InfinityReversed

Green stuff: Driven by Oil; EEStor super-batteries

2006-09-25T11:13:00.000+01:00

Just caught a programme on BBC Radio 4 called Driven by Oil. The last part of a four part series on the oil industry, the final episode has writer/presenter Tom Mangold taking a look at (or, I suppose, a listen to) non-oil based forms of fuelling and energy for motor vehicles. Only half an hour long, and in spite of some slight naivete about plug-in electric vehicles, it's well worth a listen. The Radio 4 mini-site is here. If you're quick you may even be able to Listen Again to last week's segment before they update to this morning's programme - which is repeated on Radio 4 at 9:30 this evening.

Speaking of plug-in "ev"s (that's "electric vehicles", acronym fans; not to be confused with rv - which is an altogether different kind of American motor-dream), I don't know how I missed this initially, but I did:

Never-Ending Potency: Battery Replacement Could Charge Electric-Car Industry

This concerns an apparent breakthrough in battery technology using ceramics that originators EEStor claim could lead to mains rechargable electric cars with a 500 mile range from only "$9" of electricity. Even more impressive/significant/unbelievable is the kicker, where EEStor suggest a full charge would only take "five minutes". A completely fantastic achievement, or just completely fantastic?

Right now it's very difficult to know. Speculation has been bubbling about this company for some time, and there still seems to be very little in the way of actual answers. No major car manufacturers are involved at this stage, that's one thing for sure - but they do have other heavyweight investors. The technology itself appears to be based on capacitors, rather than a more traditional "battery" - not a new concept, but this would represent one of the first proper instances of implementation. I can't help but think that being ceramic, even if it is true it's going to be awfully heavy.... Canadian company Feel Good Cars, makers of the ZENN, above, are reckoning they'll have the tech on the road by 2008, however, so I'll just stand back and wish them luck.

Ignore the indecisive spelling of EEStor in both main pieces (and the typographic formatting war at the Giz), and the commentators at both Jalopnik and Gizmodo have some interesting things to say. I've listed a few other Google sourced references below.

Links:

Driven by Oil website and Listen Again (usually available for one week from broadcast only) [requires RealPlayer] @ BBC Radio 4

Never-Ending Potency: Battery Replacement Could Charge Electric-Car Industry @ Jalopnik

EEStor Ceramic Battery: Internal Combustion Replacement? @ Gizmodo

EEStor Capacitors- "This could change everything" @ Treehugger

EEStor Ultracapacitor Shuns Publicity @ The Energy Blog

Gentlemen, stop your engines @ CNNMoney.com

Kleiner Perkins' Latest Energy Investment @ BusinessWeek online

Feel Good Cars Tuning Up For Production; EEStor ESU on Track @ Green Car Congress

The Silver Bullet? @ Dymaxian World

Kleiner's secretive battery-ultracapacitor company, EEStor @ SiliconBeat

Feel Good Cars [official website]

What's in store for EEStor? @ Clean Break

Picture: the ZENN - from the Feel Good Cars website - on the occasion of winning Gold in the Urban Vehicle category of the 2006 Michelin Challenge Bibendum

Lotus: +3 models; -200 jobs.

2006-09-22T13:40:00.000+01:00

The negative aspect of recent Lotus announcements doesn't seem to be getting much attention, so I thought I'd raise it here.

Yesterday, the Malaysian-owned, Norfolk-based sportscar manufacturer revealed plans for three new models in the next five years. Since this included plans for a super new range-topping Esprit, I suspect that the most sensible course is to remains skeptical - a new Esprit gets announced with yawning regularity and hasn't yet made it more than about six months before the project is cancelled. Or delayed. Or, whatever. The other two vehicles are something in the mid-range (isn't that the Europa? No...?), and something high-performance in association with parent company, Proton (*cough* haven't heard that before...).

The day before yesterday, Lotus released a statement saying it still had a bright future - in spite of plans to cut up to 200 jobs from its Hethel base. Falling sales in the US are being blamed. A report today suggest that Proton are determined to hold onto their sporty little number no matter what - so I guess things can't be too bad.

I like Lotus. Let's hope their long-term strategy people know what they're doing.

Links:

200 jobs to go at Lotus car factory @ EDP24

Lotus plans to cut up to 200 jobs @ BBC News

Lotus 5 Year Plan Heralds 3 New Models @ WorldCarFans.com [via Jalopnik]

Malaysia'a Proton says will not sell Lotus unit even if things get tough @ Life Style Extra

Lotus Europa S gallery @ New Car Net

Picture from here. They have a bunch of other pictures, too (scroll right down to the bottom of the page).

Happy day for Hamster fans - Richard Hammond out of intensive care.

2006-09-22T12:43:00.000+01:00

Just seen a BBC television news update that reports Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is now out of intensive care, and doctors are "satisfied" with his progress. The Telegraph website is confirming this here:

Hammond moved out of intensive care

Guardian Unlimited has an article that's also worth a look for some further optimism-boosters:

Hammond recovery is likely-experts

They've spoken to some neurological experts who reckon the fact the Hamster was able to talk to rescuers at the scene indicates his brain was already beginning to fight the injury. He's no-where near out of of danger yet, but this at least gives ground for hope. He always gives the impression of being a tenacious fellow - so this all sounds like good news.

Links:

Hammond moved out of intensive care @ Telegraph.co.uk

Hammond recovery is likely-experts @ Guardian Unlimited

Richard Hammond update [internal]

Picture from the Telegraph.co.uk

Richard Hammond update

2006-09-21T19:17:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to catch up with the current status of seriously injured Top Gear presenter, Richard Hammond.

All the news reports are suggesting that he remains stable. That's the good news. Less good is the accompanying information that reveals he has suffered a significant brain injury. A recovery is expected - but it seems this is guardly expected to be "good" rather than full.

Beyond this personal element of the story, the BBC is unsurprisingly about to find itself under serious scrutiny regarding the circumstances surrounding the occurrance of the accident. ITV's television evening news has just suggested that Hammond was not initially supposed to the Top Gear presenter driving the car - although they have not named who he was replacing. The use of language within the programme is a little, uh, suspect, however - as how "late" a replacement he was seems to be in some doubt. The change was reportedly due to a diary clash.

Finally, confusion seems to remain about whether or not he was attempting to break the British Land Speed Record. IrishExaminer.com reports the organisers say he was not; ITV continues to speculate that he was; the BBC is saying nothing either way.

I guess it really doesn't matter. We're all thinking: get well soon.

The readers of PistonHeads have set up a donation page for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. You can get to it here; amazingly it's already raised over £10,000, enough for a dozen rescure flights.

Links:

Hammond 'was not attempting land speed record' @ IrishExaminer.com

TV presenter suffers brain injury @BBC News

Get Well Soon Hamster @ Justgiving

Richard Hammond critically ill after jet car crash [internal]

Picture: Sky One

Green stuff

2006-09-21T16:12:00.000+01:00

Just a couple of quick environmentally responsible mentions.

First off there's this:

Green-Car-Guide.com

A website, launched today (so the press release claims, anyway), which purports to be the first UK guide to green motoring. It includes a top ten of green cars you can buy (woo!), and other cool green-motoring goodness. My personal favourite is the Honda Insight rally car - which they claim is the world's only hybrid competition vehicle of this type.

Then there's the bizarre-seeming situation that sees the American state of California suing six of the world's largest car makers. GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda and Nissan have all been hit with a lawsuit concerning their contribution to global warming. ITV has a brief intro to the story here. How the other manufacturers escaped I have no idea...

Links:

Green-Car-Guide.com

California sues car manufacturers @ ITV

Picture from the hybrid rally car page @ Green-Car-Guide.com

New Gran Turismo - no cars or courses? Has Sony finally lost the plot?

2006-09-21T13:55:00.000+01:00

Eh? Ok, ok, so it is just a rumour - based on a forum translation (hmmm...) of an interview with Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of the best car racing game ever, Gran Turismo. But, it seems so bonkers at first glance that...well, let me explain.

It's claimed Gran Turismo for the forthcoming PlayStation 3 Sony games console - already troubled - is going to come initially in two versions. The first of these, Gran Turismo HD: Premium, is pretty much a just a demo for GT 5 proper, containing a measly 30 cars and only two (two!) tracks, with two more courses and 30 additional cars available only via download. The second, Gran Turismo HD: Classic, is a specced-up edition of the last PS2 GT release - except, they've taken away all the cars and race circuits. Instead you're supposed to purchase these from Sony, using the 'microtransaction' system built into the Sony online network.

In the great world wide web, some are embracing such a concept - and I can sort of see the appeal, like virtual card collecting, only using real money - while others are claiming it's merely 'an entertaining vilification of the microtransaction and nothing more'. The skepticism is based soundly on the cost, figuring it likely to be in excess of $400 to complete the set, so to speak - and that's at the low-end of the scale. The PS3 is already predicted to be ultra expensive. I guess it would be total genius if Sony could get the scheme to work...

The download element is likely to exist in some form - simply because it will allow the games' producers and even car manufacturers to add to the available rolling stock as new models are created, as well as offer additional courses. There's even talk of limited releases on some vehicles, which frankly I find rather enthralling. Can you imagine how much these will start going for on eBay? (And, I'm not joking.)

But the concept of a racing game you can't actually play straight out of the box? Seems pretty unlikely to me.

Links:

Dubious Rumour: Gran Turismo HD to ship without cars or tracks @ joystiq

Gran Turismo HD: Classic - the first driving game without cars? @ APC Magazine

Gran Turismo to be sold without cars? @ Fragland.net

Beyond3d Forum thread [the rumour originator?]

Gran Turismo World [official site]

Gran Turismo (video game) @ Wikipedia

Kazunori Yamauchi @ Wikipedia

PlayStation Global [official PS site]

PlayStation 3 [official PS3 site]

Picture from Gran Turismo World downloads page.

The Moonbeam. Have you got a license for that, sunshine?

2006-09-21T12:45:00.000+01:00

What's the best thing you could do with a couple of clapped-out Honda scooters?

No, not that. A chap named Jory Squibb in the United States has built himself...well BusinessWeek describes it as a car, so I guess I'll go with that. Squibb calls it the Moonbeam. It uses a 150cc motor from a 1987 Honda Elite 150, cost $500 in scooter parts, another $2,000 in additional bits, and 1,000 man-hours. But, more positively, apparently gets 105 US-mpg when on an 'economy run', and 80-85mpg around town. Which is kind of impressive.

Mr Squibb is even willing to help you build your own, and has set up a website to show you the way. Perhaps not recommended for very hilly areas...can't imagine it has very much torque to tug all that extra bodyweight around.

Links:

$2,500 DIY Cars @ BusinessWeek Online

Jory Squibb (Moonbeam website)

Picture from the Moonbeam website

Richard Hammond critically ill after jet car crash

2006-09-20T23:29:00.000+01:00

My apologies, but I have been unable to update both versions of this site simultaneously. So, for further news that I've managed to gather about Richard Hammond - the Top Gear presenter was seriously injured in crash while piloting a jet powered car earlier today - please check with the LE version of IR:

Hammond: BBC Update Again [ir:le]

Hammond: Sky has more details [ir:le]

Richard Hammond update [ir:le]

Richard Hammond critically ill after car crash [ir:le]

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's a MONSTER

2006-09-18T13:49:00.000+01:00

I have a confession to make. I've always thought the Audi Q7 looks like it's about to devour everything in front of it on the road - it doesn't just seem aggressive, but hungry, too. Um, so it makes me kind of wonder if the new 6.0-litre V12 TDI version isn't taking things a little too far...

Showing no signs of just being a publicity stunt for the upcoming Paris motorshow, this bulging beasty is apparently already in pre-production; it's no shock that Audi is looking to cash in on the phenomenal performance of its R10 diesel race-car, I just didn't quite expect it to roll out the scheme in an SUV. The V12 TDI Q7 uses tech-sorcery derived from the R10 to deliver 500ps (493bhp) and 1,000Nm of torque (that's 737lb ft) - the latter from only 1,750rpm - making it the most powerful diesel passanger car ever seen. 0-62? 5.5 seconds. Top speed thankfully limited to 155mph. It's got a six-speed auto, twin-turbos, makes an actually quite remarkable 23.7mpg, and meets all current and near-future European emissions regulations.

The sheer hilarity of such an achievement should definitely not be overlooked. I imagine the in-gear acceleration will be monumental enough to have all but the most extreme AMG and Brabus-tuned Mercedes drivers sweating when they see this thing's gaping intakes appear in the mirror behind them. I think it probably needs the even more aggressive new bodykit, just so people know to get out of the way - before it's too late. Munch.

I wonder if the - surprise, surprise - LED-strip running lights are six-a-side, rather than the V10 Audis' five...

Links:

Paris motorshow

Pictures: Audi

There's real work, if you can get it

2006-09-18T13:04:00.000+01:00

Oh, oh - and I have also got some work published elsewhere:

500 horsepower Vauxhall announced

I really enjoy writing newsy stuff like that, so I hope you enjoy reading it. It's also nice when genuine professionals think your stuff is good enough to go out to the general public, so I was really pleased to see these little items make it onto the web. Ace.

Links:

500 horsepower Vauxhall announced @ MSN Cars UK

Picture: Vauxhall

Quentin Wilson says...

2006-09-18T12:44:00.000+01:00

Heh. Well, the UK's roads are always entertaining. I've been doing a lot of motorway work recently, and the above is just one of the amusing sights I've seen in the process. Poor image quality due to using a camera phone (which I would NOT recommend while driving...etc, etc).

Hum, so long time no post. I know. I have actually finished with my university course now, and the plan has always been to spend September regrouping and figuring out exactly what I'm going to do next. I've even already had one interview - which I think went quite well. I'm leaving the description of the site alone for the moment, since I'm still officially a student until the end of the month, I think. I will try and update the sites with RSS tags, though - something I didn't know I had until a reader pointed them out to me (d'oh)! My internet access is currently a little patchy, but I'm still aiming to get some more regular posting done as possible.

'K, that's it for now - just wanted to let people know I'm still alive. ;-)

PistonHeads on the Weineck Cobra

2006-08-24T14:23:00.000+01:00

Well, I wasn't planning on posting anything else this week, but when I saw this on PistonHeads I couldn't resist.

It's Ian Kuah driving the Weineck Cobra. Now, you might not have heard of this thing, but, well, you should want to know about it - just incase you think your Veyron's going to have it easy when it pulls up next to you at the lights.

Looks like an AC Cobra that got a little further carried away with the steriods (I mean, let's face it, more ordinary specimins of the beastie already look like substance abusers), but the shape is about all it's got in common with the original design. Custom built by "master mechanic" (I'm quoting Kuah here) Klaus Weineck, it features an aluminium/titanium chassis, independent double wishbone suspension, and a 12.9 litre bespoke block V8. The mill makes 1,100bhp at 7,000rpm and generates 1,299lb-ft of torque - while the car weighs only 1,000kg. Fortunately it also has enormous brakes, oil coolers everywhere, and is intended to withstand Dubai-grade levels of heat.

My favourite part is the 427 badge it's still sporting on the side. You can look to buy one here. The site should bring a smile to your face, at the very least - but make sure you have the sound turned up!

Links:

Weineck Cobra @ PistonHeads

Weineck official site

Picture from the PistonHeads article - as if you couldn't tell from the banner...

Hey...whoa!

2006-08-23T21:58:00.000+01:00

Hello all!

I'm in the final few days of my degree at the moment, and things are moving...smoothly. Yes, actually, smoothly. I'm still anticipating a little bif of last minute chaos, but at the time of writing it's all good.

Two reasons for this post. Firstly, I just wanted to make a quick mention of the JCB DieselMAX, which has broken the diesel engine land speed record three times in the last six days. Pretty awesome achievement. The last set of runs - first thing this am, Utah Saltflats, USA - averaged just over 350mph (although it's yet to be officially verified). You can read all about the speed record bid at the DieselMAX site, here. My favourite part about their most recent press release is the quote from pilot (in every sense of the word) Andy Green...350mph and they still haven't gotten the thing into top gear. Magic. There are some brilliant photographs on the site, too. Which leads me neatly onto the second reason.

In the process of putting together a website for the course and my final MA project I discovered today that I have a really neat photograph of the Lamborghini Miura concept, which I took at the Geneva Motorshow this year. And I just wanted to share it with you. Click the image for a bigger view.

Alright, catch you later - and soon.

Links:

JCB DIESELMAX official site

#14: Let's go retro [internal]

#19: The Geneva Motorshow [internal]

DieselMAX photo from the images section of the official site. Miura courtesy of yours truly - and with no photochoping at all, I promise. It's not even cropped. And maybe you'll think it's a little washed out...but I just love it. And my Canon 300D. *is pleased with self*. Notes: is lucky sometimes.

Dan Gurney is The Best!

2006-08-08T23:42:00.000+01:00

And as a special keep the faith post...

...how freakin' sweet is this?! It's a Car and Driver Dan Gurney for President sticker; my Dad got a job lot of five of them from some opportunistic nostalgia merchant on eBay (only kidding!).

Seriously, though, it's pretty awesome. Now I just have to find somewhere to stick it. Hmmm, back of the laptop looks mighty appealing. My sister has hers stuck to the bumper of her car - so if you see a black Ford Escort that doesn't look like it's been cleaned in a year with some kind of lighter coloured patch at the rear, wave and say I said hi. Just don't let it distract you too much; she has enough trouble with people crashing into her already.

Oh, and yes, with a certain hint of irony that's Road&Track magazine you can see the bottom half of in the photo below. (Different desk this time.)

Hey...where'd he go?

2006-08-08T23:04:00.000+01:00

Yes - I know, I know...how lame am I?

I've actually been meaning to make this post for ages, but when someone actually noticed there hadn't been any new stuff up on here for a while [thanks, G! Got the message via Andy!] I thought I really had better get around to it.

Firstly, I spent another couple of weeks doing some work experience at a well know UK car magazine, and that knocked me right out as I was without any kind of personal internet access. Subsequent to that I've been spending my time trying not to fail the final portion of my MA...

So, for the time being I haven't really got the energy or the output to post any major stuff on here.

But I will be back. Oh, yes.

IR

Oh, and, just to prove my point. This is a picture of my desk. You'll have noted the three computers, but did you spot that one of them was my shiny new MacBook - on which more another time.

La Punto Diablo

2006-07-07T10:40:00.000+01:00

Different kind of post for you today.

Been meaning to mention this for a while, but the timing wasn’t right – was supposed to be inline with my own new car announcement, which is delayed… So, I figured I might as well mention it sooner rather than later.

This is a link to a pal’s blog:

Long time no entry…

It’s all about his own brand new car, a Fiat Grand Punto 1.4 Sport. I thought it might be interesting to compare his experiences to my own – especially as the G Punto isn’t something that I considered very seriously for myself (there’s a list of these – coming with an explanation soon).

What’s particularly amusing is what happened to him 150 miles into his ownership experience, although I suppose it’s also worth mentioning that the car had already been back to the dealership at this point – for a replacement injector. 22 miles into its life.

I won’t spoil the surprise (such as it is), but will say that we did have fun thinking of boot badges he could have made to warn other motorists…! While he says he names (!) all his cars ‘Stacey’, suffice to say this one has gained the additional designator featured as the title. You’ll just have to click the link to find out why.

He has an update post here (excuse him waxing lyrical about his Wacom graphics tablet – though he is also a pretty wicked artist, and you can check out some examples in other parts of the blog):

La Punto Diablo Lives!

So, all sounds fine and dandy now – he really loves the car, in spite of the “difficulties” (heheh; he is kind of used to it, having previously had a Cinquecento Sporting). Or rather, it did until the text message I got this morning, where he patiently explained that all of the electrics had stopped working – the dashboard, the indicators, lights, everything. And this is on a brand new car, with 400 miles on the clock.

Well, if you will buy a Fiat…

It’s back to the service department this afternoon.

[Cheers, Chris!]

Links:

Long time no entry… @ Phong’s galactic dustbin

La Punto Diablo Lives! @ Phong’s galactic dustbin

L#28: New Car Musings (Part Two) [internal]

Picture courtesy of Lord Phong’s blog – with his permission, of course.

L#29: Them’s the brakes…

2006-06-29T23:43:00.000+01:00

In the last couple of weeks I have changed my heel and toe technique. This was, in the spirit of complete disclosure, prompted by the ask the experts section of Evo magazine.

The basic principle of heel and toeing is to match engine speed with road speed and gear selection when braking and downshifting, and you do this by blipping the throttle after you’ve disengaged the higher gear and before you engage the lower one. The heel and toe part refers to the fact that you’re doing this whilst applying the brakes at the same time; although, as it is customary to point out, this is a bit of a misnomer because it’s the ball of your right foot that you use in most modern cars, rolling it from the brake pedal onto the accelerator (the name referring instead to the more vintage variety of motor vehicle, which required you to use the heel of your foot on the throttle while standing on the brake with your toe).

The advantages to employing this “fancy” (it really isn’t) footwork are smoothness – see the way most flappy-paddle gearboxes do this for the driver automatically – and potentially safety, particularly in rear wheel drive cars, as it prevents a disparity between wheel speed and road speed that could have the slightly unfortunate side effect of sending you off the road. It also sounds cool, which, if I’m honest, is probably the principle reason I taught myself how to do it in the first place.

I’ve always been aware that there are two methods – basically the same, but until recently I’ve used the more traditional approach. This includes the additional step of releasing the clutch between gears in time with the throttle blip: double de-clutching as it’s called. I’m not entirely sure what the point is, but having previously been informed this was the “correct” way of going about things, then this was the way I was going to do it. I suspect it puts less stress on the transmission – especially the clutch – but what the hey, you never know until you try the alternatives.

I was pretty happy with this method, even if I didn’t get right quite a lot of the time (still potentially a little jerky), until I read Evo’s John Barker advising someone on the merits of h&t, but without extolling the virtues of the double de-clutch. Simply raise the revs while the clutch is disengaged, he was saying – and I thought, if it’s good enough for him, then it’s good enough for me.

The result is a revelation. As you might expect, this variation is loads faster than the ponderous full monty, but also far smoother as a consequence. I’m getting it right a much greater percentage of the time, too. Rapid-fire downshifts and a silkier ride – learning new stuff is great.

Which leads me very nicely into what I was doing on Monday of this week.

Thanks to the ever generous Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief of Autocar (and Haymarket’s other motoring titles), but also Vauxhall’s press office, who paid for the thing, myself and my trainee auto-j colleagues spent the day at Millbrook test and development centre, guinea-pigging a Motoring Journalist Driving Course. Put on by Ian Halton and Richard Bott this was a day’s instruction in defensive driving and an education on how to make swift, safe progress.

As you can imagine, Millbrook is a fascinating place, not only for the number of heavily clad prototype vehicles gallivanting around its testing facilities, but also because of the sheer variety of driving experiences that these facilities offer. We predominantly spent our time on the Alpine road course, but also took in the highspeed bowl, the handling circuit, and city course, as well as going out on the actual road – driving a trifector of VXR Vauxhalls: the Astra, the Vectra, and the Monaro.

Lapping the bowl – a two mile constant radius circle – at 130mph was certainly fun, though you might be surprised to learn that Vectra was a steadier ship than the Monaro at this speed, the big Aussie import being somewhat more softly sprung than the executive express. Less surprising probably is how much more comfortable it feels to be in control of the vehicle at this speed, rather than a passenger in the back. Biggest grins came on the Alpine course though, which loops and rolls up and down a series of steep inclines and dips, and especially in the Astra – which benefited from being the last car that we drove, and the most nimble. It also makes some fabulous, if slightly weird, noises. Talking to a coursemate, I compared the BAARRPP sound it bellows in the last few rpm before the redline to a spaceship arriving through a jump gate; he looked at me a little funny, but admitted he got what I meant.

The Astra wasn’t as unruly as expected either. The boost from its turbocharged two litre four-pot certainly isn’t as linear as in the Golf GTi, nor does it quite feel as fast (to be fair, we had all driven the 400bhp Monaro by this point), but there was no sign of rampant torquesteer unless seriously provoke. I personally found the aggressive delivery, where the power seems to arrive in lumps, pretty entertaining. But the gearbox isn’t the most cooperative or consistent I’ve ever tried, and seems to be set quite far back in relation to the driver.

The Vectra was hugely competent, the Monaro not so scary as you might imagine – though its controls are other-era heavy. If anything is going to drive you nuts about these cars, it’s the indicator stalks, which in the Astra and the Vectra are these new-fangled rocking stalks that trigger a switch rather than staying in position. Struck us all as a bit like reinventing the wheel – what exactly was wrong with the original design? – but even having said that we all got used to them by the end of the day.

The instruction itself was a useful mix of laidback encouragement and fantastically incisive, experience driven know-how. The day kicked off with a powerpoint presentation that lasted about an hour, and did an excellent job of convincing us – if such were actually needed – of the value of the information about to be imparted. This was peppered with memory-friendly phrases, but for the sake of brevity, I’m only going to paraphrase one of these for the moment. And since I started this off talking about brakes, this is where I’m going to stop: when driving – and especially quickly – it’s not so much about how fast you can go, but how fast you can stop.

In modern cars, the presence of ABS brakes is practically taken for granted. But as our instructors pointed out, hardly any ever really takes complete advantage of this system when forced into making an emergency stop; with ABS if you want to stop quickly stamp on the brakes, and stamp on them HARD – but not everyone is accustomed to doing this, and not everyone has the strength to apply maximum pressure.

So, practically on the quiet, various manufacturers have been implementing an accessory to ABS, and in Vauxhall’s case this is known as Brake Assist. With this in place, assuming you whack the brakes suddenly enough, the car’s electronic brain will detect that there is something of an emergency going on and summon up the absolute maximum crash stop capability of the brakes fitted to the car.

The Vectra VXR’s case – and I know because not only was it demonstrated, but we all tried it for ourselves – if you hit the middle peddle hard enough to trigger this electronic aid, the car will force itself to a stop within a length and a half if you’re travelling at 30mph. That is a phenomenal achievement, and I think we can look forward to such systems saving lives the lives of pedestrians everywhere.

Worth knowing even more than this, however, is what happens if you try the same trick from 40mph – a speed that easily creeps up on you if you’re not paying proper attention when driving around town. A 10mph difference results in practically double the stopping distance, even with a system as advanced as this fully engaged. Keep it in mind.

Links:

Autocar

Vauxhall

Millbrook Engineering

R#26: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

2006-06-22T18:42:00.000+01:00

‘When the truth walks away, everybody stays,
Coz the truth about the world is that crime does pay…’

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

The go faster kids in go faster cars franchise returns. Only this time the action takes place on the opposite side of the world, the cars are harder, and the audience, mercifully, gets away without attracting the attention of “wooden” Paul Walker – even if his replacement looks a trifle “mid-thirties” for an under-18 high school kid.

Tokyo Drift is far from being the worst movie I’ve seen this year (stand up and bow, Aeon Flux), but that statement deserves the same caveat I applied to Transporter 2. I like this kind of movie it’s the kind of trashy nonsense film I go the cinema specifically to enjoy. That doesn’t mean I like all of them (Aeon Flux being an example, Torque being another – what a ridiculous name for a motorcycle movie – but Stealth was awesome!), but keep it in mind for when I’m saying good things later – it’s all a matter of context.

With this film, the franchise has gotten away from yawning straight line combat of the first movie, and almost gets beyond the lack of realism in the second. They’ve gone instead to the heart of a very genuine and unique type of street racing – drifting, in Japan. And they’ve tackled it without the pointless bells and whistles. No neons here; just stripped interiors, big turbos, bodykits and NOS. It’s almost believably hardcore.

But a further disclaimer: a huge amount of screen time is devoted to the drift sequences. If you aren’t a car person you are going to get bored. Hell, even if you are a car person, you might still get bored – exactly how many times can you watch a souped-up rice rocket going sideways is an unquantifiable predilection. For me, it was enthralling almost entirely – in spite of my disdain for action that occasionally appears like it wasn’t shot using “reality”. Some of the visuals are just breath-taking, perfectly in tune with a Playstation generation jacked into Gran Tourismo on replay.

They still haven’t got it completely right. While much, much better than the first two F&Fs, it seems that Hollywood could still learn about filming fast cars from BBC’s Top Gear, which captures epic speeds and driving exhilaration far more emotively. Tokyo Drift genuinely touches on this greatness in places, though: a moment when crowds crossing a busy busy Tokyo square split like disturbed snowflakes during the penultimate chase sequence, as drifting almost in slow motion the protagonists scythe their way unstoppably through. Reflecting a camera shot from earlier in the film, it’s almost Matrix like its entrancement – an impression that’s enhanced by the horrified looks on the faces of … and love interest… as for a single instant they seem to realise how close their actions take them to horrific injury and death.

And that’s my biggest problem with this film. Although Tokyo Drift manages to make only oblique references to drugs, the stars don’t smoke and are seen sipping only bottled water, its underlying moral message seems to be that crime does pay. If we ignore a fairly significant death – which the other characters all seem to do – this movie portrays life above the speed limit and beyond the law as a life without serious consequences. “Glorification” isn’t the word…

A trait evident in the previous films, it’s far more prevalent here. The kid does get chucked out of the States to avoid going to prison for transgressions committed in the opening minutes. But he lands on his feet in a country where all the school kids seem to be driving hugely modified – and therefore expensive – motor vehicles. We’re given only one explanation for how they could possibly afford them – and it isn’t a lemonade stall.

There are trace elements of the other bad stuff from the first films, too. The girls are all tall, slim, shapely, and ideally kissing each other; classic movie clichés abound (“You think this is a game?!” being my personal favourite); and stereotyping is rife – in this instance taking on Japanese culture. I suppose I could also say something profound about the constant opposition of American muscle cars and Japanese techno speed, but you can work that one out for yourself. Although the late appearance of a Camero/Skyline fusion disrupts this somewhat.

But the good stuff? It’s all in the details. Neat performances and competent direction give life to some flat characters – with no rushing to the scene end (kinda funny in a high speed car film) mean there’s time for expression, emotion and even silence. A friend remarked that Sonny Chiba – who plays Han, … legally ambivalent “mentor” –phoned in his performance somewhat, but even if he did he’s still one of the best things in it. The script is only moderately jarring in places, and they drop all the right car names without ever feeling the need to over-explain. While the music, the noise (vroooom), and the cinematography set a definite atmosphere; an audience that started loud and chatty quickly dropped into remarkable silence when I saw it. Plus I winced at every car crunching impact. Those poor automobiles…

And there’s the truth – the cars (and by extension, the stunt drivers) are the stars. However the filming was done, a Nissan ascending a spiral parking ramp on opposite lock is beautiful to behold. Seeing the lurch as the boost hits and the NOS kicks does something to me I can’t quite explain. I love the way the really hot cars sound lumpy at idle and recalcitrant at low speed – it’s just so correct. And I’m still in awe of the j-turn that looks overcooked until the driver powers away sideways in the opposite direction. The fact that there was a story, too – no matter how shallow – was just a bonus under the circumstances.

Another friend said it was like Grease without the music. Opinions differ.

Links:

Hey, how about a film review: Transporter 2 [internal]

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift @ IMDb

The Fast and The Furious Official Site

Spy Footage of the new Fast And Furious Tokyo uploaded by SideWayStarion @ StreetFire.net

And, when I was looking for the above, I found this:

Why you have to watch Fast and Furious 3 Tokyo Drift by Shinkaze @ StreetFire.net

…which is an argument for going to see the movie on the basis that if you don’t, Hollywood might not make any more car movies. Take note, he/she (?!) might have a point.

Picture is from moviesonline.ca

Lyrics from The Offspring ‘Have You Ever’, which is on their Americana album, and has no specific relation to this film.

L#28: New Car Musings (Part Two)

2006-06-16T13:24:00.000+01:00

I know it should be an R# this week, but for the sake of finishing off a thought, I figured I'd mix things up a bit - it'll be an R for you all next week...

After last week’s trip down memory lane, I’ve got no further excuse to avoid talking about potential replacements for my car. Having now pretty much rejected the possibility of getting another old banger – that’s a little harsh on my present chariot, but nevertheless – I guess you might be wondering what else I’ve got in mind, so here’s three potential candidates for you.

The first thing you have to bare in mind is the budget; I was a bit over optimistic when I emailed an acquaintance at Auto Express, asking what he reckoned would be worth getting for between £7,500 and £10,000. He emailed back three very worthy automobiles: the Skoda Fabia vRS; the MINI Cooper; and, perhaps most interestingly, the Ford Puma.

All very cool – but the first two wouldn’t fall within the top end of that budget if bought new, and the Puma isn’t even made anymore. This brand spanking thing is pretty important, since I’m interested in the new car ownership experience – honestly, it’s research… The Puma did cause me to pause for thought momentarily though.

I’ve not driven one, but the little Ford coupe has a reputation for fantastically agile handling, and is easily available at the right sort of price, too, especially if you’re willing to look at leggier examples. Unfortunately, the 1.7 litre Yamaha engine in the quick ones (it was also available with a 1.4 and later a 1.6 during its life) is a bit too exotic for my poor student tastes, even if the rest of the car is basically Fiesta components. Oh, and it looks, um, girlie. Are you starting to get a sense of what I meant last week when I talked about the reality of purchasing priorities?

The other two were never really in contention because I don’t really have that kind of money to spend. This whole deal is partially my parents’ idea – oh, don’t I sound like a grown up? – and they’re going to be responsible for financing it, at least to begin with. Realistically, £10,000 is too much. We really are talking the bottom end of the new car market here – what can you get new for about £7,500? That you’d actually want to be seen in?

Much as I’d be liking to emphasize the fun, at this sort of money you are almost forced to think about practicality. Practicality is pretty close to reliability, and although I have personal experience to assuage the legend, the old ad campaign is still engrained on the consciousness, so when you think about reliability you end up thinking about Volkswagen. And with a neat touch of timing, I was starting to look just as the very practical Fox arrived in the UK.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Fox is pretty damn cheap – starting at less than £7,000 for a fully-fledge VW badge. But on the other hand, it’s an old design imported from Brazil, and no-where near as cute to look at as the Lupo it replaces. Hardly offensive, though, and it is cheap. Did I mention that?

Actually, there’s a lot to like. For starters, the dealer actually seemed interested in selling us a car. (Note to Ford… Nope, that’s all I wanted to say). More impressive, however, is the amount of space inside. All but the base model have a sliding rear bench, which allows you to negotiate between boot space and leg room in the back. I tested the base model, and even without that sliding seating arrangement my dad – who’s 6’4” – fitted in easily. With tons of headroom.

But there’s more. Of all the cars I looked at, the Fox was the only one with reach and rake adjustment on the steering. Small cars typically have terrible ergonomics, and something as simple (heh, I can say that – I’m not an engineer…) as this makes a hell of a lot of difference. The little 1.2 triple under the bonnet is remarkably pokey – three adults up and it was still pulling with evidence of gusto, if not vigour, foot down at 60mph.

The brakes are as snappy as you’d expect from a VW, and the gearchange didn’t leave me with any nasty memories. Though do remember that I’m basing all of these appraisals on genuine test drives (if the salesman – and they were all men – asked, I explained I was journalism student, but didn’t elaborate any further).

Less good in the Fox was the rest of the interior, and especially the quality of the plastics. Great grey slabs of it on the doors reminded me of the toy dinosaurs I used to have as a kid, but more significantly were already showing signs of scuffing. The dealer had only had the car for a week. It also rattled, but this was apparently due to one of the mechanics having broken a panel in the boot almost as soon as it had arrived. Hmmm…

Lots of cup holders, and some very funky trim options – well, assuming that “stripy” is in, anyway (and I do mean stripy) – the Fox certainly isn’t a bad car. But the headroom plays havoc with the centre of gravity, and this isn’t helped by the narrow track, meaning it wouldn’t exactly be my first choice for a back road hustle. Great car for my mum, though, and if you can stand the interest rates, they have some neat finance deals going that throw in free servicing.

Next up: the Suzuki Swift. The Swift amuses me for lots of reasons – not least of which is the pseudo-MINI thing it’s got going. Hardly in need of trim options to fulfil its funk quota, if you know what I mean – and given there’s only one that must be a relief. It’s also CAR magazine’s car of the year, which ought to say something about it. Starting price is £7,599 for a three-door 1.3 – looks expensive next to the Fox but it comes loaded with standard kit, and if you excuse some almost hilariously flexible door cards, the interior is in another league. A really nicely integrated stereo is a major plus point, and they’ve even borrowed the rev counter design from their superbikes to add a little flair all their own to the instrument cluster.

I got to have a go in the 1.3 and the 1.5 – the latter having the added benefit of VVTI variable valve timing. It probably was a bit gutsier going uphill, but I did drive it second so might have been more used to the car by then; there’s actually only 10bhp difference in power output. What was much more noticeable about the 1.5 in comparison to its littler sibling was the ridiculously high clutch biting point and the heavier steering.

A subsequent recall seems to have sorted out the clutch issue, but as for the steering my suspicion is that it was as much down to the wheels as the increased engine capacity. The 1.5 was riding on optional 16” alloys (a fairly hideous cross spoke design, as opposed to the Toora Hypers that are also available at that size), while the 1.3 was on scarcely credible 17s. That doesn’t sound like it makes much sense, but the 17s are ‘race-spec’, according to the brochure, which I’ll optimistically translate into “lightweight” – and I’m sticking to this theory as the 1.3’s ride was remarkably compliant considering the wheel diameter, too.

Nice car to drive, the Swift – not quite as top-heavy feeling as the Fox, and somewhat wider, scooting round corners with vim. The gearstick is in a slightly funny position, though, feeling slightly too far back for optimal comfort. Other ergonomic weirdness includes the pedal spacing: masses of room in the footwell, tiny pedal surfaces, and a huge gap between the brake and the accelerator makes heel-and-toeing only possible if you do it the old fashioned way (using, y’know, your heel and your toe – not just the edge of your foot). It does probably mean that left foot braking is on the cards, but I didn’t really have the opportunity to try that out.

So, Swift = fun. Well, certainly funner than the Fox, reckons I. Still, given my auto journ pretension I thought I had better try and find something even more hardcore for the money. Hello Ford, hello SportKa.

Officially out of budget, you can get one nearly new for about £7,500, and a few car supermarkets are selling delivery mileage non-SEs for £8,500. Non-SE is good because that way you don’t get the hideous two-tone blue and black leather seats – even it does mean missing out on aircon.

It looks nicely done on the outside – though that blue they’re practically all in is over-rated – and even the ordinary Ka receives great chassis reviews from most perspectives. Bespoke bumpers, 16” alloys, a spoiler – all in the best possible taste. A bigger engine, too: 1.6 litres of the finest, uh, vintage Duratec money can buy. But, boy, I really don’t think I could live with that interior. The plastic in the Ford reminded me of ancient boiled sweets, and the dash is just unnecessarily swoopy and impractical as a result. I mean, what’s with the weird bobble that looks like a glued down sunglasses holder on the passenger side, when they could have surely fitted a proper glovebox?

As for the driving experience, well, hardcore is certainly the word. Again, I hasten to point out that I drove a single, main dealer example (it’s always worth driving a few of the same car when you’re looking, because you then get a better idea about what a decent one should feel like), but they had several there and this was the one the salesman chose to go out in, so…

The Ka, and especially the SportKa, has been described as being a similar driving experience to the original Mini. Well, given the rock solid ride, buzzy drivetrain and strangely recalcitrant engine (‘rev’ and ‘nuts off’ necessary for significant progress), this isn’t a bad comparison. The steering’s sharp but heavy, too, while there didn’t seem to be much danger of running out of grip at sensible speeds, either.

The gearbox was my favourite part, however. If the Swift is pseudo-MINI, the SportKa’s ’box is almost microcosmic Ferrari: round alloy knob – from the Puma, fact fans! – atop a long thin stick, combined with a very short throw and snickety action. Really lovely. But you have to balance that against a car that doesn’t seem that fast, and rides likes someone’s taken the springs out. Crashy and hard work – but probably worth it once you’re up to a decent operating velocity. Tough call.

So that’s three possibilities for you. No absolute answers as yet – but look out for a list cars I haven’t considered coming up soon…

Links:

Volkswagen Fox

Suzuki Swift

Ford Ka

New Car Musings (Part One) [internal]

Pictures: Fox from this desktop wallpaper site (looks like a pres shot); SportKa is definitely a press shot - this crop from CarNet.

Microcab: Culmination

2006-06-12T23:22:00.000+01:00

The Microcab side project I've been working on has finally come to fruition. Last Wednesday saw the publication date of the magazine the writing is feature in, and the conference the magazine was intended to support.

You can see the cover design on the left - worth mentioning as the magic Phil Perry took time out of his weekend to improve it for us, subsequent to my previous post on this subject.

You can read some more about this, and view the final version of the article at the mini-site. This won't be the end of the material to go up at this location, however, as I intend to post the full transcript of my interview with John Jostins as a resource for anyone interested in alternative automotive power.

Links:

Microcab [mini-site]

R#25: It's all worth it in The End [internal]

"Here we go!"

2006-06-12T22:58:00.000+01:00

The new site design is now all good to go. Inevitably I'll keep finding stuff I want to tweak, but university is on the cusp of keeping me extremely busy so I shall not have much time for that over the coming weeks.

Initially I had planned to simply change the templates over, and continue with one site only. But then I decided that I still liked the style of the old version, and that it might prove fun and/or useful to have a duplicate version, running an alternative design.

This is the first post to be replicated across both sites, so I figure I had better explain myself.

Let's kick off (hmm, topical reference a-go-go...) with the bad news:

I'm going to have to rename the main posts again; in order to justice to this mucking about, divulge me with a brief historical account. I started this blog with the intention of showing just how serious I am about getting a job in motoring journalism, and so it began with one main post a week, numbered and signified by a # and the red colour of the text. These had - and still have - a self-imposed limit of 800 words, and were put up Sunday-for-Monday.

Quickly I realised that I had more than enough to say (stop sniggering at the back) to manage two main posts a week. So, I added a second feature post in a Thursday-for-Friday slot, with a more flexible word limit. To differentiate the two, these were tagged with a T# (for 'Thursday'), and the text itself was coloured yellow.

All well and good. Until earlier this year - when university started getting properly hectic. So, I shifted back to a single main post a week. But I wanted to keep the discipline and the flexibility, so this now alternates every Thursday; inorder to distinguish between the two, I changed the tags to match the colours - so Red posts became R#s, Yellow posts became Y#s.

The problem is that yellow doesn't fit into the colour scheme of the new site - I'll be using blue instead.

So, in order to avoid further and future confusion, I am changing the tags once more:

The 800 word posts will retain the R# designation, as this can now stand for 'regular' as much as it can stand for the colour. These remain RED regardless of which site you're using.

The flexible limit posts will now have an L# tag - standing for 'larger' or 'longer', as they generally are. The numbering will continue in sequence as before. These will remain YELLOW in the Original, but become BLUE in the Light.

I hope that's clear!

Why two sites? Well, the plan to change the exisiting design was stimulated by the shock I received whenever I caught site of the blog on an older CRT monitor - iMacs seemed to be particularly prone. Very, very dark and dingy - difficult to read. But on the right screen - such as my own superbright LCD - all that blackness still looks pretty good, so I've decided to keep it going at the original web address.

At the new web address, http://cjhubbard.blogspot.com you'll find the new template.

This is a much, much brighter design - and I've put in considerable effort trying to make it look nice within the confines of the blogger environment. I hope you like it.

It's tempting to say what a hero I've been, and achieved this with little or no coding knowledge. But the truth is, while I started off with nothing at the beginning of this course, I've found myself learning pretty rapidly - and with any luck, the new design reflects this. It's been a pretty steep learning curve in itself, but everything has been done right - if you know what I mean? I may have broken one or two stylistic guidelines, but hey, rules are made to be broken.

That's enough waffling from me for the time being. Your comments are very welcome.

Links:

InfinityReversed : Original Edition

InfinityReversed : Light Edition

Y#27: New Car Musings (Part One)

2006-06-09T10:54:00.000+01:00

Time to start the hunt

It’s funny that I should be getting to writing this now, as on Monday something remarkable happened. The BMW passed its MOT. Having had the brakes rebuilt – once again – a couple of weeks previously, it sailed through the test with only an advisory or two to blight its name. So there’s progress: I might be getting it back at the weekend.

Why funny? Well, because the plan is still to try and find a replacement. I’ve made a few posts on this topic already, but these have all involved contemplating the merits of another cheap-as-yesterday’s-chips second hand car. But my dad had kind of a radical suggestion – why not get something brand new?

My initial reaction was one of incredulity – affording this was a problem for starters. However, as I began to think about it a bit more, and given my current attraction to small cars, it dawned on me that it might actually be quite interesting to see what’s available for an enthusiast-minded person such as me at the bottom end of the new car market.

My dad’s suggestion was triggered by the outlandish deals offered by manufacturers like Fiat and Citroen, and the temptation of a New Car [sparkle, glint] warranty. He even mentioned the Hyundai Getz at one point (I dissuaded him on the basis that its 0-60 time could almost be counted on a calendar). Never being one to take the easy route, anyway, I decided that this was all worth a bit of a look.

I’ve also never been in a position to purchase a new car before. And while the depreciation fiend looms large in the mind when contemplating such a decision, the novelty of owning a vehicle untouched by another human hand also has a strange kind of appeal – not that I’m suggesting assembly line workers and delivery drivers aren’t human, you understand. I also thought that from a journalistic point of view this would actually be an interesting exercise, because when faced with the possibility of spending your own money on a car you don’t necessarily buy “The Best One” – you buy the one you like.

And as an extra proviso, I also have to bare in mind that if I do go down this route, the car may eventually end up in the hands of my mother. (Depreciation not so much of a concern then, as we’ll probably keep the car for quite a long time…).

Now, I’ve had a pretty eclectic bunch of vehicles – but not in any kind of obvious sense. My first car, when I was learning to drive, was a Y-reg Saab 900: two litres, twin carbs, crap brakes and a chassis you could have held a house up with. It was also this weird kind of beige that looked pink or grey depending on the light. It eventually blew up when a belt powering the engine fan slipped off and the engine overheated.

Next was an E-reg Nissan Sunny 1.3LX, only one owner from new – and no, it wasn’t the set-square coupe, but it was that model line. The car was immaculate, a nice green three-door, and did without power steering. Perhaps not the best handling tin box in the world, but remarkably rapid considering – especially at the top end on the motorway, helped by the absence of a fifth gear. Great in the wet, too. It finally died a couple of years ago, by then belonging to my sister, when somebody drove into it.

We never got rid of the Nissan, but I did stupidly buy a MkII Volkswagen Scirocco GT as a replacement vehicle for myself. This car very nearly put me off VWs for life (thank God for the Mk V GTi), but in hindsight I can acknowledge that it was all my own fault; I wanted something good looking and sporty, and thought the Sirocco was it. How wrong I was. Not very fast (though the speedo over-reading by 10mph meant you could scare people pretty easily), not very fun to drive, and overly expensive to insure, considering the almost entire absence of performance, this was an awful, awful car. And that was before it started going wrong.

Amusingly, since we’d tackled virtually every conceivable area of ailment – which included having the fuel tank removed and flushed, replacing all the fuel lines, lavishing huge amounts of attention on the carburettor – when it was finally sold it started first time. And this after having been laid up for over a year because the insurance was too ridiculous; all that was needed was a fresh charge in the battery. Bloody thing.

More recently I’ve had a couple of BMWs. This is merely coincidence, before anyone starts wondering: the first was a dark metallic blue E30 316i Touring Lux, which I paid too much for really, but looked bloody fantastic with its BBS rims and big bumpers; the second was the aforementioned £800 white whale of a 520i. The E30, wasn’t a bad car. I much prefer the look of that series in the estate; if I really had to fault it the interior was pretty uninspired. And compared to the 520, it certainly lost out in the value stakes – I have said it before, but I don’t suppose I’ll ever get as much motor for my money as I did when I bought that white Bimmer two Christmas Eves ago…

Which leaves rather a lot for any new car to live up to. A reasonably high priority is that it needs to be something that’s a little bit different – but it also wants to be good enough that I don’t feel short changed stepping out of the five series.

I think I already have the solution, but in a typically irritating cliff hanger manner, I’m going to leave you guessing – perhaps even as long as next week. Answers (and suggestions) on a postcard, please…

[And those of you who already know, I implore you upon your honour to keep it quiet!]

Links:

R#23: The Simple Life [internal]

Y#25: Small, Light and Fun [internal]

Spot the obvious "mistake" [internal]

Y#22: Mk V Volkswagen Golf GTi [internal]

Ahhh

2006-06-09T10:48:00.000+01:00

...Blogger is working again. Hurrah.

R#25: It's all worth it in The End

2006-06-02T22:45:00.000+01:00

My God, what a week! I don’t usually like to use exclamation marks too much, but in this case it feels somewhat appropriate. It’s been so hectic that I’m actually improvising this post at 9.25pm on Friday night, instead of thrilling you all with topics I’d expected to prepare.

So…maybe a little on those topics, and a little on the excuses excuses I’ve got for being so shoddy – what do you think? I’m probably failing on all points of Blogging 101, making what is supposed to be a semi-professional (emphasis on the “semi”) internet publishing venture into a bit of a personal gee-look-how-tough-it’s-been-for-me-this-week space. But hey, it is all about me – we’re forever being told by our tutors that we should think of ourselves as some kind of “brand” – here’s how everything can get thrown out of wack.

First off, my original plan for this week’s post was to write a little something something about the Demon Tweeks catalogue. I even had a contender ready for my all but opening gambit – think I can’t get 800 words out of a motorsport and tuning catalogue? Think again. Sounds great now, doesn’t it – given that I’ve only gone and proved the doubters how right they are. I’ll get to why it didn’t happen in a moment, but don’t look too smug all you Thomases, as the concept hasn’t gone away completely. Look for an entry on DT soon. Well, maybe.

Ok, as it increasingly began to look like the Tweeks was out of the question, I quickly quickly established a backup plan. On Friday – i.e.: tonight – Coventry University was hosting its inaugural ‘Bugatti Lecture’. Given by Barrie Price, ‘a founding member and Trustee [sic] of the Bugatti Trust’, this was entitled The life and work of Ettore Bugatti – which sounds pretty interesting. As a bonus, following immediately after this – as expressly advertised by the invitation – a ‘private view’ of the final year undergraduate engineering, art and design degree show was available for all and sundry (yes, exactly) to peruse.

I was imagining that the lecture itself would provide enough enough material to make an entertaining 800 word read. I actually got to the degree show – but had absolutely no chance to make it to the lecture. And the show was so packed it was like carrying a chocolate teapot through hell (someone really should have found the switch for the air conditioning) trying to get any kind of meaningful experience in there. I’ll go back, though, as there seemed to be some pretty interesting projects down in the basement where all the transport design geezers and geezets hang out. As for the Bugatti talk, apparently I missed out on a couple of Ettore’s mobile artworks enlivening the entrance, and a bunch of photography (some spectacular, others less so) – but also the rampant sound of hearing-aids being adjusted: my informed observer speculating that the average age of the audience was around 75.

So – what happened happened? Well, you read the previous entry, right? We lowly MA hacks have spent the term so far preparing a conference-come-journal on The Future Of The British Car Industry (since this is something of a personal entry into this blog, I’ll explain that the capitalisation is a tiny bit of a private joke regarding our editor’s undying efforts to have us emphasize every heading and title in that way. Way To Shout, bro!). The conference itself kicks off at 9.30 am next Wednesday – that’s 7 June, and you’re all invited – with the journal to be available the same day.

In order to facilitate this, the publication was supposed to be finished finished and off to the printers this Wednesday. Sadly, things didn’t exactly go to plan. In fact, the reason I didn’t make it to the Bugatti lecture is that some of us were still working on the magazine. See, it got to the go day and not only was the layout unfinished – actually out of our hands on this occasion, but I’ll get to that in a moment – but we suddenly started to realise just how much work we still had to do on finalising the copy. It actually turned out to be something of a blessing that the design wasn’t all done, because this gave us the necessary time to have a really good go at the subbing. I’ve spent the last two days staring at copy so hard that even now, two and half hours[1] after we put the whole thing to bed, I’m still seeing double…

But, boy, does the finished product look pretty good. “Worth the effort” is all the consolation those of us still staring screens at the end need to hear. And I’d also like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to Phil Perry, the design lecturer who ~~tolerated~~ helped us right until the very last – especially as he wouldn’t let us put his name on the credits page. We could not have done it without him. Fingers crossed there aren’t any issues with the printing.

That’s the reality and the reasoning. Sometimes you just gotta put the graded work first – and as an insight to the experiences of working on this degree, then maybe this post didn’t actually turn out too bad.

Links:

Delay due to damage [internal]

Microcab Project

Picture by me, taken at the Autosport International show in January. I'm great with a camera, I am!

[1] Making the time as I write this sentence 10.25pm – or an hour after I began, should anyone be keeping tabs on the rate of flow recorded by my creative juices.

Delay due to damage

2006-06-01T23:16:00.000+01:00

No post tonight as I have spent all day with some of my hardest working fellows, trying to rescue the schedule for the journal us specialist journalism MAs are currently putting together.

This is related to the Microcab project I've mentioned previously...you can see this morning's thoughts on the progess so far here. It's a bit of a bumpy ride. But we are getting there.

Will update that "mini-site" with more info - hopefully tomorrow; definitely tomorrow is the weekly main post.

Sorry for the delay...

Links:

Microcab Project

More on the Microcab [internal]

An Update: Microcab Project [internal]

I took the photos at the WTCC meeting at Brands Hatch two weekends ago; that's a couple of Formula 3000 Masters cars having a "bit of a off". Click on the pictures to see a bigger version.

Update on the Redesign

2006-06-01T11:08:00.000+01:00

Should any of y'all be interested in following the progress of the site re-design, the new template is being constructed here:

http://cjhubbard2.blogspot.com/

Progess is slow but steady at the moment, as I try to figure out a way of working with the blogger layout "constraints" while also doing something a little creative.

If you have any suggestions (and don't be fooled by the green - that's temporary!), feel free to email them to me. My address is:

infinityreversed@yahoo.com

No spam please!

Links:

Testing 2

Y#26: Small, Light and Fun

2006-05-26T01:01:00.000+01:00

It seems I’m not the only one interested in small, lightweight, fun cars. Evo recently hosted a letter of the month from a chap proposing just such a thing, while in the same issue (091) Gordon Murray complained in his column about all the new generation vehicles at this year’s Geneva Motorshow being bigger and heavier than their predecessors.

Hywel Thomas, the Evo reader in question, would ideally love G Murray to step up and design a 650kg car, with 120bhp and uncomplicated maintenance. The tricky bit is getting it to cost less than £10,000 – but if John Jostins can produced a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for that amount of money, then I guess anything’s possible!

The “Evo Car Co” is an interesting concept. Having said that, I don’t know whether it’s my age – I’m only 26! – or my over-active imagination, but at the moment I don’t even feel the need to be that exotic. What with the evermore draconian enforcement of the speed limit becoming increasingly a process of psychological warfare (a tired and tested tactic; speed practically is a social faux par now), my driving priorities are currently more concerned with maximising enjoyment within the speed limit rather than exceeding it.

Many of my coursemates will probably find this anathema. For some of them, driving as fast as they can is a particular thrill of choice – they’re fine drivers, and I’m not making any judgement over that; in fact, I find it a little weird – in that I used to be absolutely the same, and at the moment I’m…not that bothered about absolute speed and progress. Perhaps it’s just that life has a habit of catching up with you, regardless of how quickly you’re travelling.

Maybe I’ll get like that again once I’m out of Coventry – who knows? But for now I’m more or less content within the law, be that in the city, on the motorway, or out “thrashing” the country lanes…

Sugar. I can see people taking this the wrong way. I had better explain myself before I get accused of degenerating into some kind of safer roads campaign miasma…

The thing is – and I’m entirely serious about this, although there are other factors – I’ve been driving someone’s Citroen Saxo rather a lot lately. An R-plate, 1.1 litre SX, with nearly 90,000 miles on the clock and quite a few battlescars to prove it. Might fetch 800 quid if it was cleaned up – er, if you’re optimistic. But this is motoring in a very pure form – power-assisted steering, electric windows, and a set of wheeltrims from Halfords are about its only luxuries. Nothing you don’t need – but realistically enough.

You’re still not getting it, are you? Well, you probably haven’t driven one. But you probably have noticed how popular the Saxo is with the baseball-hatted set. Ok, so we’re talking microwaved versions, warmed-over performance, alloys and a bodyit, but it isn’t just the looks making these small Citroen’s popular – if the level of enjoyment I’m getting from the smallest engine in the range is anything to go by, the VTR and VTS must be seriously entertaining.

Driving the 1.1 feels to me almost like sampling another era, when tyres were skinny, power levels modest, and brakes were crap. It does have all the build integrity of a biscuit tin, but you can feel exactly what’s going on and it’s properly entertaining – in a modest sort of way. No doubt it helps that the exhaust is blowing, giving the Saxo a slightly rorty engine note. It doesn’t seem to matter that overtaking the vehicle in front is less a way of life than a lottery win. The little Citroen just makes me content.

But perhaps I’m spoilt. The roads in this part of the word are not only sufficiently twisty, they’re also remarkably traffic-free as well – I suppose that’s also like other-era motoring. It helps that in the direction of Leicester most of the traffic uses the M69 – leaving all the little stuff to me and the one other guy caning along in his little white van. Overtaking thrust stops being an issue, and I can just concentrate on not losing speed on the corners. It’s an entirely different kind of driving experience, as instead of ten-tenths aggression (the Saxo is, after all, only really capable of about six…) the trick is to be as smooth and friction free as possible. I don’t get stressed when I’m driving it, and I don’t care what other people think.

That’s a pretty neat trick. The other thing that’s great about it – of course – is the fuel economy. I swear this is at least partial psychological, though, as there is just something horribly wrong with a car that swallows 60 quid’s worth of petrol without getting heartburn. The Citroen is brimmed on 35 – a far more pleasing number, I seem to find!

So, should the BMW have bitten the dust, will I be looking to replace it with something small and French? Erm, not likely, no – the Saxo is an entirely adequate and fun little car. But it just isn’t special enough. And paradoxically, may well end up being too expensive, or not quite expensive enough…

Tune in again for more irreverent small car nonsense. Coming soon!

Links:

R#23: The Simple Life [internal]

Picture is of a 1.1 SX...from the Euro Ncap site.

More on the Microcab

2006-05-25T10:52:00.000+01:00

There's been much progress on my Microcab mini-site since last week.

This includes an improvement to the colour scheme...but also various draft and subbed versions of the article(s) that are going to come out of it.

To take a look, click here.

Links:

Coventry University Autojournal

www.microcab.co.uk

An Update: Microcab Project [internal]

R#24: Professor Tom Donnelly on Lean Production

2006-05-18T21:24:00.000+01:00

Getting to hear the opinion of industry experts is one of the main reasons that I chose to do this automotive journalism MA. Coventry University has pretty decent links to the car industry – especially on the design side, something that will probably be relatively well known to anyone interested in this subject area. Less well know – certainly I wasn’t aware of this before I got here – is that the university has a large automotive engineering department, and a business school that runs specialised courses on the motor industry.

So, it’s worth mentioning that us lowly journalism students do occasional get to benefit from sage advice in this area of the Coventry academic sphere. The particularly character in question is Professor Tom Donnelly, and he knows a vast amount about the business side of car manufacturing. It’s not a topic I’m massively well versed on, so it was interesting to hear Donnelly’s expert opinion last week, focusing particularly on the principles of lean production.

Lean production, as I understand it, is where quality and cost meet – striving for the best possible product at the best possible price through the best possible production methods. This means eliminating waste and aiming for a “Just In Time” delivery process. I shall attempt to explain.

Donnelly stresses that this is a ‘philosophy and a logistics system’, much practiced by the Japanese manufacturers, and especially Toyota. Its importance is based on the superior nature of Japanese production, as seen in the management of quality and output, and it’s relevant in all manufacturing, not just the car industry.

Toyota’s position as the world’s most profitable car maker comes from two main things – its successful imposition of the long game and its mastery of lean production. In many ways the two are related; Toyota is prepared to work at things a long time, and under this system improvements are incremental, not radical. This suits the lean production philosophy, which suggests there is no point in something you can’t actually implement; production schedules should be ‘coherent’, and you ‘don’t bring in changes at the last minute.’

Key is the elimination of waste. If a product is made right in the first place you don’t have to spend time and money rectifying faults before it even gets to the customer. Donnelly claims that in the early 90s Mercedes had 40% of its workforce in repair bays, performing remedial work on cars after they came off the production line; contra to this, on a visit to a Toyota factory in Japan he asked his guide what the fault tolerance was for a particular section – and she replied that there wasn’t one, they expected everything to be 100%.

Avoiding waste also means cutting costs, no matter how marginal the savings. But, it’s important that this is only done if it doesn’t detract from existing levels of quality. Waste is found in inefficient work areas – badly designed, untidy, all these things are wasteful. So Toyota engages in continual product improvement, and makes sure that its working environments are optimised. And it avoids any kind of blame culture – if something goes wrong learn from the mistakes and make sure they don’t happen again.

But waste works in other ways, too. There is waste in keeping excessive inventories of parts. While obviously it’s sensible to have a certain margin of safety should a delivery of otherwise essential nuts and bolts get delayed, stock piling grommets when know exactly how many are required to assemble a set number of cars ties up money unnecessarily. I noted recently that TVR instructed TVR Power in Coventry – the company’s tuning division [and exactly who needs a tuned TVR?] – to arrange the sale of stockpiled spares for discontinued models in an effort to free up some capital. Care to consider the relevance to their current predicament…

This ties into “Just In Time”. The ultimate solution to a waste free production process is a build to order system; a customer orders a car, that car is built – the product is ‘pulled’ by the order, not ‘pushed’ from an existing stockpile. Building nothing more than what’s needed can eliminating all waste. While virtually impossible to achieve in practice, the Just In Time principle gets pretty close, as it’s based on the notion of only holding the parts you need to build the cars you currently have planned, without forecasting too far into the future. Since absolute pull is unachievable, some forecasting is inevitable – the important issue is to be able to react to drops in demand, rather than being geared up to carrying on producing vehicles that nobody wants. That would be a waste.

The actual manufacturing practice does play a part in this, but lean production does not mean super complicated robots and no workforce. The idea is to find the point of greatest efficiency, where humans and machines work in balanced ‘harmony’ – people are often more adaptable than robots, especially complex ones. Simple robots and well trained workers make a formidable team. Beyond this preventative maintenance to minimise downtime is vital; if the robots and other tools never break there’s no wasted production capacity. And engage the workforce – train them well, and make them accountable on the basis of this training.

Much of this is risky – particularly any serious application of the Just In Time principle, which requires the cooperation of all suppliers, and all of their suppliers…and so on. But as Tom Donnelly points out, if you’re in any doubt about the money to be made when it works, just ask Toyota.

Professor Tom Donnelly was lecturing on Lean Production at Coventry University on 8th May 2006.

Links:

Cov Uni - CBS - Professor Tom Donnelly @ Coventry University

#3: Badge Engineering [internal]

Picture is from this page. Guess they got it from Google Images, too!

An Update: Microcab Project

2006-05-17T08:26:00.000+01:00

Wondering what's been keeping me busy these past weeks?

Well, if you click the link here you'll get some kind of an idea; I've been working on an article about a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle named the Microcab. Expect the full text of an interview and even some initial drafts soon.

(You might want to shade your eyes from the colour...corporate upgrade is coming, along with the redesign of this main site!)

Links:

Coventry University Autojournal

www.microcab.co.uk

Costing the Earth on Transport Planning

2006-05-12T18:26:00.000+01:00

Not something I've done before, but I thought I'd flag up a Radio Four programme for your attention.

I've written on public transport quite a bit lately, and Costing the Earth dealt with a car verses train scenario this week.

You can listen again here. Well, until they take the link away next week.

Links:

Costing the Earth: Transport Planning @ BBC Radio 4

Y#24: When it sucks to not have a car [internal]

#20: Public Transport [internal]

Image from here, where you can read a mini-history of the transistor radio.

Site Update

2006-05-12T12:27:00.000+01:00

Hello Folks.

The sidebar still reads with old format - why?

Because I'm working on a total site redesign. More on this when I've got it.

Ta-tah for now...

Y#25: When it sucks to not have a car

2006-05-11T22:33:00.000+01:00

Ah, public transport.

As I have remarked before, public transport is all well and good – in the right situation. Like London, where a proper integrated transportation system exists. However, as I have also remarked, not having a car when you’re used to one is a bit like losing a limb.

But when you’re in an environment where the public transport infrastructure isn’t at its optimum as a means of getting about and you don’t have a car – well, then day to day life starts to get a little tricky. And when life develops complications over and above the day to day, then you really have got problems.

Central Coventry isn’t ordinarily too bad a place to be in a car free situation. I live in university accommodation just slightly outside the loop of the ring road (a five minute circumference by car in reasonable traffic). Very nearly everything essential is five or 10 minutes walk away from my hall of residence. Except the train station…

The train station is on the opposite side of town. Not normally a problem. A 25 minute trek at a reasonable pace – which is perhaps 10 minutes less time than it would take the average driver to make it from my door to Leicester, using the M69.

You’re wondering, what’s the squabble? Well, what happens if I’m car-less in Coventry when my girlfriend calls me from a doctor’s surgery in a village near Leicester – and she’s telling me that the doctor, rather than giving her a few pills for her headache, is sending her for a brain scan instead?

Exactly.

She’s not supposed to drive, so I gallantly volunteer to come out and meet her. How will I get there? No problem, I say, I’ll take the train.

Now this village – hey, maybe it’s a small town, but it’d be a close call – does actually have a train station, making it about a million times more possible to do this than you were otherwise expecting. So, I take the trek across Coventry.

Gladly, I’ve been to the station before. Because the signposting is optimistic in the way that only townplanners know how.

It’s not until I get to the station that I discover there’s no direct link between Coventry and Leicester. The woman behind the counter explains that the fastest way to get where I want to go involves changing trains…in Birmingham.

My geography isn’t exactly hot, but I’m fairly sure that’s not the right direction. Oh, well – onwards. It can’t be too bad of a detour, and Coventry to Birmingham takes only a few minutes on the tracks...

Correction, Coventry to Birmingham NEC takes only a few minutes. Birmingham New Street is twice as far – or at least, it takes twice as long.

A 40 minute journey by car has so far taken me 50 minutes (including the time spent waiting for the train to arrive in the station) without one. And not only am I nowhere near getting where I want to go, I’ve been forced to travel in the wrong direction.

Birmingham to Leicester on a train? That’s five stops. One whole hour. Add in the time waiting around at New Street, too – and I was one of the lucky ones: my train wasn’t cancelled – and my trip tops out at over two hours. With me taking so long, my girlfriend has to make her own way to the hospital, and a further few minutes is spent on a taxi ride.

The journey has taken three times as long as it would have by car. And it’s also cost at least twice as much – over £12 on one-way train fare plus six quid on the taxi is not a cheap means of getting about.

I guess I’m lucky I had the money. And that this wasn’t an emergency.

Links:

#20: Public Transport [internal]

Spot the obvious "mistake" [internal]

Image is from here, where you can also access the knitting pattern...!

Technical Theft

2006-05-04T21:54:00.000+01:00

Technology and cars...somehow it's good - even when it's bad...

Leftlane News has a short article on the use of laptop computers to circumnavigate the increasingly sophisticated anti-theft mechanisms now being installed in motor vehicles.

Reckoning this technique is how David Beckham lost two BMW X5s, Leftlane makes some good observations about the proliferation of electronic-only protection. Maybe time for a re-think on the good old-fashioned mechanical lock...

Read it here.

Links:

Gone in 20 Minutes: using laptops to steal cars @ Leftlane News

Picture is a Siemens' publicity shot.

Another service announcement!

2006-05-04T21:50:00.000+01:00

Right, simple post to explain the new naming guide for the main posts.

Really very easy:

R# = Red Posts, 800 word limit (previously the Sunday Post)

Y# = Yellow Posts, flexible word limit (previously the Thursday Post)

These will now alternate weekly, with a Thursday for Friday schedule.

Got that?! Will update the sidebar shortly!

R#23: The Simple Life

2006-05-04T20:55:00.000+01:00

The idea of running a small, simple car often appeals to me. It’s common for this to occur when I’m standing next to a petrol pump, watching the digits tick over and the 520’s seriously enormous fuel tank swallow 60 quid without even needing a complete refill. I really start day-dreaming, however, when something goes wrong with it, and the BMW starts nuzzling me with repair bills.

To be fair, I’ve owned the big white whale since two Christmas Eves ago. It cost £800, and hardly anything has gone wrong. The servicing costs aren’t too bad, and the novelty of driving a (reliable) “premium” segment vehicle for so little certainly has its appeal… But it’s not perfect. The drinking problem is an issue – especially given that most of my journeys are innercity-centric at the moment – and intermittent faults in the electrics are a little draining; not knowing for sure if the dashboard is going to work whenever you turn over the ignition gets somewhat tiring after a while.

Still, I don’t want to complain (though others might suggest this is my one true calling in life – Hello, Dad). The BM is generally great fun to drive – so long as you ignore the creaks in the suspension – eager enough at motorway speeds, zipping along the country lanes very nicely. They know how to make a rear wheel drive chassis, those Germans. But it is just so big. It’s not so much fun zipping about in the urban jungle – even if the body size does offer a fair degree of protection in the event of a mishap – especially when I don’t really need four seats, let alone four doors.

I love this car. It’s probably the best car I’ll ever own. It cost practically nothing, goes well, is built solidly, and isn’t too bad to look at (it bests the majority of the current BMW line up, that’s for sure). The boot’s huge, too – something I’ll probably miss if I downsize, even if I don’t fully appreciate it at the moment. And yet, I can’t help thinking that driving this car is so terribly wasteful; I could get by with so much less than I’ve got.

Currently it’s broken. It’s not even in Coventry with me. Instead, it’s sitting in a garage work area, having various bits of it appraised for flakiness and general no-good don’t go performance; time, perhaps, to find another motoring companion, something a little more lightweight and frugal – but still fun.

There’s a problem. You see, the reason I ended up with the BMW in the first place is because when we went looking, there just wasn’t anything else available for similar money that was actually any good. We’re always being told – by industry experts and so on – that the second hand car market is in crisis, that there are bargains to be had on every street corner. And maybe it’s true – if not on the street corner then if you take the time and risk to go looking at an auction. Whenever I’ve been looking, however, all the cheap stuff consists of rust buckets you wouldn’t jeopardise your worst enemy in, or, conversely, perversely, whatever you like, over-complicated ex-high end motors that scream high maintenance and hefty fuel bills.

I’d be happy with a Mini – an old one. Or even a well look after early Fiesta – something along those lines. The trouble is, good small cars are so expensive. Everybody wants them – usually to put their dearly beloved, recently passed teenager into, never mind that safety isn’t exactly a strong point. Where’s the crumple zone in an original Mini? Between the front bumper and the rear window… I looked at a nice red one, fake minilites and a recent re-spray: the simplicity is so appealing, but £1300 for a 1.0 litre?

I guess it wasn’t too bad – so long as you didn’t count the wonky doors, ill-fitting bonnet and the lack of MOT. The trouble is it’s kind of hard to justify to yourself after you’ve spent the last couple of years tooling around in Teutonic…well, I was about to say Teutonic efficiency, but I’ve already complained about an absence of that. See how unfortunate this situation is? Either way – it cost £500 less.

So, at the moment I’m carless. Situation unresolved. Facial designation: bemused. And I’m not the only one – for my situation may well serve as a metaphor for the motor industry as a whole. Over-weight, over-complicated, and under-efficient is the status quo; lightweight solutions that aren’t over-expensive – too often seem like a distant dream.

Links:

Spot the obvious "mistake" [internal]

Service Announcement

2006-04-28T17:54:00.000+01:00

Pay attention, this is important. No, seriously.

Work loads being what they are at University this term, I think I'm going to have to make the decision to reduce the number of major posts to one a week. I'm not totally sure how this is going to work yet, but the likelihood is I will simply take the bi-weekly format an alternate it; I like the discipline of writing to 800 words, but I also like the flexibility on Thursdays.

Anyways, there will be no post this Sunday, but there will be a post during the week (I even know what the title's going to be. So there).

Ok, announcement over. Back to work, people.

Electric Performance Cars - photos, video, and information

2006-04-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

Hey, this is awesome.

Click here and you will get a forum thread at dragtimes.com (that's exactly what it says on the tin: a drag racing site).

But before you start yawning, it's all about electric powered performance cars - in effect a huge archive of photos, video and information. Well worth a few minutes perusal.

Links:

Electric Cars are wicked fast, Video and photo proof included @ dragtimes.com

Picture is of a Commuter Cars Tango doing a burnout, from the above thread.

T#24: Fiat Punto 1.9 Multijet 130 Sporting v. Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI PD 130 vRS

2006-04-27T22:46:00.000+01:00

Diesel do nicely

Aww, jeez. Hold on a second – I need a couple of minutes to get over the fact that I just wrote that…

Ok.

There, that should do it. Right, what have we got here then? A pair of diesel engined hothatchamobiles: one well respected seasoned campaigner in the form of the Skoda Fabia vRS; one brand spanking new to market Fiat Grande Punto Sporting. The Fiat edges the Skoda’s £12,375 by coming in at £11,895 (though, as previous mentioned, you do have to fork out extra if you want the Punto to come with any paint…), but is it worth being miserly for a little under £500? Read on to find out.

The Fiat’s the new kid, so it gets to go first. Much has been made of this new Grande Punto model range – named not only for the larger dimensions it has over its predecessor, but also because that car remains in production for the next year – nicking its front end design from Maserati. My initial reaction to photos was, They Wish. I could see the comparison, but was otherwise pretty underwhelmed by my viewing experience; I thought the styling somewhat flaccid and generally kind of lame.

However, this opinion changed the instant I actually clapped eyes on the Sporting. Flaming ‘Caribbean Orange’ paint (one of the cheaper options at £200; and what, I though Fiat were Italian? Surely they could have picked a more culturally homogenous designator than that?) certainly helps, as do the minor additional body appointments afford by its position as speed-merchant top dog of the range. These give the car a very smooth, almost Euro-style modified look, especially if you don’t spend the extra £20 necessary to get the rubbing strips on the side. The Sporting standard 17” alloys finish the look very nicely indeed. A really slick-stylin’ machine.

The interior design is pretty funky as well. The dash is pleasantly swoopy, and I like the gunmetal colour they’ve gone with to interrupt the blackness. The steering wheel has so many buttons you won’t know what to do with half of them – I didn’t; it also has Bluetooth connectivity for handsfree communication via your mobile phone. And it matches the gearknob with its exposed stitching and “sporty” but not especially comfortable ergonomics.

This particular car also had the ‘orange/black’ cloth combination, meaning that the door inserts were almost as bright as the exterior. Those of a more delicate disposition may be pleased to note that a ‘grey/black’ alternative is available. Sports seats are fitted as standard; these have curious clusters of dots on the squab and the seat back – serving no apparent purpose except to add some extra flair, they are perhaps intended to remind you of the Ford GT’s holey buckets…but maybe not. Leather is optional.

The matter of seat accoutrement is a good point to re-introduce the Skoda. Much maligned in owner-forums everywhere, and persevered with much to the head-scratching of the automotive press, the Fabia vRS has its sports seats trimmed substantially in…grey. Not any old grey mind you, but a grey of so light a hue it could virtually be mistaken for white. Hands up who can explain why this isn’t such a bright idea – particularly for the bolsters? To be fair, they do look really smart, with contrasting black inner panels and the vRS logo stitched in the back. But white seats? In a car? It practically defines the automotive for impractical. A colleague who had one of these until very recently took the precaution of Scotch-guarding his – I suggest everyone else does, too.

There is, thankfully, about to be a leather option (though at present no-one seems sure what the cost is). The rest of the interior is as dull but functional as you’d expect a Volkswagen group product to be. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just grey – dark grey this time. The gearknob in the Skoda is a rather more hand-appreciating sporty wedge shape; the steering wheel does without the gizmos.

In the exterior department, the Skoda totally gets its backside walloped. It’s an old-looking design now, which perhaps wouldn’t matter so much if it hadn’t been boring in the first place. In comparison to the rest of the range, the vRS gets bigger wheels, a subtle bodykit – including new bumpers which mean you can’t have factory fitted parking sensors, should you care – foglights and a something the literature refers to as a ‘chrome exhaust end piece’.

The alloys may be big for a Fabia, but they’re still an inch under the size of the Punto’s: a trifling 16” in diameter – and nowhere near as nice to look at. (Though they will be easier to keep clean. Oh, shush – to some people that’s important). On the plus side, for £500 you can have Xenon headlights, which are not an option on the Sporting. But ignoring this inability to dazzle oncoming motorists, the Punto otherwise owns the ballpark as far as the outside appeal of the two cars goes. Eight out of ten baseball hat wearing youths preferred it. Probably.

So, we have here two hot hatches. Both with 1.9 litre direct injection turbocharged diesel engines, both with six-speed gearboxes, both with alloys and body-bits and sporty interiors. They even have the same 130 horsepower, and they’re within £500 of each other on the financial side of things. One looks a great deal better than the other on the outside, however, and of the two, there’s really only one that I’d want to spend my money on…

But before I get to the nitty-gritty of actually driving the things, a quick note on that price difference:

The Fiat comes fully-loaded on the acronym front, and includes such safety precautions in its asking prices as ESP, an electronic stability system – which features ASR/MSR, HBA and something else called ‘Hill-Holder’ (er, what? But presumably all good [1]). The Fabia only comes with traction control and electronic brake-force distribution – which helps you stop in a straight line – in the asking price. The vRS I drove was also fitted with ESP, a good precaution for a press car no doubt, but also a £400 option. The Punto is also three insurance groups lower. This deserves to be taken into account when costing the cars – though for me it makes little difference to the actual outcome.

I drove the Fiat first. It looks so good that you’re already willing it to be brilliant. But, unfortunately, it’s like they took a tea break after making it look tasty and forgot to come back and finish the rest of it. Whatever happened to involvement? At no point did it seem likely that I was about to chuck it off the road, so the chassis obviously holds on very well, you just don’t get any tactile reassurance – at all. The steering is so light that on a number of occasions I thought I’d left it in city mode by mistake – even though it’s supposed to cut-out above 19mph. This push-button function ups the assistance to enable easy manoeuvring at low speeds, but the Punto really doesn’t act like it needs it. The issue is compounded by an overly springy clutch pedal that’s so anti-positive someone should be sending out for Valium. I stalled this car on a number of occasions – do you know how difficult that should be in a turbo-diesel?

Once it’s actually moving, and you get over the unnerving lack of feel, the Sporting does go pretty well. The quoted 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds seems about right, though it can feel a bit gutless unless you’re vigorous with the gearbox. This is nice enough to use, mechanically speaking, but the lifting collar that prevents you from accidentally sticking in reverse stops the knob from being properly comfortable. The steering wheel rim is heavily contoured, but my natural hand position found me accidentally activating the Bluetooth – which wouldn’t be so bad except this cuts out the stereo. The driver’s seat, while grippy, for some reason has this ridge that ran right across my upper back, making the car an uncomfortable long term companion. And the ride – squidgy in the corners, which doesn’t exactly add to confidence, yet strangely fidgety and harsh on motorways and b-roads; it’s very difficult to figure out what Fiat was trying to achieve. The driving experience just lets the Sporting down so badly. The brakes are pretty good, though.

The Skoda, on the other hand, is one of those cars you get into and – like its bigger cousin, the Golf GTi – immediately you feel comfortable. I don’t just mean the driver’s seat – though this is better than in the Fiat – but in terms of driving confidence. The steering is much more substantially weighted and far more communicative. The ride is harder, but the body control better; even though the Fabia seems to roll more in the bends, the manner in which this occurs is predictable and natural feeling in comparison to the activities of the Fiat. The clutch works like a clutch should, and the gearbox is a no problem tool.

The one performance statistic that separates these cars is the torque they produce – it’s what a turbo diesel is good at, and the vRS makes more of it. The difference on paper looks slight, 206lb ft against 229, and they post identical 0-62mph times in spite of it. But out on the road the Skoda feels far pokier, pulling much harder towards its redline, noticeably quicker on motorway sliproads, less inviting of a downshift. You can just surf on this wave of torque to get the job done.

You make fine, swift progress in this car – and it’s great fun while you’re doing it. The only thing missing in comparison to most petrol hot hatches is the rev range and the exhaust note (not that either of these derv-drinkers sounded particularly tractor-like). It’s a bit of a thug, with a rawer driving experience than the Fiat – you’re much more likely to provoke torque-steer in the Skoda – but I like that, somehow it exudes honesty. Much preferable to the Punto’s over-assisted synthetic gloss, barely glazing the roughness underneath.

The brakes aren’t quite as good as the Sporting’s, but the pedals are worth mentioning for another reason: well-spaced and with the corners cut off at the bottom you can even left-foot brake. Transferring from left to right is aided by the spacing and the missing corners means both feet can be on the middle pedal at once. Not sure the engine-management appreciates this much though, as when I tried covering the brake with my left and raising the revs with my right – to see if I could avoid downshifting during choppy motorway traffic – the turbo seemed to cut out. Bah, computers know best, eh.

Something else worth bearing in mind is that when buying the Skoda you’re buying a Volkswagen. (For the uninitiated, the Fabia is essentially an ugly Polo.) This means so called VW build quality – no, don’t let that put you off, the Czechs seem to make this work better than the Germans. Let me put it another way, in comparison to the Fiat, the Skoda really is a bank vault…

And lest you think I’m exaggerating, I shall give you some examples. Press car = hard life, yes? Just so, but that surely doesn’t excuse the number of stone chips despoiling the Sporting’s otherwise pretty nose. The paint on this thing is thin. Removing the towing-eye cover (to attach a camera, ye of little faith) removed the paint attached to it, giving a whole new meaning to the term “orange peel”, and the paint on the plastics was a subtly different shade to the paint on the bodywork. What’s more, the shutline on the bonnet was considerably skewed and the interior trim was falling off – in several places. The “flimsy Fiat” is alive and well.

More practicality issues? I’ve got them. Fiat: three doors; Skoda: five. Need to carry people in the back on a regular basis? That’s quite a plus. The Punto also has some pretty severe blindspot problems. The window profile on the side narrows considerably towards the rear, culminating in a mahoosive c-pillar. The a-pillars are also inhibiting when placing the car as they widen towards the base, where they’re split by more glasswork – but this is useless for anything other than decoration, you certainly don’t see out of it. Slightly more concerned about environmental matters? The Fabia makes more power but creates less pollution and has better official fuel consumption figures. The Skoda also has a better stereo – if you care about that sort of thing.

Come on, you can do it – you can get over the Fiat’s good looks. Because that, the level of standard kit, and its insurance group, are really all it’s got going for it. Don’t get me wrong, it is a stunning looking hatchback – especially in that orange – and I wouldn’t disrespect anyone for buying one on that basis. But the Fabia is the better vehicle. It’s better screwed together, better to drive, more powerful, more practical, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly. I’m not sure what else I can add. It’s a genuinely great car, not just a comparison winner – does that help?

Style Over Substance versus Plain Jane With Attitude. Attitude does it for me, every time.

Fiat Punto 1.9 Multijet 130 Sporting: on the road price £11,895

INSURANCE GROUP: 6E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 154g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.5s / Max Speed 124mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 48.7mpg

Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI PD 130 vRS: on the road price £12,375

INSURANCE GROUP: 9A
CO2 EMISSIONS: 138g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.5s / Max Speed 128mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 52.3mpg

Links:

www.fiat.co.uk

www.skoda.co.uk

T#23: Hyundai Santa Fe CDX 2.7 V6 Automatic [internal]

T#22: Mk V Volkswagen Golf GTi [internal]

T#21: Honda Jazz 1.4 CVT Sport [internal]

Pictures are Skoda and Fiat press shots.

[1] No, I do actually know what they mean. ASR/MSR is Fiat’s version of traction control, which prevents the wheels for spinning when the lead foot to road grip balance is compromised. More interesting – sort of – is HBA, which stands for Hydraulic Brake Assist, and helps increase braking pressure in emergency situations. The Hill-Holder does away with the need for handbrake use when stopping and starting on hills. And I thought that something else did that…clutch control.

Hey, what?

2006-04-24T16:03:00.000+01:00

Something is evidently up with Blogger.

Red post went up this morning but has yet to actually appear...

I look forward to this being sorted soon.

#22: Propping up progress?

2006-04-24T12:50:00.001+01:00

I have spent the last few days reading books about online journalism – oi, no, stop snickering at the back there. The library resources here being what they are, all the books readily available are now three or four years old. What’s remarkable about this is how out of date aspects of the information has become.

It’s such a short period of time, in cosmic terms. But the world of information technology moves like nothing else on earth, and three years can be like a generation – there’re recognisable similarities over the distance, but expectations, predictions, and normalities are often considerably out of whack.

And people complain that the speed of advance in the automotive industry hasn’t matched up with the pace of change exhibited in computers? Can you imagine what this would actually be like?

The analogy suggests that if cars followed the same kind of rabid development as the personal computer, then we’d have much smaller, even more greatly efficient power units, standardised componentry and connectivity, and perhaps as esoteric a practical result as cars routinely capable of 100 miles per gallon, and so…yawn.

Whatever.

It is true that computing has come “a long way” but let’s consider the realistic implications of the auto industry following a similar pattern.

It’s the early in the year 2006. Just over a decade since Microsoft launched Windows 95. Yet to all intents and purposes, anyone still using this operating system is an anachronism. Trying to find compatible software? You can forget it. Trying to find compatible hardware? You’re out of luck. Even if you do rustle up an example to contradict this rule you’ll discover a snag. The machine running 95 will need to have been seriously top-end at the time of purchase for it to stand any chance of meeting the performance requirements necessary for today’s additions. And let’s face it; anyone still using such an antique is unlikely to have purchased the best model in the first place.

That’s obsolescence 11 years after inception (I resist the temptation to describe it as built-in…). This may be the kind of thing car manufacturers fantasize about in board meetings, but it’s hardly a realistic proposition for most motorists. It’s like saying all the periphery necessary to make a car into a functional device – tyres, replacement parts, maybe even lubricants and fuel – have become gradually unavailable, or rather, “incompatible.” All vehicles of that “vintage” would be confined to the fettling of hobbiests and collectors, all madly scouring eBay for relevant parts. This is how the classic car industry works – alright, probably not including eBay for most people – but after 11 years? You’ve got to be kidding me if you think people would be willing to accept that.

It gets worse. The whole false concept of standardisation would be a disaster area for the motor vehicle. This website, for example, is built using the supposedly universal medium of html, the basic foundation of the world wide web. But, open it in Internet Explorer and you will get a – sometimes wildly – different viewing experience in comparison to Firefox. And both of these are running under the same operating system; introduce the Mac OS, add the native Mac browser Safari, and you’ve got even more variation. This with a supposedly professionally approved template offered by Blogger, the company that allows this weblog to happen.

Transfer this over to the garage and you’d have a situation where the exact same tool has a differing effect depending upon the operating environment. For your main dealer the spanner will work one way; for your independent specialist the result will appear similar, but not necessarily entirely so – making the situation even worse through its apparent lack of predictability.

Performance, then? Surely that’s shown improvements in a way to make the auto industry green with envy? Well, not exactly.

An entry-level pc now costing about £400 is probably less than half the amount an entry level computer cost a decade ago, and many, many times more powerful – an economising of exploitable performance that car users can only sniffle at. But in terms of being really “green”, improvements in computing power have not exactly resulted in environmental efficiency.

Today’s pcs are vastly more powerful but also use much greater amounts of energy in terms of electricity demands and waste through heat that needs to be dissipated. Only recently are we starting to see companies, such as Fujitsu Siemens, producing computers that take environmental issues seriously, reducing the amount of harmful lead that goes into their production and making greater efforts to manage their power consumption.

Following this analogy out to the point where we came in, it’s a self-defeating exercise to try and predict the future. The apparent innovation of the moment may turn out to be unworkable – WAP mobile internet being the example these books bring to mind – while something else entirely may spring into popular being – WiFi, wireless networking anyone?

Everyday useable 100mpg vehicles remain a distant dream; wishful thinking isn’t the answer. Increasingly, designs such as this Massive Yet Tiny engine are poking their heads over the parapet, waiting to see if anyone wants to give them a hand up or take a pop at shooting them down. Then there’s the rumoured X-Prize for cars, and the claims surrounding the production of hydrogen fuelcell vehicles – which requires the kind of infrastructure and commitment to change typified by computing. But I wouldn’t like to guess where the automotive industry is going even at its current rate of development; if it changed at the pace of the pc I think we’d all be lost.

Links:

Angel Labs Massive Yet Tiny Engine: The Little Engine That Could? @ Gizmodo

Fujitsu Siemens Personal Computers

Honda drops the Hydrogen Future [internal]

Picture from JeffryAtW.com v11; Jeffrey Faden is a part-time comic book artist- amongst many other things - and the image is on his fan art page.

T#23: Hyundai Santa Fe CDX 2.7 V6 Automatic

2006-04-20T22:59:00.000+01:00

Shallow be thy name?

The very first thing I want to say about the new Hyundai Santa Fe is this:

It’s much, much better than the old one.

Now, I know someone who owns a previous generation version of this vehicle and they like it just fine. There’s nothing actually wrong with it at all – it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect a Hyundai-made SUV of that vintage: nothing offensive, nothing too original, built to a price and with value in mind.

The new one, however, is whole postal codes ahead.

The exterior design, for example. It’s hardly going to win any originality contests – looking kind of like a growth hormone fed RAV4, with a little something something of the Mercedes and Lexus about it, add a touch of Honda to garnish – but you can’t say it doesn’t look good. In fact, accusations of badassness might accompany anyone who specs the black with black tints of my test car. But pick any colour and you’re getting a graceful set of lines backed up with more than a hint of muscle; a neatly-executed take on the modern SUV brief. Even the base model gets 17” alloys, while the CDX and above get natty-looking 18s.

Step up to the cabin, and the interior is even more of an improvement than the outside. The plastic quality is far higher than in the old model, and while the lightly coloured ‘Rich Maple’ veneer that dissects the upper and lower portions of the CDX-spec dash won’t be to everybody’s taste, it at least suggests that a designer was involved in the layout rather than just an engineer. It’s also a vast improvement over the ‘Cherry wood’ in the lower-end variants. The instruments are the best bit, though – in white with subtle touches of red and blue, the dials are elegantly scripted, well lit, and easy to read. Aside from the indicator stalk being on the opposite side (meaning idiot me kept signalling to turn with the windscreen wipers), the control layout presents no obvious problems.

Comfort levels are high, too – at least as long as your sat in the first two rows. There’s plenty of leg room behind the front seats, but the optional third row being suitable for adults? You can forget about it. These do fold flat into the floor, but if it wasn’t for the self-levelling suspension you also get for the extra £800 the seven-seater costs, they seem a bit pointless. The driver gets electric adjustment on the CDX, while everyone else has to make do with manual movement; these mechanisms aren’t exactly Honda-like integrity-wise, but seem likely to last well enough.

As with all new Hyundais, the Santa Fe gets a five year unlimited mileage warranty. This is transferable, helping resale value, and added reassurance comes in the form of RAC cover – although strangely this only covers the first three years of ownership. This means that anyone who buys a Hyundai should never be accused of making a mistake, because that is one fabulous aftersales package.

However, there is one slightly jarring aspect to all this good news – and it isn’t the ride quality. They may have upped their game, but Hyundai have also upped their price; the entry-level Santa Fe GSI opens up at over £20k, and the starting price for the CDX is £22,820; the seven-seat CDX petrol V6 automatic tested here rolls of the forecourt at £24,440. While it’s true you are getting a serious chunk of car for the money, that is a serious chunk of change for what many still consider a budget brand. You think that’s irrelevant? If we’re talking Chelseaquite be everything but it takes up a huge amount of almost. tractors, and we are, image may not So what, aside from the derivative – if classy – looks and the improved insides are you actually getting for your money?

This, for me, is where the Santa Fe starts to slide a little. It’s got the 4wd drive, and it looked great nearly getting there, but just when it needs that final push to get it over the top of the hill, it simply doesn’t have the grunt…

See, if you pop the bonnet, fight off the plastic cladding and physically look for it, you’ll find there’s a 2.7 litre V6 petrol propulsion unit. The trouble is, you may actually want to do this after you’ve driven the Santa Fe, coz, boy, does it not feel frisky. The figures are 186bhp (up 16bhp on its predecessor) and 183lb ft – sounds capable enough, but hauling around 1,820kgs of SUV seems to knock the life out of it somewhat. As does the five-speed automatic gearbox; supposed to be smooth and responsive, on the test car it actually proved jerky, reluctant to kick down, and is stuffed full of cogs big enough to allow an indicated 70mph in second. Tuned perhaps for economy instead of performance (official combined figure is 26.6mpg, not exactly ground breaking).

Uninspiring stuff, but on the plus side the V6 is certainly refined; newly fettled for 06, mods include a new balancer shaft, helping with the smoothness. This goes very nicely with the ride, which is impressively tolerant on the motorway, and only unsettled by the harshest of expansion joints. But, if you want more pull, better go with the diesel model; I haven’t driven it, but the new 2.2 litre common rail unit is apparently impressive. Boasting Variable Geometry Turbocharger technology (and you thought that only came on Porsches), this four-cylinder has fewer horses but 247lb ft of torque – a useful 64 more than its petrol-powered sibling. It also costs less – albeit only £20. Still, I suppose a V6 badge on the rump seems much more sexy than CRD…more fool the style-conscious.

On the other hand, perhaps it’s better not to be going too fast. Because sooner or later you’re going to get to a corner. Alright, alright, SUV-stereotyping nearly over, you can predict what I’m going to say: it rolls. A lot. But, then I can’t ever imagine wanting to hustle anything this big with any kind of enthusiasm; spirited cross-country driving will see your stuff sliding it all over the backseat. If you’re stupid enough to leave it there. Ahem. Steering feel is also conspicuous by its absence – I expect you knew I was going to say that.

However, when get up near the limit (on a test track, I’d like to point out. I’m not completely stupid), you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Grip actually is reasonably tenacious; Hyundai says it uses a ‘Torque on Demand’ system in the 4wd, and you can sort of feel this happening as the tires do their best to cling on to the tarmac. Obviously it understeers – but then so does everything; the benefit of it rolling around, though, is that it’s easy to tell when the Santa Fe is approaching the point of thinking about letting go, let alone actually doing it. This in spite of the lifeless steering, so it’s not all bad. Kind of scary, but I expect you’d get used to it if you’re the sort of person who likes driving their SUV like a stolen hot hatch.

Overall, the new Hyundai Santa Fe is a likeable automobile. The looks and the interior quality win over the lacklustre engine and transmission performance, and that warranty package is definitely appealing. The price still takes a bit of getting used to, but my friend who owns the previous version didn’t seem to think it too bad; I know he’d buy another one. So, I suppose the improvements can only mean that more people will come to a similar conclusion. And on balance, I think it’s a car that deserves to do well – just make sure you check out the diesel before deciding on the V6.

Hyundai Santa Fe CDX 2.7 V6 Automatic (Seven Seat): On the road price: £24,440

Hyundai Santa Fe Technical Specifications

ENGINE		2.7 V6
Type		V6 cylinder CVVT
Capacity (cc)		2,656
Valves		24
Bore x stroke (mm)		86.7 x 75.0
Compression ratio		10.4:1
Max. power (kW/bhp @ rpm)		139/186 @ 6,000
Max. torque (Nm/lb ft @ rpm)		248/183 @ 4,000
SUSPENSION
Front	MacPherson struts with coil springs
Rear	Multi-link type with anti-roll bar
STEERING
Type	Power assisted rack and pinion steering. Energy absorbing collapsible steering column.
Turns lock to lock	3.24
BRAKES
System	Dual diagonal split circuit, power assisted with ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
Front	16 in ventilated discs, floating calliper with pad warning device
Rear	Disc
TYRES AND WHEELS
Tyre type/size		235/60 R18
Wheel type/size		Alloy 7.0J x 18
DIMENSIONS
Overall length (mm/in)	4,650 (4675 for CDX / CDX+) /183.0
Overall width (mm/in)	1,890/74.4
Overall height (mm/in)	1,725 (1,795 inc roof rack) /70.6
Wheelbase (mm/in)	2,700/106.3
Track - front (mm/in)	1,615/63.6
Track - rear (mm/in)	1,620/63.8
Turning radius (m/ft)	5.45/17.88
WEIGHTS & CAPACITIES


Luggage capacity, 7 seat models – seats down (SAE l/cu ft)		2,213/78.2




Gross vehicle weight – 7 seats (kg/lb)			2,495 (5,500)
Max. towing weight – braked (kg/lb)			2,000 (4,409)
Max. towing weight – unbraked (kg/lb)			750 (1,653)
Max. roof weight (kg/lb)			100 (220)
Fuel tank capacity (l/gallons)			75 (16.5)
PERFORMANCE
0-62 mph acceleration (sec)			11.7
Max. speed (km/h/mph)			179/111
FUEL CONSUMPTION & EMISSIONS
Urban mpg (l/100 km)			19.6 (14.4)
Extra urban mpg (l/100 km)			33.6 (8.4)
Combined mpg (l/100 km)			26.6 (10.6)
CO₂ emissions (g/km)			252

(All specs from Hyundai UK)

Links:

www.hyundai.co.uk

T#22: Mk V Volkswagen Golf GTi [internal]

T#21: Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport CVT-7 [internal]

Picture is a Hyundai press photo. Suitably random, I thought.

Turbonique

2006-04-18T21:02:00.000+01:00

Now I would usually try and avoid mentioning two Jalopnik posts in subsequent editions to my own blog, but this is just fantastic.

Coming via Iowahawk and Rocketman, here's a couple of links to pages dedicated to 60s Florida performance parts company, Turbonique. I say "performance parts," reputedly the sideproject of NASA technicians, they specialised in rocket engines - either on their own or mechanically attached to otherwise relatively sane bits of automotive engineering. That is to say, Turbonique produced rocket powered superchargers and, stark, raving, bonkers though it sounds, differentials.

Unless anyone knows different, that is uniquely off the chart in terms of motoring madness in the performance enhancing stakes.

Iowahawk has the full story here, while Rocketman has pictures, as well as reproduction technical manuals and catalogues that are available for purchase (a little steep, or I'd be tempted myself). Rocketman, otherwise known as Ky Michaelson, was actually a former distributer of Turbonique's products, which were used in such diverse dragstrip terrorisers as rocket-powered karts and a VW Beetle capable of turning 9.36 second quarter miles at 168mph.

What are you doing? Just go read the damn article - that stuff is just amazing craziness.

PS: Iowahawk has gotten his hands on an original Turbonique rocket supercharger and intends to try it out...I really look forward to hearing about it. Just hope it's not in the obituries. Irk.

Links:

The Real Acme @ Iowahawk

Turbonique @ Rocketman

Turbonique: Totally The Best Company In History and Now You're Playing With Power: Turbonique Madness @ Jalopnik

Picture is from the Rocketman site. That car has TWO rocket engines...

Accusations of randomness

2006-04-18T20:40:00.000+01:00

As you might gather from the slightly irrelevent nature of that post, I am now properly re-ensconced in my university hovel- sorry, room.

This means proper broadband once again. It also means lots and LOTS of work this term, so don't expect me to be too chatty. But in celebration of the former, and in recognition of Jalopnik's rather random - but cool - Robert Farago posting this arvo on the road car, here are a bunch of pictures of the 1971 Mercedes Benz 300SEL 6.3 AMG race car, taken at the Geneva Motorshow.

Best thing on the Mercedes stand.

And, if you look closely at the second to last shot you'll see this car still has a full leather interior. Madness.

Links:

Required Riding: Mercedes Benz 300SEL 6.3 @ Jalopnik

The Truth About Cars, where you'll find more of Farago's most excellent work

Answers.com on the 300SEL 6.3

#19: The Geneva Motorshow [internal]

Spot the obvious "mistake"

2006-04-18T20:22:00.000+01:00

By way of explanation for the lateness of the previous post, take a look at this picture. And tell me what's missing:

That's right, those are my keys - and what's missing are the car keys.

The BM finally had a pretty significant mechanical failure (not bad going for an £800 car bought two Christmas Eve's ago). It had to be recovered all the way to my home address in Dorset, and currently I am without it.

It's like I'm missing a limb.

In spite of all the pretentions I make towards environmenal friendlyness, I hate being carless; no matter how I'm actually travelling day-to-day, the thought of not being able to get in and drive if I want to, well...in all honesty, it makes me grumpy.

Still, I'll try and make like the keyring there, and maintain some positive spirit while I await the diagnosis.

*Sniff*

Links:

Cleaner than it'll ever be again [internal]

#21: Amsterdam

2006-04-18T10:30:00.000+01:00

Think Amsterdam, and I expect it conjures up a number of different images. Different people, different kicks.

There’s the wholesome stuff – the canals, the flower market, tulips and so on. There are museums, displaying Van Gogh, and other grand figures from our artistic past; though we shouldn’t forget Anne Frank, either (whose life and Diary are memorialised in the house where she hid from Nazi persecution, surviving on silence and movie magazines until an unidentified source revealed her and her extended family to the occupiers, leading to concentration camps and death).

In a slightly unfortunate juxtaposition, Amsterdam is also full of diamonds; more museums, shops, the opening scene of Snatch. And beer. Big red Heineken signs are everywhere, glowing on the building tops like some kind of dubious halo. A pointer perhaps to the seedier side of the Dutch capital. Amsterdam to some will spell legalised cannabis consumption, fellows furtively hawking “charlie” on the street corners, sexual freedom, and a red light district of dubious distinction. There really are girls in the windows – more like patio doors, actually – but if that concerns you, maybe you’ll be comforted to hear that they mostly looked more like movie starlets than crack whores. Maybe not.

Annyway, I skipped something in the wholesome section. You probably spotted it, something Amsterdam has in common with, say, Oxford – and I don’t mean academia. Yup, bicycles.

I like bikes. There’s something extremely satisfying about propelling yourself along – at speed, obviously, if you’re me – under your own steam. Big cities in England, though, you’d also have to be of uncertain mental solidarity to consider the pushbike a serious means of transport. Coventry is bad enough; I can’t contemplate the bravery you’d need to cycle in London, even if they have painted the tarmac green in places, popping a little symbol on the ground there suggesting self-propelled friendliness.

In Amsterdam it’s completely different. Bikes are everywhere, so many in fact you’d be forgiven for thinking them the dominant lifeform in the city. Cyclists not only have their own lane – often protected from the other road users by substantially built-up curbing – but their own traffic signals and congestion problems; parking a pushbike in Amsterdam must be a nightmare.

Ranks and ranks of them are stacked together like a more complex variation of pick-up sticks. Heaven help you if yours is the one in the middle. The crush is so bad people will chain them up anywhere, much to the disgruntlement of many businesses, finding them attached to their shutters and railings preventing access for customers; I saw one bar owner outside taking an angle grinder to chains and locks in order to clear the two-wheeled clutter away from her doorway.

This probably explains the strangeness. For a city obsessed with the cycle, I was amazed at how few decent bikes I actually saw. In fact, I was there for four days, and I don’t think I saw a single bicycle I would actually have wanted to own. There were a couple of custom-built looking low-riding choppers (meaning West Coast, not Raleigh), which were ok cool, but not exactly my kind of two-wheeled transportation. There were no disk brakes, no carbon spokes, and hardly any suspension forks.

Everyone was riding around on the stylistic equivalent of the Austin Metro – old beaters based on an ancient design, scrappily painted and badly maintained. What’s the point, I guess, of owning anything new and shiny looking if it’s just going to get stolen or busted to bits in the maul of metal occupying every pushbike parking space? Just a tool, and who needs new one when the old does just the same job?

Outside of the bicycle, transport culture in Amsterdam has its other intricacies. Adding to the “alternativeness” offered by a canal network, the Dutch capital has a pretty excellent tram system. Trams are cool – I even know someone who is about to become a tram driver – what’s scary about them is that they can’t swerve out of the way, and I’m not all that convinced about their stopping distance either. However, a cheap way of experiencing the thrill of the fairground is to sit in the very back of one late at night, when the driver hasn’t got so much traffic to worry about. Excellent rail holding…

The other unusual sight on the Dutch streets are these funny little vaguely two seater cars, about half the size of a Smart ForTwo. I can’t say for certain but many of them seemed to have a vague resemblance to Commuter Car’s Tango – a high performance electric vehicle of diminutive proportions. (However, given the price, I imagine the Tango is somewhat better built. You can look at it here.)

Only saw one modified car the entire time (if you discount sporty tailpipes, of which there were many – on everything from the humblest Suzuki to SUVs), but that probably comes down to the high curbs as much as anything. Lowered bodywork would be asking for trouble; you’d make good friends with your nearest paint shop, that’s for sure.

Ok, so that’s a brief glance at Amsterdam from the perspective of an automotive enthusiast. Sorry if it wasn’t “exotic” enough for you…

T#22: Mk V Volkswagen Golf GTi

2006-04-13T21:17:00.000+01:00

As good as everybody says it is.

Aww, jeez. This is hardly going to be cutting edge reportage, but what the hell. I had the opportunity to spend a little time in the company of a new Golf GTi just recently, and…well, it’s pretty much a case of DO believe the hype.

This car is fantastic.

Frankly, Volkswagen got nearly everything right. After the dross that was the previous generation, the Mk V had a whole lot of slate clearing to do. The Mk IV was stodgy, numbing to drive, and blighted by engines that seemed far more suited to hauling around a minibus than a performance car – plus the build wasn’t exactly vault-like beneath the superficially quality veneer.

Indications that Wolfsburg’s engineers may have found a funny looking object at the back of the garage previously known as “the plot” came with the all singing, all dancing R32 (not enough to make my uncle part with his Subaru, but a step in the right direction at least). Is 4wd and VeeDub’s near-iconic narrow angle V6 really necessary to set the masses alight with a burning desire for that VW badge – this superstar Mk IV seemed to suggest so.

Fortunately, the Mk V turned up with a pretty big bucket and sponge, and has virtually erased all the bad memories. Some cars feel right just as soon as you twist the key in the ignition…and the new GTi is absolutely one of these. It’s such a cohesive whole, from the slinky looks to the steering feel to the punch under the bonnet, you almost want to hug it for the saving three of the most evocative letters in the automotive alphabet.

A fwd 197 bhp forced-induction four ought to come with a couple of minor “character traits” – torque-steer and turbo-lag. The GTi shows little sign of either. The steering, which is a revelation for a modern Volkswagen in terms of letting you know what’s going on, doesn’t tug, even when the inside front wheel is spinning because you’ve hotshoed it out of a junction. This is a pretty big tendency, but it doesn’t impinge on the direction of travel – only adds to the enthusiasm this car has for getting there quickly. Some have commented that there isn’t as much self-centring as they’d like, but I didn’t notice a problem here – perhaps I was too busy grinning at the rapidity with which the horizon was approaching. Bringing us to the other thing. The turbocharger.

Question for Volkswagen: are you sure it has one? There’s such linearity to the response it simply belies forced-induction belief. Next to the aforementioned plot, the engineers must have found the holy grail of engine mapping because the Golf possesses brilliantly confidence-inspiring foot-down and go response. Exiting a sideroad, overtaking in the countryside – nothing is hit-it-and-hope with this car: it’s packing a genuinely everyday-useable jolt of really wonderful juice. Enough to keep you entertained, but delivered so well you’re not likely to get too stupid with it. That just wouldn’t go with the image.

See, the GTi is definitely a smooth operator. There’s a slickness to its performance that if you can find me the fabled well-oiled machine, I’d love to make a comparison. I didn’t get to try the DSG transmission, but I expect that only adds to the illusion, making you feel even more like the central part of a sophisticated device. A vital piece, though – don’t get me wrong. It’s anything but anodyne to drive. Rather, everything is measured, precise; you know exactly what to expect when you turn the wheel or push your right foot in the direction of the carpet.

It’s this that helps avoid any overtones of hooliganism – you don’t have to drive fast in this car to appreciate the tactile engineering, and because you don’t have to wring its neck to get the power out, the Golf manages to maintain an alter-ego of civility without sacrificing its hardcore credentials. With no lag, great feel, and a reasonably cooperative traditional gearbox, the good stuff is on tap whenever you want it; you don’t feel the need to tap it all the time.

Looks great, too. I love it in white – even though others hate it, and I, as the current owner of a white car, have previously sworn never to buy another in this dirt sucking shade. The white just manages to be retro in a successful way, and goes so well with the red grill surround. The alloys are attractive to the point that the aftermarket must surely only be for those so determined to be different style is actually secondary.

Moving to the interior, I also love the seats: huggy sports types obviously, but more importantly trimmed in tartan – a respectful homage to the Mk I – and comfy. Inside, it’s really only these, the racy, shaped steering wheel, and a ride hard enough to make your grandmother disapprove, that give the hothatchery away.

The solid nature of the ride is, don’t worry, a perfectly acceptable trade-off for the grip level and tight way in which this VW changes direction. Unfortunately, even with the neat spring forward front seat design that allows relatively easy access to the rear bench for the nimble, legroom in the back isn’t massively luxurious. You’ll probably have to put up with grandma sat next to you, making it all too easy to hear her complaining.

Minor point of disapproval is the dashboard. First off, don’t bother with the Volkswagen-fit satnav – it’s fiddly and less than easy to use, something that it sadly passes onto the stereo controls integrated into it. Then there’s the design. It’s a bit…staid. I know, judging by the exterior, VW’re aiming for subtle, even aloof cool, but my God that dash is dark and angular. So much so it seems a step backwards from the Mk IV (although, the perception of quality there was certainly higher than the reality in my experience). Nothing exactly wrong with it, it’s just dull, and a car as otherwise exceptional as this one deserves much better. Same with the exhaust note – not rubbish, but it falls far short of stirring the soul.

Only other nit to pick is possibly a quirk of my own, rather than the Golf’s. The mirror mounted indicators for some reason caused me to continually think another car was signalling to turn behind me. Hardly a deal-breaker, but it nearly always made me look twice, taking my attention away from where it might be more usefully employed looking at the road. Guess I’d get used to it. ;-)

So. There you have it. The Mk V Golf GTi, as good as everyone else has said it is. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate the achievement. Owning one of these would make me very, very happy – so, to those of you lucky enough to be permanently positioned in the driving seat: make the most of it.

Volkswagen Golf GTi ( three door): 'recomended retail price' - to quote VW's website - £20,360.

Engine cubic capacity	2000
Fuel Consumption
Urban	25.4mpg - 11.1l/100km
Extra-urban	44.8mpg - 6.3l/100km
Combined	34.9mpg - 8.1l/100km
Engine emissions	194g/km
Engine noise levels	75.0dB
Engine maximum Speed**	146mph - 235km/h
Engine acceleration 0-62mph	7.2secs
Maximum output bhp	197
at RPM	5100
Maximum torque	207 lbs.ft / 280 Nm
at RPM	1800
Insurance group rating	17

(All specs from VW's website)

Links:

www.volkswagen.co.uk

T#21: Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport CVT-7 [internal]

Picture from desktopmachine.com. What was I saying about it not being a hooligan kind of car? But that shot does look remarkably fake...

#20: Public Transport

2006-04-10T10:55:00.000+01:00

I have just spent three weeks commuting by public transport in London. Train and tube – nearly everyday. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but in fact, it’s a revelation.

The thing is, I’m here to tell you that it works. For a city like London, with such an extensive infrastructure of regularly available alternative transport, in combination with an awfully large amount of people and out of date street design, you’d have to be pretty insane to travel by car unless it was absolutely necessary. The traffic, the congestion charge, the indecipherability if you’re an out of towner, all conspire to make the car a very very awkward accessory indeed. Parking’s expensive, getting anywhere takes ages, and all the while you’re breathing in carcinogens and getting frustrated. Much better to walk to the station and hop the track, where the actions of every other vehicle using the network are at least theoretically under the strictest control – and not randomly about to cut you up, change lanes into the side of you, or pull out from a junction you couldn’t even see for the people.

You’ll notice I didn’t put the bus on my list. It’s unfair to comment coz I didn’t travel on one, but they have to suffer along with every other road user, so the chances of them getting clogged up in the same way suggests an impact upon their efficiency. I’ll ride the rails every time, given a choice.

It makes you feel good about yourself, knowing that you’re making your journey as efficiently as possible. And it’s pretty cost effective, too; for about £30 I could go anywhere in London – all week. I can imagine some people spending that much in petrol during a one-way trip to the office, especially once they get snarled up in traffic. I had a car on a couple of occasions, and it is somewhat disquieting to be stuck at a standstill with nothing better to do than watch the electronic fuel economy meter shed digits while you travel precisely no-where for minutes at a time. Somehow, sitting on a train just doesn’t feel so bad. Even when it isn’t moving.

Perhaps I was lucky. Disregarding the underground for a moment – given its regularity – my train journey was Clapham Junction to London Waterloo, which is three stops at the most. Virtually everything that leaves Waterloo stops at Clapham, meaning I was never too long from the next departure that would see me “home”. Even when there were delays (maniac lose at Wimbledon, for example. Or the more common “signal failure” situation) it was never too much of a difficulty for me to negotiate. But then, this is how a commuter system is supposed to work, isn’t it? Easy, timely, convenient. Great.

Of course, nothing every smells entirely of roses…and the smell is just one of the problems associated with overcrowding. I’ll say it again for emphasis – the system in London does work. There were posters in stations saying how some of the train companies are about to stop compensating season ticket holders for late running services because the percentage of late trains is now so small as to be a fact of life, rather than a fact of bad organisation. However, this very success is beginning to show its limitations around the edges.

I realise that people are likely to tell me that it has always been this way, but come rush hour – which I usually tried to avoid by leaving earlier or later, often paying a penalty if I snatched a few extra minutes in bed – the trains and tubes are so crowded it’s a wonder that more people don’t fit from claustrophobia. Some mornings I would let three or even four trains pass through the station before thinking enough is enough, I’ve just got to get on this one. It’s difficult to imagine how the infrastructure will cope as more and more people are driven to dabble with public transport as the price of personal transportation becomes increasingly desperate. There simply doesn’t look as if there’s any room to spare.

Public transport when it works is great – it’s a wonderful thing. And in London this does work. It really does. But it also looks definitively close to its operating parameters – what’s going to happen as a result seems to be somewhat unclear. For starters many will be put off if they have a bad first experience, as is likely with the capacity levels as full as they are. More problematic, it’s difficult as an untrained observer to see where any increases are going to come from. Double-decker trains, like they have on the continent, seems an obvious answer – but we have a large number of bridges in our network that would require some, erm, alteration. Nor would this help the underground at all.

I hope someone is working on it, because if we want to encourage more people to take a community attitude to transport, they need to fit into a solution rather than form a further part of a problem still waiting to be fixed.

Answers? I don’t have any. Put them on a postcard, and maybe send them to the Lord Mayor. We need systems that continue to work, not ones that are broken from having burst apart at the seams.

T#21: Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport CVT-7

2006-04-07T09:09:00.000+01:00

Here's a little something different for you: an actual car review! Enjoy...

Super Shopping Trolley

There’s no such thing as a complete all round car. An out and out performance car will be expensive on fuel and won’t have space for the shopping. It’s all very well luxuriating in a grand tourer, but you’ll never be able to park it in the city. Go for a small car and even if it seats four people easily, it’ll never have room for the holiday luggage. So you’ve got to choose – you’ve got to compromise.

But in an ideal world, we’d always have the right tool for the task. For me that sadly means a car for every occasion – and if I was after a city car, then one of these would definitely be on my short list:

The Honda Jazz. A funky little five door, with quirky looks and an impressively versatile interior. First came to my attention when new mostly because of the weirdly acidic pink hue available – the freshness of which appealed to me as much as the ludicrousness. Here though, it’s in Sport guise, gaining a bodykit, gunmetal faux-multipart alloys, and a few extra electrical bits and bobs over its lesser siblings. This one also has the CVT gearbox, which means not only a full-auto option, but also an artificially stepped seven speed option complete with the ubiquitous flappy-paddles (thank you, Mr Clarkson), and a sport setting. Woo.

Whoa. No. Hold on – I like this car. Rather a lot, actually.

First off, the looks. Now the Jazz is a funny looking thing, but it’s purposeful and the utilitarian nature of car only adds to its charm. The bodykit seems to garner a mixed ranged of reactions from the pros, but I like that, too. It goes with the honest appeal of its boxiness, making no pretences it’s exactly what it appears to be – a shopping trolley to which someone’s given a little love. The smiley face of the front end design seems to laugh with you, like it’s in on the joke. No-one’s going to take this seriously as a performance car, but you could never feel brutal enough towards it to deny it the fun of getting dressed up a little.

And as far as joe public was concerned, they either didn’t notice it at all or favoured it with an admiring glance. I guess the red helped – a good solid colour, a good solid Honda colour, come to think of it, and nicely offsetting the darkened alloy rims. Amusingly, it’s also the only colour choice you get as standard on the Sport; everything else is a cost option (and if you think that’s funny, check out the new Fiat Grande Punto Sporting – you don’t get any paint free with that, all the shades are additional extras…).

I say they didn’t notice…the single most outstanding aspect of driving this particular Jazz is the gearbox. I mean outstanding in the original “stand out” sense; I do not mean to heap lavish amounts of praise upon it, nor deride it for the difference, merely to say that such a difference exists. If you haven’t experienced a Continuously Variable Transmission before – as I hadn’t – it’s this you’d probably notice first.

I am a manual man myself, but as far as I’m concerned automatics of any kind have one inherent advantage – we have two feet, they have two pedals. The potential to safely left-foot brake without getting your tootsies in a tangle has a certain amount of appeal, and I look forward to any opportunity to try a decent clutchless manual, such as the DSG system used by Volkswagen and Audi.

Now that’s not to say the Honda gearbox isn’t decent, but it is another kind of proposition entirely. A CVT allows the engine to rev continually in its sweet spot while a drive belt moves about altering the road speed. So, when you put your foot down to race off at the lights, say, the 1.4 litre engine in this Jazz shoots straight to just over 5,000rpm and sits there until you’ve reached your desired velocity and back off. To all the world around you it must sound like you’re slipping the clutch like mad, and this takes a bit of getting used to. The end result is pretty good though, making the most of a meagre 82bhp and 88lb.ft of torque. The Jazz is easily nippy enough around town – I got lost for about an hour and a half in rush-hour London, and found myself well able to avoid being a mobile chicane for the Mercs and BMWs – and more than capable on the motorway.

Selecting the Sport slot on the floor shifter gives you a slightly faster pick up and a few more rpm to play with – sitting at 5,500 if you flatten the pedal all the way to the floor. I found myself using this most of the time, as it gave just a bit more confidence inspiring squirt when pulling out at junctions. Both Sport and the normal D setting give you the option of seven artificial ratios, electronically programmed to allow the CVT to do an impression of an ordinary gearbox. You can access these by pressing a button on the steering wheel at any time, which is fun – providing you with a bit more engine braking and actual “in-gear” acceleration that might prove more comforting for some during overtaking manoeuvres, especially as the generous quantity of seven makes for pretty short artificial ratios and quite a pokey reaction to the right foot.

The paddles you use in this mode are perfectly adequate, and the system isn’t suicidal so will change up for you if you forget – but you’d have to be really aggressive in order for this to happen. Less impressive is the position of the gear indication light, which tells you which of the seven you’re in; where I had the wheel and seat set I couldn’t see it without leaning forward. Ultimately, most people will probably stick with the full auto mode, as this provides perfectly acceptable progress – even if you do get a few funny looks from passers by, who are presumably expecting to see the clutch expire at any moment.

Driving ergonomics are the little Honda’s biggest let down. While the wheel adjusts for reach and rake, it doesn’t quite come far forward enough and the pedals are set too close. This makes for the long-armed short-leg driving position that I’m yet to find anyone feels is comfortable. On top of which, I found that the backs of my heals were aching after prolonged periods of driving, caused by the combined leg, seat and pedal angle positioning. This is something that I have not experienced in any other car.

The rest of the interior, however, is first class. The controls are genuinely intuitive, whether that be a cliché or not. The stereo is adjusted principally by one enormous knob plus a few other easy to interpret buttons. The standard climate control has these cool rubbery flippers that are again easy to operate and work very well. The materials not only look good, but are of decent quality, too. Then there’s the super flexible seating. Being a bit of a bike guy I was hugely impressed that you could genuinely fit a mountain bike cross-ways behind the front seats as the rear squabs lift up and out of the way making for a massive load space. And all the movements you can make with the layout are so easy – one handed operation almost all the way. It’ll seat four adults in reasonable comfort, and the boot’s big enough for all but the largest weekly shop.

Driving-wise the Honda is no road rocket but it is ok fun. The steering is reasonably communicative, nicely direct and free from any unnecessary bagginess. The Jazz has a turning circle of only 9.4 meters – ideal for a city car – so perhaps this helps. The ride is firm but not too jarring – I liked this because it went well with the sporty pretensions and the nimble impression created by the steering. Some however, might find it a little harsher than they expected. Being a relatively tall car for its width, it does roll a bit through the corners – and presumably the stiffness in the ride results from measures taken to tame this wobble. But it hangs on well, and innercity hustling was without any unnerving grip related incidents, even if it does chirrup an inside wheel if you’re pressing on out of a turn. Cornering on a test track at over 90mph presented no problems for the experienced test driver I accompanied, and it behaved pretty benignly over the limit, too.

Just a couple of small niggles to round up. The creep on the gearbox is quite aggressive – just one more reason keep on covering that brake pedal with your left foot. The brakes themselves work just fine, but I did find it rather difficult to bring the Jazz smoothly to a halt without it rocking back slightly in the final stop – could be my left foot, but I’m not so sure. The only other thing was that due to some quirk of the pillar design at the rear of the car, every time I glanced over my left shoulder I thought there was a vehicle in my peripheral vision, lurking in a blind spot. Maybe me again, maybe not.

So, fun, practical, well made, and intelligently designed – the Jazz has excellent appeal for an urban activity vehicle, whether that be shopping, getting out and about with friends, or simply cutting it with thrust of the rest of the traffic. It’s also cheap to run – official combined figures claiming nearly 50mpg – and compact enough to be easy on the parking front. The idea of zipping about in such a subtle little thing really appeals to me, especially with the grin-inducing, if slightly absurd Sport-kitted body addenda.

If I was giving out stars the diminutive Honda would be staring at four out of five, no problem at all.

Honda Jazz 1.4 Sport CVT-7: OTR price £12,695

Links:

honda.co.uk

Sorry about the picture, which is from the German Honda press site. Current UK model is mildly facelifted in comparison, has darker coloured alloys and indicators in the wingmirrors.

"I'm back" [insert exclamation marks as necessary]

2006-03-27T16:25:00.000+01:00

It's true. Work experience is over. And most excellent it was, too.

But, I am off to Holland for the next few days.

With any luck things will be properly up and running again the following week.

Aellopous

2006-03-17T17:56:00.000Z

This was, admittedly announced acouple of weeks ago, so I can’t exactly be accused of reporting breaking news on this occasion.

However, as anyone who pays attention knows, I am thoroughly fascinated by Project 1221 – a Modena based enterprise that claims to be developing a turbine powered supercar. This is an awesome conception – sounds utterly balmy, but if you poke around a bit really does start to make sense…1500hp from an engine that weights less than half as much as the 1000hp lump in the back of a Bugatti Veyron. And is much more compact. Exactly.

Getting to the point:

In addition to the two variants of MF1 supercar they’ve already announced (the 1500hp jobbie), they’re now publicising their intention to build a smaller, less expensive model – called Aellopous.

I could quote you a load of bumpf from the press release, but since you can just go and look at it online I’ll spare you the majorly “florid” stuff (as Channel4’s website put it. Hold on, Channel4 reporting on Project 1221? And the Project claim they’re not getting much press…?). Swiftly:

This project concerns a remarkably light, compact, agile and relatively more accessible model, the Aellopous, which due to both its power and its extremely low weight will dispense nothing less than landmark performance.

Ample luggage capacity, extra-long travel range, selectable left-hand and right-hand drive and optional armoured protection will also feature in the Aellopous as these are considered essential characteristics for all Project 1221 vehicles.

Sounds a lot like the original MF1 brief (which makes me want to see that one even more – given how out of control it appears to have become).

As an aside, someone – who shall remain nameless – accused me of being invidious when I compared the Freestream T1 to Project 1221’s MF1, an association I had made due to both companies claiming 1000bhp/tonne power to weight ratios. Perhaps the Aellopous makes a better comparison to the T1, given its ‘extremely low weight’ pretensions? Hmmm.

“Aellopous,” incidentally, is from Greek mythology. The Project likes to have a bit of a game with its naming conventions it seems, what with “Project1221” being ‘a cryptic hint of the aspirations of the marque,’ and the M and the F standing for Mauro Forghieri, its chief engineer (amongst other notoriety in his portfolio…).

Aellopous was one of the daughters of Thaumus and Elektra [which I mention only because I have a bit of Jennifer Garner twitch], and a harpyiae (!). The name, apparently, means “the stormy one” or “Swift-footed Like a Storm Wind.” Also known as Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, a messenger of Hera, and apparently one of the few able to journey to the underworld at will.

Erm, make of that what you can…

Links:

Aellopous @ Project 1221
There's more of a PR on their 'Updates' page, but this may not be there if you're viewing this at a later date - click the archive link at the bottom

Project 1221/Turbine: Links [internal]

Project 1221: new two-seater model @ Channel 4
Ignore the picture on this page - it's an MF1 shot, not the Aellopous.

And, finally, some Greek mythologising for you:

inanna.virtualave.net

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/atitan.htm

http://www.classicalmyth.com/apollodorus/library1.html

theoi.com

Image is from the Aellopous PR. Hence the quality - being apparently publicity shy the Project seems to like releasing low rez images.

Speed Camera Update

2006-03-17T17:41:00.000Z

So. What exactly is going on with the government’s speed camera policy?

Back in December, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling sent out some good feeling vibes to the motoring public when he announced changes to way the cameras are funded. No longer will camera partnerships be allowed to use the revenue raised every time the flash bulb goes off to pay for more flash bulbs. Self-replicating stealth taxation coming to an end? The country rejoiced; anti-speed campaigners presumably muttered into their coffee.

Then, on 17 February. the Times reported that April 2007 sees the end of current regulations regarding camera usage.

This raises two main issues that motorists should be aware of.

Firstly, the cameras will no longer have to be painted yellow – leading to renewed concerns about subterfuge and camouflage. Safety campaigners – and the Times quotes Mary Williams, chief executive of Brake – claim this is beneficial because people only slow down briefly when they spot the little yellow lollypop, then speed up again once they’ve passed beyond the range of it’s beady little eye. Others point out the safety implications – if you can’t see it you can’t use it as an accident blackspot identifier. As the Times puts it:

Kevin Delaney, the head of road safety at the RAC Foundation, said: “We are concerned that some partnerships will conceal cameras and risk losing the trust of motorists. It makes sense for cameras to be yellow because it slows people down at accident blackspots.”

Secondly, the reasoning behind camera placement is also set to change. Currently regulations require collisions involving three deaths or serious injuries, plus three resulting in slight injuries, all within a kilometre and three years of the placement site. This is set to change – potentially allowing the partnerships to put cameras anywhere they see fit. While there may be a convincingly emotive argument for the placement of cameras in the vicinity of schools – as the Times has Chief Constable of North Wales, Richard Brunstrom putting it:

“Parents often write to us and ask us to put a camera outside a school because the traffic is so dangerous. It’s very difficult to write back and say, ‘Please let us know when your son is killed and then we can consider putting a camera there.’ ”

– there’s also an issue of presumption of guilt, and concerns that cameras will simply be placed where they will make the most money. Especially if they are chosen in lieu of other equally as effective measures, such as road humps and active limit signs that alert drivers when they are exceeding the legal speed.

A final, less than reassuring quote from the Times article:

A Department of Transport spokesman said: “Local authorities will have freedom to use cameras where appropriate and where they see fit. But we do not want to see a return to the bad old days of cameras being hidden behind trees. We are minded to use guidance to achieve this, but if authorities flout it we will consider regulation. If they want to paint cameras grey we will want to know why.”

Hmmm…

As a further update to this issue, and in the interests of fairness, I would like to point out that the Norfolk “Casualty Reduction Partnership” has already come out as saying their cameras will remain yellow. This decision has been taken on the basis that having them brightly coloured makes drivers more aware of their speed, according to the Norwich Evening News.

Relatedly, Tuesday’s Guardian, has more on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (APNR) cameras. In a front page article there is speculation that Britain is becoming ‘the most watched country in the world,’ as police look forward to using APNR to spot motorists speaking on mobile phones, or who aren’t wearing seatbelts. The actions of the woman pictured – in pretty much all of the press last week – applying her make-up during rush hour traffic only serves to support arguments for such surveillence.

Realistically, the technology isn’t good enough for that sort of thing yet. And any such attempt will doubtless be severely resisted – I mean, who on earth likes the idea of their every movement inside a motor vehicle being observed and analysed by squared-eyed operatives in a CCTV bunker? And I speak as someone who rarely does anything except drive when sat at the wheel.

What does this all mean? Basically, we’re stuck with the bloody things – it’s now just a question of exactly how much we let the government and tha camera partnerships get away with using them for. If we aren’t already the most observed nation on earth, I reckon we’re short odds on taking the title.

Links:

Go Slow: the police win the right to camouflage speed cameras @ timesonline

Speed cameras will stay yellow @ Norwich Evening News

Surveillance on drivers may be increased @ Guardian Unlimited

#18: "All speed, no limit...?" [internal]

#13: Camera Action [internal] lots of links on this one

Still alive

2006-03-17T17:40:00.000Z

As you can probably tell, all did not go according to plan on Monday. However, I am about to add a couple of posts, so stay tuned.

There will be...

2006-03-10T18:13:00.000Z

...no post on Sunday. This is because I will not have access to the internet.

Also, I'm struggling with Internet Explorer here, so can't do justice to the piece I've been working on during the day. I shall return on Monday...hopefully with portable Firefox.

Still, I hope you'll appreciate me letting you know.

As aerodynamic as a house brick...

2006-03-09T18:41:00.000Z

I will just mention this, though - which I found on the internet this morning:

Don't look now, but I think that building is following us

This is a story in the South African Mail & Guardian about a woman who avoided a speeding ticket after it was shown that police officers were failing to calibrate their detection equipment correctly.

During her trial, the judge order a test...which ended up suggesting an entire building was moving at 1kph. If I had a mind left it would be boggled.

Links:

Don't look now, but I think that building is following us @ Mail&Guardian online

T#20: Work experience

2006-03-09T18:37:00.000Z

Hello.

Right, I'm sorry about this, but I have very limited internet access at the moment, so I am unable to put up a proper post.

I'm currently on work experience at a UK motoring magazine (there was a clue in the previous entry), which also makes things a bit difficult. I'm using a company computer, so have none of my own photos or files. This makes me a little sad - but the work experience itself is more than making up for it!

However, I am workingon some entries and will endeavour to blog them as soon as this is practically possible.

I thank you.

Down in the Gumperts?

2006-03-09T18:33:00.000Z

My apologies to Gumpert; according to this week’s Auto Express their stand position at the Geneva motorshow was nothing to do with them – in fact, they were very disappointed about it. They were hoping to be plonked next to the other supercar manufacturers, but the show’s organisers stuck them down in the basement instead.

Doesn’t explain the CDRs, though. Still, my handwritten Gumpert CD will probably be something I treasure for a long time, so that isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Sorry for the lack of pictures...see the above post.

#19: The Geneva Motorshow

2006-03-05T15:55:00.000Z

Super bumper edition for you in the meanwhile, however...

The Geneva Motorshow

Life isn’t like the movies. If it was, Saab might actually have the intention to build the concept they’re currently showing at Geneva.

The Geneva motorshow this year is big. Always a prestigious event, 2006 has scored heavily in the exciting cars stakes with unveiling’s from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Koenigsegg, Spyker (actually scratch Spyker; they’re showing an SUV that stands a good chance of redefining vulgar in any pictorial dictionaries out there), Pagani – all that sort of crowd. You’re going to be able to read countless proper accounts of the event in any number of automotive publications, so I’m going to go ahead and just pick out my highlights.

The Saab plays an important part. I was hanging out with one of my fellow aj students, and, what with him being a bit of a Saab fanboy, we spent a quite a lot of time on their stand. No tightly-clad (there wasn’t so much of the scantily in evidence anywhere – this is a high-class even, don’t-you-know) show-girls for the Swedish arm of GM; just a bunch of their production models, a GM promo about bio-fuel involving a give-away plant in a tin, and easily the best-looking concept car in the building – the Aero X.

Part of the reason we spent so much time on the stand was my colleague’s interview with Anthony Lowe. We also got right onto the turntable with the Aero X, complete with a Lowe guided tour. The car is intended to function as a way for Saab to try and figure out what the hell they’re doing with their design language, rather than preview any form of production ideal. Lowe seemed concerned that Saab may be losing it’s distinctiveness, and offered such a blank-page project as a way of getting this back. There are some neat details to support the vehicle’s role here – the ice-block rear lights, echoing those currently being well received on the 9-3 Wagon, for example – but really it is completely dominated by the way you access the passenger space.

It seems a funny project for Saab to be taking on, but it seems that they are not happy with the current method for getting in and out of a sportscar – low rooflines, wide sills, currently it’s a bit of a kafuffle. Their solution’s the old raising-roof clamshell, where the top of the cabin moves up and forward allowing entrance with ease – just step on in. Not exactly new, but brilliantly executed, with bits moving here and there in order to get themselves the most out of the way, and functioning so well it was easy to imagine it as production reality. Lowe suggests this unlikely anytime soon – simply on the basis that given current technology it would be too easy for critics to say the system was good enough – but is obviously immensely proud of the finished result, and hopes to see it explored as an option for the future. Aero Xcellent…

Speaking of concept cars and Xs, Mitsubishi rolled out their Concept X design study for the next generation Evo. Since everyone was paying attention to the model reclining full length in their other concept – the EZ, which appears to be some kind of VW Microbus for the Judge-Dread generation… – at the time I had no trouble clambering all over this beautiful monster. Easily my second pick for concepts (third would actually be the EZ, it was immensely cool looking for something the shape of a housebrick) this is also packed full of cute details. Rocking carbon-fibre for the roof, an interior with buckets all round, screens in the seatbacks, enough metal to blind a hip-hop artist, and a cylinder in the back that was either NOS or a fire extinguisher, externally the Evo-X kind of looks like a shark that someone lopped the tail off and stuffed full of steroids before jamming on some wheels. Phat with a spelling I’ve never used before. It also had this funky bracing like a flattened rollcage, including a central spar reminding me of the GTR concept that Nissan showed a while back. Want one.

Other concepts that stood out for me: the 207 RCup, a badass Peugeot hot-hatch concept that’s probably too extreme to be feasible; the Honda Civic Type R Concept, which was exactly what it says on the tin, and very…yellow – as many have commented already, what happened to Championship White? Honda also showed the FCX hydrogen fuelcell vehicle – pretty; the Rinspeed zaZen natural gas Porsche, although it stood out for being garish, rather than great – Swarovski crystals in the tail-lights, etc, etc – but I like the fact it looks a little like an origami 959 with a jetfighter canopy stuck on top; hidden in the hospitality suite, Lamborghini’s new Miura was worth seeing, if only to wonder why; Aston Martin showed the Rapide – was very amusing watching an adult man fitting himself into the back seat, when he closed the door he was practically sat with his head between his knees; and finally, the Geneva Mini Traveller concept, which was all Red Cross for cars – a mechanic’s van with old Lucas paraphernalia and a press pack cartoon of it as a race-car support vehicle towing an original. Too cute.

Alright, back to reality. Of a sort. Seriously, if you were me, what sort of cars would you be looking at Geneva. I mean, I could have done the whole press conference thing, but…well, that can wait until I ever get a career doing this. More to the point, given that almost all of the unveilings had already been previewed on the internet and so, this sort of show is now more of a public than a press event – so you could say I doing what most people would do. However, as it happens, I did kick off the day with Mercedes at 8am – Smart revealing a more hardcore Brabus ForFour first, then onto the AMG show that was the MercB conference proper – caught GM and made a deliberate effort to attend Lamborghini, but aside from that it was an exercise in avoiding the crowds rather than being devoured by them. So, let’s talk performance cars, shall we…

Actually, AMG came close to having the best car there as far as I’m concerned. But perhaps tellingly – given the repetitive nature of the German horsepower one-upmanship parade – this was the 1971 Spa race-winning 300SEL 6.3 V8, complete with an engine note that could fell trees and obviously fresh from some well-deserved TLC, the smell of unburnt fuel it left in the air was almost worth the price of the plane ticket on its own. Absolutely fantastic looking thing, all bug-eyed with spotlights, bright-red paint, and resplendent with the full leather interior it was still wearing in spite of the rollcage. I resisted the temptation to ask when this new model was going to be on sale.

Total favourite, however, has to be the Koenigsegg CCX. Koenigsegg still hold the official record for world’s fastest road car with the CCR – as the Veyron hasn’t been tested yet; they had a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records on their stand. The CCX aims to go even faster, and meet US type-approval. A fabulous piece of engineering at apparently any cost, it even features carbon fibre wheel rims – a world first on a road car, and helping give it the lowest unsprung weight of any current supercar, so they claim. [Jalopnik has the full press release online here.]

The carbon fibre was being let loose all over the place – but king of the weave was undoubtedly Pagani, showing the Zonda F ragtop in bare carbon finish. Evo this month reports that’s a £28,000 option, but up-close you can see why: the finish is perfect. Getting it all to line up that way must take a special sort of effort, so no-wonder it commands a special sort of price. Beautiful interior, as ever with Pagani.

It’s amusing that following an entirely scientific poll conducted on what I’ve seen so far online, most people did what we did and completely avoided the Ferrari stand when trying to get a picture of the new 599. It was much easier to get a photo and a close-up on the Pininfarina stand, where they had one finished in a far more tasteful shade of Ferrari red than the ruby metallic over by the rest of the prancing horse collection. Thoughts on the rest of the car? Well, it’s big. Styling is much what you’d expect from a modern Fezza, although certainly an improvement on the 612 (and anyone who says the 599 looks better in the metal obviously hasn’t seen the photography in – again – Evo, where they’ve more than done it justice with some spectacular shots). Ferrari’s these days aren’t really my thing – but I suppose that I may change if I ever get to drive one.

Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW and Audi – the other big names showing big performance were notable for different reasons. Lamborghini created the biggest maul when they whipped the covers off the LP640 Murcielago; the desk for the press kits was uncomfortably close to the car – it’s a wonder no-one died in the crush. The 640 looks like a batmobile finished in that curious shade of gloss primer grey, a colour choice which suggests they wanted people to concentrate on the performance rather than the flamboyance. It was nice enough – the rear lamps, for example, have this Lotus Cortina triangled circle thing going on which will look amazing in operation I think – but perhaps due to that colour it seemed as subtle a weapon as a mace, too much the brute to be cool. And the damn thing is so big; I’d be asking them if they could fit that new 6.5 lump into a Gallardo.

But at least I noticed – which is more than I can say for Porsche. They had the new 911 Turbo there, which is so crammed full of wicked technology (variable geometry turbo – great fun) that if they manage to crowbar anything else in the average arch-villain won’t need a secret hide-out anymore, he’ll just buy one of these. However, the main show car was in a shade of silver that did nothing for it, and everyone’s a little taken aback by those Wolverine wheels. More problematic, I must have walked past the Cayman (again, unfortunate colour choice of a rather weedy yellow) half a dozen times before I even noticed it was there. It just looks like a 911 that’s been a bit ill. What’s the point? Apparently they had the new 911 GT3 there as well, but oops, somehow I missed it. Hmmm.

BMW’s new breadvan, the Z4 M Coupe, look more like the previous M Coupe than I expected – on the basis that it is muscular and awkward. The M cars seems to be having problems with their alloys at the moment, too; like the M6, the M Coupe looks a little let down by the wheel design. Audi was weirdly all about the new A6 Allroad, which sort of gave the impression they couldn’t bothered. The RS4s were all there, though, including the new cabriolet; this is the thing that Audi does better than any other manufacturer, badassifying their cooking models, and the drop-top is no exception. More strangeness in the propeller/turbine theme running through their display – no-one seemed to know what this was about, including the official Audi people we asked. If anyone’s got an explanation I’d be glad to hear it. They did also have a block of ice with a Quattro logo imbedded in it, if that helps…?

Quick mention for Gumpert, who were hiding in the basement (amongst the accessory vendors) with their Apollo. I wouldn’t like to say for sure but I’m guessing they’re a little strapped for cash, given the (presumably, and in comparison) cheap stand, and the press material on plain hand-titled CDRs. The car, complete with acidic orange finish, seems to be further along now, with a really nicely finished interior and door openings cut further into the roof to improve access. Glad to see it there – the flying fist of current supercars. Less of a mention for Lotus, who’s new Europa is, erm, well, it’s an Elise beaten with an ugly stick.

I’m going to end with Alfa Romeo. A lot of people seem to be having an orgasm over the Spider. That’s their prerogative. I can’t quite figure out why, but Alfa’s styling isn’t hitting the spot for me at the moment – it’s a little slab sided and squinty, or maybe I’m just awkward. Oh well.

Those were the best bits of Geneva for me as far as the cars themselves were concerned – feel free to ask about anything I haven’t mentioned.

Links:

"I Travel at Extreme Speed": The Koenigsegg CCX @ Jalopnik

#14: Let's go retro [internal]

T#19: Can you feel the fibre of my fabric? [internal]

More pictures to follow. Hopefully.

Best laid plans...

2006-03-05T15:53:00.000Z

Having said that of course, it then transpires that I have three weeks of work experience starting on Monday. In London.

Not sure what this means for site content as yet. We shall see.

Normal service will be resumed

2006-03-02T20:52:00.000Z

It has been a ridiculously tough last two-three weeks, which is why the post quota has been down and the lameness counter has gone up.

However, the magazine project is now finished and the competing coursework has eased off from its extremes.

Needless to say, a more normal service will be resumed. Just as soon as I've gotten a little rest.

T#19: Can you feel the fibre of my fabric?

2006-03-02T20:37:00.000Z

"Random" photo posting on the basis that a picture paints a 1000 words.

I had a feeling that this week was going to be all about the carbon...

#18: "All speed, no limit...?"

2006-02-26T23:53:00.000Z

The information herein is a little out of date, but I'm posting it for course-related reasons. It's been "subbed" by third-parties (which is actually fairly amusing in places - slight over-obsession with the Guardian's anti-hyphenation make-two-words-one drive, chaps?) and is as they left it. Hopefully more will become clear later in the week.

"So, the government has finally decided that boxes on a stick aren’t the be all and end all of road safety; they’re throttling back from the proposed camera onslaught. Hoo-bloody-rah! The question is: what’s next? A change to the national motorway speed limit, perhaps…

No, hold on - this isn’t what you’re thinking.

Seriously, it isn’t. I may well have been on an extremely lightly trafficked M1 the other night, physically restraining my right foot - but I am so far from advocating upping the 70mph restriction I may as well face the accusations of Greenpeace membership right now.

I so wanted to do it - straight-six the road at maximum velocity - but I couldn’t. They’ve won. Via a process of intimidation and propaganda ‘the message’ has undoubtedly gotten through, in the form of four distinct thought processes to stop me: social responsibility; fear for my license; the cost of petrol/the end of the planet; and the great big unpredictable unknown of my fellow road users - I’ve got far too much imagination to ignore the possibility of someone pulling out in front of me without having first looked in their mirror.

The intriguing thing about the contemporary status of our high-speed road network is that somehow it works. That’s possibly a little bit of a controversial argument, so I should explain what I mean. Ignoring the congestion, the poor lane discipline and the unnecessary journeys, consider the speed limit itself. It’s 70mph, right - yet everyone knows that it is practical and safe to travel faster than that, and those who feel comfortable with this paradox quite happily do. Assuming the circumstances aren’t absurd or unsafe you’d realistically be unlucky to get pulled over by a traffic police officer at any speed less than about 85 or even 90mph. You can’t be sure about this, but it’s a pretty solid bet.

And that’s why the current system is so successful - we have a legal limit, and an accepted ‘limit’. There is no doubt that the vast majority of vehicles on our roads today are more than capable of safely travelling at speeds well in excess of 70mph. Driving quickly demands more of your concentration - the more you concentrate, the safer you should be. I usually feel much better about the guy or girl who passes me at 80 plus on the outside than I do about the individual dozing at less than 60 in the centre lane with empty carriageway inside of them. I’m pretty sure I could accurately guess which of them was paying greater attention, nine times out of ten.

Ok, so it’s only my personal estimation between me and an unwelcome interaction with a crash barrier - but I believe we have an acceptable status quo.

The problem for the government is that this is a status quo where a law is being broken.

That’s a difficult situation for any government to be in, even if we do have one of the safest motorway networks in Europe. They’ve tried to increase the enforcement, but when the modus operandi is as aggravating as the Gatso it’s hardly surprising that this nearly ended in tears. Put too much pressure on the public as they go about their daily lives and you risk your re-election no matter how nasty the habit. Imagine trying to outlaw tobacco – selfinflicted death in a tube, but built into the routine of millions of people. Impossible.

Make like the cigarettes then, and antiillegalise speeding by raising the limit. But there is a big, big problem with this. You can’t just raise the limit - because if the limit was, say, 80mph, more people would make the decision to do 95 or 100 as that no longer represents as big a leap from the upper boundary as before. Given that some people will go faster - in order to overtake, to simply be in front - the speeds get greater, and the risks run higher. No matter how good my guesswork might be, the driver remains the weakest link, and this amplifies the odds of anything ending with an ouch.

Leaving the limit alone and lessening the lens action? Sounds like more of the same, doesn’t it - except I’d like to make a suggestion. Take all the money currently being spent on Polaroid film or whatever and invest in policing instead.

Proper policing by well trained officers in clearly marked cars, making rational judgments, based on actual circumstances represents an opportunity for safe progress and real life to exist in an ambiguous harmony. And ambiguity in this instance is great because it makes the average motorist err on the side of caution, rather than aggressively making time between the camera sites they know as their definite antagonists. Give us a police presence, but not a police state - is that kind of balance really so hard to achieve?"

Image is from: www.echt-wichtig.de - awesome stuff.

T#18: Big wheeling

2006-02-23T22:39:00.000Z

You might surmise from this it's proving to be a long week. And in case I don't get time to mention it in it's own post (a very real possibility at the moment):

I'M OFF TO THE GENEVA MOTORSHOW ON MONDAY.

I have press accreditation and everything - very excited. Ahem. Anyways, thank you.

Big wheeling

Ok, ok – so I know this has, in fact, been Done To Death. But. I figured, what the hell, stick an oar in – my site, my opinion, and all that. Plus, I have a final few nuggets of information gleaned from “Keith” the Jaguar engineer.

So, wheels. Alloy wheel – big ones. We all know how good they look – which is why they end up on the cars in the first place (via the design sketch. And the marketing department). We also all probably know a number of detrimental things about them, right…

Contrary to popular blaster belief, bigger wheels generally do not improve vehicle handling – more on this in a moment, but basically, they add weight and remove ride comfort. In case that requires further explanation: more metal means more mass for the suspension to control, and; lower profile rubber reduces the bump absorbency added to the ride by the pneumatic cushion that doubles as the tyre. Changing the rolling diameter (i.e. by upping the wheel size) also impacts on the accuracy of the instruments, and is probably catastrophic for the environment, too. I’m kidding about that last part. But, Hey! They look good.

And this is the thing – they do look good. So where’s the sensible solution, or compromise? Magazine’s (Evo’s a good example, but they’re not alone) are increasingly flagging up the difference the optional increased alloy-size makes to the ride comfort of the vehicle they’re testing. Off the top of my head, this has been a notable issue for the last generation BMW M3, and the new Mini, though Audi hasn’t escaped criticism either (and we all know how fantastically exciting those look running the maximum possible rimmage). What exactly is the excuse for this?

There is a matter of expense, but why isn’t this a problem of the past? The weight issue is resolvable – better materials and improved construction can make larger diameter wheels at least as light as their smaller circumferenced brethren. Lighter weight means improved efficiency – the cost differential will pay for itself. Hold on, you’re thinking, wasn’t that VW’s reasoning behind the 3Litre car – and exactly how many people bought that? Basic error in that instance: the 3L was a stripped out Lupo, whereas the alloy is all about style. People will pay for this – especially if you frame it as a performance enhancement.

As for the ride issue, surely suspension technology is sufficiently sophisticated by now that taking the bounce out of the tyre isn’t an impossibility? In fact, wouldn’t minimising this variable actually improve ride control? Take the inconsistency – which will change with type and brand – out of the tyre by making it as small a part of the ride equation as possible; if the tyre variable hardly exists you can tune the suspension to act with greater accuracy and consistency. Or maybe I’m just talking nonsense. I suppose at least the local alloy “reconditioning” service will thank me the first time you curb the dubs on your Kia Picanto…

Alright, that’s enough from me; time for some thoughts from “Keith” on this subject.

First up, he was very keen to stress exactly how much tyre choice has an impact on a car’s handling. Those four little tiny contact patches – the rubber you use for those probably make more difference to the way your car behaves than anything else. Car manufacturers specify a particular tyre for a reason, because it best suits the ride/handling balance of their vehicle, in relation to the market it’s aimed at.

However, it goes further than that, because often the car maker will specify a tyre to its own OEM requirements. Meaning that the tyre you buy off the shelf at the local fitters most likely won’t be exactly the same as the one the car rolled out of the factory on, even if it is wearing all the same badges. Apparently, this doesn’t often come down to differences in compound but car companies can and will ask for sidewalls and banding to be altered to the benefit of a particular vehicle. Is this cheating? It certainly seems a bit pointless if the tyre that makes your car work best is not going to be easily available later on.

He also hinted at how engineers are put under pressure by their marketing department in order to get cars to accommodate bigger rims and wider tyres. This comes back to the public perception that bigger wheels not only look better, but go better too – the car rides harder, so it must be sportier, right? And as for the tyre width, while it is obviously worse to under-tyre a vehicle than to over tyre it, there are circumstances where wider tyres can actually reduce grip instead of improving it. Over-tyring a car can wreck the handling, inducing understeer, tramlining and general lack of pointiness. March’s Octane magazine has an article on the early 90s Corvette, and it notes how the width of the front wheels were reduced over its lifetime – starting at 275 section, reducing all the way to 245.

So, in short: consumers, stick to the manufacturer’s recommended boots; manufacturers, get around to engineering a proper solution to such stylistic excess – go on, make us all happy.

Links:

T#16: Driver aids? [internal]

Driver Aids? Post Script [internal]

Evo magazine

Octane magazine

Picture, by pure coincidence is via a post made by Jalopnik today. That car is currently for sale on eBay. Click here for more photos...and even a short video. I daren't say anything else.

Gizmodo...nice

2006-02-20T21:41:00.000Z

I'd give my arm for a mobile phone.

And, hack your Prius.

It's going to be a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, so I was thinking I am quite likely to be running on minimal posts for a while. That said of course, a couple of things popped up on Gizmodo today.

First off:

Car Crash Victim's Arm Found, Cellphone Intact

The title says it all really; when they found the severed arm of a woman who flipped an SUV out in Lexington, Kentucky, they discovered it to be still clutching the mobile phone she'd been using at the time of the crash. She, and her daughter - who was also in the car - both survived the incident. I believe it was a Gizmodo commentator on another thread who suggested that airbags should be set to deactivate upon detection of a mobile phone signal...

Then, this is cool:

Mac Prius

Coming via Gizmodo again, this is the webpage of a guy who has hooked the touchscreen in his Toyota Prius up to a Mac Powerbook - all in the name of enabling his daughter to watch dvds while they drive. Hacking computers into existing car user interfaces is a neat trick - I bet there's a serious market for improving on the original iterations of BMW's iDrive. I wonder if somebody has beaten me to it?

Links:

Car Crash Victim's Arm Found, Cellphone Intact @ Gizmodo

Mac Prius [via Prius Running OSX @ Gizmodo]

Picture via a Microsoft press site.

#17: Eye eye

2006-02-20T10:34:00.000Z

There aren’t many magazines in the waiting room at eye casualty. That makes a certain stark kind of sense, when you think about it. I think there was one when I was in there on Friday; it’s the sort of thing you notice when you’re really not sure how worried you should be but can’t help fearing for the worst.

Ok, so I am being a little melodramatic. There is no unhappy ending here as such – otherwise I’d be having a great deal more trouble typing this entry than is presently the case. After giving me something to dilate my pupils, and sitting me in an examination room where I could overhear another patient discussing his cornea grafts (I AM squeamish, and I’m happy to admit as such given that it usually prevents me from having to sit through horror movies and/or Plastic Surgery Live!, or whatever), a presumably very highly qualified chap had a good poke around with a couple of different kinds of really bright light and declared that if anything was in fact wrong then it certainly wasn’t obvious.

This came – unsurprisingly – as something of a relief. To say that it is disconcerting when your vision starts playing silly buggers for no apparent reason at all is a bit of an understatement; bad for anyone no doubt, but even more so when you’re as prone to thinking things over in as minute detail as I am. I moved swiftly from what the bloody hell is going on here to argh, what on earth am I going to do with my life if I go blind in literally the blink of an eye. Ahem.

So, it turns out that occasional moments where it seems as if I’ve been staring at a light when I haven’t, and an accompanying slight lapse of the focussing front are issues that I have nothing to worry about. I’m not sure I should really be revealing this sort of thing on a website that is intended to make me attractive to potential employers, but needless to say I will be heading to my regular optician for a second opinion just as soon as I can make it to Bournemouth; the relevance is in that tendency of mine to think these things through a little too much – the loss of something so fundamental to me as my vision seems as worthy a topic for discussion as any in this regard. Even if such a loss is realistically unlikely.

Imagine it – imagine if you lost your sight: what would it mean for your everyday life. I am, as a casual perusal of the other elements of this page should define, currently having a go at making myself into a motoring journalist. If I were to experience some kind of temporary or permanent vision loss that would be the end of all hope, wouldn’t it? I mean, I was worried. But then I considered it a little more, and wondered instead whether it wouldn’t inadvertently carve out a niche for me – I mean, how many other motoring journalists do you know of who are vision impaired?

This isn’t as silly as it may sound (and it is certainly not meant to be disparaging to any the genuinely blind). Ok, so if my sight was permanently damaged it would bring a number of disadvantages, sure, but would it actually mean game over?

Biggest problem – worst case scenario: I would no longer be able to actually drive a car. This isn’t as crippling (er, euw to the word choice?) as it sounds; there is a motoring correspondent who writes for one of the big daily broadsheets who does not hold a driving license – I’m not being funny and that’s not an urban myth, it’s true. I bet he gets the sort of looks I usually get when I tell people I don’t drink alcohol (no, really, I am a student – honestly). But anyway, so not being able to drive the car isn’t necessarily a deal breaking issue – however, I would miss it. That wouldn’t be fun.

Another thing that wouldn’t be fun – not being able to see what the vehicle looks like, either. Although this would spare me the entire current Peugeot range, it would also mean missing out on any passing Aston Martin, or the latest offering from Pagani. For the sake of impartiality, however, this might be a boon; testing would be genuinely “blind” – meaning that interior plastics really would get appreciated for quality and feel, and ride comfort (unfortunately, handling would be rather difficult to assess) judged only on ability rather than expectation. Ease of access, the user friendliness of controls, the depth of talent devoted to ergonomics – all of these things would suddenly take on an added dimension of importance. In other words, the elements of car design that matter the most to the average buyer…

A timely reminder, then, of what is worth keeping in mind – even if I do still have full use of my facilities. For which I am very, very thankful.

T#: 17

2006-02-17T09:03:00.000Z

I suppose that someone may be wondering where post T#: 17 is...so I should explain that not only did the internet decide it wasn't going to work last night (a minor consideration in the circumstances) but rather more significantly I'm experiencing some "issues" with my eyesight. I'm off to find an optician shortly, so hopefully this is something that will quickly be rectified.

My apologies for the inconvenience. Normal service is to be resumed. I hope.

Cleaner than it'll ever be again

2006-02-13T13:12:00.000Z

Well, it had to happen eventually.

In this instance it's because our cars are going on the front cover of our magazine, but finally my BM has gotten a t-cut and a polish. So I figured I ought to commemorate the occasion by putting it on here.

Just want to say a big:

THANKS GUYS!

to my coursemates, who helped out with polishing and stuff - and especially Graeme, whose cleaning products you can see scattered around in the photos.

#16:

2006-02-13T02:19:00.000Z

Post removed due to content clash.