The celebrations carry on

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News

Ferrari continues the celebrations for their 16th Constructor’s title in F1 by releasing a special edition of the Ferrari Scuderia Spider. Sure, Massa would have rather liked the idea of them (Ferrari) baking a cake for his first Championship title, but it wasn’t to be. Still, this 510bhp Scuderia Spider should be enough to make him forget about that little, black and nasty thing from McLaren.

Only 499 of them will be made, which make this fastest open top Ferrari ever built pretty exclusive. Which, I’m sure, is exactly the point. It will come in a limited range of colours, but the customization options will be vast, so that no two Spider 16Ms will be the same. Unless the Ferrari clients have very limited imagination, that is. Price? I don’t know, but if you’re not a regular Ferrari buyer, I don’t think you’ll be able to get your paws on one of these.

Caterham by Dicky Johnson

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Entertainment, News

Yup, if you know anyone with that name, tell him to go to www.splitwheel.com and he could become part of the next Caterham model. Internet users from all over the world can get involved in the development of this next Caterham, from deciding between a regular engine or a hybrid setup, to choosing the size of the ashtray. Well, I know it’s a Caterham, but I also know how many people smoke…

Just think for a moment. You can be a complete idiot who knows his own name and your vote can count. That’s the beauty of democracy. So if you notice that the Caterham you’ve just bought has wheels that are not exactly what people would describe as round, or that the car only goes backwards, you’ll know who to blame. Ermm, no, actually you won’t.

How to deal with Mr. Frost

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is telling us what to do when the water puring from the sky turns solid. It may not be funny but it will help some of the younger motorists and reminde those more experienced what not to forget (quote):

• Prepare the vehicle for winter early.  In autumn have the anti freeze checked, replace damaged wiper blades, stock up on de-icer, add a frost inhibitor to the screen wash and buy a window scraper and two cloths: one to clear condensation and dirt from the inside windows and one to clean lights and exterior windows
• Check that the windscreen wipers are off when leaving the vehicle the night before to avoid damaging the wiper motor and blades when the engine is started the next day
• Use external temperature gauges, if the vehicle has them.  An indicated temperature of 3°C means that extremely slippery conditions are possible
• Remember that ice on the windscreen could mean ice on the carriageway at some points, especially side roads
• Observe other road users reactions to conditions ahead as a pre-warning of what is to come

Stopping distances will increase in frosty or wet weather.  Stay focused, look further ahead than usual and allow for the extra time needed to stop by increasing the gap ahead.

Where the road surface is likely to be slippery, stay in the highest gear possible to minimise the risk of wheel spin.  Consider setting off in second gear, releasing the clutch and accelerating very gently.

If the vehicles front end begins to lose grip, a front wheel skid will begin.  Reduce acceleration, consider disengaging the clutch and steer smoothly.  If the vehicle goes into a rear wheel skid, lift off the accelerator, consider de-clutching and steer into the skid.

Always ensure windows, lights and mirrors are clear of dirt and ice before setting off.

Mad-ness

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Entertainment, Motorsport, News

Nail biting? Bone biting? You choose. I, myself, chose to simply stare in disbelief. That Vettel guy who I praised a few GPs back for his first win (start to finish, that is), got in front of Lewis barely inside the last lap and pushed him back to the 6th place. That is, one place further back than he should’ve been.

Not a problem, I said to myself. He’ll fight back hard and he’ll dispose of this Vettel, no doubt about it. But as the seconds passed and the distance to the finish shrunk, Lewis didn’t seem like he wanted to fight for that position, or like he was able to do it. Massa finished first, so it was either fifth for Hamilton or nothing at all. Well, if you can call the silvery second spot nothing at all.

At the moment, I must admit I had no idea what happened. Vettel crossed the line and Hamilotn followed shortly. The Ferrari team was jubilant. But hey, so was that chick from the Pussycat Dolls, who was sitting inside the McLaren paddock. “My God,” I said to myself, “isn’t she stupid. She’s clueless about what happened.” But, it turns out once again that I tend to judge beautiful women too hard and that she was right and I were wrong.

Yup, by some cruel twist of faith, both Hamilton and Vettel passed Glock during that last lap, so they finished fifth and fourth, respectively. But, my God, wasn’t Felipe Massa great?! I mean we led the race from start to finish, and when he realised it was all for nothing he took it like a man. Well yes, he cried, but in my opinion that - somehow - made him even more of a man. It was really touching the way the crowd cheered for him, and if you hate Massa then you’re a twat.

I don’t know who deserved to win it the most. I don’t care. Actually, when it’s this tight, it’s hard to tell. Thing is that it was by far the best season in a very (too) long time, and F1 has just won itself a new fan. And Massa too. If hamilton won’t win it next season, I sincerely hope it will be Massa.

For the record

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News

Andy Green and Richard Noble, the last two holders of the World Record for Land Speed, are teaming up in an attempt to break the 1.000mph barrier. That’s Mach…. something, I don’t really know, but it’s a lot. The project is called Bloodhound, and although the current world record is 760mph over 1 kilometre and 766mph over one mile. I may not be Dexter’s brother, but that means almost five seconds for a mile. It’s almost teleportation.

They’re going to take it step by step, starting with 800mph, then making one quick stop at 900 and then, somewhere during 2011, they’ll go for the full speed. This would be a 31% improvement on the current world record, which is, by any standards, amazing. But they’re not alone. A joint team from the USA and Canada are also planning an attempt with their vehicle, called the North American Eagle. Yeah, it looks like a jet-plane with no wings, but if does the job nobody will care. Anyway, their target is much lower - 800mph. Amateurs…

Time to be a man

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Motorsport, News

If you asked me a few days back, I would have said that the Chinese GP is the most important race. Win this one and you’re more than half way there. Hamilton, that is. Now I realise that the Championship is far from over, and no matter how much I’d like for Hamilton to win it (or how much I would hate it if he lost on the last race of the season again) I must say I’m glad the stakes will still be high in Brazil.

But in the end, whether Hamilton wins it or not, he’s still a long way from becoming a real legend. He’ll have to win it next year too. And then the next year once again. And maybe then, when at the beginning of every season he’ll be the favourite, you can call him an F1 legend. Don’t get me wrong Lewis, I think you’re a great driver with a great personality, but don’t let it all go to your head. Schumacher did it, and he turned into a prick for a while. Don’t be a prick and win this one.

The kitschy Lone Ranger

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Entertainment, News

I’m no art expert, but no ignorant either. Actually, considering where art is going, saying that you don’t know art has become pretty nonsensical. Well, so is Matthew Harrison’s work of art, engineering, or motoring - I haven’t decided which yet, and neither has he.

The idea is simple in principle, not so easy to put in practice, though, considering that you have to support a few tons of metal on four puny wooden wheels. The people seem to have liked the idea, as you can see from the pictures. There were lots of laughs and camera flashes going off in its vicinity, so you could call this a success. At least as far as GM interests go. But don’t be so quick to share a tear for Matthew either, I’m sure he got a nice cut.

In case you still had any doubts

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Entertainment, Motorsport, News

The KTM X-Bows have secured the first three places in the debut season of the Sports Light Category of the GT4 European Cup. Yes, one - two - three. And this is not extremely impressive because they’ve come ahead of debutants like Donkervoort or Lotus, nor because not even more experienced companies with more powerful cars like Aston Martin, Ford Mustang or BMW Z4M managed to beat them - it’s because the KTM X-Bows that competed had near-standard specifications, with minor revisions made only to meet FIA safety regulations.

I’m telling you, if this car also had a mirror in which the passenger could reflect herself (because it’s a “she” I’m talking about), it would be the perfect car. Or at least the perfect two seater.

Seat goes large

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under News, Seat

It’s been quite a while since I saw a decent sedan from Seat, and I must say this one came very much as a surprise. A very pleasant one, too. Exeo is looking like the kind of car that makes the Passat a buying prospect only for retired old men and people upgrading from an older Passat version. Not to mention Skoda Superb.

To be honest, I see Exeo as a competitor for Mitsubishi Lancer, because they both appeal mostly to younger, performance oriented clients, the difference being that those who’re after opulance choose the Lancer and those more secure with themselves will go for the Exeo. And, withiut saying the Lancer is a bad car, what a bloody good choice that would be.

Expect it to hit the market sometime in the first half of the next year. It’ll have most of the VAG engines, so there won’t be any shortage of choices for either petrol or diesel fans. The vehicle on show at Paris had a 2.0 litre TSI engine and a double exhaust pipe to match. Which is nice.

Mini Mazda 6

Posted by Car Magazine MotorPlay under Mazda, News

The new Mazda 3 Sedan will be making its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this year. Well, if you like more precise dates, on the 19th of November 2008, between 12:20 and 12:45 local hours. There isn’t much to say, except for the fact that the previous (actually, current) Mazda 3 is the bestseller of the Mazda range, with one sold for every three other Mazda models. If you liked the Mazda 6, you’ll like the new smaller one at least just as much, because we all know smaller things tend to look better.