Profilo di MSN CarsInside TrackFotoBlogElenchiAltro  |  Strumenti Guida |
|
29 maggio 800hp Ford Fiesta racing to the cloudscj hubbard writes: The Ford Fiesta goes on sale in the United States next year – although a 100 lucky people are already running around them as part of Ford’s slow burn “Fiesta Movement” launch campaign. None of those, however, look like this:
That would be a brand new Ford Fiesta Rallycross Car – and it is absolutely not slow burn. These cars are powered by a highly modified 2.0-litre Ford Duratec turbo with up to 800hp. Keeping in mind the previous generation version I’ve mentioned before had ‘just’ 560hp and could do 0-62 in just 2.2 seconds, the new Fiesta must be scorching quick…
You may be wondering what this has to do with the United States. Well, it’s simple. The Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution team from Sweden – which developed the new all-wheel drive Rallycross Fiestas over the winter – is taking two of its cars to this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where they will be driven by four-time Swedish rally champion Andreas Eriksson and – you guessed it – two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm.
Pikes Peak in Colorado is the international hill climb event – massively prestigious, and a hell of way to introduce the Fiesta to the American motorsport public. But Olsbergs MSE and Ford are being properly ambitious here. They don’t just want to run the Fiesta up the 12.4-mile, 156 turn mountain side course for fun. They want to beat the course record. And they don’t just want to beat the course record – they want to take it under 10 minutes. For the first time ever.
The record currently stands at 10:01.408, set in 2007 by Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima driving a 1000hp Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special. Can the Fiesta do it? Maybe, maybe not – it’s certainly got a bit of a power deficit. But it has already won a round of the European Rallycross Championship, in only its second event. And either way, the Fiesta is all set to make a hell of an American entrance… --- Links: 2.2 seconds to 62mph – in a Fiesta Nürburgring fight club: now Audi gets stuck in ---
Technorati Tags:
Ford, Fiesta, United States, America, Pike's Peak, hill climb, 800hp, Suzuki, record, Motorsport, Inside Track --- Share It:
28 maggio Return of the mapcj hubbard writes: Once again…
Ruh-oh. Time to refresh all those old map reading skills. Or acquire some if you didn’t have them in the first place. It seems the United States’ Global Positioning System is possibly – perhaps – maybe – about to fail. And in case you’re not sure why that’s significant, pause for a moment and think about those three capitalised letter. That’s right. GPS. Get back to me when you’ve finished screaming. GPS – maintained by the US Air Force, which gives us the data access for free – is used for all sorts of clever devices these days, including your in-car satellite navigation. And apparently, in 2010, the number of great big beacons in the sky (that’s satellites, for the less dramatic) due to reach the end of the line might just drop the GPS service below the requisite level, and the whole giant technological shebang might just fall over. Oh noes. I say apparently. That’s actually exactly what it says in a US Government Accountability Office report that you can read the summary of by clicking right here. Point (3) in the second paragraph is what you’re looking for. Go on, have a gander. It does all rather hinge on the USAF failing to keep up with their scheduled “development of GPS IIIA satellites”, but when has a government body or organisation ever missed a deadline target, eh? Nothing to worry about, I’m sure. And speaking as someone who not only doesn’t own a portable satnav (discounting the frankly useless so-called GPS built into my Nokia phone) but has in fact actively discouraged any and all relatives from buying him one over the past several years, I really mean that. Just in case the rest of you want to know, this cheerful news was brought to my attention by the Tracker anti vehicle theft company. By way of a press release that is – I wager – attempting to avert panic amongst the subscribers to its security products by pointing out it doesn’t just rely on GPS to track and recover stolen vehicles. Oh no. It uses VHF signals and the GSM mobile phone network as well. Totally reliable, of course. --- Links: MINI owners: 5 activities if you miss MINI United ---
Technorati Tags:
--- Share It:
ABS is for wimps? The Clio says ‘non!’
Dan Trent writes: You might hear some motoring hacks moaning about ‘electronic nannies’ and ‘lack of purist appeal’ with reference aids like ABS and ESP. I won’t be one of them after my Clio taught me a harsh lesson in what life was like in the days before anti-lock brakes and electronic brake force distribution became the norm on modern cars.
Now, my 2002 Clio 172 Cup isn’t exactly an old car. But in a laudably extreme piece of weight saving Renaultsport famously stripped the Cup version of the 172 of its ABS, apparently losing 15kg in the process. Impressive. And, said many, proof of how hardcore this little car’s intentions were. Sadly as I locked my brakes at Paddock HIll bend yesterday on my first track outing in the Clio its intentions seemed more focused on flinging me into the armco. My fault entirely though. I’ve driven here loads of times before and honed my last of the late brakers technique into Paddock. Fine in the more stable 197 I was in last time I was here, with its acronym armoury of ABS, EBD and ESP.
Not in the 172. Too hard on the brakes, the unweighted rear end skipped over the bumps and writhed around as I struggled to hold my line. I kept it out of the gravel but ended up stranded on the escape lane at the turn-in for Paddock as hordes of hard driven Renaults approached at 100mph-plus. Not ideal! I should have known the 172 wasn’t going to be as forgiving as the 197 but, lesson learned, the rest of the day passed without further drama but plenty of excitement.
I’ll pop some more pictures up later on but – forgive the sales pitch – if you’ve got a hot Renault and fancy taking it on track I can’t recommend these Renaultsport days highly enough. Loads of tracktime, opportunity to drive new products like the new Clio 200 (mere weeks after the press launch) and amazing R26.R in a beginner-friendly atmosphere all adds up to a great package. Go to Renaultsport.co.uk for more info. And see you at the next one! Dan --- LInks: --- Share It
Love SEATcj hubbard writes: I think this is probably taking car enthusiasm a little too far.
Stephanie Garner and Peter Janes, a couple from Gartner near Watford, are apparently so in love with their SEAT Leon as well as each other it became a key participant in their recent wedding. Both big motorsport fans, they arranged not only to have the ceremony at Goodwood motor racing circuit – location of the annual Revival meeting, and adjacent to Goodwood House where the Festival of Speed takes place. Not only to have Miss Garner walk down the aisle to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” (for the obvious reason), and greeted at the alter by her husband to be with a chequered flag. But they also arrived at – SEAT says “roared into” – the ceremony in a matching pair of 240hp SEAT Leon Cupra K1 hot hatches. The K1 is a special edition, bodykit-enhanced version of the pre-facelift Leon Cupra. The bride’s steed was the couple’s very own Candy White K1, while the groom was lent a Speed Blue example by SEAT dealer Letchworth Autoway Centre. How nice. Completing the day, the evening do kept everyone entertained by way of a Scalextric competition instead of the usual disco. The chosen cars? Miniature representations of the Leon. Of course. The – presumably – happy couple are currently on their honeymoon. Two weeks driving around England and Scotland in their Candy White Cupra K1. Bless. --- Links: ---
Technorati Tags:
--- Share It:
26 maggio Eco:Drive this carcj hubbard writes: Interjecting again amongst the Minis – I almost can’t believe I’ve gotten away with two posts in a row – this time I bring you a… usb memory stick…
…and, a Fiat.
The reason being, I’m about to spend the next ten days testing out Fiat’s eco:Drive software, to see whether it can teach me to drive more economically. Hmmm. Looks out for more updates shortly. --- Links: MTM Bentley in subtle German tuning shock ---
Technorati Tags:
--- Share It:
MTM Bentley in subtle German tuning shockcj hubbard writes: I have a desperate, desperate need to inject something that ISN’T A MINI into the blog here. So I give you… a Bentley.
Not just any Bentley. This is an MTM Birkin Edition. Yes, I did just say Edition. Available as a tuning pack for any of the currently Bentley range, the MTM Birkin kit is notable for two reasons.
Firstly, the power. In regular tune Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12 produces 560hp. Bentley’s own Speed variants up this to 610. The MTM Birkin offers up to 650. Yow. Assuming your Bentley is the lightest (at 2.4-tonnes…), most aerodynamic example, the Continental GT, the Birkin dispatches 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds and 0-124mph (that’s 200km/h) in 15.9. Top speed has been fully verified at 205.67mph. Which MTM says makes this the fastest Conti GT in the world.
Impressive. However, what really grabs us about this car is all the stuff that’s missing. Where’s the dodgy, ‘aerodynamically efficient’ bodykit? The bulging wheelarches? The extra vents? The bells? The whistles? It seems MTM has restrained itself to applying a relatively subtle set of 21-inch alloy wheels, chrome grill, and quad-exit exhaust system – performance enhancing, yes, but it also “delivers a beguiling sound”. Apparently.
What price subtlety? 20,000 Euros – a not insubstantial £17,532 at current exchange rates. But that does include the VAT, TÜV certification, assembly, lowered ride height, and a fairly considerable set of six-pot brakes. What the hell, let’s order it now. --- Links: Gembella’s 750hp ‘Porsche Cayenne’ Tornado Mein Gott! And, the answer is: yes. Scir-what? An Abt-solute styling disaster… Another green Audi R8! (and proof that MTM doesn’t always get it right) ---
Technorati Tags:
--- Share It:
Mini JCW 50th anniversary divides opinion!
Dan Trent writes: Check this out! Announced at Mini United together with the new Mayfair and Camden 50th anniversary editions (more on these soon), this is the John Cooper Works World Championship 50. And, long-winded name aside, I happen to think it’s the coolest modern Mini I’ve ever seen. And after two days at Mini United believe me, I’ve seen quite a few over the last couple of days! One of the reasons I’m so into this is that my favourite classic Mini at the event was this one, sharing a tent with a proper Cooper racing car and wearing the same shade of paint (it’s called Connaught Green – a Cooper signature apparently) as the JCW World Championship 50.
Having seen cars like this race at Goodwood I know just how loud that straight through exhaust will be too. My ears hurt just looking at it. But CJ doesn’t seem to share my love for the JCW 50th. ‘Overdone and chavvy!’ he says. He’s wrong of course – the black wheels alone sell it to me. But I do have one worry: just 250 of these will be made and given that the JCW we had on test was relieved of its branded grille all those fancy carbon fibre bits like the mirrors and bonnet scoop look mighty vulnerable to light fingered owners apparently willing to strip tasty trimmings off other, fancier Minis. And, let’s face it, they don’t come much fancier than this. Dan --- Links: Mini United – full coverage of the Mini’s 50th birthday celebrations Missing: Mini John Cooper Works grille, presumed stolen! --- Share It
More photos from Mini UnitedTom Evans writes: The Mini United event at Silverstone to celebrate the car’s 50th birthday was a terrific event much enjoyed by all. The weather was blissful – hot, but mostly not too hot, with a nice breeze keeping things going. As already noted by Dan, Mini had set up a bunch of teepees for assembled journos and guests – and their children. For me this was the nicest aspect as a random selection of children belonging to myself and other journalists quickly made friends and made great use of the available props, including any number of Minis, teepees, scooters and other random kit. Here they are testing the family friendly credentials of the Clubman:
Our VW Eos was a distinct interloper at the event:
My daughter Isabelle is obsessed with Minis. When we drive around she cries out Mini! every time one hoves into view, so she was in heaven at the event. She enjoyed a ride in the classic Mini Cooper S we borrowed for the weekend very much indeed. And what a great car – so simple and light and easy to drive. The brakes are somewhat absent though:
Left to right: Ian from MSN Cars and girlfriend Kelly, Jon Quirk from Sky Motoring tries his scooter as MSN’s Nigel looks on:
The queue to get on these things was so remorselessly long…
…that Isabelle gave up and had a go on the tri-scooter things instead:
Mini’s Dan Connell has a Bobby Ewing moment coming out of the shower:
L-to-R: Nigel, Clare, Dan, Ian, Kelly:
Quote of the day from beetroot-faced Nigel when asked if he had ever heard of sun cream: “I don’t agree with it!” Share It
24 maggio More photos from MonacoJenson Button wowed the crowds yet again with another effortless win at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. You can find full coverage of the event here courtesy of our partners at crash.net, but this year MSN Cars had a man on the ground too – with a camera. Here’s his photo gallery of the event: MINI owners: 5 activities if you miss MINI UnitedRichard Aucock writes: MINI United is on NOW – and if you own a MINI, Silverstone is a must-visit. But what if all good plans go out the window, and you’re not able to make it?
You need to get your MINI fix elsewhere. How? Try these… Go on an economy run.
Wash it.
Listen to Paul Weller. Or the exhausts.
Investigate all its little details.
Take it for a blast!
Besides, there’s always MSN Cars’ extensive show review to look forward to… --- Mini turns 50 in style
Dan Trent writes: Greetings from base camp at the Mini United 50th birthday party at Silverstone. Now, there’s camping and there’s camping. And it has to be said this is camping of the first class variety, with giant teepees, proper showers and an obliging man seemingly dead set on expanding journalistic waistlines further still with endless bacon butties. And the sun’s even out!
There’s been a full MSN Cars contingent here over the weekend too. Here’s Ian with girlfriend Kelly and a rather sunburnt Nigel while Tom and family dropped by yesterday. They turned up in a VW Eos so had to park outside the perimeter!
No such worries for Ian, who’s managed to bag a ‘proper’ 1969 Mini Cooper S from classic car club Driving Spirit. Lovely!
And the event? Well, last night mod god Paul Weller entertained the crowds with a great set following a day of Mini-related fun and frolics including a hard-fought Mini Challenge race, stunt shows with Russ Swift (yes, he did his parking thing) and an amusing feature called Flaunt Your Mini, where owners could drive up onto a stage and present their car to the crowds.
We’ve all been busy snapping and videoing too so stay tuned for galleries, interviews with owners and much more! Dan --- Links: --- Share It
22 maggio SMMT test day 2009Tom Evans writes: Once a year, the main UK motor industry trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders holds a test day event at the Millbrook testing ground near Bedford where most of the major car makers that sell cars here gather their wares and let them loose on around 250 assembled motoring journalists.
If you need a memory jolt, this was the location of Top Gear’s amusing HGV wrecking exercise a few months back.
Most motoring journalists look forward to it as it is the one event that practically everyone goes to – both on the journalist front and the PR side that service them, as it were. But more importantly, there are some tasty cars that can be driven on mostly empty roads devoid of plod.
Not completely; there are speed limits, enforced by marshals who drive around in amusingly clapped-out Fronteras (presumably a throwback to the days when GM owned this place). However, all they can do is to tell you off or if you have been very naughty, throw you out. Car heaven? But generally for me it’s somewhat akin to the bit at the end of “We are the Champions” when Ron Pickering goes “and away you go” – and all the kids jump into the pool and have a massive waterfight. What shall I drove next? The GT-R, or the R8 V10? Actually, not quite as easy, as the queue for both of those cars was around the block:
It was a great day with nearly fabulous dry weather throughout and I enjoyed catching up with many folk from around the business. Of the MSN Cars massive, present were myself, Ian Dickson, Peter Burgess and Dan Trent. The state of the game? Well, rather better than in the depths of winter. Car makers say they are selling more cars, and those that specialise in smaller models are clearly shifting some serious volumes off the back of the scrappage scheme that came into force this week. This in turn has opened some of the marketing budgets of car makers that were previously clammed shut and thus depriving many media outlets – including wholly ad-funded propositions such as MSN Cars – of the cash that keeps us all breathing. Many smaller car magazines have gone out of business in the past few months, and there are sadly many journalists making a very marginal living as a result. Hopefully things will get better soon. The routes There are several routes at Millbrook, including a city route that mimics an urban environment, and an off-road track for testing 4x4s. Those are only for die-hards – the best ones are the hill route and the oval bowl. The hill route is a twisty-turny up and down route of great complexity, scientifically planned to put cars of all sorts through a tough work out. Sometimes too tough; there were reports of a prang early on, though who/what/why, the rumour mill sadly did not relate.
There were a few absentees this year, including Binz. You will not had heard of them, but they are the UK’s leading supplier to the undertaking industry. This allowed Jon Walsh of Kia to reminisce about his 4 weeks working in that industry, complete with a grim selection of gallows humour jokes… There was a totally awesome 270hp Jaguar XF Diesel S police car, with freelance journo Danny Cobbs and daughter at the wheel:
I would like to join the police to drive one of these:
Ian has decided that he likes the Audi R8 V10:
There were even dodgems courtesy of Hyundai – here Craig Cheetham of Chevrolet has a go:
The cars I drove a number of them, so here in alphabetical order are my Twitter standard road tests: Audi S4 Avant quattro S tronic Sweet supercharged 328hp V6 engine combines with a slick DSG paddleshift ‘box to produce a punchy package, but still with only 224 g CO2/km. So punchy indeed that I got a talking to from Millbrook’s in-house plod for going too fast on the Hill Route in it, which amused me since I was very far from the fastest person on the route that day… Audi R8 V10 I have banged on enough about this car recently, so I will leave it to Ian to sum up, as he nailed this rocketship on the Hill Route: “It’s amazing how fast you can go around corners in this thing.”
BMW Z4 sDrive30i I strongly dislike BMW’s new badging systems which is increasingly complex and Kafkaesque (the petrol 740i has a, er, 2.9-litre engine…). Still what the Z4 loses in marketing madness it makes up for in sweet roadster ‘life is goodability’; I want to get one of these in for a proper go. Lovely gearchange, great interior.
Ford Focus RS I expected a lot – and the RS delivered. Conventional wisdom says that 300hp is far too much to put on only the front wheels of a car. Ford has proved that conventional wisdom, as so often, is bunk. The RS uses a clever and capable LSD to ensure that torque steer while present is never unruly. This car just… goes. Lovely: a stunning achievement. Jaguar XFR Everyone has said how good this car is, so I expected a lot. I was slightly disappointed. The interior is just as good as any other XFR, while the handling and steering was much softer than I thought it would be. I was expecting a raw M5-wannabe. But Jaguar is clearly targeting a slightly less enthusiastic market. I need to drive this more to get a proper feel. Jaguar XKR cabrio
Me and Ian at the wheel I was a great fan of the car in its previous 420hp 4.2-litre form so I was expecting great things from this new 5.0-litre 510hp machine. The steering was much too light for my tastes. Like the XFR it seemed softer than I was expecting. I loved the snap crackle pop on the downblips though. Range Rover Sport Far too big, heavy and lumbering, even in 3.5-litre V8 diesel form. The BMW X5 and X6 wipes the floor with this thing. I started feeling sick with that hooligan Ian at the wheel of this on the hill route, swaying back and forth. Lexus IS-F An M3 wannabe, and a very capable one at that. Lexus has really done their homework with this car. A really good drive, marred slightly by its gearbox. Not a problem on my short run but I gather it is very fond indeed of the juice. Mercedes E-Class Coupe This car looks much better in the flesh than in photos. A lovely looking car, especially in red:
I drove the 350 CDI. It just wafted along in serene silence. Merc brag about how de-stressing the new E-Class is, and they are dead right. A very nice car. Even more impressive is the sticker shock, or lack of it. I am used to seeing Mercs priced in the stratosphere after options have been added in, but this perfectly decently equipped car was £42k. You can easily spend that – and then some - on an Audi A5 from the size below. Nissan 370Z The engine sounded a bit brutal and grindy and in need of attention; perhaps it had been thrashed too much by the time we got to it. Ian didn’t like the car much, and I wasn’t entirely sold either. The interior is a bit ropey compared to say the Z4. Still, at £28k or so, it’s good value. That 3.7-litre engine will need plenty of feeding though. Renault Laguna Coupe V6 dCi 235 This car is notable for having 4-wheel-steering, which works… really quite well. It handled the challenges of the hill route with aplomb, and this new powerful diesel engine is peachy. I am very much looking forward to driving Ian’s long termer of this car, albeit with the less powerful 4-cylinder diesel.
Best car of the day Ford Focus RS Surprising car of the day Renault Laguna Coupe 21 maggio Mazda/BMW gets in on Mazda/BMW's actRichard Aucock writes: Puzzled looks as we landed in Inverness. Dead ahead were some tasty brand-new press cars. Only they weren't BMWs, despite BMW taking us up there. They were Mazdas. Turns out Mazda was using the same said airport/car park/roads/etc, to launch the racy new Mazda 3. The chances, etc, we thought, as we shot off in our racy new BMW Z4. Unless it's some sort of car maker link-up we're yet to learn of. Well, why not? I mean, 2 months ago, you'd have said Fiat-Chrysler-Vauxhall was bonkers... --- Z4 takes the long roadShare It
Z4 takes the long roadRichard Aucock writes: What better way to become acquainted with the BMW Z4 on UK roads, than to drive it from Scotland to England? That’s just what we’ve done, in a whirlwind 18-hr run. Starting at 5am by train, foot, and then plane.
Landing in Inverness airport, we were soon into the car park BMW had taken over. (Well, almost taken over). BMW dished out keys, told us where to swap cars, and we were on our way.
I snared an sDrive35i for a quick 100-mile blast, before picking up this sDrive23i – kindly ‘warmed up’ by esteemed colleagues.
Then, a salmon roll (the only thing I could eat standing up), and on the road, for the 550-mile charge home. Didn’t even have time to set up sat nav: Just a glance at the map and away. ‘South’.
Which is to the right of this picture. Seriously, directions were no more grounded than that. The longer the trip, see, the more you start to generalise. Bit like birds.
This road was still going South, by which time I’d discovered plenty about the cheapest Z4 you can buy. Peachy smooth engine. Better ride. Sharpish steering. Safe handling, but the old's edge gone? Indeed: because it's now an SLK rival. Rather than a Boxster wannabe.
That's chiefly influenced because of the folding hard-top roof. How classic, how Le Mans, does it look here? Double bubble tastic – which makes it all the more remarkable the curved aluminium beauty folds away so neatly and quickly.
Soon, shadows started to lengthen. I remained on it. Despite the rain that then came. Now, had I been in the old car, my heart would have been beating a lot faster – for, generally, it liked to tramline. Follow the camber of the road. A lot. Even on motorways. None of that here, thank goodness. Helping me get my head down and charge on.
Not literally, mind. Clever climate control means you can have hot feet and a wake-up blast of cold air to your face. Helping you go on. And on, and on. The hours ticked on. 5Live provided sterling entertainment. The odd stop for coffee and snacks – and a refuel into the surprisingly small fuel tank – was all that kept me from the motorway slog. And then, at 1am, I was back. Sounds uneventful? It was, rather. Which is just what BMW wanted with the new Z4. Better ride, more seat comfort, plusher interior, less noise, much more stowage space for cereal bars. Box 1, then, ticked. Long distance-ability. The next few days would be spent putting it to the everyday test… --- Mazda/BMW gets in on Mazda/BMW's actBMW Z4 Road Test Scottish Highlands; best roads in Britain? Share It
20 maggio In a tight spot
Dan Trent writes: Managed one of those parking manoeuvres that had me outside the car, scratching my chin and thinking ‘how the hell did I get that in there … and more to the point how am I going to get it out?’ in the Mini JCW we’ve got in to attend the Mini United 50th birthday celebrations at Silverstone this weekend. Photographic evidence to prove how tight the space is can be seen above. I’d like to say I achieved this in a smooth, Russ Swift style handbrake turn…
…rather than a protracted, wheel shuffling Austin Powers-esque back and forth epic. Still, it impressed the girl parking her Astra across the road. And she murmured ‘nice car…’ as she passed. There are various stunt driving displays on at the Mini United show - perhaps I can get some tips on handbrake turn parking skills. Honestly, it would be handy given how tight the parking is on my road... Dan --- Links: --- Share It
19 maggio Ford Ka bluesPeter Burgess writes:
I have always been a big fan of the original Ford Ka. Its simple approach and funky design kept the car going essentially unchanged for well over a decade. The 2009 Ka looks unconventional too, not a bit like the Fiat 500 or Panda on which it is based.
The ride is harsh, the diesel engine horribly noisy and unrefined. But above all, it simply has no charm. And that’s what sets great small cars apart from the rest. Both the Fiat 500 and the Fiat Panda have it in spades. The first is simply a much nicer proposition than the Ford, the latter cheaper and more cheery. What a shame Ford hasn’t carried off this joint venture with more aplomb. --- 17 maggio Nürburgring fight club: now Audi gets stuck in
Dan Trent writes: Racing cars are cool. But you didn’t need me to tell you that. Anyway, the coolest of cool racing cars in the coolest of cool races – namely the Nürburgring 24-Hour – will battling it out on track next weekend. Among them Audi, gunning squarely at Porsche’s dominance, nay ownership, of the event with a new rear-wheel drive racing R8 LMS. Poor old Porsche. Its road cars humiliated by the GT-R it now looks like a race it considers its own – via tuners Manthey Racing – is now also under threat.
Proof of Audi’s intent comes not only with the car, which looks epic, but also the driving squad. Four R8 LMS cars are being entered, each with an extremely strong driving team. Pick of the bunch is the number 99 Phoenix Racing car, driven by five times Le Mans winners Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro, DTM driver Marcel Fässler and Nürburgring legend and several times winner of the 24H race Hans-Joachim Stuck. Not messing about then. Feeling lucky, Porsche?
Elsewhere Volkswagen, buoyed by its one-two class success with the Scirocco last year, has returned with two natural gas-powered Sciroccos. With nearly 300hp, the two Scirocco GT24-CNGs aim to prove green cars can be sexy. And if that doesn’t work out three petrol-powered race Sciroccos will be there to complete VW’s lockdown of the 2-litre turbo category.
Somewhat embarrassingly the Sciroccos were faster than the Aston Martins last year, the apparent solution being the levering of a 512hp, 6-litre V12 engine into the Vantage N24. Yup, that should do the trick. Aston boss Ulrich Bez will once again be indulging in his apparent obsession with the Nürburgring by taking the wheel himself. I share a similar passion of course. I just lack my own supercar company with which to enjoy it. Ho hum.
Talking of supercars the world’s slowest, the Lexus LF-A, will also be taking part again. It’s not actually slow of course, the 500hp-plus V10 engine seeing to that. But it’s certainly taking an age to make it into production, having spent literally years pounding the Nordschleife in the name of pre-production testing. Come on chaps, it must be ready by now?
The entry list (download here) is full of interesting cars too, from an old Opel Manta to a Renault Megane Trophy driven by Smudo of Die Fantastichen Vier - Germany’s answer to The Beastie Boys. No, really... If you haven’t already nodded off the following video – flagged up by our friend Dale of RSRNurburg and bridgetogantry.com fame – shows just how hardcore the racing is. OK, this is from a VLN race, not the 24-hour, but offers an illuminating view of what it’s like to race 200mph GT cars in and amongst Citroen Saxos and other pretty much standard road cars. Scary. But way cool. Now imagine doing this at night… Dan
--- Links: Top 10 coolest cars at the Nürburgring 24-hours Nürburgring 24-Hour official site Learning the ’ring with RSR Nurburg --- Share It
14 maggio Scottish roads rock!Ian Dickson writes
Scotland seems to be the launch venue of choice these days. Lotus is launching the Evora there this week, Mazda is conducting the UK launch of its latest 3 and I’ve just returned from the new BMW Z4 UK event in Inverness. It might not be as exotic-sounding as jetting off to a sunny corner of Europe and being wined and dined, but for a simple, time-effective schedule it is absolutely spot-on – especially in these times of recession. But better than the time and money aspect are the roads; the Z4 launch route took us north into the Highlands and then across to the west coast where we stopped at the Dundonnell Hotel for a very pleasant lunch overlooking Little Loch Broom.
I will keep the exact route secret lest it be spoilt by rotten speed cameras, but for 50 miles you are in complete and utter A-road heaven. The roads are fast, well-sighted and remarkably smooth, with few trees to hit or hedges to put the car through and, crucially, no speed gun-toting cops. The scenery is overwhelming. Every turn it gets more and more spectacular, from snow-capped mountain peaks to Caribbean-blue waters, and punctuated with snaking roads for miles. You feel like you’re in a Canadian wilderness, the only person around for miles, and I really am torn between either putting my foot down or ambling along to enjoy the view.
Needless to say the Z4 was an absolute hoot along here, especially the Z4 35si with its 3.0-litre twin turbo petrol engine. We also tried the 23si model (road test very soon). The weather too was very un-Scottish; not a cloud in the sky and 18-degrees C on the thermometer. I even came back with a suntan!
Share It
Anticipating the Evora Peter Burgess writes: As I write I have one of those dream days ahead of me. Loch Lomond immediately outside, half a dozen brand spanking new Lotus Evoras and Roger Becker as my companion for the rest of day. Becker is a forty-year Lotus man from back in the Cheshunt days so has seen and done it all. He is now head of all things technical. I was offered a drive with someone from the company when the invitation came through a couple of months ago. I hardly expected it to be this good. Now there’s just 30 more minutes before a technical briefing, and then it’s off into the highlands in the most significant model Lotus has built in fifteen years. I can hardly contain myself. More tomorrow when the full first drive hits MSN Cars. Peter
Share It
The badass S-Class
Dan Trent writes: Mercedes seems to have rediscovered its mojo of late, having apparently abandoned its attempt to be like BMW and out-Lexus Lexus. Good thing too. The new E-Class is a proper Benz and so, it seems, is the facelifted S-Class I was driving yesterday. And check out the above line up for an impressive collection of Stuttgart heavy metal! Yup, that’s a whole lotta S-Classes.
At the lunch stop there was a further treat in the shape of this, an S-Class hopped up with some choice extras from Mercedes’ Designo range of personalisation options. Including this cooler than cool matt gunmetal paint scheme.
It looks ace and more than a bit sinister, which suits the S-Class’s darkside I think. Two slight practical problems though, the first being it will cost you ‘several thousand Euros’ according to a Benz insider. And if you clean it with conventional car shampoos or polishes you’ll ruin it. So no taking it down the local jet wash.
Shame, because it does look very cool. But not quite as cool as these two S-Classes lurking at the back of the line up pictured at the top. Black paint, mirrored windows, subtle V12 badges on the wings – yup, these are top dictator-spec S600 long-wheelbases complete with 517hp twin turbo engines and capable of 0-62 in just 4.6 seconds. Not that you’ll likely keep your chauffeur’s cap very long if you indulge in that while the boss is in the back with a glass of champagne in his hand.
Just goes to show, there are S-Classes and there are S-Classes. Even in this exclusive sector of the market there is a pecking order and these two are at the top. Forget the shouty footballer-spec AMG versions too – for serious plutocrats the S600 is the one. Dan --- Links: --- Share It
|
|
|
