January
It’s been another interesting year in the world of motoring. Here’s a guide to the best motoring stories of the last year.
2013 has been another epic year for car design. The Motor Page is here again, breaking the year down month by month to discover just a few of the gems.
It’s that time of year again. The thirty original cars on the list for European Car of the Year have been whittled down to a shortlist of just seven, ahead of the winners announcement at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Here’s a short lowdown of the contenders.
Also making their debut at Geneva this year, alongside all the supercars and lucury brands, were a new wave of electric vehicles. Clearly thinking outside the box in varying degrees, here are some of the most intriguing.
Renault Twizy
This small little machine is looking to be the next thing in personal motoring; think of an eco Peel P50. Looks wise it seemes similar to the Toyota iRoad but I’m focussing on the Twizy because it was more accessible to the public – while Toyota had the iRoad cordoned off, the Twizy was fully available to sit in. Continue reading
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Vitesse
The latest version of the Veyron was looking stunning in Geneva. With 1,200 horses being unleashed at 6,400rpm and a top speed of 255mph, this is only an evolution of the breed. Sure it’s the polar opposite of things like the Chevrolet Spark EV because of its 539g/km combined CO2 emissions but then having fun and saving the planet have never really been on the same wavelength have they? Continue reading
Following its announcement at the end of last year, McLaren turned up to Geneva with a showroom ready P1. This striking machine will have McLaren’s M838TQ 3.8L engine, which will produce 727bhp. The first ‘green’ supercar, it will also have an extra 176bhp thanks to an electric motor, making the total power output 903bhp. Continue reading
Geneva also saw the debut of Range Rover’s new nine speed automatic gearbox. The ZF 9HP will be going in the new Evoque which Land Rover say will reduce CO2 emissions and significantly improve economy. While the gearbox is a little bit longer it’s quite a bit lighter and unlike the six-speed currently in the Evoque, it can skip gears to provide quicker shifts where necessary. It should also make less engine noise and the lower first gear will apparently make towing and off-roading easier. How long before this nine speed is a feature of every car that rolls off a production line? Who knows.
Like with their beloved LFA, Lexus are taking their sweet time over their new sports coupé. Despite it first being shown in Detroit in January 2012, the LF-LC is still doing the rounds – it’s been shown in Australia in October 2012 and has now had its European debut in Geneva in March 2013. Don’t expect Lexus to stop parading it about any time soon either considering the lack of information on it at the moment. In Geneva there was no board with information on it (like Bentley had for the new Flying Spur) and there was no aspirational promo video (such as the one at Rolls-Royce promoting the Wraith). There isn’t even a brochure for it and when I asked the girls at the desk for one they laughed in my face. After a year! Continue reading
The new and improved Golf GTI made its debut at the 83rd Geneva Motor Show. This iconic, seventh generation machine is as ever – sporty and fun to drive. Now with an optional performance package that develops 169kW of power, the new GTI will go from 0-100kph in 6.5 seconds, and when you’ve got there it will decelerate quickly thanks to its 17 inch GTI marked brakes, complete with sporty red calipers.
It’s hard to imagine that the GTI originally only had a scheduled run of 5000 but this new model harks back to that original classic design, with an interpretation on the legendary “Denver” wheels. Volkswagen have then revved up this legendary style by giving it a top speed of 250 km/h, 230hp and 350 NM of torque. If its sporty looks don’t get your heart racing then its sporty feel definitely will.
The Motor Page 