Japanese GP this weekend
Originally built in the style of an
American speedway in 1966, Fuji is best remembered for
hosting the very first Japanese Grand Prix in 1976. The
inaugural race was the setting for one of Formula One
racing’s closest title showdowns, between James Hunt and
Niki Lauda. Though the event proved popular, the 1977 race
would be the circuit’s last appearance on the Formula One
world championship calendar for 30 years.
Fuji circuit
In 2000, Toyota bought a 93 percent
stake in the track and three years later Fuji was closed for
renovation, before reopening in February 2005. Two years
later and Fuji will once again be making its presence known
in F1 when the circuit hosts the 2007 Japanese GP.
It is said that if you can actually see Mt. Fuji, it will be
a lucky day, but for most of the time, the volcano is
covered with clouds. Not a good place to race if you are
superstitious.
The Japanese GP will start at 11.30 a.m., our time, so check
your TV feed. I will be watching at Jameson’s Irish Pub (Soi
AR, next to Nova Park). We watch the South African feed
which does not break for adverts, and the commentary is also
better. Get there well before noon and we’ll have lunch.
With only two points in the championship between the
McLaren-Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Alonso, the first
corner will undoubtedly see some questionable tactics.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked what car was called the
‘sticking plaster’ car? It was the Lloyd LP 300 which had
fabric bodywork and was known as the Hansaplastwagen. The
year? 1951 and was another crumbling stone in the Borgward
empire.
So to this week. Think Nissan. Datsun had its roots going
back to 1912 when K. Den, R. Aoyama and A. Takeuchi got
together and produced the “DAT”, from their three initials.
After a break, they began producing cars again in 1931 and
these were known as the ‘son of DAT’, or otherwise ‘Datson’.
However, in 1932, they changed it to ‘Datsun’. Why?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Rolls Royce convertible
for those with deep pockets
For most of us, the only time we will perhaps be seen in a
Rolls-Royce is if it is in a hearse. But me? I wouldn’t be
seen dead in one! Boom! Boom!
R-R Drophead
However, if you really want wind in the
hair, as well as the winged lady out the front, be prepared
to dig deep. Rolls-Royce launched its ultimate convertible
in Australia, priced at $1.19 million, and by the time you
get it here, expect more than 100 million baht. This flight
of automotive fancy is the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead
Coupe.
The Drophead sits at the top of the Rolls-Royce price range,
above the Phantom and the extended-wheelbase Phantom. It was
also seen as the 100EX concept car of 2004. This new car
follows the concept car very closely.
The production Drophead is built off the same platform as
the regular Phantom sedan, although it is 225mm shorter. It
employs 1300 unique parts, but does share the same giant 6.8
liter V12 which puts out 338 kW and 720 Nm. That is enough
torque to tow Pattaya City Hall down to Beach Road.
Being an open car, structural modifications had to be made
to the chassis to keep the car rigid, and these make the
Drophead 70kg heavier than the Phantom sedan for a grand
total of 2620 kg. Despite this bulk, the Drophead goes from
zero to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds, just 0.1 seconds slower
than the regular Phantom.
The doors are a return to ‘suicide’ doors, being hinged at
the rear, while the folding roof is also a return to the
days of yore, being fabric, rather than folding metal as
most convertibles are these days. Rolls Royce
chief-designer, Ian Cameron said, “There is nothing more
romantic than drive a convertible in the rain at night and
hearing the drops hit the roof. In conversation with
customers, we realized that they feel the same.” And if you
believe that bit of spin, you’ll also believe that the
majority of buffaloes in this country are all at the
veterinarians.
The interior is typical Rolls-Royce, with a couple of
forests felled and a herd or two of cows slaughtered. It
seats four people in comfort and there is a surprising
amount of space for rear passengers with more than enough
legroom to make this car a truly comfortable four-seater.
The ‘piece de resistance’ are the two Rolls-Royce umbrellas
with carbon-fibre rods. These are stored inside the car’s
front quarter panels in holes that are exposed when you open
the doors. They are also very expensive, costing $1,000 if
you leave them somewhere and they get nicked.
Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific regional director, Colin Kelly,
said the Drophead would appeal to customers who didn’t mind
drawing attention to themselves. “It is for successful
people who are confident and don’t mind people looking at
them,” he said. “You are certainly going to be noticed, it’s
not the kind of car you drive if you are in a witness
protection program.” Nice to see the R-R people have a sense
of humor.
More on the McLaren
penalty
So Ron is 100 million dollars out of pocket, and
excluded from the Manufacturer’s Championship, but the
drivers can still get points. It all seems a little silly to
me. If McLaren is judged as having benefited from Ferrari
information, surely the drivers benefited as well? Knowingly
or unknowingly.
It would have made more sense to penalize the drivers 10
grid spots, so there would still be a full grid, and let’s
see them come through the field. Agree?
F1 points score
There are three races left in the 2007 world championship,
and mathematically there are only four drivers left in the
hunt. The two McLaren-Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Alonso,
and the two Ferrari drivers, Raikkonen and Massa, though
Massa has to be the long shot at this stage, as it would
need both McLaren drivers to score no points in two of the
three races.
The current scores are:
1 Lewis Hamilton 97
2 Fernando Alonso 95
3 Kimi Räikkönen 84
4 Felipe Massa 77
However, there is a more than fighting chance that Alonso
and Hamilton will take each other out, and a win by
Raikkonen would put him right up with the McLaren drivers
for the final two races. However, a DNF in Japan for
Raikkonen and a win for either Alonso or Hamilton would put
the 2007 title out of the Ferrari driver’s reach. It is an
interesting situation.
Goodbye Colin McRae
Most car enthusiasts would have heard that the former World
Rally Champion Colin McRae was killed when his helicopter
suffered a major failure and fell 50 meters into a valley.
His five year old son Johnny was also killed as well as a
friend of Colin’s and another young boy.
According to all reports Colin McRae was neither big-headed
or arrogant, despite being a world champion but just loved
life, a fact confirmed by local Pattaya identity John L
Hamilton, whose cousin Colin McRae had married, now leaving
her widowed.
As well as being a legend in rallying, Colin McRae was
friends with many across all forms of motor and motorcycle
sport, including current F1 driver Scotland’s David
Coulthard with whom he was going to contest the Race of
Champions at the end of the year, and Italy’s supreme two
wheeled exponent Valentino Rossi, who dedicated his last win
to McRae’s memory.
Automania joins with the motoring world in extending its
condolences to the McRae family.
Volvo reveals new
safety features
The Frankfurt Auto Show had ‘safety’ as one of the concepts
this year, and as always, Volvo rose to the occasion,
displaying some of their safety systems, already available
as options.
A brief recap of Volvo’s highlights in safety is called for
- Volvo opting for laminated windscreens in 1944, seat belts
in 1959 and the driver’s airbag in 1987.
Volvo
safety feature
Some of Volvo’s push this year was seen in a driver alert
control (DAC) system to alert tired and inattentive drivers,
a lane departure warning (LDW) system and collision warning
system offered in the S80 with automatic brake function to
help prevent front-to-rear impacts (this is similar to the
one being offered in the top end Mercedes-Benz models).
The LDW is not the same as the blind-spot camera system
currently available as an option. Research figures show 90
percent of all crashes are the result of drivers being
distracted.
The DAC system alerts the driver when concentration levels
are affected, for example during long journeys. LDW and DAC
are part of the same option package, called driver alert
system, that was introduced in Europe on the Volvo S80, V70
and XC70 late last year.
Volvo Cars Safety Center director Ingrid Skogsmo says safety
is a key philosophy for the company. “When it comes to
preventive safety, we have the same approach as when we
develop protective systems,” she says. “In other words,
Volvo’s safety research and technical development focuses on
areas where new technology can create significant positive
results in real-life traffic.”
DAC was developed after studies showed driver fatigue was a
major safety issue globally. The exact figures are hard to
quantify, but most researchers put it at 25-35 percent.
2008
Volvo S80
DAC is activated at 65 km/h and remains active above 60
km/h. A camera, sensors and a control unit monitor driver
behavior, the camera continuously measures the distance
between the car and the road lane markings. If for some
reason the driver veers off the road, they are alerted via
an audible signal.
A text message also appears in the car’s information
display, where a coffee cup symbol alerts the driver to take
a break.
DAC works in conjunction with LDW, which Volvo believes can
prevent between 30-40 percent of single-vehicle crashes
between 70 km/h and 100 km/h. LDW will sound a warning chime
if a driver crosses the road markings without a reason.
The collision warning with auto-brake function senses an
imminent impact and brakes to slow the car when the driver
fails to react.
However, I am not sure if the new S80 Volvo released in
Thailand will have such safety features. A country where
‘safety’ usually takes the back seat.
