Fifty years ago Mini founder Sir Alec Issigonis introduced the concept of the Mini. Fifty years ago Mr John Cooper produced a car that won the Formula One World Championship. At the wheel of that car was legend Jack Brabham. Since those days the two brands, Mini, now called MINI, and Cooper have been intertwined.
A new car called the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 has now been introduced. It was first seen at this year’s 50-year MINI celebrations at the MINI United Festival in Silverstone, UK.
The limited-edition car (only 250 units will be made) comes in a colour called Connaught Green. During the development of the car Mike Cooper, John’s son, was fully in support and was involved in the project. In the end he helped make it even more exclusive by lending his signature to it which appears on one bonnet stripe and on a facia plaque.
Nice exterior things include bi-xenon headlights with black interior surfaces, jet black alloy wheels, lots of carbon fiber (bonnet scoop, side mirrors, rear diffuser etc), red aluminium brake callipers
Full leather sports seats come in black with red piping and the John Cooper Works sports steering wheel has Alcantara rims.
Safety systems include Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including Hill Assist, Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and Brake Assist. An Electronic Differential Lock Control system which helps with grip is fitted as standard.
The standard 1.6-litre turbo JCW engine is installed. It kicks out 155kW (211hp) and maximum torque of 260Nm which can be increased to 280Nm for a few moments under overtaking situations. MINI says the car will run from 0 – 100km/h in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 238km/h.
Bentley started manufacturing the Arnage in 1998 after the company was bought by Volkswagen. Eleven years later the Arnage is to be replaced by the Grand Bentley, a whole new take on absolute luxury. The Grand Bentley’s main task will be to stop Rolls Royce’s runaway success at the very crest of automotive excellence. Maybach tried but didn’t succeed. Bentley aims to be different.
Nothing has been said of the car’s motor or anything else, so we really don’t know what it’s packing under the long bonnet. And the only picture we have is this cutaway of the front end of the car being sent to world media by Bentley. The lines appear smooth and quite similar to those of the Arnage.
The most powerful and luxurious Arnage is the Arnage T which has a 6.8-litre V8 engine with twin turbos. It produces 373kW and a mammoth 1000Nm of torque. I can only speculate to say the most luxurious or grandest Grand Bentley will go over the 400kW mark and possibly bring about 1200Nm. Can’t imagine how the Rolls Royce Phantom (338kW, 720Nm) could keep up.
Grand Bentley will make her world debut in Europe "this summer", according to her makers.
Ferrari is known for having big powerful engines like the 492kW V12 used in the Enzo or the 360kW found in the F430’s naturally aspirated V8. Zero – 100km/h times of under 4 seconds, nice roaring sounds come with the package as well. And so do frequent visits to the nearest petrol station.
The Italian supercar maker has now decided to look into alternative fuels as a way of bringing down C02 emissions which are obviously quite high for these cars. European laws are becoming even more stringent in this regard, which is why even Porsche now has a diesel Cayenne in the Euro market and a hybrid in the pipeline.
Speaking of hybrid, Ferrari is also developing a hybrid propulsion system. Not only that but they are also looking into diesel technology and E85 (ethanol/ petrol mix) as a way of powering their cars.
I guess Ferrari is aiming to start producing cars that not only rival light for speed but a Comrades marathoner’s energy reserves for frugality.
Le Mans 24 Hours, the most legendary and enthralling endurance race in the world is headed to a TV near you. Just make sure you have DSTV first.
Earlier today there was some controversy when the Peugeot team lodged a complaint against the R15 TDI of Audi. The French contended that the new R15 does not comply with the rules and regulations through:
* The flap which links the two front wings.
* The appendages fixed to the inner surface of the front wings.
These are the broadcast dates and times for the 24 Hour Le Mans which starts this weekend on the 13th and goes on for, uhm, wait for it, 24 hours...
10 June 2009 13:30 – 14:30 - SS7 - Le Mans Series : Rnd 2 - SPA
13 June 2009 15:00 – 16:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 1
16:00 – 16:15 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 2
16:15 – 19:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 3
19:00 – 19:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 4
19:30 – 20:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 5
20:30 – 22:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 6
22:30 – 23:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 7
23:30 – 06:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 8
14 June 2009 06:00 – 08:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 9
08:00 – 09:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 10
09:00 – 10:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 11
10:30 – 11:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 12
11:00 – 12:30 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 13
12:30 – 13:00 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 14
13:00 – 15:45 - SS7 - Le Mans 24 Hours - Le Mans 15
CHRYSLER SAYS: Chrysler LLC, parent company to Chrysler South Africa (Pty) Ltd, announced today that the Supreme Court of the United States has lifted the stay on its transaction with Fiat, enabling the previously announced global strategic alliance, forming a vibrant new car company, to proceed. The transaction is expected to close shortly.
The new company will build upon Chrysler’s proud history of innovation and Fiat’s complementary technology and expertise to expand Chrysler’s product portfolio in the US, Canada and overseas markets, including South Africa.
As the new company restarts operations in its facilities, it will continue work already underway on new environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles that will become Chrysler's hallmark going forward.
Common reaction. Most people just stop and stare. It might not have quite the allure of the Audi R8 but it certainly ranks up there in attracting stares and looks of admiration. Some guys even came up to take a closer look inside, without asking for permission!
...word…
Yes. Well, about the car. The Scirocco (pronounced “she-ro-go” with a rough seTswana/ Afrikaans g) marks the return of a name introduced by Volkswagen back in the 1970s. The original Scirocco was a sports car for the working class, as is this one, to a certain extent. I’ll explain that at the end. The idea though was just to make a three-door sports car that could rival most other more expensive sports coupes in the market but without sacrificing comfort and utility, as well as the owner’s house to the bank.
Are you saying it’s cheap?
I’m not saying that at all. As a matter of fact it is expensive by today’s standards. But if you calculate what you are getting versus what you are paying you realise that the deal is quite sweet. The name VW may not immediately connect with sportiness and performance (the boys in their loud Citi Golfs will disagree) but to a certain extent the Golf GTI has upped VW’s sporty appeal. The Scirocco is taking the baton from that front.
I’m sure this one goes very fast.
Take-off, I must say, is slightly disappointing. You have to find the sweet spots all the way from 0rpm to 2500rpm because if you don’t you are met with performance-damping torque steer regardless of whether the ESP button is on or off. In later gears performance is more encouraging. My overriding thought has been “if this is how the normal Scirocco takes off, how will the 195kW R version account for itself?” If you like constant wheel-spin then this is your car. It matters little if you use the paddles behind the steering wheel or the gear lever to change gears when in manual mode because the changes are quick. DSG is still impressive after all these years. In everyday traffic you can just pop it into automatic mode and the changes are smooth.
I see the seats are classic Scirocco.
Classic in the sense that they are ribbed. That kind of gives it some sharp edge as far as comfort goes. Seats do hug when cornering. My test unit wasn’t fitted with electric adjustment so I was adjusting the seats manually. This is not a problem if there’s only one driver, as it was in my case, but with multiple pilots it does get messy as they keep having to align their bodies with the driving seat at each turn. At the launch in April I saw one unit with a deep tan interior, which was very attractive.
You also had no satellite navigation.
Yes, I found that quite strange. The DynoAudio sound system has full touch-screen capabilities but it’s not fitted with sat nav. I also didn’t have the steering wheel with audio controls which is an option for those who want it. The wheel can also be fully adjusted for height and reach so any sized person can find their best driving position. Otherwise the DynoAudio has an SD card slot which as usual, I made full use of with my beloved music collection.
Sounds like a normal car.
It is a normal car to a large extent. The boot for instance, is quite deep and can take up an average family’s full month’s groceries (I know this for sure because I tried it!). Of course it sits four people as well, five if the fifth doesn’t mind his/ her arse being straddled in between seats.
So is this the future sports car?
As I said earlier, it’s the sports car of the working class. That basically means it will run alongside cars like the BMW Z4 sDrive23 and the Audi TT 2.0 TFSI but at a price much less than the two premium cars. The Scirocco also offers much better practicality than the two. Future sports cars will mostly be made up of cars like the Scirocco; compact, small-engined (most probably turbocharged), nimble and highly practical.
QUICK STATS
VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO 2.0 TSI
ENGINE: 2.0-litre straight four, turbo
DRIVE: Front-wheel-drive
POWER: 147kW / 200hp at 5100rpm and 6000rpm
TORQUE: 280Nm at 1700rpm to 5000rpm
0 – 100KM/H: 7.42 seconds
GEARBOX: 6-speed DSG
TOP SPEED: 233km/h
FUEL AVERAGE: 8.8 l/100km
TANK SIZE: 55 litres
CO2 e: 179 g/km
PRICE: R336 500
OPTIONS ADDED: Adaptive chassis control (R10 470), Park Distance Control (R3 880), DynoAudio Sound (R13 320)
*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.
