Chinese MGs
For countless decades, the engines in MGs
went north-south. Now it seems as if the future is
east-west! With a Chinese firm having bought the tooling
from the receivers last year, the way is open for a Chinese
MG to hit the streets. This should be enough for Cecil
Kimber to start revolving in his grave.
Nanjing Automobile Group announced plans last week to revive
the historic MG brand. Does Nanjing make sports cars? No,
Nanjing assembles only a handful of its own cars in China,
although it’s a credible commercial-truck manufacturer. It
wants to start assembling high-quality cars for Europe in
2007 and for the United States in 2008 at a plant in
Oklahoma.
Its US entry, the MG TF coupe, would enter a crowded field
in a niche market. It would compete directly with the
Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Mazda Miata (MX-5).
With the upsurge in the Chinese car industry, there are now
several players who feel they are ready to challenge the US
automakers on their own turf. These include Geely Automobile
Holdings Group and Chery Automobile Co; however, Nanjing is
trying to separate itself from its competitors by stressing
MG’s European heritage and engineering.
MG says it plans to add to its lineup and become a volume
player in Western markets. But the company did not spell out
what new models are planned.
The company will have plants in the United States, England
and China. It told Automotive News that it expects its
Ardmore, Oklahoma, plant to make 12,000 to 16,000 cars a
year. About 60 percent would be for North America and 40
percent would be exported to Europe. The vehicle would be
assembled primarily by hand, with some robotics. MG says it
will build a redesigned TF coupe in Oklahoma.
However, Nanjing is not stopping there, it also plans to
reopen MG’s Longbridge, England, plant to build the TF
roadster and will build three sedans in China. Production
targets were not revealed. The company also did not reveal
whether the Oklahoma plant would be assembling kits shipped
in from China or England.
Nanjing has financial backing from government sources in
China. Indeed, without it Nanjing’s purchase last year of MG
Rover tooling and other assets would not have been possible.
Nanjing says it has commitments of $2 billion from global
sources for the MG project. In Oklahoma, the company
received commitments from state and local governments, the
state’s economic development agency and private investor
Davis Capital Group LLC., based in Los Angeles.
What did we learn from the French Grand Prix?
Well, the first thing has to be that
Michael Schumacher is just as hungry for wins as he ever
was. Anybody who thinks he is “past it” had better think
again. The entire weekend was a Michael Schumacher
master-class.
We also saw that Massa has matured while at Ferrari, and he
accounted himself very well. It should not be forgotten,
however, that Massa finished well behind Schumacher, in an
identical vehicle, with exactly the same pit stop
strategies. Massa may be quick, but Schumi is even quicker!
The Renault strategy was perfect. Everyone was sure that
Alonso would come in to refuel – but he didn’t, and the team
deserves the second place they gave him.
We also learned that Honda is in more strife than the
embattled caretaker PM of Thailand. The performance of their
number one team has been going backwards for some time, and
with Jenson Button qualifying something like 19th and both
cars retiring, will not sit well with his Japanese bosses.
With both succumbing to engine gremlins, there has been much
face lost. I was amused to read that Rubens Barichello
presumed he had an engine problem because, “there was a lot
of smoke and I lost all power.” I think everyone might agree
with the diagnosis Roob! The Honda people will also not have
been impressed with Jenson Button telling the media that the
problem they have is a lack of power, “There is a lack of
overall speed. That comes from engine power and downforce,
and that’s what we are lacking at the moment, along with
reliability.”
It is also becoming obvious that the usually unflappable
Mark Webber is becoming increasingly frustrated with the
lack of reliability in his WilliamsF1. It is now so long
since he saw a chequered flag, he has probably forgotten
what one looks like. The mutterings around pit lane are that
Webber will leave Williams at the end of this year and go to
Red Bull. While this initially sounded like a step in the
wrong direction, forget about the past and look at the
realities of today. Red Bull has been consistently getting
both cars home, which is something WilliamsF1 has not been
able to do. Williams is also not as well funded as Red Bull,
and next year Red Bull will either have this year’s Ferrari
engine (which is not short of horses) or will have a Renault
engine (also one of the best in the paddock). Historically
Williams is superior, but on the track in 2006, Red Bull is
looking much stronger (or reliable). It would appear that
Williams has lost the plot and can no longer be considered
one of the plum spots in the Grand Prix circus carousel.
However, it should not be forgotten that Webber’s contract
is owned by Briatore, who manages Renault. Interesting?
Oh yes, there was one last thing. There were no crashes.
Montoya was absent too. Any connections, I wonder?
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that in the years immediately after WW
II one new vehicle earned more foreign cash for the UK than
any other. I asked what was it? Clue, think of a British
county. It was the Austin A40 Devon (and I owned one)!
So to this week. I mentioned the Land Speed Records. The
John Cobb Railton in 1938 employed ice cooling. Another two
record breakers used this method before then, rather than
radiators. What were they?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
So now it’s the German GP
This week is the German GP held at
Hockenheim, not Nurburgring, which was the venue for the
European GP. It was opened in 1939, 15 miles from
Heidelberg, and was used for German national car and
motorcycle racing. In 1965/6 it was uprated to a design by
John Hugenholz because one end was lost when an autobahn was
built. The resulting circuit, 6.7 km long, remained
blindingly quick for most of its length, with a slow section
in the ‘stadium’ (i.e. grandstand) area, similar in concept
to the GP course at Indianapolis.
Hockenheim achieved notoriety in 1968 when, at one of the
first major races held at the circuit, Jim Clark was killed
in a Formula Two race following presumed tyre failure. His
actual death was caused, however, by the fact that his car
was able to leave the circuit unimpeded and hit a tree.
While the Nurburgring was being made safe, Hockenheim staged
the 1970 German GP with a layout made slower by the
construction of three chicanes. It was not a popular choice
of venue but, following Lauda’s accident at the Nurburgring
in 1976, Hockenheim became the home of the German GP apart
from 1985 when the new ‘Nurburgring’ had the race.
Although young Alonso in the Renault is still at the head of
the table, there are seven rounds to go – that’s 70 points
up for grabs, so the championship is still wide open. The
points score going into this German GP stand at:
1 F. Alonso 96
2 Michael Schumacher 79
3 G. Fisichella 46
It is interesting to note that at this stage last year the
points table read as:
1 F Alonso 77
2 K Raikkonen 51
3 M Schumacher 43
The race should start at 7 p.m.
World’s Fastest Indian
A couple of the chaps in the F1 supporters group
told me about the film of the exploits of one New Zealander
Burt Munro (1899-1978), with Rod Skinner (who also hails
from EnZed) being very enthusiastic. Called The World’s
Fastest Indian, it stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro.
Following this information, George Comino came up with the
DVD of the film which he presented to me (thanks George).
Burt
Munro was totally eccentric, but also totally single-minded.
He had a 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle, and spent the next 45
years modifying it for all kinds of speed events,
culminating in his running at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
To show the dogged determination of this man, I quote
excerpts from a letter from Burt published in New Zealand’s
Veteran and Vintage Motoring Magazine ‘Beaded Wheels’ #189
April - May 1991. “I have been testing at the beach and have
been out 17 times and had 11 blow-ups. This consisted of
mostly broken pistons of older designs. The rod which had
stood-up to all the broken pistons finally shattered top end
when I was accelerating hard in top at 5,500. I took it
down, the new piston was in many pieces, pin broken in half,
cylinder scored and split at skirt and hammered out wedge
shape and locked in cases. One rocker arm broken, one
twisted, one push rod broken, one buckled. Other breaks were
cam follower I had made from magnesium four or five years
ago, another rocker and pushrods bent and both valves bent.
“Pulled the head off this morning and am starting two new
rods from DC6 B propeller. I hope to find it strong enough.
It was sent to me from Auckland as I cannot get the 70-70 or
20-24 alloy in NZ. I like to improve design every year in
cams, carbs (just finished a new one yesterday), conrods,
pistons and sometimes valves and guides when they wear a
little, and cylinders.
“It is almost impossible for me to give you a true picture
of the time I have spent on my cycles. The last 22 years has
been full time and for one stretch of 10 years put in 16
hours every day, but on Christmas Day only took the
afternoon off.”
New Zealanders, in particular, seem to have this ability to
adapt, plus a native engineering ingenuity, and Burt Munro
is a prime example. He did build the world’s fastest Indian
motorcycle, and clocked 200 mph at the Bonneville Salt
Flats, in his totally home made motorcycle. He was still
setting records when he was 67 years old, showing that age
alone should not be a bar to trying to do anything. Burt
(and me) said so!
If you get a chance, watch this movie (the DVD is available
in the shops), it is truly inspirational, and you do not
have to be a motorcycle enthusiast to enjoy it (although it
helps), but even my wife enjoyed it. Sir Anthony Hopkins
deserves an Oscar for his believable portrayal of an old,
and obsessive Burt Munro, for whom you will cheer at the
end!
