AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness [email protected]

BIMS 2013

I’m an angel.

An annual event to which I look forward every year is the Bangkok International Motor Show. This is Thailand’s official motor show, accredited by the OICA, the world body that overseas motor shows.
This year, the theme involved the fashion industry as well as the auto industry, and fashions of all strange types were in abundance, with each stand’s “Pretties” (how I hate that word!) attempting to outdo each other with outlandish outfits. The winner has to be the “angel”, complete with feathers! Being someone who goes to motor shows to see motor cars, I find the “Pretties” (I even hate typing the word!) an annoyance. If I wanted to ogle, I can do that better in Pattaya’s Walking Street, and even have the chance of touching as well as looking.

“Pretties” and the push-up bra.

For me, the Press Day began with an automotive treat. There on display was Hanuman, one of Prince Bira’s ERAs, all resplendent in the blue and yellow of Siam, as this country was called in those days. A Red Bull F1 was also displayed, but it was Prince Bira’s ERA that was the star. After all, it was Bira who was the first Siamese (Thai) to reach the top in any international championships, winning the BRDC Gold Star 1936, 1937 and 1938, this award being as close as you can get to the F1 World Championship of today. There is obviously a big push towards Thailand having an F1 Grand Prix, so despite my initial misgivings, it might just happen. The logistics and lack of infrastructure are still there, but give the Thais their due, if the upper echelon decide it is going to happen, then it will happen, no matter how logical or otherwise.

Prince Bira’s ERA.

I’ll go straight to what I considered to be the car of the show. One that has not been seen here before, and it came from China. Yes, the Chinese are definitely coming, and this new one is Great Wall. Their SUV range is under the Haval nameplate, and I was impressed with the style and finish of these cars. The ones on display were LHD, but the Great Wall representative told me they are looking to build a plant here in Thailand. So, with SAIC going to build the MG’s here and now Great Wall, and the ongoing boom in vehicle production from the manufacturers already here, Thailand will certainly be in the top 10 countries for automotive output for some time. The really big problem will be the shortage of skilled workers.

Great Wall Haval.

Proving that looks aren’t everything was the Brabus SLK B25 5. Brabus is another after-market tuner of Mercedes-Benz (like AMG), and the SLK looked fabulous, with wide wheels and bulging guards, really looking the piece.
The replacement of the iconic three pointed star with a “B” in the middle of the grille was a bit ‘off’, but I suppose they were trying to ensure the passers-by knew it was no ordinary SLK.
But here is where it all fell down. The specifications included torque figures of 370 Nm, and horsepower figures of 240 bhp. These translated into a zero to 100 kph times of 6.4 seconds, hardly enough to blow your toupee off. Those wide wheels are not really necessary!
There was another tuner Carlsson which was exhibiting a few M-B’s as well, replacing the three pointed star with a horse (or perhaps a donkey?) Not on, chaps. Not on!
The show this year has more of the exotic marques, with Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lotus, Ferrari and Jaguar, so if you want to be photographed next to some of the world’s most expensive cars, this is your chance. I must admit I have never been a great enthusiast of Lamborghini, but the new Audi-engineered Lamborghini’s look fantastic and items such as panel fit and trim are excellent and nothing like the sloppy way they used to be thrown together in the days of the Diablo.

Brabus SLK.

One of the Lotus cars has been used in competition events and has a towing strap on the front. Not a good plan to show a car like that, especially when popular history had L-O-T-U-S standing for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious!
The 911 series Porsches were delectable, and even the new Cayman sleek and smooth; however, the Panamera still looks like an ugly fat pig.
Next week I will give more details, but if you are quick, the show is still open until this Sunday April 7, so you can see for yourselves. It is in the Challenger Hall at the Impact Arena, tickets are B. 100 each, and you can even get in a lucky draw for something. (A push-up bra, perhaps?)

Asian Le Mans series

Drivers, team owners, motorsports officials, sponsors and other VIPs gathered at the iconic Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Tuesday, March 5 to toast the official start of the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series.
The series will comprise six races - to be held in China, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia - between May and December 2013, with organizers confident of having at least 18-24 cars on the grid at each event. Tyre manufacturer Michelin and petroleum company Total have confirmed their partnership status with the Asian LMS.
Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organizers of the Le Mans 24 Hours, hailed the new series as a huge development for motorsport in the region.

ALMS Aston Martin.

“On the day of the official launch of the Asian Le Mans Series I’m delighted to see that this Asian championship, which we’ve all been working on for a long time, has finally come to fruition,” he said.
“Like all the continental series run under the Le Mans label in the spirit that has driven the Le Mans 24 Hours for the last 90 years, the Asian Le Mans Series will enable manufacturers to showcase the reliability of their cars, promote their image and demonstrate the validity of their new technologies in the crucial Asian market in a sporting and competitive spirit guaranteed by the values of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
“The ACO is particularly proud to have contributed to the development of motor sport on the Asian continent by enabling teams, drivers and their partners to take part in endurance events, whose values are those which, since 1923, have underpinned the success of the Le Mans 24 Hours.”
The Asian LMS is a significant step in the ACO’s quest to take the Le Mans brand to all corners of the world, a process that began 15 years ago with races in the USA followed by a European series that started in 2004.
Asia’s first Le Mans-style race took place in Japan in 1999 but this year will mark the first full season of endurance racing in the region under the Le Mans banner.
The Asian LMS is being organized by the Asian Endurance Operating Co Ltd (AEOCL). “This is a historic moment for Asian motorsport and is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the many different partners and stakeholders involved,” said AEOCL Managing Director Mark Thomas.
“We are grateful to the respective national associations and circuits that will host the races as well as the manufacturers, teams and commercial partners who have shown such strong support. We are confident we can cement the Asian Le Mans Series as one of the pre-eminent motorsports properties in Asia.”
Guests at the launch included Chinese driver Ho-Ping Tung, who announced he would be driving for French team OAK Racing in the series.
“Being a Chinese driver I am very proud to have the opportunity to defend my country’s colors in this new series in Asia that has been instigated by the ACO,” said the Dutch-born star, who will be driving a Morgan LM P2.
“Competing in the Asia pendant of the prestigious Le Mans Series thrills me and this should contribute a great deal to the development of endurance racing in Asia.”
Tung’s extensive single-seater CV includes reserve and test driver roles with three F1 teams but this will be his first experience of driving a sports prototype.
A significant number of teams and car manufacturers have already confirmed their participation in the series, with registration remaining open until 20 March.
Official testing will take place at Zhuhai International Circuit in China on 29-30 April. The series opens with three races in China - at Zhuhai (5 May), Shanghai (26 May) and Ordos (7 July), followed by Inje in South Korea (4 August), Fuji in Japan (22 September) and Sentul in Indonesia (8 December). The races are open to several classifications of car, including both prototypes and GT models.
Fox Sports Asia (formerly ESPN Sports) and Eurosport Asia-Pacific are TV partners of the series and deals with local broadcasters such as J Sports in Japan and CCTV in China have been agreed as well. RacerLink, the online, multi-channel, content delivery platform, has been unveiled as the social media partner of the Asian LMS while Events Production Marketing is on board as production and broadcast consultant.

Natter Nosh and Noggin

The car club meets at Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to Nova Park. The next meeting is on Monday April 8 at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. A totally informal meeting of like-minded souls to discuss their pet motoring (and motorcycling) loves and hates (plus lies and outright exaggerations). Come along and meet the guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s specials, washed down with a few beers. A couple of the members are scrutineers at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so they may have some scuttlebutt about the F1 scene. Always a fun night. Be prepared to laugh a lot at some of the antics of the members (when they were younger)! The Car Club nights are always on the second Monday of the month (not every second Monday).

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I mentioned that in 1956 a new range of cars started production in Europe with a wide variety of models based on a common engine/chassis configuration. This included a saloon, two estates, a coupe and convertible, plus a two seat sports car and sports convertible. I asked what was the manufacturer? It was Wartburg!
So to this week. What has a ground bird got to do with sports car racing?
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].