Apologies for the short entry but I’m restricted to typing on my iPad and it’s a pain in the rear end.
That’s an appropriate place to start, actually, because my wife would gladly wager that my rear end is noisier than the rear end of a 2014 Formula 1 car, the quietness of which has got Australia’s F1 promoter threatening legal action today.
”I was absolutely delighted with the whole weekend, but I was not too happy with the sound,” Walker said on Monday. “We are resolving that with Bernie. It’s clearly in breach of our contract. I was talking to him last night [Sunday] and it’s not what we paid for. It’s going to change.
I watched qualifying on Saturday and I didn’t mind the sound when I first heard it. But over the course of a full race on Sunday, it did take away from the excitement, somewhat. In fact, I nipped out to buy a bag of dog food and didn’t feel like I was missing that much (knowing I’d be back in time for Ricciardo’s big moment).
It’s not a bad sound, but I think the point is that it’s not an F1 sound and anything that takes away from the raw sensation of the pinnacle of Motorsport is a bad thing.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the courts, and in other countries, too.
Here’s some video. Note first, the sound. Note second, the lack of enduring sound and the fact that you can hear announcements over the loudspeaker. I’d suggest that is a new phenomenon.
Ellinghaus said he saw potential for “almost all cars in the current portfolio”, but said any Australian introduction would start with one or two models and expand from there.
A local launch appears unlikely until closer to the end of the decade at the earliest, however, with the brand still yet to manufacture any of its vehicles in right-hand drive.
“We are of course on the case and want to offer right-hand drive. We have plans underway [but] it’s definitely nothing that will come in the next two or three years for sure.
Caddy tried to come into Australia around 5 years or so ago. They even commandeered Saab Australia’s personnel and re-named them GM Premium Brands. It was over before it started.
We’ve just had a long weekend and I spent much of it back in my home town – Melbourne – visiting my family. A great time was had by all and I can’t wait to get back there again. Soon, I hope.
Meanwhile, in the motoring world…..
Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior
When people talk classic cars, they always talk originality. It’s keeping the car original that brings in the big bucks, right?
Sometimes that’s great. But sometimes it’s a bit like buying a new car in silver or white purely because you want to preserve the re-sale or trade-in value. Sometimes the more courageous path is to make the car your own, but tastefully.
I reckon the owner of this Alfa GT 1300 Junior has done just that. See more at Petrolicious.
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BMW 2002
How did I not have the BMW 2002 on my 2014 Automotive Bucket List? Or any other bucket list, for that matter?
Seriously? Just look at it.
Consider it a lock for the 2015 list.
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Grab Bag
That BMW 2002 picture, and plenty of other inspiring automotive images, are part of this week’s “assorted grab bag of stuff we like” from Motoring Con Brio.
Subscribe and get this goodness whenever they share it. It’ll lift your week(end).
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Affordable 911
Well, sort of……
In recent history, the phrases “matching numbers” and “911” with a year in the 1970’s associated with his has meant some pretty exorbitant pricing.
When I spotted this 911 for sale on my feeds earlier today, the bids were at a mere $15,000 US dollars, making this one of the more affordable Porsche 911’s in recent memory. The black paint isn’t original, but car looked pretty tidy.
Sadly, the sale has now been cancelled by the vendor. What’s the bet he’s got wise and will re-list with an extra $20K on the price tag?
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Mini Makes Sense
BMW have long been the kings of providing answers to questions nobody was asking.
BMW X6, anyone?
The disease spread to their Mini division some time ago with the Pokemon Paceman, Coupe and Roadster turning a legitimate modern motoring icon into a bit of a laugh.
It seems that Mini have seen sense and are planning on canning the extra Minis and concentrating on their core as they roll out the new 3rd generation Mini range:
Asked if the company was planning new versions of the hatch-based two-seat Coupe and Roadster models, Mini product management chief Oliver Friedmann told industry journal Automotive News Europe: “It’s not decided but most probably this is not a priority.”
Damn right, it’s not.
And while you’re considering what to do with Mini in the future, stop making it so bloody fat.
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Hope Springs Eternal
The head honcho at Hyundai North America’s design team does automotive art in his spare time.
Maybe there’s hope for one of the most derivative-design-driven car companies, after all.
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Jolly Good Price
This is not a golf cart. It’s a Fiat Jolly and it sold at auction last weekend.
Take your guess as to how much it fetched. I’ll reveal the answer in comments …. later.
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Lovely Lamborghinis
Sant’Agata Bolognese isn’t the meal that Italian kids leave for Father Christmas on December 24. It’s a town just outside Modena, in northern Italy, and it’s the home of Museo Lamborghini – the Lamborghini Museum.
Andrew Coles at Any Given Reason visited the Lamborghini Museum as part of his European automotive tour last year and his pictorial from the visit is wonderful to behold.
The Miura would have to be one of the top 3 car designs ever, wouldn’t it?
The best motor show…. in the world …. is on right now in Geneva. The movers and shakers from the automotive world are all there, except for you and I. Sadly, I’m writing this from my sofa in Australia and you’re reading it when you should be working, wherever you are (other than Geneva) 🙂
Here are the hits and misses from my point of view…..
The Twingo is a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive 4-seater city car and people in certain markets will be able to buy it with a 90hp turbocharged engine (if they upgrade from the standard 70hp engine). Sadly, there are no plans for an RenaultSport version….. yet.
People are reportedly quite keen to drive it.
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MISS: Rumour Mongering
OK, so what do you think this Saab person* is doing checking out the Volvo stand at Geneva?
OMG! There was someone from Saab at Geneva!!!
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HIT: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider
My goodness, it just gets better, doesn’t it? The bug-eyed but beautiful Alfa Romeo 4C has just taken its top off and the results are Alf-tacular. It even has non-buggish headlamps, which I sincerely hope make it to the production model.
Speaking of which, Alfa Romeo say they’ll make it in 2015, so I’ll be looking for one around 2025 when I can (hopefully) afford it.
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MISS: Alfa pass on the MX-5/Spider
Being a bit of an automotive nationalist, I can understand why Sergio Marchionne might decide to pass on using whatever it was they were co-developing with Mazda as an Alfa Romeo Spider. The word is that it might be used as a Fiat or Abarth product instead because Marchionne says that an Alfa Romeo should never be made outside of Italy.
But I think the collaboration with Mazda had the potential to make a very exciting Alfa Romeo that would have been reasonably accessible. It’s OK to move Alfa upmarket, but that shouldn’t rule out genuine opportunities to do great things in collaboration with others.
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HIT: Porsche 919 racing kit
This is Mark Webber’s new Le Mans ride, the Porsche 919 Hybrid racer – and as an aside, with Red Bull and golden child Sebby V struggling in early F1 practice, how happy do you reckon Webber is right now to be piloting this Porker?
Those stripes look a little strange, don’t they? Well, check out this view of the car from above.
Cool.
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MISS: Silver Maserati Alfieri
The Maserati Alfieri concept car is pretty enough, but I wonder if it might have benefitted from a deep red, or a deep metallic brown.
Silver? Meh.
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HIT: Abarth 695 Biposto
I’ve only ever driven a regular Fiat 500 but I loved it. OK, it was a cabriolet. And I drove it around Mallorca, where I could have fallen in love with a Pontiac Aztec. But still, the little 500 does capture the heart.
The Abarth took the little 500 to another level. Now the Abarth 695 Biposto is coming to send it over the top – for a price, of course.
190hp
Under 1,000kg
Titanium roll cage
Brembo brakes
Sub-6 second 0-100 sprint
And it looks the business, too.
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MISS: Alfa Romeo Disco Volante in Green
No. Just no.
I don’t care that it’s gorgeous. It shouldn’t be green and gold. It should be either red, or white, or nothing.
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HIT: Pagani Potato Cutter
Interestingly, Pagani’s drawcard at Geneva isn’t a Hyuaphwooaaar, or whatever it’s called. It’s a Zonda, called the Zonda Revolucion.
Even more interestingly, if you drive the front corner of the car into a bag of spuds at high speed, you can make chips for the whole neighbourhood.
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MISS: Ford Loses Focus
It might end up being a cracking drive for the money, but the 2015 Ford Focus doesn’t look anywhere near as nicely proportioned as previous generations. I guess we’ll have to see what they do with the hot versions.
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HIT: Koenigsegg One:1
Because it has a megawatt of power. Because it looks absolutely stunning inside and out and will drive even better than it looks. Because it’s made by the nicest bloke in motoring, Christian von Koenigsegg. It’s a hit.
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MISS: Audi Uglies
I’m sure that many will disagree, but the new Audi TT and S1 leave me colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss (sorry Maman, but it’s just a saying, aimed at those horrible mother-in-laws that everyone else seems to have 🙂 )
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HIT: Mazda Hazumi
I was torn between showing this and the angry little Toyota city car. I chose this because the Toyota looks like it should be in a movie and then quickly forgotten. Plus, I like Mazda more than I like Toyota.
This concept is regarded as a preview of the next Mazda 2 and if the production version looks as good as this one, Mazda will be set to keep hold of their top-3 billing here in Australia.
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MISS: Melting Bugatti
Aren’t we all just a bit over the Bugatti Veyron? Wonderful piece of engineering, but it’s becoming a bit of a parody of itself, I think. In an effort to move the last ones off the lot, Bugatti keep coming up with special editions (like Koenigsegg, but with less sincerity and more arrogance).
This one – named Rembrant – is very chocolatey. They should have called it Homer. Whatever you call it, just don’t park it in the sun, OK?
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*No, that wasn’t really a Saab person at Geneva. It was a friend of Mark W, who supplied the photo.
I’m preparing a bumper entry on my likes and dislikes from the Geneva Motor Show. It looks like another epic show over there. Amazing.
In the meantime, here’s a Volvo video showing the new Apple CarPlay system.
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I took a long time to get on board with iPhone but I have to say it’s the best phone I’ve ever owned and my brief experience with it makes a system like this a very interesting proposition.
Yes, people have their grievances with being tied to the Apple ecosystem, but my experience is that Apple do integration very well. This is a situation where proper, thorough integration would be a real bonus.
The video below shows the end to Race 2, last Saturday. The guy in the Holden, Jamie Whincup, happens to have won five V8 Supercar championships, so he’s no chump. The guy in the Volvo is just 20 years old and it’s Volvo’s first weekend in the V8 Supercar series. In other words, no-one really expected Volvo or Scott McLaughlin to do much on this inaugural outing.
The tussle you’re about to see is for 2nd and 3rd place. This is racing.
Do not scroll past without watching at least the first 3:40 of this video.
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Spyker are in the news, with Victor Muller seeking to sell bonds to investors to finance production of the B6 Venator. Spyker Bond Investors can get either 30% after 4 years or a Venator plus cash. Their bond certificate will have the Venator chassis number on it.
The skeptics are circling, which is a surprise to no-one.
It’s a shame, because I think the B6 Venator looks like an absolute cracking car, inside and out. Muller insists that the Venator will be released regardless of the success of the bond issue.
Moke Motors Australia has teamed up with Chinese manufacturer Chery to build an all-new but visually reminiscent version of the military-inspired but much adored original Leyland Moke.
The new version pairs classic utilitarian ragtop styling with modern Chery mechanicals, and is slightly longer and slightly wider than the original to better accommodate four adults.
These mechanicals include a 50kW/93Nm fuel-injected 993cc four-cylinder petrol engine and a five-speed manual or optional automatic sourced from the Chinese-market Chery QQ3 city car.
There are two glaring omissions – Sweden and Italy.
I didn’t do Sweden because we all know the answer to that one.
I didn’t do Italy because the whole idea was so intimidating. And now that I see Petrolicious’ rather lame QOTD entry on the subject, I’m glad I haven’t done it yet. This is like taking custody of the holy grail of vehicle design. You have to treat the subject with respect.
I saw this 1965 Porsche 911 on my RSS feed this morning and noticed that the auction was about to finish, so I tracked it to the end. It sold on Ebay just a few minutes ago.
It’s a matching numbers car – which appears to be more important than oxygen these days – and it has a 2 litre boxer engine with Solex carbs. It comes with rust and some small accident damage as well as years of accumulated dust and dirt. The engine is not running but does turn freely.
Have a look at the pics below and then have a think about what this car might be worth. The answer is below the pictures.
So…..
The 911 is a very nice car and these early ones have a lot of character.
On the downside, they’re not very fast and they have a tendency to end up facing the wrong way on corners.
They’re not rare by collector car standards and yet the prices have gone through the roof in the last 12 months. I was looking at one of a similar vintage here in Australia just over a year ago and it sold in the high 30’s. And that car presented in much better condition than this one. The price rise has been phenomenal, which prompts me to ask – are they going over the top?
This 911 will likely get a huge $$$ restoration and yet it still sold on Ebay for…….
I took that screenshot with 25 minutes (or so) to go but I can tell you the price didn’t change from there.
$70K for a not-that-rare classic car that might end up having another $50-70K spent on it?
Are things getting a little bit crazy, or is it just me?
It’s the first Sunday of the month and normally that means Classics By The Beach here in Hobart. Today, though, was a little bit different.
I went down to ‘Classics’ like I usually do and this was the scene:
Pretty desolate.
The reason it was so quiet at Classics this morning is because of the annual Shannons Classic Car Show on the other side of the river, just down the hill from my place. The Shannons show is held on the lawns adjacent to Rosny College, a big expanse of green just ripe for the filling with classic metal.
Here’s a look at some of the cars that caught my eye. Be warned – there are a LOT of photos here, but then it’s a big show.
One of the first cars we saw upon entering the show area was this McLaren MP4-12C. I’ve seen it on the streets just once so it was great to see it up close.
Bear in mind that the cheapest available MP4-12C currently for sale in Australia is selling for $350,000. So it looks a little strange sitting next to a custom painted Kia, but such is the egalitarian nature of a show like this.
The owner of this car looked like a very regular guy. He had no qualms about leaving the doors open for photos. In fact, he was chatting with a young guy and went to look at the young guy’s car – some 75 or so meters away – and just left the McLaren open while he did so.
I’m sad to say that while I was full of admiration for this car’s precision and execution, it didn’t strike me as something with a lot of soul. It’s clinical rather than characterful. Maybe a drive would prove me wrong.
Some more pics:
Strangely, the McLaren didn’t seem to be getting too much attention. I have the distinct feeling that that was because there isn’t too high a percentage of attendees at a show like this who know what it is. The average Australian car show isn’t the most sophisticated gathering.
This is a Purvis Eureka – an Australian designed and made kit car that was all the rage back in the 1980’s. They were made in Melbourne, where I grew up, so they weren’t that hard to spot on the roads when I was a young’un.
The Eureka has a party trick that will remind Saab fans of a particular concept from a few years ago. Note the upper part of the structure:
And here’s how you get in and out of the car:
The Eureka is based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis and had either a Beetle boxer four engine, a Ford inline four or a Mazda rotary.
The car below is called a Superlite Coupe. It’s an American made kit car that sells ready-to-assemble for around ,000. You then have to add your choice of drivetrain but the most popular choice, according to the manufacturer, is GM’s series of LS V8’s. Details here.
This car has a 6.3 litre V8 making around 435hp, a Porsche G50 gearbox, massive front and rear Brembo brakes and a claimed 0-100km/h time of just over 3 seconds and a top speed of 340km/h. Ominously, the owner’s spec sheet said that both of these are ‘yet to be confirmed’.
It does look like a kit car, even up close, but it’s one of the better kit car executions I’ve seen.
There was a reasonable spread of vehicles at the Shannons show today but this is an Australian show and Australian shows, typically, are Holden vs Ford.
Here are some of the Holdens that caught my eye, along with a number of other GM cars…… presented without comment.
It’s funny. I’ve owned maybe six or seven cars related to GM over the years, but I’ve never owned a Ford. And looking at the respective Holden vs Ford photos, I can’t help but wonder why. I’ve always liked them, but never bought one.
I’ll highlight one car here before proceeding with the gallery. This is probably my favourite ford of all time, and the example presented here is exactly how I’d like to own it. It’s an XP Falcon Coupe in white with red trim, and a 289 V8 fitted under the hood. Perfect.
And now to the general Ford gallery. Mustangs reign supreme here, but the red V6 Capri is the notable vehicle for me.
Some of the other cars that aren’t Holdens or Fords….. (and yes, I’ve just realised there’s one Ford in there, but it’s too late for me to mess around changing things)
Notable vehicles for me are the Datsuns (180B SSS, 260Z and the orange 1600) and the dark red Dodge Charger with a signed photo of Paris Hilton in it. The owner insists it’s the actual car used in House Of Wax.
What would a car show be without a little bit of weird stuff?
This rat-rod looked like it had some other car’s front on its rear. Extra points awarded for the hand-grenade gear change and the beer can steering column cover. I’m not sure what the fire extinguisher is for, but it was hinged along its length, so I’m guessing it might be an improvised glove box.
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A chopped and dropped Toyota FJ 4WD….
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A Mazda RX4 with more custom work than you could poke a stick at……
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And finally, the two best mullet haircuts I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Sweden is a country of subtleties. It’s not in the Swedes nature to stand out from the crowd and those who do are often frowned upon.
Sometimes, the Swedes are too subtle, however, and I fear that might be the case with Koenigsegg’s new One:1. First there was the supercar. Then there was the hypercar. Christian von Koenigsegg has crafted a new term for the One:1 that will debut in Geneva next week – the megacar.
It might sound like some fruity marketing exercise but there’s some genuine engineering behind the claim. That’s because the new Koenigsegg One:1 delivers 1,000kW of power. The other way to say that is 1 megawatt of power.
Unfortunately, most of the mainstream motoring press still works in horsepower (1,340hp) so the prominence of the megawatt achievement is somewhat overlooked.
That’s not to say that the car has been overlooked. Not by a long shot.
Jalopnik got special access to the One:1 and it’s proven to be a masterstroke by Koenigsegg. The Jalops have a massive readership now and if you get a genuinely good story covered there, it’s going to spread. And spread it has. In fact, I’ve never seen so many Koenigsegg articles come out at once – and Geneva’s still days away.
This first quote is typical of Koenigsegg’s dedication to innovation and producing the absolute best product they can. They’re intoxicated with the notion of always producing the best.
While it looks exactly like the monocoque that is in the Agera, the One:1 uses an entirely new weave of carbon fiber that could be up to 40 percent lighter than the weave used in the Agera.
Think about the fundamental purpose of this car and then think about this next sentence….
The One:1 maintains a lift system to help get over speed bumps
Even when the car is made to be bonkers insane, it still has that Swedish sense of practicality 🙂
More coolness:
Out back is the world’s first top mounted movable wing on a road car. The inspiration is taken from Le Mans racers and the goal is to increase the efficiency of the underside of the wing.
More dedication….. those wheels are something else, I can tell you.
Everything is carbon fiber. I mean everything. The seats, the wheels, the body, the monocoque safety cell, even the sun visors are carbon fiber,
They missed something amazing in the following sentence. Something that sets Koenigsegg apart from everyone else:
There is a paddle shift seven speed transmission that is ludicrously fast.
….and that’s great. What’s astounding about it is that the transmission (and the engine, for that matter) is 100% bespoke, designed by and unique to Koenigsegg. And when you consider that the company’s made just over 100 cars in total, that’s rather amazing.
The following quote doesn’t surprise me:
Before I went to see Koenigsegg myself, I was a skeptic. I thought of them as a kit car company that wouldn’t really be able to build something that competes with the big guys. I was more wrong than I’ve ever been.
I first visited the Koenigsegg factory in 2010. I never ever thought they were a kit-car company but I do remember being absolutely blown away by their dedication and attention to detail (enlarge the photo of the piston, below, to see what I mean). It was beyond my wildest expectations. If they’re overlooked, it’s probably because of the self-made nature of the company, the lack of storied history or connection with motoring royalty.
The thing is, Koengisegg is writing that storied history right now, even as we speak. Pay attention.
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Celebrating 20 Years By introducing – The Agera One:1 – Worlds first Megacar
Worlds first 1:1 (One:1) power to curb weight ratio homologated production car (kg/hp)
World’s first Megacar – 1 Megawatt of power homologated production car
2G cornering capability on road legal production cup tires
610 kg down force at 260 km/h (160 mph) utilizing advanced active under and over body aerodynamics
Chassis with active ride height and shock absorbing including variable stiffness spring ratios
Fully active aero with independent left and right front flaps under front splitter and hydraulically actuated top mounted dual plane rear wing
3G and GPS controlled Predictive Active Chassis and Aero Track Mode
20% lighter carbon chassis and body due to implementation of M46J & M55J high modulus fibers
3D-VGT – Koenigsegg patented 3D printed variable turbo housing – gives improved response and bottom end torque
3G connection for telemetry, performance, lap times and software upgrades, including owners iPhone app
New Koenigsegg developed Carbon fiber ventilated memory foam racing seats
3D printed titanium exhaust end piece saves 400 grams compared to Aluminium counterpart
Active noise canceling seat option
Top Speed – has not been a priority, as the One:1 is a track focused car – however, the One:1 is anticipated to be, the world’s fastest homologated production car, with a simulated top speed of > 440 km/h, due to high power and high rpm capability in combination with strong tires and active aero
Many more exiting and new features will be present at the show
Volvo, whatever real-world model it is that you create from this Estate Concept, it had better be good. Really good.
Because this concept car, to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in the next few weeks, is absolutely fantastic.
OK, it’s only got three doors (including the rear hatch) so it won’t be as practical as Volvos past. And OK, the rear hatch opening is far too small to be as practical as Volvos past.
But you can kinda forgive all that when the rest of the package looks this good – inside and out.
Volvo Estate ConceptVolvo Estate Concept
We’ll have to wait and read all the details about possible engines, etc. I hope they’ve got some real-world plans for this because the days of concepts-for-the-sake-of-concepts are both tiresome and running out. People expect to see something conceptual turn into something real. I hope Volvo can do it with this car (and retain a two-door option).
I’ve mentioned the two not-so-Volvo bits. Here are the bits I like:
BROWN!!
The contrasting seat surfaces. Please do one in a tasteful tartan.
The sensible use and placement of a large screen (unlike Tesla’s distasteful use).
Racy coloured seatbelts.
It’s a three-door wagon, a-la Saab’s 95 from decades ago.
The ‘ES’ badging, reminiscent of the P1800 with the same badge.
Beautiful centre console wood treatment and sculpting
