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Thursday, September 30, 2010
"CHEZ MOI"
I am still in my tiny little 'studio' in the attic of a XVIII century building, waiting to move to a vacant and bigger floor underneath ... In the meanwhile I visit the fleamarket, 'hunting' for opportunities ... Last saturday I found this 'Seize' mirror ... 
Mini Countryman WRC
Today has certainly been the day for new World Rally Championship cars. Not only were the Citroen DS3 WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC unveiled, but also the Mini Countryman WRC got its debut at the Paris Motor Show.
The car has been developed in partnership with Prodrive, no strangers to WRC success. Like the DS3 and Fiesta, Mini’s entry uses a 1.6 turbocharged engine, in accordance with the new FIA regulations for 2011. Developed by BMW Motorsport, it will transmit its power via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox.
Mini has confirmed that it’ll be entering six out of the thirteen scheduled WRC rounds in 2011, before going on to campaign the full season in 2012. Prodrive will also be building customer cars for independent teams to use.
As expected, Kris Meeke has been named as the first driver who will compete for Prodrive in the Mini Countryman WRC. Meeke, from Northern Ireland, is the current Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. It’s rumoured that he could be joined at Mini by two-time WRC champion Marcus Grönholm.
The car has been developed in partnership with Prodrive, no strangers to WRC success. Like the DS3 and Fiesta, Mini’s entry uses a 1.6 turbocharged engine, in accordance with the new FIA regulations for 2011. Developed by BMW Motorsport, it will transmit its power via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox.
Mini has confirmed that it’ll be entering six out of the thirteen scheduled WRC rounds in 2011, before going on to campaign the full season in 2012. Prodrive will also be building customer cars for independent teams to use.
As expected, Kris Meeke has been named as the first driver who will compete for Prodrive in the Mini Countryman WRC. Meeke, from Northern Ireland, is the current Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. It’s rumoured that he could be joined at Mini by two-time WRC champion Marcus Grönholm.
Citroën DS3 WRC 2011
Hot on the heels of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Citroën has also today unveiled its 2011 World Rally Championship contender.
The DS3 WRC will have a huge reputation to live up to, seeing as its Xsara and C4 predecessors secured six driver’s titles (all with Sébastien Loeb at the wheel, and all won over consecutive years) and five constructor’s championships. And it looks very likely that Loeb and Citroën will be accomplishing both feats again this year, too.
In developing the new car, Citroën Racing has had to comply with the new 2011 FIA WRC regulations. The biggest change is the shift from 2.0 litre to 1.6 litre turbocharged engines but, with an eye on costs, components such as semi-automatic gearboxes and centre differentials are now banned, while others have to comply with strict cost and weight criteria.
The direct injection engines used in the DS3 WRC have been tuned to produce around 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) and, under the revised rules, each one will be expected to last for up to six rallies. Transmission to the all-wheel drive system is via a fully manual six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox.
Converting the bodywork of the road-going DS3 to WRC specification has involved changing the bumpers and wings in order to reach the maximum permissible width of 1,820 mm. Aerodynamic down force is taken care of by a front splitter and a substantial rear spoiler.
Meanwhile, the door glass has been replaced with polycarbonate, and the doors themselves have been filled with foam to increase side impact protection. Naturally, there’s also a hefty internal roll cage, made from 40 metres of steel tubing.
The 2011 driver line-ups for either the Citroën Total World Rally Team or the Citroën Junior Team have yet to be confirmed.
The DS3 WRC will have a huge reputation to live up to, seeing as its Xsara and C4 predecessors secured six driver’s titles (all with Sébastien Loeb at the wheel, and all won over consecutive years) and five constructor’s championships. And it looks very likely that Loeb and Citroën will be accomplishing both feats again this year, too.
In developing the new car, Citroën Racing has had to comply with the new 2011 FIA WRC regulations. The biggest change is the shift from 2.0 litre to 1.6 litre turbocharged engines but, with an eye on costs, components such as semi-automatic gearboxes and centre differentials are now banned, while others have to comply with strict cost and weight criteria.
The direct injection engines used in the DS3 WRC have been tuned to produce around 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) and, under the revised rules, each one will be expected to last for up to six rallies. Transmission to the all-wheel drive system is via a fully manual six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox.
Converting the bodywork of the road-going DS3 to WRC specification has involved changing the bumpers and wings in order to reach the maximum permissible width of 1,820 mm. Aerodynamic down force is taken care of by a front splitter and a substantial rear spoiler.
Meanwhile, the door glass has been replaced with polycarbonate, and the doors themselves have been filled with foam to increase side impact protection. Naturally, there’s also a hefty internal roll cage, made from 40 metres of steel tubing.
The 2011 driver line-ups for either the Citroën Total World Rally Team or the Citroën Junior Team have yet to be confirmed.
Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2011
Ford has unveiled the Fiesta RS WRC, the car that it’ll be entering in next year’s World Rally Championship. Designed to comply with new regulations that come into force in 2011, power will come from a 1.6 litre turbo engine instead of a 2.0 litre unit as used by today’s WRC cars.
Like the Focus RS WRC that it replaces, the Fiesta RS WRC has been built by Ford of Europe and its partner M-Sport, which is run by BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson.
The car’s EcoBoost engine, which features direct petrol injection, was also developed by Ford and M-Sport, together with some input from French tuner Pipo Moteur.
This year’s driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala is set to continue unchanged, and both will get an opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC during its first major test session. That’s due to take place on gravel roads in Spain at the beginning of October.
Like the Focus RS WRC that it replaces, the Fiesta RS WRC has been built by Ford of Europe and its partner M-Sport, which is run by BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson.
The car’s EcoBoost engine, which features direct petrol injection, was also developed by Ford and M-Sport, together with some input from French tuner Pipo Moteur.
This year’s driver line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala is set to continue unchanged, and both will get an opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC during its first major test session. That’s due to take place on gravel roads in Spain at the beginning of October.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Aston Martin is coolest
For the fourth time in five years, Aston Martin has been named the UK’s coolest brand in the CoolBrands survey. The 2010/11 poll, which sought the opinions of members of the public as well as a panel of experts, placed the British car maker ahead of brands such as BlackBerry, Google and Dom Perignon.
The other automotive companies that made it into the top twenty were Harley-Davidson (6th), Ferrari (9th) and Mini (16th).
Speaking of the award, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez said, “Once you can define precisely why a brand is cool, then it no longer has the magic that earns it that label. There has to be an element of mystique, something that eludes definition. In order for a brand to have that quality, it needs people behind it with a passionate, creative vision who care for and nurture it.”
Quite right too. Let’s see if Aston Martin can retain the title after the Cygnet arrives.
The 2010/11 CoolBrands Top 20:
The other automotive companies that made it into the top twenty were Harley-Davidson (6th), Ferrari (9th) and Mini (16th).
Speaking of the award, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez said, “Once you can define precisely why a brand is cool, then it no longer has the magic that earns it that label. There has to be an element of mystique, something that eludes definition. In order for a brand to have that quality, it needs people behind it with a passionate, creative vision who care for and nurture it.”
Quite right too. Let’s see if Aston Martin can retain the title after the Cygnet arrives.
The 2010/11 CoolBrands Top 20:
- Aston Martin (Automotive - Cars)
- iPhone (Technology - Telecommunications)
- iPod (Technology - General)
- Blackberry (Technology - Telecommunications)
- Bang & Olufsen (Technology - General)
- Harley-Davidson (Automotive - Motorbikes)
- Nintendo Wii (Leisure & Entertainment - Games & Toys)
- Google (Online)
- Ferrari (Automotive - Cars)
- Dom Perignon (Drinks - Champagne)
- BBC iPlayer (Online)
- Vivienne Westwood (Fashion - Designer)
- Apple (Technology - General)
- Tate Modern (Leisure & Entertainment - UK Attractions & The Arts)
- YouTube (Online)
- Mini (Automotive - Cars)
- Chanel (Fashion - Designer)
- Ray-Ban (Fashion - Accessories, Jewellery, Watches)
- Alexander McQueen (Fashion - Designer)
- Jimmy Choo (Fashion - Footwear)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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Audi A1 1.4 TFSI, not S1
Audi is to unveil the hot(ish) version of its A1 supermini at the Paris Motor Show. But, contrary to normal convention, it won’t be called S1. Instead, it’ll have the long and inelegant title of Audi A1 1.4 TFSI, because there’s no quattro all-wheel drive system to warrant the ‘S’ prefix.
Its 1.4 litre turbocharged and supercharged engine, seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and underpinnings are all shared with the Volkswagen Polo GTI, Skoda Fabia vRS and Seat Ibiza SC Cupra. However, Audi obviously felt the need to differentiate the ‘premium’ version of the quartet, so the A1 gets a superficial power increase from 176 bhp (132 kW / 180 PS) to 182 bhp (136 kW / 185 PS).
Not that those few extra horsepower make any difference. The 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 6.9 seconds is exactly the same as the Polo GTI’s, for example, while a top speed of 141 mph (227 km/h) is actually 1 mph slower than the Volkswagen can manage. At least the combined cycle fuel economy of 47.9 mpg (5.9 l/100km) and CO2 emissions of 139 g/km are equal to what the Polo achieves.
UK pricing and final specification have yet to be confirmed. In Germany, though, the 182 bhp 1.4 TFSI will be around 15% more than the current most expensive model in the range. Applying a similar relationship to the UK price list could mean the de facto ‘S1’ costs nearly £21,000.
Perhaps that might be justifiable if the A1 had quattro to distinguish it from its Polo, Fabia and Ibiza cousins - but it doesn’t. However, such details probably won’t be enough to deter those who are determined to have four rings on the front of their car.
Its 1.4 litre turbocharged and supercharged engine, seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and underpinnings are all shared with the Volkswagen Polo GTI, Skoda Fabia vRS and Seat Ibiza SC Cupra. However, Audi obviously felt the need to differentiate the ‘premium’ version of the quartet, so the A1 gets a superficial power increase from 176 bhp (132 kW / 180 PS) to 182 bhp (136 kW / 185 PS).
Not that those few extra horsepower make any difference. The 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 6.9 seconds is exactly the same as the Polo GTI’s, for example, while a top speed of 141 mph (227 km/h) is actually 1 mph slower than the Volkswagen can manage. At least the combined cycle fuel economy of 47.9 mpg (5.9 l/100km) and CO2 emissions of 139 g/km are equal to what the Polo achieves.
UK pricing and final specification have yet to be confirmed. In Germany, though, the 182 bhp 1.4 TFSI will be around 15% more than the current most expensive model in the range. Applying a similar relationship to the UK price list could mean the de facto ‘S1’ costs nearly £21,000.
Perhaps that might be justifiable if the A1 had quattro to distinguish it from its Polo, Fabia and Ibiza cousins - but it doesn’t. However, such details probably won’t be enough to deter those who are determined to have four rings on the front of their car.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Smart and Mini scooters
Both Smart and Mini will have electric scooter concepts at the Paris Motor Show. That’s either a huge coincidence, or they’ve been keeping a very close eye on each other’s activities. Of course it must be the former, for the benefit of the lawyers.
Smart
Smart’s offering is called the escooter which, like the Smart fortwo car, features a metal frame with interchangeable plastic body panels.
Power comes from a 5 bhp (4 kW / 5 PS) rear hub-mounted motor, driven by a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack. That’s enough to propel the escooter up to 28 mph (45 km/h), which is on a par with 50 cc petrol scooters and should be fine for most city centre trips. Tackling anything further afield might be a bit ambitious, although Smart reckons it’ll have a range of around 60 miles (100 km).
Charging takes ‘within three to five hours’, which just sounds rather vague. Unlike the Econogo Yogo electric scooter, the escooter doesn’t have a removable battery, which makes recharging awkward unless there’s a convenient kerbside plug-in point to hand.
Stopping ability is clearly one aspect of the escooter that has received a lot of attention. The brakes are linked - which means just one lever controls retardation of both the front and rear wheels - and they come with an anti-lock system, a rarity for scooters.
However, whereas there’s a traditional disc brake for the front wheel, the rear uses the electric motor acting in reverse to slow it down. An added benefit of this arrangement is that braking makes the motor act as a generator, sending extra charge to the battery.
If it ever goes on sale, riders of the escooter will also need to own a smartphone. That’s because putting the phone into a slot on the dashboard deactivates the immobiliser and anti-theft system. Then, when travelling, the phone’s screen becomes the scooter’s instruments, showing speed, battery range and charge level.
A clever idea, but it could all go very wrong the first time it rains and the owner discovers that their smartphone isn’t particularly waterproof.
Mini
Mini is claiming ‘CO2-free mobility’ for its Scooter E Concept. That’s somewhat misleading, unless the electricity used comes from a source that doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide during the generation process. Boringly pedantic, but unfortunately true.
Just like the Smart escooter, the Mini features an electric motor integrated in the rear wheel, combined with a lithium-ion battery. Charging is also via an onboard socket, so any potential buyers would probably have to invest in a few extension leads, too.
Disappointingly, that’s about it for technical information. Seemingly Mini has concentrated more on how its Scooter E Concept looks. Details such as the upright windshield and the round headlight are supposed to evoke the design of Mini cars, although it could be said that the result just ends up resembling a bloated Piaggio Vespa.
In yet another startling coincidence, the Scooter E Concept also makes use of smartphones. Like the Smart escooter, the rider would be expected to slot their phone into the dashboard to enable the bike to start. Once underway, the phone would control music, navigation and communication, using a Bluetooth link to a microphone and speakers in the rider’s helmet.
Doubtless Mini, like Smart, will be waiting to see what kind of reaction its concept gets before deciding whether or not to take it any further. Perhaps parent company BMW’s existing motorcycle operation gives the Mini Scooter E Concept a better chance of making it into production?
Smart
Smart’s offering is called the escooter which, like the Smart fortwo car, features a metal frame with interchangeable plastic body panels.
Power comes from a 5 bhp (4 kW / 5 PS) rear hub-mounted motor, driven by a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack. That’s enough to propel the escooter up to 28 mph (45 km/h), which is on a par with 50 cc petrol scooters and should be fine for most city centre trips. Tackling anything further afield might be a bit ambitious, although Smart reckons it’ll have a range of around 60 miles (100 km).
Charging takes ‘within three to five hours’, which just sounds rather vague. Unlike the Econogo Yogo electric scooter, the escooter doesn’t have a removable battery, which makes recharging awkward unless there’s a convenient kerbside plug-in point to hand.
Stopping ability is clearly one aspect of the escooter that has received a lot of attention. The brakes are linked - which means just one lever controls retardation of both the front and rear wheels - and they come with an anti-lock system, a rarity for scooters.
However, whereas there’s a traditional disc brake for the front wheel, the rear uses the electric motor acting in reverse to slow it down. An added benefit of this arrangement is that braking makes the motor act as a generator, sending extra charge to the battery.
If it ever goes on sale, riders of the escooter will also need to own a smartphone. That’s because putting the phone into a slot on the dashboard deactivates the immobiliser and anti-theft system. Then, when travelling, the phone’s screen becomes the scooter’s instruments, showing speed, battery range and charge level.
A clever idea, but it could all go very wrong the first time it rains and the owner discovers that their smartphone isn’t particularly waterproof.
Mini
Mini is claiming ‘CO2-free mobility’ for its Scooter E Concept. That’s somewhat misleading, unless the electricity used comes from a source that doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide during the generation process. Boringly pedantic, but unfortunately true.
Just like the Smart escooter, the Mini features an electric motor integrated in the rear wheel, combined with a lithium-ion battery. Charging is also via an onboard socket, so any potential buyers would probably have to invest in a few extension leads, too.
Disappointingly, that’s about it for technical information. Seemingly Mini has concentrated more on how its Scooter E Concept looks. Details such as the upright windshield and the round headlight are supposed to evoke the design of Mini cars, although it could be said that the result just ends up resembling a bloated Piaggio Vespa.
In yet another startling coincidence, the Scooter E Concept also makes use of smartphones. Like the Smart escooter, the rider would be expected to slot their phone into the dashboard to enable the bike to start. Once underway, the phone would control music, navigation and communication, using a Bluetooth link to a microphone and speakers in the rider’s helmet.
Doubtless Mini, like Smart, will be waiting to see what kind of reaction its concept gets before deciding whether or not to take it any further. Perhaps parent company BMW’s existing motorcycle operation gives the Mini Scooter E Concept a better chance of making it into production?
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