While we think Rolls-Royce is unlikely to be selling an all-electric Phantom any time soon, the British luxury car maker has been putting its 102EX Electric Phantom through a whole series of tests ahead of a worldwide tour to ensure it behaves in an appropriate manner at all times. One of the most important series of tests undertaken by...
First You can type in *#7370# and then inter your lock code (default is 12345).
In a remarkable show of gritty determination Audi’s only surviving car, Number Three driven by Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer, clinched victory in this year’s Le Man’s 24 hours race by a scant 13.85 seconds from the Number Nine Peugeot of Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenud and Pedro Lamy followed by three other Peugeot’s that, at the end of the day, couldn’t crack Audi’s iron will to win.
The winning car was considered to be very much the junior team but the three drivers, led by Audi’s first female chief engineer, Leena Gade proved worthy of the task.
Following Rockenfeller’s horrific 230 mph accident late on Saturday night and running under the safety car for the best part of two hours, Audi’s sole surviving R18TDI never enjoyed more than a minute’s lead over their French arch-rivals.
Still the team and drivers kept cool heads, to the extent that Lotterer posted the fastest race time of 3 mins 25.29 secs on lap 229.
Despite brief showers on Sunday morning and the fact that the Audi’s were running one lap less between fuel stops never mind that the Peugeots were relentlessly cutting into their lead, Audi somehow managed to clung to a lead that was continuously whittled away as the morning wore on. With 35 minutes showing on the clock both the Audi and Peugeot had to make dash and splash pit stops, with the German car leading its French rival out the pits by just 7.8secs that was gradually stretched to nearly double as the seconds ticked away.
There was no hiding Audi’s sense of relief and joy at its victory and, equally, no hiding of Peugeot’s disappointment that, despite having four cars chasing one Audi down it still wasn’t enough to secure victory.
Related posts:
That’s a tough choice, selecting between two iconic sports cars even if they’re separated by nearly half a century of automotive development.
On the one hand we have the E-Type celebrating its 50th birthday this year. I haven’t driven one for a good many years so thought it an opportunity to reacquaint myself with the car and rediscover what all the fuss is about.
My first challenge was getting in: at 6ft 2ins I am hardly triple X sized and I don’t wear shoes the size of small kayaks, but I found getting my legs and feet down the tunnel and round the steering wheel about as easy as threading a worm back down its hole. Furthermore once in place the massive steering wheel cut across my thighs to such a degree that I think I’ve invented a new Yoga position. And as for the pedals I felt as if I could operate all three simultaneously with either just my left or right Timberland. Oh yes, and I wish I’d opted for the convertible, at least with its hood down I’d have had enough headroom unlike the Hunchback of Notre Dame stance I was forced to assume.
Aside from that it was fine, the engine took on that strong straight six beat with a back rhythm of warbling carbs slurping in fuel and air. The gearbox was a bit iffy not aided by the long throw clutch.
But it was the cramped cabin and ergonomics – what ergonomics? – that left a not entirely good impression on me especially after I tried to extricate myself with all the grace and dexterity of a lobster trying to escape its pot.
Over to the Cayman R and it fits like a glove, a compact steering wheel, pedals ideally placed for heel ‘n toeing – if you want to show off that is, with modern synchros that’s not needed these days – a short, crisp gearbox throw and a rasping exhaust timbre just to the aft.
The ergonomics are ideal and its steering is arguably the best you can get in a performance car in this price bracket.
Fast forward 50 years and I wonder if the Cayman will feel just as arthritic as that E-Type did?
Related posts:
"
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is opening a research office this month in Silicon Valley across from the famous Google Campus. The company says it will allow it to “capitalize on the region’s world class engineering talent and stay ahead of trends that are reshaping the way people interact with their cars.”
“The Alliance is at the vanguard of the auto industry’s shift to sustainable transportation. Having a greater footprint in one of the world’s headquarters for clean tech research will extend our lead further,” said Carlos Ghosn, CEO and Chairman of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, who is giving a talk at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) today.
Nissan says it will use the Silicon Valley office to focus on vehicle IT research, including graphical user-interface displays, in-car Internet connectivity and smart-grid research. An example of this is Nissan’s “Carwings” telematics system, a standard in every Nissan LEAF, which includes a touch screen display with maps of recharging stations and real-time reports on energy consumption.
Whether we like it or not many future cars will be developed in Silicon Valley. Think about it – a century ago engineers and scientists interested in helping the fledgling auto industry flocked to Detroit, Stuttgart, Coventry and other areas where early auto companies got started.
Tomorrow’s cars are likely to be largely devoid of many mechanical parts. Electronics are already the most important part of a modern car and will become increasingly so in the future.
Renault-Nissan joins other companies in realizing the value of a presence in Silicon Valley. For example, back in 1998 the Volkswagen Group opened its Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL) in Silicon Valley. In 2005, with help from nearby Stanford University and Google, Stanley, an autonomous Touareg was born. It won the $2 million prize in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, by navigating a desert race course in Nevada without human intervention.
It’s a know fact that autonomous cars are already trolling streets in the area as software engineers fine tune systems readying them for our future use. So, if you see a Renault or Nissan with a driver without his or her hands on the steering wheel you’ll now know why.
Related posts:
"
Designing a Ferrari certainly beats the homework assignments I remember from my college days. The Ferrari World Design Contest is tasking students with coming up with an extreme Ferrari supercar. Sounds easy, right? Except the folks in Maranello want the car to be extremely light, supremely fast and, in an added twist, also ecologically friendly. You can already guess that this involves more than tossing a high-revving Italian engine into a roadster with a red paintjob.
Of the original 50 design schools involved in the project, the selection process has winnowed them down to a final seven. These schools include: IED and IAAD from Turin (Italy), the London Royal College of Arts (UK), the European Design Institute Barcelona (Spain), Seoul’s Hong-ik College (Korea), the DSK Supinfocom from Pune (India) and the College For Creative Studies in Detroit (USA).
This second part of the design project will have students design scale models of their proposals. Ferrari wants particular attention paid to the cabin and special details – all while making sure the car’s functionality doesn’t suffer to any design whims. Winners will be announced in July, with awards including an internship at Ferrari. That’s definitely worth a few all-nighters, in my opinion.
Related posts:
"
Answering a question no one was asking, Danish supercar builder Zenvo Automotive is taking the fight to Bugatti. The boutique automaker is bringing three examples of its mid-engine 1,250-bhp supercar to the U.S. market. The car, known as the Zenvo ST-1 50S, is priced at $1.8 million.
This actually makes the Zenvo a bargain of the hyper-exotic automotive world, since it’s roughly $600,000 less than a Bugatti Super Sport but offers an extra 50-bhp over the Bug’s 1,200-bhp. Heck, Zenvo even throws in a $49,000 Swiss-made watch to anyone who hands a check over for the ST-1 50S.
Of course, some bragging rights will be curtailed by the performance of the car. We’re not complaining about the (mfr. estimated) 0-60 mph sprint of 3.0 seconds. The Zenvo even looks pretty cool in photos, with its chunky lines and vicious-looking headlights and protruding grill.
But the Zenvo’s electronically limited top speed of 233-mph means the ST-1 50S remains 25-mph shy of the Bugatti Super Sport’s 258-mph v-max.
Related posts:
Peter Brock has been awarded the International Automotive Media Award (IAMA) for Lifetime Achievement by the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.
The IAMA for Lifetime Achievement award is in recognition of Brock’s 25 or more years in the automotive media. Brock has covered all kinds of auto racing, and his contributions to the craft also include automotive designs that have appeared in brochures, posters, and various other forms.
Having just returned to the U.S. from the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, Brock accepted the award and said: “I love participating and writing about all forms of competition and design. Long ago I found that true racers are special people; it matters not whether they are involved cerebrally with the basic concepts, the actual creative design and fabrication, or finally putting the results of those ideas to test on the track, each in his own way is seldom given to compromise. There’s great beauty in that kind of sacrifice; in striving always to be the best.”
Well said. And it’s an award well deserved for Brock, who then headed off to Pikes Peak for the annual hill climb this weekend.
For the record, Brock joins previous award recipients such as Chris Economaki, Brock Yates and the late David E. Davis. “It’s a real honor to be included in such an amazing group.”
Related posts:
"
Finishing isn’t the only thing—but it’s way ahead of the next-best option.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is like The Perfect Storm in a forest. Rain, shine, or snow, more than 220,000 racing fans, powered by the best beer in the world, gather for the most overwhelming, pagan auto race on earth. Wall Streeter Jim Glickenhaus, owner and patron of the privateer Ferrari F430–based P4/5 Competizione—about which you can read in tantalizing depth here—was a first-timer at the 2011 event, and he was awestruck. “It’s like Woodstock! People camp out in the woods for days. There are rock concerts. There’s a burning man [like at Burning Ma]! It’s unbelievable!”
Keep Reading: A Roar in the Forest: How the P4/5C Racer Battled Fate at the Nürburgring 24 Hours – Feature
We built it, we love it—did you expect anything less?
Date: June 2011
Months in Fleet: 6 months
Current Mileage: 18,334 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 15 mpg
Average Range: 270 miles
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $120
Damage and Destruction: $566
It’s no surprise that we constantly fight over who gets to drive our long-term CTS-V. After all, a 556-horse punch is incredibly intoxicating, especially when it’s stabled in a station wagon and gallops through a satisfying manual gearbox.
Keep Reading: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon – Long Term Road Test Update
When is a 2011 Chevrolet Volt not a plug-in hybrid? When it covers 2,500 miles between fill-ups. That’s how far Maryland resident Jeff Parmet has driven in his 2011 Chevrolet Volt in the past six months. In fact, he’s just visited the gas pump for the first time since buying the car. Until its release last winter, Chevrolet was pretty... When is a 2011 Chevrolet Volt not a plug-in hybrid? When it covers 2,500 miles between fill-ups. That’s how far Maryland resident Jeff Parmet has driven in his 2011 Chevrolet Volt in the past six months. In fact, he’s just visited the gas pump for the first time since buying the car. Until its release last winter, Chevrolet was pretty... When is a 2011 Chevrolet Volt not a plug-in hybrid? When it covers 2,500 miles between fill-ups. That’s how far Maryland resident Jeff Parmet has driven in his 2011 Chevrolet Volt in the past six months. In fact, he’s just visited the gas pump for the first time since buying the car. Until its release last winter, Chevrolet was pretty...
The ReFuel EV Track Day hosted by Speedventures ran its third annual event this past weekend at Laguna Seca, and as you might--or might not--expect, a Nissan Leaf was on hand to turn some laps. The video is unusual for a track-day reel, with nothing but wind noise and tire squeal to be heard. It's not particularly high-speed, but, then, neither is...
While the major automakers whittle away on their electric car developments, a small German firm by the name of e-Wolf has been building and selling a range of electric vehicles including small scooters, full-size commercial vehicles and high-performance track cars, for several years now. e-Wolf’s latest development is the new Alpha 1 SRF, a...
Today is the day many auto manufacturers dread each year. Why? For the past 25 years J.D. Power and Associates has been producing the Initial Quality Survey (IQS) which tracks the number of problems reported by owners after 90 days of ownership. Today it announced results for the 2011 IQS.
Overall the number of quality problems with cars has continued to drop year by year. However, this year the esteemed research company reports that the initial quality of launch models—those that are all-new or have had major redesigns—worsened by 10 percent to an average of 122 problems per 100 (PP100) cars in 2011 from 111 PP100 in 2010. Conversely, carryover models—those that have had no significant redesign in the past year—have better initial quality than ever before.
Once again Lexus owners report the lowest number of problems. Honda was ranked second – its best ever finish, with Acura right behind. There are plenty of headlines in news stories today, which generally talk about how each company ranked. Ford in particular is taking a beating for its “quality decline”; mainly because of problems people are having with the MyFord Touch system.
In many ways the number of problems reported for individual models is more important as even the worst performing nameplates have models that do well. So, here is a list of the top three models in each segment:
Top Three Models per Segment:
Highest Ranked Sub-Compact Car: Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent
Highest Ranked Compact Car: Honda Civic and Honda Insight (tie), Toyota Prius
Highest Ranked Compact Sporty Car: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Volkswagen Eos, Volkswagen GTI
Highest Ranked Compact Premium Sporty Car*: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet/Coupe
Highest Ranked Entry Premium Car: Lexus ES, Acura TSX, Lexus IS
Highest Ranked Midsize Premium Car: Lexus GS, Jaguar XF, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan/Wagon
Highest Ranked Midsize Sporty Car*: Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro
Highest Ranked Large Premium Car: Lexus LS, Hyundai Equus, Porsche Panamera
Highest Ranked Midsize Car: Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry
Highest Ranked Large Car: Ford Taurus, Buick Lucerne, Nissan Maxima
Highest Ranked Compact Crossover/SUV: Honda Element, Honda CR-V, Toyota FJ Cruiser
Highest Ranked Compact MPV*: Chevrolet HHR
Highest Ranked Entry Premium Crossover/SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class, Acura RDX, Volvo XC60
Highest Ranked Midsize Crossover/SUV: Honda Accord Crosstour, Dodge Durango (tie), Subaru Outback Wagon (tie)
Highest Ranked Large Crossover/SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban
Highest Ranked Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV: Lexus GX, Lexus RX, BMW X6 (tie) Infiniti FX-Series (tie), Volvo XC70 (tie)
Highest Ranked Large Premium Crossover/SUV: Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Lincoln Navigator
Highest Ranked Large Pickup: Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Avalanche
Highest Ranked Midsize Pickup: Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, Ram Dakota
Highest Ranked Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan
NOTE: For a segment award to be issued, there must be at least three models with sufficient sample that comprise 80 percent of market sales within an award segment. There were only two premium sporty models with sufficient sample size, thus no premium sporty award has been issued.
*No other model in this segment performs above the segment average.
Related posts:
"
Starting 6/25/11 at 10:00am EST — Ending 6/26/11 at 10:00am EST
Last year, Aston Martin campaigned a basically stock Rapide in the 24 hours of Nürburgring…to drive home the point that its luxurious V-12 4-door also had some serious performance chops. The Rapide pushed hard for all 24 hours and finished an impressive 34th overall, out of 197 cars. Who knew a luxury sedan, gutted of its interior and running on slicks, could be so quick, sporty, and reliable?
At the very same time the Aston factory team will be racing at the 2012 Nürburgring 24, we will be putting a stock Rapide to the test, lapping the car at speed for 24 hours on the 2.7-mile course at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. With a crew of nine drivers as well as support from Aston Martin and Spring Mountain, we’re well prepared to push the envelope in the Rapide, to see for ourselves if this luxurious Brit truly does have the heart of a lion.
Check back with us regularly throughout our 24-hour test for video updates every three hours, charging from broad daylight through sunset and into the dead of night. Plus, talk to us throughout the event on Facebook and Twitter (#Aston24).
Video Update Schedule:
Find everything online at: RoadandTrack.com/Aston24
Enter to win an Aston Martin for 24 Hours >>
Related posts:
On April 11th I wrote about the parallels between what Saab is going through and the dying days of MG-Rover and with the latest news that Saab is unable to pay its staff for June is yet another blow to a business that has been teetering on the edge of failure for months.
We’ve seen a revolving door of Chinese investors come and go and whilst Saab has been issuing optimistic statements over done deals and sales of equity stakes like confetti at a wedding, they’ve all come to nought and there’s every reason to believe that the Beijing government won’t allow the latest rescue to happen. Dealing with the Chinese is notoriously difficult and needs to be done away from the harsh glare of media scrutiny, something that Saab has singularly failed to do.
The CEO of Europe’s supplier body, CLEPA’s Lars Holmqvist has called for Saab to declare itself bankrupt to allow its employees to get state guarantees of salaries for six months as “…no white knight…arriving.”
While Saab’s largest union, IF Metall predicts that upto 10,000 jobs could go in manufacturing and the supply chain which would be a catastrophe for Sweden.
There might yet be a future for Saab, but it’s unlikely to be in Sweden. Remember what happened to MG-Rover? Once it had collapsed it was picked up for a pittance from the administrators by the Chinese who stripped the factory bare, shipped the lines and technology back home and restarted assembly there all at a fraction of the cost of buying into the business now.
Why not save yourself a small fortune, wait for the company to collapse and then deal with the administrators? It was done to MG-Rover and I can see Saab heading the same way.
Related posts:
"
The third Transformers installment opens this week, and to cash in on its gratuitous product placement in the movie, Chevrolet has released a second Bumblebee-aping Camaro Transformers Special Edition coupe. The first special-edition Bumblebee Camaro was birthed when the second Transformers movie debuted, but that car was a simple badge job paired with Rally Yellow paint. This time, the package is much more comprehensive. The latest Transformers edition Camaro gets full Bumblebee livery, including black 20-inch wheels, a high-wing rear spoiler, and stripes that run from the leading edge of the hood over the roof to the rear deck. Of course, the latest edition is only available in Rally Yellow and gets special Autobot Shield logos, too; the badges adorn the front fenders, the wheel center caps, headrests, and center console lid. The interior is lined in black leather with yellow stitching.
All in all, the Bumblebee Camaro looks pretty cool, and we hope the wide-set stripes make their way onto the Camaro option sheet sometime in the future. If the standard Transformers kit isn’t enough, though, two dealer-installed accessories are available: 21-inch black wheels and a black ground-effects kit (both are shown in the rendering below). The 2012 Camaro Transformers package runs $3000 and is available on either 2LT or 2SS Camaro coupes in the U.S., as well as in Canada, South America, Europe, China, Japan, and the Middle East.
The third Transformers installment opens this week, and to cash in on its gratuitous product placement in the movie, Chevrolet has released a second Bumblebee-aping Camaro Transformers Special Edition coupe. The first special-edition Bumblebee Camaro was birthed when the second Transformers movie debuted, but that car was a simple badge job paired with Rally Yellow paint. This time, the package is much more comprehensive. The latest Transformers edition Camaro gets full Bumblebee livery, including black 20-inch wheels, a high-wing rear spoiler, and stripes that run from the leading edge of the hood over the roof to the rear deck. Of course, the latest edition is only available in Rally Yellow and gets special Autobot Shield logos, too; the badges adorn the front fenders, the wheel center caps, headrests, and center console lid. The interior is lined in black leather with yellow stitching.
All in all, the Bumblebee Camaro looks pretty cool, and we hope the wide-set stripes make their way onto the Camaro option sheet sometime in the future. If the standard Transformers kit isn’t enough, though, two dealer-installed accessories are available: 21-inch black wheels and a black ground-effects kit (both are shown in the rendering below). The 2012 Camaro Transformers package runs $3000 and is available on either 2LT or 2SS Camaro coupes in the U.S., as well as in Canada, South America, Europe, China, Japan, and the Middle East.
