A1GP in Malaysia
With F1 now in the off season, A1GP
continues its new season, and our motoring editor at large,
John Weinthal, was present for the latest round in Malaysia,
and the following is his report:
“Please
explain” - Fairuz Fauzy after the bizarre and costly A1GP
moment. (Photo: Tengku Alang Badeli)
After nearly 50 years watching motor racing one might think
one has seen it all.
No way - This year F1 alone contributed Raikkonen punting
Force India out of Monaco, Hamilton dittoing Raikkonen (and
himself) at the pit exit in Canada, the Mosley MissChief,
Sebastian Vettel becoming F1’s youngest ever GP winner, the
FIA’s post-Spa misruling, Valencia and China’s tedia and the
final lap of the year in Brazil.
Motorsport’s Fat Lady rarely drew breath ... but she managed
another hi-lo when A1GP came to Malaysia’s Sepang circuit on
November 23.
Grandstands were filled with yellow shirts as locals
thronged to cheer series leader Fairuz Fauzy on his home
track in his 600 bhp powered-by-Ferrari car - a F1 lookalike
to those of the 18 other nation’s carriages.
In the Sprint race Fauzy failed to score. Nerfed by
Holland’s Jeroen Bleekemolen he copped a left rear puncture.
That was it as far as a points finish was concerned; another
racing incident.
Starting from 4th in the Feature Race he daringly passed
Lebanon into 3rd securing what looked like a sure big points
finish.
Then on lap 17 the most bizarre disaster struck.
Fauzy confused his team and the watching crowds by diving
into the pit lane unexpectedly. The team could do nothing
but wave him back onto the track.
Radio interference from another team, who were calling in
their driver, saw Fauzy pit unnecessarily. The damage was
done. The gob-smacked grandstand went mute. The massed press
core sighed in disbelief.
Fauzy dropped to the tail end then fought back to 11th. With
seven laps to go he was more than five seconds behind 10th
place Italy.
On the final lap he gave a memorable ‘all’ to take Italy and
the final single point for 10th.
The crowd again had something to cheer, the pit team gave a
big thumbs up - but Malaysia had tripped from its lead to
fifth in the championship behind Feature Race winners
Ireland and Portugal, France and New Zealand. Australia
moved up to 8th behind Switzerland and Holland.
The next race will be at Taupo, New Zealand on January 25.
Two coupes we don’t get
here
Smart
coupe
I have just spent a week in the UK, and
it was interesting to see the cars we don’t get in Thailand.
The first to catch my eye was a very pretty two door Honda
Coupe, based on the new Honda City we have here. It was
really a very well balanced car and I just wish they would
build it here. I’d buy one, Mr. Honda, I really would.
The second was a very racy looking coupe, which turned out
to be a Smart, but unfortunately no longer produced
according to the owner I spoke to. Came with a 6 speed
paddle shift sequential gearbox but only a 700 cc engine, so
it does not have neck-snapping acceleration. But it did look
like fun. It did not sell in large numbers and Mercedes Benz
canned it.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the engine
from an English baby car was used from 1923 until 1962. What
was it? It was the Austin 7, used until 1953 in the
Rosengart and up till 1962 in the Reliant.
So to this week. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first
Egyptian car (the Ramses), but let’s ask this week, what was
the first Indian-built car, and what was it identical to?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Natter Nosh and Noggin
The monthly car enthusiasts meeting will be at
Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to the Nova Park
development. The car (and bike) enthusiasts meet on the
second Monday of the month, so this time it is Monday
December 8 at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. This is a totally informal
meeting of like-minded souls to discuss their pet motoring
(and motorcycling) loves and hates. Many interesting debates
come from these evenings. Come along and meet guys who have
a common interest in cars and bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s
Steak night special, washed down with a few beers.
Ex-Earl Howe Bugatti
‘Barn-Find’ for auction
Earl Howe was an important man in motor sport.
His real name was Francis Curzon, the fifth Earl Howe, and
he was synonymous with the best pre-war sports cars. A keen
amateur racing driver he was elected as the first president
of the British Racing Drivers Club in 1929 and retained that
position until his death in 1964. He partnered Sir Henry
Birkin in an Alfa Romeo to win the 1931 Le Mans, arguably
his greatest achievement.
Original
Bugatti T57S
I have actually been to his home and met his son, the sixth
Earl Howe and viewed the trophy the old earl received at Le
Mans, which was a bronze statue of Boadicea and her chariot,
about one meter long, and goodness knows how heavy. On the
wall of his study was a Bugatti road wheel which had broken
on one of his racing cars.
He also had a road-going Bugatti, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S of
which he was the first owner, and whose existence has only
been known to a handful of people during the last 50 years.
It will be sold at Bonhams’ Retromobile sale in Paris on 7
February 2009. This highly significant motor car is
conservatively estimated to realize in excess of €3,000,000.
This Bugatti has Atalante coachwork and after being sold by
Earl Howe in 1945 went to Lord Ridley and finally ending up
with a Dr Harold Carr in 1955 having bought it from Lord
Ridley. Dr Carr drove the car for the first few years but in
the early 1960’s it was parked in his garage where it
remained for nearly 50 years, until Dr Carr’s death in 2007.
The T57S has apparently exceptional originality retaining
original chassis, engine, drive train and body. It even has
what appears to be a remarkably low mileage with an odometer
reading of just 26,284.
So, if you want one of these Bugatti’s, you are going to
have to dig deep. Converting from euros, it will be around
150 million baht, plus freight and duty. Beyond me I am
afraid. I’ll just have to stick to the Daihatsu Mira.
Porsche Panamera - the
first four door?
The Porsche company is finally releasing
photographs and some details on the Porsche Panamera, billed
as their first four door. Whilst this product will be
directly targeting vehicles such as the four-door “coupes”
like the popular Mercedes-Benz CLS and Maserati
Quattroporte, plus Aston Martin’s upcoming Rapide, it is not
the first four door, or even four seater produced by the
company. Earlier prototypes of four door sedans such as the
1991 Porsche 989 prototype or the even earlier four door 911
based prototype, never went into production, although one
was made for the wife of the American Porsche distributor,
and two four place 911’s were also made and used as factory
hacks.
Porsche
Panamera
The Panamera’s name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera
line, from the Carrera Panamericana race. Its official
global public debut will be at the Geneva motor show in
March 2009.
The exterior of the hallowed German sports car maker’s
fourth model line and first four-door sedan has now been
shown, revealing what resembles a stretched version of the
911 coupe, complete with four doors, an extended roofline
and a large rear tailgate that actually makes it more
two-box hatchback than three-box sedan.
There are currently no official images of the all-new
Porsche flagship’s four seat interior, however, although
Porsche says the backrests of the two individual rear bucket
seats fold forward to increase luggage space. Porsche says
the Panamera’s rear seats will accommodate 190 cm-tall
adults in comfort.
911
four seater
Porsche has confirmed the Panamera measures 4970 mm long
overall, making it about half a meter longer than the 911.
At just 1418 mm high, it is relatively low-slung for a
four-door but still around 130 mm taller than the 911. At
1931 mm wide, however, the Panamera is also more than 80 mm
wider than even the wide-bodied all-wheel drive versions of
the 911, including the 911 Turbo and GT2.
Also confirmed is an engine range that from launch will open
with a 220 kW petrol V6 and extend to naturally aspirated
and twin-turbocharged versions of the Cayenne’s
direct-injection 4.8 liter petrol V8, the latter offering no
power increase over its application in the SUV at 368 kW.
The famous Porsche boxer flat six engines will not be
available in the Panamera, which is nonetheless slated to
receive the two-mode petrol-electric hybrid drive train that
will debut in the redesigned Cayenne SUV in 2010. There is
no mention of the rumoured V10 version.
Unlike the Cayenne, however, Panamera V6 and V8 transmission
choices will include a six speed manual and Porsche’s new
seven speed ‘Doppelkupplungsgetriebe’ (PDK for short)
double-clutch automated manual.
As expected, Porsche has also confirmed the rear-drive
Panamera will additionally be available with the all-wheel
drive hardware that will come as standard on the V8-powered
Turbo flagship. The company says full transmission and
engine details, including for the hybrid version, will be
revealed in the first half of next year.
Porsche has an annual sales target of 20,000 Panameras - all
of which will be assembled at its Leipzig plant in Germany,
where a new 22,000 square-meter production facility and
logistics center remain under construction, using engines
built at its main plant in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart and
painted body shells from Volkswagen’s Hanover plant. Porsche
says 70 percent of the Panamera’s components will be
produced in Germany.
Porsche admits the Panamera will take some sales from its
911 and Cayenne models, but expects a modest overall sales
increase as a result. And with Porsche now having the
controlling interest in Volkswagen, a few Porsche shares
might look good in your portfolio as you drive the family
around in your Panamera.
