolo Red.

We only get a peak of the interior for now, but the pictures reveal that Zagato dressed the cabin in a combination of black leather and alcantara with patterned red stitching along with carbon fiber trims.

Power comes from the regular Vantage's normally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 producing 517PS (510bhp) at 6,500rpm and 570Nm (420lb ft) of torque at 5,750rpm, linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Production of the V12 Zagato will commence in the third quarter of the year with first deliveries to take place in the fourth quarter.

Aston Martin said it will build only 150 cars, all of which are available for pre-order with a starting price of £330,000 (plus local taxes), which comes to about US$519,700 or €398,500 at today's exchange rates.

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Models of the 2012 Qatar Motor Show

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Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

 Bugatti has presented another one-off edition of its Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which is the open-top variant of the series, ahead of its world premiere at this week's 2012 Qatar Motor Show that runs from January 25 to 28.

The one-off Grand Sport has a horizontal color split with a bright yellow body encased in visible black carbon, including black-tinted wheels.

The same theme continues inside with the seats and the upper and lower sections of the door panels and dashboard finished in yellow-colored leather with black stitching. The center console comes in black carbon, while the middle sections of the dashboard, door panels, steering wheel and gearshift are made of black leather with yellow stitching.

This particular Grand Sport model carries a price of €1.58 million (about US$2.05 million) compared to the standard version that costs €1.4 million (~US$1.8 million), with both prices excluding taxes and delivery.

Bugatti says that production of the Grand Sport is limited to 150 units of which 45 have already been spoken for.

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2012 Qatar Motor Show

As one of the largest and most important auto shows, the annual Qatar Motor Show's primary goal is to serve as the launching pad for the local debut of the industry's latest models before they arrive in showrooms.


Nevertheless, for those of you that want to get a sample of the 2012 edition of the Qatar Motor Show that will be open to the general public from January 25 to 28, we've prepared a high-resolution gallery that you can check out for yourself right after the break.

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