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[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

The Spanish flier

Here’s one sure-fire way to make a Bugatti Veyron seem common – buy one of these Sunred SR08 racing cars.

Just 10 of these bespoke machines will be on sale to the public, to homologate the car for racing in the FIA GT series.

The Sunred promises to be every bit as extreme as it looks, too. It uses a carbonfibre monocoque, with a mid-mounted 4.0-litre Judd V10 producing around 500bhp and mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Given that the SR08 weighs just 1100kg, performance should be visceral, with 0-62mph taking a claimed 3.5sec. Top speed is 186mph.

The Sunred sits on 18-inch alloys, behind which sit whopping 380mm carbon-ceramic brake discs with six-piston calipers. Suspension is by double wishbones with adjustable Ohlins dampers.

There’s no word on the price, but we suspect it’ll be every bit as extreme as the looks and performance.

 

[Danny]

The Judd V10 is a tasty prospect, but is 500hp enough to impress these days?

 

[YSSMAN]

I wouldn't say so. As a matter of fact, 500 BHP is the new 300 BHP, the former marker of truly high-performance machines.

Either way though, low weight and a good power figure is likely to produce shockingly good numbers. If that wasn't the case, cars like the Lotus Elise/Exige wouldn't be considered fast by any means.

 

[ExigeEvan]

In my opinion superior power targets are not as important as they were before. I think lower weight is becoming increasingly popular due to lighter materials and some effort to improve environmental issues.

How long will that Judd engine last before it needs a major overhaul? 2000 miles?

 

[Jim Prower]

It also looks more and more like the old ('96-'99) GT1 is coming back...

 

[Pebb]

Source: Auto Express

Lid is lifted on S-Class convertible

At the same time as unleashing its storming new SLR Roadster, the firm has given the S-Class convertible the green light for production. Inspired by the Ocean Drive concept, which starred at January's Detroit Motor Show, the four-door has a backbone chassis with a full-length transmission tunnel helping to replace the strength lost by cutting off the roof. As a result, the big drop-top is effectively a four-seater. To keep the weight down and improve packaging, it features a compact fabric hood rather than a complicated folding metal top.

Meanwhile, here's the best picture yet of the new C-Class Estate - and it looks set to be even more practical than its predecessor. It has a traditional full-length roofline, and our image suggests a lower boot opening, for maximum space. Power comes from the same range of engines as the saloon, topped by a 6.3-litre V8 for the AMG flagship.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Radical SR8 now faster than ever

As if the Radical SR8 wasn’t powerful enough already, you can now buy it with a 455bhp 2.8-litre V8 Powertec engine – a power hike of 95bhp over the original V8.

That’s enough to give the 630kg SR8LM a power-to-weight ratio of 722bhp per tonne.

The new engine redlines at 10,500rpm, so it’s less than surprising that a completely new six-speed transaxle was required to transmit all the power to the road while leaving some trace of rubber on your tyres.

Still, if you can afford the £89,000 price, new tyres shouldn’t be a problem. And considering that the SR8LM is the fastest off-the-shelf sports racer in the world, it’s really not that expensive.

Certainly not when you compare it to the competition: the SR8LM is so named for its ability to compete with a Le Mans prototype car on most circuits. A lap of Norfolk’s 1.9-mile Snetterton circuit will take less than a minute, provided you've got the talent.

And if you’re really mad, the SR8LM can even be made road legal.

 

[Jim Prower]

Wonder how this runs against the LMP IIs. Bet an RS Spyder or Acura-Courage still smokes it...

 

[Pebb]

Source: 4car

Gordon Murray's ultra-lightweight microcar: first details

Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 road-going supercar as well as grand prix cars for Brabham and McLaren, has announced the first details of his long-rumoured city car project.

The Type 25 - so named because it's Murray's 25th car - is to be an ultra-economical, environment-friendly and affordable city car, aimed at first-time buyers, city dwellers, commuters, hire car fleets and second-car buyers. He aims to create a car as cool as the original Mini, Fiat Cinquecento and Smart Fortwo, undercutting its opposition in price and running costs, yet being as safe to drive as a conventional small hatchback.

The T25 will make its fuel savings not through a hybrid or electric powertrain, but by its very low weight - around 400kg less than similarly sized conventional vehicles. It will be made from high-tech materials, and Murray promises 'innovative architecture and packaging which will facilitate low-cost manufacturing and drastically reduce running costs'.

Murray pays tribute to the Smart, but says that the T25 will be less compromised in its all-round abilities. Though it will take up little space on the road - thus contributing to a reduction in congestion and parking problems - it will have a high seating position and high roof, so drivers will remain within the sightlines of other vehicles and not feel vulnerable.

The T25 itself will not reach production: Murray is to produce running prototypes, then licence the technology and designs to carmakers to produce a vehicle under their own brand name. His new company, Gordon Murray Design, will then support clients in bringing the car to production, as well as in the development of further variants using different body styles, fuels or powertrain options. Many different types of vehicle can potentially be constructed around the same basic architecture. 'The ultimate target is to create a new class of vehicle on a worldwide basis,' says the company.

Next project on the way from Gordon Murray Design 'will take a similarly radical approach to high-performance sports cars... a car which absolutely reverses the trend towards larger, heavier and more powerful supercars', says Murray.

'This car will give the driver all the driving feedback and pleasure that a good power-to-weight ratio and vehicle dynamics can deliver, but from light weight and modest power. The result will be a more affordable and a more environmentally friendly supercar. The company is also gearing up during the next 12 months to undertake a race programme.'

Murray's team, based in Shalford, Surrey, includes ex-McLaren vehicle development head Frank Coppuck (engineering director), former McLaren and Lotus designer Barry Lett (design director), ex-McLaren and Brabham motorsport engineer Bruce McIntosh (head of engineering), Chrysler and TWR design engineer Andy Jones (head of design), former McLaren facilities manager Mark Lewis (head of operations) and CAD specialist Kevin Richards (head of visualisation), who has worked at Aston Martin, TWR Jaguar Sport, McLaren, Caparo and Lola.

The company's major investors are the US venture capitalists Mohr Davidow Ventures and the UK-based Caparo Group, whose own vehicle division is producing the Caparo T1 supercar.

 

[Scaff]

Wonder how this runs against the LMP IIs. Bet an RS Spyder or Acura-Courage still smokes it...

Never bet against a Radical, its current LMP2 car (the SR9) already runs at the front of its class, if Radical can continue in the form they have displayed since starting out then the SR8LM may well be a car watch in the future.

Regards

Scaff

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Jaguar XF in line for 500bhp

Work is continuing behind the scenes in the build up to the launch of the XF saloon, while speculation rumbles on around finding a new owner for Jaguar.

The ultra-modern S-type replacement is scheduled to appear at the Frankfurt motor show in September, where final specification will be announced.

However, Autocar has learned that the most interesting version of the XF is still a couple of years off. According to various sources, Jaguar is working on a hot version of the new saloon with more power and more performance potential than any other road-going Jaguar.

‘XFR’ to get even bigger, supercharged, 500bhp V8

Until now, Autocar understood that the range-topping XF would use the XKR’s 420bhp supercharged 4.2-litre V8 engine, but Jaguar sources say that won’t be the case.

According to our source, the new Jaguar saloon will launch this winter with a choice of 2.7-litre V6 diesel, 3.0-litre V6 petrol, 4.2-litre V8 petrol and supercharged 4.2-litre V8 power. The 420bhp supercharged option, however, won't be badged XFR; the performance-oriented XF will, in fact, get an all-new, larger mill with 500bhp.

The new engine is currently in development, and won’t just see service in the XFR, but also the next Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. It’s a 5.0-litre V8 unit, with a supercharger, producing 500bhp and close to 500lb ft of torque.

With that under the bonnet, the XF should be capable of cracking 60mph in less than 5.0sec, 100mph in around 10sec, and slamming up against its 155mph speed limiter with legs to spare.

Plus: ‘XKD’ is a strong possibility for 2009

In other Jaguar news, the prospect of a diesel-powered XK is looking more and more likely, timed to arrive when the car receives its first facelift another two years from now.

The ‘XKD’ had been on the drawing board at Jaguar from the car’s conception, but back then, two problems prevented its translation onto the road: that the PSA-Ford developed 2.7-litre V6 didn’t have sufficient power to suit the XK, and that the market wasn’t ready for an upmarket, diesel-powered coupe or cabrio.

The first of those problems will be remedied within 18 months, when Jaguar’s plan to enlarge the capacity of its V6 twin-turbodiesel engine from 2.7 to 3.0 litres, and from 206 to around 250bhp, comes to fruition.

The other problem promises to go up in smoke with the success of BMW’s new 635d. That new twin-turbodiesel coupe and cabrio goes on sale in September; assuming the market welcomes that car as generously as expected, Gaydon should have no qualms about providing car buyers with a British-built alternative.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Mercedes-Benz may dump the A-class

Mercedes-Benz is rumoured to be dropping the A-class range when it is due for replacement in 2011.

According to unnamed inside sources quoted by German magazine WirtschaftsWoche, the A-class is too expensive to produce and not profitable enough.

Mercedes has declined to comment. Only a few weeks ago M-B sales and marketing chief Michael Ganal said that the firm wanted to “increase cooperation” with rival BMW to enable it to benefit from shared research and development costs.

The A-class and its B-class sibling are the only front-drive models in Mercedes’ line-up. They use a sophisticated ‘sandwich’ platform that provides great interior space and crash protection, but isn’t cheap to make.

 

[niky]

About time... over-engineered, under-sized... not exclusive enough to be MBs. I think the A-Class is MB's own X-Type... a misguided attempt to go downmarket... too far downmarket.

Why not sell it as a SMART?

 

[picklesam]

bout time, they should leave C, E, SL, SLK, S, CL, G, ML and dump the rest of the line up...too many models! why the hell did they make the CLK? why not just put 2 doors on an E class? and the C class coupe's a joke...

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

One for the road

If you thought Britain had a drinking problem, think again. Swedish customs have confiscated so much contraband booze that the government is now making biogas out of it.

In 2006 the Swedish authorities seized over 700,000 litres of illegal alcohol – enough to run 1000 biogas buses and even a gas-powered train.

This isn't the first example of Swedish ingenuity. The biofuel trains and buses can also be run off methane taken from stewed cow entrails.

Despite this costing more than 20 per cent more than standard diesel, the Swedes claim that the environmental benefits are worth it. One cow will run a train for 2.5 miles.

And it's not just public transport, either. Bio-powered cars account for up to 80 per cent of Saab's sales in its home country – a total of over 11,000 cars in 2006.

By contrast, only 150 bio-powered Saabs were sold in the UK in 2006. Even with ethanol accounting for five per cent of the fuel going into your car by 2008, Britain's transport system looks pretty poisonous next to that of the uber-environmental Swedes.

 

[Jim Prower]

I'm...heh...Wha?

there's more shine stills in Sweden than in Hazzard County? I didn't know about this...

 

[Scaff]

bout time, they should leave C, E, SL, SLK, S, CL, G, ML and dump the rest of the line up...too many models! why the hell did they make the CLK? why not just put 2 doors on an E class? and the C class coupe's a joke...

Uh the CLK accounts for around about an 1/8 of the C-class sales....


Source - 2005 Figures

...so its rather a good model for them, same thing is true of the C-class coupe. It may be an ugly little bugger, but for many people its the most affordable proper MB. Dropping those two models would have a hugely negative effect of sales, particular in two models that help keep the C-class at the top of the small exec class.

Now the A and B class I agree don't fit into the traditional Merc image, but Nicky giving them to Smart would just be cruel, don't you think they lose enough money as it is .


Scaff

 

[niky]

Uh the CLK accounts for around about an 1/8 of the C-class sales....


Source - 2005 Figures

...so its rather a good model for them, same thing is true of the C-class coupe. It may be an ugly little bugger, but for many people its the most affordable proper MB. Dropping those two models would have a hugely negative effect of sales, particular in two models that help keep the C-class at the top of the small exec class.

Now the A and B class I agree don't fit into the traditional Merc image, but Nicky giving them to Smart would just be cruel, don't you think they lose enough money as it is .


Scaff

Well, at least MB will have its money losing platforms under one name, so when they get rid of SMART, they can claim that they're fit as a fiddle...

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Ford wants hydrogen speed record

Ford is planning an assault on the speed record for fuel cell cars at Bonneville this August, in a specially made Fusion Hydrogen 999.

The record the Ford team is going for is the world speed record for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) fuel cell cars; that is cars substantially based on a production car from a major manufacturer.

The Fusion is a US saloon that’s in no way related to the lanky Fiesta of the same name we get here in Europe. Even so, this is no ordinary Fusion.

"We have made some modifications to the body to make it more aerodynamic," said lead engineer Matt Zuehlk. "The 999 is much lower to the ground. There are no mirrors on the vehicle, and the traditional grille in the front that lets air into the radiator is not there because we don't have a radiator onboard."

Ford is making the Hydrogen 999 in collaboration with a team from Ohio State University. While they’re at Bonneville, they will also be making an attempt on the speed record for "unlimited class fuel cell vehicles", in a contraption called the Buckeye Bullet 2.

This bespoke machine looks much more like traditional speed record vehicles such as the JCB DieselMax. It uses hydrogen that supplies two fuel cells that power electric motors. Its predecessor, Buckeye Bullet 1, currently holds the international land speed record for electric vehicles at 271.737mph, but it has hit 321mph. This time around they’re planning to hit 350mph.

 

[Jim Prower]

Whoo. Electric cars are fast in a straight line.

 

[Pebb]

Source: Auto Express

Alfa Romdeo 149 hatch is getting in shape

And the firm has done it again, this time revealing first official pictures and details of its new executive hatchback.

The 149 will go on sale early in 2009, aimed at rivalling premium three and five-doors such as Audi’s A3. It will be priced from around £20,000. These low-quality images on an official Alfa document show the newcomer will build on the distinctive shape of the current 147.

Hoping to attract buyers in the 27 to 40-year-old age group, the 149 will be around 4.3 metres long and come with a wide range of engines.

Basic variants will get 120bhp, while the four-wheel-drive GTA will provide 265bhp as Alfa bids to take on Subaru’s next-generation Impreza STi and Mitsubishi’s Lancer Ralliart. Drivers are set to benefit from multi-link rear suspension, plus technology to improve body control when cornering.

Before the 149 arrives, the firm will launch its new small hatchback in summer 2008. The Junior, which will be around four metres long, will cost from around £13,000 and rival the MINI.

The two new hatches will be followed by a new luxury 169 in the summer of 2009, then the next 159 in the autumn of the same year. An SUV called CXover arrives in 2010.

 

[Danny]

Are the skipping the 148 already?

 

[TheCracker]

Get with the programme Danny, they're already on the '9's'

 

[Danny]

If you're so smart Dan, what will come after that?

 

[TheCracker]

Like, well, durr - the Alfa 160 will come after the 159

 

[Jim Prower]

Mini Brera!

Wow, that sounds like an italian-bodied Rover, But, I digress. the concept pictures look good.

Not sure, though, that 265 HP will cut it against the Evo X and STI

 

[Danny]

Like, well, durr - the Alfa 160 will come after the 159

Touche, sir.

But what happens after the 163? Do they re-use the 164 moniker on a car half its size?
Also you smell and are mean.

 

[Dave A]

But cars are getting bigger thanks to better safety. By the time the 159 becomes the 164 it'll be as big as the old one .

 

[Wolfe]

At least Alfa Romeo has it easier than Porsche...

"911, 930, 964, 993, 996, 997...uh, 998...er, um, 999............damn."

 

[ND4SPD]

Romdeo?! What?