Audi conquering more than just Le Mans
I have just returned from a flying visit
to the UK, in fact the North of Scotland, where it was a
sunny 14 degrees on the first day and overcast eight degrees
for the subsequent three days. Why my forebears decided to
set up camp in the frozen north is beyond me.
Audi Le Mans triumph
However, as well as the freezing weather,
there was another aspect of the UK which was interesting.
And that was the number of Audis on the road, and with the
new LED running lights, they are easy to pick as they
approach the oncoming traffic.
Audi had just won Le Mans 24 Hour Race at
the fastest average speed ever, blown Peugeot away and had
all three cars on the podium, with a 1-2-3 to rival the Ford
GT 40’s in 1966. But that historic result was far too recent
to have stimulated sales on the UK mainland. The number of
Audis was the result of previous marketing strategies.
Audi TT Quattro
The spread was remarkable too, with most
of the A series seen everywhere, far outstripping the TT
Hairdressers variant (which you can even rent from Europcar).
The North of Scotland which seems to be dying as far as
industry goes, is not known for free-spending Scotsmen with
unlimited budgets, so I found it even more interesting that
Audi, never a cheap car, had managed to build up such a
following with a couple of the delectable Quattro TT’s
spied.
My straw poll then appeared to show me
that Renault and Peugeot were probably neck and neck,
followed by Ford with the Fiesta and a pile of GM Vauxhalls.
All great cars that we don’t get here.
The Japanese influence does not seem to
reach as far the cold North, which had very few Orientals,
other than the very smart-looking Honda two door coupe,
based on the Honda City we get here.
What did we learn from Valencia?
Kobayashi for a knighthood!
Single-handedly he managed to keep everyone behind him for
the entire race, managed his tyres for 52 laps and set up
two stunning passing maneuvers on the last lap (including
the scalp of the Sulky Spaniard) to take 7th
outright. Magnificent! He got a standing ovation in
Jameson’s for brightening up the entire race.
The other lasting memory of what was
really a very dull race (yet again, when will the FIA listen
and get rid of Valencia?) was the aerobatic display by Mark
Webber after hitting Heiki Kovalainen’s “Lotus” (and more on
that name later). After a dreadful first lap, front row man
Webber in the Red Bull pitted, took on fresh rubber and then
found himself behind Kovalainen in the “Lotus”. A
combination of early braking by Kovalainen, very great speed
differential in closing and Webber misjudging those two
factors resulted in his hitting Kovalainen. Red Bull “Gives
You Wings” - it certainly did!
Vettel in the other Red Bull drove well
all weekend. Pole position and a dominant win has brought
him up the points table, to now third behind Hamilton and
Button. There should be a good fight for the rest of the
year.
The FIA stewards were at their
nit-picking best, with inconsequential wrong-doings and
ridiculous penalties. The drive-through for Hamilton was a
prime example, and brilliant team directions and even better
driving, meant that he returned to the circuit still in
second place, much to the displeasure of the even more
Sulkier Spaniard as the race went on. The subsequent
penalties of +5seconds to nine drivers (which took hours to
be levied) was another example of ineptitude. The times
recorded by each car on any particular lap are recorded
electronically. Read the times off and you can instantly see
transgressions. No deliberation needed and penalty can be
applied instantly. A statement from Ferrari read, “A scandal
, that’s the opinion of so many fans and employees who are
all in agreement: there is no other way to describe what
happened during the European Grand Prix. The way the race
and the incidents during it were managed raise doubts that
could see Formula 1 lose some credibility again, as it was
seen around the world.” I will admit to bias, however, in
motor racing, those who can do, those who can’t become
officials.
Rosberg and Schumacher in the Mercedes
are now an embarrassment to der faderland. Thankfully for
them, Germany trounced England on the football field. The
question is now, “Did Ross Brawn sell M-B a puppy?”
Hulkenberg put an entire new slant on
“tyre kicking”, letting the barrier have a right footfull
after his tyre delaminated and ate the rear bodywork of his
Williams.
We know times are tough economically in
Spain, so it explains the mad dash by one of the locals to
pick up a bottle on the track to get the five pesetas
deposit!
Finally, my beef with “Lotus”. Much was
made of the “fact” that this was the 500th
race for Lotus, but let me assure you it was not the 500th
race for the marque. This current team has no shared DNA
with the team run by Colin Chapman. Fernandez and his
Malaysian cohorts bought the name, and that is it. The new
Lotus and the old Lotus have nothing in common.
Roll on Silverstone, where passing has
always been possible.
Autotrivia
Quiz
Last week I wrote that two Japanese
sports cars had pop-up headlights when they were released.
However in 1994 and then again in 1998, they both reverted
to exposed headlights. I asked what were these cars? The
correct answer was the Mazda MX5 and the Mitsubishi 3000 GT.
So to this week. What car did W. F.
Shetzline build? Clue - 1911.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Points to
ponder with buying used cars
A website in the UK has published a list
of shonky practices by sellers of used cars. Most are
applicable here as well, so ‘Caveat Emptor’ - let the buyer
beware!
• Outstanding Finance: One in four
vehicles has finance recorded against it and this is one of
the most common car frauds of all. If buyers don’t check the
car’s history, the outstanding finance can easily end up
their problem, costing them significantly.
• Cut and Shut: Cut and shut motors are a
joining of the front-end of a car that has been in a
rear-end smash and the rear-end of a similar model, which
has suffered a front-end accident. The two car parts are
welded together and can look deceptively realistic. But
watch out - they may look nice, but they could be a
deathtrap.
• Quick Sales: Some sellers will claim to
have to sell very quickly and will offer a bargain deal.
These generate lots of interest and buyers are lured into
sending large deposits to secure delivery.
• Sell and Steal Back: You buy a car but
the seller keeps a set of keys and steals it back after
taking payment. You end up with a very expensive set of car
keys!
• Armed Robbery: Worse still, some buyers
are requested to meet the sellers and upon arrival are met
with armed men, and forced to hand over the cash.
• Escrow Scams: Escrow services normally
act as a safeguard for both the buyer and the seller. The
buyer is secure that he is getting what he wants and the
seller has the money safely before delivering the goods. But
fake escrow sites are now being run by fraudulent sellers,
who disappear once the money has been transferred, never to
be seen again.
• Stolen Cars and Clones: More than
160,000 vehicles are stolen each year in the UK. Criminals
often disguise these cars to look like others, which is
called cloning. VIN plates are swapped and you lose your
money and your car once the real owner turns up.
Caveat Emptor at all times!
New Nissan
GT-R even better
Nissan GT-R Godzilla 2
An upgraded 2010 GT-R is now on sale with
subtle engine, chassis and equipment refinements but this
will be eclipsed by a more thoroughly upgraded version to
come next year.
Due to be announced globally in October,
the MY2011 GT-R represents a more traditional midlife
makeover that is also likely to bring a power upgrade for
Nissan’s giant-killing super-coupe.
The 2011 GT-R upgrade would be the latest
in a series of model-year upgrades to boost the relevance of
the company’s flagship sportscar, which was launched in its
home market in late 2007.
For now, the MY2010 version of the
R35-series GT-R - which went on sale in Japan in December
and has beaten a range of exotic racecars in the new FIA GT1
world sportscar championship - offers a revised
satellite-navigation system, recalibrated suspension
settings and an improved-flow exhaust catalyst.
The updated GT-R comes with a price
increase across the range, but as ever, in Thailand it is
think of a number, multiply by the month of your birthday
and then double it. Grey import pricing is a black art at
best and blatant usury at worst. I would estimate that you
will be looking at around 12 million THB.
The current revised GT-R receives an
HDD-based navigation system that operates through the same
seven inch digital display, plus a new data logging
function, automatic headlights, speed-sensing windscreen
wipers and new entertainment functions such as Bluetooth
audio connectivity and a USB/iPod port.
For 2010-11, the GT-R’s suspension has
been retuned to offer improved steering stability and ride
comfort, courtesy of revised rebound damping, stronger rear
suspension radius rod bushes and fine-tuned wheel alignment
settings.
Said to improve rear floor area cooling
performance are rear diffusers with cooling ducts, which
were previously available only on the GT-R SpecV available
overseas.
Completing the mechanical upgrade are new
hexagonal-mesh catalyst cells to reduce airflow resistance
within the twin exhaust system, while the cooling efficiency
of the transmission’s heat exchanger is said to have been
improved by a larger diameter coolant pipe.
Nissan says the changes enhance low-end
and mid-range engine response. Crucially, however, outright
performance from the GT-R’s 3.8 liter twin-turbo V6 VR38DETT
engine remain unchanged at 357 kW and 588 Nm.
According to Nissan’s management, Nissan
reinforced the performance credentials of the new GT-R at
the world’s toughest and best-known test track, the
Nurburgring Nordschleife, where last year it clocked a
record lap time of 7:26.70. In addition, the Nissan GT-R has
already been successful in the new FIA GT1 world
championship series against far more exotic machinery.
