Oz GP this weekend
Thunder down-under heralds the start of
the 2007 Eff Wun series, and will answer many of the
questions in the enthusiasts minds over the annual break.
Will Williams have a resurgence? Can Raikkonen emulate
Michael Schumacher? Is Alonso really a champion? We will all
know by Sunday afternoon.
Albert Park in Melbourne is one of the longer circuits at a
tad over 5 km around. Total laps for the Grand Prix will be
58 and you can expect lap times around the 1 min 23 mark.
Although this is a relatively new circuit, Albert Park was
used in the 1950s, including two Australian Grand Prix but
these did not count towards the World Championship.
I believe Qualifying should be on the Saturday at 10 a.m.
and the GP should start around 10 a.m. Thai time Sunday, but
please check your local TV feed. We watch the South African
feeder with Brundle and Allen giving knowledgeable
commentary, as opposed to the tele-bletherers on Star
Sports, though they might have shot them after the end of
the 2006 season. If not, they should have.
Why not join me in front of the big screen at Jameson’s
Irish Pub, Soi AR next to Nova Park, for a late breakfast or
very early lunch. I’m going to get there at 9 a.m. just to
be sure I don’t miss it.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the
name Cooper is famous in motor racing. I asked when and
where did a Cooper first have its overseas success?
Clue: it was in Asia. It was in April 1949 when a Cooper
won a hillclimb in what was then called Ceylon.
So to this week. What famous racing driver was married
to Charly? Clue: He was faster in the wet at the 1929
Tourist Trophy than all other drivers in the dry.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Forget the Bugatti Veyron - here comes the
Koenigsegg CCXR
When Bugatti unveiled the Veyron supercar, many people
thought the ongoing contests for the world’s fastest, most
powerful, and most expensive car in history were over - many
motoring scribes wrote that due to increasing environmental
concerns and the immense cost of developing a faster car,
we’d never see the like of it again.
The Veyron developed 1001 bhp so completely eclipsed the
previous best-of-breed cars such as the Koenigsegg CCX with
its puny 806 bhp, so the game appeared to be over. VW uber
alles!
Koenigsegg CCXR.
Volkswagen spent so much money developing the Veyron that
although the car sells for UKP 840,000 (US$1,630,000), when
the all-up cost of development is added, industry experts
believe they should be charging roughly UKP 5 million
(US$9,700,000) per vehicle just to break even.
Everything about the Veyron, from its 64 valve, quad
turbocharger, W16 (16 cylinders in four banks of four
cylinders) 8 liter engine, its dual-clutch DSG
computer-controlled seven speed manual transmission, to its
remarkable brakes, are thoroughly engineered to enable the
1890 kg vehicle to record a speed (just) over 400 kph.
However, just as the world land speed record brought out
more and more powerful cars, Koenigsegg (you’d have to
change your name) has risen to the challenge and has
surpassed the Bugatti Veyron’s power output, and is likely
to threaten the Veyron’s 407 kph top speed too.
In a wonderful example of how a small goal-focussed team can
achieve the seemingly unattainable, Swedish supercar
manufacturer Koenigsegg has announced details of a new
variant of its 806 bhp CCX which will run Biofuel! Deep-fry
fuel to power a record breaker?
Due to the fact that the biofuel has higher octane and
better cooling characteristics, the power has gone up 25
percent to 1018 bhp at 7200 rpm and torque is up 10 percent
to 1060 Nm at 6100 rpm, compared to the “standard” CCX’s 806
bhp at 6,900 rpm and 920 Nm at 5,700 rpm.
So is this car going to pollute our highways and byways? No,
says Koenigsegg because its good environmental results are
made possible due to the simple fact that the ethanol in
biofuel firstly has the positive side effect of cooling the
combustion chambers, as well as a higher octane value, well
over 100 RON, which gives the high power.
It is natural to expect a substantial gain in power when
optimizing the engine for E85 (biofuel) instead of gasoline.
Still the actual gain obtained even surprised the
enthusiastic engineers at Koenigsegg, or so we are told in
the motoring journals.
And you don’t even have to go out and buy a new CCXR - the
factory will upgrade your own current ‘underpowered’ CCX to
accept the biofuel option and reap the performance and
environmental benefits of this eco friendly fuel.
The CCXR Biofuel upgrade has been developed in-house on the
factory’s engine dyno by the technicians at Koenigsegg, led
by Christian Koenigsegg, Marco Garver and Anders Hoglund
from the Koenigsegg partner company Cargine Engineering.
Mercedes world premier
at Bangkok Motor Show
Mercedes have indicated that the right hand drive version of
the CL 500 will have its debut at the Bangkok International
Motor Show. This is in line with previous years, where
DaimlerChrysler have released the RHD version at our local
show. With the Bangkok event being the largest in this
region, this makes very good sense.
Other new cars which will be on display include the new
Toyota Vios and the new BMW X5. Volvo will be displaying the
new C30, while GM will have the Chevrolet Captiva, looking
at finding a niche in the small SUV marketplace.
The show opens March 30 and runs until April 8, and is held
at the Bitec exposition halls, Km 1 on the Bangna-Trat
highway.
Now THIS is a real
Samlor!
Venture Vehicles has formally announced in Los Angeles, the
development of a revolutionary three wheel, tilting, plug-in
Hybrid vehicle under the working name VentureOne.
Venture three
wheeler.
This ‘super samlor’ carries two
passengers and has a hybrid engine returning 100 mpg,
accelerate from 0-100 kays in six seconds, will have a top
speed of over 160 kph, and is priced at under US$20,000.
In addition to the low-emission, flex-fuel hybrid model, a
zero-emission all-electric version is also being developed
that will have an all-electric range of nearly 200 miles.
A key feature of the VentureOne is the patented Dynamic
Vehicle Control tilting technology from Dutch-based Carver
Engineering that allows the body of the vehicle to actually
tilt when going through turns while all three wheels
maintain firm contact with the road.
Carver already sells petrol-engined versions of the machine,
and the Phiaro 3-wheeler is also closely based on the
Carver. But a plug-in hybrid with a 200 mile electric range
and sportscar performance is very enticing.
Production is not scheduled until late 2008 and Venture
Vehicles will initially offer two propulsion packages for
the VentureOne: the hybrid E50 and Q100, and all-electric
Venture EV model. The US$23,000 all-electric model will top
the range while the E50 hybrid will sell for US$18,000 and
the Q100 hybrid is expected to be priced under US$20,000.
“It’s a truly unique and innovative vehicle,” says Ian
Bruce, one of the founding partners of Venture Vehicles.
“With the same height and length as the MINI Cooper, the
VentureOne will have both the performance of a sports car
and the agility of a motorcycle, creating an incredibly
exhilarating driving experience. The only way I can describe
the sensation is comparing it to flying a jet fighter at two
feet off the ground. Plus, this extraordinary performance
combines the significant environmental benefits of a
flex-fuel, plug-in hybrid with a high level of
affordability.” Two electric pancake in-wheel motors will
power the two rear wheels, with a small combustion engine
providing on-road recharging. When garaged, it need only be
plugged into a normal 110 outlet. Regular readers will
recognize this as the principle behind the Lohner-Porsche of
1902!
Safety is another crucial aspect of the VentureOne’s design.
The vehicle will be surrounded by a steel “safety cell”
providing overall protection, along with other important
safety features typically found only in cars. Things like a
driver’s airbag, front and side-impact protection, and rear
bumper will be standard. A host of world-class partners in
design, engineering and production are supporting the
development of the VentureOne - firms such as BMW
DesignWorks, A123 Systems, Carver Engineering, Swift
Engineering, Boshart Engineering and PML FlightLink.
The VentureOne weighs approximately 600 kg in prototype
form, with an overall width of 1.25 m, a length of 3.5 m,
and a 2.5 m wheelbase. The engine is located in the rear of
the vehicle at a low height. The passenger compartment and
the front wheel tilts when cornering; however, the forces
are aligned with the vertical axis of the driver’s body,
resulting in the driver being pressed into the seat rather
than pushed across it, as per the usual motorcycle practice.
Although classified as a motorcycle according to the NHTSA
(since it has three wheels), the VentureOne has an enclosed
body. The reinforced roll-cage construction in combination
with front-and-side-impact protection, and a highly
efficient passenger restraint system, give the occupants a
level of protection comparable to conventional cars - or
statistically, 33 times the safety of a typical motorcycle.
All VentureOne’s will incorporate the patented Dynamic
Vehicle Control system, or DVC™, developed by Carver
Engineering, which allows the vehicle to tilt up to 45°
side-to-side at a rate of 85° per second, plus ventilated
disc brakes.
The vehicles’ propulsion system is of a series hybrid
design. The system consists of a small internal combustion
engine connected to a 15-20 kW generator, two in-wheel 25 kW
electric motors, a four gallon fuel tank, and a 3 kWh Li-Ion
battery pack. The system is able to take energy normally
lost as heat due to braking and return it to the battery,
increasing overall system efficiency.
Will we ever see anything like this running on the streets
in Bangkok or Chiang Mai? The simple answer is “Not very
likely!”
Now forget the
Koenigsegg CCXR, here comes the Fiat
Super Fiat.
George Bennison sent me this photo of the
Super Fiat 500, but unfortunately, no other details.
Hopefully it was fitted with the Abarth Bialbero 1,000 cc
twin cam engine (the first of the pocket rockets). However,
if it was in Thailand when he took the photograph, it will
have a 1600 cc Toyota Corolla!
