Last week it was Bugatti beating the record for the world's fastest production car at 304.77mph and this week VW in their electric ID R have broken yet another record. After Pikes Peak, Goodwood Hillclimb and the Nurbrugring Nordschliefe, VW have taken a red ID R up the Tianman Shan Big Gate Road in China in a new record time of 7 mins 38.5 seconds. With 99 corners and a total distance of 6.776 miles and Romain Dumas again piloting the 670bhp electric beast, the current record set in a Range Rover Sport P400e of 9 mins 51 secs had no chance at all. VW have not indicated what their next test will be, I think getting around the M25 as quickly as possible. Whilst on the topic of electric cars, the Porsche Taycan is currently the fastest production electric car around the Nurburgring with a time of 7 mins 24 secs, but Elon Musk has challenged them to a duel. Next week, a Tesla Model S P100D will attempt a timed lap of the Nurburgring to knock Porsche off of their metatphorical 'high horse'. The Taycan has been revealed in the last few days to have 700bhp so good luck to Tesla beating that.
The Frankfurt Motor Show is this week and this means there are a lot of new models shown for the first time. The Lamborghini Sian which I talked about last week has received a new name in the Sian FKP 37 which tributes the late Ferdinand K Piech, born in 1937. This name will be on the nameplate of the car, however it will be known as a Sian. BMW have shown to the public for the first time the new BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe which, like every 8 Series, looks absolutely stunning. It will go on sale in the UK this September with the choice of either a straight six or a V8. Sticking with BMW, to an extent, we have the new Alpina B3 Biturbo Touring which is Alpina’s vision of what would happen if BMW made an M3 estate, fitted with the 6 cylinder engine and adding a twin turbocharged set up to produce 463bhp and Alpina say it will be good for 186mph which would make it one of the fastest estate cars on the market. Alpina will begin taking orders in early 2020. BMW have confirmed that they will be working on making a successor to the now 41-year old BMW M1 as signature designs of the M1 were found in the new M Next Vision concept. The M1 signature double rear shield feature is shown to be in the design as well as the rear engine cover which is similar to the original car. However due to the radical and beautiful design of the concept, BMW will likely never put it into production as they tend not to make the beautiful concepts, more rather they would hide them in their museum. Mercedes, in another collaboration with luxury manufacturer Maybach, have come to the show with a luxury edition of their GLS SUV. At a price of £150,000, it will be produced to rival the Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover Vogue SV Autobiography and the Rolls Royce Cullinan. And at half the price of the Cullinan and all of the luxury, I know my choice. The Frankfurt Motor Show in conclusion provided a lot of interesting, important and unique cars for the future of motoring, some of which I hope to see in the near future.
Porsche have had a habit of taking it's hardest charging models and giving them the prestigious 'RS' badge. RS, standing for RennSport, has been a pinnacle of Porsche since the 2.7 Carrera RS of 1973 first wore the RS badge for road cars. Since then there have been many cars to wear the RS badge, and all of them were 911s. There's been the 993, 996, 997 and 991 generation of GT3 that have worn the badge as well as the 993, 996, 997 and 991 generation of GT2. These have been the only cars that have worn the RS badge, until now. Spotted at the Nürburgring last week was a modified version of the new 718 Cayman GT4 featuring the bonnet air intakes of the 991 GT2 RS, a lowered stance and a strange looking rear wing. Porsche have not yet ruled out an RS version of this generation GT4 and as the Clubsport has already been released so this could be the RS we've been waiting for. If it is, it has been predicted to have 500hp there or thereabouts and with the 4.0 flat 6 from the Porsche 911 GT3, it could be one of the fastest track day cars around.
Sunday 15 September 2019
Thursday 5 September 2019
30th Aug-5th Sept - Weekly Car News
The main key news this week is due to the sad passing of Anthoine Hubert, a French Formula 2 driver who was killed at the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. In the feature Formula 2 race after Formula One qualifying on Saturday, all the drivers came to climb the dangerous Eau Rouge/Raidillon corner. The corner itself has been a feature of Spa since its opening in 1926 and is described as one of the most dangerous corners in motorsport. After La Source, the hairpin first corner of the circuit, the drivers accelerate down the shallow incline to be met with an incredibly steep left turn which curves right up the hill only to be met with a second left hander to lead to the Kemmel straight. The speed at which cars can go up Eau Rouge varies as touring cars can go up this corner at maximum 110mph, whereas F1 cars can go up at 185mph due to the increased downforce and grip of the cars. Back to the tragic events of this weekend, the formula two cars were racing up the hill when Hubert pushed too hard causing his car to spin. As it spun, it hit the right side barriers and rolled back out onto the track, where he was hit a second time at 100mph. His car, or what was left of it, dragged upside down along the track only being saved by the carbon fibre halo. After the race was red flagged, Hubert and the other car involved, Correa, were safely taken out of their cars and taken to hospital. Hubert died due to his injuries and Correa is still in intensive care. The news was incredibly hard hitting for the F1 drivers who stopped interviews and sprinted up to the crash location. Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were most affected due to growing up racing each other. Leclerc went on to win the Formula One race the next day, dedicating the win to his friend. It has been thought that he’d have died on impact if the halo safety precaution wasn’t in place but it stands as a reminder of the dangers these drivers face every single day. Legendary endurance racer Stefan Bellof also was killed at Spa in 1985 after his Porsche 956 came into contact with Jacky Ickx’s 956C at Eau Rouge and speared into a wall. The safety at Spa has always been a concern but given all the similar concerns at other racing circuits, these incidents are always declared as racing incidents.
Bugatti have always been known for creating some fairly fast cars and some legendary models. Ettore Bugatti created originally the Type 35C to be one of the worlds fastest racing cars with a top speed of 135mph in 1926, which was ridiculous. However due to many financial issues and the sad death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947, Bugatti was no more. Until the 1990s when Bugatti was revived by the late Ferdinand Piech and released the EB110 which became the world’s fastest car in 1991 with a top speed of 218mph, soon to be eclipsed by the McLaren F1’s 240mph in 1994. That record was only broken by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 in 2005 with a top speed of 253mph. After multiple editions came and went, Bugatti cemented their top speed at 268mph with their SuperSport model. Since then, Koenigsegg set a top speed record in the Agera RS at 278mph which is the current record. However, footage has been released by Bugatti recently which shows a Bugatti Chiron with added aero parts reaching the magical 300mph. This has been the first road legal car to reach this number, in what has been dubbed the Chiron Supersport 300 prototype. 300 miles per hour is a motoring myth that for decades people thought was impossible for a road car. SSC (Shelby Super Cars) had a go in the US in their Ultimate Aero TT but only managed 256mph, Hennessey tried in the Venom GT managed 270mph and the rare 9FF GT9 Vmax with 1400hp managed 272mph. 300mph has always been the target, only achieved once before in a very highly modified Mk2 Ford GT. The Chiron smashed it, maxing out at 304.77mph under the control of Andy Wallace, who set the record with the McLaren F1 and the Jaguar XJ220. Koenigsegg have all eyes on them now as the new Jesko has an estimated top speed of 'above 300mph' and the up and coming Hennessey Venom F5 and SSC Tuatara from the USA, the top speed game is going up a level.
In the next week is the Frankfurt Motor Show 2019 which tends to be one of the smaller of the international motor shows in comparison to, say, Geneva, New York and London. However, given the preview of this year's show, it should be classed as one of the big shows. The main event is the debut of the Lamborghini Sian, a new limited series Lamborghini with a revolutionary new feature that could change the way Lamborghini make cars in the future. This new model features the engine from the SVJ but with an upgraded supercapacitor meaning it is slightly hybridised. Although only 63 examples will be made, it is a glimpse into the future of Lamborghini and the future of their V12 engines. Audi will be debuting their new RS6 which will facelift the previous model and feature the very popular 4.0 Twin-Turbo V8 which has just under 600bhp and will rival the new Mercedes AMG E63S and BMW M5. They are also rumoured to be announcing their new RS7 Sportback which will definitely have over 600bhp and will be the new hero car for the Audi RS range. BMW will show their Vision M Next concept which shows a modern interpretation of the 1978 BMW M1 which will most likely not make production like many other BMW concepts but for this one I have hope. A surprise attraction will be Hyundai with the new i30N Project C which has been under cover of camo at the Nürburgring featuring race spec alloy wheels and a suspension drop. Limited to 600 units with none expected to come to the UK unfortunately we will miss out on this exciting project. As mentioned last week, the Land Rover Defender will make an appearance for the first time without a camo wrap which will be a crucial release. Porsche released today the new Taycan. I have seen the Taycan prototype at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed driven by Mark Webber. This model was under camo though so didn't see the proper body shape. However, Porsche have now revealed two trims being the Turbo and Turbo S. The name confuses me as it is a fully electric Porsche, so how can it be turbocharged? Besides this, the car looks absolutely stunning with many cues being taken from the Panamera, 718 Cayman GTS and the Sport Turismo and should be a perfect addition to the Porsche family. The Mercedes AMG GLB has been announced as a rival to the Audi RSQ3 and will pack a punch of 416bhp from a 2.0 turbocharged 4-cylinder engine featured in the A35 AMG. As a small rumour, Ferrari have apparently shown an exclusive look at two new models which will be joining the current range. The Ferrari 812 Spider has been more or less confirmed at this stage with some leaked images and scale models showing the beautiful styling that Ferrari are famous for. The second car goes under the alias of 'V8 Spider'. There are a few options as to what it could be, possibly an update to the Pista Aperta, possibly an F8 Tributo Spider but that would be strange seeing as though there are no customer owned F8s in the world yet. Another option is the SF90 Stradale Aperta which has the same issue as the F8. This 'V8 Spider' may go completely unknown until its launch.
Monday 2 September 2019
22nd-29th August - Weekly Car News
Starting over the last seven days, I have been compiling a number of different car-related news stories which are major or just interesting in order to increase the journalistic style of my writing.
One of the biggest stories that is circulating the internet a lot recently is the apparent leak of the new Land Rover Defender, a car that has been anticipated for over 2 years. The Land Rover Defender was in production from 1963-2016 and was the pinnacle in 4X4s for all of those years. Since early 2017, Jaguar Land Rover has teased that there will be another version of the Defender to be released in 2020 with snapshots of certain body panels, a camo car rallying through the deserts of Abu Dhabi and even an unofficial debut at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed under its camo wrap with the #best4x4xfar hashtag smeared all over it. However, a few days ago, an image leaked of the Defender appearing to be on the set of the new James Bond film 'No Time to Die'. The image seems to suggest a lot of styling cues from the current Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery, however the leak source is not a reliable one so this may be a render or maybe even if it is the car, certain sections may be edited.
Bugatti have announced today that they will not make any one off special edition cars for clients that pay them enough for it. This comes after the announcement of the £7.4m Centodieci at Monterey Car Week, a Chiron Sport bodied car with styling elements harking back to the first Bugatti hypercar, the EB110. The Centodieci features similar styled side ventilation as the EB110 as well as a bumper that looks fairly similar and a massive carbon rear wing that slightly subverts the EB110 design. The engine is the same 8.0 V16 as the Bugatti Divo and produces a ridiculous 1577bhp which is over 100 horsepower up from the regular Chiron. Only 10 will be produced in another limited series Bugatti car. However they have said they won't go down the same path as Ferrari's Special Project series and will not create bespoke one off models for clients. This means a Kuwaiti billionaire cannot walk into Molsheim, home of Bugatti, with a briefcase full of money and drive out in a Chiron prepped for the Monte Carlo Rally in a Shooting Brake format. Bugatti have a very passionate fanbase and an even more loyal clientele who often buy the special editions of Bugatti cars without driving them or sometimes even seeing them in advance. It is amazing that Bugatti have already sold out of the Centodieci, as all 10 examples were sold before the car's debut. It is thought that the average Bugatti owner has 30 cars, a very exclusive and niche market for their cars yet they all manage to sell. All of the Bugatti Divo's had sold before the debut of it at Geneva which added to the Centodieci numbers is 50 limited series cars sold before public reveal. The only one off that Bugatti has completed was La Voiture Noire, created as an homage to Jean Bugatti's Type 57 and built as a gift to an unknown client, rumoured to be the late Ferdinand Piech or Stephen Winkleman, and was the most expensive new car commissioned at £16.7m. Bugatti has not ruled out special projects such as the Divo and Centodieci as they believe coachbuilding to be a key element in their history, but have ruled out one off models.
Lamborghini has released a press image of what may be the new Aventador model to grace the world ready for a debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The image shows a darkened room with two star shaped head lamps lighting towards to camera. The general body shape of the car seems a lot wider than the standard car and a lot taller than the standard car, with potential relation to the Terzo Millenio EV concept. Due to this relation it is predicted to have a hybrid V12 engine, which does mean the Aventador replacement will still have the traditional Lamborghini V12 scream. The stance of the car also, to me, has some elements of other Lamborghini special editions such as the Veneno, Centenario and the SC18 Alston, which shows that due to the Audi ownership, the Germans will have most likely built the engine, drivetrain and hybrid system with the Italians doing the styling. The car is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on the 10th of September and finishing on a good note, Lamborghini has confirmed it will remain naturally-aspirated and will not have to fall back on turbocharged engines.
Finally ending with some sad news of the passing of Dr. Ferdinand Piech at the age of 82. The German automotive designer had a large catalogue to his name and leaves a legacy behind with him. Most notably in his career was his lead on the VW group and his racing development that led to some of the greatest cars the world has ever seen. Some of his masterpieces include the Porsche 917 which he designed to win Le Mans and succeeding in creating one of the most overpowered racing cars of all time that forced a rule change to stop its domination in the motoring world. After the 917 he moved to Audi where he pioneered the legendary Audi Quattro and Quattro S1, using four wheel drive systems to beat Lancia in the 1980s World Rally Championships. Then he made the move to the VW group, helping Bugatti out of administration as without him, there would be no Veyron or no Bugatti at all. When Audi took over Lamborghini, everyone thought it would flop and the legends of the Miura and the Countach would sink. However the Gallardo is one of the best, the interesting concepts of the Estoque and Asterion made people wonder and the Murcielago/Aventador was a pinnacle supercar. With Porsche, he helped the creation of the Carrera GT and their rebirth into motorsport with disciplines such as the Porsche Carrera Cup, LMP racing, GT3 racing and WRC. Piech designed cars won 14 of 15 Le Mans 24 Hour races they entered and with the return of Porsche, Audi were allowed to race alongside them before both teams withdrew. He also designed a future with the VW XL1 which found production as an electric VW sports car. His ownership, leadership and design skills led to Piech being a well respected man in the auto industry and a leader who will be sorely missed.
One of the biggest stories that is circulating the internet a lot recently is the apparent leak of the new Land Rover Defender, a car that has been anticipated for over 2 years. The Land Rover Defender was in production from 1963-2016 and was the pinnacle in 4X4s for all of those years. Since early 2017, Jaguar Land Rover has teased that there will be another version of the Defender to be released in 2020 with snapshots of certain body panels, a camo car rallying through the deserts of Abu Dhabi and even an unofficial debut at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed under its camo wrap with the #best4x4xfar hashtag smeared all over it. However, a few days ago, an image leaked of the Defender appearing to be on the set of the new James Bond film 'No Time to Die'. The image seems to suggest a lot of styling cues from the current Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery, however the leak source is not a reliable one so this may be a render or maybe even if it is the car, certain sections may be edited.
Bugatti have announced today that they will not make any one off special edition cars for clients that pay them enough for it. This comes after the announcement of the £7.4m Centodieci at Monterey Car Week, a Chiron Sport bodied car with styling elements harking back to the first Bugatti hypercar, the EB110. The Centodieci features similar styled side ventilation as the EB110 as well as a bumper that looks fairly similar and a massive carbon rear wing that slightly subverts the EB110 design. The engine is the same 8.0 V16 as the Bugatti Divo and produces a ridiculous 1577bhp which is over 100 horsepower up from the regular Chiron. Only 10 will be produced in another limited series Bugatti car. However they have said they won't go down the same path as Ferrari's Special Project series and will not create bespoke one off models for clients. This means a Kuwaiti billionaire cannot walk into Molsheim, home of Bugatti, with a briefcase full of money and drive out in a Chiron prepped for the Monte Carlo Rally in a Shooting Brake format. Bugatti have a very passionate fanbase and an even more loyal clientele who often buy the special editions of Bugatti cars without driving them or sometimes even seeing them in advance. It is amazing that Bugatti have already sold out of the Centodieci, as all 10 examples were sold before the car's debut. It is thought that the average Bugatti owner has 30 cars, a very exclusive and niche market for their cars yet they all manage to sell. All of the Bugatti Divo's had sold before the debut of it at Geneva which added to the Centodieci numbers is 50 limited series cars sold before public reveal. The only one off that Bugatti has completed was La Voiture Noire, created as an homage to Jean Bugatti's Type 57 and built as a gift to an unknown client, rumoured to be the late Ferdinand Piech or Stephen Winkleman, and was the most expensive new car commissioned at £16.7m. Bugatti has not ruled out special projects such as the Divo and Centodieci as they believe coachbuilding to be a key element in their history, but have ruled out one off models.
Lamborghini has released a press image of what may be the new Aventador model to grace the world ready for a debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The image shows a darkened room with two star shaped head lamps lighting towards to camera. The general body shape of the car seems a lot wider than the standard car and a lot taller than the standard car, with potential relation to the Terzo Millenio EV concept. Due to this relation it is predicted to have a hybrid V12 engine, which does mean the Aventador replacement will still have the traditional Lamborghini V12 scream. The stance of the car also, to me, has some elements of other Lamborghini special editions such as the Veneno, Centenario and the SC18 Alston, which shows that due to the Audi ownership, the Germans will have most likely built the engine, drivetrain and hybrid system with the Italians doing the styling. The car is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on the 10th of September and finishing on a good note, Lamborghini has confirmed it will remain naturally-aspirated and will not have to fall back on turbocharged engines.
Finally ending with some sad news of the passing of Dr. Ferdinand Piech at the age of 82. The German automotive designer had a large catalogue to his name and leaves a legacy behind with him. Most notably in his career was his lead on the VW group and his racing development that led to some of the greatest cars the world has ever seen. Some of his masterpieces include the Porsche 917 which he designed to win Le Mans and succeeding in creating one of the most overpowered racing cars of all time that forced a rule change to stop its domination in the motoring world. After the 917 he moved to Audi where he pioneered the legendary Audi Quattro and Quattro S1, using four wheel drive systems to beat Lancia in the 1980s World Rally Championships. Then he made the move to the VW group, helping Bugatti out of administration as without him, there would be no Veyron or no Bugatti at all. When Audi took over Lamborghini, everyone thought it would flop and the legends of the Miura and the Countach would sink. However the Gallardo is one of the best, the interesting concepts of the Estoque and Asterion made people wonder and the Murcielago/Aventador was a pinnacle supercar. With Porsche, he helped the creation of the Carrera GT and their rebirth into motorsport with disciplines such as the Porsche Carrera Cup, LMP racing, GT3 racing and WRC. Piech designed cars won 14 of 15 Le Mans 24 Hour races they entered and with the return of Porsche, Audi were allowed to race alongside them before both teams withdrew. He also designed a future with the VW XL1 which found production as an electric VW sports car. His ownership, leadership and design skills led to Piech being a well respected man in the auto industry and a leader who will be sorely missed.
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