Monday, July 16, 2007
Bugatti Veyron Spider: Confirmed!
According to Autogespot and their "reliable" sources the Bugatti Veyron Spider has been 100% confirmed!It's said that 80 copies will be build, so you better hurry up for saving your pennies and place your order. These things will be sold out soon!
As previewed in this rendering, the Veyron Targa won’t be a complete convertible but will instead sport a removable roof design similar to the topless versions of the Porsche Carrera GT or Koenigsegg CCX. The Veyron Targa will likely feature a detachable glass roof that has to be stored away from the car before driving, but if the weather turns nasty a fabric cover would be available that can be pulled into place.Without the roof the car will require added reinforcements and underbody changes to maintain torsional rigidity. These changes will come at a minor cost to performance, and top speed is said to be limited to 217mph (350kmh).
Friday, July 13, 2007
Video: Lexus LF-A on the Nurburgring
Posted Jul 12th 2007 8:33PM by Siddharth RajaFiled under: Spy Photos, Videos, Supercars, Lexus
Lexus' upcoming LF-A supercar has been spotted scorching up the pavement at Germany's Nurburgring, the place to be for any respectable prototype these days. This latest video captures the car doing some intense laps of the notorious circuit and reveals the sound of the car's new 5.0L V10 engine.
There have been rumblings that LF-A could be a little "soft", but the sound emanating from its triple stacked tailpipes has a shriek that reminds us of a V10 Formula One car. With an estimated 500hp on tap from its front-mid-engined powerplant, as well as a rear-mounted transaxle, we have no reason to doubt the LF-A will come close to a top speed of 200mph.
Though we get a glimpse of the basic shape of the car in this vid, heavy camo gear still shrouds some of the finer details. All should be revealed soon when officials take off the wraps at October's Tokyo Motor Show, where details about a hybrid version may also be released.[Source: The Passionate Pursuit]
Click here for video
Posted Jul 12th 2007 8:33PM by Siddharth RajaFiled under: Spy Photos, Videos, Supercars, Lexus
Lexus' upcoming LF-A supercar has been spotted scorching up the pavement at Germany's Nurburgring, the place to be for any respectable prototype these days. This latest video captures the car doing some intense laps of the notorious circuit and reveals the sound of the car's new 5.0L V10 engine.
There have been rumblings that LF-A could be a little "soft", but the sound emanating from its triple stacked tailpipes has a shriek that reminds us of a V10 Formula One car. With an estimated 500hp on tap from its front-mid-engined powerplant, as well as a rear-mounted transaxle, we have no reason to doubt the LF-A will come close to a top speed of 200mph.
Though we get a glimpse of the basic shape of the car in this vid, heavy camo gear still shrouds some of the finer details. All should be revealed soon when officials take off the wraps at October's Tokyo Motor Show, where details about a hybrid version may also be released.[Source: The Passionate Pursuit]
Click here for video
U.S. Grand Prix at Indy won't return to the 2008 F1 schedule.
Game Over for USGP
Formula One Will Not Return to Indy
By MAC MORRISON AutoWeek Published 07/12/07, 4:07 pm et
The United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will not be on the 2008 Formula One schedule after eight consecutive events since 2000. IMS set a July 12 deadline for a decision on the race's future during June's USGP race weekend, after F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone made disparaging comments about the event before declining to sign an extension on the spot. "After several discussions, Bernie Ecclestone and I were unable to agree how to keep Formula One in Indianapolis for the near term," IMS CEO Tony George said. "However, we have agreed to leave the door open for a potential future date. "It has been a pleasure having the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, and I hope that as we approach our Centennial Era at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an opportunity might present itself that would allow its return." It is unclear whether the loss of Indy means F1 will not return to the U.S. at all. Ecclestone met recently with billionaire developer Steve Wynn in Las Vegas to discuss the possibility of a Vegas race in 2008. Results of that meeting are unknown.UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX ANNOUNCEMENT TRANSCRIPTThursday, July 12, 2007, Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayTONY GEORGE: Today I want to let everyone know that unfortunately, and to my great disappointment, Formula One will not be back next year, in 2008. And beyond that, Bernie (Ecclestone) and I had several discussions that led us to this decision and announcement, but we did agree it was prudent to try to leave the door open for the future. With that, the near-term communication is that Formula One will not be back next year, but it''s my sincere hope that we'll have the opportunity to bring it back in the not-too-distant future.Q: The decision to bring the (MotoGP) race here (next year), how much flexibility did that allow you to go with a strict number of what you'd be willing to pay, and not necessarily negotiate?GEORGE: The decision to not have a round of the world championship here next year was considered totally independently of any consideration being given to having a motorcycle race here. It was strictly a business decision and there are a lot of factors that weigh into that, but it was a decision that weighed solely on that.
Q: There is precedent for Bernie to not agree to a contract now and then suddenly add an event to the schedule later in the year. Is there a chance a USGP could still happen in 2008 here, or somewhere else in the country?
GEORGE: I wouldn't have any insight as to whether there will be another round scheduled in the U.S. in 2008. I don't believe there will be, but that would be something that was arrived at without my being involved. I know a preliminary schedule had been released with Indianapolis on it. Again, my hope is for the future that we'll be able to bring all of the components that are important to a successful event together so that we can one day bring it back here.
Q: How far off were the two sides on negotiations, and was the city of Indianapolis willing to offer assistance to bring it back here?
GEORGE: There was no discussion to what financial contributions the city of Indianapolis might bring to the relationship. Clearly it's a business decision, one that we have to consider as an event, and one Bernie has to consider as part of their business and opportunity. Money is a factor. It's not the only factor, and it has some bearing on the decision. There are a number of things that I believe need to happen for it to be viable. It's a business opportunity. One, the promoter, in this case Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Formula One, has to provide leadership and a working relationship that includes a national broadcast partner, a title sponsor that will actively embrace and support the event, along with a number of other things. Those are important things that really have been lacking. It's not to say our relationship with Formula One hasn't been good, because it has. Bernie, personally, has been good to work with. In fact, I'm sure it will be a surprise to many, based on the reputation many consider him to have, he's a good guy to work with. I believe he's always been straight-forward and honest with me. I respect him and his decision to do what he has to do for Formula One as a whole.
Q: The manufacturers, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, they really value being in the United States. It seems like - (AutoWeek Formula One writer) Nigel Roebuck and the boys were hopeful (Ecclestone) would want to be your partner in this race. Was there any kind of discussion that maybe he would partner with you in this?
GEORGE: There was some discussion about that, yes, in the end it's not what he was wanting to do and not the way we'd prefer to do this, but there was discussion about that. I think the manufacturers are another key element to achieving success. There are, I think, six engine manufacturers, five of which the United States is fairly important to their business. It's just a matter of all the elements coming together and being able to support and sustain an event here. In the United States, Formula One is not perceived the same way it is around the world, in central Europe, eastern Europe and Asia, and it's just a tough dynamic. But I think the future will depend on recognizing the fact that the United States is a bit different, and we're going to have to figure out how to make it work.
Q: Tony, you have worked so hard and invested so much in this facility to bring Formula One here. How disappointed are you personally?
GEORGE: Obviously, I am personally disappointed. Eight years ago, it was our intent to host this event on an annual basis. While I still hold hope for the future that we'll be able to bring it back, it's tough to have a hiatus like this, and I view it as such. I'm going to continue to work on this to try to bring it back to the best of my ability as soon as possible.
Q: Do you know if you lost out to another country? Another bid?
GEORGE: No, I think, again, it's a business decision for us, for Formula One. They have a lot of opportunities to consider, and I think they feel like they've made the fair assessment of this situation and the opportunities. If we're not on the schedule, there will probably be 18 races and they can go up to 20 races, so it's not like the music stopped and we didn't have a seat. We'll see, we'll continue to have a dialogue, but it's not fair to us, it's not fair to our customers, the loyal core of Formula One fans, to just go on indefinitely on hold while we try to decide if we're going to have a ticket renewal process, or what, for next year. So we just need to pull back and re-evaluate this situation and see where it goes from here.
Q: (Inaudible)
GEORGE: That's hard for me to say because what we've seen here the last few years is the core of Formula One fans. I think you could throw a lot at them, and they're a resilient lot. The challenge is building on that. We started in 2000 with a very successful inaugural event. The second year we were faced with our first challenge, which was run the race two weeks after 9/11. Since then we have been faced with a number of hurdles, which have contributed to our inability to get the kind of traction we had hoped. We thought it would level off after about three years and then start to build, but in that time we had date changes, controversy about a contrived finish with Ferrari, we had the Michelin situation, we had indecision about the date--another date change--and I don't think it has affected the core. One of the challenges of creating new fans is creating more awareness of Formula One with a consistent, national broadcast exposure is important. I think Speed has always done a great job, and we've had network coverage from year to year. But when you consider Formula One on the whole as a world championship, then you want consistent coverage just like any sport wants. Some of those things--having a title sponsor for a while with SAP and losing that--was a factor. And I think it's important in the future that if we have it, it comes back with a committed title sponsor as part of that.
Q: Some of the things you mentioned in combination with Bernie's ambivalence about being in the United States, how much of that did wear on your patience, to get something done? GEORGE: It didn't really wear on my patience. It's not for me to say whether Formula One having a U.S. round of the world championship is important to the success of Formula One, but certainly it's a huge market for many of the manufacturers and sponsors involved, many of which would like to see a round in the United States. But I'm not sure it's the "be all, end all," so I think a lot of (sponsors) are using Formula One as a platform for their desire to build their European markets and Asian markets. The United States is a factor, but it's not the only thing to consider.
Q: Do you have a timetable for when you will sit down to talk about future events here?GEORGE: No, no timetable at all. We have some time to give it the proper reflection, and I hope to be able to go to another event this year and continue the dialogue between now and the end of the season. Not having the pressure and letting everyone know what the status is now will probably, if anything, help the process along.
Q: Any chance this could be back by 2009, or is that too early to expect?
GEORGE: As I sit here today announcing it won't be back in 2008, that would be my hope. But I think it would be premature to say that, having not had the conversations that need to be take place that it would even be possible in 2009.
Q: Would there ever be a scenario where you'd go to the city to talk to them about paying part of the sanctioning fee?
GEORGE: I don't think so. I think the city is willing to consider how they can help the Motor Speedway continue to attract events like Formula One to Indianapolis, and again that may be part of the due diligence as we pursue, as a necessary step in bringing Formula One back. But direct financial contributions, I don't see that at all. It was interesting, having been involved in the Super Bowl bid process a little bit to see that dynamic, and while it's not all about money, money is a factor. Right now, there are a lot of countries and organizers that want Formula One in a bad way, and as bad as I want it, it has to be a prudent business decision. And as it does, it has to be a business consideration for Formula One. There is no animosity, and certainly I believe a willingness on both sides to begin a dialogue to see if and when we can bring it back.
Q: Just to clarify, has the city ever approached you about assisting financially, or have you approached the city?
GEORGE: No. To clarify, no.
Q: The MotoGP race, is that something that can economically offset the loss of economic impact not having Formula One here?
GEORGE: I don't know. I know, as much as having Formula One has meant to the economic success of this city, I think if we have a motorcycle race, it will substantially be perceived as an international event that bring a diverse audience to this city that it has never seen before. They're considered separately by us; internally, I never considered that a motorcycle race would take the place of Formula One in the event Formula One never came back to the Speedway. Obviously, if we have a motorcycle race, it's because we considered it independently and as a fourth event, not a replacement event. Should that come to be, it will be a great opportunity for the city, a city that can pride itself on world-class motorsports events.
Q: How much of this decision can be attributed to one factor, the personality of Bernie Ecclestone, that it was a business decision?
GEORGE: Bernie really wants to see it stay, uninterrupted, I believe. He is a personality, a character, and he's a businessman and he's basing (this on) his years of experience of being successful. He knows he's got to look at all the opportunities for his business, and this being one of them. A lot of people think of Bernie in a lot of different ways, and I continue to have a great deal of respect for him and don't feel his personality in any way factored into the decision we mutually agreed on.
Q: Do you think you would have had the USGP next if you had just been willing to write a big enough check?
GEORGE: I suppose, but again money's not the only factor. Again, we're interested in growing this, and I don't see all the elements being there for us to do that right now. We don't have a title sponsor in hand, we don't have the commitment of national TV, and there are other things. We could agree on the date, and that would be great; we could agree on money and that would be great, but there are other things to consider.
Q: Tony, this is a business deal, but it is very important for the city, third-largest and brings in a lot of money. How much did that factor in negotiations?
GEORGE: I feel bad for the loss of economic impact for the city, but that wasn't my biggest concern. It's certainly a factor, and I regret the fact we won't have it for 2008, but my hope is we'll be successful in getting that back in the future.
.Q: At the end of the day, how confident do you feel you'll be able to get it back here?
GEORGE: Probably better than the 50/50 that I thought it would be (back here next year). How much more? I don't know, maybe 60/40
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Snow: Cerberus to Make Chrysler Rebound
By TOM KRISHER
It may be a little difficult for the skeptics to believe that Cerberus Capital Management LP can take over the struggling Chrysler Group, keep the same plan and management in place and make enough money to satisfy Cerberus' private equity investors.
Yet that's what Cerberus Chairman, former Treasury Secretary John Snow, repeatedly explained Wednesday during a daylong appearance near Detroit.
"New environment," Snow said when asked by The Associated Press why Cerberus could make the company profitable when its current owner, Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ), had given up.
Cerberus intends to buy Chrysler in a $7.4 billion transaction that should close sometime this quarter, invest money in Chrysler and take it private. That will allow Chief Executive Tom Lasorda and his management team time to implement their restructuring plan without short-term pressure from Wall Street, Snow said in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club.
"Now they get to run their own show again," he said in the interview afterward with the AP. "Can't ever underestimate that."
Cerberus' business, he said, is to fix companies that are underperforming.
"We have a track record of success at doing those things," he said. "We feel fairly confident that when we've gone through a due diligence process, we know that company and we know the potential. And unless we see the potential fulfilling our investment horizon objectives, we don't buy it."
Snow also said Cerberus plans to keep Chrysler for a long time and has no plans to take the company public again or sell it off once its earnings improve. And he reiterated that no job cuts are planned beyond those already announced by Chrysler.
During the speech, Snow predicted that the U.S. auto industry and Chrysler are poised for a turnaround.
"We want to be there to help the turn and benefit our investors from the turn," he said.
Snow said Cerberus likes LaSorda's recovery plan, which calls for returning to profitability by 2009.
The private equity firm, Snow said, has 150 corporate managers who advise the companies it acquires, including former Volkswagen AG and Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard, who is assigned to Chrysler. But Snow insisted that Bernhard is not running the company.
"They're running the place. They're accountable," he said of LaSorda's team.
DaimlerChrysler - the maker of Mercedes luxury cars - agreed in May to transfer an 80.1 percent stake in its U.S.-based Chrysler unit to New York-based Cerberus.
As part of the deal, Cerberus agreed to invest $6.1 billion in Chrysler and its financing arm and to pay DaimlerChrysler $1.4 billion. DaimlerChrysler would remain liable for certain expenses that could result in it paying Cerberus up to $1.5 billion to complete the transaction.
Cerberus, however, has agreed to take on most of the auto company's $19 billion in long-term retiree health care costs.
On another topic, Snow criticized new fuel economy regulations passed by the U.S. Senate, calling them unattainable under present technology and focused too narrowly on the auto industry as a solution to foreign oil dependence and carbon emissions.
The Senate last month approved legislation requiring the auto industry to meet a combined fuel efficiency standard of 35 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks by 2020. The auto industry vigorously opposed the plan.
In the House, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., is working to advance a bill that would force automakers to meet the 35 mpg target by 2018, two years earlier than the Senate version.
The auto industry supports a separate proposal that would increase the standards to at least 32 mpg - or up to 35 mpg - by 2022.
Snow said depending on the final version, the standards might force Cerberus to raise more capital to fund Chrysler's turnaround. It also could raise the cost of producing vehicles, he said.
The Senate bill could sink the U.S. auto industry, Snow said. In interview, he said he is most concerned about its mileage requirements and that it fails to separate car and truck mileage.
The measure, he said, would force Chrysler to reduce production of profitable pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in favor of building cars, on which they make less money.
"It makes it tough to be profitable. It gets the auto companies out of alignment with the consumers," he said.
He added that the marketplace should decide what models the companies build rather than Congress.
The Chrysler purchase would expand Cerberus' automotive holdings, which include a 51 percent stake in GMAC Financial Services. It also owns Guilford Mills, the largest automotive seating supplier in the United States, and Peguform Group, a German-based manufacturer of interior and exterior plastic parts used in autos.
On Wednesday, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the $1 billion sale of auto parts supplier Tower Automotive to Cerberus.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
By TOM KRISHER
It may be a little difficult for the skeptics to believe that Cerberus Capital Management LP can take over the struggling Chrysler Group, keep the same plan and management in place and make enough money to satisfy Cerberus' private equity investors.
Yet that's what Cerberus Chairman, former Treasury Secretary John Snow, repeatedly explained Wednesday during a daylong appearance near Detroit.
"New environment," Snow said when asked by The Associated Press why Cerberus could make the company profitable when its current owner, Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ), had given up.
Cerberus intends to buy Chrysler in a $7.4 billion transaction that should close sometime this quarter, invest money in Chrysler and take it private. That will allow Chief Executive Tom Lasorda and his management team time to implement their restructuring plan without short-term pressure from Wall Street, Snow said in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club.
"Now they get to run their own show again," he said in the interview afterward with the AP. "Can't ever underestimate that."
Cerberus' business, he said, is to fix companies that are underperforming.
"We have a track record of success at doing those things," he said. "We feel fairly confident that when we've gone through a due diligence process, we know that company and we know the potential. And unless we see the potential fulfilling our investment horizon objectives, we don't buy it."
Snow also said Cerberus plans to keep Chrysler for a long time and has no plans to take the company public again or sell it off once its earnings improve. And he reiterated that no job cuts are planned beyond those already announced by Chrysler.
During the speech, Snow predicted that the U.S. auto industry and Chrysler are poised for a turnaround.
"We want to be there to help the turn and benefit our investors from the turn," he said.
Snow said Cerberus likes LaSorda's recovery plan, which calls for returning to profitability by 2009.
The private equity firm, Snow said, has 150 corporate managers who advise the companies it acquires, including former Volkswagen AG and Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard, who is assigned to Chrysler. But Snow insisted that Bernhard is not running the company.
"They're running the place. They're accountable," he said of LaSorda's team.
DaimlerChrysler - the maker of Mercedes luxury cars - agreed in May to transfer an 80.1 percent stake in its U.S.-based Chrysler unit to New York-based Cerberus.
As part of the deal, Cerberus agreed to invest $6.1 billion in Chrysler and its financing arm and to pay DaimlerChrysler $1.4 billion. DaimlerChrysler would remain liable for certain expenses that could result in it paying Cerberus up to $1.5 billion to complete the transaction.
Cerberus, however, has agreed to take on most of the auto company's $19 billion in long-term retiree health care costs.
On another topic, Snow criticized new fuel economy regulations passed by the U.S. Senate, calling them unattainable under present technology and focused too narrowly on the auto industry as a solution to foreign oil dependence and carbon emissions.
The Senate last month approved legislation requiring the auto industry to meet a combined fuel efficiency standard of 35 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks by 2020. The auto industry vigorously opposed the plan.
In the House, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., is working to advance a bill that would force automakers to meet the 35 mpg target by 2018, two years earlier than the Senate version.
The auto industry supports a separate proposal that would increase the standards to at least 32 mpg - or up to 35 mpg - by 2022.
Snow said depending on the final version, the standards might force Cerberus to raise more capital to fund Chrysler's turnaround. It also could raise the cost of producing vehicles, he said.
The Senate bill could sink the U.S. auto industry, Snow said. In interview, he said he is most concerned about its mileage requirements and that it fails to separate car and truck mileage.
The measure, he said, would force Chrysler to reduce production of profitable pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in favor of building cars, on which they make less money.
"It makes it tough to be profitable. It gets the auto companies out of alignment with the consumers," he said.
He added that the marketplace should decide what models the companies build rather than Congress.
The Chrysler purchase would expand Cerberus' automotive holdings, which include a 51 percent stake in GMAC Financial Services. It also owns Guilford Mills, the largest automotive seating supplier in the United States, and Peguform Group, a German-based manufacturer of interior and exterior plastic parts used in autos.
On Wednesday, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the $1 billion sale of auto parts supplier Tower Automotive to Cerberus.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Cerberus high on Chrysler
Chairman says private equity firm has no plans to sell the automaker and can help its turnaround.
Bill Vlasic and Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The chairman of Cerberus Capital Management said Wednesday that the private-equity giant is committed to restoring Chrysler to profitability and has no plans to sell the U.S. automaker.
In his first Detroit-area speech since finalizing the Chrysler deal in May, Cerberus Chairman John Snow said his firm wants to help Chrysler "realize its full potential" rather than fix it up and sell it off.
"We never think about exit strategy," Snow said in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in Rochester. "It's not even on the radar screen."
Instead, Snow, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, vowed to aggressively assist Chrysler management in stabilizing the No. 3 Detroit automaker after its troubled tenure as a division of DaimlerChrysler AG.
He said in a post-speech interview that Chrysler's turnaround plan, which calls for $4.5 billion in financial improvements by 2009, could be accelerated under the new ownership.
"I think we can do better than the plan," he told The Detroit News. "That's the basis, that's the skeleton, but I think we can do better than that."
Snow said Cerberus still expects to close on the acquisition in the third quarter of this year, and left little doubt that the firm is eager to bring its expertise to bear on Chrysler.
"We bring fresh eyes to old problems," he said. "We never buy a company for the financial engineering opportunities. Our calling card is operations."
Cerberus, which controls more than 100 companies with combined annual revenues of $60 billion, beat out several other suitors to acquire Chrysler for $7.4 billion from its German parent company.
The deal stirred speculation that Cerberus would overhaul Chrysler and then put it back on the market. But Snow rejected any suggestion that Cerberus was a short-term owner.
In a speech reflecting his firm's feisty reputation, Snow promised that Cerberus would give Chrysler the resources to succeed and also provide leadership on industry issues such as the brewing battle over fuel-economy legislation.
"What Cerberus does is create an environment where good management teams can do good things," he said.
Snow repeatedly expressed support for Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda and his management team, saying "there's an intensity" among the executives and staff that bodes well for the automaker's recovery.
He said Cerberus expects to form a board of directors to oversee management, and would dispatch some of its 150 in-house executives to help Chrysler as needed.
But Snow offered few details on the day-to-day involvement of former Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard, who now serves as an adviser to Cerberus.
"(Bernhard) is a well respected automotive executive who has good knowledge of the entire industry, and he had a distinguished career with Chrysler," he said. "But Tom LaSorda and his team are running Chrysler."
People close to Chrysler said Bernhard occupies an office at the automaker's headquarters and has been critiquing its product plans, purchasing arrangements and manufacturing processes.
Snow said Cerberus will scrutinize Chrysler from top to bottom as it does any of the companies it acquires. "What Cerberus does is look at every aspect of a company's operations and say, where can we do better?" he said.
In a radio interview this week, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger offered Cerberus a vote of confidence, saying its acquisition of Chrysler was the best possible outcome given DaimlerChrysler's determination to sell the U.S. automaker. After nine years as a unit of DaimlerChrysler, Auburn Hills-based Chrysler also is ready to become more vocal on industry issues such as federal rules on fuel-economy.
Under a Senate energy bill approved last month, mileage standards for cars and light trucks could be increased substantially to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
The bill has been attacked by domestic automakers as potentially disastrous because of the additional costs that would be incurred to achieve the new standards.
Snow took aim at the bill on Wednesday, saying that Chrysler and other automakers would be unfairly penalized in the overall drive to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment.
He said the upcoming battle in Congress could determine the future viability of Chrysler and its domestic rivals, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
"That choice is between reasonable legislation that significantly raises auto fuel economy standards, but gives the industry a fighting chance to survive, versus severe legislation that would certainly cripple the industry, destroy jobs and make auto manufacturers in the U.S. uncompetitive," he said.
Snow's grave assessment was disputed Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which released a study asserting that a 35 mpg standard would save consumers $61 billion and stimulate the creation of new jobs in fuel-saving technology.
You can reach Bill Vlasic at (313) 222-2152 or bvlasic@detnews.com.
Chairman says private equity firm has no plans to sell the automaker and can help its turnaround.
Bill Vlasic and Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The chairman of Cerberus Capital Management said Wednesday that the private-equity giant is committed to restoring Chrysler to profitability and has no plans to sell the U.S. automaker.
In his first Detroit-area speech since finalizing the Chrysler deal in May, Cerberus Chairman John Snow said his firm wants to help Chrysler "realize its full potential" rather than fix it up and sell it off.
"We never think about exit strategy," Snow said in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in Rochester. "It's not even on the radar screen."
Instead, Snow, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, vowed to aggressively assist Chrysler management in stabilizing the No. 3 Detroit automaker after its troubled tenure as a division of DaimlerChrysler AG.
He said in a post-speech interview that Chrysler's turnaround plan, which calls for $4.5 billion in financial improvements by 2009, could be accelerated under the new ownership.
"I think we can do better than the plan," he told The Detroit News. "That's the basis, that's the skeleton, but I think we can do better than that."
Snow said Cerberus still expects to close on the acquisition in the third quarter of this year, and left little doubt that the firm is eager to bring its expertise to bear on Chrysler.
"We bring fresh eyes to old problems," he said. "We never buy a company for the financial engineering opportunities. Our calling card is operations."
Cerberus, which controls more than 100 companies with combined annual revenues of $60 billion, beat out several other suitors to acquire Chrysler for $7.4 billion from its German parent company.
The deal stirred speculation that Cerberus would overhaul Chrysler and then put it back on the market. But Snow rejected any suggestion that Cerberus was a short-term owner.
In a speech reflecting his firm's feisty reputation, Snow promised that Cerberus would give Chrysler the resources to succeed and also provide leadership on industry issues such as the brewing battle over fuel-economy legislation.
"What Cerberus does is create an environment where good management teams can do good things," he said.
Snow repeatedly expressed support for Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda and his management team, saying "there's an intensity" among the executives and staff that bodes well for the automaker's recovery.
He said Cerberus expects to form a board of directors to oversee management, and would dispatch some of its 150 in-house executives to help Chrysler as needed.
But Snow offered few details on the day-to-day involvement of former Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard, who now serves as an adviser to Cerberus.
"(Bernhard) is a well respected automotive executive who has good knowledge of the entire industry, and he had a distinguished career with Chrysler," he said. "But Tom LaSorda and his team are running Chrysler."
People close to Chrysler said Bernhard occupies an office at the automaker's headquarters and has been critiquing its product plans, purchasing arrangements and manufacturing processes.
Snow said Cerberus will scrutinize Chrysler from top to bottom as it does any of the companies it acquires. "What Cerberus does is look at every aspect of a company's operations and say, where can we do better?" he said.
In a radio interview this week, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger offered Cerberus a vote of confidence, saying its acquisition of Chrysler was the best possible outcome given DaimlerChrysler's determination to sell the U.S. automaker. After nine years as a unit of DaimlerChrysler, Auburn Hills-based Chrysler also is ready to become more vocal on industry issues such as federal rules on fuel-economy.
Under a Senate energy bill approved last month, mileage standards for cars and light trucks could be increased substantially to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
The bill has been attacked by domestic automakers as potentially disastrous because of the additional costs that would be incurred to achieve the new standards.
Snow took aim at the bill on Wednesday, saying that Chrysler and other automakers would be unfairly penalized in the overall drive to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment.
He said the upcoming battle in Congress could determine the future viability of Chrysler and its domestic rivals, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
"That choice is between reasonable legislation that significantly raises auto fuel economy standards, but gives the industry a fighting chance to survive, versus severe legislation that would certainly cripple the industry, destroy jobs and make auto manufacturers in the U.S. uncompetitive," he said.
Snow's grave assessment was disputed Wednesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which released a study asserting that a 35 mpg standard would save consumers $61 billion and stimulate the creation of new jobs in fuel-saving technology.
You can reach Bill Vlasic at (313) 222-2152 or bvlasic@detnews.com.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
July 8, 2007
Tesla Roadster
The most fun you can have without fuel
Jay Leno
See the Tesla Roadster picture gallery
People think that if you’re a car enthusiast you have something against electric cars. Not in the least. To me the nice thing about electric vehicles is, if nothing else, they free up the gasoline for our other cars.
I think many car enthusiasts see the future as one where they will use some kind of electric car or hydrogen car during the week and will save their sports cars for the weekend, just as you would play golf or football at the weekend.
What Tesla, an American company that has made an electric version of the very British Lotus Elise, has done is find a way to enjoy a sports car all week long and be green.
The problem with electric cars up to this point is what I call the veggie burger syndrome. When they came out with the veggie burger they made it look like a hamburger, which was disappointing because it doesn’t taste anything like a hamburger. It had been the same with electric cars until this point.
They would take a Volkswagen Golf or some equivalent, rip out the innards and replace it with an electric motor. So you get a car that is not only slower but would not be as safe because most of the safety features were probably taken out of it, it wouldn’t go as far and you’d have something that was less than what you started with.
Tesla is quite smart in that it is reaching the enthusiasts of the market. If you like sports cars and you want to be green, this is the only way to go. The Tesla is a car that you can live with, drive and enjoy as a sports car. I had a brief drive in the car and it was quite impressive. This is an electric car that is fun to drive. Prior to this, most electric cars were driven by people with earth shoes.
I love electric cars. One of the favourites in my garage is my 1909 Baker Electric car. But in the 98 years since that car was made, battery technology and therefore electric car technology has not changed a huge amount.
In the early 1900s Thomas Edison developed an alkaline battery to double or triple the range of the electric car. It didn’t quite do that, but alkaline batteries were neat in that they could be rinsed out and used over and over again. In fact I’m still using the alkaline battery that came with the Baker and was made by Edison himself.
In 1909 a frustrated Edison wrote on a napkin at a dinner and handed it to Henry Ford. On it he’d written: “The electric car is dead.” Almost from that note right up until Tesla, Edison wasn’t far wrong. Not much has been done to progress the battery-powered car since.
Tesla is not the first major manufacturer to have an electric car. GM came out with the EV1 in the early 1990s. I had one for a week and I loved it. It was quick but it only went about 125 miles on a charge. In 80 years it went only 10 miles further that my 1909 Baker Electric, and really a 125-mile range means you only have about a 60-mile range, because you have to come back.
One of the hidden things they don’t tell you about electric cars is that you get good mileage when the temperature is 20C, but when it drops down towards freezing you lose 20-40% because they’re dependent on the ambient temperature. What Tesla has done is put in a cooling/heating system that keeps the battery at a constant temperature.
It’s also built a car that weighs 2,600lb, which is a few pounds heavier than the standard Lotus, whereas most electric cars would be hundreds of pounds heavier. And it handles and drives, for all intents and purposes, like a real sports car.
The difference with this is that it’s faster than a standard Lotus. For something to succeed it has to not only do it as well but better. The Wankel engine was the only brand new engine of the 20th century, but the trouble was it was the equal of the internal combustion engine, it just wasn’t better. So why change? To the average person it’s a case of I’ll stick with what I have.
With this Tesla, you have a Lotus which is faster. The only disadvantage is that you can’t refuel quite as quickly. However, when you do refuel, it’s the equivalent of five cents a gallon, or something similar.
The Tesla handles well. I suppose if you took both it and a Lotus on a racetrack, the standard Elise would win. But for the average person taking it out for a drive, I think you would be really, really impressed. It’s a proper car that meets emission and safety standards. Prior to this, when you saw an electric car in America you didn’t get the airbags and it was sort of a kit car. All you were doing was saving energy. This one meets all federal standards of car production.
Driving the car takes some getting used to. But boy is it quick. It does 0-60mph in 4sec. Like a petrol car, you just put your foot down and go. The real trick with electricity is that it’s alive. You put it in a box and it either escapes or dies. The best way to use power is at the point of generation, which is what hybrids do but then you are back with the problem of having two powerplants and the extra weight. Electricity is the best way to run an automobile in the sense that there is no maintenance of any kind.
I have never done any maintenance on my 1909 Baker Electric, other than maybe greasing the wheel hubs. You don’t do anything. You plug it in, charge it and drive it. The motor is virtually maintenance-free. This is a car made back in 1909 I am talking about, and the Tesla is the same way. There is nothing much to break or wear out in the engine department, with the exception of maybe the battery, which remains to be seen. They are claiming well over 200 miles per charge, which is pretty impressive.
Behind the wheel the power comes on sharply because it’s linear. You have instant torque. The faster you accelerate the faster you go. You’ve got a two-speed transmission so you can actually shift it. It’s a slightly different sensation but I think it’s something you’d get used to quickly. You’ve got air-conditioning and a radio and all the things you would have in a normal car. It’s quiet. But many fast cars now are quiet.
When I drove the EV1 I was amazed at how fast it was. Back in the 1990s it was really quick. Top speed was about 85-90mph, but in the real world most of the fun is between 40mph and 80mph, where you put your foot on it.
In the real world I have a Porsche Carrera GT, I have a McLaren F1, and anybody that tells you they’ve taken those cars to 200mph is a liar. They haven’t. Believe me. I did a couple of hundred laps at Talladega and the fastest I got to was 190mph – on a track. By myself. And it was scary. Nobody does those speeds on a public road. If you do, you should be in prison. The real-world fun of acceleration is between 40mph and 80mph.
I think Colin Chapman, the Lotus founder, would be impressed by the technology in the Tesla. He was always looking at making cars lighter and lighter. Lightness is, of course, what makes a car handle. I would say this is the first electric car that truly handles. I think Chapman would be pleased if his design was chosen as an example of superior handling and dynamics.
If one day they were to start a green racing league that used no petrol of any kind, this car would probably win the race the first year out. It feels like a proper sports car.
Would I buy one? Well yes, I would be interested in it. Right now they’re $100,000, so consequently it’s something rich people would buy. But most new technology starts out with rich people. Antilock brakes started out on the big Cadillacs and Lincolns. They didn’t start out on economy cars. To start with it’s the rich buyers that can absorb the cost. Anybody who buys a Tesla now is making a statement about buying responsibly. It’s a way to make a high performance statement for the new millennium.
If you dropped somebody in from another planet and said, this one with a petrol engine or this one with an electric motor, well, they’d probably say the Tesla. The only downside is the time it takes to charge and that is probably the next step.
The Tesla shows sports cars can be electrifying. The sports car needn’t die once oil runs out. I guess this is the first car that means we as sports car aficionados can see beyond the end of the internal combustion engine.
Vital statistics
Model Tesla Roadster
Engine Electric motor powered by lithium-ion battery
Power 248bhp @ 8000rpm
Torque 200 lb ft @ 0-6000rpm
Transmission Two-speed manual
CO2 n/a
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4sec
Top speed 130mph Price $98,000 (£48,600)
Verdict Electrifying proof there’s life after oil
Tesla Roadster
The most fun you can have without fuel
Jay Leno
See the Tesla Roadster picture gallery
People think that if you’re a car enthusiast you have something against electric cars. Not in the least. To me the nice thing about electric vehicles is, if nothing else, they free up the gasoline for our other cars.
I think many car enthusiasts see the future as one where they will use some kind of electric car or hydrogen car during the week and will save their sports cars for the weekend, just as you would play golf or football at the weekend.
What Tesla, an American company that has made an electric version of the very British Lotus Elise, has done is find a way to enjoy a sports car all week long and be green.
The problem with electric cars up to this point is what I call the veggie burger syndrome. When they came out with the veggie burger they made it look like a hamburger, which was disappointing because it doesn’t taste anything like a hamburger. It had been the same with electric cars until this point.
They would take a Volkswagen Golf or some equivalent, rip out the innards and replace it with an electric motor. So you get a car that is not only slower but would not be as safe because most of the safety features were probably taken out of it, it wouldn’t go as far and you’d have something that was less than what you started with.
Tesla is quite smart in that it is reaching the enthusiasts of the market. If you like sports cars and you want to be green, this is the only way to go. The Tesla is a car that you can live with, drive and enjoy as a sports car. I had a brief drive in the car and it was quite impressive. This is an electric car that is fun to drive. Prior to this, most electric cars were driven by people with earth shoes.
I love electric cars. One of the favourites in my garage is my 1909 Baker Electric car. But in the 98 years since that car was made, battery technology and therefore electric car technology has not changed a huge amount.
In the early 1900s Thomas Edison developed an alkaline battery to double or triple the range of the electric car. It didn’t quite do that, but alkaline batteries were neat in that they could be rinsed out and used over and over again. In fact I’m still using the alkaline battery that came with the Baker and was made by Edison himself.
In 1909 a frustrated Edison wrote on a napkin at a dinner and handed it to Henry Ford. On it he’d written: “The electric car is dead.” Almost from that note right up until Tesla, Edison wasn’t far wrong. Not much has been done to progress the battery-powered car since.
Tesla is not the first major manufacturer to have an electric car. GM came out with the EV1 in the early 1990s. I had one for a week and I loved it. It was quick but it only went about 125 miles on a charge. In 80 years it went only 10 miles further that my 1909 Baker Electric, and really a 125-mile range means you only have about a 60-mile range, because you have to come back.
One of the hidden things they don’t tell you about electric cars is that you get good mileage when the temperature is 20C, but when it drops down towards freezing you lose 20-40% because they’re dependent on the ambient temperature. What Tesla has done is put in a cooling/heating system that keeps the battery at a constant temperature.
It’s also built a car that weighs 2,600lb, which is a few pounds heavier than the standard Lotus, whereas most electric cars would be hundreds of pounds heavier. And it handles and drives, for all intents and purposes, like a real sports car.
The difference with this is that it’s faster than a standard Lotus. For something to succeed it has to not only do it as well but better. The Wankel engine was the only brand new engine of the 20th century, but the trouble was it was the equal of the internal combustion engine, it just wasn’t better. So why change? To the average person it’s a case of I’ll stick with what I have.
With this Tesla, you have a Lotus which is faster. The only disadvantage is that you can’t refuel quite as quickly. However, when you do refuel, it’s the equivalent of five cents a gallon, or something similar.
The Tesla handles well. I suppose if you took both it and a Lotus on a racetrack, the standard Elise would win. But for the average person taking it out for a drive, I think you would be really, really impressed. It’s a proper car that meets emission and safety standards. Prior to this, when you saw an electric car in America you didn’t get the airbags and it was sort of a kit car. All you were doing was saving energy. This one meets all federal standards of car production.
Driving the car takes some getting used to. But boy is it quick. It does 0-60mph in 4sec. Like a petrol car, you just put your foot down and go. The real trick with electricity is that it’s alive. You put it in a box and it either escapes or dies. The best way to use power is at the point of generation, which is what hybrids do but then you are back with the problem of having two powerplants and the extra weight. Electricity is the best way to run an automobile in the sense that there is no maintenance of any kind.
I have never done any maintenance on my 1909 Baker Electric, other than maybe greasing the wheel hubs. You don’t do anything. You plug it in, charge it and drive it. The motor is virtually maintenance-free. This is a car made back in 1909 I am talking about, and the Tesla is the same way. There is nothing much to break or wear out in the engine department, with the exception of maybe the battery, which remains to be seen. They are claiming well over 200 miles per charge, which is pretty impressive.
Behind the wheel the power comes on sharply because it’s linear. You have instant torque. The faster you accelerate the faster you go. You’ve got a two-speed transmission so you can actually shift it. It’s a slightly different sensation but I think it’s something you’d get used to quickly. You’ve got air-conditioning and a radio and all the things you would have in a normal car. It’s quiet. But many fast cars now are quiet.
When I drove the EV1 I was amazed at how fast it was. Back in the 1990s it was really quick. Top speed was about 85-90mph, but in the real world most of the fun is between 40mph and 80mph, where you put your foot on it.
In the real world I have a Porsche Carrera GT, I have a McLaren F1, and anybody that tells you they’ve taken those cars to 200mph is a liar. They haven’t. Believe me. I did a couple of hundred laps at Talladega and the fastest I got to was 190mph – on a track. By myself. And it was scary. Nobody does those speeds on a public road. If you do, you should be in prison. The real-world fun of acceleration is between 40mph and 80mph.
I think Colin Chapman, the Lotus founder, would be impressed by the technology in the Tesla. He was always looking at making cars lighter and lighter. Lightness is, of course, what makes a car handle. I would say this is the first electric car that truly handles. I think Chapman would be pleased if his design was chosen as an example of superior handling and dynamics.
If one day they were to start a green racing league that used no petrol of any kind, this car would probably win the race the first year out. It feels like a proper sports car.
Would I buy one? Well yes, I would be interested in it. Right now they’re $100,000, so consequently it’s something rich people would buy. But most new technology starts out with rich people. Antilock brakes started out on the big Cadillacs and Lincolns. They didn’t start out on economy cars. To start with it’s the rich buyers that can absorb the cost. Anybody who buys a Tesla now is making a statement about buying responsibly. It’s a way to make a high performance statement for the new millennium.
If you dropped somebody in from another planet and said, this one with a petrol engine or this one with an electric motor, well, they’d probably say the Tesla. The only downside is the time it takes to charge and that is probably the next step.
The Tesla shows sports cars can be electrifying. The sports car needn’t die once oil runs out. I guess this is the first car that means we as sports car aficionados can see beyond the end of the internal combustion engine.
Vital statistics
Model Tesla Roadster
Engine Electric motor powered by lithium-ion battery
Power 248bhp @ 8000rpm
Torque 200 lb ft @ 0-6000rpm
Transmission Two-speed manual
CO2 n/a
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4sec
Top speed 130mph Price $98,000 (£48,600)
Verdict Electrifying proof there’s life after oil
Murray unveils plans for new city car
06 July 2007
Gallery
Subscribe
-->
Gordan Murray's Type 25
-->
The designer of the legendary McLaren F1 has announced the first details of his proposed new city car.
Dubbed the Type 25, Gordon Murray's city car is intended to be even smaller than a Smart, sell at around £5000 a copy, go into production within three years at an annual rate of 100,000 units, but still preserve driving pleasure in an increasingly economy-conscious world.
Murray is reluctant to reveal T25’s precise mechanical layout, but describes it as an MPV with up to 14 potential body variants.
It is completely different from all other small cars, even bubble cars, he claims. “You don’t sit normally in it, you don’t get in and out normally, and you don’t load luggage in the normal way,” he says.
Murray’s plan is to keep the details secret — if he can — until the project reaches the prototype stage in about two years’ time, and has hopefully attracted a big-company partner that can manage full-scale production.
First cars will use an economical small-capacity petrol engine, Murray admits, but flexible design ensures that other powerplants — diesel, electric or hybrid — are possible.
When developed, Murray claims the T25 will be so cheap to run compared with conventional cars that it will recoup its £5000 purchase price within four years. Not only that, it will create far less CO2 than conventional cars in the building and recycling phases.
Murray’s T25 is the first project of his newly established, Guildford-based company, Gordon Murray Design.
Caparo T1
Text by Nick Hall June 29, 2007
Revolution at every turn
A Formula One car for the road is about as tired a phrase as you’re likely to hear in the annals of supercar history. Every time I hear the phase only to be presented with a 300bhp, one tonne piece of wishful thinking my teeth grate, a chill heads down my spine and a little part of me dies inside.
With a genuine 3g of lateral force trying to push my face down into the fast moving tarmac beneath like some equally clichéd movie villain, though, before the full-on assault of a sledgehammer blow to the back there was only way to describe the forces at work inside the Caparo T1. It’s like, well, a Formula One car for the road.
This is a revolution at pretty much every turn, a two-seater where the passenger sits slightly behind and slightly to the side, but still in pretty close contact. You’d better be friends to share this car, and it’s no long-distance cruiser. But then it’s designed for getting to the track and then flying round it marginally faster than the private jet that you could probably have taken instead. At £190,000 + local taxes it’s about as pricey as a track car is liable to get, but then it is also the fastest.
It hits 60mph in a near indecent 2.5s and a natural spring will run out of steam before this car. Just bang up the sequential ‘box and keep it nailed and it will burst through 100mph in five seconds and keep going all the way to 205mph, if you can find a straight long enough. With just 575bhp at it’s disposal that’s no mean feat, but then the whole car weighs in at 550kg, giving it a power/weight ratio of 1045bhp tonne, which is double that offered by a Bugatti Veyron.
It’s lighter than an F1 entry, with room for two, so don’t expect too many creature comforts, although the stitching in the cockpit is inevitably superb you can forget boot space and ornate switchgear. And while the car has been paraded with a canopy-style roof that is an optional extra and in most countries in this world requires the addition of an air-conditioning system and 20kg. Now that’s the weight of a few gallons of fuel, but you can almost feel the disdain for additional weight in the designers’ voices.
The car looks like the result of illegal genetic experimentation with F1 and Le Mans cars. It’s built around a carbon-fibre and aluminium honeycomb chassis, which stops short of a full carbon-monocoque, but not by enough that you’ll notice the difference, and there isn’t one piece of unnecessary bodywork – you can virtually see the components, or at least how they’re laid out, and where possible everything serves a dual purpose. That’s why the lights are built into the struts of the rear wing and the front fairing bleeds into a cunning wing mirror.
It’s all designed in the wind-tunnel, unsurprisingly, and form has followed function without a moment’s dissent. That it looks pretty, in its own special way, is either happy coincidence or proof positive that a tool that is fit for purpose is inherently beautiful. And that’s a debate for the Arts section…
The Physics department will be happier to know that the car produces a staggering 800kg of downforce with a combination of Venturi effect underneath the car, that adjustable single-plane rear wing and a twin-plate front. That helps produce that 3g cornering force, which incidentally is double that of the formerly great flyweight the Lotus Exige, and a similar amount when the driver mashes the brake pedal.
So the driver should pass out before the car lets go on high speed bends, and it should feel like barrel-rolling an F-16. In slower corners there’s more than enough power to boot the back end out of line and GT ace and Caparo development driver Rob Schirle worked overtime to keep the car on the straight and narrow, using all the leeway allowed by the limited slip diff and traction control.
Incidentally the T1 relies on steel AP Racing brakes, rather than the ceramics that are becoming de rigeur in the supercar world, which makes you think we might be spending over the odds for a set of yellow callipers that aren’t really necessary – or that the flyweight nature of the T1 taxes the stoppers far less.
The brainchild of Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead, who both worked on the design team of the legendary McLaren F1, the project has recently gained the backing of Caparo.
This company has a £1 billion turnover every year and their money bought Gordon Murray, the man credited with the McLaren F1 and parting the Red Sea, among other projects. His influence helped take the T1 to another level, and three years after the first sketches we were invited to Goodwood racing circuit to taste the fruits of their efforts. And oh yes, it tastes mighty good.
The 3.5-litre engine that revs to a near dangerous 10,500 is developed in partnership with Menard, in-house, that’s part of Caparo’s philosophy and why they bought AP Racing brakes. They want to supply everything, be it pre-formed steel or a complete car. And while engine development is a risky strategy, as proved by technical glitches on the day, if they get it right then they will have nobody to thank but themselves, and nobody to share credit with for their 205mph missile.
Whereas the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron are supercars that also perform on the track, the Caparo T1 is a track car that can be driven on the road. There is no matching luggage, no great lifestyle statement, the T1 is purely about blistering speed.
At the expense of road usability, I suspect. Every hack emerged from the car complaining of a painful rear and that was on the glass-smooth tarmac of a race track. Now the T1 comes with five-way adjustable dampers and can be lifted for the drive home, which will help. But this machine is just too stripped, just too basic for a normal drive to the shops – it’s a track car through and through and I’d give up on the road aspirations.
The only question that remains is who will buy one. Caparo went to great pains to outline a suave, successful businessman that was a racer in a former life, who was good enough to make the grade but didn’t. The also talked about corporate experiences offering the ultimate passenger ride, but to be honest I would fire the market researcher.
When a car looks like this and has enough noughts in the price tag to pass for a big company’s telephone number, there will always be a market. Rich Russians, Middle Eastern and American car collectors would have reached for the deposit without even hearing the final spec, that’s the way it has always been.
Click here for photos
Text by Nick Hall June 29, 2007
Revolution at every turn
A Formula One car for the road is about as tired a phrase as you’re likely to hear in the annals of supercar history. Every time I hear the phase only to be presented with a 300bhp, one tonne piece of wishful thinking my teeth grate, a chill heads down my spine and a little part of me dies inside.
With a genuine 3g of lateral force trying to push my face down into the fast moving tarmac beneath like some equally clichéd movie villain, though, before the full-on assault of a sledgehammer blow to the back there was only way to describe the forces at work inside the Caparo T1. It’s like, well, a Formula One car for the road.
This is a revolution at pretty much every turn, a two-seater where the passenger sits slightly behind and slightly to the side, but still in pretty close contact. You’d better be friends to share this car, and it’s no long-distance cruiser. But then it’s designed for getting to the track and then flying round it marginally faster than the private jet that you could probably have taken instead. At £190,000 + local taxes it’s about as pricey as a track car is liable to get, but then it is also the fastest.
It hits 60mph in a near indecent 2.5s and a natural spring will run out of steam before this car. Just bang up the sequential ‘box and keep it nailed and it will burst through 100mph in five seconds and keep going all the way to 205mph, if you can find a straight long enough. With just 575bhp at it’s disposal that’s no mean feat, but then the whole car weighs in at 550kg, giving it a power/weight ratio of 1045bhp tonne, which is double that offered by a Bugatti Veyron.
It’s lighter than an F1 entry, with room for two, so don’t expect too many creature comforts, although the stitching in the cockpit is inevitably superb you can forget boot space and ornate switchgear. And while the car has been paraded with a canopy-style roof that is an optional extra and in most countries in this world requires the addition of an air-conditioning system and 20kg. Now that’s the weight of a few gallons of fuel, but you can almost feel the disdain for additional weight in the designers’ voices.
The car looks like the result of illegal genetic experimentation with F1 and Le Mans cars. It’s built around a carbon-fibre and aluminium honeycomb chassis, which stops short of a full carbon-monocoque, but not by enough that you’ll notice the difference, and there isn’t one piece of unnecessary bodywork – you can virtually see the components, or at least how they’re laid out, and where possible everything serves a dual purpose. That’s why the lights are built into the struts of the rear wing and the front fairing bleeds into a cunning wing mirror.
It’s all designed in the wind-tunnel, unsurprisingly, and form has followed function without a moment’s dissent. That it looks pretty, in its own special way, is either happy coincidence or proof positive that a tool that is fit for purpose is inherently beautiful. And that’s a debate for the Arts section…
The Physics department will be happier to know that the car produces a staggering 800kg of downforce with a combination of Venturi effect underneath the car, that adjustable single-plane rear wing and a twin-plate front. That helps produce that 3g cornering force, which incidentally is double that of the formerly great flyweight the Lotus Exige, and a similar amount when the driver mashes the brake pedal.
So the driver should pass out before the car lets go on high speed bends, and it should feel like barrel-rolling an F-16. In slower corners there’s more than enough power to boot the back end out of line and GT ace and Caparo development driver Rob Schirle worked overtime to keep the car on the straight and narrow, using all the leeway allowed by the limited slip diff and traction control.
Incidentally the T1 relies on steel AP Racing brakes, rather than the ceramics that are becoming de rigeur in the supercar world, which makes you think we might be spending over the odds for a set of yellow callipers that aren’t really necessary – or that the flyweight nature of the T1 taxes the stoppers far less.
The brainchild of Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead, who both worked on the design team of the legendary McLaren F1, the project has recently gained the backing of Caparo.
This company has a £1 billion turnover every year and their money bought Gordon Murray, the man credited with the McLaren F1 and parting the Red Sea, among other projects. His influence helped take the T1 to another level, and three years after the first sketches we were invited to Goodwood racing circuit to taste the fruits of their efforts. And oh yes, it tastes mighty good.
The 3.5-litre engine that revs to a near dangerous 10,500 is developed in partnership with Menard, in-house, that’s part of Caparo’s philosophy and why they bought AP Racing brakes. They want to supply everything, be it pre-formed steel or a complete car. And while engine development is a risky strategy, as proved by technical glitches on the day, if they get it right then they will have nobody to thank but themselves, and nobody to share credit with for their 205mph missile.
Whereas the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron are supercars that also perform on the track, the Caparo T1 is a track car that can be driven on the road. There is no matching luggage, no great lifestyle statement, the T1 is purely about blistering speed.
At the expense of road usability, I suspect. Every hack emerged from the car complaining of a painful rear and that was on the glass-smooth tarmac of a race track. Now the T1 comes with five-way adjustable dampers and can be lifted for the drive home, which will help. But this machine is just too stripped, just too basic for a normal drive to the shops – it’s a track car through and through and I’d give up on the road aspirations.
The only question that remains is who will buy one. Caparo went to great pains to outline a suave, successful businessman that was a racer in a former life, who was good enough to make the grade but didn’t. The also talked about corporate experiences offering the ultimate passenger ride, but to be honest I would fire the market researcher.
When a car looks like this and has enough noughts in the price tag to pass for a big company’s telephone number, there will always be a market. Rich Russians, Middle Eastern and American car collectors would have reached for the deposit without even hearing the final spec, that’s the way it has always been.
Click here for photos
Obsession builds perfection at Lexus
Posted Jul 10th 2007 9:05AM by Frank FilipponioFiled under: Plants/Manufacturing, Lexus
That "Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" thing isn't just a slogan at Lexus apparently. According to this Automotive News piece, Lexus really means it. Nowhere is it more evident than at the plant where Toyota builds its flagship Lexus LS600h L. Seeing themselves in an arms race of perfection, Lexus has taken perfection to an obsession. The workers are trained and retrained and re-retrained to focus on perfection. And we're not talking about the way a Formula 1 team might rehearse pitstops. We are talking about stuff like building finger strength with special plastic webbing trainers, arranging lip-gloss containers "to develop an eye for tints and color," developing a feel for five instead of six bolts in the hand, learning the sound of a properly torqued bolt. Amazing.Workers have to go through extensive training, including lectures and computer simulations, in addition to the physical dexterity training. And that training gets tougher and tougher to identify different skill levels. Only 300 current workers at the plant have the highest Level 1 certification. But that doesn't guarantee anything. Every four months the workers have to go through the skills tests all over again. And no matter how good the worker's skills are, there's still that old saying about cleanliness being next to godliness to contend with. Follow the jump to hear more about the whole perfection equation at Lexus.[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]Signs are posted to remind workers how to dress. Hairnets might make sense in the paintshop, but Lexus even requires them in the engine-assembly plant. Air showers are even used at the engine plant, just like in a semiconductor facility. Although they don't require booties, they do want clean shoes too. Suppliers are even given guidelines that limit dirt and debris from their deliveries. That might seem like overkill in some ways, but the attention pays off apparently.Besides the focus on workers' cleanliness and training, the finished product is also scrutinized like no other. Lexus tests every single car. When they determined that the previous generation LS deviated up to 50 cm over a 100 m path, they went to work and identified areas of unnecessary variables and streamlined the design. The new one cut that variance in half, and every single LS600 hL that leaves the line is given a white glove road test at 56 mph to see that it meets the new standard. The test driver also checks the other mechanicals and build integrity during a full shakedown run.Lexus also employs twice as money inspectors as the typical Toyota plant, which is already among the industry leaders. The combination of the best trained workers working in a clean environment, the end product being inspected by skilled human inspectors using the latest in computerized analysis guarantees that these top-of-the-line Lexi are truly world-class. At $100,000, we expect owners of the LS will appreciate this kind of attention to perfection, even if they don't know what is happening behind the scenes along the assembly line.
Posted Jul 10th 2007 9:05AM by Frank FilipponioFiled under: Plants/Manufacturing, Lexus
That "Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" thing isn't just a slogan at Lexus apparently. According to this Automotive News piece, Lexus really means it. Nowhere is it more evident than at the plant where Toyota builds its flagship Lexus LS600h L. Seeing themselves in an arms race of perfection, Lexus has taken perfection to an obsession. The workers are trained and retrained and re-retrained to focus on perfection. And we're not talking about the way a Formula 1 team might rehearse pitstops. We are talking about stuff like building finger strength with special plastic webbing trainers, arranging lip-gloss containers "to develop an eye for tints and color," developing a feel for five instead of six bolts in the hand, learning the sound of a properly torqued bolt. Amazing.Workers have to go through extensive training, including lectures and computer simulations, in addition to the physical dexterity training. And that training gets tougher and tougher to identify different skill levels. Only 300 current workers at the plant have the highest Level 1 certification. But that doesn't guarantee anything. Every four months the workers have to go through the skills tests all over again. And no matter how good the worker's skills are, there's still that old saying about cleanliness being next to godliness to contend with. Follow the jump to hear more about the whole perfection equation at Lexus.[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]Signs are posted to remind workers how to dress. Hairnets might make sense in the paintshop, but Lexus even requires them in the engine-assembly plant. Air showers are even used at the engine plant, just like in a semiconductor facility. Although they don't require booties, they do want clean shoes too. Suppliers are even given guidelines that limit dirt and debris from their deliveries. That might seem like overkill in some ways, but the attention pays off apparently.Besides the focus on workers' cleanliness and training, the finished product is also scrutinized like no other. Lexus tests every single car. When they determined that the previous generation LS deviated up to 50 cm over a 100 m path, they went to work and identified areas of unnecessary variables and streamlined the design. The new one cut that variance in half, and every single LS600 hL that leaves the line is given a white glove road test at 56 mph to see that it meets the new standard. The test driver also checks the other mechanicals and build integrity during a full shakedown run.Lexus also employs twice as money inspectors as the typical Toyota plant, which is already among the industry leaders. The combination of the best trained workers working in a clean environment, the end product being inspected by skilled human inspectors using the latest in computerized analysis guarantees that these top-of-the-line Lexi are truly world-class. At $100,000, we expect owners of the LS will appreciate this kind of attention to perfection, even if they don't know what is happening behind the scenes along the assembly line.
Bugatti Hill Climb Video
Click here
VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron at the 2007 Prescott Hill Climb
Posted Jul 10th 2007 11:54AM by Chris ShunkFiled under: Videos, Supercars, Bugatti
The Bugatti Veyron is the Alpha dog in the supercar arena, with its absurd W16 engine equipped with four turbos combining to create 1,000hp for tossing around the 4,100lb beast at will. There aren't many vehicles, at any price, that can go from zero to 100 back to zero again in under 10 seconds, so every time one of the 300 Veyrons is captured on video, it's worth posting.After the jump is a couple minutes of the venerable Veyron tackling the twists and turns at the 2007 Prescott Hill Climb back in May. Watch how the $1.4 million mega-supercar hits the pavement just a few feet from hundreds of onlookers, with some high-end rubber and AWD keeping the blown W16's prodigious power under control. For some reason, whoever put together this flick felt the need to loop the video about 1:25 in, but it's worth seeing twice anyway. Enjoy!.
VIDEO: Bugatti Veyron at the 2007 Prescott Hill Climb
Posted Jul 10th 2007 11:54AM by Chris ShunkFiled under: Videos, Supercars, Bugatti
The Bugatti Veyron is the Alpha dog in the supercar arena, with its absurd W16 engine equipped with four turbos combining to create 1,000hp for tossing around the 4,100lb beast at will. There aren't many vehicles, at any price, that can go from zero to 100 back to zero again in under 10 seconds, so every time one of the 300 Veyrons is captured on video, it's worth posting.After the jump is a couple minutes of the venerable Veyron tackling the twists and turns at the 2007 Prescott Hill Climb back in May. Watch how the $1.4 million mega-supercar hits the pavement just a few feet from hundreds of onlookers, with some high-end rubber and AWD keeping the blown W16's prodigious power under control. For some reason, whoever put together this flick felt the need to loop the video about 1:25 in, but it's worth seeing twice anyway. Enjoy!.
Spy Shots: the Panamera... and it's not exactly pretty
Posted Jul 10th 2007 1:37PM by Jonathon RamseyFiled under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Porsche
click above image to view more high-res spy shots of the Panamera
It looks like either way it goes, Porsche is about to drop a bomb on the world with the Panamera. Either the car will look like the increasingly unadorned mules -- a rather unsightly melange of Boxster-Cayenne-Cayman cues -- and people will wonder "Um, was ist das?" Or in a reveal worthy of Criss Angel, the car will somehow get unrecognizably elegant by the time the production model is displayed in two years.
KGP Photography has caught a slew of new spy shots showing the car that would lead one to place the bets on the former scenario. Porsche went its own way with the Cayenne styling, and in spite of the howls from Porschephiles, the bet paid off massively. But you can mark us down as shocked if Porsche actually bestows on us a Panamera with styling as... interesting... as what we see here.
[Photos: KGP Photography]
Gallery: Porsche Panamera - spy shots
Posted Jul 10th 2007 1:37PM by Jonathon RamseyFiled under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Porsche
click above image to view more high-res spy shots of the Panamera
It looks like either way it goes, Porsche is about to drop a bomb on the world with the Panamera. Either the car will look like the increasingly unadorned mules -- a rather unsightly melange of Boxster-Cayenne-Cayman cues -- and people will wonder "Um, was ist das?" Or in a reveal worthy of Criss Angel, the car will somehow get unrecognizably elegant by the time the production model is displayed in two years.
KGP Photography has caught a slew of new spy shots showing the car that would lead one to place the bets on the former scenario. Porsche went its own way with the Cayenne styling, and in spite of the howls from Porschephiles, the bet paid off massively. But you can mark us down as shocked if Porsche actually bestows on us a Panamera with styling as... interesting... as what we see here.
[Photos: KGP Photography]
Gallery: Porsche Panamera - spy shots
Aurora man sues feds after his sports car collides with a plane piloted by FBI agents
Posted by The Oregonian June 21, 2007 14:33PM
Categories: Breaking News, Marion County, Multimedia
Marlowe Treit was driving his dream car -- a flawless 1985 Lamborghini Countach -- on a road through the Aurora Airport last spring when something went horribly wrong.
A Cessna had collided with Treit's black Lamborghini, slicing into the exotic car and badly mangling one side. The front propeller churned up the driver's side of Treit's prized car -- the one he bought in 1998 as a 60th birthday present to himself after spending two years looking for the perfect model.
Treit walked away from the collision without any injuries, but his car hasn't been driven since. He estimates the crash did about $100,000 in damage.
And what about that Cessna? Turns out a trio of FBI agents were in the plane, which was leased by the feds. Two of the federal agents, John Jeffries and Robert Brockmeyer, were co-piloting the plane that day in May 2006, according to federal court filings. The agents were on a "familiarization flight," according to the National Transportation Safety Board's report on the incident.
One of the agents wrote in a report filed with the NTSB that the plane was "moving down the taxiway about to enter our hangar area, moving at about a fast walk and crossing a narrow inner taxiway perpendicular to us when the aircraft crunched to a sudden stop.
"Out the left side window of the aircraft I saw a small black sports car dart from under the prop moving to my left, gushing fluid," the unidentified agent wrote.
Treit, a licensed pilot, says he had the right of way and that the pilot should have spotted him.
Treit, who lives in Aurora and owns a business at the small airport, this month filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, accusing the pilots of negligence. He is asking for $105,500 in damages. Clickhereto read Treit's lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for the FBI's Portland field office declined to comment about the incident, citing the lawsuit.
The NTSB concluded that Treit and the agents shared blame for the wreck. Investigators said both failed "to maintain an adequate visual lookout and their failure to see and avoid one another."
Treit describes the accident below:
-- Noelle Crombie
Posted by The Oregonian June 21, 2007 14:33PM
Categories: Breaking News, Marion County, Multimedia
Marlowe Treit was driving his dream car -- a flawless 1985 Lamborghini Countach -- on a road through the Aurora Airport last spring when something went horribly wrong.
A Cessna had collided with Treit's black Lamborghini, slicing into the exotic car and badly mangling one side. The front propeller churned up the driver's side of Treit's prized car -- the one he bought in 1998 as a 60th birthday present to himself after spending two years looking for the perfect model.
Treit walked away from the collision without any injuries, but his car hasn't been driven since. He estimates the crash did about $100,000 in damage.
And what about that Cessna? Turns out a trio of FBI agents were in the plane, which was leased by the feds. Two of the federal agents, John Jeffries and Robert Brockmeyer, were co-piloting the plane that day in May 2006, according to federal court filings. The agents were on a "familiarization flight," according to the National Transportation Safety Board's report on the incident.
One of the agents wrote in a report filed with the NTSB that the plane was "moving down the taxiway about to enter our hangar area, moving at about a fast walk and crossing a narrow inner taxiway perpendicular to us when the aircraft crunched to a sudden stop.
"Out the left side window of the aircraft I saw a small black sports car dart from under the prop moving to my left, gushing fluid," the unidentified agent wrote.
Treit, a licensed pilot, says he had the right of way and that the pilot should have spotted him.
Treit, who lives in Aurora and owns a business at the small airport, this month filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, accusing the pilots of negligence. He is asking for $105,500 in damages. Clickhereto read Treit's lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for the FBI's Portland field office declined to comment about the incident, citing the lawsuit.
The NTSB concluded that Treit and the agents shared blame for the wreck. Investigators said both failed "to maintain an adequate visual lookout and their failure to see and avoid one another."
Treit describes the accident below:
-- Noelle Crombie
Dyno Dino: Baby Ferrari test mule spotted
Posted Jul 11th 2007 1:32PM by Noah JosephFiled under: Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Ferrari
"We are not developing a cheap Ferrari" is the oft-repeated party line in Maranello. "Just don't look over there," might as well be the next, as spy shots have turned up yet again suggesting that Ferrari is indeed developing an "entry-level" model to slot in the company's line-up below the F430.
The latest photos show a developmental test mule on the dynamometer wearing what appears to be disguised bodywork from the recently launched Maserati GranTurismo. Sources suggest, however, that the baby Ferrari would share more in common with the achingly gorgeous and limited production Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but with even more power. When that car was being developed, original speculation suggested it was for Ferrari, but that the project was passed over to Alfa Romeo instead.
So has Ferrari been blatantly lying? A few possibilities could explain the discrepancy. First is that the car spotted is not a Dino as speculated by the motoring press, but actually a test mule for the upcoming new Maserati convertible; however, based as closely as it will be on the existing GranTurismo, extensive drivetrain testing would seem unnecessary. It could, however, be testing a new transmission for the Maserati range. Another explanation about the seeming chasm between what we see and what Ferrari says could be drawn from the example of the original Dinos, which were not badged as Ferraris but as a separate brand. If the photos are accurate, the new model could be front-engined like the 599 GTB instead of mid-engined like the F430 as originally thought. One way or another, we look forward to finding out.
Posted Jul 11th 2007 1:32PM by Noah JosephFiled under: Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Ferrari
"We are not developing a cheap Ferrari" is the oft-repeated party line in Maranello. "Just don't look over there," might as well be the next, as spy shots have turned up yet again suggesting that Ferrari is indeed developing an "entry-level" model to slot in the company's line-up below the F430.
The latest photos show a developmental test mule on the dynamometer wearing what appears to be disguised bodywork from the recently launched Maserati GranTurismo. Sources suggest, however, that the baby Ferrari would share more in common with the achingly gorgeous and limited production Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but with even more power. When that car was being developed, original speculation suggested it was for Ferrari, but that the project was passed over to Alfa Romeo instead.
So has Ferrari been blatantly lying? A few possibilities could explain the discrepancy. First is that the car spotted is not a Dino as speculated by the motoring press, but actually a test mule for the upcoming new Maserati convertible; however, based as closely as it will be on the existing GranTurismo, extensive drivetrain testing would seem unnecessary. It could, however, be testing a new transmission for the Maserati range. Another explanation about the seeming chasm between what we see and what Ferrari says could be drawn from the example of the original Dinos, which were not badged as Ferraris but as a separate brand. If the photos are accurate, the new model could be front-engined like the 599 GTB instead of mid-engined like the F430 as originally thought. One way or another, we look forward to finding out.
Street Legal Indy Car For Sale
Never be late again: Street-legal Dallara Indy Car
Posted Jul 11th 2007 3:43PM by Alex NunezFiled under: Car Buying, Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Infiniti
Click image to enlarge
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/motorsport/Never_be_late_again_Street_legal_Dallara_Indy_Car';
The DuPont Registry is the car shopping guide many of us use for that mission-critical research on what to buy when the good ship Powerball sails into our lives. After all, you can never be too prepared for that sort of thing. The August issue has a real gem nestled among the countless Ferraris, Rolls-Royces, and Lamborghinis you'd normally expect to see in the Registry's glossy pages.
It's even less practical than the most cramped exotic, too. It seats one, and that seat belonged to Eddie Cheever back in 2000. It's a Dallara Indy Car, and yes, it's 100% street legal. Back in its day, a 3.5L methanol-fueled Infiniti V8 sat behind the driver, and while the Infiniti decals still adorn the bodywork, a small-block Chevy provides motivation today.
Wearing its original livery, the car's outfitted with all the required lighting, runs on pump gas, has electric start, a carbon fiber and leather-surrounded cockpit, 5 gauges and launches like a sportbike with its 2.5-second 0-60 time. In an era where the phrase "racer for the street" has become become cliché, this bad boy lives up to the description in every sense.
The car was put up for auction on eBay back in December but didn't meet reserve. The old listing's still up, where you can find additional pics, info and video. [Source: DuPont Registry, August 2007 issue]
Posted Jul 11th 2007 3:43PM by Alex NunezFiled under: Car Buying, Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Infiniti
Click image to enlarge
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/motorsport/Never_be_late_again_Street_legal_Dallara_Indy_Car';
The DuPont Registry is the car shopping guide many of us use for that mission-critical research on what to buy when the good ship Powerball sails into our lives. After all, you can never be too prepared for that sort of thing. The August issue has a real gem nestled among the countless Ferraris, Rolls-Royces, and Lamborghinis you'd normally expect to see in the Registry's glossy pages.
It's even less practical than the most cramped exotic, too. It seats one, and that seat belonged to Eddie Cheever back in 2000. It's a Dallara Indy Car, and yes, it's 100% street legal. Back in its day, a 3.5L methanol-fueled Infiniti V8 sat behind the driver, and while the Infiniti decals still adorn the bodywork, a small-block Chevy provides motivation today.
Wearing its original livery, the car's outfitted with all the required lighting, runs on pump gas, has electric start, a carbon fiber and leather-surrounded cockpit, 5 gauges and launches like a sportbike with its 2.5-second 0-60 time. In an era where the phrase "racer for the street" has become become cliché, this bad boy lives up to the description in every sense.
The car was put up for auction on eBay back in December but didn't meet reserve. The old listing's still up, where you can find additional pics, info and video. [Source: DuPont Registry, August 2007 issue]
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Top Gear Not Environmentally Friendly....
Clarkson 'damages' African ecosystemJohn Higginson -
Monday, July 9, 2007
Jeremy Clarkson: never been in favour with the green lobby
Jeremy Clarkson may have caused 'decades' worth of damage to a delicate African ecosystem by speeding around it in cars for Top Gear environmentalists claim.
The motor head and his fellow co-presenters have been criticised for driving over the Makgadikgadi salt plains in Botswana.
The area has one of the last big zebra migrations in Africa and is the habitat for flamingos and other birds.
RELATED ITEMS
VIDEO: Latest news bulletin
Today's top news headlines
Normally only quad bikes can be used on the salt flats and must travel in single file.
But the Top Gear crew drove cars off road around the area for one of its program.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has worked in Botswana for five years most recently fencing off parts of the salt flats to help conserve wildlife.
Mary Rice, the agency's head of campaigns, said: 'It's a very fragile ecosystem. It's not like if you go to the beach and make tracks in the sand and the waves wash them away; the salt plains are very different. There is a thin crust that falls across the top and when you put vehicle tracks there it doesn't wash away with the rain. It can be there for decades.'
She added: 'We understand that they were approached by guides in the park telling them that they shouldn't be driving off-road and they were ignored.'
There are also fears tourists who come to see the pristine natural environment will be put off by the tyre marks.
Rachel Nobel, of the EIA said: 'Jeremy Clarkson may argue that they are promoting tourism and doing this show is a good thing, but they've damaged the environment that people pay money to go and see, and undermined the whole tourism industry.'
A BBC spokesman said experts were employed to make sure they did not go near any conservation areas.
He said: 'Driving single or double file was an area of debate: our experts suggested single file could leave worse damage as it caused a permanent track if used over and over. There were three normal vehicles and quad bikes were used by the filming crew. We categorically deny that this made any permanent damage to the pans.
'The rainy season is November and will wash away and tracks that remain.'
Monday, July 9, 2007
Jeremy Clarkson: never been in favour with the green lobby
Jeremy Clarkson may have caused 'decades' worth of damage to a delicate African ecosystem by speeding around it in cars for Top Gear environmentalists claim.
The motor head and his fellow co-presenters have been criticised for driving over the Makgadikgadi salt plains in Botswana.
The area has one of the last big zebra migrations in Africa and is the habitat for flamingos and other birds.
RELATED ITEMS
VIDEO: Latest news bulletin
Today's top news headlines
Normally only quad bikes can be used on the salt flats and must travel in single file.
But the Top Gear crew drove cars off road around the area for one of its program.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has worked in Botswana for five years most recently fencing off parts of the salt flats to help conserve wildlife.
Mary Rice, the agency's head of campaigns, said: 'It's a very fragile ecosystem. It's not like if you go to the beach and make tracks in the sand and the waves wash them away; the salt plains are very different. There is a thin crust that falls across the top and when you put vehicle tracks there it doesn't wash away with the rain. It can be there for decades.'
She added: 'We understand that they were approached by guides in the park telling them that they shouldn't be driving off-road and they were ignored.'
There are also fears tourists who come to see the pristine natural environment will be put off by the tyre marks.
Rachel Nobel, of the EIA said: 'Jeremy Clarkson may argue that they are promoting tourism and doing this show is a good thing, but they've damaged the environment that people pay money to go and see, and undermined the whole tourism industry.'
A BBC spokesman said experts were employed to make sure they did not go near any conservation areas.
He said: 'Driving single or double file was an area of debate: our experts suggested single file could leave worse damage as it caused a permanent track if used over and over. There were three normal vehicles and quad bikes were used by the filming crew. We categorically deny that this made any permanent damage to the pans.
'The rainy season is November and will wash away and tracks that remain.'
UA Receives Scholarship Gift from Sale of Rare Ferrari
Darrell Westfaul is creating an endowed scholarship fund for UA students through the sale of his 1950 Ferrari.
Download a high-resolution version
This Italian-built car has the serial number 0046M and a Zagato body. (Chip Coooper)
Download a high-resolution version
The car, which Westfaul bought while a UA student, still bears his 1966-67 student parking decal on the windshield. (Chip Cooper)
Download a high-resolution version
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama has received a gift of more than $1 million from Tuscaloosa resident Darrell Westfaul through a charitable remainder unitrust funded with his 1950 Ferrari. The prized car, with the serial number 0046M and a Zagato body, was sold to a collector who plans to open a museum. The remainder funds in the trust will eventually create the Darrell Oliver Westfaul Endowed Scholarship.
“We are sincerely grateful to Mr. Westfaul for this extraordinary gift,” said Phillip Adcock, assistant vice president for development at UA. “By establishing a charitable remainder trust, Mr. Westfaul is accomplishing his goal of making a substantial gift to UA while retaining income for life. Because property transferred to the trust will be used for charitable purposes in the future, the Internal Revenue Service allows for certain tax advantages providing an added benefit.”
A 1967 graduate of the University, Westfaul bought the car while a student, and it still bears his 1966-67 student parking decal on the windshield. His extensive research and travels have documented the 57-year history of the car, and its racing success makes the speedster an extremely valuable classic to car collectors. Built in Italy, the car traveled through Europe, Africa and the United States before arriving in Tuscaloosa.
“The Ferrari has been like a member of my family for 40 years, and I am sad to see it sold,” said Westfaul. “But, it will be making a difference in the lives of students for many years to come, especially those from Murphy High School in Mobile, who will receive preference for the scholarship made possible through the sale of the car.”
The "Our Students. Our Future." campaign's $500 million goal includes $250 million for student scholarships. The remaining funds are allocated to faculty support, facilities and priority needs.
Darrell Westfaul is creating an endowed scholarship fund for UA students through the sale of his 1950 Ferrari.
Download a high-resolution version
This Italian-built car has the serial number 0046M and a Zagato body. (Chip Coooper)
Download a high-resolution version
The car, which Westfaul bought while a UA student, still bears his 1966-67 student parking decal on the windshield. (Chip Cooper)
Download a high-resolution version
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama has received a gift of more than $1 million from Tuscaloosa resident Darrell Westfaul through a charitable remainder unitrust funded with his 1950 Ferrari. The prized car, with the serial number 0046M and a Zagato body, was sold to a collector who plans to open a museum. The remainder funds in the trust will eventually create the Darrell Oliver Westfaul Endowed Scholarship.
“We are sincerely grateful to Mr. Westfaul for this extraordinary gift,” said Phillip Adcock, assistant vice president for development at UA. “By establishing a charitable remainder trust, Mr. Westfaul is accomplishing his goal of making a substantial gift to UA while retaining income for life. Because property transferred to the trust will be used for charitable purposes in the future, the Internal Revenue Service allows for certain tax advantages providing an added benefit.”
A 1967 graduate of the University, Westfaul bought the car while a student, and it still bears his 1966-67 student parking decal on the windshield. His extensive research and travels have documented the 57-year history of the car, and its racing success makes the speedster an extremely valuable classic to car collectors. Built in Italy, the car traveled through Europe, Africa and the United States before arriving in Tuscaloosa.
“The Ferrari has been like a member of my family for 40 years, and I am sad to see it sold,” said Westfaul. “But, it will be making a difference in the lives of students for many years to come, especially those from Murphy High School in Mobile, who will receive preference for the scholarship made possible through the sale of the car.”
The "Our Students. Our Future." campaign's $500 million goal includes $250 million for student scholarships. The remaining funds are allocated to faculty support, facilities and priority needs.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Autoblog Gets Their Hands On An Audi S8
In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Audi S8
Posted Jul 9th 2007 1:04PM by Alex NunezFiled under: Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Audi
This edition of "In the Autoblog Garage" is brought to you by the letter S and the number 8. Alone, each is just another mundane alphanumeric character. When positioned next to each other on a vehicle bearing Audi's interlocking rings, however, they turn into something very special. The character pair becomes shorthand for 5.2 liters, 10 cylinders, 450 horses, 398 ft.-lbs., 4.9 seconds, 155 miles per hour, and $110,000+ in the case of the Daytona Grey Audi S8 tester that had been deposited in my driveway. Yep, it was going to be a pretty good week.
Gallery: 2007 Audi S8 There are times when more simply means more, and others when more means better. The S8 is is the rolling embodiment of both philosophies, cramming in just about every feature Ingolstadt has to offer, while somehow making it seem entirely rational -- appropriate, even -- at the same time. One of the best things about Audi's über-sedan is that to the untrained observer, it's just a standard-wheelbase A8. Why is this good, you ask? Because the S8 is the ultimate sleeper as a result. Those who recognize it for what it is generally make eye contact and nod approvingly, understanding what it is that's before them. They're the ones who know better. Some stoplight denizens are less respectful, tossing sheepish looks at the "rich dude" lined up next to them. They're the ones who rev their engines aggressively, only to be wearing looks of shame as they stare straight ahead at the next stoplight, having been utterly humiliated by a conservative-looking 4,586-pound sedan. Looks, you see, are very deceiving, and the S8 has the means at its disposal to make examples of those who underestimate it. The visual differentiators worn by the S8 are subtle but unmistakable. For starters, red-trimmed S8 badges adorn the trunklid and the grille, whose vertical elements are dressed in chrome. The door handles are also accented with the shiny stuff, and the rearview mirrors are given a satiny metallic finish. The car's nose sports a pair of honeycomb-trimmed intakes under the headlamps and an ever-so-slight lip spoiler finishes off the bottom. Small V10 badges sit aft of the front wheel wells and when you head rearward, quad exhaust tips stick out through the rear bumper cutouts. The S8's standard rolling stock consists of 20" seven-twin-spoke wheels wrapped in 265/35R20 rubber, but our tester was still wearing its winter kicks despite spring being in full swing. The wheel design was the same, but they were 19 inches in diameter, instead. A peek through the spokes reveals the S8 logo on the front brake calipers. The rest of the car's outward appearance is pure A8 -- understated elegance infused with athleticism. Think of an NFL linebacker in an expensive tailored suit and that's the profile the S8 cuts as it drives by: classy, but muscular. Opening the door presents you with a case study in how to design a proper cabin. If you're part of the club that feels Audi has the best interiors going right now, the S8 does absolutely nothing to diminish that belief. To the contrary, it reinforces it. The tester was outfitted with the optional full leather upgrade, meaning just about every conceivable surface was covered in beautifully-stitched hides, including the door panels (which also had Alcantara accents), center console, and the dashboard. Two-tone black-and-silver seating with contrast stitching added some pizazz, and passengers almost unanimously commented favorably on the Alcantara headliner. Speaking of passengers, the S8 is technically a 5-place sedan, but for practical purposes it's a four-seater.
The backseat is set up with a pair of buckets separated by a flip-down armrest containing the car's first aid kit and a pair of cupholders. A fifth passenger can take that middle spot when the armrest is stowed (there's a belt, after all), but it probably wouldn't be fun for any extended period of time, especially having to straddle the transmission tunnel.
After settling into the very comfortable driver's seat, gently pull the door shut and the car's power door close assist (part of the tester's Premium Package) does the rest. A meaty 3-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters faces the driver, and beyond that, the S8's instrument cluster stands ready with the basics -- speedo, tach, temp, and fuel gauges. The uninterrupted dash is accented with carbon fiber and aluminum inlays, as is the center console.
There's no need to wield the trademark switchblade key, as the Premium Package turns it into a full-fledged keyless fob. Simply hold down the brake, press the engine start button on the center console, and the car comes to life. The gauges light up, and in the middle of the instrument panel, a section of carbon fiber flips open to reveal the S8's LCD screen.
A secondary MMI/information display between the two primary gauges also makes its presence known. A number of buttons populate the center console area, and though they all look similar, the arrangement's logical and they're well-labeled. The linchpin to everything is Audi's MMI, which is given the prime real estate in the middle. Superior to BMW's iDrive, the controller's made up of a dial surrounded by four buttons, each of which corresponds to menu selections shown in the corners of the primary LCD display. It's easy to get the hang of, and menu navigation quickly becomes second nature.
There are nice touches, too, as some features like the radio tuner get popped onto the LCD inside the gauge cluster was well, allowing you to change channels or songs without having to look over at the middle of the IP. The model is repeated on the climate controls. Driver and passenger each get their own thermostat dials, which actually have MMI-type functionality. For example, twisting the dial will change the selected temp by default, but pressing the button with the fan icon changes the dial's focus, and spinning it increases or decreases the fan speed (the LCD screen automatically reflects what your doing, too, making your actions crystal clear). The MMI system is used to control and adjust everything from audio and phone configuration to navigation and suspension settings. While some of you surely have an aversion to these comprehensive in-car GUIs, Audi's is the class of the bunch.
As entertaining as the in-car theatrics at startup are (the B & O tweeters rising from the dash never failed to elicit oohs and ahhs), they're just a sideshow to the main event as the 5.2L V10 growls to life, emitting a techno-metal soundtrack that you never want to turn off. When you succumb to the urge to goose the throttle, baffles in the mufflers snap open, making the the exhaust music even more sonically exciting. For extra fun, pull into the nearest parking garage and do this indoors. You'll give yourself goosebumps.
By now, the car has already adjusted its active suspension in accordance with whatever setting's been chosen. If it's nighttime and you parked facing a wall, the headlights let you see this movement firsthand. After popping the car in reverse to back out and then slipping the Tiptronic's shifter into drive, the S8 shows that it does the luxury car thing exceedingly well, cruising silently along at neighborhood speeds.
The cabin, with all the windows shut and sunroof closed, is as serene as a library staffed by pistol-packing librarians. Breaking the silence is easy thanks to the optional (and expensive) Bang & Olufsen audio system. The 1000-watt fourteen-speaker rig is better-sounding than most home systems, and when combined with the Audi Music Interface, which provides true iPod integration via the MMI, it offers one of the most complete musical experiences of any car on the market. Sliding the shifter down one more notch into Sport mode sets the stage for music of a different sort. Left alone there, the transmission will hold gears longer, waiting to shift until the redline approaches. You can also pick your own shift points with the paddles.
The sound coming from the engine compartment as this goes on is worth turning off the stereo and opening the windows. Turn onto a long highway on-ramp, and the direct-injected, Lamborghini-sourced 5.2L V10 gets going with a snarl that builds into a guttural bellow as mechanical magic happens all they way up to 7,000 rpm. Stay on the throttle and the landscape bordering the roadway becomes a blur, zipping by at a pace as frenetic as the goings-on underhood. Any doubt that the car is capable of reaching its electronically-governed top speed is vaporized as you watch the speedometer needle move clockwise at an unexpectedly rapid and steady clip. The S8 hurtles forward like a bullet train, totally composed, never wanting for power. Traction is not a problem thanks to the quattro AWD, and the car feels very balanced.
In the end, the rational part of you simply takes over and you heel the beast under your right foot. Enlisting the car's massive brakes (15.2" discs in front, 13.2" in back) halts the S8's forward motion quickly and without drama. Big cars like this are supposed to spoil you with comfort, but we never expected it to be so much fun to drive. The torquey, responsive V10 is always ready to play, and the car's gee-whiz air suspension keeps it composed at all times without ever resorting to harshness, even in the dynamic mode.
The S8's a snap to drive, and its features are easy to use thanks to the sensible MMI that ties so many of them together. Other nice touches abound, too, like ambient lighting in the cabin, approach lighting in the door handles and a power rear sunshade. The trunk is just huge, and for all the performance the car dishes out, it still got a completely reasonable 15 mpg over the week it spent with us. The Audi S8 is the whole enchilada: awesome performance, bona-fide luxury, and understated class. At $110,920 as tested, it's worth every single penny.
Posted Jul 9th 2007 1:04PM by Alex NunezFiled under: Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Audi
This edition of "In the Autoblog Garage" is brought to you by the letter S and the number 8. Alone, each is just another mundane alphanumeric character. When positioned next to each other on a vehicle bearing Audi's interlocking rings, however, they turn into something very special. The character pair becomes shorthand for 5.2 liters, 10 cylinders, 450 horses, 398 ft.-lbs., 4.9 seconds, 155 miles per hour, and $110,000+ in the case of the Daytona Grey Audi S8 tester that had been deposited in my driveway. Yep, it was going to be a pretty good week.
Gallery: 2007 Audi S8 There are times when more simply means more, and others when more means better. The S8 is is the rolling embodiment of both philosophies, cramming in just about every feature Ingolstadt has to offer, while somehow making it seem entirely rational -- appropriate, even -- at the same time. One of the best things about Audi's über-sedan is that to the untrained observer, it's just a standard-wheelbase A8. Why is this good, you ask? Because the S8 is the ultimate sleeper as a result. Those who recognize it for what it is generally make eye contact and nod approvingly, understanding what it is that's before them. They're the ones who know better. Some stoplight denizens are less respectful, tossing sheepish looks at the "rich dude" lined up next to them. They're the ones who rev their engines aggressively, only to be wearing looks of shame as they stare straight ahead at the next stoplight, having been utterly humiliated by a conservative-looking 4,586-pound sedan. Looks, you see, are very deceiving, and the S8 has the means at its disposal to make examples of those who underestimate it. The visual differentiators worn by the S8 are subtle but unmistakable. For starters, red-trimmed S8 badges adorn the trunklid and the grille, whose vertical elements are dressed in chrome. The door handles are also accented with the shiny stuff, and the rearview mirrors are given a satiny metallic finish. The car's nose sports a pair of honeycomb-trimmed intakes under the headlamps and an ever-so-slight lip spoiler finishes off the bottom. Small V10 badges sit aft of the front wheel wells and when you head rearward, quad exhaust tips stick out through the rear bumper cutouts. The S8's standard rolling stock consists of 20" seven-twin-spoke wheels wrapped in 265/35R20 rubber, but our tester was still wearing its winter kicks despite spring being in full swing. The wheel design was the same, but they were 19 inches in diameter, instead. A peek through the spokes reveals the S8 logo on the front brake calipers. The rest of the car's outward appearance is pure A8 -- understated elegance infused with athleticism. Think of an NFL linebacker in an expensive tailored suit and that's the profile the S8 cuts as it drives by: classy, but muscular. Opening the door presents you with a case study in how to design a proper cabin. If you're part of the club that feels Audi has the best interiors going right now, the S8 does absolutely nothing to diminish that belief. To the contrary, it reinforces it. The tester was outfitted with the optional full leather upgrade, meaning just about every conceivable surface was covered in beautifully-stitched hides, including the door panels (which also had Alcantara accents), center console, and the dashboard. Two-tone black-and-silver seating with contrast stitching added some pizazz, and passengers almost unanimously commented favorably on the Alcantara headliner. Speaking of passengers, the S8 is technically a 5-place sedan, but for practical purposes it's a four-seater.
The backseat is set up with a pair of buckets separated by a flip-down armrest containing the car's first aid kit and a pair of cupholders. A fifth passenger can take that middle spot when the armrest is stowed (there's a belt, after all), but it probably wouldn't be fun for any extended period of time, especially having to straddle the transmission tunnel.
After settling into the very comfortable driver's seat, gently pull the door shut and the car's power door close assist (part of the tester's Premium Package) does the rest. A meaty 3-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters faces the driver, and beyond that, the S8's instrument cluster stands ready with the basics -- speedo, tach, temp, and fuel gauges. The uninterrupted dash is accented with carbon fiber and aluminum inlays, as is the center console.
There's no need to wield the trademark switchblade key, as the Premium Package turns it into a full-fledged keyless fob. Simply hold down the brake, press the engine start button on the center console, and the car comes to life. The gauges light up, and in the middle of the instrument panel, a section of carbon fiber flips open to reveal the S8's LCD screen.
A secondary MMI/information display between the two primary gauges also makes its presence known. A number of buttons populate the center console area, and though they all look similar, the arrangement's logical and they're well-labeled. The linchpin to everything is Audi's MMI, which is given the prime real estate in the middle. Superior to BMW's iDrive, the controller's made up of a dial surrounded by four buttons, each of which corresponds to menu selections shown in the corners of the primary LCD display. It's easy to get the hang of, and menu navigation quickly becomes second nature.
There are nice touches, too, as some features like the radio tuner get popped onto the LCD inside the gauge cluster was well, allowing you to change channels or songs without having to look over at the middle of the IP. The model is repeated on the climate controls. Driver and passenger each get their own thermostat dials, which actually have MMI-type functionality. For example, twisting the dial will change the selected temp by default, but pressing the button with the fan icon changes the dial's focus, and spinning it increases or decreases the fan speed (the LCD screen automatically reflects what your doing, too, making your actions crystal clear). The MMI system is used to control and adjust everything from audio and phone configuration to navigation and suspension settings. While some of you surely have an aversion to these comprehensive in-car GUIs, Audi's is the class of the bunch.
As entertaining as the in-car theatrics at startup are (the B & O tweeters rising from the dash never failed to elicit oohs and ahhs), they're just a sideshow to the main event as the 5.2L V10 growls to life, emitting a techno-metal soundtrack that you never want to turn off. When you succumb to the urge to goose the throttle, baffles in the mufflers snap open, making the the exhaust music even more sonically exciting. For extra fun, pull into the nearest parking garage and do this indoors. You'll give yourself goosebumps.
By now, the car has already adjusted its active suspension in accordance with whatever setting's been chosen. If it's nighttime and you parked facing a wall, the headlights let you see this movement firsthand. After popping the car in reverse to back out and then slipping the Tiptronic's shifter into drive, the S8 shows that it does the luxury car thing exceedingly well, cruising silently along at neighborhood speeds.
The cabin, with all the windows shut and sunroof closed, is as serene as a library staffed by pistol-packing librarians. Breaking the silence is easy thanks to the optional (and expensive) Bang & Olufsen audio system. The 1000-watt fourteen-speaker rig is better-sounding than most home systems, and when combined with the Audi Music Interface, which provides true iPod integration via the MMI, it offers one of the most complete musical experiences of any car on the market. Sliding the shifter down one more notch into Sport mode sets the stage for music of a different sort. Left alone there, the transmission will hold gears longer, waiting to shift until the redline approaches. You can also pick your own shift points with the paddles.
The sound coming from the engine compartment as this goes on is worth turning off the stereo and opening the windows. Turn onto a long highway on-ramp, and the direct-injected, Lamborghini-sourced 5.2L V10 gets going with a snarl that builds into a guttural bellow as mechanical magic happens all they way up to 7,000 rpm. Stay on the throttle and the landscape bordering the roadway becomes a blur, zipping by at a pace as frenetic as the goings-on underhood. Any doubt that the car is capable of reaching its electronically-governed top speed is vaporized as you watch the speedometer needle move clockwise at an unexpectedly rapid and steady clip. The S8 hurtles forward like a bullet train, totally composed, never wanting for power. Traction is not a problem thanks to the quattro AWD, and the car feels very balanced.
In the end, the rational part of you simply takes over and you heel the beast under your right foot. Enlisting the car's massive brakes (15.2" discs in front, 13.2" in back) halts the S8's forward motion quickly and without drama. Big cars like this are supposed to spoil you with comfort, but we never expected it to be so much fun to drive. The torquey, responsive V10 is always ready to play, and the car's gee-whiz air suspension keeps it composed at all times without ever resorting to harshness, even in the dynamic mode.
The S8's a snap to drive, and its features are easy to use thanks to the sensible MMI that ties so many of them together. Other nice touches abound, too, like ambient lighting in the cabin, approach lighting in the door handles and a power rear sunshade. The trunk is just huge, and for all the performance the car dishes out, it still got a completely reasonable 15 mpg over the week it spent with us. The Audi S8 is the whole enchilada: awesome performance, bona-fide luxury, and understated class. At $110,920 as tested, it's worth every single penny.
Whiz Kid: Four-Year Old Brit Signed To Pro Motorsports Contract
Filed Under: Etc., Europe, Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Personnel Moves July 6th, 2007 11:03 AM
A four-year old boy has become the youngest professional driver in British motorsport history. The precocious Ben Kasperczack has been signed to four-year contract with Motorsport World, giving him a full ride in 50cc karting that includes: “unlimited testing time” and “full mentoring, with all equipment needed - including the kart and a mechanic.”
An official at Ben’s Rye House karting circuit added: “The way he can judge oversteer and understeer, use such an aggressive driving line and actually know when his tyres need changing, at his young age is remarkable.”
Because of his age, Kasperczack is only allowed to drive on an unoccupied track, but he’s expected to enter full competition at age eight.
Given that he’s already faster than most adults, we’re eager to see how he fares. Having said that, we imagine that in a few years, there will be high expectations for young Kasperczack to perform, and that has us worried for the child racer. Is too much pressure being put on him? Drop us a line in ‘Comments’ with your opinion.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Ceramic Clutches Article
Jay Leno's Garage - Ceramics Class
BY JAY LENO
Published in the January, 2005 issue.
Pages: 1 2 Next >
SHORT STACK: Jay's amazed by the size of the Porsche's ceramic clutch versus a conventional unit. Photograph by John Lamm
Few limited-production supercars represent real-world technological breakthroughs. Think about it. Most have followed the same old formula with tube frames, lightweight construction, sophisticated, high-horsepower engines, and some even have carbon-fiber brakes. The all-wheel-drive Porsche 959 and the McLaren F1 were arguably the most advanced supercars of the last century, and nobody has done much that's really different since. Lamborghini's Countach was outrageous-looking, but it wasn't a highly advanced car--it didn't even have ABS.
Of course, one myth about supercars is those ludicrously low 0-to-60-mph times. Maybe you can go 0 to 60 in 4 seconds in your Countach if you rev it to six grand and drop the clutch. But if you try that three or four times in a row, your Lamborghini's clutch will probably be history. Then your exotic car will be laid up three to five weeks and it'll cost you more than $5000. So instead, you let the kid in the hopped-up Camaro win the stoplight drag race and you drive your supercar as conservatively as you would a minivan.
I am amazed that there are some people who own supercars and actually brag about how few miles they have on them. The only fun they have with their exotic cars is looking at them in their garages. Maybe it has something to do with how much they think their cars are worth. Or maybe it's those expensive clutches.
Porsches are different. These cars are built to be driven hard and they can take it when you drive them that way. And they've been like that since the beginning. With a rear-mounted, air-cooled four-cylinder opposed engine, and fully independent suspension, they were advanced from the start. The ceramic clutch in the Porsche Carrera GT is a good example of how they think at Porsche. Clutches aren't sexy, but at Porsche they engineer the whole car and they build it to last. I had a new Porsche Carrera GT on loan and I absolutely hammered it. Surprise: Nothing happened to the clutch. Not that I was trying, but I couldn't fry it. You could put the power down cleanly again and again. The clutch in the new Carrera GT is designed to last some 30,000 to 40,000 miles. Look, I drove it hard--I didn't abuse it--but it's meant to be really driven.
Porsche has made a really worthwhile contribution to the supercar genre. The Carrera GT's multiplate clutch is lighter and smaller than any comparable unit. It's patented by Tilton, so there's an American connection and that makes me like it even more. Porsche has been using ceramic-composite brakes for a while, so it was a natural to put this superlight, highly resistant material into service to help transfer the V10's 600-plus horsepower to the pavement. Porsche's Ceramic Composite Clutch is a boon. The clutch-plate diameter is only 6.65 in., which helps the low center of gravity.
NOW WHAT? Leno ponders the order of assembly for the Carrera's complex ceramic clutch pack. Photo By John Lamm
The Carrera GT will sprint to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, turn 131.6 mph in the quarter and top out at 205 mph. Your results may vary, of course. But thanks to the ceramic clutch, you can do those 0-to-60 runs over and over again. The Carrera GT costs $440,000, but I wouldn't be surprised to see ceramic clutches on much more affordable production Porsches soon.
Early Porsches looked like upside down bathtubs, but they worked right and went like hell. There's a lot of German pride in their engineering. A few years ago, I was traveling on the high-speed German autobahn. Occasionally I'd get off the highway and drive through a village. It seemed that in each little town there would be two churches, located a few hundred yards apart. And on the hour, the clocks in both their steeples would strike at exactly the same time. Precision is the German way.
Back to clutches. The McLaren F1, which has a BMW V12 engine, is arguably the best sports car of the last century. But the clutch is good for only 4000 to 5000 miles. And, of course, the McLaren clutch is very expensive. By developing a superior clutch, using ceramic materials, Porsche showed they could think outside the box.
I can hear you now, "Performance-car clutches that only last a few thousand miles?" Yep, performance-car clutches that last only a few thousand miles. People who own them say, "You have a supercar, you live with it." To me that's the same flawed logic that killed the British motorcycle industry. The people who built BSAs, Triumphs, Nortons and Velocettes actually thought that their customers liked "decoking" their cylinder heads occasionally--you know, taking them off, scraping away the built-up carbon deposits and grinding the valves. Maybe people got used to doing that dirty, time-consuming maintenance, but that didn't mean they liked it. I remember when my Triumph Bonneville got to the 8000-mile mark. A friend said, "Now that's gonna need a rebuild." When the new Honda 165s and 305s came out, they didn't need that sort of forced-march attention. So bike enthusiasts began buying them in droves. And one by one, all those great British brands--the ones that didn't believe in progress--went out of business.
In the 1950s, people pointed to Ferraris as being highly advanced cars, but they really weren't. People fell in love with Ferraris--the image, the styling, the powerful engines, the sounds. But Enzo Ferrari, the company founder, clung to solid rear axles on his road cars for a long time. He didn't convert his cars to disc brakes until one of his race drivers, Peter Collins, had Dunlop disc brakes installed on his own road-going Ferrari and shamed the old man into making the change. Ferrari always said he remembered the sound of a V12 engine in a Packard, so his cars had V12s. Signor Ferrari also liked to say, "The horse pulls the cart." So when the radical, midengine Lamborghini Miura came out, Ferrari's top of the line 365 GTB/4 Daytona was still a front-engine car.
But the people at Porsche go their own way. Their prevailing logic is, "It doesn't have to be that way." And the ceramic clutch is a good example of how they constantly stretch. Now, if the British motorcycle industry had taken that attitude, maybe we wouldn't be riding Honda Gold Wings today--we'd all be on Velocette Thruxtons.
BY JAY LENO
Published in the January, 2005 issue.
Pages: 1 2 Next >
SHORT STACK: Jay's amazed by the size of the Porsche's ceramic clutch versus a conventional unit. Photograph by John Lamm
Few limited-production supercars represent real-world technological breakthroughs. Think about it. Most have followed the same old formula with tube frames, lightweight construction, sophisticated, high-horsepower engines, and some even have carbon-fiber brakes. The all-wheel-drive Porsche 959 and the McLaren F1 were arguably the most advanced supercars of the last century, and nobody has done much that's really different since. Lamborghini's Countach was outrageous-looking, but it wasn't a highly advanced car--it didn't even have ABS.
Of course, one myth about supercars is those ludicrously low 0-to-60-mph times. Maybe you can go 0 to 60 in 4 seconds in your Countach if you rev it to six grand and drop the clutch. But if you try that three or four times in a row, your Lamborghini's clutch will probably be history. Then your exotic car will be laid up three to five weeks and it'll cost you more than $5000. So instead, you let the kid in the hopped-up Camaro win the stoplight drag race and you drive your supercar as conservatively as you would a minivan.
I am amazed that there are some people who own supercars and actually brag about how few miles they have on them. The only fun they have with their exotic cars is looking at them in their garages. Maybe it has something to do with how much they think their cars are worth. Or maybe it's those expensive clutches.
Porsches are different. These cars are built to be driven hard and they can take it when you drive them that way. And they've been like that since the beginning. With a rear-mounted, air-cooled four-cylinder opposed engine, and fully independent suspension, they were advanced from the start. The ceramic clutch in the Porsche Carrera GT is a good example of how they think at Porsche. Clutches aren't sexy, but at Porsche they engineer the whole car and they build it to last. I had a new Porsche Carrera GT on loan and I absolutely hammered it. Surprise: Nothing happened to the clutch. Not that I was trying, but I couldn't fry it. You could put the power down cleanly again and again. The clutch in the new Carrera GT is designed to last some 30,000 to 40,000 miles. Look, I drove it hard--I didn't abuse it--but it's meant to be really driven.
Porsche has made a really worthwhile contribution to the supercar genre. The Carrera GT's multiplate clutch is lighter and smaller than any comparable unit. It's patented by Tilton, so there's an American connection and that makes me like it even more. Porsche has been using ceramic-composite brakes for a while, so it was a natural to put this superlight, highly resistant material into service to help transfer the V10's 600-plus horsepower to the pavement. Porsche's Ceramic Composite Clutch is a boon. The clutch-plate diameter is only 6.65 in., which helps the low center of gravity.
NOW WHAT? Leno ponders the order of assembly for the Carrera's complex ceramic clutch pack. Photo By John Lamm
The Carrera GT will sprint to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, turn 131.6 mph in the quarter and top out at 205 mph. Your results may vary, of course. But thanks to the ceramic clutch, you can do those 0-to-60 runs over and over again. The Carrera GT costs $440,000, but I wouldn't be surprised to see ceramic clutches on much more affordable production Porsches soon.
Early Porsches looked like upside down bathtubs, but they worked right and went like hell. There's a lot of German pride in their engineering. A few years ago, I was traveling on the high-speed German autobahn. Occasionally I'd get off the highway and drive through a village. It seemed that in each little town there would be two churches, located a few hundred yards apart. And on the hour, the clocks in both their steeples would strike at exactly the same time. Precision is the German way.
Back to clutches. The McLaren F1, which has a BMW V12 engine, is arguably the best sports car of the last century. But the clutch is good for only 4000 to 5000 miles. And, of course, the McLaren clutch is very expensive. By developing a superior clutch, using ceramic materials, Porsche showed they could think outside the box.
I can hear you now, "Performance-car clutches that only last a few thousand miles?" Yep, performance-car clutches that last only a few thousand miles. People who own them say, "You have a supercar, you live with it." To me that's the same flawed logic that killed the British motorcycle industry. The people who built BSAs, Triumphs, Nortons and Velocettes actually thought that their customers liked "decoking" their cylinder heads occasionally--you know, taking them off, scraping away the built-up carbon deposits and grinding the valves. Maybe people got used to doing that dirty, time-consuming maintenance, but that didn't mean they liked it. I remember when my Triumph Bonneville got to the 8000-mile mark. A friend said, "Now that's gonna need a rebuild." When the new Honda 165s and 305s came out, they didn't need that sort of forced-march attention. So bike enthusiasts began buying them in droves. And one by one, all those great British brands--the ones that didn't believe in progress--went out of business.
In the 1950s, people pointed to Ferraris as being highly advanced cars, but they really weren't. People fell in love with Ferraris--the image, the styling, the powerful engines, the sounds. But Enzo Ferrari, the company founder, clung to solid rear axles on his road cars for a long time. He didn't convert his cars to disc brakes until one of his race drivers, Peter Collins, had Dunlop disc brakes installed on his own road-going Ferrari and shamed the old man into making the change. Ferrari always said he remembered the sound of a V12 engine in a Packard, so his cars had V12s. Signor Ferrari also liked to say, "The horse pulls the cart." So when the radical, midengine Lamborghini Miura came out, Ferrari's top of the line 365 GTB/4 Daytona was still a front-engine car.
But the people at Porsche go their own way. Their prevailing logic is, "It doesn't have to be that way." And the ceramic clutch is a good example of how they constantly stretch. Now, if the British motorcycle industry had taken that attitude, maybe we wouldn't be riding Honda Gold Wings today--we'd all be on Velocette Thruxtons.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Road & Track Update on R8 Testing Differences
ROAD & TRACK UPDATE AUDI R8 (AUGUST 07)
YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY THERE'S A ROAD TEST UPDATE ON A CAR WE RAN NUMBERS ON ONLY THREE MONTHS A GO. ONE REASON IS WE FOUND ACCELERATION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CONVENTIONAL MANUAL AND ITS AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED COUNTERPART. WHILE THE LATTER IN THE R8 , DUBBED R-TRONIC , EXHIBITS LIGHTNING-QUICK GEARCHANGES , IT DOESN'T PROVIDE THE DRIVER WITH THE ULTIMATE CONTROL DURING LAUNCH THAT THE MANUAL DOES . DESPITE BEING EQUIPPED WITH LAUNCH CONTROL , THE AUTOMATIC R8 RESTRICTS THE ENGINE SPEED TO ONLY 5000 RPM WHEN GETTING OFF THE LINE . THE 6-SPEED MANUAL GEARBOX , ON THE OTHER HAND , LETS YOU REV THE 4.2 LITER V-8 ALL THE WAY TO REDLINE (8250 RPM) BEFORE DROPPING THE CLUTCH TO GET THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF WHEELSPIN WHILE TAKING OFF.
SO WHEN WE GOT OUR HANDS ON A MANUAL EQUIPPED R8 , WE TOOK IT STRAIGHT TO THE TEST TRACK WHERE THE NUMBERS TOLD THE STORY. FROM ZERO TO 60 MPH , THE MANUAL R8 CLOCKED IN AT 4.0 SECONDS , 0.3 SECONDS QUICKER THAN THE AUTOMATIC . THAT SAID , THE R-TRONIC'S QUICKSHIFTS ALOWED THE AUTOMATIC R8 TO NARROW THE GAP TO 0.1 SECONDS AT THE QUARTER-MILE MARK.
CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE AREN'T THE ONLY REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE MANUAL . NEVERMIND THE R-TRONIC WILL RUN YOU AN EXTRA $9000 , THE MANUAL GEARBOX IN THE R8 IS ONE OF THE SMOOTHEST , SLICKEST UNITS IN THE MARKET PLACE.THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS SURPRISINGLY LIGHT , AND THE SHIFTER SNAPS INTO EACH GEAR WITH A SLIGHT PUSH OR PULL OF THE RIGHT HAND. THE PEDALS ARE SET UP FOR EASY HEEL-AND-TOEING , ALLOWING YOU TO MATCH REVS AND ENTER CORNERS IN A WAY YOU JUST CAN'T EXPERIENCE WITH AN AUTOMATIC. AND THE MANUAL LOOKS BETTER , TOO , THANKS TO THE METAL GATED SHIFT PLATE.
ANOTHER REASON FOR THIS UPDATE IS A MORE PERSONAL ONE: TO RELAY THE FIST IMPRESSIONS OF MORE MEMBERS OF THE R&T STAFF.MOST OF US MARVELED AT THE CIVIL NATURE OF THE CAR , SOME EVEN GOING AS FAR AS LIKENING IT TO A LUXURY SEDAN . "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS THING IS SO SMOOTH , IT'S EASY TO FORGET YOU'RE IN AN EXOTIC SPORTS CAR . THE CAR IS QUIET , AND THE RIDE QUALITY IS SILKY . WITH THE R8 , YOU DON'T NEED A SEPARATE EVERYDAY COMMUTER CAR , THIS AUDI IS AS COMFORTABLE AS VIRTUALLY ANY SPORTS SEDAN OUT THERE," ONE EDITOR COMMENTED.
ANOTHER EDITOR REMARKED: "I REALLY LIKE IT. IT MAY BORDER ON SACRILEGE , BUT THE R8 REMINDS ME OF A GERMAN VERSION OF THE ACURA NXS , WHAT WITH ITS SEWING -MACHINE- LIKE ENGINE BEHIND THE DRIVER. I ALSO LIKE THE LOW COWL AND GENEROUS INTERIOR SPACE."EVERY ENTRY IN THE CAR'S NOTEBOOK CONSISTED OF GLOWING PRAISE FOR THE GERMAN SUPER CAR. AND IF WE HAD ARE WAY , WE'D DO A ROAD TEST UPDATE ON THE R8 EVERY MONTH , JUST SO WE CAN KEEP DRIVING IT.
SAM MITANI (R&T AUGUST 07)
YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY THERE'S A ROAD TEST UPDATE ON A CAR WE RAN NUMBERS ON ONLY THREE MONTHS A GO. ONE REASON IS WE FOUND ACCELERATION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CONVENTIONAL MANUAL AND ITS AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED COUNTERPART. WHILE THE LATTER IN THE R8 , DUBBED R-TRONIC , EXHIBITS LIGHTNING-QUICK GEARCHANGES , IT DOESN'T PROVIDE THE DRIVER WITH THE ULTIMATE CONTROL DURING LAUNCH THAT THE MANUAL DOES . DESPITE BEING EQUIPPED WITH LAUNCH CONTROL , THE AUTOMATIC R8 RESTRICTS THE ENGINE SPEED TO ONLY 5000 RPM WHEN GETTING OFF THE LINE . THE 6-SPEED MANUAL GEARBOX , ON THE OTHER HAND , LETS YOU REV THE 4.2 LITER V-8 ALL THE WAY TO REDLINE (8250 RPM) BEFORE DROPPING THE CLUTCH TO GET THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF WHEELSPIN WHILE TAKING OFF.
SO WHEN WE GOT OUR HANDS ON A MANUAL EQUIPPED R8 , WE TOOK IT STRAIGHT TO THE TEST TRACK WHERE THE NUMBERS TOLD THE STORY. FROM ZERO TO 60 MPH , THE MANUAL R8 CLOCKED IN AT 4.0 SECONDS , 0.3 SECONDS QUICKER THAN THE AUTOMATIC . THAT SAID , THE R-TRONIC'S QUICKSHIFTS ALOWED THE AUTOMATIC R8 TO NARROW THE GAP TO 0.1 SECONDS AT THE QUARTER-MILE MARK.
CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE AREN'T THE ONLY REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE MANUAL . NEVERMIND THE R-TRONIC WILL RUN YOU AN EXTRA $9000 , THE MANUAL GEARBOX IN THE R8 IS ONE OF THE SMOOTHEST , SLICKEST UNITS IN THE MARKET PLACE.THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS SURPRISINGLY LIGHT , AND THE SHIFTER SNAPS INTO EACH GEAR WITH A SLIGHT PUSH OR PULL OF THE RIGHT HAND. THE PEDALS ARE SET UP FOR EASY HEEL-AND-TOEING , ALLOWING YOU TO MATCH REVS AND ENTER CORNERS IN A WAY YOU JUST CAN'T EXPERIENCE WITH AN AUTOMATIC. AND THE MANUAL LOOKS BETTER , TOO , THANKS TO THE METAL GATED SHIFT PLATE.
ANOTHER REASON FOR THIS UPDATE IS A MORE PERSONAL ONE: TO RELAY THE FIST IMPRESSIONS OF MORE MEMBERS OF THE R&T STAFF.MOST OF US MARVELED AT THE CIVIL NATURE OF THE CAR , SOME EVEN GOING AS FAR AS LIKENING IT TO A LUXURY SEDAN . "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS THING IS SO SMOOTH , IT'S EASY TO FORGET YOU'RE IN AN EXOTIC SPORTS CAR . THE CAR IS QUIET , AND THE RIDE QUALITY IS SILKY . WITH THE R8 , YOU DON'T NEED A SEPARATE EVERYDAY COMMUTER CAR , THIS AUDI IS AS COMFORTABLE AS VIRTUALLY ANY SPORTS SEDAN OUT THERE," ONE EDITOR COMMENTED.
ANOTHER EDITOR REMARKED: "I REALLY LIKE IT. IT MAY BORDER ON SACRILEGE , BUT THE R8 REMINDS ME OF A GERMAN VERSION OF THE ACURA NXS , WHAT WITH ITS SEWING -MACHINE- LIKE ENGINE BEHIND THE DRIVER. I ALSO LIKE THE LOW COWL AND GENEROUS INTERIOR SPACE."EVERY ENTRY IN THE CAR'S NOTEBOOK CONSISTED OF GLOWING PRAISE FOR THE GERMAN SUPER CAR. AND IF WE HAD ARE WAY , WE'D DO A ROAD TEST UPDATE ON THE R8 EVERY MONTH , JUST SO WE CAN KEEP DRIVING IT.
SAM MITANI (R&T AUGUST 07)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}