Everyone has their favourite form of motor sport, right? Some prefer Nascar. Others prefer their touring cars. Some prefer Indy and here in Australia, it’s the V8 Supercars. The good thing is that we don’t have choose between one or the other. We can watch it all.
If we did have to choose, though, I’m sure it’d be Formula 1 that topped the heap. If you can get away from all the corporate BS and the questionable records of some countries that pay to host races, what Formula 1 excels at is innovation.
Whether it’s engine tech, suspension, safety devices, aerodynamics, brakes, fuel economy and/or the use of materials, a lot of the innovations that make their way into modern passenger vehicles get their start in racing. And Formula 1 is consistently at the cutting edge.
This three-minute video narrated by ex-F1 driver and BBC commentator, Martin Brundle, gives you a good look at Mercedes-Benz’s new turbocharger setup. Formula 1 cars have vastly different airflows to regular cars but it’ll be interesting to see how this could be implemented in passenger cars to get more power and responsiveness while using less fuel. I’m sure they’ll find a way.
Here’s the very best of automotive reading from around the web over the weekend.
Well, what I think was the best reading. Let’s see what you think.
—
Congratulations to Volvo on increasing its sales in 2013.
Volvo sold 427,840 vehicles in 2013, a small increase over 2012. The boost came thanks to large rise in Chinese sales and a small rise in Swedish sales. The US market, still #1 for Volvo, dropped by 10% so if they can arrest that slide in the near future, things will indeed look brighter for the other Swede.
Don’t mind the picture to the right. It’s an in-joke.
—
We’ve been talking classics a fair bit lately and Hemmings have rightly touted an upcoming auction as the ultimate classic car showdown. This one’s going to have a huge influence, I think.
Take two very, very desirable classics – Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwings. Give them both a black exterior and a red interior.
The difference?
One of them is completely original and in a condition that many would say needs restoration after years of storage. The other is completely restored – it was black out of the factory and it’s black now, but the interior has been changed from red with green tartan cloth, to red leather.
Which will attract the highest bid?
My money’s on the restoration, but I’d love the original to come out on top.
I’m going to write my last Saab article in a while over the course of the next week or so. This comments thread at Saabs United has convinced me that there’s nothing to write about with regards to Saab at the moment and won’t be for some time.
It’s slightly amusing and very, very sad – all at the same time.
I’ll write something and post when ready. It’s not in any way a rebuttal of the article, which I think is quite good and fair. It’s just my own thoughts on Saab’s current situation in light of their 31 vehicle sales in December, and why that situation doesn’t need any more comment from me for a while. I think a few others might find themselves in the same boat.
And while we’re talking Any Given Reason, can you imagine stumbling upon a garage where Michael Schumacher’s personally specified Ferrari F40 is considered merely an entree?
[hr]
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s time for a little mid-week reading, combing through the more interesting news and entertainment from the automowebopshere. This week, Ford and Audi take interior functionality in two different directions. Volvo and Mercedes Benz show some new product, both real and imagined.
And there’s a couple of nice Saab stories, too.
—
Let’s start with one of those Saab stories.
The more obsessive Saab nuts would be familiar with this old publicity shot from the launch of the Saab 99 back in the late 1960’s.
Via the Saab Museum’s facebook page comes this story, reuniting the three ladies that first climbed into the back to show the generous accommodation on offer in the 99.
Non-Swedes will need Google Translate as it’s in Swedish.
Quick tip: they weren’t models from an agency called in for a photo shoot, but regular Saab employees. And they were happy to recreate the photo for the reunion. Well done, ladies. 🙂
—
I like what Volvo are doing at the moment. They really are becoming a car that a Saab fan can get seriously interested in and not just because they’re Swedish.
Volvo has just shown their XC Coupe concept car, which will make its real life debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.
Websites are tipping that this is the basis for a new XC90, albeit with fewer doors and fewer seats. I’ll wait and see on that one. Volvo aren’t exactly Honda when it comes to concept cars mimicking reality.
But this is nice. And the video’s very Saaby. I wonder how much crossover there is between former Saab and current Volvo PR/Marketing staff and agencies 🙂
I like what Audi are proposing to do with their interior electronics.
I’m not (and never have been) a big fan of large touchscreens outside the driver’s field of vision. While I have a lot of admiration for Tesla’s tech in general, I can’t stand that giant black brick they’ve got for a control centre inside the car. What Audi have done here is use the electric display in the binnacle to display the more vital centre console information and for me, it looks fantastic.
Next, they just need some chunky knobs, buttons and sliders for the HVAC system and entertainment (a-la Saab 900) and we’ll really be rolling.
The automaker has teamed up with the pizza maker on an app for its Sync AppLink system that will allow driver’s to order Domino’s through voice commands. Users will have to set up a Pizza Profile with pre-configured menus through their Domino’s mobile app, but it’s relatively straightforward and expected to be available later this year on more than 1 million Ford products that have Sync AppLink.
America – sometimes you really do ask for it, ya know?
—
Mercedes Benz might have the answer for all those people wondering what they’re going to do when the lease on their 9-3x comes up (I’m looking at you, Hugh 🙂 ). The GLA45 AMG looks a fair bit smaller than the 9-3x (ok, a lot) but it’s got the jacked up exterior trim bits and with that new MB turbocharged 355hp engine, it’ll go like stink.
I’m not sold on the exterior, to be honest, but the interior looks pretty damn nice. Check out the shifter. That’s some nice attention to detail (and yes, it’s probably been seen before but it’s the first time I’ve really noticed it).
Like the Volvo mentioned above, it’ll make a debit at the NAIAS. Price, as yet unknown, but it’ll add a nice premium to your 9-3x changeover, I’m sure.
—
Given that we’re talking classics a bit at the moment, it’s timely that US insurer and collector experts, Hagerty, has just announced their 2014 Hot List – the cars released in the 2014 model year that Hagerty believe will become collectable classics in the future. Note: they only consider cars under US$100K base price.
The 2014 Hagerty Hot List (along with base price):
1. Jaguar F-Type R ($99,000) – The British marque makes a triumphant return to the sports car scene with the growling F-Type. Boasting a healthy V8 engine and rear drive platform, the F-Type will surely be a driving enthusiast choice soon enough.
2. BMW M5 Sedan ($92,900) – A performance-oriented sedan with an old school manual transmission is quickly becoming an extinct species. While more drivers shun the thought of using three pedals, we applaud BMW for keeping this option alive in this segment.
3. Chevrolet COPO Camaro ($90,000) – Chevrolet basically guarantees future collectability of the drag- strip ready COPO Camaro by limiting production to 69 units. It is only appropriate that the first production model will be sold at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona.
4. Maserati Ghibli S ($75,000) – The Ghibli returns for a third time, and this time as a four door. The twin turbochargers feeding the 410 horsepower 3.0 liter V6 ensures the Ghibli is more than just pretty curves.
5. Alfa Romeo 4C ($54,000) – A budget-friendly Italian sports car might sound like an oxymoron, but the 4C is saying all the right words. With a carbon fiber tub leading to a curb weight of just over 2,100 lbs., this sporty two-seater isn’t pulling any punches as it aims at the U.S. market.
6. Chevrolet Corvette ($51,000) – The Corvette is the most popularly collected vehicle in the U.S. so GM had no choice but to make the new C7 great. It is a nice mix of Corvette heritage with real world performance figures and technology goodies. Dollar for dollar this is the best performance buy on the market.
7. Nissan 370Z NISMO ($43,000) – The Nissan Z car has amassed a following and the 370Z NISMO is the latest and greatest in this lineage. With Japanese cars now representing a standalone class of collectables in a way that we have not seen in the past, 350 and 370Zs will not be ignored by collectors in years to come.
8. Dodge Challenger Shaker ($36,995) – While the styling of the new Challenger has always harkened back to the glory days of muscle cars, nothing says horsepower wars like a bulging hood scoop. Dodge went back to the roots and added the iconic shaker hood to atop of a healthy HEMI engine and R/T options package. We will take ours in Plum Crazy Pearl.
9. Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X ($35,095) – Vintage SUV’s are the fastest growing segment and Jeep leads that pack. While more comfortable than its bare bones workhorse ancestor, the Rubicon X is highly capable for not a lot of money. Many of these now compete at events, which means they will one day command respect at vintage off-road demonstrations.
10. Ford Fiesta ST ($21,400) – Following the enthusiasm surrounding the Focus ST, the little brother Fiesta ST has been pumping the same iron. Youthful buyers attracted to compact cars don’t always want to sacrifice performance. The Fiesta looks, sounds and acts the part of a modern day enthusiast’s car.
—
I can see numbers 1 to 8 being possibilities.
As much as I like the idea of the Fiesta ST (and I’m sure the Jeep’s great), I think they should have stopped at 8. Trying to go to 10 for sake of round numbers just gets you in trouble sometimes.
—
And a Saab story to finish off with, via Autoweek.com
When I first read the headline – Tackling Boston in a Saab 96 – I really hoped that this would show the Saab 96 conquering the arctic windex, or whatever it’s called that’s causing the snowy conditions in the US right now.
Sadly, it seems to have been written pre-vortex so the photos don’t show cars neck-deep in the white stuff while the Saab happily trundles by.
This is a wonderful piece, though. It’s the story of a guy in Boston who’s recently bought a 1973 Saab 96 and uses it as much as possible, even leaving his Saab 9000 at home in deference to the old V4.
“I suppose you don’t get much road rage?”
“Well, you saw that person let me out of my driveway?” Charles had made a left onto Cambridge Ave, and a woman in a Jetta — perhaps a curiosity-seeker — had stopped to let us pull out. A rarity in Boston. In this car, nobody gets mad at you. Probably because they’re wondering what the hell it is in the first place.
It’s been quiet around here because there are a few things on my mind.
First, we have a federal election going on here in Australia. The poll itself will be held on September 7. I don’t want to be consumed by it, but I am. I’m doing my best to keep the election off this website, however.
You’re welcome.
Second, this week has seen the climax of the biggest scandal in Australian sports history. The conclusion has been six months in the making and thoroughly consuming all week.
And finally, I’ve got a vehicle inspection happening tomorrow. We’ve replaced Mrs Swade’s 9000. Now it’s time to replace my Alfa Romeo GTV6.
Here’s the car:
It’s a 1990 Porsche 944 S2 – cross another one off the bucket list!!
I hope the inspection goes well. In fact, after chatting with the owner a bit I’m expecting it to go well. I’ve got the best 944 mechanic in Australia looking at it so if it impresses him then I’ll feel quite comfortable with the purchase.
I’ll let you know.
——
Mod Advice (Part 1)
Back in the SU days I wrote a four-part series on modifications to the 1998-2002 Saab 9-3. The cars are very tunable but they’re also quite compromised by a chassis that’s nowhere near as sophisticated as the engine Saab put into it.
In short, you have to make sure that the bits around your engine can handle the extra oomph that Maptun/Hirsch/BSR/whoever can get out of it.
I spotted this old ad for the Porsche 944 Turbo on TTAC today and it presents the case for careful tuning quite nicely. It shows all the bits that Porsche changed when the company went from the basic NA model to the turbo model.
Click.
Bottom line: Responsible tuning isn’t just the addition of a single go-faster bit. It’s a whole-of-car affair if you want to do it right.
——
Mod Advice (part 2)
If you’re taking your modified car to a huge gathering of like-minded car enthusiasts, make sure the car’s legal.
Queensland police have been criticised for deliberately targeting one of the largest ever car enthusiast events to be held in the state.
…. The promoters had positioned the event as a peaceful day out, with the specific instructions of “No Skids, No stupidity. Don’t give the cops a reason to turn up!”
Regardless of the exemplary behaviour of the attendees, up to 30 Queensland police officers and a special traffic task force blocked the entrance and exit to the event, which was held on private property, specifically to target modified vehicles.
It IS poor form on the part of the police, who should want to build bridges and relationships with elements of the community. Shooting these metaphorical fish in a barrel isn’t really going to help.
But it’s also poor form to drive your car in what might be an unsafe condition. Do your mods carefully and make sure the car’s legal.
All parties (police and individual owners) need to look at doing things better, I’d say.
——
Old man becomes king of the kids
The reviews are coming in and it’s emerging that what’s previously been regarded as a bit of an old man’s brand – Mercedes Benz – might just be taking over a market segment considered the reserve of the young and upwardly mobile – the hot hatch market.
After two days in the saddle (and some scorching track time), this I declare: Mercedes Benz remarkable A 45 AMG is the best high-performance hatch ever made, ever offered for sale.
The best ever… simple as that.
And then there’s this from Wheels Magazine (Australia’s biggest motor mag), who are still on their road test right now. This via Facebook about an hour ago:
Road loop today in the A45 AMG and it’s seriously epic. F@$king epic, even. We already knew it was fast, but it’s the A45’s hungry front-end and superb power down that make you grin like a loon. It’s an easy and predictable car to drive hard, but it’s also still exciting. Every motoring hack on the launch can’t stop raving about it. 2013 is proving a great year for performance cars!
The guys at Renault et al. better get their thinking caps on. I’m sure the result will be worth the wait.
Here’s some video from Autocar in the UK, just in case you haven’t got across this new AMG model yet. It looks like a barn-burner!
—
Thanks to Turbin for the link.
——
Have a good week. Fantasy Friday returns tomorrow.
Back in the 1970s, a car sold in Australia was luxurious if it had velour seats and a radio. Those two features meant you didn’t burn your legs on vinyl seats after a day at the beach and you had some music on your way home.
Today, we’ve got so many interior amenities it’s hard to know the difference between inside and outside the car. We step out of a climate controlled building and get into a climate controlled car. We don’t have to stop taking or making phone calls because the Bluetooth system will sync directly and seamlessly with our phone. In the near future our cars will be online. We’ll be able to tweet traffic conditions to our Facebook friends using Waze on the way to a speed date.
The downside of that is more often than not, our automotive furniture is as second-rate as our office furniture. Somewhere back in the 1990s it became OK for everything to be grey. Interiors got better in some ways but in other ways they got worse, simply because they became so generic.
Oceans of plastic. Tacky grey fabric, which if you were lucky, would come with a pale blue, yellow, red or green fleck. Then came the pleather revolution. Today it’s faux sport seats in sub-grade sporty-ish cars that look the goods, but don’t deliver.
I spend a lot of time considering the interior of any car I’m thinking of buying. For me, a car is a world away from home. It’s a world away from generic office life. Driving has the chance to be an occasion. The journey can be a destination all of its own. Whilst good exterior design provides some excitement as you approach from the outside, you spend your driving time inside the vehicle. The interior has to add to the experience.
This is why I got so excited when I saw images of the new Mercedes Benz S-Class interior a few days ago. Back in the early 1980s when I was still burning my legs on the seats of my Dad’s XY Ford Falcon wagon, a friend’s parents had a 1970’s vintage Mercedes. Sitting in that car was like being on another planet with views of the earth just outside the window. Those windows were electric, for starters. It had real wood grain trim, big switches and dials for all sorts of functions that the Falcon was missing. It smelled of leather rather than sawdust. That car didn’t try to be better than anything else I’d ever seen. It simply WAS.
The gap between European and non-European vehicles used to be a chasm when it came to interior design and quality. That gap closed over the last few decades and today, both premium and regular brands are selectively guilty of dumping their drivers in a sea of smelly plastic punctuated by generic switchgear.
If this is progress, why is it frequently so unsatisfying?
Form Follows Function is a wonderful mantra but it doesn’t mean things have to be boring. Yes, we like our gadgets in the new millennium but the soul endures. The soul still wants to be encased in something special, not something solely functional.
This is why Spyker’s interiors mean so much to me. It’s why the interiors of old sports cars mean so much to me. Original XJ series Jaguars, too. Even early Japanese sports cars (Mazda RX3, right) had interiors that made an announcement as to why you were in them. The interior of a car should speak at volume about why the car exists.
That’s why I like what I see in these early images of the new S-Class Mercedes interior. It seems that Mercedes has regained its sense of occasion. I look at these photos and to me, they ooze luxury, which is what a Mercedes S-Class should be all about.
Modern car companies from all segments are chasing exterior design efficiency. The shapes are largely the same. It’s the face that they draw on the shape that differs. Modern car companies all do engines and safety pretty well, too.
Could it be that interior design and the quality of materials used will be the last great differentiator between generic and premium cars?
The car in the picture has a two-litre turbo, a (small-ish) hatchback, a well sorted suspension setup delivering good FWD handling and a nicely appointed interior. It’s young, edgy and it’s a Merc. Yes, a Mercedes Benz.
Whilst all the world’s a-flutter about the AMG A45 that’s going to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show next month, there’s a real world Mercedes A-class for sale right now that makes a reasonable argument for itself. It’s the new A250 Sport.
The Mercedes A-Class is no longer the triangular tipping-cow of the city-car segment. This all-new car with it’s completely revised and contemporary styling, deliberate stance and posh interior definitely puts the class into A-Class.
It’s no secret that hot hatches have gone premium, which is exactly why companies like Mercedes and BMW are joining a party once ruled by cheaper marques. Whether they’ve got the performance to match it with the Ford Focus ST, VW Golf GTI or RenaultSport Megane isn’t the point – they’ve got the brand. They’re not selling performance hot hatches to drivers, they’re selling them to brand-aware rich folks who grew up in a Golf, enjoyed the experience but want a bit more bling.
The A250 Sport is no handbag, however. It brings a turbocharged two-litre engine putting out 155kW (208hp) and 350Nm of torque. With its 7-speed dual-clutch auto the car moves from 0-100km/h in just 6.6 seconds.
That’s not going to strip the enamel from your teeth, but it’s undeniably quick.
The suspension has been tweaked by AMG and road tests so far have had nothing but praise for the car’s composure through the twisty bits. It’s NOT going to compete on the road with a focused, driver’s hot hatch (pardon the pun), but then as I wrote above, it’s not meant to.
The A250 Sport is well equipped, too, with faux-carbon, faux-suede, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, color display screen, bluetooth, iPod connectivity and six-speaker stereo, rain-sensing wipers, Xenons, panoramic sunroof and most importantly, not many options. One option is a ,500 AMG pack that adds upgraded leather trim, heated seats (which should be standard, really) and a touch of sport with red stitching throughout the cabin.
I know I’ve got a lot of current or former Saab drivers who read this site, so the obvious question is….. would you consider it?
In the negative column, it’s smaller than any of Saab’s recent cars. It might be a hatch but that contributes to the car’s looks more than to its practicality. Rear legroom and headroom are tighter than they should be (though that’s not going to worry a driver) and the cargo space would be negligible unless the seats were folded down.
The positives are considerable, however. It’s got plenty of safety kit (including 9 airbags!) and whilst the price is hefty at $49,990, fitting the Merc’s standard swag to other hot hatches will have them approaching that price with just a few strokes of a pen.
It’s a little bit of Form leading Function, but if you were in the market for a prestige hatchback with a bit of zip and a lot of good looks, would you consider it?
