Jeeves, bring the Bentley around
Bentley has announced the Continental
Supersports - a 329 km/h sports Bentley all yours for 16
million baht (plus the usual 300 percent or so import duty)
- plus another couple of million for matt paint. At that
rate, I think I will tell my children to become spray
painters.
Bentley
Supersports
Bentley have produced this new Supersports, which boasts a
zero to 100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds, despite its weight of
2240 kg. However this all-up weight is over 110 kg lighter
than the base model Bentley (if there ever is such a thing
as a “base model” Bentley).
It was the late Colin Chapman who really applied the light
weight concept to F1 cars many decades ago, and the Bentley
exercise shed weight by firstly tossing out the rear seats
(26 kg saved), then another 45 kg was saved by replacing the
sumptuous leather front seats with new carbon fiber bucket
seats (sourced from the Bugatti Veyron). Carbon fiber disc
brakes saved another 39 kg.
The Supersports features the same twin turbo 6.0 liter W12
(ex-VW) engine to other Continental models, but the boost
pressure has been increased to produce 463 kW at 6000 rpm
and 800 Nm of torque at 1700-5600 rpm.
The engine has also been modified to run E85 ethanol fuel as
part of Bentley’s attempt to give its muscle car a green
tinge. A very light green tinge, I might add, as the fuel
consumption figures make the Porsche Cayenne Turbo look like
an eco-car! The official fuel consumption comes in at 16.3
liters per 100 km for the combined cycle. The city
consumption figure is a staggering 24.5 liters per 100 km,
so don’t stray far from your nearest petrol station.
The Supersports runs a torque converter type six-speed
automatic which has been adapted for 50 percent faster
shifts. This transmission can be controlled with the
gearshift or by dash mounted paddles behind the steering
wheel.
Like the other Continentals, the Supersports runs a constant
all-wheel-drive system. The other models feature a system
that sends 50 percent to the front wheels and 50 percent to
the rear, but the Superports has a 40 percent front and 60
percent rear split for greater performance.
For greater stability, Bentley has increased the width of
the rear track by 50 mm. This engineering change also led
designers to flare the rear wings which also give the
Supersports a meaner look.
The front suspension features stiffer bushes, a retuned
anti-roll bar and aluminium forward levers, while all the
dampers have also been recalibrated along with the steering.
The wheels are 20 inches in size, featuring lightweight
forged aluminum and are shod with 275/35 ZR20 Ultra High
Performance Pirelli tyres.
Bentley has also retuned the electronic stability control
system to allow for sportier driving.
The Supersports runs what Bentley claims are the largest and
most powerful brakes ever fitted to a road car. The front
carbon discs have a 420 mm diameter and 356 mm diameter at
the rear. They are gripped by eight-piston calipers at the
front and dual piston calipers at the rear.
Like all Bentleys, the Supersport’s interior can be
customized, but has several carbon fiber surfaces and a
combination of leather and alcantara on the doors and the
seats.
It is supposedly easily identifiable from the exterior
thanks to deeper front and rear bumpers, larger exhaust
pipes and bonnet vents, which Bentley insists are fully
functional. This way you won’t mistake the Supersports from
all the other common or garden Bentleys you see every day on
Thailand’s roads.
The traditional chrome bright elements have been replaced by
blacked-out parts. Bentley says the process of painting
these stainless steel parts - which include the headlight
surrounds, window surrounds, front grille and option wheels
- is an industry first. One has to say, “Why would you
bother?”
The Supersports is available in 17 standard paint colors, as
well as two matt colors including two types of grey, which
is available in limited numbers as the 1.8 m baht option.
And now the Mini Moke
reincarnation
Remember the Moke? It was great in Australia with
the sunny climate, but not so great in sunny Birmingham
where it rains every day. Try 140 wet days and rainfall
average of over 800 mm a year, compared to sub-tropical
Brisbane which averages eight hours of sunshine every day!
Yes, Mokes were great in eastern Australia.
The next variant of the new (BMW style) Mini, the new Moke,
is called the “Beachcomber Concept” and takes the same sense
of minimalism, freedom and adventure but adds a roll cage, a
lockable boot and 4WD.
The flexibility of the concept vehicle is exceptional, and
it’s clear that the designers have spent time with a Moke
and thought through the potential drawbacks of the original
design and how they might be overcome. One of the greatest
weaknesses of the original Moke was that it didn’t have a
secure area of any kind - the Beachcomber’s rear-mounted
spare wheel compartment is actually a lockable storage area
as it comes with run-flat tyres. BMW seem to be totally
married to run-flats, even though they are not practical
anywhere outside of Europe and impart a harsh ride. At least
this Mini concept does not seem to have iDrive!
The Moke also lacked a roll cage ex factory, though many
owners added one, while the Beachcomber’s substantial item
looks strong enough to give roll-over protection.
The original Moke’s rag roof was a bit of a joke, with the
side curtains flapping up and down like a beagle’s ears at
speeds over 80 km/h. The Beachcomber’s tonneau-style soft
roof will have a far more substantial base to stretch over
and the press release claims it folds away and stretches
over the body in moments, but always take press releases
‘cum grano salis’.
As a further option for reliable protection even in bad
weather, the Mini Beachcomber Concept is available with
accurately fitting plastic inserts on the roof, at the sides
and at the rear. In real life these will become so scratched
in six months you will not be able to see through them.
Believe me.
It also boasts a liquid-sprung compass and an artificial
horizon showing the angle of the car around its longitudinal
and transverse axis. What you’ve always wanted on a fun
beach car, I am sure. I almost forgot - you get a stopwatch
as well.
Don’t rush to the Mini dealers. If it ever does become
reality, it is a couple of years away yet. The Mini
Beachcomber Concept will make its public debut at the North
American International Auto Show on January 16, 2010 in
Detroit.
New Moke
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked you to take a look at the
picture of this motorcycle. It is very famous and a
world record holder. I asked what was the rider’s name?
It was the world’s fastest Indian motorcycle, ridden at
over 200 mph by eccentric New Zealand engineer Burt
Munro. If you haven’t seen the film with Sir Anthony
Hopkins as Burt, go and get it. It is out on DVD and a
great movie.
So to this week. Why is Lt. Zebulon Pike remembered in
motor sport circles?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Toyota introduces
Prius Plug-In Hybrid
Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan has
confirmed the introduction of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid
Vehicle (PHV), a version of the third-generation Prius
petrol-electric hybrid vehicle.
Plug
in Prius
The Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) offers greater range
on electric power only, using lithium-ion batteries - a
first for Toyota - which can be charged from an external
source as well as by the car’s own hybrid drive system.
The Prius PHVs will be leased to government ministries,
local governments, corporations including electric power
companies, universities and research agencies, for use in a
demonstration program aimed at collecting real-world driving
data and spurring the development of battery-charging
infrastructure. In other words, they don’t really know if it
is going to work!
The Prius PHV can be charged using an external power source
such as a household electric outlet and is the first vehicle
produced by Toyota to be propelled by a lithium-ion battery.
Further, due to the battery’s expanded capacity, the vehicle
has an extended electric-vehicle driving range, enabling use
as an electric vehicle (EV) for short distances. While for
medium and long distances, after battery power depletes to a
level no longer allowing EV driving mode, the vehicle then
functions as a conventional petrol-electric hybrid vehicle
(HV). Thus, use is not constrained by remaining battery
power or availability of battery-charging infrastructure.
PHVs, such as the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, are expected to
achieve fuel efficiency superior to conventional
petrol-electric HVs, reduce consumption of fossil fuels and
reduce CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollution (if that
means much to you).
“The Plug-in Hybrid technology is a key driver on our road
towards sustainable mobility,” said Toyota Motor Corporation
(TMC) Executive Vice-President Takeshi Uchiyamada. “Based on
Toyota’s full hybrid powertrain, PHV represents today the
most practical way of increasing the use of electricity for
personal transport. Now we need to investigate market
acceptance of this new technology.” As mentioned above, now
we will see if the concept works!
Toyota believes that to meet the diversification of energy
sources plug-in hybrid vehicles are a highly suitable
environmentally considerate option. Toyota is therefore
actively encouraging market introduction to aid
understanding and to promote the early widespread use of
PHVs. Toyota will analyze feedback regarding the Prius
Plug-in Hybrid, with an aim to begin sales in the tens of
thousands of units to the general public in two years. After
they see if it worked, again!
Toyota says it promotes the use of alternative energy
sources, such as electricity, to limit the consumption of
fossil fuels and to reduce CO2 emissions. Thus, the company
is accelerating the development of electricity-related
technologies honed by experience gained from 12 years
selling petrol-electric HVs, the market introduction of the
RAV4 EV SUV and the leasing of fuel-cell HVs.
Get your pencils out
2010 Formula One calendar:
14 March: Bahrain
28 March: Australia
4 April: Malaysia
18 April: China
9 May: Spain
16 May: Monaco
30 May: Turkey
13 June: Canada
27 June: Europe (Valencia)
11 July: Great Britain
25 July: Germany
1 August: Hungary
29 August: Belgium
12 September: Italy
26 September: Singapore
10 October: Japan
24 October: Korea
7 November: Brazil
14 November: Abu Dhabi
