tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82578695496197322102024-03-18T09:48:04.746+00:00Small Blog V8Automotive themed streams of consciousness. Mostly.SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-82817014089078163862023-03-29T22:41:00.002+01:002023-03-29T23:33:40.381+01:00Revuelto | Is Lamborghini Played-out?<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRbcTAElhxYbn6xM4mDVDvl1fgAO5Al6pkj9GfHD494suf8Qs00IIRYgrDuP7F7glZ5wh01d8B3uyRf8kvaDwlr13OE7y9jLazOYmOON5MKEolXyXZQIOTXTsgyqudQat_i2uRGwqthiverX6ecF2dogZtyxAQjk9ffQkzVeqs0XnYr-uJpF4MqF2/s1920/LB744EXTERIORS(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRbcTAElhxYbn6xM4mDVDvl1fgAO5Al6pkj9GfHD494suf8Qs00IIRYgrDuP7F7glZ5wh01d8B3uyRf8kvaDwlr13OE7y9jLazOYmOON5MKEolXyXZQIOTXTsgyqudQat_i2uRGwqthiverX6ecF2dogZtyxAQjk9ffQkzVeqs0XnYr-uJpF4MqF2/w640-h426/LB744EXTERIORS(9).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2023 Lamborghini Revuelto</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>An all-new Lamborghini launching is a big deal in the weird little world of supercars. Well, it's supposed to be... but for the first time in my life this once-in-a-decade happening leaves me almost completely cold. It's called Revuelto, which when I paste that into Google Translate comes back as 'Scrambled' in Spanish. Draw from that what you will...<br /></p><p>Normally a new generation of V12 Lamborghini is a new revolution. The Countach looked nothing like the Miura, the Murcielago very little like the Diablo. This time? It doesn't feel very far removed from the Aventador. In fact, the proportions and essential silhouette are so similar that, despite Lamborghini boasting of an all-new carbon-composite tub, you'd think by looking that it's <i>based on</i> an Aventador (now a 12-year-old platform). Of course, this would have precedent, since there have been several low-volume specials based on the ougoing car – Veneno, Centenario, Siån, whatever those two run-out specials were – and the trouble with this is that when you trace the stylistic evolution of those cars (plus the Vision Gran Turismo project) the Revuelto looks like even less of a step forwards from what we've seen before. If you're a kid who's never seen a Lamborghini before then it might have some visual impact, but in any meaningful context it's merely... fine.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGW700BZ3aNkN7Bi3R1irZPyKJ8dUMe2KilgDm77eZ5gtWpbVGNufMEL8CE0C1g4_S0PrQD39JIpT0oG7h1rv4E_PigUY6Khm0Ea6K7i3QDDN3b7jq40VnHAqWpGEkzO9xcS9mwnWCzwyl3_ijzBt25AdW02vdBz1ETzYRF03rWlxIpHGSSBxra08/s1920/638499_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGW700BZ3aNkN7Bi3R1irZPyKJ8dUMe2KilgDm77eZ5gtWpbVGNufMEL8CE0C1g4_S0PrQD39JIpT0oG7h1rv4E_PigUY6Khm0Ea6K7i3QDDN3b7jq40VnHAqWpGEkzO9xcS9mwnWCzwyl3_ijzBt25AdW02vdBz1ETzYRF03rWlxIpHGSSBxra08/w640-h360/638499_v1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Ah, but of course, Lamborghini can point at the new hybrid system and say it's a state-of-the-art fresh start. A 3.6kWh battery mounted in the transmission tunnel powers two front-wheel electric motors and a third, booster motor attached to the new 8-speed DCT to supplement the freshly tuned V12 driving the rear wheels (claimed EV-only range is a token 10km). A decade ago, the likes of Porsche 918, BMW i8, Jaguar C-X75 and the slowly gestating Acura NSX prototypes were hailed as revolutionary for having such a layout. Now? Now it's just normal. In fact, so un-revolutionary is this hybrid system in the grand scheme of things that it feels more like they only did it to comply with shifts in the industry and its regulations – and to respond three years late to the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.</p><p>Like the SF90 Stradale, the Revuelto's combined engine and e-motor output just about hits 1000 horsepower (825hp from the engine) and the price tag will, after a couple of typically extortionate optional extras, one imagines, just about hit half a million euros as well. It is also, at 1770kg dry, arguably too heavy.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XYkw_HGKxHHPZocstb7B4jmWBlg84gn-JXlMYr4G1kMhDsvHAbkV2MDYOlII2N-jaXkTHeRL0lqXh8eVzeiaxi9nuON3SYzscIjePE-OZmS-fLQf4IwPwZYv0Tyo8BNwbWN38jMPVjvHjjp6oJyTZbsOzTBHaHyS7mLczM3PHK5aQd9PNxNpnbsH/s1620/Interior_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XYkw_HGKxHHPZocstb7B4jmWBlg84gn-JXlMYr4G1kMhDsvHAbkV2MDYOlII2N-jaXkTHeRL0lqXh8eVzeiaxi9nuON3SYzscIjePE-OZmS-fLQf4IwPwZYv0Tyo8BNwbWN38jMPVjvHjjp6oJyTZbsOzTBHaHyS7mLczM3PHK5aQd9PNxNpnbsH/w640-h426/Interior_1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Inside, the triple-screen festooned cabin is claimed to be marginally more spacious than in the
Aventador, with cupholders and a phone slot being introduced as well as
Amazon Alexa's always-on data-harvesting eyes and ears in the cloud.
Also newly introduced here is (presumably VW-Group off-the-shelf) mild
ADAS functionality with automatic cruise control and lane keeping, which
is amusing when you consider how many Lamborghini owners have proven
themselves on YouTube and Instagram to be less than brilliant drivers...<p></p><p>But most of the press-release regurgitation is by the by, here. My feeling from looking at what this is, as a design and an addition to the supercar landscape, is that Lamborghini is running out of ideas.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_dwCMEWUPBHHEZNt_Cpkvh7tni8VEmdSXp4ONRN1KziXUdQSpJChA9BOgEphdWLxuahKg-A4Aunp5g8mxAWfaO32LFfeQgte_i-3DJh2vGbzsMh4MydfvO99wf7n2ZEsx-nqK0_QrUkIozCtgMoTnphiLAAl4orLF68jTWkysx-9_m-eoN1fZXXH/s1920/Sian%20FKP37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_dwCMEWUPBHHEZNt_Cpkvh7tni8VEmdSXp4ONRN1KziXUdQSpJChA9BOgEphdWLxuahKg-A4Aunp5g8mxAWfaO32LFfeQgte_i-3DJh2vGbzsMh4MydfvO99wf7n2ZEsx-nqK0_QrUkIozCtgMoTnphiLAAl4orLF68jTWkysx-9_m-eoN1fZXXH/w640-h360/Sian%20FKP37.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2019 Lamborghini Siån FKP37 (a restyled Aventador with added ERS)</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The designs they've shown in the 12 years between Aventador and Revuelto have all been iterations of a familiar set of themes. Chiselled surface changes, hexagon-based patterns and outlines, arrow-like LED strip lighting (which goes back to the 2007 Reventón), single-line side profile. Join those dots and you're sorted. That last characteristic actually goes all the way back to the Countach, which is notable because one of the more recent rebodied-Aventador limited edition specials was, controversially, a Hollywood-esque remake of Marcello Gandini's era-defining legend.</p><p>I think that this particular slice of high-margin collector bait is the biggest red flag for what I'm getting at. Given that their design boss Mitja Borkert had long been at pains to reference the Countach every single time the company launched anything, I ultimately wasn't too surprised that they finally let him achieve what he seems to have wanted all along: simply, the ability to say he "designed the new Countach." There was a moment described in a <i>TopGear</i> magazine article when it launched in 2021 that really conveyed this to me. Once the new car was finished, Lamborghini's design team showed Gandini a scale model of their tribute piece, like Borkert and co needed the old man's approval in order for the exercise to be complete. As if it was the whole point of this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKAXCrZIXjOQO_QENHU4RZp-VEGJwA3N8pQrNRn9HSc4aLXL56ECgrnZKN2_In60Ewa4fszLldPiLnhDhVzTEZ1p4Fy5JtEBQ8jPl0U5x0amQ_RuU2KQxOj-tG71Pn-FPNjbaDEfuzaKj_8KgaTw9R3TENFxwtcLNLUpHxhNr4w_0Ei-jwumdUoXd/s1920/Lamborghini%20Countach%20old%20and%20new.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1920" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKAXCrZIXjOQO_QENHU4RZp-VEGJwA3N8pQrNRn9HSc4aLXL56ECgrnZKN2_In60Ewa4fszLldPiLnhDhVzTEZ1p4Fy5JtEBQ8jPl0U5x0amQ_RuU2KQxOj-tG71Pn-FPNjbaDEfuzaKj_8KgaTw9R3TENFxwtcLNLUpHxhNr4w_0Ei-jwumdUoXd/w640-h378/Lamborghini%20Countach%20old%20and%20new.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Gandini was polite about it... until, a little while later, <a href="https://www.carbodydesign.com/2021/10/marcello-gandini-distances-himself-from-the-new-countach/" target="_blank">he wasn't polite anymore</a>. Oh dear.<br />In this prime piece of car designer handbags, one of the quotes from the maestro himself neatly sums up why a Countach remake is not a tribute, but mere hackneyed cosplaying: “<i>each new model I would work on would be an innovation, a breaker, something completely different from the previous one. Courage, the ability to create a break without sticking to the success of the previous car, the confidence in not wanting to give in to habit, were the very essence of my work.</i>” That describes everything the 2021 Countach LPI 800-4 isn't.</p><p>I'm sure there's been an undercurrent of feeling like now is the time for a
tribute because we're likely staring down the barrel of everything we know,
everything a V12 Lambo stands for, steadily coming to an end. But with
that thought aside, the decision to ape an icon feels like an entirely cynical indulgence by a team of people who are losing their courage and confidence. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAqw8_6D5fm_1KZVwikArklM__4H9UxShUlWHWkjUQv5RJn70mBgQQvJdfr0dbEHxdQwPQUBlSxuwqKHGWSpEhZkTcOx9mDkWZ5m3WkSaG9Xsg-b8U0VacxeqC-Z-dNwpkwzkQQ6pv5sfaqLrvuXlPFlASovOFMynhu8EXHTVJmoXgSfYbS0ZlkhR/s1920/LB744EXTERIORS(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAqw8_6D5fm_1KZVwikArklM__4H9UxShUlWHWkjUQv5RJn70mBgQQvJdfr0dbEHxdQwPQUBlSxuwqKHGWSpEhZkTcOx9mDkWZ5m3WkSaG9Xsg-b8U0VacxeqC-Z-dNwpkwzkQQ6pv5sfaqLrvuXlPFlASovOFMynhu8EXHTVJmoXgSfYbS0ZlkhR/w640-h426/LB744EXTERIORS(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>It also takes me straight back to the point of my own ramblings here. It says a few things about Lamborghini's design history that it's been doing extreme-looking originals for so long that a reborn icon felt like a wholly bland, formulaic and even defeatist idea; if they can't outdo themselves any further, then looking back is the next option to try. After getting publicly bitch-slapped by their hero for going full retro, they have instead had to shape (scramble?) the Revuelto by taking their current formula for both a V12 supercar and surface-level design iteration... and just using it again. Different page, same join-the-dots book.<br /></p><p>Maybe it was easier in the 20th century, when they only really needed to compete against Ferrari and the Porsche 911 Turbo to be king of the bedroom posters and there was much less precedent for it all. Nowadays it's a lot more crowded in the super/hyper/megacar market with Pagani, Koenigsegg, Rimac-Bugatti, McLaren and a dozen precocious start-ups of varying legitimacy – plus brief visitations from grown-up OEMs like the Ford GT – all having their own goes at the sort of things that Lamborghini used to own.<br />But even so, I think it's time for them to take their Countach posters down from the walls and moodboards in Sant'Agata, roll them up, put them away... and find the ability to create a break from the past, the courage not to give in to habit. Rather than following the rules it set, to truly honour its now 60-year history Lamborghini must dare to tear it all up and write new ones. Otherwise its impact and relevance are effectively dead and buried.</p><p>.<br /></p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-13219333142427609672023-03-14T00:00:00.005+00:002023-03-14T13:45:38.779+00:002023 World Endurance Championship Preview<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfj1Dy9AGIQBqJV1hmG2aXz0jxmUxFG2_mTQTdFyve4NtaD-Sd7SLV0cmPS8DJMPgsIUTqvHiExmwaLaVOXmPismtyGp3zRq9CxJLuVbzAIWsBQ4D7I7Gze2Tic9sjDyZ3CXogqHZFd8ksED1kwIf4M29ZUiKPGEir-RLaIXS0lyDm3r8JS1wuiet/s1280/2023%20World%20Endurance%20Championship_Sebring%20Group%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfj1Dy9AGIQBqJV1hmG2aXz0jxmUxFG2_mTQTdFyve4NtaD-Sd7SLV0cmPS8DJMPgsIUTqvHiExmwaLaVOXmPismtyGp3zRq9CxJLuVbzAIWsBQ4D7I7Gze2Tic9sjDyZ3CXogqHZFd8ksED1kwIf4M29ZUiKPGEir-RLaIXS0lyDm3r8JS1wuiet/w640-h426/2023%20World%20Endurance%20Championship_Sebring%20Group%20Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The class of 2023</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Are you bored of seeing a Red Bull F1 car cruise around in front like it's 2011 yet? Good. There's something much more compelling and unpredictable to watch, and it's very nearly here. If you have never had any serious interest in endurance racing before, then now is the perfect time to start. Allow me to explain why...</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Hypercar: New Era, Old Storylines</u></b></h3><p>Previously, the top category in the FIA World Endurance Championship was called LMP1 and, for a time, it was excellent. During the mid-2010s, the cars built by manufacturer teams were more advanced and, at low-to-medium speeds, quicker than Formula 1 cars of the same period. They were all-wheel-drive, thousand-horsepower hybrids pushing the industry's understanding of energy storage and hybrid system integration, recovering enough energy under braking over the course of the Le Mans 24h to have powered a house for two days. Sadly, they also became as expensive as a middling Formula 1 car to create, develop and race. As the WEC gets a tiny fraction of the world's attention compared to F1, that caused Porsche and Audi to withdraw, leaving Toyota on its own with nobody comparable to race against... so they cruised around lapping everyone for a couple of seasons.</p><p>Clearly, a hard reset was needed, and after many years that has materialised as the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class. It introduces a cap on total power output (500kW, or 670hp), a defined 'performance window' for your aerodynamic package's downforce and drag to fit into, an easily achievable minimum weight of 1030kg, plus a Balance of Performance system to make ~sure it's definitely close. Oh, and your hybrid system (mandatory for manufacturer teams only) must power just the front axle, with an engine of your choice taking full charge of the rear wheels. Simple! But critically, also much cheaper. That factor alone has seen an influx of returning manufacturers...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVF-cOOEc1oGgI12RUJ1v6lvT_vypZ4sPbJ7-uYE-E-xQCRF7AriBYAJabEuFg0wzC32iiSrED5g08M3PL-xXCrOVTz5JX71dTo6Krk3a2klT1ZhY2BwKSVNQPBTfU49-clhV2nmal9O28FerjWLg-zWMyb7K7BG_c5SP7NIgmCI9d6wqMt0pT_H7/s1400/2019%20Daytona%2024h_start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVF-cOOEc1oGgI12RUJ1v6lvT_vypZ4sPbJ7-uYE-E-xQCRF7AriBYAJabEuFg0wzC32iiSrED5g08M3PL-xXCrOVTz5JX71dTo6Krk3a2klT1ZhY2BwKSVNQPBTfU49-clhV2nmal9O28FerjWLg-zWMyb7K7BG_c5SP7NIgmCI9d6wqMt0pT_H7/w640-h426/2019%20Daytona%2024h_start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 Daytona 24 Hours</td></tr></tbody></table><p>...but actually, it's not that simple. Over in the USA, the IMSA Sportscar Championship was also having its ups and downs. General Motors and Honda/Acura, which coincidentally also have IndyCar engine programmes, were the last two standing after the likes of Nissan and Mazda had decided to stop investing in sports prototype racers. IMSA's Daytona Prototype International (DPI) class was due a rebirth at about the same time as FIA's LMP1. So, from ~2019 to 2021, the two governing bodies worked on a radical new collaboration, to give each series a technical ruleset so similar in performance that both types of car could compete in both championships. That makes this more affordable era twice as accessible! It was not easy, but it has happened. Replacing DPI is the Le Mans-Daytona hybrid (LMDh) class, known in North America as Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) as a historical reference.</p><p>On a technical level, IMSA GTP cars differ in layout; whereas an FIA LMH needs to be conceived from the ground up and there are few restrictions on hybrid system components, a GTP is based around one of four supplied 'spines' (tub chassis) from Dallara, Oreca, Multimatic or Ligier. The engine can be anything that helps you hit 670 horsepower*, but the hybrid system is a standardised unit supplied for all GTP cars, driving only the rear wheels alongside said engine. It can be calibrated by the teams, though. The reason for this format is that it works as a smooth evolution from the non-hybrid DPIs, which were also built around <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/lmp2/28" target="_blank">LMP2</a> safety cells for simplicity's sake.</p><p>*Regarding this power output limit: as LMH allows non-manufacturer teams to run non-hybrid cars, the activation of a hybrid car's electric motor must coincide with a commensurate reduction in the combustion engine's output, so that total system output never exceeds 500KW/670PS, or whichever exact number the BoP nudges you up or down to this month...</p><p>So, to enter this new expanded world of endurance racing, constructors can choose whether to prioritise design freedom and pure DNA, or to prioritise lower costs and reducing the manufacturing to-do list. LMH is purer, GTP is cheaper, both are covered by Balance of Performance to make it a fair fight regardless.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNIG1GpbtRW0nLrTsJUtF1BRh-rlWN1qi8oNTenkC5VRAg6oJFjyAKmS7lrfbhZV587VDRkP93PfPo43PIt8O7_Z-d7wSA1qOxiEVWWzfiaR8kiC0ZK9wV9kAi2qFaOBPy_nHMbkSs4F5g37SwqLG6AoXkgqWybnHtYdmEKDaYruB8DyZ38TG0tUh/s1799/LMH%20Group.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="1799" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNIG1GpbtRW0nLrTsJUtF1BRh-rlWN1qi8oNTenkC5VRAg6oJFjyAKmS7lrfbhZV587VDRkP93PfPo43PIt8O7_Z-d7wSA1qOxiEVWWzfiaR8kiC0ZK9wV9kAi2qFaOBPy_nHMbkSs4F5g37SwqLG6AoXkgqWybnHtYdmEKDaYruB8DyZ38TG0tUh/w640-h128/LMH%20Group.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cadillac, Porsche, Glickenhaus, Toyota, Peugeot, Ferrari, Vanwall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It's interesting to note who's made what decision along the way. GM/<b>Cadillac</b> and <b>Acura</b> have naturally gone the GTP route, with <a href="https://jalopnik.com/cadillac-v-series-r-gtp-hypercar-design-and-engineering-1850165764" target="_blank">Cadillac</a> entering both championships immediately and <a href="https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/acura-arx-06-lmdh-prototype/" target="_blank">Acura</a> only doing IMSA racing for now (hence it's not pictured above). <b>Toyota</b> has continued sticking around and brings an updated GR010 (LMH) to WEC only. <b>Porsche</b> is well capable of constructing an LMH from a clean sheet, having previously dominated LMP1, GT1, Group C, etc... but upon returning to prototypes has gone the cheaper GTP route instead, which feels a little cynical (Audi was going to re-skin the resulting '963' but axed that plan to enter F1 instead). <b>BMW</b> has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M_Hybrid_V8" target="_blank">done similarly</a> but has chosen to only race in IMSA this year before expanding into WEC for 2024. <b>Peugeot</b>, whose 908 HDI diesel won Le Mans in 2009, has returned with by far and away the coolest car of the bunch, the 9X8 (LMH). Just look at it! It looks like a Mohican spaceship and has no rear wing!</div><div><br /></div><div>But grabbing the headlines harder than any other entry is the monumental return of <b>Ferrari</b>, whose 499P (LMH) marks their first official top-category WEC entry in 50 years (although that's ignoring the semi-official 333 SP that raced IMSA in the 1990s). The livery and possibly some of the body shapes it boasts are modernised takes on the 312 PB that raced in 1973. The hybrid battery is from the Formula 1 car, the 2.9 V6 twin-turbo engine is from the 296 GT3 car and it's being run by AF Corse, who last year won the final edition of the GTE Pro World Championship with the last evolution of the 488 GTE.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLs6gEfK1wv6mgvHJAPF9YeVmFszK7O6EAHb2hxiy_CQFAwNUK7wmFaKwjai2x8TnALn2Hp00MqZbZCltVDsA2cNWw-BGl3Vo11AYlAVpJAy6JoPLwa5n5CaF154Yekwsr0XQGE22E4h0f_FwYP70OLMc0Mtw4wuTbuZxGdneIsYwpeh93zgqC07Pj/s1080/LMH%20vs%20GTE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLs6gEfK1wv6mgvHJAPF9YeVmFszK7O6EAHb2hxiy_CQFAwNUK7wmFaKwjai2x8TnALn2Hp00MqZbZCltVDsA2cNWw-BGl3Vo11AYlAVpJAy6JoPLwa5n5CaF154Yekwsr0XQGE22E4h0f_FwYP70OLMc0Mtw4wuTbuZxGdneIsYwpeh93zgqC07Pj/w640-h426/LMH%20vs%20GTE.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ferrari AF Corse 499P (LMH) and 488 GTE (GTE-Am)<br />Image from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=michelinmotorsport&set=a.2413559982148664" target="_blank">Michelin's FB</a> page</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The two-day Prologue pre-season test has revealed an approximation of an early pecking order, with all the usual caveats of not knowing people's run plan and such like when comparing testing times. What's interesting from a narrative perspective is that the battle for pole looks to be between Toyota and Cadillac, who are the two mainstays from two formerly separate championships. In this year of convergence, Toyota vs Cadillac is the sportscar racing equivalent of Batman vs Spiderman; two heroes from disparate universes making an unlikely and ambitious crossover. Fascinating!<div>For fans of a more old-school match-up, just behind those two we also have Porsche vs Ferrari for the first time in this category since the 1970s. Seen the original <a href="https://youtu.be/V8VP6Ly9I3k" target="_blank"><i>Le Mans</i> movie</a>? Here's a real-world sequel. Make some popcorn... oh, and Peugeot had to face off against Toyota at the end of the Group C era, so there's some precedent there too.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9LWoY2CaVeM1v_u5nNJwxgvMzPkyZWEgg9iAychRU1jbC7QySe3Gg8VKgWCbi-Yn2VmFEZQUReNXCYgruFZaM6WKoh4d9qlbPIcateaOGKD6k4v6R_0poW6lt_QWVzmLgDHPvvxTlGjXxL3JrIQeXJpPXuo0uMXhumsu0pqScrnY2bROyIJPPGlP/s1800/2023%20WEC%20Prologue_Glickenhaus,%20Toyota,%20Iron%20Dames%20Porsche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9LWoY2CaVeM1v_u5nNJwxgvMzPkyZWEgg9iAychRU1jbC7QySe3Gg8VKgWCbi-Yn2VmFEZQUReNXCYgruFZaM6WKoh4d9qlbPIcateaOGKD6k4v6R_0poW6lt_QWVzmLgDHPvvxTlGjXxL3JrIQeXJpPXuo0uMXhumsu0pqScrnY2bROyIJPPGlP/w640-h426/2023%20WEC%20Prologue_Glickenhaus,%20Toyota,%20Iron%20Dames%20Porsche.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SCG 007 (LMH), Toyota GR010 (LMH), Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR (GTE-Am)<br />Image from Michelin's FB page</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>But endurance racing isn't just about large OEMs beating the shit out of eachother and never has been. The indie curios are what characterise the sport just as much. Sadly Rebellion Racing isn't here for this party, which feels wrong after they were such a respected stalwart of the LMP1 underdogs, but there are two 'garagiste' teams to look out for. <b>Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus</b>, founded by the... 'characterful' American film director and Ferrari collector James Glickenhaus, entered the first season of LMH in 2021 (before IMSA had introduced GTP, which started racing this year) with its own car design and a made-to-order twin-turbo V8 from specialist supplier PIPO Moteurs. Last year they could only afford a partial season, but they proved their worth in that time with a podium at Le Mans. How will they fare with more competition?</div><div>The team formerly known as ByKolles is now, despite <a href="https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/02/03/bykolles-lose-euipo-case-over-vanwall-trademark.html" target="_blank">some legal wrangling</a>, using the revived name of <b>Vanwall</b> and brings its 'Vandervell 680' equipped with the naturally-aspirated Gibson 4.5 V8 previously seen in the Rebellion/Alpine LMP1 cars and detuned to suit LMH. They've had to claw their way onto the grid after initially being rejected by the FIA last year, and they bring Jacques Villeneuve with them. Let's see how that goes...</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, not present at the Prologue is a team bringing back another long-lost name: <b>Isotta-Fraschini</b>. After months of renders and promises, they have <a href="https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/02/28/isotta-fraschini-reveals-tipo-6-lmh-competizione-in-milan.html" target="_blank">built a car</a>. But not in time to get a full-season entry. They are now angling for partial-season entry on a race-by-race basis and hoping they'll earn a more legitimate place for next season that way, whilst acquainting themselves with the sport in the meantime by working with the Vector Sport LMP2 team.</div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>The Centenary Running of the Le Mans 24 Hours</u></b></h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF6TJiNWAjEy-0gRvF-MxDKteokPQXRTv8fKPr86-KBzkPEhLY8XlMdWRtZ01aS2kDgth_zRU6PQqRzB3TK-lawRWHoIkx4DkUoOd1Wqv1A9tWoJSpmztnX7K9G6lZR4Wa6RRcpmAh-fkDQRmRGF7nuT-4jLpXiU9UFNvM-sW7XscwNbX3eJj6HGM/s1500/2023%20Le%20Mans%2024%20Hours%20trophy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1500" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF6TJiNWAjEy-0gRvF-MxDKteokPQXRTv8fKPr86-KBzkPEhLY8XlMdWRtZ01aS2kDgth_zRU6PQqRzB3TK-lawRWHoIkx4DkUoOd1Wqv1A9tWoJSpmztnX7K9G6lZR4Wa6RRcpmAh-fkDQRmRGF7nuT-4jLpXiU9UFNvM-sW7XscwNbX3eJj6HGM/w640-h446/2023%20Le%20Mans%2024%20Hours%20trophy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2023 Le Mans 24h Centenary Trophy</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Don't call it the 100th running, because it's not. 2023 will see the 91st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the greatest and most prestigious endurance race of them all. However, the 1st running took place in 1923, which you don't need to be good at maths to work out was 100 years ago. As such, this is going to be the biggest event it has ever been before, with celebrations, parades, pomp, circumstance and at some stage a very long motor race as well, just to cap things off. We'll have to see whether they go just as big for the 100th running in (I presume) 2032, but a 100th-anniversary event is one of those things that can only happen once. I have a ticket. If you don't then you're too late – around 300,000 people beat you to it and raceday(s) tickets are now sold out. Best find yourself a live stream come the middle of June! Or suffer the Eurosport broadcast...</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Hypercar Bluffer's Guide</u></b></h3><p>Right, so if you're now getting the point and thinking of watching (the Sebring 1000 Miles is on Friday 17th March and in the UK can be watched on Eurosport, or is globally accessed on the FIA WEC app for a fee), then you'll want to be able to tell who's who. Whilst there are two car types, all of these machines are entered in the WEC's Hypercar class with red number boxes, as of the opening round at Sebring, and will be the cars competing for outright wins. Unless they all break down.</p><p>Here's each Hypercar-class machine at a glance, in alphabetical order:<br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Cadillac V-Series.R</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPqCnZchYoC7m6WsQHCKSqwWuA8s9Z1CaEkGZDKGNG7vnltONW0Jl7BmKpzaO2y5LZRR3gU-DdJwGFGkFM_7ePP7EiqjXbDTtkiThBttX1AeIMFAI3h_Kxr-v-wvzjpIaWorgVfMi6ZZEc2aEZZtSjod18leKxmJW1dzSMv3FXSvjypqN5MHnial2/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Cadillac.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPqCnZchYoC7m6WsQHCKSqwWuA8s9Z1CaEkGZDKGNG7vnltONW0Jl7BmKpzaO2y5LZRR3gU-DdJwGFGkFM_7ePP7EiqjXbDTtkiThBttX1AeIMFAI3h_Kxr-v-wvzjpIaWorgVfMi6ZZEc2aEZZtSjod18leKxmJW1dzSMv3FXSvjypqN5MHnial2/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Cadillac.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b>IMSA GTP (Dallara) | 5.5-litre V8 (NA) | Rear-axle ERS</b><br />Easily the best-sounding car in this or any sportscar class, with the American muscle soundtrack sharpened-up and revving higher than you'd expect... and yet somehow they seem to get competitive-enough fuel mileage! Cadillac took three cars to the opening round of its local IMSA Sportscar Championship – the Daytona 24 Hours – but just one of those (the blue one) is doing 'double duty' with a full-season entry in the World Endurance Championship. It will be rejoined by its brethren <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans#Entry_list" target="_blank">at Le Mans</a>, where some IMSA-specific crews will be allowed in with the WEC folks for the main event of the year (Porsche is doing similarly).</div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>-</b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Ferrari 499P</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz9Cf8E_wlyJudsKnRgFyhHbRqbhg5Q4wvuq6c4Hx1sWew191vQeBK7mP2KgoHPYGE0I1ZJidAzlvEnmA8BmsyYLLU9I7O54rLDrfHDDnesITmy0BtKLpQA6Etl5-1YY5pgExRBgMYFQBYehiurvdCsnPisujKoDaAIxJ5T22IcaKFI2GUlXVKt-L/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Ferrari.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz9Cf8E_wlyJudsKnRgFyhHbRqbhg5Q4wvuq6c4Hx1sWew191vQeBK7mP2KgoHPYGE0I1ZJidAzlvEnmA8BmsyYLLU9I7O54rLDrfHDDnesITmy0BtKLpQA6Etl5-1YY5pgExRBgMYFQBYehiurvdCsnPisujKoDaAIxJ5T22IcaKFI2GUlXVKt-L/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Ferrari.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><b>FIA LMH | 2.9-litre V6-TT | Front-axle ERS</b></p><p>All aboard the Tifosi hype train! GTE Pro champions AF Corse (and its drivers) have been promoted into the top class, but the 499P is the last manufacturer-entered car to be completed, having turned its first wheel in July 2022 when Peugeot was already racing, so while they've covered 24,000km in private testing, they've had to do it in the shortest window of time. They have openly talked about prioritising reliability from the start, and surely every team grappling with a brand new car/category will find teething troubles. The pace looks decent in pre-season testing, but the toughness of the two debuting Ferraris will be interesting to understand as the racing begins.</p><p>-</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 007</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPwe198SMkToAinH1XHuewwNMRNf4HIdtY9VRpTYQOX9c3lV9zNWsL_EJ_PY_v56WzJkUqJtRcNtoMD_jzRbD4NeW5iDnh3SCCY5CPJ8DdXMbaTeImoALjIxwLEfzhFFvN17F7K_6mmaIPVuJ66Jwp4whnZmssBMmT0WtBtv9FDR1SvVapsp_F42/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Glickenhaus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPwe198SMkToAinH1XHuewwNMRNf4HIdtY9VRpTYQOX9c3lV9zNWsL_EJ_PY_v56WzJkUqJtRcNtoMD_jzRbD4NeW5iDnh3SCCY5CPJ8DdXMbaTeImoALjIxwLEfzhFFvN17F7K_6mmaIPVuJ66Jwp4whnZmssBMmT0WtBtv9FDR1SvVapsp_F42/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Glickenhaus.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>FIA LMH | 3.5-litre V8-TT | No ERS</b></div><p>From the Ferrari-made car to the car made for a guy who owns a lot of Ferraris. This isn't Glickenhaus's first original car – you can go back over a decade to the F430-based Pininfarina P4/5 Competizione that raced around the Nürburgring and get more bespoke from that point forwards – but after spending a season and a half keeping Toyota amused with the only other first-year LMH machine, it's now time for them to see what they're really made of as an independent team taking on the big dogs. They are running one car for the full season, plus a second one exclusively at Le Mans.</p><p>-</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Peugeot 9X8</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9wG1ICMbXxI8QJ42UDmWvbmQRL4ayAs_1FiYldYO1fMLA3aSI6zIf_cuVyUE4uVZOj_hbcrx5GsAWnaIoM27lYMEQk_UTnFw9mWUfbeniryRMg9oVe5O6u14_KzbULtGTTGV7lT69QW2ZRdFC2dIhKyPXAflKI5roNC_F0nf89yBfnJ09mdifrc_/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Peugeot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9wG1ICMbXxI8QJ42UDmWvbmQRL4ayAs_1FiYldYO1fMLA3aSI6zIf_cuVyUE4uVZOj_hbcrx5GsAWnaIoM27lYMEQk_UTnFw9mWUfbeniryRMg9oVe5O6u14_KzbULtGTTGV7lT69QW2ZRdFC2dIhKyPXAflKI5roNC_F0nf89yBfnJ09mdifrc_/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Peugeot.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b>FIA LMH | 2.6-litre V6-TT | Front-axle ERS</b></p><p>It's just SO COOL! Because WEC was a winter series that ended with Le Mans in June, back when Peugeot started pursuing this project in 2019, when the pandemic then saw it shift back to a single-calendar-year schedule Peugeot suddenly found its development plan was half a year out of sync. Rather than rush itself, though, it committed to only the post-LM rounds of the 2022 season, giving it three dress rehearsals in Monza, Fuji and Bahrain with newborn machinery before the real performing has to begin in 2023. They found it tough, with reliability issues and inconsistent pace at all three rounds. Is that an omen to all the newcomers? And have they sorted it all out? It's not long until we start to get answers. I hope they have. It's so cool...</p><p>-</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Porsche 963</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtDDg-LXuIr4Ivfl8cVbDY1vctNieDYocmcQikh5-MM2-YC7-ONbAK0Vozd6Hxl0CbPbNtUTOw7EnGJNCb4Pc3kMFTcxNy9BfMO10-Zx5_Xlfaeon0KZT8Q_VOZWemrVSxzIhqBljwEJTzFn_GdAqyiQHEpfXB6s10mIZpNSY8-ybDAhAzJUaAQWN/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Porsche.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtDDg-LXuIr4Ivfl8cVbDY1vctNieDYocmcQikh5-MM2-YC7-ONbAK0Vozd6Hxl0CbPbNtUTOw7EnGJNCb4Pc3kMFTcxNy9BfMO10-Zx5_Xlfaeon0KZT8Q_VOZWemrVSxzIhqBljwEJTzFn_GdAqyiQHEpfXB6s10mIZpNSY8-ybDAhAzJUaAQWN/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Porsche.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b>IMSA GTP (Multimatic) | 4.6-litre V8-TT | Rear-axle ERS</b></p><p>Porsche and endurance racing go together seamlessly. They've won Le Mans 19 times over the past 53 years (the record). No GT race is complete without a 911 and its flat-six howl filling the air (there are a few of those in the GTE-Am class this year, to be sure). Whilst I'd consider it more 'pukka' if they'd used their free choice of car formats to go the LMH route, there's no doubting that the 963 – named as a spiritual follow-up to the 962 ground-effect car that dominated Group C in the 1980s – is a big deal in the make-up of WEC's new era. They've raced at IMSA's big 24h race at Daytona already, where issues with the hybrid system hampered what looked at times like very strong pace. I would expect them to be a factor before long, though.</p><p>They are also the only manufacturer selling customer cars to racing teams in the first year, with JOTA Sport and Proton Competition getting theirs in the post next month. Maybe that's why they went the lower-cost route...</p><p>-</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Toyota GR010</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAcFk2elm3vbkkJc2a-U9WlXfKtYzq-xik9Td6HO3R2FMcMplAZ8PydUTb1M2eQRNqUCnaEuP42YfQurTICnMDZzvclv0xHBaHSM6A0MRXban6pxL5qqlpKdanBSc4PunVQ_dM3eJ90kshr-SvgJZFhmyjfxZjAgkixuddjdbcX312nfyddnwzl4m/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Toyota.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAcFk2elm3vbkkJc2a-U9WlXfKtYzq-xik9Td6HO3R2FMcMplAZ8PydUTb1M2eQRNqUCnaEuP42YfQurTICnMDZzvclv0xHBaHSM6A0MRXban6pxL5qqlpKdanBSc4PunVQ_dM3eJ90kshr-SvgJZFhmyjfxZjAgkixuddjdbcX312nfyddnwzl4m/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Toyota.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b>FIA LMH | 3.5-litre V6-TT | Front-axle ERS</b></p><p>Some argue that Toyota kept LMP1 alive in its final years. Some argue that they had no real competition in that time, as the FIA tried holding them back to let the independent, non-hybrid LMP1s catch-up whilst also (tinfoil hat alert) quietly wanting the only team with hybrid cars to win and make the series look environmentally on-point. All that philosophical strain and internet arguing is out of the window now, thank goodness, but the result of the 2018-2022 lean years in prototype racing is that Toyota went from perennial runners-up to winning Le Mans five times in a row. One can't help thinking, however, that winning a sixth against names like Porsche, Ferrari and Peugeot would mean quite a lot more to them, and everybody else, than four of those five put together (the first is always uniquely important, no? Especially after their 2016 nightmare).</p><p>What Toyota does have in its advantage is that Gazoo Racing is a well-oiled machine going up against teams and crews that aren't as dialled-in as they are. How many of Audi's Le Mans wins came from them simply executing their race better than everyone else, including those with faster cars than theirs? This is endurance racing. Wisdom, fortitude and being well-rehearsed are three things as good as horsepower.</p><p>-</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Vanwall Vandervell 680</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKMrQz5f3QsL4Y3O89bociKsxVTX57DzXQCR1EGgyBXY60ThXkDkr0JIS-pFC3MFkiEmBmajFYz2UkC_8vae9Bh7O0pLhmqB_ykEVoUCLt6-i2ME7zDI-VPHkkSSFHX0fl0TxeTR7QtSjbyHUVoLwlXUuqwQxxxdMkFb5Eqzjdt1b7DDDacHj6HPq/s900/WEC%20Hypercar_Vanwall%20byKolles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKMrQz5f3QsL4Y3O89bociKsxVTX57DzXQCR1EGgyBXY60ThXkDkr0JIS-pFC3MFkiEmBmajFYz2UkC_8vae9Bh7O0pLhmqB_ykEVoUCLt6-i2ME7zDI-VPHkkSSFHX0fl0TxeTR7QtSjbyHUVoLwlXUuqwQxxxdMkFb5Eqzjdt1b7DDDacHj6HPq/w640-h184/WEC%20Hypercar_Vanwall%20byKolles.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>FIA LMH | 4.5-litre V8 | No ERS</b></p><p>When this team was called ByKolles and entered cars like the ENSO CLM 01, they... didn't impress often. A cursory glance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanwall_Racing_Team" target="_blank">their Wiki</a> reveals that in the 10 times they've entered Le Mans, they've had a DNF in 9 of them. Yet still, here they are, trying again. It's admirable in its own way. During the Prologue, however, they were plum last among the Hypercars and "star" driver Jacques Villeneuve (1997 Formula 1 World Champion and frequent F1 Pundit Unpopular Hot Takes World Champion thereafter) was literally seconds behind his co-drivers on lap times and struggling to match the meant-to-be-inferior LMP2 cars. Once the racing kicks off, legal rights to intellectual property could become the least of their worries...</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Don't Forget the Other Classes!</u></b></h3><p>I've nearly made a cardinal sin of endurance racing coverage here, and focused solely on the top class. LMP2 is carrying on for the next couple of seasons at least. Whilst previously there were multiple chassis suppliers, the WEC lineup for these cars is an Oreca 07 one-make series nowadays, with the standardised engine being a 4.2-litre Gibson flat-plane V8. Think of it like Formula 2. The cars are basically the same, so it's down to the teams and drivers to make the difference. The racing can be just as close and just as random as Formula 2 as well! Pick a team with a driver you recognise and cheer them on. It'll be fun. At Le Mans, you could just write all the LMP2 entries on a pack of cards and shuffle them every 20 minutes and it'd be about the same as how the running order can change.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7adfqznrFVinTR_hcPrmvawHh_3K_YldtzeScnda3G2JN9m623upTu7PfO8Cx-GPNS_KLC6Nk-A58CZG7EiM6wV6kaDv0Wi4VcdyA8D33Gr3_KIHo4GGAKIaDHztEjqO065ajvOraWwrNyLFrebNBZAUCkcmBu2GlrHD_vSaGei-uutN--TGVAQ0S/s1800/2023%20WEC%20Prologue_Iron%20Dames,%20Prema.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7adfqznrFVinTR_hcPrmvawHh_3K_YldtzeScnda3G2JN9m623upTu7PfO8Cx-GPNS_KLC6Nk-A58CZG7EiM6wV6kaDv0Wi4VcdyA8D33Gr3_KIHo4GGAKIaDHztEjqO065ajvOraWwrNyLFrebNBZAUCkcmBu2GlrHD_vSaGei-uutN--TGVAQ0S/w640-h426/2023%20WEC%20Prologue_Iron%20Dames,%20Prema.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR (GTE-Am), Prema Oreca 07 Gibson (LMP2)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last but by no means the least entertaining, is the GTE field. Up until recently there were two ways to enter in a GTE car (a unique spec of supercar-based racer for WEC/LM) depending on driver lineup, but with manufacturers decrying the cost of GTE when GT3 is so much more accessible, the all-Pro class has been axed for this year. GTE-Am is the final fling for LM-GTE cars before they are completely replaced by GT3 machines, so all the cars are of a year-old (ex-Pro) design and feature the teams with, generally, the smallest budgets. They're the slowest cars on the grid, but GT racing by any subdivision tends to serve up unpredictability, especially with wildcard 'gentleman drivers' in the mix. </p><p>The pink 911 you see above is the Iron Dames team, sister car to the Iron Lynx team and running an all-female driver lineup. Don't roll your eyes, cynics; they have finished WEC rounds on the GTE-Am podium and taken victory in the European Le Mans Series. Also representing women behind the wheel is reigning Ferrari Challenge Europe champion Doriane Pin, racing with Prema in LMP2 (car also pictured above).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilssMubp8xh9i0ufGJ26NAbol86aLnbPV9Fp3voNaib7YSEIMAhXVvSdX-x2Hy4ybAphK8eblwSdJhzb8lQ8C4-vGQQFswKqPhaukRWzMXdQoc7FzXuN8BY0aWeISvm5zyqakH_sVN0bOR-7y5sh41e17gxUdOOFke_lxyn4m_5gNeLPBR75_IhgrN/s2048/Monza%206%20Hours_into%20Lesmo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilssMubp8xh9i0ufGJ26NAbol86aLnbPV9Fp3voNaib7YSEIMAhXVvSdX-x2Hy4ybAphK8eblwSdJhzb8lQ8C4-vGQQFswKqPhaukRWzMXdQoc7FzXuN8BY0aWeISvm5zyqakH_sVN0bOR-7y5sh41e17gxUdOOFke_lxyn4m_5gNeLPBR75_IhgrN/w640-h426/Monza%206%20Hours_into%20Lesmo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If one class is spreading out and getting a bit boring, hunt around for footage and info about one of the other classes. There is always, always something happening during an endurance race. You just have to keep looking for it. The sport deserves to enjoy plenty more people doing just that, now that it is reinventing itself to create a potential golden age.</div></div></div>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-85334774723905182032021-09-14T11:30:00.002+01:002021-09-14T17:30:36.773+01:00Is it 'Adapt or Die' Time for Small Cars?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1gLv7fOJ1vrIUHzZwDIhXUaMd3tlCkQsmRO29QPhx0AEdhongSEdJ26ph3rR-tXyfhFXMBtcN7AvhXMwmEYrAdgw2S5CcKWb3O7b2nfY2znmk234_0E9YIcjvyT3PywVNiyBuX-gvCM/s1260/GMD+T25+size+model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1260" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1gLv7fOJ1vrIUHzZwDIhXUaMd3tlCkQsmRO29QPhx0AEdhongSEdJ26ph3rR-tXyfhFXMBtcN7AvhXMwmEYrAdgw2S5CcKWb3O7b2nfY2znmk234_0E9YIcjvyT3PywVNiyBuX-gvCM/w640-h360/GMD+T25+size+model.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The small car is increasingly under threat, as more and more staples of the European 'A-segment' <a href="https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news-manufacturing/environmental-rules-make-citroen-c1-nearly-impossible-replace" target="_blank">look set to go un-replaced</a> when production of the current generation ends. There are several reasons why this could be.</p><p>One the one hand, cabin refinement, dashboard gizmos and safety ratings have long been important selling points of mainstream cars and, as a result of this ultra-competitive industry's players constantly one-upping each other, this has trained us all to naturally expect small cars to feel like big cars... while still being as cheap as small cars. The consequence is that profit margins have been minuscule for years and years now. As safety standards have risen and technological integration has become more comprehensive (including crash-predicting safety systems, of course), so this problem has only got worse for anyone trying to make a business out of creating affordable personal transportation.</p><p>On the other hand, the EV revolution, accelerated to potentially counterproductive pace by governments trying to assert their green creds, has then added the gigantic cost of developing and installing a battery the size and weight of a motorcycle into the space where the engine and gearbox used to go (and/or in the floor). Granted, battery prices have been steadily dropping, but without any great step-change in energy density they are still somewhat size and cost inefficient for the time being – and still don't have price parity with combustion cars. Witness for instance how the battery-only version of the Peugeot 208 (the e-208) sits at the top, not the middle or bottom, of its model range.</p><p>I could also take this opportunity to vent my spleen for the umpteenth time about the crossover fad, which is arguably just as wasteful as fitting a bigger engine to everything. All that extra material and extra footprint on the road over the hatchbacks within to the detriment of cost, drag, weight (and thus environmental efficiency) and driver enjoyment... for the sake of people's misplaced insecurity around image and perceived safety – concerns that aren't real, in other words, yet allow CUVs to continue steamrolling over the more logical body styles. Many car manufacturers are fine with this now, though, as it gives them more wiggle room to bolt a huge battery onto a new model's underbelly and style-out the chunkier proportions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiY76rkuBmKW391oY2eMM4RfjkrcFg_tVIuqr2gVNdtGiv5nH8hpAUFtfGRyrC5n41Q0mNM2DWUfrQfPyroatVd_9-ki1pj_u4BMRrxRm5pY12IBaaPj-Lo2uD-F5Uvpzmkuwrw6i2RQ/s960/Peugeot+e-208+vs+e-2008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="960" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiY76rkuBmKW391oY2eMM4RfjkrcFg_tVIuqr2gVNdtGiv5nH8hpAUFtfGRyrC5n41Q0mNM2DWUfrQfPyroatVd_9-ki1pj_u4BMRrxRm5pY12IBaaPj-Lo2uD-F5Uvpzmkuwrw6i2RQ/w640-h366/Peugeot+e-208+vs+e-2008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Whatever the balance is or the true causes are, it ultimately means that a given city dweller or worker travelling in their own car takes up more space in ever more congested streets, while more of those in less privileged positions could be at growing risk of being priced and emissions-regulated off the road (which currently means cramming into public transport during a pandemic), whether they desire independence of mobility or not.</p><p>So, how to proceed?</p><p>Well, the consumer can always consider a two-wheeled option, so long as they are prepared for being exposed to both the elements and the somewhat larger vehicles around them in cities such as buses, delivery trucks, premium taxi vans and angry morons in SUVs (oh, and if their bike is without self-propulsion, the enforced exercise as well). That's not to say you shouldn't consider one, but as logical and space-saving as bikes can be, cities would have to overhaul their streets to be tangibly cleaner and safer for them before they're preferable for everyone – including those who live too far away from work to ever cycle there without a useful(ly scheduled) train link en route.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcDGy07AjoQCj8DMHJp-IKB5Hf0oXBwGYdeYdauHgWcfa2_SOj6GVXxyHDWzLOrU47FqUSpphCXv5wK4riRx1GtSqhdeokaykW6JExLZlz7zx0zYIXue28A8pcAKqN9puslcpdpm03XM/s1400/Citroen+Ami+Cargo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcDGy07AjoQCj8DMHJp-IKB5Hf0oXBwGYdeYdauHgWcfa2_SOj6GVXxyHDWzLOrU47FqUSpphCXv5wK4riRx1GtSqhdeokaykW6JExLZlz7zx0zYIXue28A8pcAKqN9puslcpdpm03XM/w640-h426/Citroen+Ami+Cargo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>As for car manufacturers looking for ways to cater to those who can't cycle and/or won't trust public transport, there is also the option of <i>really</i> cutting costs by going 'sub-car'. The teensy electric Renault Twizy and Citroën Ami (above), for example, are classified as heavy quadricycles instead of cars, thus meaning different regulations and standards are applied to them. For a lot of people this is a great choice, especially if user cost is brought down yet further through a car-sharing or subscription scheme, as these machines are hardly larger than a motorbike but put a solid roof over your head while even offering some luggage space and a passenger seat. </p><p>Alas, for these to truly catch on would take a huge promo push from multiple major brands, as the current perception of 'sub-car' is, erm, sub-par. That pesky, pointlessly important problem of image creeps in again as a quadricycle will just tell the snobs to assume you can't afford a "real" car. Never mind that Nico Rosberg gets around Monaco in a Twizy...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sO4RuSMzKxQiKrm-e5hLXx0IlG_2PIlhPMJhibFwe1g0FNe5KEaXPu7HqDvOFhYguEpVwP7I8Ml6_mdwIKNzDcLpWeVPPab9SlGNsVxAnTJoIcFfJwsUTfdVxy25UItDtgT7GQ9wYNs/s1200/GMD+T25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sO4RuSMzKxQiKrm-e5hLXx0IlG_2PIlhPMJhibFwe1g0FNe5KEaXPu7HqDvOFhYguEpVwP7I8Ml6_mdwIKNzDcLpWeVPPab9SlGNsVxAnTJoIcFfJwsUTfdVxy25UItDtgT7GQ9wYNs/w640-h426/GMD+T25.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In the meantime, there is a tantalisingly underutilised project by the genius design-engineer Gordon Murray and his team in Surrey: the 'iStream' car. Over a decade ago, project T.25 appeared. It's smaller, cheaper to build, significantly lighter and more efficient than a Smart ForTwo while also boasting seating For Three, thanks to a central forward driving position. It wasn't just a pie-in-the-sky animation, either; the T.25 and electric T.27 proved their worth in proper crash tests and efficiency rallies alike. The car was only half the story too, as the iStream process incorporated a compact, low-energy factory design that is claimed to steeply reduce lead time and set-up cost while employing sustainable materials.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTIkWYAbSnlGd90cy1vf05vSxr3TjtGvHFsM2-v3vbXaCjdrcVZEBw72To8e7OlqhaFPmwPZMr7UZWM1EF8se-hMXq4wgpcdePivR2EMWa5GR8dXK3vxBYnAtzIX7p6jSlJEQg-eVCm8/s1920/TVR+cutaway+rendering.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTIkWYAbSnlGd90cy1vf05vSxr3TjtGvHFsM2-v3vbXaCjdrcVZEBw72To8e7OlqhaFPmwPZMr7UZWM1EF8se-hMXq4wgpcdePivR2EMWa5GR8dXK3vxBYnAtzIX7p6jSlJEQg-eVCm8/w640-h360/TVR+cutaway+rendering.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Annoyingly, though, because Gordon Murray Design wasn't in a position to produce the car itself, it had to pitch the concept to other companies, be they toe-dipping start-ups and outsiders, or what are ultimately proud, risk-averse, traditionalist car manufacturers... who didn't want it. <a href="http://www.greenmotor.co.uk/2013/11/yamaha-motiv-e-gordon-murray-istream.html" target="_blank">Yamaha briefly pursued</a> entering the car market but ultimately backtracked and bottled it. The only public taker for a full iStream production car so far has been the gang trying to revive TVR and... well, in the four years since they debuted the TVR Griffith pre-production prototype, all they've managed to do is whinge about bureaucracy, slap some number plates on said car and promise a bunch of other new stuff that hasn't happened either. So, er, they might never get around to proving Murray's manufacturing concept at all. Blast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeqk-thYXUZu5aL2-rdZPe2xMMbAi4HxgLoCeUcS3ugnwzqOaML9wpf_RF6hQvr0NU33AUQ7WmBLMTEYnGmE9Ub9VkoReQgnBpxChKIJwMD0ZH6tHGBdzms4gMkfh-eXSRZ0KcjsVkI8/s1024/Nissan+Dayz+Highway+Star.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="1024" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeqk-thYXUZu5aL2-rdZPe2xMMbAi4HxgLoCeUcS3ugnwzqOaML9wpf_RF6hQvr0NU33AUQ7WmBLMTEYnGmE9Ub9VkoReQgnBpxChKIJwMD0ZH6tHGBdzms4gMkfh-eXSRZ0KcjsVkI8/w640-h312/Nissan+Dayz+Highway+Star.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>What else could be done, then, if manufacturers can't be bothered to reinvent the car factory or make quadricyles cooler? Perhaps the answer can be found in Japan. The 'kei-jidosha' regulations were introduced after the second world war to get Japanese industry back on its feet and people back on the move. A co-operative effort between car companies and national government led to a new class of vehicle that had to fit inside a prescribed rectangle of outer dimensions while equally limited on engine capacity and power output.</p><p>These low-cost kei cars and trucks were then made attractive to the public through tax breaks and other financial incentives, which has ensured they remain popular in ever more congested cities and tiny rural villages alike, as Japan's motor industry has matured and grown seismically over the ensuing 70-odd years. Having said that, recent reductions in those tax benefits might hint that the authorities are hoping to discourage people from adding too many more of them to the street furniture of places like Tokyo, one of the world's busiest cities.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9y7PIvGT_6vQ_d8SVHvAVlt-T6a3-3AqXwA-HjPIF4OA5OIus9_ruTrsBhwmT3rkFSdtrYf4wp3fuoWKHnRSDu9WbnM_sEXuY_aXKJT1U8uKO1aRWKMMg8gaNfJmOY5A1oCaRpr34rw/s1280/Nissan+IMk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9y7PIvGT_6vQ_d8SVHvAVlt-T6a3-3AqXwA-HjPIF4OA5OIus9_ruTrsBhwmT3rkFSdtrYf4wp3fuoWKHnRSDu9WbnM_sEXuY_aXKJT1U8uKO1aRWKMMg8gaNfJmOY5A1oCaRpr34rw/w640-h360/Nissan+IMk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>So, what might we take from all these thoughts? The car industry can't keep treating the entry-level models as just "a big car, but small" anymore. They're saying for themselves that it won't be feasible for much longer as regulations tighten and production costs rise. There needs to be a shift in methods, perhaps allied to a shift in public perception of what the littlest cars ought to be about at their core.</p><p>Personally, I want kei cars to go global. Maybe copy/paste Japan's setup, or maybe work on a variation thereupon with the same sort of collaborative effort between western manufacturers and governments. It's not just about whether you want cars in the centre of London or not; have you ever been to an old village in the countryside, with roads that were established before cars were even invented threading between historic buildings that mustn't be moved? People there also benefit noticeably from a right-sized and more affordable car, perhaps even more so on the cost side given the relative lack of public transport alternatives outside of larger towns and cities. Consider also those trying to buy their first car, and the peace of mind their parents would have if it was a new-gen car with all the latest safety gear instead of a 15-year-old Corsa. Or a scooter...</p><p>Taxing cars by weight would also be a great idea on several levels, but then the mass of the batteries car manufacturers are being cajoled into incorporating into their product strategy would make them vehemently disagree with that.</p><p>I also really wish someone would take on the iStream platform to give people a viable and attractive middle ground between current A-segment cars and tiny quadricycles – perhaps even in tandem with kei-style regulations and discounts. In fact I'm mystified that nobody seems to be publicly exploring that middle ground. Is the concept too good to be true? And how so?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UFAyG11QTa9o6H8QeUdyZKineU5x2u5Ho5Lm10IHw0Zp4vI8ZCbkCjj34ipfYMPTQ14k67t8HbFOZu9cG9nkLDXOnmjyffuP1XsHC2npIEgSw2kOgO-5B0l54zivPrXfK44Niy0giTY/s638/Gordon+Murray+quote.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="638" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UFAyG11QTa9o6H8QeUdyZKineU5x2u5Ho5Lm10IHw0Zp4vI8ZCbkCjj34ipfYMPTQ14k67t8HbFOZu9cG9nkLDXOnmjyffuP1XsHC2npIEgSw2kOgO-5B0l54zivPrXfK44Niy0giTY/w640-h492/Gordon+Murray+quote.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[<a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ying999/t-25" target="_blank">source</a>]</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Alternatively, there is one more revolutionary option on the horizon: ban private cars from cities altogether, create dedicated cycle roads, and replace taxis with Level 5 autonomous pods geo-fenced to stay in city limits on dedicated roads and lanes that are more easily interpreted by The Mighty Algorithm. It seems to be what the industry wants, and when it's painted as public convenience the public will learn to want it too. At that point, perhaps the small car as we know it becomes obsolete and its extinction a moot point. In urban areas, at least.</p><p>But we're not there yet, and until that changes, the steady erasure of exactly the sort of car the world needs to keep alive in the face of its challenges feels like an unnecessary and counterproductive backwards step in preparing the automobile for the bold new future. When was the last time you saw a concept study for improving personal mobility and the world around us that resembled a 2.5-tonne SUV?</p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-5884963883731171712021-07-19T21:29:00.001+01:002021-09-28T18:04:05.967+01:00So then, the 2021 British Grand Prix, eh?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FRt8hXFb0Vg" width="320" youtube-src-id="FRt8hXFb0Vg"></iframe></div><p></p><p>I have been trying not to dwell on the controversial lap-one
contact in the British Grand Prix today, given the inevitable waterfall of
knee-jerk shit-flinging that’s still plastering the walls of social media and
has been from the minute it happened… but if I can’t stop views and
justifications and upset from swirling around my head then maybe I should try
to write it out of my system.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While I can’t speak from a position of having driven these
cars or raced hard for real, it looks to me like both drivers committed to the
entry of Copse corner in a way that relied heavily on the other
driver yielding and dropping behind… and since neither of them did yield, they
met in the middle and there was a dramatic collision. Two unstoppable forces
bounced off each other. The right-rear wheel rim of the Red Bull shattered on
impact and Max Verstappen was instantly a passenger from there to the tyre wall. He
seems to be uninjured and not concussed, which is great news if so given the forces involved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the collision had been less severe and one of the drivers
hadn’t been taken out of the race, then it probably would’ve been deemed a racing
incident and we’d have had the two championship protagonists duking it out for
a little while longer before turbulent wake and tyre preservation consigned
them to running in single file and trying to outfox each other on strategy
instead. What actually happened is that the stewards leaned towards penalising
Lewis Hamilton, which was predictable because it’s in line with how they viewed somewhat
similar incidents in Austria with regards to putting more weight of responsibility
onto the driver holding the inside line not to run the other guy off-track.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lewis – having just been squeezed to within an inch
of the concrete pit wall following a late dart to the inside line – found
himself having to commit to a very shallow angle of entry into a very fast
corner. It turned out to be too much for the front tyres to facilitate, so it
looks, and he consequently missed the apex. At the same time, Max sent it in
seemingly on the assumption that Lewis wasn’t going to be there by the time he
reached said apex (or got closer to it) for himself. But, perhaps conscious of
how the new Sprint Qualifying had gone wherein the lead was basically out of his grasp
after the first lap, Lewis was in no mind to back down until it was too late.
They were side-by-side just before the turn-in point, but the Red Bull could
carry more speed from the outside and by the time they met in the middle the
Mercedes was only at front-tyre-to-rear-tyre level, pitching Verstappen into
the spin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As tensions exploded, Red Bull’s bosses started stirring the
pot at every opportunity they were given, of which there were many. I’m not interested in
handbags, but I will say that Christian Horner’s assertion that you “can’t” pass on the
inside of Copse (ordinarily a ~180mph corner with one usable line) was put to
bed later that same race, when Hamilton finally did take the lead with three
laps to go by trying the same move again. Granted, Charles Leclerc isn’t fighting for the title like Verstappen is, but this could yet prove to be the best chance of a win he gets
all year and I really don’t think he was planning to wave Hamilton past and say
“ah, forget about it.” In the overhead replay shot he seems to get a mild slide
on throughout the corner on the outside line, where a less-used area of tarmac
probably held less grip for his Ferrari. Correcting it took him wide over the kerb and that
was that. Furthermore, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjiCXhGuLgw">back
in 2019</a>, Valtteri Bottas even pulled the inside move on Hamilton himself as
they slugged it out in the early stages of that British GP. Again, there’s a
caveat to give – this time because they’re teammates – but the point remains
that, when drivers allow 'racing room', it very much <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is</b> possible to pass cleanly at Copse after you’ve had a strong enough exit
out of Luffield to draw alongside by the turn-in point.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Channel 4’s commentators were quick to wonder if the context
of it being Hamilton’s home race affected his decision making. Only he can
answer that. I’d be minded to suggest it was more about the distinct likelihood
of him not getting another opportunity to take the lead for the rest of the
race, as previewed in the Saturday Sprint. The Mercedes car has, for a long time now, suffered
noticeably in traffic because (just like the V8-era Red Bulls, ironically) it’s been designed to qualify on pole and drive off into the distance. I don’t know how
true that is of the 2021 car specifically, but it’s observable that Lewis didn’t exactly
sail past Leclerc’s ostensibly second-class Ferrari after the restart. In fact
he sat around two seconds behind Leclerc and started playing to strategy
instead (until his penalty-extended pit stop), as we very often see happen on circuits
like Silverstone – especially a baking hot Silverstone – where turbulent wake
is a strong factor and tyre degradation is always high. In the final phase, he instead put
in the sort of flawlessly flat-out power stint that Michael Schumacher would admire, to reel-in the Ferrari from much further back and win his home race after all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As for he and the team celebrating afterwards, I think it’s
worth remembering his demeanour during the Red Flag period, when he was a very
different picture of a man. Not somebody who looked impressed with himself at
all, having asked on the radio if Max was OK. I could try to read something into him trying to emphasise the team's success above his own in the post-race interview as well. He’s not here to put people in
hospital, he’s here to out-race them properly. No matter what his haters say.
To me, the celebrating was about how it went from the restart onwards, as well as just taking
the chance to enjoy the most adoring crowd he’ll get all year. The experience
will be very, very different at the Dutch Grand Prix in September…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">…which circles me back to the ‘fans’ and the internet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You need only to have looked at the festival-esque grandstands
in the Red Bull Ring recently to know what kind of following Verstappen has. They’re just
as loud and unfiltered as that when they have something negative or disparaging
to say, too. Given the differences in attitude between the Hamilton-Mercedes
and Verstappen-RBR combos, from who kneels before the anthem and who doesn’t, to
how their bosses handle the public and what their fanbases are like, I felt dread in my
gut when I watched car 33 ricochet off car 44 and out of the race. As a
generalisation, the apparent divisions between them are not just about sport or automotive
brand loyalty. The fallout was always going to be unsavoury. Suffice to say
that when both teams had to put out statements today condemning racist abuse
towards Hamilton I wasn’t in the least bit surprised that it was necessary for
them to do so…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regardless of which way you lean on what issue*, though, it seems
pretty clear that this rivalry is going to reach levels of intensity and
tribalism to match the days of Senna and Prost by the end of this year,
accelerated by the omnipresence of (anti)social media and the 24/7 global ‘discussion’
it facilitates.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For a long time, pretty much since Schumacher’s first
retirement, I’ve increasingly been a neutral F1 fan. I want to see great racing, whether it’s
for 1<sup>st</sup>, 10<sup>th</sup> or 15<sup>th</sup> place. Regarding these
two, I admired Lewis Hamilton when he arrived with a bang in the late ‘00s,
then I went off him for a few years, but recently I can’t help admiring him all
over again for the sporting greatness he’s reached and the way he’s using his
platform to try doing good things for the world – very much swimming against the surrounding tide in the process. I have equally had to just sit back and watch in awe at
some of the performances Max Verstappen has put in, such as the waterproof charge to the podium from 14<sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span>at a drenched Interlagos in 2016 that comes to mind so readily. His instant impact and the way
he has become a national sensation on such a scale is a rare and special thing for
the sport, on its face. I just fear how ugly things may get between tribes as this all rumbles on.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This race is a
trigger point for some big things, both good and bad, for Formula 1. Let’s see
how it goes from here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*F1’s weaksauce <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We
Race As One</i> campaign is meant to encompass several different social and environmental
matters in the world, but to clarify where I am on the prevalent “issue”
featured in the public F1 discourse throughout today: racism is fundamentally
indefensible in any circumstance. There is no logic, there is no justification,
there is no excuse. You can be annoyed by a driver’s split-second decision-making
without hurling racial slurs at them. You manage that all the time when sniping
from afar at the white drivers, after all. No, they don’t “ask” for your myopic
shithousery by embracing their own existence or by simply being visible to you at all. No,
a driver’s skin tone isn’t an influence on their driving and so it doesn’t
factor into what happened on Sunday whatsoever. If you are so depressingly low
on tact, intellect or self-control that you can’t stop yourself from going
there then do the rest of us a favour and take your interests somewhere else
until you learn to grow out of it. Motorsport doesn’t need you until then. Nor
does any developed, even half-decent society.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s all I have to say. I want to think about other things
now.</p><p></p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-65796040022271041232021-02-02T00:37:00.000+00:002021-02-02T00:37:41.831+00:00Van Roij Breadvan Hommage is a '20s tribute on a '90s Ferrari to a '60s racecar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbXm5jOsHwPcxCPkmjhDRVTUr-x5OCqNqqINlKDeeccVFXnBS7bcdu-OOIRbRF9uwQDJYrPbmWiV98sMu7zHCdoq3YTb7PSXX9pfODqk4scOdBmbKq_Aq1CU1ByfbuIwiK0_2Xm-yLE0/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbXm5jOsHwPcxCPkmjhDRVTUr-x5OCqNqqINlKDeeccVFXnBS7bcdu-OOIRbRF9uwQDJYrPbmWiV98sMu7zHCdoq3YTb7PSXX9pfODqk4scOdBmbKq_Aq1CU1ByfbuIwiK0_2Xm-yLE0/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Somewhere in the world, or on the internet, there must surely exist a master list of all the cool things that have happened as a result of people being pissed off with Enzo Ferrari. There's the obvious stuff, of course, like the Ford GT40 story, or tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini responding to Il Commendatore's <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a25169632/lamborghini-supercars-exist-because-of-a-tractor/" target="_blank">flippant dismissal of his criticisms</a> around the 250 GT by starting to build rival cars of his own. But there is also the lesser famed stuff, like the set of highly rated engineers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ferrari#1961_-_The_great_walkout" target="_blank">who quit Ferrari all at once</a> in 1961 and founded both the Bizzarrini and Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS) sports car companies – albeit to far less success than Lamborghini.</p><p>Oh, also there was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKAELoWFVmc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">the Jerrari</a>...</p><p>Anyway, I bring this up now because one of those companies, ATS – which can lay claim to producing the first ever mid-engined road car in the 2500GT – is related to the backstory behind the inspiration for the striking coachbuilding project you see a sketch of above, the final product of which was digitally revealed this week.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ_7tel41lZXz6RtsLmBYzUPns1wqIFyuXVVonJJDNXxvYQTbmimzxG-ZUWTO5USM-91yvFuO9Tzm5rpCBc1G2nvtAgSmoV4eLWSJj36n1np9M9YU2dzxagvvu1Eb1IEOlU4Eawnkw4Y/s737/Scuderia+Serenissima+%2528pic+Barchetta_CC%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="737" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ_7tel41lZXz6RtsLmBYzUPns1wqIFyuXVVonJJDNXxvYQTbmimzxG-ZUWTO5USM-91yvFuO9Tzm5rpCBc1G2nvtAgSmoV4eLWSJj36n1np9M9YU2dzxagvvu1Eb1IEOlU4Eawnkw4Y/w640-h418/Scuderia+Serenissima+%2528pic+Barchetta_CC%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>ATS was backed financially by Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, whose (also extremely Italian sounding) racing team Scuderia Serenissima had raced various different Ferraris for several years. When Enzo Ferrari discovered that Count Volpi was funding his deserters and their new rival manufacturer, the relationship that had existed between the two men vanished in a flash. Suddenly Volpi was out of the loop, which became a problem when he wanted to upgrade his 250 GT SWB to the trick new GTO that was about to take road racing by storm – only for him to be refused and turned away.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVolEL3zv7YbbJzFZVCw4RqxMVfiDP-3xB5ltQ3hlukJNA7x3SRlA4RZuE-rh-DedvUIoGn0zywY08ShP_MVowGBt-U7ODiYYB4QPyYEk6LToPC64ZNHSEj2jqzSBtTa41unqbz9fQQvQ/s2048/Ferrari+250+GTO+wireframe+body+model+%25282017+Under+the+Skin%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVolEL3zv7YbbJzFZVCw4RqxMVfiDP-3xB5ltQ3hlukJNA7x3SRlA4RZuE-rh-DedvUIoGn0zywY08ShP_MVowGBt-U7ODiYYB4QPyYEk6LToPC64ZNHSEj2jqzSBtTa41unqbz9fQQvQ/w640-h360/Ferrari+250+GTO+wireframe+body+model+%25282017+Under+the+Skin%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>250 GTOs are now so valuable than I can only afford to show you this wireframe design model</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Plainly, the trendy new thing to do in the early 1960s when Enzo shut you down was to get mad, then try to get even with your own car. Rather than start from scratch like Lamborghini and the ATS founders (Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini), he decided to work with what he already had: Ferrari 250 SWB Competizione chassis 2819GT. His new business partner Bizzarrini, who prior to the Ferrari "palace revolt" had worked on the very GTO that Volpi was denied, agreed to take part in upgrading and enhancing the car into something of equal or greater competitiveness.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/spec/2523/Ferrari-250-GT-SWB--Breadvan-.html" target="_blank">resulting machine</a> was reportedly around 65-100kg lighter than a GTO, while the V12 engine was mounted lower and further back in the chassis and received a dry sump conversion, plus six carburettors for good measure. The power boost was modest, with around 300hp versus 286, but the improved weight balance of its revised installation would benefit cornering dynamics too.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e9lSaUNoa01B3TdlDWIB0_gwBHOkPCc4wsCV2_3qi4r3IJFO7bGlcWGsFmD4ApS18EPDxNBBsHIbKcx-Vn3F7SXM9_1th85nF7MiP-wZR-D_MBrdkEtSdj9wfSqWX1lNLJ0yBRqHVFA/s1024/Ferrari+250+GT_Breadvan+vs+GT+C.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e9lSaUNoa01B3TdlDWIB0_gwBHOkPCc4wsCV2_3qi4r3IJFO7bGlcWGsFmD4ApS18EPDxNBBsHIbKcx-Vn3F7SXM9_1th85nF7MiP-wZR-D_MBrdkEtSdj9wfSqWX1lNLJ0yBRqHVFA/w640-h426/Ferrari+250+GT_Breadvan+vs+GT+C.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Count Volpi's transformed 250 GT, ahead of the car it used to be<br />(photo from UltimateCarPage.com)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>However, the most obvious transformation was on the outside. To yield even more straight-line speed, the car was given an all-new body designed by Piero Drogo. The nose is so low that the engine, even in its new lowered position, pokes through the bonnet. But that's not the bit that grabs your attention. The new roof, however, wasn't only lower than that of the GTO, it was also significantly longer and straighter with a near-vertical tail at its abrupt end.</p><p>The tapering 'Kamm-tail' roof concept, combined with a lack of additional side glass to run along it, gave the car the appearance of a squashed commercial vehicle. French media dubbed it 'La Camionette' (little truck). In English, however, it is known as the 'Breadvan'.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS607R-zLRKDTWe75ygPuhkSdvYolFqYX9_aVCp84ah5b8TBPenB5EoFhB7Q-MNCw2VPveUKhPxWnh0akR8OQCtS83zUH1V5gSJNv7i9HLF0-Emi2TlkfPAUrtS5DqU_zzxgzmENiKJSY/s1024/Ferrari-250-GT-Breadvan-side-Goodwood-UCP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS607R-zLRKDTWe75ygPuhkSdvYolFqYX9_aVCp84ah5b8TBPenB5EoFhB7Q-MNCw2VPveUKhPxWnh0akR8OQCtS83zUH1V5gSJNv7i9HLF0-Emi2TlkfPAUrtS5DqU_zzxgzmENiKJSY/w640-h426/Ferrari-250-GT-Breadvan-side-Goodwood-UCP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In its first race, nothing less than the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Bizzarrini-Drogo 250 Breadvan overtook every Ferrari 250 GTO in the field and ran as high as 7th overall before suffering a driveshaft failure in the fourth hour. In the following two races, it took GT class victory at the Brands Hatch Guards Trophy and Ollon-Villars hillclimb (setting a course record for GT cars in the latter).</p><p>Point made, one feels – and the aero philosophy which gave the car its, erm, distinctive rear end was then applied to several subsequent cars in the years that followed, if often somewhat less brutally.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifW-h2zXtetkqgIkM2h6O3onue-yn3Uzl2z-hTyxpbzUaVZ0PftZA-1ikgUUW1TWb4oOumKEBNJt1csUavGoJlfxUDRBD-TOKqkDYPXzwQiyJYXJh7ES0vawB7CtqDqRq9gAhqbvK9HI/s640/Ferrari+250+Drogo+Breadvan_chef.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifW-h2zXtetkqgIkM2h6O3onue-yn3Uzl2z-hTyxpbzUaVZ0PftZA-1ikgUUW1TWb4oOumKEBNJt1csUavGoJlfxUDRBD-TOKqkDYPXzwQiyJYXJh7ES0vawB7CtqDqRq9gAhqbvK9HI/s16000/Ferrari+250+Drogo+Breadvan_chef.jpg" /></a></div><p>Due to limited resources for development, the Breadvan didn't race for long in period with most of its work done in 1962, but it is now a regular fixture at major historic motorsport events such as the Goodwood Revival races and the Tour Auto recreation road rally. Plainly, though, it has appeared here and there enough times to provide a spark of inspiration for one rich car collector.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwYdqhLAsff7blk3gMkyTReAlRmcQDxsn_xT6S7FFx_c8XYQO9Ruuy0rKanTCB67Mumxx0P0qXOf3emL16lnHEFbC-8WZTNqK85fLCjegnTKEb7xAK3kMeRSQDg-iE0khR3kY4_U3f5E/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwYdqhLAsff7blk3gMkyTReAlRmcQDxsn_xT6S7FFx_c8XYQO9Ruuy0rKanTCB67Mumxx0P0qXOf3emL16lnHEFbC-8WZTNqK85fLCjegnTKEb7xAK3kMeRSQDg-iE0khR3kY4_U3f5E/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>An anonymous car collector contacted London-based Dutch car designer, Niels van Roij, whose eponymous design company has recently been establishing something of a reputation for taking various cars and making their roofs longer – be it a Tesla or a Rolls-Royce. In my old job I got to see his previous works up close and I can vouch for his small but dedicated team's handiwork, including traditional coachbuilding techniques applied by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Van-Roomen-klassieke-carrosserie%C3%ABn-406351616193349/" target="_blank">Bas van Roomen</a>.</p><p>Ordinarily at this point I'm used to taking you on a deep dive into the design process behind newly revealed cars, but for this project van Roij has been good enough to make <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BHCU8tgqT1Y3X4yF177WCbOKVpU7yki" target="_blank">a series of videos</a> detailing every stage of the project. Here's one of them about the exterior:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-pvftUx5jIk" width="320" youtube-src-id="-pvftUx5jIk"></iframe></div><p>In short, the 'Breadvan Hommage' is based on a Ferrari 550 Maranello, which has then been analysed inside and out, stripped down to its basic structure and thoughtfully reworked into a more contemporary Camionette festooned from nose to enlarged tail with visual references to the 1960s Drogo-bodied racecar.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmyw3mMbBauv6Pf9eGr5M4dvE1ysgcdzl_QaEcdhOiIocA3cmUlXcWlVtxzfuYYVNP1GH_F1PyKWUGBRUdl_hex3_2OwQhysDMELjcP0Xh7Nhf2zuCRyFuFfpy0PCWvRb8VGbsMvypz4/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmyw3mMbBauv6Pf9eGr5M4dvE1ysgcdzl_QaEcdhOiIocA3cmUlXcWlVtxzfuYYVNP1GH_F1PyKWUGBRUdl_hex3_2OwQhysDMELjcP0Xh7Nhf2zuCRyFuFfpy0PCWvRb8VGbsMvypz4/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 550-based Breadvan Hommage, getting its icing piped on</td></tr></tbody></table><p>With a project like this in which you're mashing designs from very different decades together, there is a balancing act between creating a clear visual link to the source material and yet still getting it to sit harmoniously on an altogether different donor-car platform. A straight copy forced onto different proportions could look awful and contrived, but take too much licence (or retain too much of the donor car) and it could become an apologetic or unconvincing instead – merely a weird facelift instead of a true hommage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxKr1O6iu7s22S_uzOnC1KXhROeQSbNQde3t4XyKBLALOHjuJbfoes5807uFg1OU1roqmVKpNuuB9B4qgHwgKRXlZMZazORkbbKd74YvrX54lNwo3adatRhUvebQedU8ph8n502x7tIY/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxKr1O6iu7s22S_uzOnC1KXhROeQSbNQde3t4XyKBLALOHjuJbfoes5807uFg1OU1roqmVKpNuuB9B4qgHwgKRXlZMZazORkbbKd74YvrX54lNwo3adatRhUvebQedU8ph8n502x7tIY/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The Breadvan Hommage walks this tightrope reasonably well considering that even the 250-based original is an acquired taste in the first place. The front half, already low and pointy anyway, still looks like a 550 Maranello in profile, but with the new roof added this looks like a 550 wearing one of those low-drag cycling helmets.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnfOhoZ79uZOq7sBTXjhAVwSvzY1pwuAoMgI41PUdPdOM9shgX2kIrwYBUkOSDSKTccrOc0FWEqsOLw0J-UBRASrfXjP7PCgk-zSPA_8GDq_f0JVx0-6cvFoHHJHPZJNx5y0ethdpdl8/s2000/Van+Roij+Breadvan+Hommage_rearright.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="2000" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnfOhoZ79uZOq7sBTXjhAVwSvzY1pwuAoMgI41PUdPdOM9shgX2kIrwYBUkOSDSKTccrOc0FWEqsOLw0J-UBRASrfXjP7PCgk-zSPA_8GDq_f0JVx0-6cvFoHHJHPZJNx5y0ethdpdl8/w640-h336/Van+Roij+Breadvan+Hommage_rearright.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Naturally it's the rear end that has had the most attention from the team and happily it's also the best resolved aspect, defined by long fast lines carrying a more modern tension while ultimately still forming a 'breadvan'.</p><p>The taillights are, I think, the OEM ones from the 550 donor car rearranged to be vertically stacked like those on the Drogo bodied 250, while the cat-flap rear window has been shaped to sit neatly with the forms and graphics around it, instead of being an exact copy of the very basic that'll-do '60s rectangle. The horizontal crease acting as a visual shelf for the glass hatch to sit on is a subtle but important finishing touch, as the blank space below it consequently looks more deliberate and defined.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KUKdoW3o46k" width="320" youtube-src-id="KUKdoW3o46k"></iframe></div><p>Van Roij's sketches and videos show that it took countless iterations and detail refinements to arrive at this exact look – such as the gills behind the side window ultimately being arranged to be very similar to the original after trying several other options first. The level of visual refinement in the design has been carried through into sheet metal with matching levels of care and attention to detail in the coachwork.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzDn4eMwT2M2iKO0l3SquTcylJ-we0QFgGsIE9szL98EUzc4nzJDkTp7DVYPYXjRw8ouwFYyCsNXgaLdQSMZN59Ej7B0Wyh52RQenVQvz22zfPCMMxDxQuaWyQp9nbwheBqwou8uLcVg/s1600/20210126_131059.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzDn4eMwT2M2iKO0l3SquTcylJ-we0QFgGsIE9szL98EUzc4nzJDkTp7DVYPYXjRw8ouwFYyCsNXgaLdQSMZN59Ej7B0Wyh52RQenVQvz22zfPCMMxDxQuaWyQp9nbwheBqwou8uLcVg/w640-h426/20210126_131059.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>For me, though, the front-end redesign is less convincing, even if I can see the thinking behind it. Maybe its cheekbones and underlying shape are too recognisably similar to the 550's original design (although fitting round headlights and towering shoulders over the front arches would've been going too far the other way, to be fair). The trapezoidal nostrils in the bonnet are a clear nod to those of the 250 GT Breadvan, while the headlights have been made into a narrower version of the 550's to help give graphic proportions closer to the old car's face.</p><p>But the glass dome over the standard V12 is the most dubious bit of the exterior; on the reference car it was necessary for housing the intake trumpets of the race-tuned Colombo engine, whereas here on the Hommage it isn't functional like that and thus feels a little gimmicky.</p><p>While the rear end is primarily defined by a small number of large sweeping elements, the nose just looks quite busy relative to both the all-new tail and to the standard Ferrari 550 design that's still visible under the changes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDGxjzUIM-otdyuA-RQ1yWPXt6z3OfA_Xzycb5zSEEAmC-XdS8W0dtYCugSHMjfJZHoZAM7NgiSb6mPoLa5cGSt6Qh3DzqNvNAi7rUmyAVljqucKe6YmQLIXHSu5nwpKzygbiHLkLbJY/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDGxjzUIM-otdyuA-RQ1yWPXt6z3OfA_Xzycb5zSEEAmC-XdS8W0dtYCugSHMjfJZHoZAM7NgiSb6mPoLa5cGSt6Qh3DzqNvNAi7rUmyAVljqucKe6YmQLIXHSu5nwpKzygbiHLkLbJY/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Of course, there is also the interior to consider, and again there is a delicate balancing act to perform. As with the bodywork (for the same practical and safety-based reasons), they couldn't just cut out the dashboard structure and put a pure '60s replica in its place... but it was quickly decided that all the '90s plastic attached to it simply had to go. In its place is new leather, metal switchgear and air vent bezels, plus a much reduced centre console with only the glorious metal open-gate shifter and some essential buttons sitting separately on a diamond-stitched leather tunnel cover.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iJxgxkUVDOw" width="320" youtube-src-id="iJxgxkUVDOw"></iframe></div><p>The door panel is a sympathetic redesign in itself, with the OEM arrangement of trim panels retained but the blocky grab handle taken off and a swooping metal-framed pull-string mechanism added between the trim panel seams in its place. The seats, meanwhile, are the original (and rare) 550 WSR optional carbonfibre buckets which came with the donor car, now re-trimmed in vibrant blue suede as a nod to the colour scheme seen in other 250 GT racecars (including, ironically, a 250 GTO).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJNnBM3DXLlV2dEC8qqtqQfXPx-DwIOPmc0AJgnV7BCEmZVUC_h6imn2lcudf-WYUdXFIwiak0muqslBLfvBAQDUvwRSW1f42BZ833bgYg7VSsZLzo5akHd0RB1HJtITxOF0hpsU6YGM/s2048/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJNnBM3DXLlV2dEC8qqtqQfXPx-DwIOPmc0AJgnV7BCEmZVUC_h6imn2lcudf-WYUdXFIwiak0muqslBLfvBAQDUvwRSW1f42BZ833bgYg7VSsZLzo5akHd0RB1HJtITxOF0hpsU6YGM/w640-h360/Niels+Van+Roij+Design+Breadvan+hommage+-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No black horses on yellow backgrounds here. It's not wise to cross Enzo's successors either...</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The further away from the transmission tunnel you get, the less radical the changes are. The buttons, switches, column stalks and rotary dials are all in the same places as before, but remade in solid metal, while the air vents have thick new bezels and the instruments have retro-chic new clock faces. The OEM 550 steering wheel was probably necessary to keep for its airbag, but aesthetically it's a large element that hasn't gone back in time like the elements around it have, which dents the illusion slightly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGoGSFaR-6TS9hNe0X4K7q3j6beObmkLidHDPOgXLunN2-cACqp05a6lWKbtrv8iEjEfjYgDegqXW_H2czJCd1CkozCEY3IVAwvga9os74B-vWxohlrovYLP2LUDF7BJuzQVxtD9_5TM/s1260/20210126_131103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1260" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGoGSFaR-6TS9hNe0X4K7q3j6beObmkLidHDPOgXLunN2-cACqp05a6lWKbtrv8iEjEfjYgDegqXW_H2czJCd1CkozCEY3IVAwvga9os74B-vWxohlrovYLP2LUDF7BJuzQVxtD9_5TM/w640-h360/20210126_131103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Because it pays tribute to something unique, this too is a one-off vehicle, so if you wanted your own one then I'm afraid you're out of luck. If you aren't a fan of the conversion, by contrast, then don't worry about there being any more examples appearing in future.</p><p>The Breadvan Hommage won't go racing like its inspiration did, but what it does have in common with the racecar of revenge created by a small band of ingenious Italian rebels, is a love it or hate it uniqueness, a Ferrari V12 and a manual gearbox. Oh, and plenty of room in the back for fresh ciabatta loaves.</p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-20537119542052706832020-12-31T23:55:00.003+00:002020-12-31T23:55:26.441+00:002020<p>This year has been... 2020. You know what that means. We've all been through the same shitstorm this year, all around the world. Personally, we have been mercifully safe so far, but it's been at the cost of my job (via redundancies at a company which relied heavily on live events to keep the cashflow going) and all my career momentum with it... not to mention mental momentum. Everything has kicked off and gone apeshit all around the world, nothing makes sense anymore, nobody knows what to believe anymore, the passing of time has never meant less to any of us that it does now... and yet we still know to celebrate the New Year as if everything horrifying about right now has an expiry date of 1/1/2021.</p><p>But as is conventional at this changing of the year, we must put aside the existential dread of a global pandemic, the increasing success of disinformation campaigns and the realities of Brexit that are about to hit us like a freight train... and instead, we must recognise that we have survived another rotation of the Earth, commemorate those who did not, and look for optimism before putting up the new calendar we got for Xmas. We know now, much more acutely, who and what we value. We have a chance to reset some things in out lives and (hopefully, dear god...) in society. With vaccinations come a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. At some point, everything that makes people anxious and wired all the time will subside and become past tense. We'll have a new Roaring Twenties as a result of what we're going through right now. It won't happen immediately, but it will happen inevitably. In the meantime, hang on and focus on controlling the controllables. That's all you can do for now.</p><p>Happy new year. Never stop looking for hope.</p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-9199997453120771352020-12-03T01:13:00.002+00:002020-12-03T01:13:44.259+00:00Maybe It’s Not (Just) About Batteries After All?<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">-</p><p class="MsoNormal">The past few days have been a bit bonkers for anyone
following what’s going on in the world of motorsport. Take Formula 1 first:
Romain Grosjean truly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnfHMC02Mj4" target="_blank">cheated death on Sunday</a> and we’re all still recovering emotionally; Lewis Hamilton <a href="https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/153866/hamilton-to-miss-sakhir-gp-after-positive-covid19-test" target="_blank">has contracted COVID-19</a>; George Russell is getting temporarily <a href="https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/153890/russell-joins-mercedes-for-sakhir-gp" target="_blank">promoted to Mercedes</a> in his place (with Jack Aitken filling in at Williams in the
meantime); Michael <a href="https://www.haasf1team.com/news/mick-schumacher-confirmed-haas-f1-team" target="_blank">Schumacher’s son</a> will ascend to F1 with HAAS, but only after Emerson <a href="https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1333367280634355713" target="_blank">Fittipaldi’s grandson</a> has driven in Grosjean’s place for this weekend while the burnt
Frenchman recovers… all these bombshells and it’s only Wednesday!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, it’s not just within the 'Piranha Club' that interesting movements are afoot. Formula E’s pre-season
testing has been going on this week in Valencia, and two significant
announcements have landed from the electric single-seater series: Audi and BMW
will both be pulling out of the championship at the end of the coming season.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9JZv6BUOZc_KJJCEMl9dxoitUvQzcz7H-hkhQ2jqXosNHkoBKqyzqahRkH80tHhlbHanWTY0QcthrERH-yXmd34K89NgtncCvbfN7VsJPb45aULXZ8B7-QjVwi7pPT6Xj4laRV-2bsU/s1920/BMW+Formula+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9JZv6BUOZc_KJJCEMl9dxoitUvQzcz7H-hkhQ2jqXosNHkoBKqyzqahRkH80tHhlbHanWTY0QcthrERH-yXmd34K89NgtncCvbfN7VsJPb45aULXZ8B7-QjVwi7pPT6Xj4laRV-2bsU/w640-h346/BMW+Formula+E.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BMW's Formula E car, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/BMWMotorsport/status/1334188164970389506" target="_blank">BMW’s withdrawal</a>, announced this very evening in the wake of it also <a href="https://www.bmw-motorsport.com/en/topics/110percent/story/dtm-end-of-an-era.html" target="_blank">leaving DTM</a>, was accompanied by the Bavarian behemoth commenting that “<i>when it comes to the development of
e-drivetrains, BMW Group has essentially exhausted the opportunities for this
form of technology transfer.</i>” </p><p class="MsoNormal">This suggests that the tech allowed in
Formula E (which isn’t as extreme as it could be, in a world of 2000hp electric
hypercars, so as to control costs and keep it relatively accessible) is becoming too
much of a limiting factor for car companies using motorsport to learn how to
develop better road cars – in this case electric ones. BMW went on to say that “<i>as the strategic focus of BMW Group is
shifting within the field of e-mobility, we will now concentrate on a model
offensive and series production in large quantities with [EV powertrains]</i>.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0DNYjZhZrDbed5dhCHk1G1SnDOkeVhod9SHdM5Dhf6xS69Phb5y1Tk_CNoNBnJfzZOhoqMmPMn4leT_Qi1Lyensoem-pdY7fgmDJHezWfVZg-weAqbHuY8DKxDCIKso-A-Gv-gqajbI/s1280/VW+IDR+EV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0DNYjZhZrDbed5dhCHk1G1SnDOkeVhod9SHdM5Dhf6xS69Phb5y1Tk_CNoNBnJfzZOhoqMmPMn4leT_Qi1Lyensoem-pdY7fgmDJHezWfVZg-weAqbHuY8DKxDCIKso-A-Gv-gqajbI/w640-h360/VW+IDR+EV.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The retired Volkswagen ID.R electric hillclimb car, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">What’s especially interesting about the second part of that,
is that it sounds as if they’re going to redistribute their talented engineers
from the Formula E project elsewhere within the company to aid the development or
production of those electric road cars – which is exactly the reasoning behind
yet another significant announcement this week: that <a href="https://sportscar365.com/industry/volkswagen-brand-to-cease-all-motorsports-activities/" target="_blank">Volkswagen Motorsport is to cease</a> all its factory racing programmes altogether,
focusing wholeheartedly on bringing electric personal transportation to the
masses.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCoN3uoEMCDmDYhDmkITAPSlheViTje66HKFhGaMiIZDJpEL49YYoZ4oUiVJNyBu1Syf12XYrfp32XKyb9Ez7ysvGbG_Z3zV00bOToJQtM2EEpDSqm_7aQrYmPOJ8Edk274eQ4sQ00JQ/s1280/Audi+Formula+E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCoN3uoEMCDmDYhDmkITAPSlheViTje66HKFhGaMiIZDJpEL49YYoZ4oUiVJNyBu1Syf12XYrfp32XKyb9Ez7ysvGbG_Z3zV00bOToJQtM2EEpDSqm_7aQrYmPOJ8Edk274eQ4sQ00JQ/w640-h426/Audi+Formula+E.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audi will withdraw its factory Formula E team, but continue supplying motors to customer teams<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">With all that in mind, though, let’s now circle back <a href="https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/audi-to-compete-in-dakar-rally-13440" target="_blank">to Audi</a>. Audi has been an integral part of the wider Volkswagen Automotive
Group (VAG) for a long time, but unlike the parent brand its Formula E exit isn’t
signalling a withdrawal from motorsport altogether. Instead – and seemingly of
its own volition – it’s changing tack to focus on a new Dakar Rally project
using an extended-range electric rally raid buggy (combining battery-electric
drive with a small TFSI petrol engine acting as an onboard charger).</p><p class="MsoNormal">Alongside
this, it is also returning to top-level endurance racing, which is very exciting. Having defined and
dominated the LMP1 era of sports prototype racing, winning the Le Mans 24h
thirteen times in seventeen years including maiden wins for diesel and e-hybrid
power, Audi will soon enter the new ‘LMDh’ category that comprises half of a
two-pronged system to replace LMP1 globally from next year onwards.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4l_XNGB8T98FGf0H1Dg5pOGaijPmPmseJWVCk6aVNX6Q6J4nw2KbHIlr5UtDtg-5YOhayQ7xZmBx7B_Ri-0fG_d0R3nLEsf1wg40DW1zFGAF_Bs_nGLeI-I3p10Fpfgq6vLnJIH6PTk/s1280/IMSA+DPi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4l_XNGB8T98FGf0H1Dg5pOGaijPmPmseJWVCk6aVNX6Q6J4nw2KbHIlr5UtDtg-5YOhayQ7xZmBx7B_Ri-0fG_d0R3nLEsf1wg40DW1zFGAF_Bs_nGLeI-I3p10Fpfgq6vLnJIH6PTk/w640-h426/IMSA+DPi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some IMSA DPi cars, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) is a development of the
American IMSA series’ current 'DPi' regulations that involve modifying and restyling a
third party-supplied LMP2 chassis which is then powered by a manufacturer’s own
engine (currently Mazda, Cadillac [GM] and Acura [Honda] race DPi cars <a href="https://www.insidemazda.co.uk/2020/03/20/mazda-motorsports-selects-multimatic-to-operate-imsa-race-programme/" target="_blank">in partnership with</a> specialist LMP chassis builders and top-tier customer teams).</p><p class="MsoNormal">From 2022, <a href="http://www.dailysportscar.com/2020/09/18/lmdh-regulations-finalised%e2%80%a8%e2%80%a8-wec-to-adopt-hypercar-for-top-class-name.html" target="_blank">LMDh</a> will advance this concept in part by introducing a standardised electric energy recovery system (ERS) comprising a battery supplied by Williams
Advanced Engineering and an electric motor supplied by Bosch. This set of rules allows the
fiddly stuff that casual race fans aren’t overly bothered about to be sorted
out in a somewhat quicker and less expensive way, while the looks and sounds
(along with star factory drivers) come from the car manufacturers themselves. It’s
highly interesting that Audi has chosen this route instead of the other one,
which is the FIA World Endurance Championship’s new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH)
category. Are there enough acronyms for you to keep track of yet, by the way?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0RnT6HAuIQlpSo9_bup38l_g6jR29hQIFASuPgcoR7VtCujlqhkx8zvs6FOM62pICjkjc-UAheZX8Kyh_X0iUrMNXjNWf8fRuR4zIsRF2XrJEfonmLyGa9JpRjf0aekg6-Va5iZk1fc/s2000/Toyota+GR+Super+Sport+concept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="2000" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0RnT6HAuIQlpSo9_bup38l_g6jR29hQIFASuPgcoR7VtCujlqhkx8zvs6FOM62pICjkjc-UAheZX8Kyh_X0iUrMNXjNWf8fRuR4zIsRF2XrJEfonmLyGa9JpRjf0aekg6-Va5iZk1fc/w640-h268/Toyota+GR+Super+Sport+concept.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2019 Toyota GR Super Sport concept hypercar, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">WEC LMH allows car manufacturers (OEMs, you might call them) a bespoke chassis with significantly more freedom around aerodynamics, and seemingly the opportunity to
develop an ERS in-house for a wholly integrated hybrid powertrain of the kind
we saw in the last few years of LMP1. One assumes it is also, accordingly, that
much more expensive. But, tantalisingly, it does seem to bring with it the likelihood
of GT1-esque ‘street versions’ if the Toyota <a href="https://toyotagazooracing.com/gr/concept/ssc/" target="_blank">GR Super Sport</a>
concept car, <a href="https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/bykolles-2021-hypercar-images/4877076/" target="_blank">ByKolles PMC LMH</a> CAD renderings and <a href="https://glickenhausracing.com/scg-007" target="_blank">Glickenhaus</a>
grand claim generator are to be taken seriously (sidenote: Aston Martin was initially
building a V12 Valkyrie LMH for 2021, but then underwent a change in financial
health, change of leadership and change of plans, so now it’ll run/brand the
Stroll’s Plaything Formula 1 Team Powered by AMG, as it were, instead).</p><p class="MsoNormal">In any
case, it was recently agreed that these more freely developed world
championship machines would be of the same minimum weight and peak system
horsepower as the cheaper and more standardised LMDh cars, and that <a href="https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/149350/peugeot-return-on-track-despite-car-decision-delay" target="_blank">this convergence</a> of regulations will allow the two different recipes of
prototype racer to compete directly against each other at the Le Mans 24 Hours.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PZj9vmhB9M6cEBULVthAgKNEdwbAnb1HJwb_VkS1LyQexlZ_3i7gZEJ85RSowAacaaBZ0RBR6h38sGmQtgCZvz6xcLcDnMuEQwbtr5dAJSynrMBS_PNVcanxcbW-mDePE5jSq7-zUbE/s2048/Audi+Le+Mans+winners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PZj9vmhB9M6cEBULVthAgKNEdwbAnb1HJwb_VkS1LyQexlZ_3i7gZEJ85RSowAacaaBZ0RBR6h38sGmQtgCZvz6xcLcDnMuEQwbtr5dAJSynrMBS_PNVcanxcbW-mDePE5jSq7-zUbE/w640-h426/Audi+Le+Mans+winners.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Audis that won Le Mans a few years ago, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">So, given that Audi spent the first 17% of the 21<sup>st</sup> century
proving that it is well capable of building all-conquering endurance racers
from scratch by itself – and had an <a href="https://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-2017-r18-le-mans-prototype-that-audi-will-n-1790203279" target="_blank">updated R18</a> ready to go before Dieselgate forced their exit – why go the quick ‘n’
easy route this time instead? Well, it seems their main engineering focus will
be on the Dakar entry, as that project appears to be fully in-house. Furthermore,
if the idea of dressing up a third party chassis in your own house style and attaching
a hot road car engine to a third party ERS makes the venture sound more superficial
and marketing-driven, then the related paragraph of their press release backs
up this mentality – specifically the lines “<i>we
have our customers’ wishes in mind as much as the company’s future strategy</i>”
and “<i>the most important message for our
fans is that motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi</i>.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">
So yes, apparently they’re doing it as much to please all the road car customers who loved
the R8, R10 TDI, R15 TDI and R18 e-tron quattro so much as for any other
reason, by that logic at least. Not that I’m complaining! No doubt they loved
those cars for themselves too, which surely helps.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7idfAwfWWnO8jXxHpPXENppYY5Gr4LxyisHmaLGz8P9AgqJ0OY1Hn90_S2gRenUOLaTyOJhXaicapOaNIJJT0A4TxtGcaZhl0Gt0nET35TMi3qNmw4b78PprvtRfhwLEJ2fnIXgIL8PE/s2048/Audi+PHEVs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7idfAwfWWnO8jXxHpPXENppYY5Gr4LxyisHmaLGz8P9AgqJ0OY1Hn90_S2gRenUOLaTyOJhXaicapOaNIJJT0A4TxtGcaZhl0Gt0nET35TMi3qNmw4b78PprvtRfhwLEJ2fnIXgIL8PE/w640-h452/Audi+PHEVs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Audi plug-in hybrids, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps, and I only speculate here, the halting of VW
Motorsport has allowed Audi the freedom of movement to make these decisions
without being micromanaged from above. But either way, the decision to leave a
battery-only series and create two different hybrid racecars instead – one with
an e-boosted engine and one with an engine-boosted e-drive – appears to more
closely align with the present and near future of their road cars. Yes, we’re
about to see the ‘baby Taycan’ all-electric Audi e-Tron GT arrive in production
form and their learnings from Formula E have doubtless informed that car’s
development and calibration, but the rest of their current range (bar an <a href="https://www.audi.co.uk/new-models/e-tron/e-tron/technik.html" target="_blank">enormous e-SUV</a>)
still in some way relies on the combustion of liquid fuel.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dQzgMnK5K2aqDG8QgeZzE5AgnuoKKy64mMxIMn_db-v9VbxoBoCQ426Abaq-ODZ3mrH1BhrmrKYD6CItgPHL4ZYd_uV5kprEARtTlFz2OHIPNfV5O66H8dpziS4IJVHqyAQzA4Q-muw/s2048/Audi+e-Dakar+teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dQzgMnK5K2aqDG8QgeZzE5AgnuoKKy64mMxIMn_db-v9VbxoBoCQ426Abaq-ODZ3mrH1BhrmrKYD6CItgPHL4ZYd_uV5kprEARtTlFz2OHIPNfV5O66H8dpziS4IJVHqyAQzA4Q-muw/w640-h452/Audi+e-Dakar+teaser.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Audi electric Dakar buggy of tomorrow, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">The Dakar buggy, whose engine merely supplements a battery-dependent drive
system, could broadly be described as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
The 2020s look to be both the biggest and in some places the last decade of this
stepping-stone arrangement of technology, as the European automotive industry faces
the double whammy of extremely strict fleet-average CO2 emissions from next
year onwards, and the increasing number of governments planning to enforce
wholesale bans on sales of fuel-burning new cars from the 2030s. Both of those
mean that the sooner you ‘electrify’ your range of road cars through
hybridisation and/or an electric-only version (see the Peugeot 208 model range,
for instance, which offers both), the better… if people buy them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, while both battery tech and charging infrastructure
are getting better and better with each year, or faster even, it remains the
case that going all-electric still isn’t the best solution for every possible
use case – and for people who can’t charge at home, who do long motorway
journeys regularly, or who simply can’t afford an invariably expensive new e-car,
it still isn’t sufficiently practical or viable (unless you go out of your own way to make it work, which most people won't). The issue of price is
only getting more worrying the more we hear that the cost of battery tech is
making low-end compact city cars ever harder to justify as a business case,
given that the profit margins are vanishingly small already. There are only so
many second-hand Renault Zoes to go around, after all.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHdKUchDOaj96Y-Ypc5Yo5TuAiztCHBPF1PPKvpLDF-qWo8GdT9XHYz-T5B-qCl9RL8u4wi5HXqD-dL1yv5uTCZCPUh9q63SVEfRfNJPiPYzwayOM1M8U5zhGlkk7QUqdN_xXPXHemuE/s1301/Third-floor+charging%252C+via+Reddit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="978" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHdKUchDOaj96Y-Ypc5Yo5TuAiztCHBPF1PPKvpLDF-qWo8GdT9XHYz-T5B-qCl9RL8u4wi5HXqD-dL1yv5uTCZCPUh9q63SVEfRfNJPiPYzwayOM1M8U5zhGlkk7QUqdN_xXPXHemuE/w301-h400/Third-floor+charging%252C+via+Reddit.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo from Reddit, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">For ‘legacy’ car manufacturers who have been building combustion cars since the
20<sup>th</sup> century and recognise that pure EVs still only represent a small
(albeit <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2020" target="_blank">rapidly growing</a>) portion of overall car sales globally, that means that hybrids are
the way to go until those government bans arrive – unless one is prepared to abruptly
wipe out everything related to petrol and diesel engines you’ve ever had and
reboot the entire business as an EV ‘startup’ of sorts, which… well, suffice to
say nobody’s doing that. </p><p class="MsoNormal">To bring all this observation back to Audi Sport, it
means that there is an argument to be made for there being greater potential for
‘technology transfer’ in the (very) short term through hybrid racing. But only
for the next five or ten years, right? After that, the combustion engine will
finally be extinguished.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">… Or will it?<br />
Enter Porsche.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEr4C0urLepAt_5E-TxsK-NbFDJnJA37Ti85ocHwdQmMKecF615M6U5T_0cssZYG_X7A_si6MwZWDIDIswC94y4j4R6PeTzObr1cMEip1UG7cwZY0csqFa5LhoUiGpz5XuVp7xMSfRc4/s2048/Porsche+GT3RS+fuel+cap.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEr4C0urLepAt_5E-TxsK-NbFDJnJA37Ti85ocHwdQmMKecF615M6U5T_0cssZYG_X7A_si6MwZWDIDIswC94y4j4R6PeTzObr1cMEip1UG7cwZY0csqFa5LhoUiGpz5XuVp7xMSfRc4/w640-h360/Porsche+GT3RS+fuel+cap.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Porsche 911 (991) GT3 RS fuel filler opening, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Porsche, also a part of VAG, mimicked Audi in quitting
LMP1 in order to enter Formula E as a factory team a couple of years ago (it
also canned a Formula 1 engine project, but I’ll not go there now), and as it
stands they appear to still be committing to that. However, on this day of
endless news, they released a <a href="https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2020/company/porsche-siemens-energy-pilot-project-chile-research-development-synthetic-fuels-efuels-23021.html" target="_blank">press statement</a> that seemingly flies in the face of any grand vision of a
battery-powered future. It begins as follows (emphasis mine):</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Porsche, Siemens
Energy and a lineup of international companies are developing and implementing
a pilot project in Chile that is expected to yield the world’s first
integrated, commercial, industrial-scale plant for making <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">synthetic climate-neutral fuels</b> (eFuels)</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, synthetic fuel has been around for a long time and, in
terms of adopting new propulsion methods, has the enormous advantage that it
can be distributed in exactly the same way as petrol and diesel, into the same
pumps. But you haven’t ever filled a car up with the stuff yourself for a few
reasons. Firstly, for there to be any point in making a zero-greenhouse fuel,
the processes involved in creating it must themselves be carbon neutral. Secondly,
they’re currently estimated to be over four times as expensive at the pump
compared to something like E85 biofuel (according to <a href="https://www.evo.co.uk/technology/202460/synthetic-fuels-explained-is-there-such-a-thing-as-carbon-neutral-petrol" target="_blank">this useful Evo article</a>). Thirdly, some argue that if you have an abundance of
green energy, using it to convert chemicals into liquid fuel is less efficient
than just putting it straight into a battery (so <a href="https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/mercedes-rd-boss-synthetic-fuel-not-viable-option" target="_blank">says
Mercedes-Benz’s R&D boss</a>, anyway).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsE_bXPFSoUEHR5MUe90xhD8-vzbqqQfCOvqTLNaeiXPViSozpoFww2mMULa4dtsIeZv-9lIozG9VNEWXXt-QPNsM-q3azlZdRH9UQRDX40gevQbZAvbT54Pxr4e_2m2guSTsMhW8cqoQ/s2400/traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsE_bXPFSoUEHR5MUe90xhD8-vzbqqQfCOvqTLNaeiXPViSozpoFww2mMULa4dtsIeZv-9lIozG9VNEWXXt-QPNsM-q3azlZdRH9UQRDX40gevQbZAvbT54Pxr4e_2m2guSTsMhW8cqoQ/w640-h320/traffic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A generic photo of some American traffic, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal">However, while that third argument might hold for the cars
you’re <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">about</i> to make, it doesn’t
answer for the cars that have already been made. Bosch, which has also been
researching e-fuel, reckons half of the cars that will be on the road in 2030 are
on the road right now, while discussions which followed the British government’s
move to ban combustion-engine sales by that year have also included pointing
out the need to ‘decarbonise’ the cars that are already in use, hybrid or not. </p><p class="MsoNormal">This
is where the e-fuel concept comes into the bigger picture, as well as for
applications such as long-range aeroplanes, container ships (<a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-12-cargo-ships-emitting-boatloads-carbon.html" target="_blank">fun fact</a>, the international shipping industry has about the same carbon
footprint as Germany and has largely relied on much dirtier fuel than cars) and
large trucks for which batteries that provide equal range to what’s possible
with fossil fuels would be infeasibly large and heavy and expensive. Not to
mention the accompanying demand for the mined materials which go into said
batteries.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygXLDRF9RYSnqOgmYZ7oicQKrFDZQd2iPXCy4ObUZkAV-1oltDFhFV4kM_U2xZimYaqa3qxPARUN-nKBEzpmAKtBKUXW4vtgn6CUvfGu5EIiY9_78vDg3WOXwPg8wE3BJLNoHO5Nc1cY/s2000/Siemens+Energy_201201_HaruOni_K7_modifiziert_EN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygXLDRF9RYSnqOgmYZ7oicQKrFDZQd2iPXCy4ObUZkAV-1oltDFhFV4kM_U2xZimYaqa3qxPARUN-nKBEzpmAKtBKUXW4vtgn6CUvfGu5EIiY9_78vDg3WOXwPg8wE3BJLNoHO5Nc1cY/w640-h360/Siemens+Energy_201201_HaruOni_K7_modifiziert_EN.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 3D image of an e-fuel production plant, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Annoyingly though, before you get excited by the dream of
pouring guilt-free fuel into a 911 GT3 Touring, it’s pretty difficult to attach
any kind of clear and obvious timeline to that dream becoming a genuine reality
for us all. Yes, Porsche talks about getting some made by 2022 and increasing
production tenfold by 2026, but these are just projections for a facility that it
seems isn’t up and running yet. Audi, ironically, produced its own e-diesel a
few years ago and started running a limited number of its cars on the stuff,
only for that whole experiment to go quiet after 2018. Parent company VW <a href="https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/volkswagen-combustion-engine-has-life-it-yet" target="_blank">previously stated</a> a desire to develop e-fuels yet is demonstrably throwing its seismic
weight behind battery power more and more. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Porsche has reportedly chosen to
have a go at e-fuel off its own back, rather than as an order from above. Perhaps
it wants to save the flat-six engines that have been core to its identity for
so long and allow them to coexist alongside the likes of the award winning Taycan. But it looks from the outside like, unless Porsche and Siemens have made a necessary breakthrough, while e-fuel may be tantalisingly close it also seems to still not truly be here yet.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M1BGFp3azsf_sc70T5K1p-Ol_QAqsY4GlmbgxOCOzTKbIANy4ZS9uQtjikPLHeqxWtjbawp9oAweLQcAW6qobdtWIouQ0bpFh-xg7fDobEc9Gg5FX8RBEMubqLTHeORvRe3R-ok8YUI/s2000/Hyundai+HDC-6+Neptune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M1BGFp3azsf_sc70T5K1p-Ol_QAqsY4GlmbgxOCOzTKbIANy4ZS9uQtjikPLHeqxWtjbawp9oAweLQcAW6qobdtWIouQ0bpFh-xg7fDobEc9Gg5FX8RBEMubqLTHeORvRe3R-ok8YUI/w640-h480/Hyundai+HDC-6+Neptune.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hyundai HDC-6 Neptune concept fuel cell truck, yesterday<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, those of us who love the diverse characters
and more involving driving experiences of different combustion engines can only
cross our fingers. The big signal here is that despite current messaging, the future of the automobile is
not a one-dimensional future where batteries are the only option (I haven’t
even approached the other industry push for hydrogen <a href="https://hyundai-hm.com/en/" target="_blank">fuel cell trucks</a>, especially by <a href="https://www.hyundai.news/eu/brand/hyundai-motor-previews-hdc-6-neptune-concept-and-trailer/" target="_blank">Hyundai</a>).
Hopefully one day, hydrogen and e-fuel won’t be perpetual visions of the
future, but finally become factors of the present once and for all.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Until then, we can only expect more and more petrol-electric
hybrids before 2030 – on the road and on the track.</p><p></p>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-49076176092370846952020-10-07T23:08:00.000+01:002020-10-07T23:08:45.037+01:00Oh yeah, the Tommykaira ZZ came back as an EV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6bJWfY4xm9XkY05_UpMOgV2mfWGqgBgjGDkggfqRgEr3qFYl2Z9Slj0nklmRdEGr1CcgCvldIsxmt-9W7HUORPzex71XCLVj2IHVbduTPE9p-hCiWPgHNx2Uk1Ac-jwujwpe21J1-XU/s1200/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1200" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6bJWfY4xm9XkY05_UpMOgV2mfWGqgBgjGDkggfqRgEr3qFYl2Z9Slj0nklmRdEGr1CcgCvldIsxmt-9W7HUORPzex71XCLVj2IHVbduTPE9p-hCiWPgHNx2Uk1Ac-jwujwpe21J1-XU/w640-h374/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>Eight(!) whole years ago on this blog, I was doing a series of articles, for my own amusement really, on obscure Japanese sports cars every week or so. It was called, ingeniously, Obscure Japanese Sports Car of the Week. I didn't end up doing that many, but I do like having the articles up as a source on the off chance someone looks the car up or if they ever come up in conversation. Well, would you know, one such car has cropped up in conversation in a couple of corners of Car Twitter over the past week: the TommyKaira ZZ (read my <a href="https://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/2012/05/obscure-japanese-sports-car-of-week.html" target="_blank">original article here</a>).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20pJjHY6hIbTE-hZ7KmgpyeGzQRCwXkwKdlziWTt7IXH8p942mD4Y9R1D7u0HTHQFU6FyvpuZGmighmnGvYwht2YCdQRpCUqac05EWhCuPgvtoQgQ8yWTMN_R-K1zFNFJ_Ro6FdC0Kg8/s2016/Tommy+Kaira+ZZ-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20pJjHY6hIbTE-hZ7KmgpyeGzQRCwXkwKdlziWTt7IXH8p942mD4Y9R1D7u0HTHQFU6FyvpuZGmighmnGvYwht2YCdQRpCUqac05EWhCuPgvtoQgQ8yWTMN_R-K1zFNFJ_Ro6FdC0Kg8/w640-h480/Tommy+Kaira+ZZ-S.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An original ZZ from the late 1990s<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I originally traced the history of the ZZ in 2012 – and found it to be a history of almosts, so to speak, wherein every attempt to get the car into production ended within a couple of years through financial disaster – the box-section aluminium underpinnings and fibreglass body had just been repurposed by an engineering start-up founded by Kyoto University graduates, called <a href="http://glm.jp/" target="_blank">Green Lord Motors (GLM)</a>. That started in 2010. In 2014, they released a fully homologated production version, with the original TommyKaira branding and badges intact.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y849nT08HxUsppmIOPcJT6u6ir3CcJwBtwT_D75C5rDMoel5lcmlWqdFLOAAyKj3A7LZtknTpN53EL2lwyppBIQP_Efx4R6D9YdRE6XeWXl4H2Zusn3z3cvYGMVavP-fQMCMqJU8S4Y/s1559/GLM-TommyKaira+logos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1559" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y849nT08HxUsppmIOPcJT6u6ir3CcJwBtwT_D75C5rDMoel5lcmlWqdFLOAAyKj3A7LZtknTpN53EL2lwyppBIQP_Efx4R6D9YdRE6XeWXl4H2Zusn3z3cvYGMVavP-fQMCMqJU8S4Y/w640-h338/GLM-TommyKaira+logos.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>NB: All images of the current car are from GLM's sites and social media pages unless otherwise stated</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Before I get to the car in detail, though, I just want to quickly tie together how the Tommykaira brand went from the famous tuning and styling company to being 'just' a set of badges used by a Kyoto-based EV platform researcher and developer. In essence, after a financial crash had dealt a fatal blow to TommyKaira at the turn of the century, auto retailer AUTOBACS Seven – approximately equivalent to Halfords in Britain – picked its bones and collected all the assets around the ZZ platform, plus the bigger ZZ-II concept supercar, so it could build lightweight sports cars of its own... before seeming to hit the same problems for themselves (building JDM sports cars with a small niche audience in Norfolk, GB and then having to pay import tariffs on every last one is ruinously expensive, especially with a crashed yen). They got as far as designing a quirky yet pretty new coupé body for it, but ultimately gave up on the project by around 2004 – save for a tiny batch of successfully completed 'ASL Garaiya' road cars and the basis for a GT300 Super GT project that ran on and off until the end of the 2012 season. </p><p>As a sidenote, Breckland Technologies acquired the complete Norfolk factory and started selling updated ZZs as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120211042150/http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/26483/leading_edge_190rt.html" target="_blank">the Leading Edge</a> 190RT and 240RT, but this didn't last very long either and the British company went bust altogether in 2009 (shortly after launching the Breckland Beira, a restyled, LS-swapped Pontiac Solstice).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxEhgqna7b70RAjs02oF0u7ILZI2XRGYGbs8SAOi_oclP7igywTVRhZhyphenhyphenfL_ebLxF93xwj5_2s00DV19K8mbCrI_n_QPhiPXeDhQ-z4Pfk5fIazJR9y9ojz7whPstUTszxUFFMtlT0iU/s1200/Tommy+Kaira+R35+teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1200" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxEhgqna7b70RAjs02oF0u7ILZI2XRGYGbs8SAOi_oclP7igywTVRhZhyphenhyphenfL_ebLxF93xwj5_2s00DV19K8mbCrI_n_QPhiPXeDhQ-z4Pfk5fIazJR9y9ojz7whPstUTszxUFFMtlT0iU/w640-h318/Tommy+Kaira+R35+teaser.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As for TommyKaira's original vehicle customising business, that was separately <a href="https://bulletproofautomotive.com/blog/2010/01/11/the-new-tommy-kaira-vs-the-old-tommy-kaira/" target="_blank">rebooted</a> under new ownership by a Toyota City-based company called <a href="http://www.rowen.co.jp/en/company/profile/#content" target="_blank">ROWEN</a>, who acquired the branding rights from AUTOBACS in 2009. Five years later, though, ROWEN unified its various sub-brands into a single entity and what was left of TommyKaira, it seems, essentially disappeared (including tommykaira.com, which sadly is now a dead link). <br />At this point, <a href="https://glm.jp/company/about/" target="_blank">GLM</a>, which had been using the brand under licence anyway, had the TommyKaira name and logos all to itself and continues using them on its re-engineered ZZ with battery-electric power, thus uniting chassis and badge once more for the only time since 1999.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaCepoKtGLFx1kN6YtRKtJNpB-acwSdwNueQ8mr8fT9PYlVASZRcB2Id57ofHBgTSX3Kor4yvRu3nZqxSOIP8HJIadNgXn9VPeF44590ons5fmgpwhhGRbLFMgjD9iTeckcP8LNtoLwY/s1080/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_dimensions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="860" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaCepoKtGLFx1kN6YtRKtJNpB-acwSdwNueQ8mr8fT9PYlVASZRcB2Id57ofHBgTSX3Kor4yvRu3nZqxSOIP8HJIadNgXn9VPeF44590ons5fmgpwhhGRbLFMgjD9iTeckcP8LNtoLwY/w510-h640/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_dimensions.png" width="510" /></a></div><p>The <a href="http://tommykairazz.com/history/" target="_blank">new ZZ</a> appears to sit on largely the same extruded-aluminium platform design (albeit updated) as the original 1990s machine, which is noticeable in part by the characteristic way that the driver and passenger seats point visibly towards each other. I would think that's for packaging reasons, as the pedal box is offset towards the centreline of the chassis between the front wheels and so, instead of making you bend your legs across, they just rotated the entire driving position accordingly (as per original ZZs and the closely related ASL Garaiya) and the surrounding structure tapers with it.<br />The car's footprint, simple built-in rollbar behind the seats and the overall aesthetic proportions are all strikingly similar as well.</p><p>However, there are equally noticeable differences even before you see under the rear lid and spot lots of silver boxes and orange cables instead of the old carburetted SR20 engine. I think the updated design effectively merges all the past iterations of this platform together; the low-down side-mounted air intakes are the spitting image of the design used on the ASL Garaiya, while the front and rear faces clearly transfer graphical themes from the stillborn (read: still dead) ZZ-II supercar onto the smaller ZZ-S shape.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iljc_DpoAuetAIUB-YOEKjyXrnnJ_0cg5cFclbus9XT5WqbDQVyLxTJUqWmoxMrkI2qrWKZvTkfC3HlBQb9FC3nFHYvLGXpm_3whDVNwfhBC1iw9xCkkeRZsWMBy_Z7kC14rqOosM8A/s2048/TommyKaira+ZZ+design+evolution_2400px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iljc_DpoAuetAIUB-YOEKjyXrnnJ_0cg5cFclbus9XT5WqbDQVyLxTJUqWmoxMrkI2qrWKZvTkfC3HlBQb9FC3nFHYvLGXpm_3whDVNwfhBC1iw9xCkkeRZsWMBy_Z7kC14rqOosM8A/w640-h480/TommyKaira+ZZ+design+evolution_2400px.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The new GLM design has a happier face though (one that coincidentally I find reminiscent of the Vauxhall VX220). But I do find it strange to see an electric version adding a large grille to a previously petrol-powered car that didn't have one! Still, this compact, voluptuous shape and expressive DRG tell you unequivocally that it's here to have fun.</p><p>Fun really ought to be the name of the game, too, when you crunch some numbers. This little car's rear-axle electric motor packs 225kW (305PS) of peak power and 415NM (306lb/ft) of instant torque for an effortless 3.9-second 0-60mph sprint. That all sounds like plenty for any small car, but seems like an especially enticing prospect when you see the whole car weighs just 850kg (1874lbs). That's staggeringly light for an EV, and lighter even than a current-year Lotus Elise! The Cup 250 is a positively portly 931kg, for heaven's sake. Combined with that motor, the ZZ has a higher power/weight ratio than a Nissan GT-R NISMO.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ty2OU9jHu56TqggdgJ8cmTwTR7LNmfnXq9emIlaqvZzxQPyag70efPnwyJ8uOjdHjgZYxgPP6cJ8bumn3UBO3R7veun78pCNejY1Pw8Yf5dPlp6I5t4rFonRQ8mPw-XrusmoYFnBLpk/s1200/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_chassis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1200" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ty2OU9jHu56TqggdgJ8cmTwTR7LNmfnXq9emIlaqvZzxQPyag70efPnwyJ8uOjdHjgZYxgPP6cJ8bumn3UBO3R7veun78pCNejY1Pw8Yf5dPlp6I5t4rFonRQ8mPw-XrusmoYFnBLpk/w640-h374/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_chassis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>So, at this point, you must wonder how they've achieved that and, most likely, will reach the question: "doesn't that surely mean the battery must be absolutely tiny?" Reader, yes, the battery is absolutely tiny. There is no magic trick here. At just 18kWh (for reference, the Honda E [1513kg] gets criticised for 'only' having a 35kWh battery), the expected range of the ZZ EV is a mere 120km, or 75 miles – and that's best case scenario. If you took it to a track day it would probably be all done in a matter of minutes. I can find no mention of any regenerative braking ability to help postpone the inevitable, either. So, hey, maybe stick to short tracks with charging points on site and not bother visiting the Nordschleife in it any time soon. There are lots of sub-two-mile local circuits for club racing, karting and drifting dotted around Japan, to be fair, so it makes a little more sense with that in mind.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ySPNJZXRk7U" width="320" youtube-src-id="ySPNJZXRk7U"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">A five-minute walkaround</div><p>But, look, we're talking about a car with no side windows, a roll-up canvas canopy for a roof and no designated luggage space. Well, there's theoretically room under the front lid for a small boot, but they haven't formally fitted one into it, so as it is you'd be putting your spare raincoat straight onto the chassis' aluminium floor between the steering rack and the ancillary battery powering the dashboard and driving lights. </p><p>The point is, nobody's expecting you to use this as your only means of transportation. Plainly it's a fair weather, drive because you feel like it sort of car. Not a GT, not a commuter (unless you're slightly bonkers/desperate), and not a shopping car. Use it more like you'd use a sports motorbike, perhaps. But more quietly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZQEGcVivbuypKzMTFc7fVRl1mxvldAGBgbRb1AbPbix2qZNjRJcAMDmVcofZDDWrxK_1bxsu8Fy2lfJt8e7Nqj7RxrjTHEUOOIL0UVEGTJXdP9SPG2fWZW7qBddmZImvIYzIRGby7hM/s1280/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_interior_through+the+seats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZQEGcVivbuypKzMTFc7fVRl1mxvldAGBgbRb1AbPbix2qZNjRJcAMDmVcofZDDWrxK_1bxsu8Fy2lfJt8e7Nqj7RxrjTHEUOOIL0UVEGTJXdP9SPG2fWZW7qBddmZImvIYzIRGby7hM/w640-h360/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_interior_through+the+seats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The cockpit follows suit, with the only switchgear on the dashboard being a rotary transmission selector, the hazard lights button and an emergency killswitch. The new digital instrument panel is pretty swish and cleanly designed, though, so there's that. I have seen photos and videos of ZZs with a stick-on phone mount atop the dash and a cable running down and underneath, so presumably you can at least charge your phone while it performs the role of your entire infotainment system.</p><p>Because the inwards-pointing seats are so close together, there's only room in between them for a good old-fashioned manual handbrake (an artifact of its petrol-powered past along with the ignition barrel and key). The OMP steering wheel clearly does not contain an airbag, so maybe wear a helmet if you fancy going quickly.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJurhksbjiF45-L2QDymLw-gHt5C7tabccf82VsdgAw67GAbEiCYqpzEMys3-hsIfINTdRsYy_zOdODLDKO7V7cCGMvr76pAbxQ5uEM02qKNOcKEwJzBQOXpoH3gKBGRcTyq-qyezBGY/s1600/2015+Goodwood+FOS_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1600" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJurhksbjiF45-L2QDymLw-gHt5C7tabccf82VsdgAw67GAbEiCYqpzEMys3-hsIfINTdRsYy_zOdODLDKO7V7cCGMvr76pAbxQ5uEM02qKNOcKEwJzBQOXpoH3gKBGRcTyq-qyezBGY/w640-h474/2015+Goodwood+FOS_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by me, FOS 2015 (which is why it's not very well lit)</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As it happens, I saw this car when it appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2015, a year after production started. I can confirm that it is both small and a car that just puts a smile on your face upon spotting it. Well, it made me smile anyway, possibly because I knew much of the story behind it. But doesn't it just look fun! It whooshed silently up the hill a few times over the weekend too, of course.</p><p>Back in Japan, though, a racing driver has taken one up a longer, more challenging hillclimb course that gives away a bit more about how the ZZ EV might behave. I am of course only speculating amateurishly from afar, but it looks a little edgy coming out of slow corners as all that instant torque is deployed, yet the tyres also squeal on the way into some of the corners too, suggesting front-end grip could be at a premium (perhaps some understeer is 'dialed in' to counteract the inherent snappiness of such a short wheelbase, or maybe it's just the 50mm-narrower front track). A couple of braking zones further into the run betray the car's lack of ABS, too...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/epPh-7V8ac8" width="320" youtube-src-id="epPh-7V8ac8"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>But I don't really know what I'm on about. I'll just have to go on a trip to Japan some time in the near future and see about getting a go in one, eh? ;-)</div><div><br /></div><div>As a small, young company trying to hold the industry's attention, GLM has occasionally come up with fun concept versions of the ZZ in collaboration with other Japanese suppliers. So far there's been a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNJE27t2zL4" target="_blank">camera-and-screen festooned version with Kyocera</a>, a Roland Music '<a href="https://insideevs.com/news/328639/roland-synthesizes-sound-for-tommykaira-zz-electric-car-w-video/" target="_blank">sound synthesizer</a>' that weighs 1.1kg and offers both a futuristic 'spaceship' noise and a generic engine sound (stick with the spaceshippy one, I say; fake engine noise is just tacky), and then there's the version below with a <a href="https://www.teijin.com/news/2017/ebd170619_09.html" target="_blank">Teijin-developed polycarbonate-resin</a> 'pillarless' windscreen. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9UXaTtPu_52h_YDpWFxalkADl6cdFM7c_AfKd57986xbtACTJVKW3NfDGu9gNZ-PGt3_A0KoZFteJxTTywOouFG3X8U4hcgAuLMpG7DrcAhiZZI2lu_1XRcYfY1puvzevrK91fxbSiI/s1920/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_interior_through+the+seats_Teijin+Panlite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9UXaTtPu_52h_YDpWFxalkADl6cdFM7c_AfKd57986xbtACTJVKW3NfDGu9gNZ-PGt3_A0KoZFteJxTTywOouFG3X8U4hcgAuLMpG7DrcAhiZZI2lu_1XRcYfY1puvzevrK91fxbSiI/w640-h360/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_interior_through+the+seats_Teijin+Panlite.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Teijin claimed in 2017 that, as well as being 36% lighter overall than a metal-framed glass windscreen, it's strong and abrasion-resistant enough to meet the latest Japanese safety standards for road cars. GLM/TommyKaira stated <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnplKuBHfNb/" target="_blank">in an Instagram post</a> in 2018 that it intended to make this an optional extra from 2019. I can't see where you'd mount the ZZ's weather protection onto it, though...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk2gQqE4k7EjCT5cvrxydWyb3bvO8fwY5-XfyF2DFI4X961GgBMrQkORmeUzlOQPqkdI4np-I7KGfJaJ7KaXTbVKaR7QuV3-G_DggVi93XNLeZ-cFRsQIXPOkjHwkU62t97SUjwushek/s1280/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV+Pikes+Peak+Special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk2gQqE4k7EjCT5cvrxydWyb3bvO8fwY5-XfyF2DFI4X961GgBMrQkORmeUzlOQPqkdI4np-I7KGfJaJ7KaXTbVKaR7QuV3-G_DggVi93XNLeZ-cFRsQIXPOkjHwkU62t97SUjwushek/w640-h426/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV+Pikes+Peak+Special.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Finally, it appears the company was all set <a href="https://twitter.com/GLM_kyoto/status/1283928226524360705" target="_blank">to tackle the Pikes Peak</a> International Hillclimb this year with a purpose-modified ZZ (boasting quite an unusual rear wing placement), but the travel restrictions and rescheduling and general mess caused by the pandemic put paid to that idea. Better luck next year.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8vrztIrAg66b3-gpOYEV_Im_7IzyL9r-IZoNUeSLQgajfDJ7iY7xmpg4bkBoI80Jh1NiQlooJDLV-fV65balU8t99oJA4vfkqe6_h_GmMGUM17oocYEINiuXAOBNhec9Oc-XJc3XRsU/s1408/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_silver_badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1408" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8vrztIrAg66b3-gpOYEV_Im_7IzyL9r-IZoNUeSLQgajfDJ7iY7xmpg4bkBoI80Jh1NiQlooJDLV-fV65balU8t99oJA4vfkqe6_h_GmMGUM17oocYEINiuXAOBNhec9Oc-XJc3XRsU/w640-h360/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_silver_badge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>I know a tiny little sports car with a tiny little range is not going to change the world, electric or otherwise, but I think there are two levels on which the whole saga of the ZZ sports car platform grabs me. First of all, a lightweight sports car is inherently a magnet for driving enthusiasts and the idea of <i>any</i> car that combines 300 horsepower and 850 kilograms is exciting to think about. </div><div><p>But most of all, this is a story of an obscure little sports car that refuses to die, even though it's equally failed to ever live for very long at any stage – honestly, with TommyKaira, Leading Edge [Breckland] and AUTOBACS' ASL division all falling to pieces upon producing it, you'd think it was cursed or something. Because TommyKaira originally failed to build as many ZZs (fewer than 260) as were ordered (over 400 backorders), it became known as "the phantom sports car." Given its thus far successful electrified rebirth, the old nickname now appears to be increasingly ironic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFYUnBNTQ393bI8t8tjaWDx3W7sjFm62IhP_uwKWGy4-ZwuY-AQDR8tFjXtGWtvBBiOLvzT4UT30ot1NWqT1CFrCFRM7wfVTSFsu-_g0mRvnAG706cOYXlgOuCxsCdBjZi2kPsvwC32A/s640/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_chassis_top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="640" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFYUnBNTQ393bI8t8tjaWDx3W7sjFm62IhP_uwKWGy4-ZwuY-AQDR8tFjXtGWtvBBiOLvzT4UT30ot1NWqT1CFrCFRM7wfVTSFsu-_g0mRvnAG706cOYXlgOuCxsCdBjZi2kPsvwC32A/w640-h450/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_chassis_top.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>No matter what happens, there is always another little corner of the automotive industry that sees the potential of what was created in the optimistic mid-'90s and wants to be the one who finally makes it work for more than a couple of years – and fair play, it looks like GLM's efforts are in fact working out at the moment. The company continues to be active and <a href="http://glm.jp/company/news/" target="_blank">create things</a>, while the original planned run of 100 ZZ EVs completely sold out and their website suggests you are welcome to ask them to <a href="http://tommykairazz.com/order/" target="_blank">build you one to order</a> today (if you live in Japan). US media outlets originally reported the list price to be equivalent to around $80,000, but if that's a bit steep then <a href="https://www.carsensor.net/usedcar/detail/CU4988127316/index.html?STID=SMPH0002&RESTID=SMPH0001#mainBlock" target="_blank">this tidy secondhand one</a> is a snip at roughly $47k (¥5.05m).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5FH1D6LHG4vCU0f0c8IiqpImCZjw1XC0bretCTSOiVjX_GfcTXjynBCoiL-H7g9oEHrRaGgIJR_4MTfc8Qgr21Y_utU1GmUaMq0dmoma_iuW-9H4yrdzNhQCOxdqV9E3wW2qPCEDCTU/s640/20201002_155352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5FH1D6LHG4vCU0f0c8IiqpImCZjw1XC0bretCTSOiVjX_GfcTXjynBCoiL-H7g9oEHrRaGgIJR_4MTfc8Qgr21Y_utU1GmUaMq0dmoma_iuW-9H4yrdzNhQCOxdqV9E3wW2qPCEDCTU/w640-h480/20201002_155352.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maybe they should design a new removable hardtop for it, though... [pic from linked ad]</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now that it has gained vastly more relevance as an electric vehicle while also being built in the same country as where it's being sold (what an idea, eh?), this time may yet be the time that the ZZ gets to live a full life. Or, y'know, the entire GLM project is about to collapse as a new victim of a 'ZZ Curse'. But hopefully not! Hopefully instead they invent an amazing new battery that doubles the range with no weight gain. One can, after all, always dream...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf20vZ8xe5DdJkR154s-PyjD8zvK7pbqL2QrbjNWlODbrsnU0olGCUwru-MGgbwhfgrhQnof_X8zJfnuBxwfbk3icsaSd-ltT3stABJwY_EbQh-R3ksO30r19koZdbhzR1txVuUd7NMdo/s960/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_rolling+chassis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf20vZ8xe5DdJkR154s-PyjD8zvK7pbqL2QrbjNWlODbrsnU0olGCUwru-MGgbwhfgrhQnof_X8zJfnuBxwfbk3icsaSd-ltT3stABJwY_EbQh-R3ksO30r19koZdbhzR1txVuUd7NMdo/w640-h426/GLM+Tommykaira+ZZ+EV_rolling+chassis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><i>P.S. Follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/smallblogv8/" target="_blank">SmallBlogV8 on Instagram</a>!</i></p></div>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-53855200624536222512020-06-22T15:42:00.000+01:002020-06-22T15:42:12.134+01:00The Transport Research Laboratory's Test Track is now a Woodland Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Transport Research Laboratory, apparently nestled between Beijing and Muzzy's landmark Kebab Van</td></tr>
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Having had to find and rotate between different routes around the same streets on my 'Government-approved outside hour' walks for the past two months (or is it three months? Or has it been 84 years?), finding a new walking location is quite pleasing, especially if it acts as an excuse to get the car out for a bit in order to travel there. A few days ago, though, I found out about one I wouldn't have expected: the site of the old TRL test track in Crowthorne.<br />
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<i>A British Pathé report showing the vast central area of the facility (1963)</i></div>
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The Transport Research Laboratory as an entity has existed in various guises since 1933, when it was established (then as the 'Road Research Lab') by the Ministry of Transport in response to the rise of the horseless carriage. Since then it has been used for testing new ideas around infrastructure (road signs, lights, junctions), vehicle safety and capability, crash barriers, road surfaces and all manner of other things in the ongoing mission to understand and influence (through legislation) the automobile's impact on society and the environment. They've even made films about their research, like this one:<br />
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Having been at work since the 1930s, it was inevitably also involved in warfare research during WWII, apparently playing a part in the creation of such things as the 'Disney Bomb' (a rocket-propelled explosive named in reference to an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Through_Air_Power_(film)#Impact" target="_blank">animated propaganda film</a> funded by ol' Walt, which depicted one), the dam-busting 'bouncing bomb', plastic armor, and new techniques for building runways. Post-war, it even became the home of one of the now decommissioned <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8UMS1lDMdM" target="_blank">Broadmoor sirens</a> (1952-2016).<br />
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<i>Another British Pathé clip, on a 'hands free' DS and a crash test (unrelated), from 1963</i></div>
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The research lab initiative was originally based in Harmondsworth, but in 1967 it was relocated to the facility in Crowthorne (their <a href="https://trl.co.uk/sites/default/files/SR106.pdf" target="_blank">archived 1973 report</a> goes into more detail), where it could better test vehicles and road layouts in a controlled environment. The mini-roundabout, the zebra crossing, speed bumps, a <a href="http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2014/05/the-best-roundabout-design-for-cyclists.html" target="_blank">cyclist-friendly</a> roundabout layout, and even the Green Cross Code were all developed through the TRL.<br />
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<i>A road noise testing truck takes the banked corner</i></div>
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Personally, I first became aware of this site as a child. When I was being driven to band practice, I'd look out the car window and see, through gaps in the trees, a barrier for an unknown road running parallel to Nine Mile Ride. It sweeps up into a banked corner that arcs away and into the mysterious woods. As a young car addict it was a highly evocative sight, making you imagine what must go on there. I'm pretty sure I once saw a Caterham on the banking, which was exciting!<br />
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Over time, the test track also got used as a filming location, as well as a site for private companies and car shows – although the latter activity was halted due to local complaints about hooliganism. One <a href="https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=127&t=1535197" target="_blank">thread on Pistonheads</a> suggests that BTCC teams even used to use it for shakedown tests. By around 2013 though, the track had stopped being used as <a href="https://trl.co.uk/projects" target="_blank">the TRL</a>'s activities there were scaled back, and it steadily fell into disrepair. Such a huge facility is expensive to maintain, and eventually the whole test track got sold off for redevelopment. The research lab's head office is still located in the middle of it, though, aptly accessible via a roundabout.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial photo of the south-west corner of the track, before it was reworked. Those buildings and the dark-brown patch of land are now all covered in new houses</td></tr>
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There's an <a href="https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/transport-research-laboratory-trl-crowthorne-july-2016.105341/" target="_blank">interesting website here</a> that shows photos of what the disused facility looked like in 2016, just before redevelopment, including shots of what looks like a crash test building with a cable track down the middle of it.<br />
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Buckler's Forest</h3>
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When I found out the site had been repurposed and was freely accessible to the public, I had to go and have a nosey around it. Originally the land owners' plan was to turn the place into a 'mini town', but <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-22551691" target="_blank">public resistance</a> and calls to protect the woodland area around it changed those plans a bit. Instead, the track was simply dug up and, as the museum-esque info boards around the site call it, "de-engineered." The place is now known as Buckler's Forest, referencing the Buckler sports car company that existed in Crowthorne in the 1950s (which was news to me).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">An introductory info board. There are three recommended walking routes, with very pessimistic time estimates.</span></td></tr>
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It is now possible to trace roughly half the route of the old figure-of-8 test track via gravel paths, with only a north-western section of the site seemingly reserved for housing estates (which are currently half-finished and, pleasingly, use motorsport-themed street names). You have to drive past those houses to reach the car park at the south-west corner.<br />
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Walking the route anticlockwise takes you around the smaller part of the figure-of-8 first, flanked on either side by dense forest. Dotted around the site are green boxes which previously contained "electronics" (presumably data gathering equipment for recording the weather or something related to testing) and now either contain information cards, are hollowed out to make small benches, or are stuffed with wood and bricks to make insect habitats.<br />
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At the end of this long sweeping curve, a forest fire watchtower reveals itself, now used only as a framework for mounting bat boxes and bird boxes to encourage the return of local wildlife. It's quite an impressive structure, towering (appropriately) above the trees and overlooking where a six-hectare (14.8-acre) circle of tarmac, dubbed The Pan, used to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZfMtWFamoR2YXnXqvCw0vp6JRErs0kKyNxEnt2UN7cUceCOgMHAL_r1dDwaYc-CRJ-QJb1iQCA2gtz70clvos1qvJ6qJpgn8VErMeYrWVKU5A1EjiV4Zusuit8Ey9-cB9BTKOSKIqpA/s1600/SBV8-TRL-211025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZfMtWFamoR2YXnXqvCw0vp6JRErs0kKyNxEnt2UN7cUceCOgMHAL_r1dDwaYc-CRJ-QJb1iQCA2gtz70clvos1qvJ6qJpgn8VErMeYrWVKU5A1EjiV4Zusuit8Ey9-cB9BTKOSKIqpA/s640/SBV8-TRL-211025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Needless to say, it's not going to be any use for trying out new roundabout designs anymore. Unless they're for dirt bikes. When the pan was dug up, they discovered a watercourse beneath it, which subsequently received attention to establish it at ground level as part of a "blue network" (as <a href="http://www.macgregorsmith.co.uk/project/bucklers-forest-crowthorne/" target="_blank">the landscapers</a> put it) through the whole area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP45Ya7Onf0-uRWMnTnTj-Kdk8ZKT8rAb_a1mkk2RvbBPUMCFM3nniLv8QbINO5gmlbxk61cuZ5iEn3DepoPVhvVVbLUxDYMKOK1Dt2KoojsGeHgOdGpAN30QL0XC0qLqOeeAyhZknxsE/s1600/SBV8-TRL-203806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP45Ya7Onf0-uRWMnTnTj-Kdk8ZKT8rAb_a1mkk2RvbBPUMCFM3nniLv8QbINO5gmlbxk61cuZ5iEn3DepoPVhvVVbLUxDYMKOK1Dt2KoojsGeHgOdGpAN30QL0XC0qLqOeeAyhZknxsE/s640/SBV8-TRL-203806.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take in such views as Some Murky Water and The Tops of Two Trees. Also the fire tower</td></tr>
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The circular central area of the site now has been shrunken down a bit compared to the old skid pan, to make more room for houses. Considering how big it still looks, it must have been quite hard to take in the scale of the tarmac expanse when it was here. All the better for testing road layouts, of course.<br />
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But the first time I went, I simply went right at the fire tower and kept following what's left of the track route anticlockwise. Even the dirt path that replaces the asphalt would be wide enough for a rally car, I reckon... certainly social distancing on foot wasn't hard to do out here.<br />
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But the best bit of this place is yet to appear. Take a break inside the little green box if you need to (mind your head), and then follow the curve between banks of trees... after a while, it will gradually reveal itself...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkTvS7v6u23TnW01lDfbRD9FS0y3d8R737aq1FDS9mmAacODsHmXLLC_AoS__yN2j8XboRMZduwWsEZE1KvN0juwPHj5yaKMRVRfYGPeG0DqGjhf7lJLEi7egczXzQ-LCBescqB092X8/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkTvS7v6u23TnW01lDfbRD9FS0y3d8R737aq1FDS9mmAacODsHmXLLC_AoS__yN2j8XboRMZduwWsEZE1KvN0juwPHj5yaKMRVRfYGPeG0DqGjhf7lJLEi7egczXzQ-LCBescqB092X8/s640/SBV8-TRL-204430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9vAXcsTkvb1BzO6i8GK-Qg1kh9nKc6TQ2OeVqDsLQOBLBH8kQi7H4OCWB6WnyASukMow4Wdczv3bFq2UhyphenhyphenApPzeP6Tz2_Jooz9H3GS8zOdgtCyoyGqa6HcBb00fA_zM9dHQqDds_cwo/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9vAXcsTkvb1BzO6i8GK-Qg1kh9nKc6TQ2OeVqDsLQOBLBH8kQi7H4OCWB6WnyASukMow4Wdczv3bFq2UhyphenhyphenApPzeP6Tz2_Jooz9H3GS8zOdgtCyoyGqa6HcBb00fA_zM9dHQqDds_cwo/s640/SBV8-TRL-204833.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At last, I can see the other end of that mysterious banked corner! They've left it intact, allowing the tarmac to 'fade in' from under the grass and briefly assume its original width.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpVCnvEjJDn8gMeQ5FsNcp9MsLb60342Xl7jtmVcsIU0ZObJc-CuN9C56PmCoSygGXgdheb8PAHcCvsXtwPkFnwlXx_bpEvZimSqvdQUpj29tkClysgtwqG_DHwYuRXNzm3a9yMHiGIs/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpVCnvEjJDn8gMeQ5FsNcp9MsLb60342Xl7jtmVcsIU0ZObJc-CuN9C56PmCoSygGXgdheb8PAHcCvsXtwPkFnwlXx_bpEvZimSqvdQUpj29tkClysgtwqG_DHwYuRXNzm3a9yMHiGIs/s640/SBV8-TRL-204945.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's just something inherently impressive about a banked corner, especially one surrounded by trees to sufficient extent that you can't see where it ends. It reminds me of trips to Brooklands – albeit a fair bit smaller!<br />
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This one was designed to be taken at speeds up to 155mph (250km/h), which, considering it was the tightest corner on the main test course, isn't too shabby at all. Imagine something properly quick rounding this curve (towards us) at 155 and then firing out of it and straight across the flat open pan...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsZ-mqYQZArzXopRyaaChoRRvtlhdpBYptPgYR_FYPUtBHn9j1eDuZryLEJLM1l3VeImjVNVABuCePzR0q-sKlS5yLm-3zy__7BYckLgfwzQpLjTMTpfNZrnb8GVyEG1COxx1TOOWsOc/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsZ-mqYQZArzXopRyaaChoRRvtlhdpBYptPgYR_FYPUtBHn9j1eDuZryLEJLM1l3VeImjVNVABuCePzR0q-sKlS5yLm-3zy__7BYckLgfwzQpLjTMTpfNZrnb8GVyEG1COxx1TOOWsOc/s640/SBV8-TRL-205120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...alas, no such shenanigans are possible today, not least because an amphitheatre has been bolted onto the banking halfway around. They encourage you to climb up it and "admire the view" (of... some trees?), although the metallic staircase bears a resemblance to the Spa-Francorchamps 'death stairs' loathed and feared by motorsport reporters whenever it rains...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnyNxv0CiefLzmI2dJ52YK-lmfogbD_bYglYY5RqXOj7pCFhnSTEu0x3AlHkO9g_mYBv7nPPqEEI0BzKxbkc_FyFQmGdgoqwD4Ju-OVUvpqQGlJvSc4JF3pAlJyvwxlxTNrhyphenhyphenxN9IiC0/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnyNxv0CiefLzmI2dJ52YK-lmfogbD_bYglYY5RqXOj7pCFhnSTEu0x3AlHkO9g_mYBv7nPPqEEI0BzKxbkc_FyFQmGdgoqwD4Ju-OVUvpqQGlJvSc4JF3pAlJyvwxlxTNrhyphenhyphenxN9IiC0/s640/SBV8-TRL-205139.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're quite proud of Quadrophenia and the Sinclair C5, aren't they... those factoids were on the skidpan sign as well</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MlIHgXhgppIB4x6OV53uCsrDbS5gTwGkMUR7N8eKtO2nkzLDDU5OFfGzCMPkyqVNh88rXwUs_et1xCbjt0u2Uo1TagJXkkpwj18q5luLCyR-lezfqbgMva2PnEDNirxnSc_jMYIfnek/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MlIHgXhgppIB4x6OV53uCsrDbS5gTwGkMUR7N8eKtO2nkzLDDU5OFfGzCMPkyqVNh88rXwUs_et1xCbjt0u2Uo1TagJXkkpwj18q5luLCyR-lezfqbgMva2PnEDNirxnSc_jMYIfnek/s640/SBV8-TRL-205432.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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If this place isn't challenging you as a walking route, then feel free to try walking up that banking without the aid of those stairs a couple of times. Just make sure to descend safely... or stay at the top and walk further around from up high on the grass. Before long, you'll notice the curve start to level out enough for a safer shuffle back down to flat ground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4EAd72StpFRtWLGndBpdVJkYySlxcafH0OrDS__Dx1UeamIy3rem3mI7n8CS8HJsLn_a2W-XhR6IC-0SH-YfULpmpCwUlNjN8O7uFV0s6_8ncNMOCxsXEm_9_wCee73Xn0CQ2Y5k4yI/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4EAd72StpFRtWLGndBpdVJkYySlxcafH0OrDS__Dx1UeamIy3rem3mI7n8CS8HJsLn_a2W-XhR6IC-0SH-YfULpmpCwUlNjN8O7uFV0s6_8ncNMOCxsXEm_9_wCee73Xn0CQ2Y5k4yI/s640/SBV8-TRL-205507.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is at this point that we must leave the main test course, as the long straight coming off it is blocked off and doomed to get housed-over. Instead, you'll notice a gravel 'slip road' uphill and into the woods.<br />
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But remnants of the vehicle testing facility are still to be found between these trees, as a network of small roads were threaded through them to test ideas for junctions in less well-sighted environments.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLUhRRmB7SjlxE2AZntc386lfZsTIMEm86RcoHb5xJ2mxb2Jjfxp3U2OhFkHSm92vjDh1XYgmzOpB-M0hHt5Zl3CW-5FLAdz8rYY3YxvO1pXwtccq02rfCwafKzO69Z_BFmE0QfIrC-A/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLUhRRmB7SjlxE2AZntc386lfZsTIMEm86RcoHb5xJ2mxb2Jjfxp3U2OhFkHSm92vjDh1XYgmzOpB-M0hHt5Zl3CW-5FLAdz8rYY3YxvO1pXwtccq02rfCwafKzO69Z_BFmE0QfIrC-A/s640/SBV8-TRL-205725.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just got to walk up this hill first...<br />
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Aha, some more tarmac. The route straight ahead shortcuts most of the remainder of this route, but that's no way to go about a photo blog! So instead of Forest Walk, let's detour around to Hill Start Hill, which you'll be surprised to know is a hill that was used for doing hill starts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3JZBF-9naoLAGqGa6lgjN5tTRtRnaFZnDhOZgcSJGAzqeg-rnKHTqkcUOaLg4fzZoyHD57QeF-b3EaD01GHKoYkKDiHRal8LkOte0QOn7BsYrjiS2PSD1jH3Gaccnvb9SH91HPiCftM/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3JZBF-9naoLAGqGa6lgjN5tTRtRnaFZnDhOZgcSJGAzqeg-rnKHTqkcUOaLg4fzZoyHD57QeF-b3EaD01GHKoYkKDiHRal8LkOte0QOn7BsYrjiS2PSD1jH3Gaccnvb9SH91HPiCftM/s640/SBV8-TRL-205936.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: not a hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some trees have been here longer than others, and this area has been wooded for decades (developing infrastructure isn't just about urban environments, you know). Now though, the tarmac has been left to get grown-over a little more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQMvPO59Y_P_3QFhz1pqT88nKtdTzzjwYW-sd8wUo47RuKemYgIV33XlcHMzFC3Gt3fJ_F_ZOfhU0hB5dPBm2Tmq96FlXpG4DghPRRrldI_iHFJbRX9QVCami-vTPcuOGyC1lUDJ3aD0/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205436.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQMvPO59Y_P_3QFhz1pqT88nKtdTzzjwYW-sd8wUo47RuKemYgIV33XlcHMzFC3Gt3fJ_F_ZOfhU0hB5dPBm2Tmq96FlXpG4DghPRRrldI_iHFJbRX9QVCami-vTPcuOGyC1lUDJ3aD0/s640/SBV8-TRL-205436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Following the curve around the perimeter of this partially-preserved area takes you to a junction for cycle routes, the markings poking through from under the dirt until the adjacent road disappears completely under new grass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWX6bQcd2katKEH3T9U8gkxbbx3oorSfYf09SIw1n__U2gBkG39Hbu0CAJzThSGNzvksRSmjoqPwlaUomz6b87Qgs3XXxtBBdNqKmKF0zbE92-uxTpdoALKhr5whS7cP4geSwvG8Sqa0/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205442.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWX6bQcd2katKEH3T9U8gkxbbx3oorSfYf09SIw1n__U2gBkG39Hbu0CAJzThSGNzvksRSmjoqPwlaUomz6b87Qgs3XXxtBBdNqKmKF0zbE92-uxTpdoALKhr5whS7cP4geSwvG8Sqa0/s640/SBV8-TRL-205442.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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And here's what the intersection looks like the other way, joining onto the shortcut I've avoided (or as they appear to call it, Beaconsfield).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4GZ9iSorGhn-HbYAy4OibtgVaAjwAQkykUsiufYiIO130ohw_VDLzODaYYz0VcXZqOX3SfNtV_EHMtpLkgzQ1npKbY4AsWZb_tGzSm7NvbPDpANuBqfxgOVlT-DYK8ADG-YbQZbbkxM/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4GZ9iSorGhn-HbYAy4OibtgVaAjwAQkykUsiufYiIO130ohw_VDLzODaYYz0VcXZqOX3SfNtV_EHMtpLkgzQ1npKbY4AsWZb_tGzSm7NvbPDpANuBqfxgOVlT-DYK8ADG-YbQZbbkxM/s640/SBV8-TRL-205254.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A staggered crossroad (well, it would be if the stretch of tarmac left-of-screen was still there) then takes you off-road for a brief meander through the trees...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJahVaVnl9LvhYq2jYTkDc8_CQWmk7DT-OKTbZvhxSK4-Pj-hjn035jLWfhsCBWusud8-mlXJKPJFTt6Z263ZAH6JK99Ley3e6cTkzUAPxbjXlF-IiWlil1sYZZoV8W30FHOB2awNWJNE/s1600/SBV8-TRL-210336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJahVaVnl9LvhYq2jYTkDc8_CQWmk7DT-OKTbZvhxSK4-Pj-hjn035jLWfhsCBWusud8-mlXJKPJFTt6Z263ZAH6JK99Ley3e6cTkzUAPxbjXlF-IiWlil1sYZZoV8W30FHOB2awNWJNE/s640/SBV8-TRL-210336.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
From in there, you emerge out here. Spin around and there's a fork in the road. One way takes you back onto The Pan, and the other up Hill Start Hill.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUC3v1MHJhQAkuxEh9JR3iQg09MlGksABzmYv_8vrJwwNDxGOelQxTzaREvxivLThL0_taFQ-fJXJIMe-H_OXkmqOGcRdWLtiyo11u5mlNaGMzQF4D7ZhlE81pVyTzCI4p0o4JIh8w7Y/s1600/SBV8-TRL-210303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUC3v1MHJhQAkuxEh9JR3iQg09MlGksABzmYv_8vrJwwNDxGOelQxTzaREvxivLThL0_taFQ-fJXJIMe-H_OXkmqOGcRdWLtiyo11u5mlNaGMzQF4D7ZhlE81pVyTzCI4p0o4JIh8w7Y/s640/SBV8-TRL-210303.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Follow the watermark...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While previously it was used to test handbrakes and clutches, now it would make a good bit of exercise (again) to sprint up it a few times – or, as a kid on a scooter did, scoot up it and then rocket back down again at exhilarating speed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_4BbPX9JZZfC5dY7l5gzyab7VqETPK0R3qZcJ4rirxO7R6dAvUK6jalhHMAUyMSNL9CTXCiqQvnTtsN5ZZdanz8m4i4RfhqOqsEn6-oIyy1U5W0XCxsFFoMwWmRu0DIjhRwML01RMyI/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_4BbPX9JZZfC5dY7l5gzyab7VqETPK0R3qZcJ4rirxO7R6dAvUK6jalhHMAUyMSNL9CTXCiqQvnTtsN5ZZdanz8m4i4RfhqOqsEn6-oIyy1U5W0XCxsFFoMwWmRu0DIjhRwML01RMyI/s640/SBV8-TRL-204517.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There are actually three different 'hills' (I presume of different gradients – one sign said 1:6) all converging at a plateau at the top, which is now a tranquil little picnic area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIlgrAj_6DOHG-jAbBaWKVlWYQ_eVsMgallVYBdFQXEtEgtVbGVERHZezPF6UlOY9H0C-jKr-KnYz7lHaWSpLozPdzzweRNeS9jTRGqc0loM8gp0Gv2nDikP5cNWUkltplKGUhc1wx0Q/s1600/SBV8-TRL-205025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIlgrAj_6DOHG-jAbBaWKVlWYQ_eVsMgallVYBdFQXEtEgtVbGVERHZezPF6UlOY9H0C-jKr-KnYz7lHaWSpLozPdzzweRNeS9jTRGqc0loM8gp0Gv2nDikP5cNWUkltplKGUhc1wx0Q/s640/SBV8-TRL-205025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round these parts, Wednesday is Speed Control Hump Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's true all around this place that there is a clear aesthetic juxtaposition between the site's past and its present, but somehow, seeing road signs surrounded by nature and appearing to relate to little or nothing around them made it all the more obvious. There's a faint air of post-apocalypse about it, actually...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0dMqZraYHgBfzcxPJjJbuIsGR4jSfWRPRjVUy_LaZ2RA7IG91YlXni2Bk6bQV45PQ6H7DdjY0E5KFTnMGx5rLMhYk-kCMTbnQYtlcjc19xkvVONGP8Uu_8xtB7H10u8QWveFXOCGHUA/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0dMqZraYHgBfzcxPJjJbuIsGR4jSfWRPRjVUy_LaZ2RA7IG91YlXni2Bk6bQV45PQ6H7DdjY0E5KFTnMGx5rLMhYk-kCMTbnQYtlcjc19xkvVONGP8Uu_8xtB7H10u8QWveFXOCGHUA/s640/SBV8-TRL-204754.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actually sign, it is you who must give way to nature</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
...especially since a large area of the site hasn't been finished yet, meaning that beyond the walkable southern section of it there's a rather barren-looking expanse of land waiting to be sorted out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6QNGAWFK_aRCJM4Ad281Nka6upQMbhazSJXXYzcdNYCEroBkUeZoX30PdWZx0HcrmWLiOe4qXzReHMcyVsmiPg0Fl5BKZ5PjorkMaLt8HSPfiinJkNYGmoIVnFceq4L_t62oS519APY/s1600/SBV8-TRL-204822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6QNGAWFK_aRCJM4Ad281Nka6upQMbhazSJXXYzcdNYCEroBkUeZoX30PdWZx0HcrmWLiOe4qXzReHMcyVsmiPg0Fl5BKZ5PjorkMaLt8HSPfiinJkNYGmoIVnFceq4L_t62oS519APY/s640/SBV8-TRL-204822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If I've understood the map correctly then this (very steep) route off Hill Start Hill will eventually lead to a 'community hub' for the people living in all those shiny new houses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmETPUlMGLTnQ68WO72eWE5uuYqPz0J9i1zn2OoSR0OI7E406xM4fnSr5H-6vqiCA9cWAz8lOEwzEbO6_9BaLO6Wgi9wkXFOSp3jHmJLzZr1DesTgKApr8NLEKFObdWqwyQZ2Q78Np8ww/s1600/SBV8-TRL-210731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmETPUlMGLTnQ68WO72eWE5uuYqPz0J9i1zn2OoSR0OI7E406xM4fnSr5H-6vqiCA9cWAz8lOEwzEbO6_9BaLO6Wgi9wkXFOSp3jHmJLzZr1DesTgKApr8NLEKFObdWqwyQZ2Q78Np8ww/s640/SBV8-TRL-210731.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Upon returning to the central area, you can just see the TRL head office overlooking all of this. Work continues to go on, although one assumes that most of the tests formerly conducted around here are now possible to simulate instead, or are otherwise done elsewhere at somewhere like MIRA.<br />
<br />
It would've been cool to see the track being used as-was, and walking around here isn't quite as evocative as visiting an old race track... but at least I know now where that banked corner through the trees goes.SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com3Woodcote Green, Crowthorne, UK51.377627326086667 -0.7883215541790551.372671826086666 -0.79840655417905 51.382582826086669 -0.77823655417905tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-77504498000478320442019-12-31T23:59:00.002+00:002020-06-17T15:50:22.591+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGF26PdNld1RxMVt7U-nzd9uKkin4QOaANw2eGMVLzYS327ztBCIZNNV2OGvMpnkX5rfAEAbUK5Z_dk-sXq79ekU7gPeW1U219bU_GsU4UUFQ-tVbNI4ciLubJg04vXFAq0WCIqiyyq8/s1600/IMG_20191228_234814%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGF26PdNld1RxMVt7U-nzd9uKkin4QOaANw2eGMVLzYS327ztBCIZNNV2OGvMpnkX5rfAEAbUK5Z_dk-sXq79ekU7gPeW1U219bU_GsU4UUFQ-tVbNI4ciLubJg04vXFAq0WCIqiyyq8/s640/IMG_20191228_234814%257E2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In many ways, 2019 in general has sucked. Politics has well and truly gone to shit, people online seemingly can no longer do better than either tantruming at each other or giving up and shitposting memes (which honestly is what sustains me through much of it), some truly great and good people have died (again), especially within motorsport... and personally, I've been bogged down with an iron deficiency for several months as a complication of colitis, I've just had to spend nigh-on £1000 fixing the Integra, and my laptop's just given up on loading Windows 7. Also, I've written sentences that are too long. But that's not exclusive to this year...<br />
<br />
But.<br />
It's also been the year when I got to interview Ian Callum on three separate occasions – one of which was cut slightly short by the interruption of none other than Andrea Zagato! Which was a bit surreal. I saw the 1900-horsepower Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar before the general public did, and I’ve sat in it (it's good). I managed to squeeze in to the opening day for Caffeine & Machine, a brilliant new venue for car meets. We got Car Design News to 10,000 followers on Instagram, a platform I had never used before working here.<br />
<br />
So, a mixed year.<br />
<br />
But 2020 needs to be different for me. Yes I still have depression, anxiety and colitis to navigate, but... no more self victimising. No more feeling sorry for myself. No more muddling through and making do. A whole decade has passed with too much staying the same. Time may be arbitrary, but it's as good a cue as any:<br />
New decade, new me.<br />
Just you watch.SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-14893796851312481332018-12-31T23:53:00.004+00:002018-12-31T23:55:29.270+00:00The 2018 Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9-OosMiPk6mNgCtm0tSYezpk2B7EE0iSoXewT7H0CWLu2iJYFWTTL-4aS5EYicoc5vRv7fZqm6yC9bFEUhfokYsBmMeHyrUptLmLmfUaaz8yVU5jZgTjK0vcqdlc7OChIenh1GY3uus/s1600/edit-20181111_151458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9-OosMiPk6mNgCtm0tSYezpk2B7EE0iSoXewT7H0CWLu2iJYFWTTL-4aS5EYicoc5vRv7fZqm6yC9bFEUhfokYsBmMeHyrUptLmLmfUaaz8yVU5jZgTjK0vcqdlc7OChIenh1GY3uus/s640/edit-20181111_151458.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, this blog's been a bit quiet of late, hasn't it? While previously I managed to do a post a week at minimum, this will almost certainly be the only Smallblog V8 post of 2018, a year in which I have actually done really quite a lot.<br />
<br />
I've travelled outside of Europe for the first time, to attend the Detroit Motor Show (NAIAS, where I took about 3 minutes to win a free Xbox One X). I've visited the Pininfarina headquarters in Cambiano, Turin to see <a href="https://cardesignnews.com/articles/cdn-live/geneva/2018/03/hk-gt-by-pininfarina" target="_blank">the HK GT</a> before anyone else got to see it, ahead of its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. I drove to Le Mans with friends and <a href="https://twitter.com/Odaekim/status/1008729326169264128" target="_blank">experienced the greatest motor race</a> for the first time. I visited Rockingham before it closed (if only to attend a very 'scene' Honda show). I saw many, many unique and priceless cars at various concours and shows. I drove an electric crossover and didn't hate it. I also drove a fuel cell car and didn't hate that either. I took part in <a href="https://twitter.com/Odaekim/status/1051082530877779968" target="_blank">the inaugural Pistonheads Sporting Tour</a>. I saw <a href="https://cardesignnews.com/articles/new-cars/2018/10/mclaren-introduces-speedtail-three-seat-hyper-gt/" target="_blank">the McLaren Speedtail</a> a week before the public after McLaren blindfolded me and drove me out to a secret location just outside Woking near an Asda (postcode GU21 5RZ). I went to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpcQY_5nCdH/" target="_blank">the opening of Caffeine and Machine</a>, a splendid little place south of Solihull which you must go to. I spent two days in an Alpine A110, just hooning about the place on the roads I know best and then writing a professional review about it afterwards. I did some proper off-roading in the small, quirky and endlessly charming new Suzuki Jimny. Covering university shows as part of working for Car Design News took me to northern Sweden, Milan, Germany, and my old haunts in Swansea. I went to Goodwood several times, too.<br />
<br />
That is, as you can tell from the length of the paragraph, quite a lot of stuff... and to top it all off, I even got to spend a good amount of time poking around somebody else's Honda NSX Type-R (NA2) while my Integra was getting a pre-MOT rear foglight.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f73mKLDn17w4wg-YhIWBF6b5B1WcdN73CAeIq4s-H8VXDwfmS0dN6L5MWewkbQOTAGIvbt3NuliG5mlhidO5ViI4P4wg07ps3wbFuzL-w8eYxu_BqEFS1v1eJQH1gfa9Y54jchWZT8I/s1600/20180726_093224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f73mKLDn17w4wg-YhIWBF6b5B1WcdN73CAeIq4s-H8VXDwfmS0dN6L5MWewkbQOTAGIvbt3NuliG5mlhidO5ViI4P4wg07ps3wbFuzL-w8eYxu_BqEFS1v1eJQH1gfa9Y54jchWZT8I/s640/20180726_093224.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A £200,000 Honda? Yup, that's where the collector car market is at...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Alas, none of it is on this blog. A couple of those things - the Alpine in particular - nearly made it here, but quite simply I haven't been able to keep the blog active while work's gone on (and of course most of it ends up on Car Design News anyway, in a more professionalised voice).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN33-eW_FK50crYnXatTDRGZWgQX3YgsYIDkL7Xs4AT8dlcGu22Kmfv61cyp9fyvC5kNYVqOrQWzp1Rfw9oDDLkW7kVqGRWbvuazO10Emzduc7ViaYifHkcyluRgbYQNm7r4cKmz5c_Q4/s1600/Depression_sculpture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN33-eW_FK50crYnXatTDRGZWgQX3YgsYIDkL7Xs4AT8dlcGu22Kmfv61cyp9fyvC5kNYVqOrQWzp1Rfw9oDDLkW7kVqGRWbvuazO10Emzduc7ViaYifHkcyluRgbYQNm7r4cKmz5c_Q4/s320/Depression_sculpture.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
I could pretend that this is all down to the work-life balance of an automotive journalist, which I can now claim to be at least at an entry level. But while there is a good amount of travelling about the place, there is also a lot of 9-to-5 grind (well, 7-to-half-7 grind with commuting). It's worn me down over the 18 months I've had a job, regardless of holidays. I don't know how to separate all the different things out, but a lack of good sleep, lack of energy, lack of self-esteem and lack of self-support all mean I get home with no brain petrol left. I can barely absorb what I read, or watch, in the evening. I certainly have no creativity left. Even at work I'm getting even less adept at mixing with colleagues because my introverted, socially awkward self doesn't always have the wherewithal to hold smalltalk, let alone concentrate in meetings or gather enough humanity together to subject myself to socialising. I'm also forgetful enough to, for example, leave medical forms on top of two different card machines in one day (but thankfully remembered to go get them later). 2018 will also always be the year when I really started to have colitis, which isn't fun either, but that's different shit for another time. As it were.<br />
<br />
I started this blog in 2011 to have my own space to write, to practice writing and to write because I wanted to, as a car enthusiast, as an opinionated nerd, as someone who occasionally even had a cool story to tell. It was all with the pipedream of one day doing that for a living, going to the motor shows myself instead of grabbing second-hand news off a set of sources, seeing cars debut, road testing them, whatever else. Well, now I am doing those things, and while I would love SBV8 to serve as a space for stuff and stories that don't fit on CDN, more unfiltered takes on things and less design-centric premises, it hasn't happened because when I get in from work, all I want to do is collapse and pass the time before I can attempt sleep as effortlessly as possible. A bit of a double-edged sword, this 'getting the job you always wanted' lark. At least for me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx6SpLIZ1mof-NxjgjkzXjotEejPr68YloXRSrPqQ36WcC6lC-e6wMxxUTkfzsq9RNss5E8TPYb2n6aJ1Vri5JivRIa_0nS2wiAD5yKBslsdb1lvxOutwCac5R72sr0jpE1UfmHa7CzM/s1600/Suzuki+Jimny_CDNinst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="502" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx6SpLIZ1mof-NxjgjkzXjotEejPr68YloXRSrPqQ36WcC6lC-e6wMxxUTkfzsq9RNss5E8TPYb2n6aJ1Vri5JivRIa_0nS2wiAD5yKBslsdb1lvxOutwCac5R72sr0jpE1UfmHa7CzM/s640/Suzuki+Jimny_CDNinst.jpg" width="538" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be happy in an unpretentious, approachable way. Be your own self regardless of what people want. Be a human Suzuki Jimny</td></tr>
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I suppose if I'm going to be clichéd enough to have a New Year's Resolution, then it'll be to make tangible inroads into sorting all this stuff out. Whilst one must never rely on comparisons to others, I know that most people in this line of work maintain a better lifestyle than me while working harder and achieving more. I need to figure out how to do that... by figuring out how to put myself into <i>a position</i> to do that... by first figuring out how to <i>care</i> about myself enough to try figuring out how to put myself into a position to improve both my work and my life. It's going to be a long process with no set timeframe and no hard guarantees of success. But I either have to try or let myself drop out of this job and go back to casually wondering about suicide in a lonely house all day again. I'd rather not do the latter. Well, most of me would rather not do the latter.<br />
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I'll see how that goes. If this blog becomes worth following again then you'll know I'm making progress. In the meantime, please celebrate the new year however you will enjoy or take comfort in the most, be it a big night out or a big night in. I'll post something on here next year. Even if it's on New Year's Eve again. I won't give up yet.<br />
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Here's to 2019.SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-22951391419204023122017-09-21T19:43:00.002+01:002017-09-21T19:49:36.120+01:00Unboxing a Thrustmaster T-GT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiekYl5nDyFFnI8875SyDViSE6ooh8a1Cs1fDehPBB1MLmr2i1QZ8Y1nqW3JZyIKWgRxeLPFaVCYu7DtCnCDe4HhhOS4uEylnJ_ygj2ok2aifanKIETRG0AVveVzqsddDjsWMsjbO_yH4/s1600/20170708_174646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiekYl5nDyFFnI8875SyDViSE6ooh8a1Cs1fDehPBB1MLmr2i1QZ8Y1nqW3JZyIKWgRxeLPFaVCYu7DtCnCDe4HhhOS4uEylnJ_ygj2ok2aifanKIETRG0AVveVzqsddDjsWMsjbO_yH4/s640/20170708_174646.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you tell what it is yet?</td></tr>
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So, you can now read <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/2017-goodwood-fos-gt-sport-media.html" target="_blank">something I could have written two months ago</a> about how I came to possess my own Thrustmaster T-GT quite a while before the 18th October release date. Regrettably, having a 12-hour day when you factor in the commute means I don't have the energy or mental agility left to do something as serious and involved as sim racing, so ironically, the job that got me an opportunity to win this wheel is also the very reason I haven't actually set it up yet...<br />
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...but I can still show you all the nice juicy bits it has!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII2Q396sr-6HcvKZIG1kCeh7URtFmvAm6qfdaruGRrcGDnWDU5h6MBubqRsGSx_I8_pHyqMo1w4izEfHQiJvDEq1W_LYt6CO-zB4YgDBO8FFJpCYQvBL5L8vhHPNkhWVAsQcFG7liFKg/s1600/20170708_174639b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII2Q396sr-6HcvKZIG1kCeh7URtFmvAm6qfdaruGRrcGDnWDU5h6MBubqRsGSx_I8_pHyqMo1w4izEfHQiJvDEq1W_LYt6CO-zB4YgDBO8FFJpCYQvBL5L8vhHPNkhWVAsQcFG7liFKg/s640/20170708_174639b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The BOX</span></u></b><br />
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So here it is, on our messy dining table. Measuring 525mm across, 385mm deep and 310mm tall according to my tape measure, the box weighs around 11.5kg, which my arms classify as Pretty Bloody Heavy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H0_OOFptq8lBoWgvYlkDecETK8s2HTsObq_FJNqCED1E_Cv5i88W1KCnCxTxp2xUdc1Dq95_rZ-Ero74eicsGZdN2DsJYrpPZ1-XFzkcx3asNl4Etpu54ty_8mz8C4Se5hQCa00Lxfk/s1600/20170708_174726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1600" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H0_OOFptq8lBoWgvYlkDecETK8s2HTsObq_FJNqCED1E_Cv5i88W1KCnCxTxp2xUdc1Dq95_rZ-Ero74eicsGZdN2DsJYrpPZ1-XFzkcx3asNl4Etpu54ty_8mz8C4Se5hQCa00Lxfk/s640/20170708_174726.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The graphics are clean and technical, obviously pointing out all the things they hope will persuade the discerning virtual racer not to buy a Logitech or Fanatec.<br />
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Oh, I should probably admit now that some of these photos aren't brilliant...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh_P36PckSpL-rcDM_Secp5Zr3hkB1OiBuVvqh0FHTvL6v9jg-SmxaTXZi2Ltte2Q2znQytH-EmBOce7tol9oZgJVxNKH9pJgTu18tU3Ws3os12ueAAHX13EvT09ThnLpvPHJtogZhn8/s1600/20170708_174805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh_P36PckSpL-rcDM_Secp5Zr3hkB1OiBuVvqh0FHTvL6v9jg-SmxaTXZi2Ltte2Q2znQytH-EmBOce7tol9oZgJVxNKH9pJgTu18tU3Ws3os12ueAAHX13EvT09ThnLpvPHJtogZhn8/s640/20170708_174805.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's a lot of T-Acronyms... <a href="http://t-gt.thrustmaster.com/" target="_blank">here's what they all mean</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Let's Open It!</span></b><br />
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There are two layers of polystyrene inside, the top of which contains the wheel itself, an attachment to grip onto a table or rig, plus the literature and smaller cables. The second layer beneath is quite a lot larger...<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>The WHEEL</u></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNiYPPyj2hlMD2cA9YHDEFBE7kL7HUklW8_SNP5E02lCd5MasdvShPlm1YA-m9h0paKtAbGzvYpI3ToMkLSS8msE1zlX7f43faxAUU5aH1MmFz2LMJ4VCBxAe-v16WAeo6w7Jt_pwCNE/s1600/20170708_175147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNiYPPyj2hlMD2cA9YHDEFBE7kL7HUklW8_SNP5E02lCd5MasdvShPlm1YA-m9h0paKtAbGzvYpI3ToMkLSS8msE1zlX7f43faxAUU5aH1MmFz2LMJ4VCBxAe-v16WAeo6w7Jt_pwCNE/s640/20170708_175147.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEAzMHYCbQ62JXi0_Pa4n4tLH0prKqaH97Kbjj7eyXFfCn1vmkc_QvgNpeMY7gZuq6g5Kr3TPgTx8HrXwP0iF8-XBfHr0CKz0ImZ6E6HVR1egtyp6ghc7uvL9ni5CmdM774lDMy82apc/s1600/20170708_175240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEAzMHYCbQ62JXi0_Pa4n4tLH0prKqaH97Kbjj7eyXFfCn1vmkc_QvgNpeMY7gZuq6g5Kr3TPgTx8HrXwP0iF8-XBfHr0CKz0ImZ6E6HVR1egtyp6ghc7uvL9ni5CmdM774lDMy82apc/s640/20170708_175240.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wheel itself smells lovely. I know that's the first and most important question you had.<br />
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The rim is upholstered in real, slightly wrinkly leather and feels tangibly higher-quality than my T150-Ferrari does. The buttons have a short but precise travel with a satisfyingly tight 'click'. The real-time adjuster dials, however, don't have quite the same solidity in their action, even if the metal knobs themselves feel solid to the touch. Given that you're invariably going to be spinning them with your thumb at a slightly awkward angle, I think there's a risk of adjusting one a step too much on occasion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLa_siWMZvmecVVF_kk0OPv0qSMYq-ROTdqwWXSqgnI_UNpjF-Fa3PgnXbXjg5Xwd76IU5cU9qRa34GdtfB8jwpxMMxRqo0H6Gxsrxsl-V92WwD71PWyOjD9VwFbjo9Y9q4DLZHf3gSs/s1600/20170708_175251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLa_siWMZvmecVVF_kk0OPv0qSMYq-ROTdqwWXSqgnI_UNpjF-Fa3PgnXbXjg5Xwd76IU5cU9qRa34GdtfB8jwpxMMxRqo0H6Gxsrxsl-V92WwD71PWyOjD9VwFbjo9Y9q4DLZHf3gSs/s640/20170708_175251.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see, the wheel comes separated from the main unit. From what I can see by googling fancier Thrustmasters that I can't afford (this was a free prize, remember...) it looks like the same system their other high-end wheels use. You could thus conceivably attach this wheel to a T300 base if you wanted.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Small Miscellaneous Bits</span></u></b><br />
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The rest of the top shelf in the box contains the table clamp, conical brake pedal modifier (to add resistance for those who want it), screw for the table clamp, cables, minor fixings and the trusty manual.<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">The BIG HEAVY STUFF</span></b></u><br />
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Now we get into the hefty bits. The bottom half contains the base, pedals and the novel turbo-style power adapter with cable.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The BASE</span></u></b><br />
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<br />
Yes. The heaviest bit of the kit, at 3.17kg, the base features a subtly asymmetric design with a grille on one side and a full 29 holes on the opposite side to cool something else. You can see the mode switches and L3/R3 buttons in the usual places. On this base, rather than a PS3/PS4 mode as with my T150, there's a switch between 'Other' and 'GT' - as far as I can tell, GT mode activates the T-DFB [see below] and Other facilitates usage with PC sims.<br />
<br />
The thing at the back that looks like a subwoofer is actually part of 'T-DFB', or Thrustmaster Depth Feedback, which adds "suspension and vibration effects" to the force feedback to allow drivers to feel out the surface better. Apparently.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The TURBO POWER SUPPLY</span></u></b><br />
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Weighing 1.97kg (4.34lb) all on its own and boasting a peak output of 400W, the external power supply is styled to look just like one side of a turbocharger. How cool is that! Unless it's the hot side...<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The PEDALS</span></u></b><br />
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Finally, the T3PGT pedal set. Oddly, the brake pedal is in a fixed position- on the T3PA, all three pedals can be repositioned to the left or right. In keeping with the wheel and base, the materials you can see are high-quality, with the pedals and their arms in thick, solid metal - as well as the inner mechanism. There are holes to fit the conical brake mod bar to any of the three pedals (although you're only given one). The pedal faces themselves are of a unique design, too, with smooth, shiny stripes cut into the metal.<br />
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So there you go! Maybe soon I'll get my shit together enough to actually use the thing and tell you what it's like...<br />
<br />
This was written for <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">SmallBlogV8</a>. Please don't copy without permission. Find me <a href="https://twitter.com/smallblogv8" target="_blank">@SmallBlogV8</a><br />
<br />SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-65974113691229144872017-09-20T20:53:00.002+01:002017-09-20T21:00:41.956+01:002017 Goodwood FOS - GT Sport Media Challenge<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTRG0A3I4Drb3h4IQe9zEHXbl8F_3xpSSq5P2a9PrrYAKusLnmJtz_tLfH8xx5Z-zTSzZwNBlZwfKgqeC2-JUOzEzkSJ97f5ZrWpFVEkDflnzS314pbGGo6MhSgapGFRegxDGiDHFnhU/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Media+GT+Rigs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTRG0A3I4Drb3h4IQe9zEHXbl8F_3xpSSq5P2a9PrrYAKusLnmJtz_tLfH8xx5Z-zTSzZwNBlZwfKgqeC2-JUOzEzkSJ97f5ZrWpFVEkDflnzS314pbGGo6MhSgapGFRegxDGiDHFnhU/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Media+GT+Rigs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is totally not where I spent large chunks of the Festival of Speed...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>OK, I suppose I can't just post something for the first time in six months and not explain the coma this blog has been in...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Basically, it was partly a fading of motivation due to... one or two things... but also because, since April, I have been writing (and largely editing) for a different, much bigger website! So if you want a slicker version of my writing, check out <a href="http://cardesignnews.com/" target="_blank">Car Design News</a> and look for my name.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I hope that's a good enough excuse, especially as it's a key reason for this shiny new post...</i><br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Oh, Gran Turismo at Goodwood. I have <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/goodwood-festival-of-speed-2014.html#GT" target="_blank">been here</a> before, <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/goodwood-festival-of-speed-2015-gt.html" target="_blank">multiple times</a>. It always ends up in a near miss. Two years ago I attended for the whole weekend and got within a whisker of both a free Mercedes driving experience and, rather more significantly, a wildcard entry to GT Academy. In 2016 there wasn't a GT Academy event, thanks to <i>Gran Turismo SPORT </i>- the title to bring the series to PS4, had been delayed. As of publishing this, it is still delayed* and is now due out in precisely "Autumn 2017," a full year after what we were told at the preview event at the Copper Box in London (which I attended but didn't write about - sorry). That kinda sucks, but on the plus side, GT Sport has been in beta for a couple of months now and the latest development version was brought to <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Goodwood%20FOS" target="_blank">Goodwood FOS</a> in a couple of places; the FIA stand, the 'FOS Future Lab' with VR, and here, tucked away in the Media Centre.<br />
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<br />
Yes, I am allowed in media centres now. Yes, this feels pretty cool.<br />
<br />
*<i>As this post has sat here being worked on between other priorities, the release date has been narrowed down to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zvQho4Ur4Y" target="_blank">16-18th October</a>.</i><br />
<br />
Doubly cool is that there was, would you believe it, a competition on. The prize wasn't a trip up the hill in a GT3 car or an entry into GT Academy, but it was nevertheless worth having a shot at winning: a PlayStation 4* and Thrustmaster's new flagship gaming wheel, the T-GT. The latter is especially exciting as it isn't on sale yet - they're waiting, bravely, for GT Sport to come out - and when it does hit shelves the projected retail price is a full £700!<br />
<br />
*I was told it would be a PS4 Pro, with 4K and HDR, but it isn't. It's just a regular one.<br />
<br />
Trouble is, the competition ran from Thursday morning to Sunday evening... so yet again my enjoyment of the most wonderful motoring event of my year would be divided up by trips to a video game pod throughout. But hey, maybe I'll actually win this one? Maybe?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Thursday</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The car and track in question this time</td></tr>
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The competition involved lapping an Audi R8 LMS (GT3) around a new, fictional track that none of us had seen before. Well, none of us other than the completely random people they chose to take part in the closed beta earlier this year... which I'm not bitter about being left out of at all...<br />
Anyway, the circuit, known as Dragon Trail International Raceway, is a big, undulating bravery test, combining fast, flowing corners with heavy braking zones, and technical sections including a street circuit-style stretch by the sea that centres around a devious double-chicane (think Swimming Pool at Monaco, but mirrored and with huge kerbs).<br />
<br />
I didn't think to take any video, so here's one of the closed-beta lottery winners in a different 'Group.3' car (FIA GT3-alike), based on the Hyundai Genesis, to give you a high-speed tour:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Occ2yZHPv7M/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Occ2yZHPv7M?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Quite something, isn't it? There was certainly a lot to take in quite quickly... and a lot to learn in order to clamber up the leaderboard...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6qClZbt2ogWhmqPbrDj5AbK1LVkDhB9zKJuSuR_rJ4U9FynGvLs0PK3TsR6Q_UlWagMyWMcg8i268-G2QLFZtJCPJn6Njw2wVwT19w5b5SmRACvIJ8Ov-JU-4fVWRGf0UgLVXBouxfA/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Thursday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6qClZbt2ogWhmqPbrDj5AbK1LVkDhB9zKJuSuR_rJ4U9FynGvLs0PK3TsR6Q_UlWagMyWMcg8i268-G2QLFZtJCPJn6Njw2wVwT19w5b5SmRACvIJ8Ov-JU-4fVWRGf0UgLVXBouxfA/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Thursday+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick note: that's not actually Michele Alboretto...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Upon discovering all this, I couldn't not take part. As I learned the car, track and wheel, I was of course quite cautious, lifting at every corner, braking quite conservatively, all that. The R8 GT3 is quite a trustworthy car, with plenty of grip and a usable balance, so you can start to get into a rhythm quite early on. The steering wheel's responses never caught me off-guard either, giving consistent feedback and a good control weight (sometimes I think my muscle memory is just tuned to suit Gran Turismo physics at this point, after all the time spent twirling a wheel with GT5 and GT6). I didn't spin once on my first run, and while lap 1 was a 1:47, by the end of the opening 10 laps I'd got it down to a 1:40.156 - which put me straight to the top!<br />
<br />
But this was early in the morning of the first of four days, so I merely considered it a solid start...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-4OJuuNZsa9fKEvZfyR2McNPu23CStf4mt4qccAecXzTsmlUIJthi7dJa82VtDFFzAz2YlKsBoxrW4OchqvwbQDuVcAqHSqtM9MN3a83xh7fA3BObPc4t-3ZNU7GVzPBWb-JAhKC2c8/s1600/20170629_171328%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-4OJuuNZsa9fKEvZfyR2McNPu23CStf4mt4qccAecXzTsmlUIJthi7dJa82VtDFFzAz2YlKsBoxrW4OchqvwbQDuVcAqHSqtM9MN3a83xh7fA3BObPc4t-3ZNU7GVzPBWb-JAhKC2c8/s640/20170629_171328%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Before this pleasing opening gambit, however, I'd been doing some actual work for a change; after arriving and checking out the Media Centre, I wandered off to McLaren to attend the launch of the new Spider version of their 570S junior supercar - which you can <a href="http://cardesignnews.com/articles/first-sight/2017/07/first-sight-mclaren-570s-spider/" target="_blank">read about on CDN if you're a subscriber</a>. I also had a good look at the all-new 720S while I was in McLaren's invitation-only backstage enclosure. I could get used to this job!!<br />
<br />
They're both very impressive cars to just sit and play around with, or to analyse all the trick little details that improve aero, save weight or even make for surprisingly good ergonomics. This is a very confident time for McLaren Automotive, that much is in evidence - not just in their products, but in how many they're selling, at over 10,000 since the MP4-12C launched in 2010. All very impressive stuff - and better still, they reinforced that they are NOT planning to build an SUV, which scores them lots of bonus points in my book straight away!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpowegeLvgiNo89IL0n-JEdNzHDSoveouvpRBktqGcgpaqON4l9rm27Lc9VLMPPb3EHGOoEGi8MuePDTNcwrwoTYCASGS9lMhvpUYsejzt8YIltqMkF1LstNqZYii19uVScw5mJwOHxw/s1600/McLaren+720S_inside_FoS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpowegeLvgiNo89IL0n-JEdNzHDSoveouvpRBktqGcgpaqON4l9rm27Lc9VLMPPb3EHGOoEGi8MuePDTNcwrwoTYCASGS9lMhvpUYsejzt8YIltqMkF1LstNqZYii19uVScw5mJwOHxw/s640/McLaren+720S_inside_FoS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the 720S, looking at the rear haunch and air channel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As it happens, McLaren are doing their own gamer-to-racer competition at the moment, using Project CARS. Check out <i><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj1gr6H4pPVAhWEaFAKHX0DATgQFggoMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mclaren.com%2Fformula1%2F2017%2Fworlds-fastest-gamer%2Fworlds-fastest-gamer-your-questions-answered%2F&usg=AFQjCNFrmwGbunXb2U_Hu2cXTUaJI2pSVA" target="_blank">World's Fastest Gamer</a></i> if you're interested.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to my virtual driving. As they day progressed, I went to see the show stands before they were overly crowded on the following days (Thursday is noticeably the quietest of the four days, as it lacks the star drivers and historic cars that follow from Friday-Sunday). The first run above took place just after a free lunch - we get those in the Media Centre, it's very handy - and I'd kept an eye on the leaderboard as it built up in the subsequent couple of hours. Before long, I was predictably beaten. I needed to find roughly a quarter of a second before calling it a day...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1e7PlBFsehVAH-S7FR7zGTozLIvEys3O9Ave7bm6jyTg3mkDV-YLOZ0cZoSS2xhBEK4lEp6xB9fnELQhjEb8xTkzWn-Zgvv8T2CNIu4nXO42fg4TXhR3UdLybNmWx9xSsVSfI1Ctfj4/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Thursday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1e7PlBFsehVAH-S7FR7zGTozLIvEys3O9Ave7bm6jyTg3mkDV-YLOZ0cZoSS2xhBEK4lEp6xB9fnELQhjEb8xTkzWn-Zgvv8T2CNIu4nXO42fg4TXhR3UdLybNmWx9xSsVSfI1Ctfj4/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Thursday+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...And I did! In fact, I found more than that. Quite a lot more. I think by this point I'd worked out that the first sweeping corner was flat-out, and you brake for the tight chicane at turns 2 & 3 where the kerb starts.<br />
Either way, closing the first day on top gave me some positive momentum...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Friday</b></span><br />
<br />
I didn't arrive quite so punishingly early for Friday, since I wasn't hunting for an MMS drive. That said, you still want to give yourself the whole day when you're attending the Festival of Speed, or else you won't get close to doing everything you wanted to do.<br />
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Evidently though, Mr. Shaxson (a photographer doing work for Goodwood, the organisers) got up a bit earlier than me, and had better breakfast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tRYe02Mx-WF4Rw6TGHdP3vaP0xJZIa15XqlTuYZQDecTza3yLZE9AAzMYAzd-6aBUdF25JmxwxiQstuqMwyjZo0H6TjbcrSQ02W0BDysEHNOy_46riC_6aVjDxoLClBEOLDBHNyRdu8/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tRYe02Mx-WF4Rw6TGHdP3vaP0xJZIa15XqlTuYZQDecTza3yLZE9AAzMYAzd-6aBUdF25JmxwxiQstuqMwyjZo0H6TjbcrSQ02W0BDysEHNOy_46riC_6aVjDxoLClBEOLDBHNyRdu8/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Friday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Even lopping a full (and exact) 0.6 seconds off my best time from yesterday wasn't enough. I momentarily felt a bit lost for how to then find another three tenths, before going for a wander to look at all the historic racing cars coming to life after they'd merely sat around looking pretty on Thursday. Always a good way to make yourself feel better - other than inviting hearing damage by standing too close to a 50-year-old Grand Prix car getting up to temperature...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9qDBSjyvignYkfYrUAh78qlgR7DjSmjwpRHEd9fMdgKOmVz8xHrMay7UKDmNlmbQmrVICFC_3G2RG-YP1qtaR7FbsmyWR6mdgLPAZzFim3kp-3oTTb2cZO-r4XwajiZEK51j7b3ix1Q/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Meta+Doughnuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9qDBSjyvignYkfYrUAh78qlgR7DjSmjwpRHEd9fMdgKOmVz8xHrMay7UKDmNlmbQmrVICFC_3G2RG-YP1qtaR7FbsmyWR6mdgLPAZzFim3kp-3oTTb2cZO-r4XwajiZEK51j7b3ix1Q/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Meta+Doughnuts.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doughnuts. Also, a doughnut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the end I spent the rest of the morning, and noon, wandering up the side of the venue to the rally stage, whilst the usual madness went on around me. It's a long, arduous uphill walk, but when you're surrounded by V8s, drifters and off-road racing trucks, it's a lot less of a problem somehow!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie05w87ErqKdmSM3dC2nKhpX5qyrCudu6bj95vpPcUhaYTqsrJZ2j1ah7kqD6cUMcYKMH415kpTgxWQFa3vkUG1KBI5hIp5nJOrECIhIWaIzjWgr0e5wJyk8PMBBasxuCO3FxIIhTM_7Y/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Snug+Buggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie05w87ErqKdmSM3dC2nKhpX5qyrCudu6bj95vpPcUhaYTqsrJZ2j1ah7kqD6cUMcYKMH415kpTgxWQFa3vkUG1KBI5hIp5nJOrECIhIWaIzjWgr0e5wJyk8PMBBasxuCO3FxIIhTM_7Y/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_Snug+Buggies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
After a slightly belated (but still free) lunch, though, I had to get back to the game, just to feel like I wasn't letting it slip away, 2015-style.<br />
<br />
By this point I felt like I was closer to the end of my development curve than the start of it - like all I could really do was try to iron out mistakes and imperfections in line, to do a lap that's "the same, but better." The tougher bits to master were the sweeping uphill esses - deciding how much to brake for the first one, 5th or 4th gear, when to turn in each time, whether it's all flat uphill or not - and the 'reverse Piscine section' just afterwards where you have to launch the car over kerbs about as wide as the car itself... and not hit the inside barriers... or the outside barriers... or bounce over the kerbs in such a way that it destabilises the car. Oh, and there's the sharp right-hander in between these two sections that opens out on exit and tests your timing on the throttle; do you waste time being shy, or floor it too early with the wrong line and start to spin?<br />
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Dragon Trail is tough, y'know...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JpJDzcXZ1teYUeebCX6bFsE8jv2raDUwfEKNPeUSmVDZ1eMDga9iFS_624T_iH4O-V1Is-2VpugrFj8PX8gEfAaCPGPDmOaOautFuJCYodvmD1lYMQJV5JOD47aFe4TsW_mj7H3H62w/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Friday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JpJDzcXZ1teYUeebCX6bFsE8jv2raDUwfEKNPeUSmVDZ1eMDga9iFS_624T_iH4O-V1Is-2VpugrFj8PX8gEfAaCPGPDmOaOautFuJCYodvmD1lYMQJV5JOD47aFe4TsW_mj7H3H62w/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Friday+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...but so was my desire to win something.<br />
<br />
This must have been the point where I realised that the right-hand kink that looks like it needs braking is actually flat-out, as long as, with the time of day set to evening as it consistently was, you turn in exactly on a dark patch of tarmac on the left side of the track. Now, however, it really would be a case of just trying to smooth out what I was already doing, most of the way round the lap at least. There's still that blasted double-chicane to sort out...<br />
<br />
(yeah the problem with letting this post just sit on my laptop for months is that I don't remember it all quite as clearly as I did... bear with...)<br />
<br />
I can, however, remember feeling a bit desperate. Later in the afternoon I tried again, just because, and I could only find a meaningless 0.06 seconds more. I peeled myself out of the FIA-spec seat and said aloud "I'm not sure I wanna have to do that again..."<br />
<br />
Certainly that was all the progress I could make on day two.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saturday</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTKaOybsKwmduYLTfymw_ntD7G5eymB5UTCfx33f9O0ol7kdBRwsh2CrWbpd8ahsB30U8O9kguZoOXmKf7hTomkrddf9dMvdUbMuxKCzGgdm6WW7GYUpHWaFgRFJX-2aKAX9OTHST61k/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_G-Wagen+Shuttle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTKaOybsKwmduYLTfymw_ntD7G5eymB5UTCfx33f9O0ol7kdBRwsh2CrWbpd8ahsB30U8O9kguZoOXmKf7hTomkrddf9dMvdUbMuxKCzGgdm6WW7GYUpHWaFgRFJX-2aKAX9OTHST61k/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_G-Wagen+Shuttle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There wasn't much messing about on Saturday. I even had myself booked in to get a Mercedes off-road shuttle - through woods, dirt roads, farm lanes and a treacherous 'chalk road' that'd skin the underside off any normal car - to beat some of the traffic in. Having also had a more wholesome breakfast (including actual fruit!) I walked through the concours area full of some of the prettiest and most obscure classics I've ever seen, then straight to the GT pods.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEISgNZZ8wh8-je6O-ui2_34qVVOIrttEqnD8ivFsXzCfqzbT7Q6HM4paGTYNjHdJE-iCCPkV06U2tboM_0opQq5I3SSAnEAthyHjE-xUnyJD-772mLANevQXrpqCtP5ia22Q7vnyAZg0/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Saturday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEISgNZZ8wh8-je6O-ui2_34qVVOIrttEqnD8ivFsXzCfqzbT7Q6HM4paGTYNjHdJE-iCCPkV06U2tboM_0opQq5I3SSAnEAthyHjE-xUnyJD-772mLANevQXrpqCtP5ia22Q7vnyAZg0/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Saturday+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In Formula 1, where 0.1 seconds can feel like an age, they would call the amount of time I chipped off "half a tenth," even though that's a double-fraction. Not much. I was back to just trying to absolutely nail all the things I was already doing. Saturday would prove to be a day of marginal gains. Thankfully my nearest competitor seemed to be at his busiest that day too, so the gap stayed relatively stable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jM0m39vx7meUZl8y1Up_wKo-we7M2YFFt5NcPGDJA0UN7GnOXHnB29tmGCcLGlrGkxrvamVSlScs1v_hjsMXnb1hl2Zc1_YRBJqud0onAs2EtSfjZDgGpQfwx1xyV1l37yb4eZuJ29o/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Saturday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jM0m39vx7meUZl8y1Up_wKo-we7M2YFFt5NcPGDJA0UN7GnOXHnB29tmGCcLGlrGkxrvamVSlScs1v_hjsMXnb1hl2Zc1_YRBJqud0onAs2EtSfjZDgGpQfwx1xyV1l37yb4eZuJ29o/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Saturday+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It wasn't until a full 6 hours later that I improved... and even then it was only another 0.085 of a second off. I'm pretty sure that, by this point, I had worked out that turn 5, the right-hand kink before a 2nd-gear right, is actually flat-out, when previously I had been lifting big-time on turn-in. What helped was that, as the game was always set to simulate the same time of day, I noticed a dark patch where the evening sun hit the track... and that was the ideal point to turn with the throttle pinned and just trust the Audi's downforce.<br />
<br />
This on its own is worth a chunk of time... but so often you'll get into a pattern of starting off a lap well, realising you're well ahead and then being too self-aware through the rest of the lap, during which time that advantage will just bleed away while you either become overcautious or just... too tense. I now knew that I needed to get the whole lap spot-on. But today just wasn't really the day for it all to come together. I was feeling a bit fatigued by the whole thing at this point... so I left early.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">And Then... SUNDAY Happened</span></b><br />
<br />
Right, 2017 Festival of Speed morning routine: Get up at arse o' clock, drive a real car for ~90 minutes to get to the venue, have a (free) Media Centre breakfast, then drive a virtual car. The first run is just part of waking up. Morning laps are never as quick as yesterday's best because your mind is cold, like racecar tyres on the formation lap.<br />
<br />
So: first coffee into my system, say hello, remember anything I learned yesterday by setting an opening lap, come back later to set a quick one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rBGQcAREFeRA8Sa83JZHWC-y_ozxq6DLHFGrowD95_NWrUzKixAChAtQuEDcO8d3FsEiH0Idl7kmmpLiq1g7U3EOyxHvEDBN1STNNSwfedGvNpOi6QPyJUg7ZCdD9aJSOIGN9ZqVBsc/s1600/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Sunday+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rBGQcAREFeRA8Sa83JZHWC-y_ozxq6DLHFGrowD95_NWrUzKixAChAtQuEDcO8d3FsEiH0Idl7kmmpLiq1g7U3EOyxHvEDBN1STNNSwfedGvNpOi6QPyJUg7ZCdD9aJSOIGN9ZqVBsc/s640/2017+Goodwood+FOS_GT+Sport_Sunday+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and Tom Shaxson had clearly had a go after I left as well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eh?<br />
<br />
Just about two tenths? From nowhere? I was a bit dumbfounded. That must've been a good breakfast, or a perfectly-timed coffee! Or maybe, it was the sleep since previous runs and the total lack of pressure. Maybe I should make it a tactic to write off my chances of winning something just before entering it...<br />
<br />
But 0.12 seconds is not a comfortable margin. Even if - as I'd had clarified yesterday evening - the people with an asterisk next to their company name weren't eligible for the prize, by this point I still wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than the fastest time on the board.<br />
<br />
I had been advised by one of the experts manning the machines to take the little straight between those two demon chicanes as if it's all one corner. Use the vast kerbs in such a way that the outside wheels barely miss them - if you hit the kerbs with all four then it'll destabilise the car too much. Shift down once, then add steering lock for the second chicane so early that it feels like you'll hit the inside barrier. The whole thing just comes down to timing, and accuracy... and practice.<br />
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<br />
But I left it there for the morning, wandered the paddocks again and then made a point to checkout the new 700-horsepower Porsche 911 GT2 RS. The widowmaker is back! They've given it paddles this time, though; if you want purism, try a new manual GT3, ideally with the Touring package announced at IAA Frankfurt that shaves the wing in 911R style. This, on the other hand, is a full-on numbers-chasing 'Ring-record jobbie. It's just a shame the bodykit - sorry, 'aero package' - is part <i>Need For Speed</i>, part Volvo C30...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVKc7aESBjAH4qS9R-zqo2EObxS8T3MC6uN_ZSw8LUPCpJyxZihhcjmufXvX2U0V2eRKntfQj2AfqY990sRcGh7RR9nT1zrts26aL8FZ64CTEbFLYHwRqsCBbHLLIlbcddp1aSwxG-PU/s1600/Forza+7+at+FOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVKc7aESBjAH4qS9R-zqo2EObxS8T3MC6uN_ZSw8LUPCpJyxZihhcjmufXvX2U0V2eRKntfQj2AfqY990sRcGh7RR9nT1zrts26aL8FZ64CTEbFLYHwRqsCBbHLLIlbcddp1aSwxG-PU/s640/Forza+7+at+FOS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...But the GT2 RS wasn't unveiled in <i>Need for Speed</i>. It was unveiled in <i>Forza Motorsport 7</i>. To that end, Porsche's separate enclosure on the exit of Molcombe featured a host of XBox One rigs for the public to queue patiently and have a go on. The track was a long, winding, fictional one... but the real disappointment I felt towards the way they'd set these up is that they had <i><b>ALL</b></i> the assists on. The car started braking for you, shifted for you and had very heavy-handed traction and stability control on. Because the fastest time during your two-lap race could win you an X-BOne, it had to be consistent for everyone... so I couldn't turn the assists off. They'd made it child-proof; all you had to do was follow the line and mash the pedals however you felt like it.<br />
<br />
My only run was 0.2s off the quickest time despite not being that special, but I took no joy in it. I wasn't really driving and I can't say I really felt like I'd experienced the car or the game at all. What a load of rubbish! Despite being a Gran Turismo groupie I was equally hooked on Forza 1-3 and the first <i>Horizon</i>, so I'm disappointed that I learned nothing of how the series has progressed here...<br />
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Anyway, I went back down to the start line to meet up with some friends, which eventually led to us sitting outside Lord March's roughly 400-year-old house watching the intense climax of the Festival: the Timed Shootout. You can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKoIPEhF7sQ" target="_blank">watch it in full on their YouTube channel</a> now.<br />
<br />
But back to the game. As I mentioned earlier, the people working for Goodwood and its associates weren't eligible and their times were now erased. No problem, then, right? I mean, the nearest non-starred person before was over 1.4 seconds back! It's done and dusted.<br />
<br />
Not with my luck, it isn't. The chap in question had found a full and exact 1.297 and put himself to just 0.126 behind me. Not comfortable. Plus, it was decided we would face off at the end of today. Having had the squeeze put on me late, I rushed off (well, as close to rushing as someone knackered by a long hot weekend can power-walk) to find coffee as the Media Centre canteen was done and closed. I got back with just 10 minutes or so to spare, and we sat down.<br />
<br />
My fatigue, mental and physical, was holding me back. I wasn't improving. The laps were still good, but inconsistent from sector to sector.<br />
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I didn't improve.<br />
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But neither did he.<br />
<br />
I'd done it.<br />
<br />
<b>... I'd done it.</b><br />
<br />
My awkward haze-headed semi-useless sunburned self had won a bloody thing.<br />
<br />
THANK FUCK.<br />
<br />
After photos and handshakes, my reward was to carry a PS3 and then a 15kg steering wheel about 300 metres to the car in searing heat, with my pathetic pencil arms. I got help from one of the people who ran the <a href="https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/race/historic/2017/5/video-imsa-gto-audi-s4-five-pot-fury/" target="_blank">Audi S4 IMSA GTO</a>, after my arms had just about fallen off, then I went home.<br />
<br />
I waited until I had driven the Punto out of the Goodwood Estate before whooping a weary whoop.<br />
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The next post on this blog will cover what's in the box (hint: not stripey socks)...<br />
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<br />SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-90662520303569334302017-03-05T23:59:00.003+00:002017-03-06T02:06:26.109+00:00On the Set of TopGear Series 24!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JQv86j7rfECSC2WsOQvbx81o4d0vXWQnIAFC6dhu57TywgaR_P-LZVN9HxrIft3lrtDuSEsPn_HycmVixL1XA2nr0a76jph1qsMAM8IABSdJugZr8AFiWL8uUQa1fhwHMkweOgLNxv8/s1600/20170222_183355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JQv86j7rfECSC2WsOQvbx81o4d0vXWQnIAFC6dhu57TywgaR_P-LZVN9HxrIft3lrtDuSEsPn_HycmVixL1XA2nr0a76jph1qsMAM8IABSdJugZr8AFiWL8uUQa1fhwHMkweOgLNxv8/s640/20170222_183355.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I think this is the right studio...</td></tr>
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I worked out recently that I have been watching BBC Two's pokey motoring show for a full twenty years. Twenty! I'm only twenty-five years old, for crying out loud... and yet, after they rebooted and reformatted the show in 2002 to take place in a large hangar situated at former RCAF airbase south of Guildford, I never got tickets to be in the audience as messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May called each other names and told each other that Alfa Romeos are brilliant (but not as brilliant as something Jeremy's just thought of). I did apply once, but by that time the waiting list was allegedly as long as eighteen years and frankly it wasn't happening...<br />
<br />
However, after a fracas, a <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/topgear-mk3-will-have-twice-as-many.html" target="_blank">shaky second reboot</a> in 2016 and a year to figure itself out properly, <i>TopGear</i> is ready for what it calls series twenty-four (but which I consider to be phase three, series two) and recently sent out an open invitation online to apply for free tickets to appear in the audience for the first two episodes, airing this Sunday and next at 8pm. I was quick enough to jump at the latest chance and... I got tickets! Finally! Sure I wouldn't get to meet The Tall One now that he's <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/top-gear-vs-grand-tour-whos-quickest.html" target="_blank">migrated to the internet</a>, but damn it all <i>TopGear</i> is <i>TopGear</i>! I'd applied for two tickets for episode one, but unfortunately my plus-one had a doctor's appointment in the end and I left it until it was too short-notice to get anyone else to join me. Still, I'd have more freedom to wander about on my own and could make the day longer by staying for the recently added companion show, <i>Extra Gear</i>.<br />
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Getting to Dunsfold Aerodrome from my house is actually very easy: drive to Guildford and turn right. Then, following the A281 south you eventually reach Alfold Crossways, a junction that's on a left-hand curve at which point you turn right and right again onto a parallel road, then immediately turn left (I imagine if James May had this described to him he would've ended up doing a U-turn and going back to Guildford... but it's easier to understand when you're there <a href="https://s8.postimg.org/ditwqw8it/Dunsfold_Directions.jpg" target="_blank">looking at it</a>). Then go straight-on at the next corner and cruise past the Three Compasses pub. In mid-morning on a Wednesday after the commuters had gone to work, it took about an hour or so. Mostly because I didn't get lost - in fairness I've actually been here before for charity events.<br />
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You're checked three or four times for your credentials between Compass Gate and the audience holding area, which is essentially a slab of concrete parallel with the airfield's perimeter road and accessed via a very neat crossroads filled with seemingly unnecessary traffic lights. Once directed to a space, you find yourself facing the studio building(s) from across the airfield. What a tease!<br />
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Oh, and there was a food truck there. I had a banana with my burger and this seemed to be novel idea to onlookers.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHA_p-n2UZwMAa9m_JY7T5_ZqdVa3YDDwtw5jH5Aizg6FJVQjoQHX9lCMjwIZbXoOmYlrIuNo5nTEgj9lSzTwOXxwaFcMaIWgnSgcMFe5bEBBenYbvmFq-wiVhn0mfkVtJcGRVYwOmKo/s1600/20170222_120340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHA_p-n2UZwMAa9m_JY7T5_ZqdVa3YDDwtw5jH5Aizg6FJVQjoQHX9lCMjwIZbXoOmYlrIuNo5nTEgj9lSzTwOXxwaFcMaIWgnSgcMFe5bEBBenYbvmFq-wiVhn0mfkVtJcGRVYwOmKo/s640/20170222_120340.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I guess it's a bit like having my bacon-cheeseburger with a diet coke, but in food form</td></tr>
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We were all given a TopGear quiz to fill in and submit, featuring questions that are even hard when you have a black belt in Google-fu. How am I supposed to know which hangar the new series is filmed in unless I work here?!<br />
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Wholesome meal over, it was time to wait around in windy drizzle... for about an hour longer than I'd anticipated. After tactically standing so that only half of me was getting soggy for quite a while, watching something red lapping the track from afar (possibly an Alfa Giulia QV or more likely a Toyota GT86 I'll bring up again later), we were then told that they were filming something and were having a delay, so despite the tickets saying "doors open at 1:00pm and close at 1:30," it wasn't until nearly 2:30 that we boarded some buses and were driven along the perimeter road to those buildings which were previously far away.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9tzMNQsbVrVmNrw0rKzroswZiMFU9xed6wvd_-YCFH3kKMg5WTQBdhhzIbfsbqsXhxHqhdN_B9EWZcZqiFwhOotiUZjZb-l_TdutKGMtn-KQsx3Gg6pQTYyTBDf-idS981J2Wp6OY2Q/s1600/20170222_134244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9tzMNQsbVrVmNrw0rKzroswZiMFU9xed6wvd_-YCFH3kKMg5WTQBdhhzIbfsbqsXhxHqhdN_B9EWZcZqiFwhOotiUZjZb-l_TdutKGMtn-KQsx3Gg6pQTYyTBDf-idS981J2Wp6OY2Q/s640/20170222_134244.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Oh the time we spent staring at those buses......</td></tr>
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Then we had some more queuing to do, just to reassure those who came from a foreign country to be here that this is definitely Britain (also it was still drizzling, so I'm glad I wore a hat but regret not getting a clear-bin-bag "poncho").<br />
We were told to leave our phones in the car and not take photos, so any images you see from here on in are actually startlingly accurate artist's impressions made using various media and a photographic memory. Honest...<br />
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Take, for example, this image of a blue Suzuki Whizzkid sitting right outside the studio, that was full of the sort of clobber you'd expect of a car that'd been sitting in somebody's garage for years rather than outside a TV studio. I love how the artist got the texturing on the metal bars so detailed in this image! Remarkable handiwork there.<br />
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Finally, after more wristband checking, we were allowed to be herded in groups to and through the studio doors. Here is a realistic digital painting of that, featuring the backs of people's heads:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d3M9r98xt3nVPcKfgRfwpcPF1JfmRdGfVUGtj9lKedmvv3SMTSkOW8_4DoiwXIHmSiFht_4Hv2NDsoZsIZs_hRFxA2CXHnC5AFyA9hoRr_PtkueliofMmWUxsIxLLw1Up0H0ihmmB20/s1600/20170222_144810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d3M9r98xt3nVPcKfgRfwpcPF1JfmRdGfVUGtj9lKedmvv3SMTSkOW8_4DoiwXIHmSiFht_4Hv2NDsoZsIZs_hRFxA2CXHnC5AFyA9hoRr_PtkueliofMmWUxsIxLLw1Up0H0ihmmB20/s640/20170222_144810.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Such realism!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Having seen old <i>TopGear</i> on telly so many times over, I was immediately struck by the size of the newly-restyled studio... or rather the apparent lack of size. I always got the impression it was filmed in the group of three hangars near the exit of Gambon Corner, but this single unit (hangar 86, remember that for the quiz if you ever go yourself) a few feet down from the start/finish line is visibly cosier. Perhaps the loss of its long-serving stars has forced them to relocate across to here for a smaller audience, or perhaps it's "due to the unique way the BBC is funded." I don't know the explanation. Nevertheless, a smaller audience means you're more likely to appear on screen... but being self-conscious at the best of times I never tried to be right at the front, just somewhere that I could see the big screen and hopefully the presenters' heads.<br />
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Initially, I stood next to something very shapely indeed: <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/all-electric-croatian-creation-out.html" target="_blank">a Rimac Concept_One</a> that I have geeked out about elsewhere on this blog in the past.<br />
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Ah yes, the artist who perfectly recreated these scenes from memory was a bit nervous about using their special technique to mentally record an image in their minds so early in the day, so, er, the composition isn't brilliant. Don't worry, things get better in this regard. Anyway, they didn't actually review or lap the all-electric Croatian supercar, instead choosing for Rory Reid to walk around it and poke bits of it while discussing its speed and range with a confused Matt LeBlanc and a cynical Chris Harris... and the star guest. I'll get to him in a mo...<br />
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...because before "the talent" showed up, the audience was informed (briefly) and entertained (frequently) by kiwi comedian Jarred Christmas while the production team scurried around doing Many Important Things to set up the equipment. At this point I was even happier not to be near the front as he went around fishing for material by asking audience members about themselves - I'm happy just to laugh, thanks! He actually stuck around throughout the recording of the show to fill in long gaps between takes and present something akin to a "half-time show" during the break in filming, when they gave out prizes to quiz winners and he continued his day-long quest to find the ultimate cheese joke. You wouldn't brie-lieve some of them...<br />
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Once everyone was into the studio, the crew sprayed more white onto the white mats beneath the cars and took away the black fences around them before instructing us NOT to stand on said white mats. The man tasked with directing the audience then took charge and gave us a tutorial in how to be an audience - how loud to cheer and applaud, how to applaud <i>without</i> cheering, when to cheer and/or applaud in the opening scene - after which everything became professionally lit and we gave, on cue, both cheers and applause to the three presenters as they strode in near the hangar door and walked to the opposite end to find their newly redesigned sofas.<br />
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Matt LeBlanc (I was in the same room as Joey!!) thanked us for turning up and wished us well. Then it was time to open the show once and for all. The camera rigs were moved into position and I couldn't help noticing the bag of crisps balanced on one of the circular lower handles. A proud <i>TopGear</i> tradition from the Wilman era was prodigious consumption of crisps and that remains alive and well among the production team. We heard the start and end of the now famous remix of <i>Jessica</i> originally by the Allman Brothers Band, then gave riotous cheer with applause as the stars introduced the show and series, now standing centrally in the studio as a trio with the camera in a corridor formed by us, as they said their hellos and linked into the series preview montage. This actually happened two or three times thanks to a forgotten line here or there. I would eventually learn to get used to this aspect of filming a television show.<br />
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After the montage above, they walked towards a car on the opposite side of the studio to me: a resplendent Ferrari LaFerrari in pearlescent white with metallic blue contrasting roof. This was Harris's link into his film testing <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/holy-fxxk-hardcore-laferrari-vs-p1-gtr.html" target="_blank">the Ferrari FXX K</a>, a track-only unregulated version of LaFezza. After some exemplary work explaining and showcasing the sonorous thousand-horsepower training tool around Daytona Speedway's endurance route, we applauded (and possibly cheered). Some further discussion of the car's quirks occurred, after which they welcomed on this week's Star in a Reasonably <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><b>[REDACTED]</b></span></span> Car, James McAvoy. What, already? After one film? That's unusual.<br />
It turns out that this element of the show has been overhauled. Again. Mercifully, last year's format of having two guests painfully irrelevant to each other sitting down and having their past cars compared via an audience shouting contest has been completely axed. Instead, the singular guest first appears where the 'news' segment of the show would previously have been and initial discussions with them happen then... but the lap was saved for later.<br />
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Instead, after comparing his Audi RS3 to the Millennium Falcon [an understeering one, Harris asserts] and mentioning a couple of things I remember him saying the previous time he was on the show... we had to do this segment again. I guess the director is a perfectionist. We even had to welcome him onto the stage a second time. While the camera squad moved their things around and people whispered into their headpieces to unseen overlords between takes, the presenters and Mr. McAvoy chatted to each other, which we could hear. They talked about his bikes some more (Matt LeBlanc is a keen biker too) and some ideas of how to deal with the issue of them being stolen. The two professional actors also talked about their current projects (<i>Episodes</i> has one more series, if I've remembered correctly... or it's over... or soon to be... OK I haven't remembered correctly).<br />
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Oh! I almost forgot. They <b>did</b> introduce the Car Of Reasonableness during this segment of the show. It's the red thing in the picture below - drawn with a thousand crayons, from memory of course.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image recorded after TG was finished)</td></tr>
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This series, the car is not reasonably <i>priced</i>... instead, it is reasonably <i>fast</i>; a brand new Toyota GT86 with much of the interior trim removed and a basic rollcage fitted for health and safety reasons. Somehow the BBC have allowed Chris Harris to teach expensive celebrities how to fling a 200-horsepower rear-wheel-drive sports car around the test track! Apparently it took some time to figure out how much electronic stability assistance to leave on, among other issues, but even though there was some ESP function, we still saw a few clips of James McAvoy half-spinning at quite high speed through the tyres and at the first couple of corners, much to the amusing (and uncensored) terror of passenger Harris. I imagine this will happen every episode. Still, beats a <a href="http://www.carscoops.com/2017/02/top-gears-reasonably-priced-astra-sells.html" target="_blank">Vauxhall Astra TechLine</a>!<br />
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Before moving onto the next film, the presenters talked about which upcoming cars they were looking forward to this year. Technology fan Rory Reid fancies the Rimac I was standing near, so he and McAvoy walked over to it to talk about how fast and clever it is. The car's TVR-esque feature of having a button under the mirror to open the door was a highlight to the TG guys, with Rory asking guest James to try opening the car without instructions (hey remember when Jeremy did that with a Tuscan II in 2005?). Predictably, Rory had to step in and do it for him. This worked the first time and they checked out the interior... but a fluffed line or misplaced camera meant they had to re-shoot it... and the door never worked again. Each time Rory reached for the button, the door stayed resolutely shut, to everyone's amusement. They gave him the key, he tested it successfully before they returned to their seats to repeat the short walk-and-talk towards the car... and when it mattered, the door didn't open. They eventually abandoned this idea, sat back down again - "Fucking door!" [laughter] - and moved on. I'm interested to see what the final edit of that will be like!*<br />
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The thing to which they moved on was the cheap car challenge requiring cars which had done more than 480,000 miles - or as they put it, "have been to the Moon and back." This was to demonstrate that you needn't give up on your car after 60,000 miles or two years or however long most people own a car. At first I was staggered to see that the odometer on Matt's E-Class began with an '8' only to work out that it was in kilometres, not miles. This is because it came from Germany, unlike the London Taxi and Volvo V70 used by Rory and Chris respectively. A familiar format with fresh faces, this was actually a very enjoyable piece, but an extra dimension when watching in the actual studio is that the audience - who aren't recorded during these films, of course - reacted like, well, an audience. So when something funny happened, the whole room laughed anyway. When the winner of the inevitable race appeared from the final corner, there was cheering (not to mention upstanding outrage from the shorter of the two losers in the darkened studio as they watched with us!). You won't hear any of this under the footage at 8pm, but we were fully engaged with what we were watching. I have never experienced <i>TopGear</i> like this before and it felt special. The enthusiasm of others was contagious and it wasn't embarrassing to react loudly, like it might be at home. It was like being at a gig.<br />
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Once the first half of this film concluded, it was time for a break and some fresh air, during which I made a beeline for the nice lady handing out wristbands for <i>Extra Gear </i>and got the last one she had. There was still no opportunity to sit down, especially as it was still wet outside, but hey, at least there was complementary tea, coffee and biscuits. I plumped for the latter two.<br />
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Said refreshments were served in another hangar, opposite the studio and roughly half the length. I couldn't help but notice some rather tasty cars behind a fence in this building, including [breathe] an <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/alfa-romeo-giulia-finally-exists.html" target="_blank">Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde</a>, and Aston Martin DB11 and a Volvo V60 Polestar, not to mention a backup GT86 "reasonably fast car" and some others I can't remember. The Alfa and Aston appeared in the series preview, which makes me think they will be starring in episode two (which was filmed four days ago, so I can probably get away with telling you this). The Volvo will appear in <i>Extra Gear</i> later today.<br />
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I decided to get a change of scenery for the second half of the show, so I stood on the left-hand side of the studio instead, again next to a car but with a proper view of the big screen (there is one on each side, about a storey up in the air, flanked by '80s supercars possibly belonging to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIB5XXHNAWWzTOw6guIMYCg" target="_blank">Harry Metcalfe</a>, whom I spotted on the phone in the corner at this point).<br />
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Jarred Christmas reappeared as we filed back in and everyone got ready for the second half. As well as asking us for more cheese jokes (the Camembert/"come on, bear" joke took several attempts), he found a new game where he sang one line of a pop song and hoped an unsuspecting victim would sing the next line. Some were better than others. I continued to keep a low profile, or as much of one as you can when standing an inch away from a pearlescent white Ferrari.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a terribly composed portrait of said LaFerrari, done in pencils this time</td></tr>
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I have to say, I don't normally like white on cars, but the way the pearlescent finish softly highlights the surfaces on this hyper-hybrid really works in person. It looked stunning. I spent of lot of the waiting time just looking at as much of it as possible. I'll probably never stand this close to one again. Fun fact: it was imported by Ferrari Japan. I don't know why this is, given that they sold them in the UK...<br />
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Anyway, we then got to watch James McAvoy's timed lap, which was certainly a bit lairy in wet conditions. We then had four or five goes at putting his lap time on the board (including all the talking post-lap) and cheering him goodbye. Sometimes it was a presenter tying their tongue in a knot, one time Rory stood up randomly for no reason, one time it was a mystery. I think it was after this that they re-shot some of the conversation about the Rimac, several times, just looking at Matt's face and Chris's face separately as they repeated what they said about it (Matt questioned its top speed, range and whether they're both possible simultaneously, Chris rubbished the whole idea of electric supercars saying the companies just make stuff up about a prototype and nobody buys one).<br />
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Television is hard.<br />
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After that, we watched the final part of the high-mileage cars film (during which I spotted a producer or somebody sitting next to Chris discussing what they were seeing), with a beautiful closing scene of the rocket launch to which they'd been racing. Personally I very much enjoyed this Kazakhstani adventure of theirs, with purely natural banter between the presenters and little-to-no manufactured action. An un-forced show for car enthusiasts. Thank goodness! Then there were three or four attempts to tell you what's happening next week, including three or four rounds of applause with cheering from us (always excellently delivered, of course).<br />
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Overall, I had a feeling that I'd just seen a good episode of <i>TopGear</i>. It wasn't a show I'd have to be defensive about and unlike the first episode of "series 23" last year none of it made me cringe... which is always nice. I feel optimistic about this series being a genuine alternative not only to <i>The Grand Tour</i>, but also to just watching old repeats on Dave, which is to say that, hype aside, it'll be of the same quality as what we've known before. Maybe. There certainly won't be any "we'll just have to be patient and give them a chance" excuse-making like there was in 2016. I have also learned that it takes about three times longer to film a TV show than it does to broadcast it. Mind you, it's not like I get to be on set every week, so I'm not complaining! Just observing.<br />
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But now, it was time to hang around for a bit. Again. There's a lot of that when you're making a TV show.<br />
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Mercifully, I found some Formula 1 tyres to sit on this time. No, I have literally no idea why they were there. Other people quickly sat on the new sofas for a photo, but obviously I didn't have my phone because I'm not naughty. Here's an exact scale replica of part of the main set platform. I cut a circle of acrylic especially for this image.<br />
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You can also see the Tyres Of Mercy and two of the star cars above (also accurate scale models, obvs). Despite LaFerrari having an electric mode that works up to 5km/h to manoeuvre it around, the person who had to turn it around 180° into its position for <i>Extra Gear</i> didn't realise this, instead starting the 6.3 V12 engine with a silence-shattering whip-crack that settled quickly into a booming burble. They were then very careful with it, as anyone would be with somebody else's million-quid machine.<br />
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TG's companion show has also been refreshed for 2017, with its own new set design including an amphitheatre-style three-tier seating setup for the audience... and a new presenter! Rory and Chris are now the suppourting acts for WRC-loving comedian <a href="http://www.topgear.com/car-news/top-gear-tv/introducing-your-new-extra-gear-presenter-george-lewis" target="_blank">George Lewis</a>, a stand-up act on the rise making his TV** debut.<br />
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**Can you call it a "TV" debut when it's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p04tq8rv/top-gear-extra-gear-series-2-episode-1" target="_blank">exclusively online</a>?<br />
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It was actually during filming for this show that I saw something to add to the optimism I mentioned above about the show's future: chemistry. This was always something fans of the previous trio were keen to rattle on about as a USP of the show that made it work. Chris and Rory were almost like two lads in the pub together.<br />
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My favourite moment of the day will probably go forever un-broadcasted; it was time to introduce the part of the show where Chris takes a car around the track and this week it was the Volvo V60 Polestar, in reference to the V70 he'd just left knackered in the main show. The final line of his paragraph to camera was to say that he was to take "this viking Labrador carrier" around the track to see what's what. A slip of the tongue caught him out as he said "viking Labrador corridor." No matter, he sat back down and George re-did his segue to Chris's part. Having walked and talked his way to the front of the Volvo again... "viking Labrador corridor." Walking back in dismay, he asked us the rhetorical question "'Corridor'?! Where is that coming from???" as he went to try again. It then happened a third time. Rory started laying into him about his abject failure to read an autocue and Chris rugby-tackled him in a manner similar to Nico Rosberg on Lewis Hamilton after the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix, only these two landed carefully back on their bench before recomposing themselves and trying again. Fourth or fifth time lucky, Chris nails it once and once only... and we all hold on with palpable anticipation until the director makes clear that it's all OK and in the can... before we erupt into riotous applause like he's just done a back-flip through fire or something. He immediately turned round and showed Rory some particular fingers with great enthusiasm and triumph in his eyes!<br />
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After that it was back to the normal routine of having a couple of goes at professional content, although as they paused to set up for one re-take the two of them did argue about who failed the most to say their lines (Chris assured us that Rory's line was tiny and his was like <i>War and Peace</i>, so exaggeration is another <i>TopGear</i> tradition alive and well). I will say in his defence, though, that he does seem like a proper guy - sympathetic towards us and our long day's work and chatting to us between takes about the cars we could see, how LaFerrari looks miles better in person than in pictures (true), how the Testarossa set decoration looks cool too but if you ever look to buy one, check the welds; if they're actually of a good quality then it's been crashed and repaired, as Ferrari didn't really do quality control in the '80s. OH, and he complained the set's bench was still too high for him. I heard someone afterwards say that he's the one you'd most want to have a pint with and I'd concur, no disrespect to the other two of course (Rory hung around for selfies the longest). Plus of course, as the "continuity nightmare" bit in the main show attests, he is one of us: a true, nerdy petrolhead. As for new boy George, he made a fine referee as he balanced his presenting debut with sorting out Monkey and 'Rench on his left.<br />
<i><br /></i>As for the format, <i>Extra Gear</i> no longer has a bonus guest on, which was always a confusing aspect of its first series, and nor does it have a bit where the presenters discuss cars â la "The News." Instead it essentially focuses on its main purpose to take you behind the scenes and show a bit of bonus content. Both shows, then, have been tidied up nicely compared to last year and will make for enjoyable viewing over the remaining six weeks of take two of the third era of the greatest car show...... <i>In The World</i>.<br />
<br />
I'm glad I was well and truly there to see it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An angle of the studio you'll never see on TV, sketched while sitting on a Tyre Of Mercy</td></tr>
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*P.S. This has taken me so long to [stop procrastinating and] write, that I have now seen the broadcast...<br />
<br />
So after watching the episode on BBC Two, I see that they actually just cut the entire Rimac section out altogether, meaning the only part of the main show where you might have seen me - especially as standing behind LaFerrari meant I was always out of shot for the second half - wasn't actually aired. Thank goodness I took so many "photos" of it, LOL... Also, at the end of the FXX K film they were standing next to an actual FXX K in the broadcast, which was NOT in the studio the week I was there! The conversation about being invited to buy one was had sitting on the sofas during the day the rest of this episode was filmed. They must have found one available later and made time during filming for episode two to add that bit in a few of days ago... a technique which would explain why episodes are, it turns out, filmed eleven days in advance, not just four.<br />
<br />
I also see that Extra Gear went through quite a lot of editing, although detecting how carefully Harris said "viking Labrador carrier" in the final cut brought back some of the gleeful buzz from when I heard him say it the first [fifth] time. George's introductory piece to camera was shorter than in the studio - removing a section where he captioned some short clips <i>HIGNFY</i>-style - and I remembered that sometimes the first takes were more natural than the re-takes that were generally used. This is just part of TV - because the script isn't always word-for-word and the autocue just says "DISCUSS [subject]" for a time, the presenters just speak naturally to each other, then have to recreate that if a re-take is needed. It's only made me more glad to have been there to hear it all happen in real time, although I'll sometimes wonder what I'm missing from now on when I watch future episodes. Maybe I'll have to hope that repeat appearances in the audience are allowed... and that they'd even let me come back after all these, ahem, artist's impressions...<br />
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<i>This blog should only appear on <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">SmallBlogV8</a>. Report if found elsewhere.</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-91580791766702839442016-11-20T03:23:00.001+00:002016-11-20T03:23:41.546+00:00Top Gear vs The Grand Tour: Who's Quickest Off The Line?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left, New TopGear. On the right, as close to Old TopGear as copyright laws allow...</td></tr>
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Earlier this year, as the result of a fracas, some arguments and a loyalty-based mass exodus, legendary BBC motoring show <i>TopGear</i> was reformatted with <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/topgear-mk3-will-have-twice-as-many.html" target="_blank">an all-new lineup of presenters</a> and a quite different production team. It had... mixed results. The first two or three episodes were middling to poor - episode one felt like a rushed pilot and was borderline unwatchable at times - but by the halfway point of a typically short series, the new squad began to hit their stride and started to show some actual potential for the future. However, naturally, there were scores of <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/what-topgear-presenter-should-be.html" target="_blank">mindless social media campaigners</a> who just wanted the BBC to excuse a man for needlessly assaulting a colleague and put the old TG back together. There are two reasons why calling for such a thing was and is a waste of time. Firstly, well, as I've already said the BBC can't just re-hire someone who essentially committed a crime, because that's a bad message to send out (again). Secondly, if you wanted the old show with the old presenters and their "chemistry" and "banter" and what have you, all you needed was an Amazon Prime subscription and some patience, surely?<br />
<br />
Well, now we have an answer to that second part, because the immensely anticipated show <i>The Grand Tour</i> has finally landed with its debut episode on Prime Video in the UK, US, Germany and Japan (other nations will get it in December, or just pirate it for free as you read this). The general reception has been perhaps predictably positive, although I put it to you, dear reader, that people are mostly pleased because of the unavoidable level of familiarity on display - in fact it felt so familiar to some that the Radio Times has said "<a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-18/where-is-the-grand-tour-test-track" target="_blank"><i>The Grand Tour is back</i></a>," even though this was series one, episode one...<br />
<br />
I sort of knew when both shows were announced that the three stooges were likely to just make the kind of show they were already making before - whereas BBC mega-franchise <i>TopGear</i> was now free to reformat and be different - but now that I've actually been confronted with such a product, I feel... unmoved?<br />
<br />
Huh.<br />
<br />
OK, let's break the debut episode down (MULTIPLE SPOILER ALERT obviously):<br />
<br />
> The opening sequence was very nice. They know that we know why this show exists, so they tastefully put together a scene in which The Tall One makes his way from a miserable glass-fronted business building in London to escape to an airport in Los Angeles, wherein he finds out that apparently you can rent a 725-horsepower Fisker-modified Ford Mustang in California. On his way to the middle of nowhere, old mates James May and Richard Hammond suddenly appear in a white Roush-modified Mustang and a red Shelby GT350 to complete the three colours of the American flag (and British, French, Dutch, Russian, etc. etc...). Heartwarming smiles are exchanged and they bugger off into the desert, overtaking cars of all shapes and sizes to arrive at "Burning Van" - a play on <i>Burning Man</i> - so that they can have a hero's entrance. A rocky cover of <i>I Can See Clearly Now</i> takes so long to finish that we have to sit through about 25 different high panning shots divided up by shots of the presenters waving and grinning at the concert audience they've just driven through (amazingly, despite driving three Mustangs, they didn't hit anyone!). The eventual on-stage intro which followed will hopefully be a one-off, because watching them pretending to be rock stars was a little odd.<br />
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> The <strike>studio</strike> tent bit varied vastly in quality throughout. The audience was too trigger-happy with whooping and applauding, although that's just the American style for studio shows. Jeremy immediately patronising the US audience's different automotive vocabulary was tedious (to the point where I felt embarrassed on behalf of less childish Britons), as was the Air Force fracas 'bit' later on that was really just filler. Also disappointing was "Conversation Street," which was suspiciously similar to "The News Bit" on that old BBC show except it was shorter, was introduced by a low-budget sting (a joke that loses its weight on such a high-budget show, no?) and started with Jeremy repeating a couple of old <i>TopGear</i> News chestnuts to really ram home that these are the same old guys who used to be on <i>TopGear </i>don't y'know...<br />
To be honest I'm not sure why they decided to establish their pre-existing TV caricatures so heavy-handedly, because the people watching this show will primarily already know it all from TopGear and not need reminding, while any fresh new viewers are not guaranteed to connect with the characters any better for having them so un-subtly spelt out up front. Finally, the not-a-guest part with all the (visibly breathing) dead celebrities was a tiresome, drawn-out stunt that had me wishing they'd just stuck with one death and got on with something else, although that could just be me misplacing my sense of humor for a minute or two... but to me it was another on-the-nose example of them referencing the old show, only this time they didn't follow all the way through with creating the parallel and made it apparent that they probably won't have guests throughout the series like they used to. It wasn't exactly the old <i>TopGear's</i> most popular feature...<br />
What was good about the studio? Well, mocking James for his 37mph speeding ticket was pleasing and there were moments of more natural banter, plus the concept of a mobile base with audiences from all over the world could keep the setting fresh... unless it just gives Jeremy different nationalist stereotypes to peddle each time. I also hope Convo Corner has some more actual content in it next week to make it worthwhile.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eboladrome</td></tr>
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> We'll get to content more in a mo, but further setting-up of the format was required, so Clarkson introduced "The Eboladrome," which looks like a tricky little test track as well as looking like the Ebola virus. Their old humour was in further evidence here through corner names such as "The Isn't Straight," "Old Lady's House" (because it's near a house where an old lady lives) and the now-suitably commercialist "Your Name Here," not to mention the perilous penultimate "Cage of Electricity" turn which is overlooked by a small substation. Keen internetters quickly worked out that the Eboladrome is situated at a disused air base near Swindon and conspicuously avoids using the runway around which it wriggles, possibly for legal reasons...<br />
After a demo lap by an unseen driver with a Ferrari 488 GTB, Jeremy gave us a half-length track test feature in the spicy little BMW M2, proclaiming it to be the greatest BMW M car... <i>In The World</i> - although not in those exact words, which was a missed opportunity!<br />
"And now we must put it in the hands of our lame racing driver!" is also a missing phrase, albeit one I just made up regarding their house-trained ex-NASCAR test driver <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-19/who-is-mike-the-american-skinner-the-new-racing-driver-on-the-grand-tour" target="_blank">Mike Skinner</a>, a.k.a 'The American.' If Amazon really did insist on an American test driver then, well, OK, but his grumpy in-car commentary felt utterly pointless and subtracted value, as did the "he thinks every non-Mustang is communist" bollocks put on him by the presenters - a joke probably older than some audience members...<br />
OK, I am being quite negative here. The track does look like a good chassis test and "the same racing driver" looks like he'll be pretty handy each week at actually driving the cars. Which is good.<br />
<br />
But now to the <b>really</b> good bit:<br />
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> The first proper film covered the hyper-hybrid trio and was definitely up to standard, with beautifully dramatic cinematography to capture the energy and adrenaline involved in pushing the limits of grip, driver talent, metaphors and Amazon's swear word censorship hierarchy. However, it's a shame they didn't get a road-registered LaFerrari, because there definitely were some customer cars out there when they filmed the feature about 13 months ago. Mind you, the purple McLaren registered 'P1 OOV' is owned by the McLaren factory and used as a press car, as I assume is true of the German-registered Porsche, so that particular LaFerrari was probably beamed directly from the Fiorano test track rather than being a customer car. Apparently Ferrari didn't fancy paying the road tax on it. Make of that what you will. Oh, and technically the Italian car <i>does</i> have an all-electric mode, but it only works up to 5km/h for garage maneuvering.<br />
The second portion of the film - brought in after the M2's Eboladrome lap that was unsurprisingly slower than an M3 - included input from former F1 driver Jerome d'Ambrosio, providing an impartial adjudicator for track laps around Portimão circuit and an opportunity for mischievous subtitles while he described the cars in French (being as he's Belgian)... just like when they did that with subtitles on the old <i>TopGear</i>! Oh the jape.<br />
The finale closed out with a bet that if the McLaren P1 wasn't the fastest then Richard and James could destroy Jeremy's house. Because the P1 wasn't on its optional semi-slick tyres... it was the slowest. So that'll be a fun future episode!<br />
<br />
Side note: I wonder if they filmed these three cars on or near the day that <i><a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/chris-harris-presents-hyper-hybrid.html" target="_blank">Chris Harris On Cars</a></i> filmed those three exact factory-supported cars on the same circuit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3YPTkBRaOk" target="_blank">for his own video feature</a>...<br />
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<br />
Overall, the first episode of <i>The Grand Tour</i> (which is a really generic name, by the way...) ended up feeling quite self-conscious. Sometimes this wasn't a problem, such as with the opening sequence up to but not including the on-stage part, but at multiple points, especially in the tent, it lead to some slightly contrived character acting of the kind that was making <i>TopGear</i> feel a bit tired before it was reformatted. The trouble is, because there were genuine moments when the famous chemistry between the three of them was able to present itself naturally, it showed up the less genuine bits, like when an actor keeps slipping in and out of character. However, this first episode is meant to establish the new show and it has done that emphatically, meaning that hopefully the rest of the series will have a bit more room to flow.<br />
<br />
How did it compare to new-new <i>TopGear</i>? Well if we're comparing apples to apples then I have to compare it with the first episode, which was terrible. Chris Evans's take on the show wasn't just aimed at children, it felt like it was written by children. Actually the best description I heard was that it was like someone's amateur fan-fiction where they write themselves into the show... which is not a compliment. It was widely publicised that the aftermath of Clarkson-gate was extremely messy for the BBC show, with directors and producers joining, arguing with Evans and then leaving until finally they managed to nail a few things down. This showed in the first couple of episodes.<br />
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What we've got now are two shows that are both trying to be the show that effectively doesn't exist anymore... but neither of them quite can be. New-new <i>TopGear</i> can't be <i>Old TopGear</i> because it doesn't have Pinky & Perky & Pedant who were so central to making the format work, whereas TGT can't be Old TG for legal reasons but gets as close as it dares, like the equivalent of the cars you see in <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> games that bear an uncanny resemblance to real cars without actually being them. In the end, both shows therefore feel a little contrived as they go to great lengths to feel familiar to us, albeit in different ways, yet ultimately can't be what they imitate.<br />
<br />
I honestly fear that the Clarkson/Hammond/May/Wilman/Porter combination of people that moved to Amazon don't really know what else to make at this point, having developed and honed a comfortable routine over 12 years on the BBC. I mean, they had a completely new brand and a blank cheque to start afresh, yet they just re-jigged what they were doing before because it would please all the Facebook campaigners who just wanted Old <i>TopGear</i> back.<br />
Meanwhile, New <i>TopGear </i>suffered a similar problem the other way around, having a chance to reinvigorate a global smash-hit brand that was in need of refreshing and yet not figuring out exactly how to do that. Once it recovered from a squiffy first couple of episodes, its biggest problem was forced banter and possibly still a lack of clear direction (not to mention a lack of depth in the car reviews). The first tGT episode beat the first TG mk.3 episode, but as an overall package moving forwards? Neither of them scores a clear victory at this stage, if you ask me.<br />
The next new series of TG in 2017 needs to have much more confidence about itself, something that's achievable now they have a practiced crew and don't have the mercurial Evans to deal with.<br />
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I don't intend to pick a side here. Once both shows do find their feet, I want them to push each other to get better and promote some healthy competition, which would benefit us all as car enthusiasts in need of entertainment... in theory.<br />
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In the meantime, all we can do is continue watching both shows and see what really happens. On top of that, I'm also intrigued by the Amazon team's online offshoot <a href="https://drivetribe.com/welcome" target="_blank">DriveTribe</a>, which aims to be a social and content hub for all things automotive. It's already absorbed a host of magazine writers and YouTubers, so it may actually end up being that which becomes the next big thing after all. Time will tell...<br />
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<i>Written exclusively for <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">SmallBlog V8</a>. Do not copy without permission.</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-22732666650499258472016-10-27T02:11:00.000+01:002016-10-27T02:11:38.432+01:00Audi Withdraw From LMP1 After 18 Years<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b4zygoUjO5jLXOZUsvTOX0aNJijW85UxurCycbjwGujYqrc-PqMAB0NFoM52ufzMCtRYY4uoUQzw9G9ubUoVqbS2yJJYDpD5n72TuidiovYKxlRM-K5GEI6E72Xwx4sKta3Ar38Q1aU/s1600/Audi+R18+e-tron+quattro+%25282016%2529_COTA+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b4zygoUjO5jLXOZUsvTOX0aNJijW85UxurCycbjwGujYqrc-PqMAB0NFoM52ufzMCtRYY4uoUQzw9G9ubUoVqbS2yJJYDpD5n72TuidiovYKxlRM-K5GEI6E72Xwx4sKta3Ar38Q1aU/s640/Audi+R18+e-tron+quattro+%25282016%2529_COTA+tower.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2016 Audi R18 TDI e-tron quattro at the 6 Hours of COTA</td></tr>
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If Formula 1 fans are impatient for complaining about one team dominating for three or four years at a time, they ought to look further afield and realise how good they've got it. See, if your first love in motorsport is endurance racing, the dominant force has now been around all century long... and they're only now being regularly overhauled by none other than a corporate stablemate of theirs.<br />
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Yes, I'm talking about Audi in LMP1. Since their second attempt in 1999, they have never once missed out on a podium finish at the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans. <i>Not. Once</i>. Of those 17 podium scores, 13 have been victories, a win count very nearly on par with all-time leaders Porsche who have now returned to reassert themselves (a heart-stopping Le Mans finish this year saw the old guard from Stuttgart score their record 18th win when Toyota #5 broke down on the final lap). Not only have Audi been <a href="http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/inside-audis-key-prototype-achievements/" target="_blank">all but untouchable</a> since the start of the 21st century, but they have hit some key technical milestones along the way, such as the first Le Mans win for a car with a diesel engine (2006) and the first for a hybrid car (2012).<br />
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It's not just around Circuit de la Sarthe that they've left their mark, though; of the 185 races Audi has entered in "Le Mans Prototype" racing cars around the world, 106 of them ended in victory. From 2000-2008 they won the American Le Mans Series championship <i>nine times in a row </i>while US sports car racing grew around them. Top that off with back-to-back World Endurance Championship (WEC) manufacturer's titles in 2012 and 2013. They have been relentless, they have been dominant and they have done it all while pioneering new technologies... and they have done it all with a certain class indicative of the spirit of endurance racing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audi's 13 Le Mans-winning cars.<br />The middle row comprises diesel-powered cars. The front trio are diesel-hybrids.</td></tr>
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However, being owned by Volkswagen has suddenly made the current situation very difficult thanks to the "Dieselgate" scandal, which is costing VW Automotive Group (VAG) billions of dollars in fines and buy-backs while shattering diesel's reputation as the cleaner, thriftier fuel of choice. While many argue that motor racing is the unequivocally ideal place to develop new car technology (<i>Vorsprung Durch Technik</i> and all that), many others in the corporate world see it as a mere folly... and an expensive one - the recent hybrid powertrain arms race between LMP1 factory teams has caused costs to spiral upwards to a level similar to a major Formula 1 team, which given that VAG also includes Porsche means that the German giant is effectively paying for the approximate equivalent of both Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG F1 at the same time... with the obvious guarantee that at least one of them will lose.<br />
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When everything was rosy, that was fine - pit Porsche's petrol/battery hybrid and Audi's diesel/flywheel hybrid against each other, develop two or more sets of technologies at once and generate some healthy competition between brands that otherwise don't really overlap with each other much. Remember, we're talking about the business behemoth that could afford to lose millions on Bugatti Veyrons and eco-spaceship XL1s and shrug it off like they were just doing us all a favour in the process. Now, however, things are not rosy at all and the knock-on effects are obvious. For instance, the "all-new" <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/bugatti-chiron-last-great-dinosaur.html" target="_blank">Bugatti Chiron</a> bears striking technical similarities to its predecessor perhaps because it was only allowed to make production if it could turn the company a profit this time. Audi itself could soon be made to <a href="http://www.carscoops.com/2016/10/audi-to-stop-producing-its-own.html" target="_blank">stop using its own chassis platform</a> for its cars, instead adopting the one Porsche already uses for Panameras and the like to save group costs. So basically, with savings needing to be found across the board, running two LMP1 factory teams has quickly become unreasonable...<br />
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But why Audi and not someone else's racing? Well, there's another, more direct issue the Ingolstadt squad would face soon; in 2018, a new 10-megajoule hybrid sub-class will be introduced to the WEC. As Porsche proved with its utter dominance in 2015, the bigger your hybrid system the better. However, more electric power means a bigger, heavier energy store (battery), something of grave concern to Audi whose diesel engine is notably heavier than a petrol equivalent - certainly their V6 TDI will weigh more than Porsche's tiny 2.0-litre V4 T - giving them a clear performance disadvantage one way or another as the only team using diesel engines, which already have to take longer to fill up during pit stops thanks to a rule aimed at balancing out their better fuel consumption. So add a possible performance deficit to VAG's need to slash costs across the board together, then throw in that the diesel technology is no longer desirable and... well, things aren't looking good, especially after Ferdinand Piëch left the group.<br />
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And so, despite them having developed a machine for next year anyway, an era in sports car racing will end with the 2016 WEC season, <a href="https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/audi-with-new-motorsport-strategy-formula-e-instead-of-wec-6980" target="_blank">as announced on 26th October</a>:<br />
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"<i>Speaking to 300 employees of the motorsport department on Wednesday morning, Chairman of the Board of Management Rupert Stadler put this strategic decision in the context of the current burdens on the brand, pointing out that it was important to focus on the things that would keep Audi competitive in the years ahead. That is why the Board of Management had decided to terminate Audi’s commitment in endurance racing. In the future, Audi will be using the know-how and skills of the motorsport experts from Neuburg and Neckarsulm partially in motorsport and partially in production development. </i><br />
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<i>“We’re going to contest the race for the future on electric power,” says Stadler. “As our production cars are becoming increasingly electric, our motorsport cars, as Audi’s technological spearheads, have to even more so.” The first all-electric racing series perfectly matches the strategy of offering fully battery-electric models year by year starting in 2018, Audi currently being in the greatest transformation stage in the company’s history. The commitment in FIA Formula E will already commence in 2017. It is regarded as the racing series with the greatest potential for the future. That is why Audi has intensified the existing partnership with Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in the current 2016/2017 season. On the road toward a full factory commitment, the manufacturer is now actively joining the technical development.</i><br />
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<i>The commitment in the DTM </i>[German silhouette touring cars]<i>, where Audi will be competing with the successor of the Audi RS 5 DTM in 2017, will remain untouched.</i>"<br />
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Audi also says there is a "job guarantee" for all their motorsport employees, whom will now be shared between developing production cars and pushing the electric drive technology in Formula E, a series in which it already supports the competitive ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team at arm's length ready turn into a full factory effort next season. <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/formula-e-review-race-1.html" target="_blank">I covered the inaugural FE race on this blog</a>, but in true style neglected to cover any more of it after that. Since the first season of racing when the cars were completely standardised, the regulations around the powertrain - everything between (but excluding) the battery and the wheels - have subsequently been freed up to allow companies to develop their own concepts, of which there are now eight different types on the grid. Having just started its third season, Formula E is what's hot right now among car makers wanting to look cutting edge, with more manufacturer teams taking part than in Formula 1 including Renault, DS [Citroën], Jaguar and Mahindra (not to mention a BMW-supported independent team), plus Audi for season four and potentially Mercedes-Benz in season five, when a new McLaren-supplied battery will allow teams to use one car for the entire race length and the aero will no longer be standard. You've been hearing all decade long that electric cars are the future and here's even more proof of it.<br />
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Plus, y'know, it's substantially cheaper to enter than F1 or WEC. That helps too.<br />
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In the meantime, Audi will still have a factory team in DTM and I don't see anything denying that they'll keep building R8 GT3 cars to sell to customer racing teams around the world, alongside the new RS3 LMS touring car that <a href="http://www.carscoops.com/2016/10/audi-rs3-lms-wins-at-nurburgring-right.html" target="_blank">won the TCR class in VLN at the Nürburgring</a> last weekend.<br />
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Still, while all great things must come to an end, the world of endurance racing will surely feel Audi's absence in 2017. Between Nissan's miscarriage of an LMP1 project last year and this sudden withdrawal by a staple manufacturer, LMP1 will soon be left with just two factory teams (Porsche and Toyota) and, thanks to Rebellion Racing switching to LMP2, a single uncompetitive independent team (CLM/ByKolles). Depending on whether the Toyota finally brings a third car to Le Mans or not, we're talking about only five or six cars in the top class of the 24 Hours and WEC, right when it looked like sports car racing was in a new golden age.<br />
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It'll be an absence the weight of which is matched only by that of the pages Audi has added to the racing history books since the turn of the millennium.<br />
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Farewell Audi. May you return when the time is right. In the meantime, Toyota has perhaps never had a better chance at FINALLY winning the big one after so many disappointments...<br />
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<i>Written exclusively for <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SmallBlog V8</a></i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-90016590115646034492016-10-26T00:11:00.002+01:002016-10-26T00:11:23.417+01:00McLaren TOONED "Hunt 40" is Made of 53% Recycled LOLs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tTVmQk-VD_E/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tTVmQk-VD_E?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Hey, remember McLaren's TOONED cartoons from a few years ago? Yeah, they were neat. Seeing as McLaren-Honda is currently so successful that they don't need to put any work into attracting sponsors, they've decided now's a useful time to bring back the tongue-in-cheek animations... and when I say "bring back" I mean that they essentially repackaged one of their old <i>Tooned 50</i> episodes from 2013. See, it's also 40 years since 1976, the year that notorious playboy James Hunt won the F1 world championship with the legendary racing team, so why not commemorate such an incredible season in a unique way? Conveniently, they already did as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, so they took the majority of that episode and bookended it with fresh cringe-laughs including a direct reference to the excellent <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23placesalonsowouldratherbe&src=tyah" target="_blank">#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe</a> meme and Jenson Button in speedos calling Fernando Alonso "my little chorizo," because any joke at this point is better than that Back To The Future thing they did last year.<br />
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Anyway, it's funnier than I've just made it sound (honest!), so watch an enjoy... perhaps by relaxing on a camping chair near a Brazilian race track.SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-61309479305961999602016-09-30T23:59:00.003+01:002016-10-01T00:56:07.379+01:00LaFerrari Aperta Appears, Screams, Then Disappears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There will be a Paris Motor Show highlights post on here tomorrow, but for now let's segue from <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/take-peek-at-ferrari-488-gtbs-gizzards.html" target="_blank">my previous post perving at a Ferrari</a> into the motor show coverage...<br />
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Why wasn't LaFerrari called the Ferrari F70? Well, one reason would be that it was launched two or three years too soon for Ferrari's 70th anniversary - whether that was in response to the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 is up for debate - in which case the name would be a little farcical... but maybe still not as bad as using something that sounds like a bad advertising slogan for the actual name. Nevertheless, Ferrari's special-series cars tend to be a one-shot deal, with no variants to follow... except for this time, as Ferrari has decided to commemorate its real 70th anniversary next year with the first open-top special-series car since the controversial F50 of the mid 1990s.<br />
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Welcome, then, to LaFerrari Aperta.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"BWOAH" - Kimi Räikkönen</td></tr>
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It's more than just a roof chop though, don't y'know. Cars like these demand perfectionism and that meant re-evaluating how things like the aerodynamics are affected. To that end, little strips in the corners of the windscreen divert hot air venting from the bonnet, while a glass screen between the headrests also works to separate heat and turbulence from the occupants. Even the underfloor aerodynamics have been redesigned to channel more of the air underneath the car rather than over the top of it, one external sign of which is a little black air vent behind the front wheels, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-GEnahVWo8" target="_blank">visible in this video</a>. A more upright front radiator design also helps with these issues... somehow.<br />
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Critically, the exhaust has been made a little bit louder, while the control system that manages how the 800PS 6.3 V12 and the 163PS electric motor interact with each other and the road has been revised using knowledge gained since finishing the original LaFerrari. So it'll sound even better now that you can hear it more clearly as well as function all the more seamlessly as a hybrid.<br />
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Performance? Well thanks in part to use of a carbon fibre tub - which has nevertheless been reinforced low down - it has the same torsional rigidity and beam strength as the hardtop as well as the same straight-line performance figures of 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-124mph in 7.1s and 0-186mph in around 15 seconds. An optional removable carbon roof panel even facilitates exactly the same top speed of over 217mph, or if you left it at home there's a fabric emergency roof (for all your fabric emergencies!) rated to 130km/h (80mph), just in case you get caught out by the weather forecast.<br />
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Another concern with de-roofing a car is weight increase. To be honest, LaFerrari's weight has always been a little bit of a mystery, one that isn't helped by the fact that Ferrari had to (or perhaps chose to) homologate two different versions of the original car, one for European regulations and one for US regulations. What is clear is that the US-spec one is heavier - which would explain to me why they wanted a lighter Euro-spec one to satisfy themselves with marginally better performance figures - but by how much is a little bit unclear. Upon unveiling it in 2014, Ferrari begrudgingly quoted a dry weight of 1255kg, but nobody seems to still use this figure (that would be immensely impressive for a big car with a V12 hybrid and DCT). However, when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaAQW8lVaRM" target="_blank">Chris Harris reviewed the car at Fiorano</a>, he said a day after a typically long presentation that "the dry weight is around 1300kg and wet with fluids it's 1414[kg]." This would square with info from a forum post I found that said a German weighed their car to find it weighed 1480kg with around 75% of a tank of fuel - the tank can apparently take 86L in total, three quarters of which is 64.5L, thus if we take fuel to weigh 1kg/L at delivery temperature (before it heats up during use and expands) the car would theoretically weigh 1415.5kg with an empty tank - but all other fluids - in the real world.<br />
But that's the European-spec version. The US-spec version is officially quoted at 1585kg, which is a lot heavier! If we take away 86kg of a full fuel tank we get a figure of 1499kg wet-minus-fuel. Assuming the official kerbweight quote does include a tank of fuel, which it often can, the weight penalty of US safety regulations would in that case be around 85kg or so.<br />
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Why bog you down with all that educated guesswork? Because roadster versions of Ferraris generally add around 50kg of dry mass onto whatever the hardtop had and the Aperta is based only on the US-spec version. That would put the weight at approximately 1529kg plus 86kg of fuel (1635kg).<br />
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Not that any of this matters to you and me beyond curiosity and Top Trumps matches; the 200 planned customer cars are all already sold at around a 50% premium over the hardtop, while Ferrari will also build nine cars to keep for themselves. Maybe they'll hand them out to management and/or F1 drivers and even have a car left over for road testers? Who knows. Maybe we'll find out as part of Ferrari's seemingly extensive 70th anniversary festivities next year.<br />
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For now, scroll back to the top and watch Sebastian Vettel reflect on some of what those 70 years of history contain.<br />
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<i>Follow <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SmallBlogV8</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBlogV8/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-7838233169712269772016-09-29T23:08:00.000+01:002016-10-01T01:00:20.623+01:00Take a Peek at a Ferrari 488 GTB's Gizzards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQB16l0aviUrczhdZw8VDMPCfzFvL0jmPnIfX-OhKvONjd-2CJK1OCvBxM0oZiNcRGm8YlTbCpuIrDkgWfBPVrX44zoVQn-KXNnlIvMjvaSrhKN7A5DJCkufnmZDnpnTiyzED_h1yY5NE/s1600/IMG_20160924_110821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQB16l0aviUrczhdZw8VDMPCfzFvL0jmPnIfX-OhKvONjd-2CJK1OCvBxM0oZiNcRGm8YlTbCpuIrDkgWfBPVrX44zoVQn-KXNnlIvMjvaSrhKN7A5DJCkufnmZDnpnTiyzED_h1yY5NE/s640/IMG_20160924_110821.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last Saturday, I went to an event I've never been to before called <a href="http://auto.ferrari.com/en_EN/news-events/news/passione-ferrari-silverstone/" target="_blank">Passione Ferrari</a>. Despite the slightly clichéd Italian name, it takes place in the very British setting of Silverstone Circuit, site of the Scuderia's first Formula 1 victory back in 1951. It was £10 to get in and decent food could be had for under a fiver, so in the absence of market stalls it was astonishing value for money given the kind of access visitors got to what is still the holy grail of supercar brands.<br />
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Once you'd walked around the infield of the Grand Prix route to get to the paddock on the F1 pit straight, you were met with rows upon rows of people's Ferraris that they'd driven to the event. Pick a model from the 1970s onwards and there was probably one there... and in the image above you can even see a rare, obscenely valuable and drop-dead gorgeous 275 GTB/4 from 1967!! KOP 138E is probably worth the nearest ten of the other Ferraris in this image combined, at approximately £2-2.5million... and it was just sitting there! No rope fence, no security bouncers, just another one in the crowd. Amazing. I wasn't the only one that noticed!<br />
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However, this little "photoblog" is focusing on something bang up to date, the twin-turbocharged 488 GTB.<br />
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Pictured above is a completed 488 Spider which you were free to sit in and fiddle with while eager children waited their turn - or didn't, as it may have been - but I'm only showing you this one because I neglected to take a photo of another 488 elsewhere at the event. See, in a pair of pit garages accessible from behind, there were a selection of exhibits including services to maintain and repair your Italian stallion. There was a carbon fibre repair stand where you could pick up a scuffed aero whisker from inside the grille of a 458 Italia or watch someone cut through carbon fibre only to fail the same trick with a carbon-kevlar sample, while elsewhere I saw a naked 360 Modena on a chassis alignment rig... but more to the point there was also a partially-assembled (or partially disassembled) 488 GTB on jack stands.<br />
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So, I decided to get close up to parts of Ferrari's latest V8 sports car which would normally be kept firmly out of view...<br />
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I won't pretend to know what all the gizzards are, but this lot, located behind the left-side door and in front of the left-rear wheel, looks electrical. Feel free to add some knowledge in the comments! Normally this bit would be covered by the side skirt. I do know that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDE6-kfr_Tfr8-PxHy8n5VDVCbrHiCFjqzIQKbW-0O6UDrUsEistfMfWlS-WxIQND21c-ERpcJF1Txd4aVPjw-CgmSbOKmUrK9NYNNddeStXCb9NvATHSVauEjnlMBbksE_rp6pQ4PWxw/s1600/IMG_20160924_110932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDE6-kfr_Tfr8-PxHy8n5VDVCbrHiCFjqzIQKbW-0O6UDrUsEistfMfWlS-WxIQND21c-ERpcJF1Txd4aVPjw-CgmSbOKmUrK9NYNNddeStXCb9NvATHSVauEjnlMBbksE_rp6pQ4PWxw/s640/IMG_20160924_110932.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The passenger-side door (it's right-hand-drive) with none of the trim attached. The window glass has been removed as well. The speaker looks like an alloy wheel from an F430! Sadly that gets covered up. The black shaft near the middle is, I reckon, the door handle mechanism. At the end of it (the end near the speaker), there's a zig-zag shape resembling the 'S' from the 'PS2' logo, roughly where I remember the interior door handle being in the Spider I sat in, which appears to pivot up and down to pull the rod that disappears into the door at the other end. I couldn't tell you much else about this stuff, though...<br />
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Here is the headlight, a more recognisable part. As is common, the shape you can see with the bonnet closed actually extends slightly underneath it. In this extra area you can see an 'R' denoting that it's the right-side headlight unit.<br />
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This is the front luggage area, minus floor and carpet. Jeremy Clarkson once likened what you could see of the Lotus Exige's engine bay from the seat to peering into your Nan's kitchen cabinet, with all the tin foil and tupperware. Such un-glamorous things are nestled under the windscreen here, including some kind of air inlet (or a windscreen heater?) and a fluid reservoir or two, plus other pipes and leads that do Many Important Things.<br />
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A closer look at some of the things under the base of the windscreen, on the would-be driver's right-hand side. Among other things, part of the windscreen wiper mechanism can be seen near the top, culminating in that gold-ish nipple.<br />
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Now let's get to the bits inside the wheel arches! As well as not having wheels, there were no plastic weather guards on this car either, so you can see right through...<br />
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Ferrari-branded <a href="http://www.brembo.com/en/company/news/brembo-braking-system-for-the-ferrari-488-spider" target="_blank">Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes</a> were fitted here, vented and drilled for greater cooling. The disc itself is 398mm at the front (360mm at the rear) and uses composite materials and technology derived from LaFerrari to get them up to temperature more quickly while also officially improving stopping distances by 9% compared to the 458 Italia this car replaces. Handy, given that the new engine produces 110 more horsepower! Weighing around half as much as an equivalent cast iron disc, each is squeezed by bespoke Brembo pads attached to a hollow monoblock aluminium caliper (6 pistons up front, 4 out back, each different sizes to make pad wear more even).<br />
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Behind that, you can see the front suspension, including spring, magnetorheological damper (inside the spring) and the upper wishbone mounted to what I think is the wheel hub - with a Ferrari horse embossed on it. Gotta represent! The black accordion-esque cylinder nearby is most likely the steering shaft that pushes the front wheel outwards (or pulls it inwards) to steer it. The wheel and brake assembly pivot around the circular spot you can see above the horse, all attached to the hub.<br />
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The front of the car is to the right of these images, by the way.<br />
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I can guarantee you that this fan ahead of the front wheel are is part of the cooling system, not some secret <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/ariels-thinking-about-vacuum-car.html" target="_blank">downforce cheat</a>! It appears to be sitting on an intercooler or radiator, mounted up front to balance the weight and/or to free up space elsewhere.<br />
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Before we get to a rear corner, I'll break this up a bit with a photo of the central tunnel and "central bridge," onto which the transmission buttons are mounted, from the finished car we could sit in. It's all real carbon fibre.<br />
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Anyway...<br />
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We rejoin the action in the right-rear wheel arch area, looking at more fans and radiators as well as the bottom of the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. The purple-ish pipes in the top left area are part of the exhuast system, and as such get extremely hot (sadly I can't put a number on how hot). The system on the right of this image appears to be the intercooler used to cool incoming air for the right-side turbocharger as well as feed air into it via the thick orange pipe.<br />
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Slightly further back, you can see the rear spring/damper combo close up, along with the exhaust pipe disappearing behind it to within the rear of the chassis in order to poke out almost centrally of the rear bumper.<br />
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With the tail of the car on the left, there are more electrical leads and plugs going on behind where the rear wheel (and a plastic shield) would be. Ferrari is an odd mix of traditionalist and technology-pushing, so despite electronic "Side Slip-angle Control" and an electronic parking brake and active aero flaps here and there, they still build road cars using aluminium chassis as is in keeping with their history, whereas the likes of McLaren use a <a href="http://www.robcollingridge.com/400kg/build/2012/07/MP4-12C_chassis.jpg" target="_blank">carbon fibre central tub</a>. The only exceptions are the "special series cars" such as the Enzo and LaFerrari, although the front/rear subframes and crash structures would likely be metallic on those cars anyway. You can bend metal back into shape, but when carbon fibre fails, it's failed for good.<br />
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Here we look upwards to the top of the rear wheel area, with the rear brake in view at the bottom.<br />
In case you've forgotten, the shot of the engine is right back at the top of this page ;-)<br />
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Although, to save you scrolling I can post a different one from a finished 488:<br />
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Here's a quick and dirty photo of what you see when the floor and rear diffuser are removed. You can see the exhaust pipes exiting through their own little grilles, while the 7-speed twin-clutch gearbox hangs low just ahead of them. To the left of that, you can see the left-side rear suspension lower arm.<br />
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Finally, this is a peek up the little piece of aerodynamic trickery on the rear bumper. Air flowing down the roof gets channeled into a central slot just below the FERRARI script on the top side. That air then exits through the moustache-like slot just above the rear number plate, in order to reduce drag. Here we are looking up through the exit. It's difficult to get a good shot of these things but I thought I'd try it anyway!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSVJLRopabCUXoJ-7DyByHKCdmxasqekpdg7aSNBJtY8h6Pi8C5lzROZTecmM62DpW8lLnx7AnGe_rKKjKP6TdmgFxThyphenhyphen2zHgZJExdl0G-0hciOnvx4Is7VT16HY-HJM7Miyi98VkU2Q/s1600/IMG_20160924_103656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSVJLRopabCUXoJ-7DyByHKCdmxasqekpdg7aSNBJtY8h6Pi8C5lzROZTecmM62DpW8lLnx7AnGe_rKKjKP6TdmgFxThyphenhyphen2zHgZJExdl0G-0hciOnvx4Is7VT16HY-HJM7Miyi98VkU2Q/s640/IMG_20160924_103656.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One last close-up: this is an air outlet next to the left tail light. It would be easy to assume that it's just a heat vent with a carbon fibre surround instead of a grille, but air flows through the large intakes behind the doors and gets split, so some of it feeds the intercoolers and turbos we saw earlier, some of it blows cold air onto the engine and some of it flows straight through and out of here for lower drag. Although of course, heat might also exit here.<br />
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There's a better and more visual explanation in an official Ferrari video here:<br />
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So there we have it! I hope you learned something and that I didn't unhelpfully misidentify anything. There will be more activity on this blog tomorrow, so stay tuned!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpJDlFTq69yzq5bpBiWqgpI8Ef4NTn3XdAze5h9P402d4ex_HeTVt27hHXPPE421s8iRLnX58WjF19Sk7skgUxhKt7MG0u54ngmtDQtBMNSiU_PSItc0qXUVbhnVzeljE5pYWCj5MW4o/s1600/IMG_20160924_103052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpJDlFTq69yzq5bpBiWqgpI8Ef4NTn3XdAze5h9P402d4ex_HeTVt27hHXPPE421s8iRLnX58WjF19Sk7skgUxhKt7MG0u54ngmtDQtBMNSiU_PSItc0qXUVbhnVzeljE5pYWCj5MW4o/s640/IMG_20160924_103052.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, I totally sat in a 488 Spider. The carbon fibre paddles felt a bit plastic-y, so I'd stick with metal ones...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX2HhwBqHOk_rWV_j3bydKCSarcC_ozRGqPSEaxQvW3APmv53zLJwq2MBihrLR4o1t-M3jpK_5Hz8xDx3THU5aS3iQXrk0P2XecnOp2l5yMBO8EfyHWqlQduHj99w4b5LJeBrfLT5If8/s1600/IMG_20160924_102952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTX2HhwBqHOk_rWV_j3bydKCSarcC_ozRGqPSEaxQvW3APmv53zLJwq2MBihrLR4o1t-M3jpK_5Hz8xDx3THU5aS3iQXrk0P2XecnOp2l5yMBO8EfyHWqlQduHj99w4b5LJeBrfLT5If8/s640/IMG_20160924_102952.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Follow <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SmallBlog V8</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/SmallBlogV8" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBlogV8/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/b/115334403769124492673/+Smallblogv8BlogspotUk" target="_blank">Google+</a> !</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-5238889170494716992016-09-13T18:21:00.001+01:002016-09-20T19:20:51.950+01:00Ariel's Thinking About a Vacuum Car<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfLcwxsL48M3we9OJQuMeE3ZkHMPUZBETVO8SOjeJZperX-z7m1wl7UxiZ52z44w8aGs7FUO4eqYIOEOInRuNkk6CE1GVbDq45DbdAynoNjzqgTMR2pIMGSpaz0GLzTQlx-aVhQJKHL8/s1600/Ariel+Atom+AERO-P+research+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfLcwxsL48M3we9OJQuMeE3ZkHMPUZBETVO8SOjeJZperX-z7m1wl7UxiZ52z44w8aGs7FUO4eqYIOEOInRuNkk6CE1GVbDq45DbdAynoNjzqgTMR2pIMGSpaz0GLzTQlx-aVhQJKHL8/s640/Ariel+Atom+AERO-P+research+car.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ariel Atom AERO-P research car</td></tr>
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It's not just large car companies that like to push the boundaries of automotive technology, you know. Small British sports car companies are doing things their own way and many of those things are of distinct intrigue. TVR is punching its way out of its coffin with <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/london-motor-show-2016.html" target="_blank">an all-new car</a> using Gordon Murray's ingenious new construction and manufacturing techniques dubbed "<a href="http://istreamtechnology.co.uk/1/iSTREAM.html" target="_blank">iStream</a>." BAC, makers of the Mono one-seater, have successfully <a href="http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/bac-mono-first-use-revolutionary-graphene-material" target="_blank">made body panels out of graphene</a>, the upcoming wonder material that's just one atom thick (although they used more than one layer of course!). Oh, and speaking of atoms, let's look at Ariel's latest news...<br />
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Despite still looking oh-so cool after over a decade, the Ariel Atom isn't particularly aerodynamic. The nose cone and little plastic headlights may have a tiny frontal area but airflow needs to be smooth and an exposed tubular frame just isn't. Faster versions can be had with "F1-style" wings, but as Ariel themselves point out, "c<i>onventional aerofoils and aerodynamic devices give downforce at speed – the higher the speed, the higher the downforce. However the negative aspect of this is that downforce is not required for most of the time, particularly for road based cars during normal driving, and is not available at slow speed or when stationary."</i><br />
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<i>"The ensuing drag of fixed aerofoils also not only reduces a vehicle’s top speed but has a marked negative effect on its fuel consumption as well as emissions. On the Atom drag can be increased by as much as 15% by adding conventional aerofoils with the resultant effect on fuel use and tailpipe emissions.</i>"<br />
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So you see, it's dirty downforce, only working at speed and holding back certain aspects of the car's potential, plus wings make you look like a bit of a chav sometimes.<br />
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The small Somerset-based company is thus on a quest for a better solution. The one <a href="http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/ariel/news/" target="_blank">it's testing now</a> allegedly guarantees downforce from a standstill without any real drag penalty. I'll give you a hint: look at the picture above and atop this article. See how it looks like the car has a surfboard glued to the bottom? It's closely related to that, which isn't on normal Atoms.<br />
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The large flat floor conceals two fans which suck air up from underneath the car through two small tunnels, thus generating a low pressure area under the car. The reason this matters is that with low pressure below and high or unaffected pressure above the car, the air going underneath is accelerated as it tries to equalise the pressures. This causes the car to be sucked downwards. The effect can be guaranteed by sealing the floor and using a wing-shaped underside to generate "ground effect," but cars using fans to generate or greatly increase the effect are generally known as "sucker cars" or "fan cars." Ariel have nicknamed their prototype "The Vacuum Cleaner" for obvious reasons!<br />
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Of course, a vacuum car is nothing motorsport hasn't seen before, both in sports cars and single seaters. Naturally the F1 solution was more complicated, but the earlier American machine had a simpler setup; the 1970 Chaparral 2J featured a two-cylinder snowmobile engine running completely independently of the big-block 680hp Chevrolet V8 powering the wheels, instead running at a constant speed to spin the fans and generate a consistent aero platform. It looks a bit like someone plonked the air conditioning unit from a skyscraper on the back of a fairly basic Can-Am car - although its aluminium construction was itself actually quite advanced at the time - but combined with Lexan skirts connected to the suspension (thus creating a seal around the underbody) the 2J was as much as two seconds per lap faster than the opposition... when it wasn't suffering mechanical problems. Oh, and in case you were wondering it does have a pair of rear wheels under there! I imagine pit stops took a while...<br />
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In the 1978 Brabham BT46B Formula 1 car designed by Gordon Murray, the enormous central fan system was connected directly to the 520-horsepower, 3.0 flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine via "a series of clutches" and drew air from both underneath and partially through the top-mounted radiators, the latter so that Brabham could pass it off as a legal and innocuous engine cooling device (Spoiler Alert: this did not work). One giveaway was that this setup caused the car to squat down when the driver revved the engine, so strong was the suction! It required a different driving style involving hitting the throttle as early and as hard as possible, thus generating the downforce to carry major speed through a corner. It worked so well that the car was banned after a single dominant race at the Swedish Grand Prix, at which point Brabham had to revert to the previous, fan-less spec. Niki Lauda later said of the experience that it would become very tiring for the drivers to be subjected to cornering forces of that magnitude, which has a byproduct of making the steering heavier as well as throwing the driver around more.<br />
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Inspired by these two cars, Ariel's philosophy is somewhere between them. The fans run separately from the engine, like the 2J, but they don't run all the time and you can switch them on and off to make the car squat down only when it needs to, a bit like the 46B. There are two 100mm electric fans, one at each end, powered by a dedicated battery pack. In the photos of the prototype there is no clear exit point for the air - certainly no enormous turbine-looking thing like the '70s cars - but on this CFD simulation image of theirs, there appears to be an additional banana-shaped pipe between the rear wheel and the main body, just ahead of the suspension wishbones. Maybe it's that? They don't seem to say in <a href="http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/ariel/news/" target="_blank">their press release</a> [<b>EDIT:</b> <i>There's a Y-shaped one-into-two pipe between the seats/under the engine air intake - it's that</i>]. In any case, the reason they've made the fan system switchable instead of running permanently is because when you're cruising on the motorway, you don't need the tyres to be forced so hard into the road. Turning the fans off would mean less force on the tyres, therefore less friction and rolling resistance and thus slightly better fuel economy than if the fans were on. Ariel say that this version 1.0 vacuum car is already making three times more downforce than a normal Atom with wings on while adding no drag, the benefit of which is much more grip and stability when stopping and steering, not to mention better traction under acceleration, without losing any top speed or significantly affecting economy.<br />
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But you may be wondering, if we came up with this stuff in the 1970s, why has it not been on road cars before? Not even Adrian Newey's <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/aston-martin-am-rb-001-will-redefine.html" target="_blank">crazy new Aston Martin</a> does it. Well, there is <a href="http://caquisa.tripod.com/mclaren/design2.htm" target="_blank">some evidence</a> to suggest the <a href="http://newmotoring.com/read-the-original-mclaren-f1-press-release-from-1992/" target="_blank">McLaren F1 road car</a> had front and rear(?) fan systems with a switchable "high downforce mode" to help cancel out all the lift naturally generated by any car body shape, while also blowing cool air strategically onto the hot bits like the engine, ECU, brakes etc. However, McLaren themselves are very quiet about it, only saying in the original 1992 press release that "<i>two powerful electric fans remove boundary layer air from the rolled S-wave of ‘reflex’ diffuser sections, helping to control movement of the Centre of Pressure</i>" and never explaining further. It sounds like it's more for balancing the car's handling than for outright grip.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McLaren F1 road car</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikReXF9JuFZZFxhFAKv6rjzj7OJ60SsHHQq4R88PJUgSq5-xiYm-YnhAvoz7keha3nQ9iJoTJtRKRhjrdfoW2Dwn3aCCdENVgfN3BTGmR7-7W5l21CHgYyylUNG2zSxf9F4BML5LjP8cs/s1600/Red+Bull+X1+-+Underside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikReXF9JuFZZFxhFAKv6rjzj7OJ60SsHHQq4R88PJUgSq5-xiYm-YnhAvoz7keha3nQ9iJoTJtRKRhjrdfoW2Dwn3aCCdENVgfN3BTGmR7-7W5l21CHgYyylUNG2zSxf9F4BML5LjP8cs/s640/Red+Bull+X1+-+Underside.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Bull X2010 Gran Turismo concept on its side, revealing where the air gets sucked in</td></tr>
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At any rate, even if we put aside the added complexity of a fan car, there are a few practical issues with the concept. Some F1 teams claimed that Brabham's car was picking up dirt and stones from underneath it and chucking them out the back of the car along with the air, which wouldn't be ideal in any situation with multiple cars close together (or a bike following). While some speculate that this was merely an attempt to get the car banned on safety grounds, it would nevertheless be interesting to know what McLaren's solution to this problem was, if indeed it's a real problem. Would the suction effect be weakened if the intakes had grilles on them to filter out grit and leaves?<br />
<br />
Secondly, the reason the Ariel Atom AERO-P research car has a big rubber platform on the underside is the same reason the Chaparral 2J had sliding skirts connected to the suspension; for the effect to be fully realised, you need to 'seal' the floor onto the road surface. This is fine on most race tracks, but if the car hits a big kerb or rises up as it drives over a big crest in the road, the seal is lost and so is the downforce. Suddenly you'd have significantly less grip to play with than you did a second ago - I read that the 2J could make a tonne (1000kg) of downforce just with the fans - which could easily lead a rather significant accident. Again, if McLaren or the F1's designer Gordon Murray opened up about their system we could find out what they did about this (maybe it was as simple as giving the driver a toggle switch like Ariel has done and then telling them to only use it on a track).<br />
<br />
Ariel will find out all this and much more - including how to retract the rubber skirts when they aren't needed - as their research continues. The AERO-P will also be used to study other, passive aerodynamic concepts and to study "<i>the particular requirements of new technology powertrains, not yet released and still under development.</i>"<br />
<br />
If they keep us informed, it will be fascinating to follow the development of this notorious, immensely effective, yet scarcely utilised aero effect and find out whether it really is feasible for road cars on a more everyday basis... or whether drivers could handle an Atom track car making over a tonne of downforce!<br />
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<i>Follow <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SmallBlog V8</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/SmallBlogV8" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/b/115334403769124492673/+Smallblogv8BlogspotUk" target="_blank">Google+</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBlogV8/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-30673757504421181962016-09-13T13:59:00.001+01:002016-09-13T15:40:16.898+01:00KEN BLOCK DID MORE SKIDS YO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgRnZSPJ1-LWdSrpTEvNEnn6ylWz8RWofsI7AOkZv4UY0Zp2oeNDfuKgW-zHJ4G6NiHkN5AHeT81faeuk8d8h2OLTVK8LOwLQA59N2W08ySomy5jueKltTCfAZU6x522ZViO0xfmMIwE/s1600/Gymkhana+Nine_Deaf+Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgRnZSPJ1-LWdSrpTEvNEnn6ylWz8RWofsI7AOkZv4UY0Zp2oeNDfuKgW-zHJ4G6NiHkN5AHeT81faeuk8d8h2OLTVK8LOwLQA59N2W08ySomy5jueKltTCfAZU6x522ZViO0xfmMIwE/s640/Gymkhana+Nine_Deaf+Fish.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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YO YO YO SBV8 UP IN HERE BRO IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU SAW A CAR DOING THE SKIDS RIGHT?<br />
<br />
WELL DON'T SWEAT IT BROSEPH 'COZ KEN BLOCK'S ONLY GONE AND WENT THERE ONE MORE TIME!!<br />
<br />
HE'S STILL SKIDDIN' LIKE HE AIN'T KIDDIN'<br />
<br />
DOIN' SKIDS BY A TRAIN<br />
<br />
DOIN' SKIDS NEAR SOME WATER<br />
<br />
DOIN' SKIDS NEAR A DANGLING SVT RAPTOR LIKE "<b>HELI YEAH!</b>" U GET ME BRO<br />
<br />
DOIN' SKIDS UNDER A BRIDGE AND SHIT YO<br />
<br />
DOIN' SKIDS IN HIS FOCUS WORLD RALLYCROSS CAR MOFO<br />
<br />
IT'S GOT FORZA HORIZON 3 STICKERS BRO<br />
<br />
NOT A DC SHOE IN SIGHT<br />
<br />
GIVIN' NOOBS A FRIGHT<br />
<br />
HE BE DRIFTIN' SKIDS ALL NIGHT<br />
<br />
SHOWIN' DRIFTIN' KIDS WHAT'S TIGHT<br />
<br />
UNDER A BRIDGE OR OVER<br />
<br />
THIS SKID-VID SERIES IS NEVER OVER<br />
<br />
BETTER WATCH IT ON YO' OWN<br />
<br />
'CASE YO' MIND GETS BLOWN<br />
<br />
DON'T WANNA COVER YO BROS IN BRAINS<br />
<br />
AFTER SEEING KEN BLOCK SKID PAST TRAINS<br />
<br />
MORE DONUTS THAN A POLICEMAN STEREOTYPE<br />
<br />
I'M RUNNING OUT OF BRO-TACULAR THINGS TO TYPE<br />
<br />
JUST WATCH THE SKIDS<br />
<br />
AND MAYBE OTHER VIDS<br />
<br />
OF KEN IMPRESSING THE MONSTER KIDS.<br />
<br />
YO.<br />
<br />
BRO.<br />
<br />
STOP...<br />
<br />
GO.<br />
<br />
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<br />SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-6072962542993386752016-07-31T23:00:00.001+01:002016-07-31T23:00:49.840+01:00Maybe Next Month!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloJG9te5DOk2Jj0hJUiC8lH1hH9g8WfSy-rBtxUMqCg9WO75qN7zNHr6PNigxpXXvrJkrPRp3_pQsC1B2urIs9tCgtuMU9gz3LPnrtLw9eGqB_-LOJn86zwQprxBk-TTBhffTPPa6Lbg/s1600/1963+Ferrari+250+GT+Lusso_35+16x9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloJG9te5DOk2Jj0hJUiC8lH1hH9g8WfSy-rBtxUMqCg9WO75qN7zNHr6PNigxpXXvrJkrPRp3_pQsC1B2urIs9tCgtuMU9gz3LPnrtLw9eGqB_-LOJn86zwQprxBk-TTBhffTPPa6Lbg/s640/1963+Ferrari+250+GT+Lusso_35+16x9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A month ago I apologised to anyone who reads or follows this blog (anyone? Bueller?) for being very thin on content. Maybe I'll get my act together in July, I said! Unfortunately, this has turned out to be a lie. I apologise again.<br />
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Maybe I'll pull myself together in August. In the mean time, use the sidebar to find something interesting from the archives!<br />
<br />
As you were.<br />
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[image unrelated but beautiful]<br />
<br />SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-90642055599520989882016-07-31T22:36:00.002+01:002016-07-31T22:40:59.758+01:00Learn 11 of the 10 Must-Know Facts about the Mazda MX-5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Mazda MX-5 (known in North America as the Mazda Miataaa) has been observed by humans for over 25 years now and recently reached total lifetime sales figures of <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/2016/04/mazda-mx-5-reaches-million-sales.html" target="_blank">over a million</a> following the launch of the 'ND' a couple of years ago. It's so good that FIAT-Chrysler decided that if they were going to build a new <strike>Alfa Romeo</strike> <strike>Lancia</strike> FIAT roadster and sportify the brand, it would have to be <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/2015/11/fiat-124-spider-la-miata-ditalia.html" target="_blank">a collaboration with Mazda</a> (known in the USA as Mahzda). I could sit here and tell you all about it, but that would be a waste of time, because this video contains all the truth there has ever been on YouTube about this infallible automocar. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-33223575540918480572016-07-31T22:21:00.002+01:002016-07-31T22:21:50.246+01:00Drifter Puts Ferrari V8 in a Toyota 86<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Swapping a V8 into a car that didn't originally have one is a favourite pastime of drifters with money. Unfortunately, this usually means taking an iconic coupé from Japan, butchering the bodywork and then putting a smallblock Chevy V8 in it. Now, I've nothing against that engine - its name inspired this blog's title after all - but when it comes to engine swap projects, an LS1 (or the like) is basically the Toyota Camry of engine swaps; yes, there are lots of practical reasons why it's an effective tool for the job... but that's kind of it. It's not interesting, unique or particularly special relative to the wider automotive world. I also despair when someone inserts an SBV8 in place of an engine with its own iconic status, such as a Porsche flat-six or Mazda rotary engine, partly because it's usually just done to piss people off and partly because cars like the 911 and RX-7 have characters defined by their engines. Yes they have a great chassis too, but the real USP is the engine and yet someone in a shed has turfed it out, changed its soul... bastardised it. No thank you. You're only doing that because you can't be bothered to learn how to maintain a 13B or Porsche boxer.<br />
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No, a proper engine swap should be something mad. In the video above you will find something mad. Outside of the real heavyweights like Skyline and Supra, Japanese coupés usually make do with an inline-four engine (sometimes great ones like a Honda VTEC or Nissan SR20). The one issue there is that a four-cylinder engine isn't very exotic, so even if the compact, lightweight chassis of something like the Toyota GT86 is as well balanced and finessed as a Porsche, it just doesn't feel like it's in that league.<br />
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Now, however, Formula-D mainstay Ryan Tuerck has decided to give the 86 an exotic soul... by inserting the 4.5-litre V8 from a Ferrari 458!<br />
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I'd just like to mention that, because I once fantasised about putting a Ferrari V8 in a Nissan S15, he's basically stolen this concept from my imagination. I'll be expecting royalties, Mr. Tuerck...<br />
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As you might imagine, fitting a 562bhp V8 from a mid-engined supercar into the front of a car only designed for a flat-four (a layout even shorter than an inline) is not a simple task, so the video above explains some of the work and considerations that have gone into making this incredible show car so far. It should be a hell of a thing when it's finished!SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257869549619732210.post-63722889434930136642016-07-05T20:56:00.001+01:002016-07-05T20:56:59.547+01:00Aston Martin AM-RB 001 will Redefine Hypercars Forever<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiNk5su73yiOYaZi7bEvtM7Hzd_3HLxSiSFXNUavVJG7BAGax52ilJkS5_v3nbg1XJSdoZdTzW1Sv47_HeJp7QB2Y79VhrDP8d5jhllJBrabn53dbUE_BdhoyMfAd8UuhNGeU_BNcHLI/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_vs+RB12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiNk5su73yiOYaZi7bEvtM7Hzd_3HLxSiSFXNUavVJG7BAGax52ilJkS5_v3nbg1XJSdoZdTzW1Sv47_HeJp7QB2Y79VhrDP8d5jhllJBrabn53dbUE_BdhoyMfAd8UuhNGeU_BNcHLI/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_vs+RB12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aston Martin AM-RB 001 Concept posing with the Red Bull TAG[Renault] RB12</td></tr>
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For many fans of supercars who are over 15 years old, precious few machines, perhaps even no machine has yet surpassed the mighty McLaren F1 of the 1990s. Designed by Gordon Murray, then the most successful and famous designer of Formula 1 racing cars, the F1 road car set a world top speed record of 231mph almost by accident in its quest to be the ultimate driver's car. Its creator obsessed over losing weight, achieving ultimate efficiency and effectiveness of engineering and an incomparable driving experience, all with a borderline psychotic perfectionism of which even Ron Dennis was probably in awe. The result stood tall as the king of hypercars well after it ceased production, managing to miraculously win Le Mans with very little modification from road spec, as well as top its own top speed record with its BMW 6.1L V12 de-limited, to hit 240mph in 1998. It wouldn't be until 2004 that Koenigsegg beat it with the CCR, followed by the rather more famous Bugatti Veyron a year later... yet neither of those cars have a seat smack bang in the middle of the chassis (made of carbon fibre as a world first), nor a naturally aspirated engine that ignites the soul and reacts almost as quickly as electricity.<br />
<br />
Fast-forward to 2016, however, and while McLaren have once again made a boundary-pushing hypercar, it is now a different British sports car company which is currently stopping the world dead in its tracks with a money-no-object, physics-crushing performance car to end all performance cars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp06-bi8UzY2HnSG3GT11g_f-rYcUukZYRPtigDuM5m9uUgZT8VFa0IHr5kG_8mswuyd_fSgbiR641hsh4KlgKGL3zmEBJvp7mgSJpXedGLP6s9iYdZfstXbl9SbkxSw-XDuZ6_tPb-h8/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp06-bi8UzY2HnSG3GT11g_f-rYcUukZYRPtigDuM5m9uUgZT8VFa0IHr5kG_8mswuyd_fSgbiR641hsh4KlgKGL3zmEBJvp7mgSJpXedGLP6s9iYdZfstXbl9SbkxSw-XDuZ6_tPb-h8/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeT_u1gSkqUZdFgskUIsEwiIrIfPtrSKQufKm0olC0stW7NQ0SFnnUJOLuRZmu2rni3jvz_gy1VCE7n4YqLb2jv8kHMI0Wt2_ZjvJAYOrAwb9OaqWZS-d6qzGEKCPemFkK9R21vUqXpc/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_studio_leftrear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeT_u1gSkqUZdFgskUIsEwiIrIfPtrSKQufKm0olC0stW7NQ0SFnnUJOLuRZmu2rni3jvz_gy1VCE7n4YqLb2jv8kHMI0Wt2_ZjvJAYOrAwb9OaqWZS-d6qzGEKCPemFkK9R21vUqXpc/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_studio_leftrear.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the stunning Aston Martin AM-RB 001. Designed by Adrian Newey OBE, now the most successful and famous designer of Formula 1 racing cars, this upcoming road car is claiming the impossible in its quest to be the ultimate driver's car. Its creator obsessed over losing weight, achieving ultimate aerodynamic efficiency and effectiveness of engineering - there is not a single piece of steel in the car's structure - and an incomparable driving experience, all with a borderline psychotic perfectionism of which even Ron Dennis is probably in awe.<br />
<br />
So far we have a full-size display model to gawp at and <a href="http://www.astonmartin.com/en/live/news/2016/07/05/aston-martin-and-red-bull-racing-unveil-radical-am-rb-001-hypercar" target="_blank">a wordy but largely un-revealing press release</a> to work with. This car is a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, fully justifying the cynical use of AM logos on the Renault-powered RB12 Formula 1 cars. While it actually takes a decent-sized team to devise a car like this, we hear that it encapsulates everything <a href="https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/road/news/2016/7/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-adrian-newey/" target="_blank">Adrian Newey</a> has learned in his 30+ years as a racing car designer as well as fulfilling a dream he's held since he was 6 years old: to design a road car.<br />
If you don't follow Formula 1 closely enough to know about Newey, he masterminded all four of Red Bull's world constructor's championship titles from 2010-13 thanks to his enormous brain and unmatched affinity with the black art of aerodynamics. Oh, and that was far from his first run of success in the top racing series - from 1993-98, he was responsible for every single constructor's title-winning car except for '95, having overseen much of Williams-Renault's utter dominance before moving to McLaren-Mercedes in 1998 and fending off a resurgent Ferrari with the help of Mika Hakkinen's epic driving. So that's 10 world titles in total. TEN. Now he's easing back on his F1 work and has this chance to move street car aero on by a giant leap or two instead.<br />
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The thing is, when viewed from a higher angle the <b>A</b>ston <b>M</b>artin-<b>R</b>ed <b>B</b>ull <b>001</b> doesn't really look like much. I was initially disappointed by the top image because after seeing the <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/2011/05/f1-versus-x1-whats-difference.html" target="_blank">X1 Gran Turismo Concept racers</a> it just looked a bit... conventional. Chunky, even.<br />
<br />
But then I saw this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs8mvvccgg" target="_blank">video by EVO magazine</a>. The following images are screenshots from the video, which is required viewing just to gawp at...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ovzaCbGOJ6iAOquXBjwyF_3W7FuDkEs0kzONwf7xCasbY7PLwQbDv03glHA-wcKm8C4sKl3YiT-I5rhUD2qO9U5cSanLKaf1SOS5KmIN73F-MqpIBYMKrmwSbt6tGOtCsUogumo8UbU/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ovzaCbGOJ6iAOquXBjwyF_3W7FuDkEs0kzONwf7xCasbY7PLwQbDv03glHA-wcKm8C4sKl3YiT-I5rhUD2qO9U5cSanLKaf1SOS5KmIN73F-MqpIBYMKrmwSbt6tGOtCsUogumo8UbU/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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LOOK. AT. THAT!<br />
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Look at all the fresh air underneath the front bodywork! All the negative space between the wheels and the cockpit! Suddenly you realise that far from being chunky, that bodywork is as sinuous as a bat's wing. In fact, it's almost as if they were trying to make the whole car into a wing and then squeezed a cockpit into the middle of it and some wheel pods in the corners. It's like a cross between the X2014 and a BAC Mono. Or an automotive catamaran. Or a minimalist rule-breaking LMP1 car.<br />
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This display model's two-tone colour scheme neatly bisects the inputs from Red Bull Racing's aero department and Aston Martin's design department. The carbon-coloured dark grey elements around the bottom are by Newey and co, while the greenish-silver top body is styled by Aston Martin (but no doubt refined in a wind tunnel anyway). Aston's work is like a skin stretched tight over the aerodynamic hard points, while Red Bull's input includes a two-element front wing (middle picture above) that looks straight off an F1 car, an elegant little active rear wing and many air channels and/or heat vents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7U75jiGZA8RRCqkRWa_mOMVopH29PnFpzxLH4MMeC7npIB9WC8zAya8FXlVe_EqgslIzEXKJ9WbItst0MBvF-d5MboaEh-kdh6CsKoU3DCbA-An84PfKPKCoG27w852kmmFZZXcpzro/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_studio_front+full+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7U75jiGZA8RRCqkRWa_mOMVopH29PnFpzxLH4MMeC7npIB9WC8zAya8FXlVe_EqgslIzEXKJ9WbItst0MBvF-d5MboaEh-kdh6CsKoU3DCbA-An84PfKPKCoG27w852kmmFZZXcpzro/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_studio_front+full+res.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Despite seeming not to have any room for anything bar some skinny little suspension arms, this car is meant to have room enough for two everyday adults, sitting with their heels higher than their hips as one would sit if they were in an F1 or LMP1 car. Don't count on any luggage space though, this may be an Aston but it won't be a cushy GT car. Instead an all-new naturally aspirated V12 engine of undisclosed displacement squeezes in behind the occupants, along with some kind of electronic KERS boost to allegedly provide as much as 1000 horsepower... in a car allegedly weighing as little as 1000 kilogrammes. That is of course 1000bhp/tonne, roughly twice the power/weight ratio of a Veyron and considerably more extreme than any of Porsche/Ferrari/McLaren's hyper-hybrids of a couple of years ago. In fact, this car makes all four of those machines and many more besides look chunky and old-fashioned (especially the Bugatti). Instead, its performance aims are pointing at an altogether more significant crowd...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq0WZBea343vf0jYwAsXr2yTyWz7jske3fRQOLDMTsUgN6aGQ0cbs1mEaIx6mAzihyphenhyphenq0I8gt_dAv28riTYceI6LGLBOKjfkp4eEEBASHrTpFZ7zDyUujqxRznGLVgRxnWnFiTKhmyLpg/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq0WZBea343vf0jYwAsXr2yTyWz7jske3fRQOLDMTsUgN6aGQ0cbs1mEaIx6mAzihyphenhyphenq0I8gt_dAv28riTYceI6LGLBOKjfkp4eEEBASHrTpFZ7zDyUujqxRznGLVgRxnWnFiTKhmyLpg/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_8.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just the one exhaust pipe, pointing at an angle undoubtedly meant to make the airflow out of it benefit the car's handling</td></tr>
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Because there is so much fresh air underneath this low-slung car, there is the potential to manipulate it into generating absolutely huge levels of downforce. In fact, there's official talk of the car making "LMP1 levels of downforce." No figures are given at this stage but in theory that would be comfortably over a tonne of the stuff at something like 200km/h (124mph) or above. For reference, the McLaren P1 in "Race Mode" generates ~600kg at around 160mph, so this could have twice as much aero effect as that - oh, and LMP1 cars make more downforce than Formula 1 cars anyway, so there's that for context. What's more, Aston Martin state that it can pull up to 4.5g of lateral force in a fast corner (whether that's possible on road tyres is debatable but the model here is wearing slicks, so I'm assuming you get multiple sets of tyres for different driving) while delivering lap times to rival Red Bull's racing cars...<br />
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Now, we've heard the phrase "F1 car for the road" often enough in the past that it's become a cliché difficult to take seriously. At the same time, however, if ever there was a car to actually manage it then this seems as worthy a candidate as we've ever seen before. Thing is, though, this is a road car. A decade ago we had the Caparo T1 which basically looked, sounded and sort of drove like a GP2 car with headlights and a canopy over it... but despite being road legal it was an absolutely hopeless road car. Given Aston Martin's long-held reputation for elegant long-distance cruisers, a rock hard race track refugee that's un-drivable on a trip to Tesco wouldn't make any sense no matter how fast or spectacular it is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbhIg-DtUzJVbC99j__qDGKRz1gCthd8qIJjjoesslIQ-09zNzboxe3_3xxjqKb6Fa_4dGcGAO-hQBnpG0IWjzHiGSc6DdWCt2FrLVZtcL8GLawG1xAKT2qJYgUOaKAo3OFnlmCSnXS0/s1600/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbhIg-DtUzJVbC99j__qDGKRz1gCthd8qIJjjoesslIQ-09zNzboxe3_3xxjqKb6Fa_4dGcGAO-hQBnpG0IWjzHiGSc6DdWCt2FrLVZtcL8GLawG1xAKT2qJYgUOaKAo3OFnlmCSnXS0/s640/Aston+Martin+AM-RB+001_evo+Closeup_9.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As such, the suspension will apparently be as game-changing as the aerodynamics - much like the McLaren F1 road car this aims to blow your mind yet soothe your spine. We hear from the company that the system(s) will feature "<i>innovative technology and employ principles honed by Newey over his thirty year career. Likewise, the transmission is a clean-sheet design conceived by Newey and developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies.</i>" Newey himself adds "<i>I’ve always been adamant that the AM-RB 001 should be a true road car that’s also capable of extreme performance on track, and this means it really has to be a car of two characters. That’s the secret we’re trying to put into this car - the technology that allows it to be docile and comfortable, but with immense outright capabilities.</i>" Will it be clever active suspension that reads the road ahead? Will it simply be a packaging marvel that squeezes enough travel into a tiny space entirely within the bodywork for unobstructed air flow? Or both? Or something else entirely? Time will tell.<br />
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How much time? Well, the first deliveries are targeted for 2018, so we've got a while yet to get our collective heads around this incredible machine and absorb what will likely be a drip feed of technical information over the next year or two. This model has already been shown to some potential customers in Monaco, while Red Bull F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has expressed keen interest in being a test driver during prototype development. Once it's all finalised, Aston Martin will at their facility in Gaydon build at least 99 road-registered cars (with a cap at 150 cars including prototypes), then 24 track-only versions that really would scare an LMP1 car...<br />
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Fancy one? Tough. It's going to cost at least £2,000,000 which used to be an awful lot of money until two Thursdays ago. Instead you, like I, will have to just sit there and dream about it, quietly wishing it had a slightly snappier name and wondering what on earth its all-new V12 will sound like.<br />
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Hypercars may never be the same again.<br />
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<i>Written exclusively for <a href="http://smallblogv8.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SmallBlogV8</a>. Don't steal the words. Images from Aston Martin and evo magazine.</i>SmallBlogV8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02059682752854307781noreply@blogger.com1