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New Carbon-Fiber Aerodynamic Accessories for 2011 BMW M3
by Aman Chaudhry1 Comment
BMW in North America has just announced three all-new performance enhancing components for the 2011 M3 Coupe, Sedan and the Convertible. These BMW Performance aerodynamic parts are a deck lid spoiler, mirror caps and front splitters which are same as the M3’s factory-installed carbon fiber reinforced plastic roof.
BMW states that each of these components is shaped specifically based on advanced research conducted in one of BMW’s Munich-based wind tunnels to ensure compatibility with the overall aerodynamic ’signature’ of the M3, serving to reduce lift and minimize drag.
Such characteristics are appropriate to enhance the vehicle’s high-speed stability while maintaining fuel efficiency.” said BMW in a statement. “Like the CFRP roof panels on the M3 Coupe and M6 Coupe, BMW Performance components made of carbon fiber have been climate and durability tested during development to ensure long-term quality. Each component is finished in a special clear coat laminate to reflect ultraviolet radiation.”
These BMW Performance components will come with a 2-year unlimited warranty. BMW has announced that in case these are installed before the M3 is delivered to its customers, the BMW Performance accessories will be covered with the 4-year 50,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. -
Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car revealed
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
Gordon Murray has recently revealed his new T.25 city car, something that has been in speculation for last couple of years. The T.25 was revealed at an event at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment in Oxford, England. This miniature weighs 1,212 pounds and is a little over four feet in width, less than eight feet in length and can seat three adults in a 1+2 layout. Following the driver position in Murray’s McLaren, T.25 also will have the driver in front and two passengers behind on either side.
Similar to the BMW Isetta microcar, T.25’s entire front section of the body is pivoted at the front and flips forward for better access. The in-line three cylinder engine mounted in the back offers a power of 51 horsepower and makes the T.25 cover the 62 mph distance in 16.2 seconds, while the fuel economy figures are well over 60 miles per gallon.
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Button and Hamilton to be Present at the debut of MP4-12C
by Aman Chaudhry1 Comment
McLaren Automotive will be presenting the groundbreaking new MP4-12C to a public audience for the first time at Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place from Thursday 1- Sunday 4 July 2010. Current Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will drive the 12C up Goodwood Hill on Saturday and Sunday respectively in the Supercar Run.
Following their test of a ‘XP Beta’ 12C prototype at Goodwood Motor Circuit in March this year, Jenson and Lewis are excited at the prospect of piloting one of a new generation of 12Cs, the VP9 Validation Prototype car. Finished in traditional McLaren Orange, a solid hue made famous by Bruce McLaren’s racing cars of the 1960s and 70s, VP9 references McLaren’s past and future.
Sports car enthusiasts will see a new 12C prototype car on the McLaren Automotive stand, which is situated adjacent to the Sunday Times Supercar Paddock. Finished in Elite Volcano Orange and featuring a carbon fibre splitter, diffuser, engine covers, engine bay panels and seat backs, this 12C is fitted with lightweight forged alloy wheels in Stealth finish. Also on display will be a 12C rolling chassis and the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1. A team of McLaren specialists will be on hand to answer queries relating to the 12C and the McLaren F1.
Motorsport fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing the 1995 24 heures du Mans-winning McLaren F1. GTR1 won the legendary endurance race on its debut and in turn, secured for McLaren a unique ‘triple crown’. To date, no other manufacturer has won the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indianapolis 500and Le Mans 24 Hours.
At Goodwood, the public will discover a new type of high performance sports car. At the heart of the 12C is a unique one-piece carbon chassis, the ‘MonoCell’. Current competitor models in the ‘core’ sports car sector all feature heavier aluminum or steel structures that limit ultimate performance. The 12C has been designed around the driver, and its development has been overseen by a team with extensive experience in Formula 1 racing and engineering. Outstanding aerodynamic efficiency and bespoke technologies including Proactive Chassis Control, Seamless Shift dual-clutch Gearbox (SSG), Brake Steer, and the 12C’s unique Airbrake feature in a car which has been developed using Formula 1 simulator technology.
Also on the McLaren Automotive stand will be a 12C rolling chassis, enabling viewers to see under the skin of the car and understand exactly how each bespoke component of the 12C is positioned around its lightweight and stiff carbon MonoCell.
The new McLaren MP4-12C will be sold initially through 35 global retailers committed to exceptional customer service, in 19 different countries around the world from Spring 2011. The 12C will compete with other cars in the ‘core’ high performance sports car sector, which are priced between £125,000-£175,000.
Press data & images: McLaren -
GM to build Tata Nano Rival
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
Small is Big
After Tata’s Nano made it to headlines all over the world, maybe it’s time for another breaking news.
General Motors and Chinese Automaker SAIC are planning to build a Nano competitor. Yes, a rival to the cheapest car in the world, nowhere else but in Nano’s own territory – India.
According to GM, it will rely mostly on SAIC for the parts and components required for this low budget project and save up import duty.
This car in question has not been named yet, or at least we don’t know the name yet, but what we do know is that it will be smaller than GM’s Spark and will be priced around $5,000.
That figure itself does not put this in the Nano’s bracket but then these prices are only tentative so you never know.
It is also believed that this tiny new car will borrow some elements from the Chevrolet Sail.
With the cheaper cost effective components coming in from China, we can only help but wonder whether the safety factor will be priority for Gm or not.
Though, no further details have been provided about this new small car, if this project does materialize, it will be the first ever joint venture between the two companies.
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Fiat MultiAir Turbo 1.4L Wins Best New Engine of 2010 Award
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
The FPT 1.4 Turbo engine, the first Fiat power unit to incorporate revolutionary MultiAir technology, has won the prestigious Engine of the Year award in the Best New Engine of the Year category. This innovative four-cylinder engine combines MultiAir, the electro-hydraulic management of the inlet valves, with a turbocharger, setting new efficiency standards.
Developed and manufactured by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engines, with power outputs ranging from 135 to 170 bhp, now equip the Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta, as well as the Fiat Punto Evo and Abarth Punto Evo, and will soon be introduced to the Fiat Bravo.
The top of the range 170 bhp version, with 124 bhp/litre, has an outstanding specific power output which, combined with peak torque of 250 Nm, guarantees sporty performance, together with record-setting fuel consumption and emissions (134 g/km of CO2 in the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta).
MultiAir technology, which has already won numerous awards, is based on direct control of the intake air, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke, without a throttle valve, and reduces fuel consumption and CO2emissions by up to 10%, while increasing power by 10% and improving torque by 15%. Additionally, all polluting emissions are also significantly reduced by careful monitoring of combustion. MultiAir technology is versatile, easily applicable to all petrol engines, and has the potential to be developed for diesel engines in future.
The Best New Engine of the Year award, bestowed by an international jury of 65 specialist journalists from 32 countries, was collected by Aldo Marangoni, FPT Product Engineering Vice President.
“The award is further confirmation of the Fiat Group’s acknowledged capacity for technological innovation. The Group won the prize in 2005, in the 1.0 to 1.4-litre capacity class of the International Engine of the Year, with the small but sophisticated 1.3 MultiJet, which opened a new chapter in the history of diesel engines, a field in which the Group has always been a leader, having been the first to launch innovations such as direct injection and common-rail technology on the market,” says Marangoni.
“Lots of power combined with serious reductions in emissions makes this a very good engine. Then, when you look at the fuel economy, Fiat’s MultiAir turbo powertrain becomes a great engine – it’s easy to see why it has won Best New Engine for 2010,” says Dean Slavnich, Co-Chairman of the Awards, and editor of Engine Technology International.
Press data: Fiat
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Ferrari Celebrates the Goodwood Festival of Speed
by Aman Chaudhry1 Comment
Two of Ferrari’s latest supercars will be making their public debuts at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed: the beautifully-styled and innovative mid-engined 458 Italia and a technologically-advanced V12 flagship which carries one of the most evocative name badges in automotive history, the 599 GTO. Also appearing in the Sunday Times Supercar Run will be a very special Ferrari California with a unique “bi-colore” roof and a personalised interior, while the Scuderia Ferrari will be represented by the 2009 F1 car which will be driven by Marc Gene throughout the weekend.
The Ferrari 458 Italia represents a genuine evolution of Maranello’s mid-rear engined V8 sports cars and it has won a host of international awards, including BBC Top Gear’s “Supercar of the Year” and even more coveted “Car of the Year”, GQ Magazine’s “Supercar of the Year” and MSN Cars UK’s “Supercar of the Year”.
The Ferrari 458 Italia introduces a number of innovative technologies, such as the reduction of internal friction losses inside the engine as well as significant aerodynamics development on the exterior design, including the aeroelastic winglets at the front that generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and cut drag.
The new 4,499 cc V8 engine is a veritable powerhouse, punching out 570hp, and, combined with the 7-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox and a dry weight of just 1380 kg, the 458 Italia boasts a weight-power ratio of 2.42 kg (a power-weight ratio of 413hp per ton), and can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds and hit a maximum speed of over 325 km/h.
The Ferrari 599 GTO recreates the evocative “GTO” moniker which previously appeared on two of the Prancing Horse’s most iconic supercars, the race-bred 250 GTO and the 288 GTO which defined the term “supercar”. The 599 GTO is an extreme V12 berlinetta which has been designed to fulfil a specific performance-oriented brief and is the company’s fastest ever road car. It is an exclusive limited edition special which is based on the 599XX, the advanced experimental track car, and is reserved for just 599 clients who seek the maximum expression of high-performance driving. The 599 GTO benefits directly from the technological transfer from racing and set a record lap time at Fiorano in 1’24”.
The Fiorano lap time provides just one indication of the potential of this car. Just as significant are the technical specifications – 670hp in a 1495kg car represents a weight-to-power ratio of just 2.23 kg/hp, and ensures a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of just 3.35” as well as a top speed of over 335 km/h.
The Ferrari California is the Prancing Horse’s first front-engined V8 which has been classically styled to echo one of the greatest designs from Ferrari’s history, the 250 GT California. The new California, however, is packed with the latest technology and includes Ferrari’s first dual-clutch 7-speed gearbox, a direct injection 4.3 V8 engine with 460hp, the latest F1-Trac traction control system, a new multi-link rear suspension, and, of course, an innovative retractable folding hardtop that opens or closes in only 14 seconds. The California has already received the critical acclaim of the automotive press around the world, with Top Gear claiming it is a “proper God’s honest, marrow-deep Ferrari”, and Autocar describing it as “absolutely bloody marvellous!”
The particular Ferrari California on display at Goodwood features a “bi-colore” roof, with the car painted in Argento Nurburgring (metallic silver) and the roof and A-pillar in Nero (black) to echo the tradition of bi-colore berlinettas of the 1950s and 1960s. The car on display in the Supercar Paddock also features several items from the Genuine Ferrari Accessories range, such as forged 20” matt black wheels with titanium wheel bolts, as well a host of “extra-campionaro” factory-fit options from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme such as diamond-stitching on the rear seats and Cavallino stitching on headrests in Nero.
Ferrari is also represented by the Scuderia Ferrari team who will be demonstrating the 2009 F1 car, driven by Marc Gené, throughout the weekend. Additional fine examples of Ferrari’s illustrious racing heritage can also be seen in the Cathedral Paddock.
Press data and images: Ferrari -
Jaguar XF V8 75th Anniversary Edition
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
Jaguar has big plans to celebrate its 75th birthday anniversary with the introduction of the XF V8 75th Anniversary edition in the Australian market.
The special edition uses Jaguar’s 5.0-liter V8 AJ-V8 Gen III engine that offers 462 hp and a maximum torque of 515 Nm. The powerplant allows the XF to cover the 62 km/h distance in 5.7 seconds and a top speed on 155 mph which is elertocincally limited for safety reasons.
“Jaguar Australia is proud to announce the new XF V8 75th Anniversary Edition, continuing the series of special editions launched to celebrate Jaguar’s 75th Anniversary. Powered by the carmaker’s 5.0 liter V8, the XF V8 75th Anniversary Edition combines power, dynamics and technology to deliver a true V8 driving experience,” stated the press release.
The anniversary edition XF comes with an entire list of exterior & interior extras that includes 20 inch Senta alloy rims, exhaust Tailpipe Finishes, a portable audio interface and custom “75 years” badging for the center console.
“We are very proud to continue the 75th anniversary celebration of Jaguar with the release of the XF V8 75th Anniversary Edition. Jaguar’s racing heart is reflected in a long history of powerful, dynamic and stylish vehicles. The XF V8 75th Anniversary Edition continues that tradition into the future with a true V8 driver’s car” said Kevin Goult, General Manager, Jaguar Australia. “It has the power, performance, dynamics and luxury Jaguar is renowned for. And nothing beats that V8 sound!”
The Jaguar XF 75th Anniversary edition will be ready for deliveries by the end of this year and is priced at AU$ 128,900 ($112,500).
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New Ford Mondeo to arrive in Autumn
by Aman Chaudhry1 Comment
Ford of Europe will debut its stylish and technologically advanced new Mondeo at the 2010 Moscow International Automobile Salon on August 25. The new model features a restyled exterior and uprated interior, new high-efficiency Ford EcoBoost petrol and TDCi diesel powertrains, plus a host of new driver comfort and convenience features and safety technologies.
The first official preview images show that, following similar updates to the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy models earlier this year, the new Mondeo is the latest to benefit from the continuing evolution of Ford kinetic design.
“The Ford Mondeo is already a very strong package and, with the significant design changes and in particular the comprehensive array of new technologies we are introducing, we have no doubt that the new model will strengthen Mondeo’s position as the flagship Ford model in our European line-up,” said John Fleming, Ford of Europe chairman and CEO. “This is the smartest, safest, most environmentally friendly and best quality Mondeo we have ever launched, and it completes the regeneration of our CD segment range in 2010.”
Smart design, enhanced quality
Key exterior changes include distinctive new grilles featuring a bolder lower trapezoid and a slim, stylish opening above, plus an enhanced bonnet profile. New front bumpers include LED daytime running lights, and re-designed rear lights also employ LED technology. Additionally a new rear deck lid treatment matches the revised rear light profile.
The interior is also upgraded and features a new flow-through centre console design, revised door treatment featuring flush and integrated door release handles, and a new central overhead console with ambient lighting. New trim materials across the range have been selected to enhance the premium interior feel of the new Mondeo.
New Mondeo’s interior also benefits from a range of new features, including the introduction of LED courtesy lights and a new satellite navigation system, while music lovers will be able to enjoy the new Premium Sound System option which incorporates a 265-watt, eight-channel amplifier unit, all-new speaker system and large, 17-litre subwoofer.
Higher performance, more technology
The launch of the new Mondeo will see the first application of a higher performance 240PS version of the efficient 2.0-litre Ford EcoBoost turbocharged petrol engine. This will be complemented by the existing 203PS version of this engine launched in Mondeo, new S-MAX and new Galaxy earlier this year.
While the new 240PS engine provides extra performance, average CO2 emissions are targeted to be just 179g/km, the same as the 203PS unit, regardless of bodystyle. Ford EcoBoost technology also provides fuel consumption and emissions reductions of up to 20 per cent compared to traditional petrol engines of a similar capacity.
Another first for the new Mondeo is the introduction of the comprehensively revised 2.2-litre Ford Duratorq TDCi engine, which boasts a 12 per cent power increase to 200PS, making it the most powerful Duratorq diesel engine to date. The Mondeo TDCi line-up sees this new engine joined by a significantly improved 2.0-litre DuratorqTDCidiesel that has already been introduced to the Mondeo range earlier this year. This engine is available with 115, 140 or 163PS power ratings, with all of them delivering an average CO2 emission of just 139g/km with a six-speed manual transmission, regardless of bodystyles.
To make these powertrains even more efficient, a number of new Ford ECOnetic Technologies are now made available, including Smart Regenerative Charging, Ford Eco Mode and – a Ford first – an Active Grille Shutter system. This electronically controlled device regulates the airflow through the radiator and engine compartment to reduce aerodynamic drag, but also offers benefits to the engine heating characteristics to improve fuel economy and warm-up performance in cold weather.
Powertrain advances in the new Mondeo also extend to the transmission: the latest six-speed Ford PowerShift double wet-clutch transmission system comes as standard for Ford EcoBoost petrol engines, and will be available as an option for the 140PS and 163PS versions of the 2.0-litreDuratorqTDCi.
The new Mondeo range will include a comprehensive array of driver assistance features, many of which are appearing for the first time in a Ford model, including Lane Departure Warning, Driver Alert and Auto High Beam. New features already introduced in the latest S-MAX and Galaxy models are now extended to the Mondeo range, including the Blind Spot Information System, Speed Limiter, Rear Door Power Child Locks and Rear View Camera.
Press data and Images: Ford
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Ford Focus RS Le Mans Editions
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
Ford has recently announced that it is going to celebrate the company’s history at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Ford is planning to bring five special edition Ford Focus RS models to commemorate its winning history and success in the 1960s and 1970s at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Each Ford Focus RS will be seen in a unique paint job distinguishing the historic races.
The Focus RS in black with white stripes and gold rims stands for the 1966 GT40 Mk II. The red one with white strips marks the 1967 Mark IV. The white colored Focus RS with blue centre stripe surrounded by a red border was the insignia of the Mk IIBFrance special edition in the 1967 race.
Then comes the two-tone blue and orange car, which is a replica of the dominantGT40s of 1968 and 1969. The last one is the white and blue Focus RS that mimics the Capri RS 2600 which took the Touring category in 1972.
Each car comes with customized interiors that include Recaro racing seats with stitching matching the exterior. All cars will also have a gearshift gaiter, handbrake handle and central armrest in leather.
These cars will race at the 2010 Le Mans Classic.
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Alfa Romeo Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary
by Aman ChaudhryNo Comments
Alfa Romeo’s century-long history, which began on 24 June 1910 in Milan, is an achievement shared by a very small number of other auto makers, and is peppered with commercial successes and racing wins achieved worldwide.
The city of Milan, Alfa Romeo’s birthplace, is paying homage to Alfa Romeo by staging four days of events, beginning today, involving the City Council, Fiera Milano Expo, Monza Race Track and the Alfa Romeo Museum.
This weekend thus marks an extraordinary ‘appointment’ for motor enthusiasts and Alfisti worldwide: collectors, club members and current model owners. More than 3000 Alfa Romeo cars are expected to arrive in Milan from 45 countries.
Celebrating Alfa Romeo’s centenary means leafing through some of the most important pages in automotive history in terms of design and innovation. Indeed, Alfa Romeo has always stood out for its capability of transmitting strong emotions and for state-of-the-art technology, as well as top-level handling and driving pleasure.
The key event of the centenary celebrations is a huge international rally dedicated to all Alfa Romeo enthusiasts this weekend. Thousands of crews have registered and will be parading through the centre of Milanon Saturday afternoon.
