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October 18, 2014

Salon Prive 2014

Posted by morewheelspin under concourse d'elegance, ferrari, jaguar, mclaren, motorsport, sportscars, Uncategorized | Tags: Bentley R Type, Eric Clapton Ferrari 458, Ferrari F12, Horatio Pagani, Ian Callum, Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A, jaguar d type, Jaguar Mk2, Jaguar XJ220, Jay Kay, la Ferrari, Rover 2000 Zagato, Superleggera Mini, Techno Classica Essen |
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I first attended Salon Prive last year and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Held in the beautiful grounds of the Duke of Northumberland’s London home, Syon House in West London, the event is billed as an upscale concourse d’elegance and motoring lifestyle show. Running from Wednesday to Friday it is targeted at the well-heeled corporate hospitality market and the price of a daily ticket (including Lobster lunch..) reflects that. I attended last year on an afternoon ticket only which I was able to buy at a discount due to membership of a motoring club. At less than half the cost of a full day ticket it was good value for money as whilst I only had four hours at the show this turned out to be more than enough time to see what there was and the price included a good quality free afternoon tea and an unlimited bar! So this year I again opted for an afternoon ticket only and was not disappointed.

Being a top end event a number of prestige manufactures were present showing their latest cars including Ferrari and Lamborghini. Two La Ferraris were on show, one in red and the other, belonging to Jay Kay, in a lurid shade of green. There was also a stunning one off Ferrai F12 open top roadster. Ferrari would not reveal who the car was built for but it certainly seems to me that they made a better job of it than they did on the bespoke Ferrari 458 they built for Eric Clapton last year.

Jay Kay’s lurid green La Ferrari. The interior is that colour too..

Gorgeous bespoke Ferrari F12 Open Top Roadster for an anonymous client

Contrast with Eric Clapton’s bespoke Ferrari 458 – actually less good looking than the standard car. Photo taken at St James Concours of Elegance 2013.

The F12 looks stunning from all angles. I love the retro themed bubbles behind each seat.

Below are some other notable cars from the event.

The concours included a whole class of D Type Jaguars (celebrating their 60th anniversary). One of them won overall and many made an appearance at Goodwood a week later for a spectacular all D Type race.

Unusual Zagato Rover 2000. The only one and very striking.

Senor Pagani attended the event which showcased his cars. Here he is admiring a very yellow Jaguar XJ220.

Fantastic Art Deco front end of a Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A

More interesting coachbuilding, this time Superleggera’s take on a future Mini roadster. A very nice design indeed.

Another of Jay Kay’s cars, beautiful modern coach built body on a Bentley R Type chassis. Yours for £500k. He was trying to flog this car at Essen (see below). No takers yet which is a shame. Its stunning looking.

Red La Ferrari. I think the McLaren P1 looks better.

This is Jaguar designer Ian Callum’s take on the Mark 2 Jag. I’m afraid it did nothing for me. I do not see the point of taking an old car and making it modern.

June 29, 2014

Out and About at the Festival of Speed 2014

Posted by morewheelspin under Audi, BMW, ferrari, formula 1, Goodwood Motor Circuit, jaguar, Le Mans, mclaren, mercedes benz, motorsport, peugoet, porsche, sportscars, stuttgart, Uncategorized, volks wagen | Tags: andy wallace, audi e tron, dougie lampkin, ecurie ecosse, emerson fittipaldi, felipe massa, Ferrari, ferrari 512, ford mustang, grand prix, jaguar d type, jaguar f type, jaguar xjr9, Jaguar XKR, jenson button, johhny herbert, John surtees, le mans, max smith hilliard, McLaren, mclaren 650s, mclaren m23, McLaren mp4-12c, Mercedes Benz, mercedes benz uhlenhaut coupe, mini cooper, monte carlo rally, Motorsport, paddy hopkirk, Porsche, renault twingo sport, stuttgart, sunbeam 1920, surtees TS9B, toyota hybrid, vw xl |
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Some interesting new iron (aluminium, carbon fibre …) at the FoS this year. Highlights below.

The new Ford Mustang – finally available in right hand drive. Aggressive retro styling looks good – shame about the awful colour

More “motor show” colours on the McLaren stand. Am I the only one who prefers the simple look of the MP4-12c nose to that on the new 650S nose? Must be as apparently there was so little continuing demand for the old car once the 650S was launched that they have now stopped making it.

The Jaguar F Type Project 7 is an important car for Jaguar. Based on the slightly more extreme concept shown at last year’s FoS , the Project 7 is actually a production car – indeed the fastest production Jaguar ever. Its V8 is tuned up to 575 bhp – 25 more than the R Coupe. It also has bespoke aero, and trick suspension and diff with standard carbon ceramic brakes. The screen has a greater rake than the standard convertible and it has an D Type imitating faring behind the drivers role hoop. Inside it looks fairly standard and weather protection consists of a rather impractical clip on hood like the recent Boxster speedster. Its a striking car and they hope to sell 250, and only 60 in right hand drive. But what’s it for? Too comfortable and therefore heavy for a racer (and the rollover protection looks too scant) yet too uncomfortable for every day use. Is it therefore just for collectors and occasional track days?

This stunning Jaguar SUV concept is far more likely to make JLR lots of money. Aimed at rivalling the Audi Q4, BMW X3 and especially the Porsche Macan it should perform well and in a different segment to current Land Rover products. I would certainly buy one. The bad news is that we are unlikely to see one for sale until 2018, with a hot version not to follow until 2019.

VW ran their diminutive XL electric car up the hill. It looks like the future for urban transport but is very very small and very very expensive.

The new Renault Twingo Sport looks like great fun. Based on the same platform as the new Smart 4-2 it has a rear mounted 1L turbocharged engine. Hot versions later this year should have 140 bhp making the car a mini 911!

There is always a fine selection of Le Mans sports cars at Goodwood ranging from those from the earliest days of racing to the very latest winning machines.

Andy Wallace is reunited with his 1988 Le mans winning Jaguar XJR – 9

This year’s Le man winning Audi e-Tron. Havings stumbled in the early rounds of this year’s World Sports Car championship they managed to win the race that really mattered. Sound familiar Peugeot?

1970 Ferrari 512, just like in the film Le Mans..

Mercedes high speed transporter carrying the fabulous Uhlenhaut Coupe (see previous posts from Stuttgart)

This year’s Le Mans Toyota hybrid

Gorgeous Jaguar D Type Le Mans winners – 55, 56, 57. This Ecurie Ecosse car won in 1957 and provided the design inspiration for the Project 7 Jaguar

Vast V12 Sunbeam racer from 1920 and even bigger 1911 Fiat

Due to restrictions on testing (!) there were no contemporary Formula One cars tackling the hill at Goodwood this year. That did not stop some of the teams bringing cars for static display or bringing cars from previous seasons for their drivers and test drivers to run up the hill. Even then runs were restricted to demonstration performances with plenty of doughnuts and burnouts and very little speed. We had to look to the historic guys for real pace.

Jenson Button in the McLaren MP4-26 he drove in 2012.

Max Smith Hilliard in his 1972 Surtees TS9B. Seconds later he stuffed it into the bales at Molecombe corner. He was unhurt and at least he was trying!

Legendary Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi driving the McLaren M23 with which he won McLaren’s first world title in 1974.

One of the best things about the Festival of speed is the close access to the drivers available for fans.

British GP winner Johhny Herbert sharing a laugh at the Williams pit

John Surtees was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his world championship with a class of cars and bikes associated with his career in action on the hill all weekend.

An immaculately turned out Paddy Hopkirk reunited with his Monte winning Mini Cooper

Twelve time World Motor Bike Trials champion Dougie Lampkin in action

Felipe Massa reflecting on his good fortune to no longer be at Ferrari

I had a good chat with Andy Wallace about Le Mans in 1988. The XJR made 250 mph down the pre chicane Mulsanne Straight. At night he could see so little as the lights were mounted so low that he had to pick out his braking points by calculating distances from land marks as they flashed by. To this day the XJR is the fastest car to have driven at Le mans. Andy has no desire to ever drive that fast again – he said it was something you could only do when young, fearless and lacking in imagination.

May 31, 2014

72nd Goodwood Members Meeting

Posted by morewheelspin under abarth, alfa romeo, Aston Martin DBR1, formula 1, Goodwood Motor Circuit, jaguar, Lancia, Le Mans, mclaren, motorsport, rolls royce, Sir Stirling Moss, sportscars | Tags: 70s touring cars, beatrice team haas F1, donald campbell, goodwood members meeting, goodwood motor circuit, graham hill, group b rally cars, henri pescarolo, jaguar c type, jaguar xjr8 le mans, jaguar xk150 coupe, lancia delta s4, lauda, le mans, matra 670, mclaren turbo, monte carlo rally 1986, prost, prototypes, renault turbo group b, rolls royce phantom, Stirling Moss, triumph dolomite sprint |
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After a hiatus of 50 years, April saw the return of the Goodwood members’ meeting. Intended originally for GRRC members only, disappointing ticket sales saw invitations extended to other motoring clubs and subscribers to various motoring magazines. The comparatively light crowds may have been disappointing for the Earl of March but they were fantastic for those who attended. Not having to force your way past crowds of bored wives and girlfriends was a welcome contrast to the Revival Meeting as was the lack of corporate sponsors.

The event was blessed with remarkable weather – warm bright sunshine in what was otherwise a wet and miserable spring. The sun, coupled with the lack of crowds created a relaxed atmosphere most unlike other Goodwood events. But the best thing about the event was seeing cars that most of us had never seen before. Wonderful though the Festival of Speed and Revival are, many of the top cars return year after year. Having gone to both events for nearly 20 years I am afraid I have become a little blasé about even the most expensive exotica. Embarrassingly, at the last Revival, I found myself spending more time looking at the cars in the car park than in the paddock.

It’s this overfamiliarity with the usual Goodwood fare which made the cars at the Members meeting so interesting. For the first time we were shown cars that raced after the date the circuit closed in 1966. Le Mans prototypes and Turbo Era F1 cars did demonstration laps whilst colourful 70s touring cars battled it out in full on races. It was fascinating stuff and I can only hope that the event is repeated in a similar format next year.

In a previous post I mentioned my love of the Matra 670 that Graham Hill and Henri Pescarolo raced to victory at Le Mans in 1972. Imagine my delight when I found the very car at the members meeting. I also got to hear its V12 howl as it accelerated away from the chicane – something I had been longing to hear for years.

The fantastic 70s touring car race is going to do wonders for the price of neglected 70s saloons. Dolly Sprint anyone?

The Dolly Sprints below seem to have lost a little oil….

Sports Car Heaven – Alfa leads Aston Martin and Jaguar C Type

Jaguar Le Mans Prototypes exit the chicane

Jaguar XJR8LM

Martini Lancia Abarth 038 Delta S4 – this Group B rally car won the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally

Group B Rally Renault 5 GT Turbo

Prost and Lauda Turbo Era McLarens

Beatrice team Haas Turbo Ford’s

Visiting Rolls Royce Phantom with serpentine horn!

Donald Campbell’s Jaguar XK150 Coupe – in Bluebird blue.

The great Sir Stirling Moss checks out the 70s touring car grid. He drove touring cars in that period as an unsuccessful reprise to his career.

January 11, 2014

Autosport Show (1)

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar, motorsport | Tags: Autosport show 2014, jaguar XKRS - GT, NEC Birmingham, Nissan GTR, Porsche 911 turbo |
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The British Motor Show may well have died a death but, as capital of Europe’s motor sport industry, Britain can still put on an excellent racing car show. The Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham is the biggest and best motor sport show in Europe catering both to the industry and the general public. As a motor sport licence holder I am able to get a ticket to the trade day on Friday before the show opens to the public at the weekend. Whilst the Friday has a greater focus on engineering than entertainment, the lack of crowds more than compensates.

Even on the Friday there was much to see. At the Autocar Magazine display area there were some fantastic cars including a McLaren MP4 GT racer, a Ferrari F12, a rather bland looking Aston Martin Vanquish and the new Jaguar XKRS -GT. The latter looked striking albeit the paint job and wing looked more Halfords boy race than Le Mans legend.

Jaguar XKRS-GT – lairy..

Rather nice carbon ceramic discs. Not sure about the yellow callipers though. Low profile tyres and rock hard suspension will allow this GT to rearrange your spine on England’s terrible roads

Carbon fibre splitter and fins a bit OTT for me.

Rear wing apparently very effective but looks like it was purchased at Halfords. Don’t try and look in your rear view mirror either..

The aero mods apparently provide much more down force and the suspension set up has been tweaked to provide a much better handling car. The interior looks good and the car is only going into very limited production. But why would you buy one? At nearly £140,000 it is near the price of an Aston Martin Vantage V12, a no doubt less reliable but far more classy car. And the value of the Jag will drop faster than a rock dropped off a cliff. If speed and performance is what you are after you would no doubt be much better off with a 911 Turbo or (for considerably less) a Nissan GTR.

The Jaguar XKR is a wonderful (if increasingly venerable) GT car. It is fast and comfortable. You can use it every day and when you drive 1000 miles in it you reach your destination feeling like you have only done 10. So why ruin that experience by trying to make the car something it is no – a sports car? Well Jaguar say the XKRS – GT is something of a test bed for the tweaks and changes that they intend to make to their out and out sports car, the F Type. I can’t help feeling that such performance “enhancements” would be much better on that car. So if you crave an extreme Jaguar sports car avoid the XKRS – GT, be patient, and snap up the extra hot iteration of the F Type that is surely coming.

December 27, 2013

The Winter Tyre Rip Off Myth

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar | Tags: Autocar Magazine, global warming, Jaguar XKR, Pirelli Sottozero tyres, winter tyres |
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Winter tyres are relatively new to the UK market and I have long been sceptical about their benefits. The UK is hardly continental Europe and we have historically tended to avoid the long periods of winter snow and ice that such tyres are designed to combat. So when the big tyre and car manufactures began to push winter tyres a few years ago I thought it was nothing but a fairly shameless attempt to get consumers to buy something they did not really need. However the last 4 or so years have produced unusually cold and long winters with much snow and low temperatures from December till March, even in the warmer southern lowlands of the country where I live. When I was young snow in winter was almost unheard of, now it’s a yearly occurrence. So much for global warming! The change in weather and the public authorities’ inability to cope with it has contributed to the boom in the sales of SUVs in the UK. My family would certainly not be without our X5 now.

It’s fair to say that the XKR, magnificent machine though it is, has not in the past coped very well with harsh winter weather. Even when it’s Dunlops were new wet roads, let alone those covered in ice or snow, would induce wheel spin and under steer that could at times be alarming. When the roads were icy or snowy the car was undriveable. I therefore read with some interest an account by a journalist at Autocar of how he improved the road holding of their long term test XKRS by fitting winter tyres. As my Dunlops were near the end of their life I bought a set of the recommended Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres from my tyre dealer. They were eye wateringly expensive at £1500 for the four but my dealer will look after my summer tyres in a “tyre hotel” until March when I can swap them back over for a nominal charge.

The Sottozeros are not a pretty tyre and look like they would be better on a SUV than a GT, but what they lack in appearance they more than make up for in performance. Levels of grip are now staggering – wheel spin and under steer have been banished and stopping distances much reduced. And with winter mode engaged the car is even driveable on icy roads. In the last few days we have experienced heavy and destructive storms accompanied by a lot of flooding. The XKR took it all in its stride never losing grip even when other cars were aqua planning into roadside ditches. I can’t wait to see how the Sottozeros do in snow!

Wild tread patterns make for fine grip.

I am now a winter tyre convert and will certainly think about getting a set for the X5. As they will cost up to £2000 (gulp) I will have to save up a bit first!

May 16, 2013

Donnington Grand Prix Collection

Posted by morewheelspin under ferrari, formula 1, jaguar, mclaren, motorsport | Tags: damon hill, donnington park, hesketh penthouse, jaguar F1, matra, McLaren, nigel mansell, Stirling Moss, tom wheatcroft, tyrrell, vanwall streamliner, williams |
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On the way up to a conference in Manchester I dropped into Donnington Park, Leicestershire, to take a look at the largest collection of Grand Prix racing cars in the world. I had been to Donnington before but that was many years ago when founder of the collection Tom Wheatcroft was still alive. I wanted to see whether his son, Kevin, had put his own stamp on the place. He certainly had!

A visit now begins with a walk brought two halls full not of racing cars but military hardware. One of Kevin’s passions is military vehicles and he has an amazing collection of immaculate and rare tanks, half tracks, lorries and bikes. Whilst I like that sort of thing too I’m not sure it should be displayed with the racing cars. Indeed some of the most famous cars from the collection were not on show. Where was the 3 litre Sunbeam, the Alfa Bimotore, the Lancia D50, the Rob Walker ex Moss Monaco winning Lotus 18/21, the ex Ickx Ferrari 312B, the JPS Lotus 72 and the ex Stewart Tyrrell 006? Maybe the cars are being fettled for the beginning of the season? But I would have liked to see them rather than a load of brooding German half tracks..

Still there was a lot else to see…

Jackie Stewart’s exquisite Matra Tyrrell

Pure 70s kitch – Penthouse sponsored Hesketh

Damon Hill’s 1996 Championship winning Williams

Red Five! Mansell’s Championship winning 1992 Williams

Jaguar’s inappropriate attempt at F1 – which ended in failure..

New Zealand Racing Orange! Part of the fantastic McLaren collection

Fine selection of Vanwalls including streamliner designed for use (like the equivalent Merc – see below) at the fast circuits such as Reims and Monza. It was not, however, a success.

April 30, 2013

Jaguar v Mercedes Classics Monthly duel

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar, mercedes benz | Tags: classics monthly magazine, Jaguar xj12, Mercedes 6.3, RAF Bicester |
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I was recently contacted by a journalist for Classics Monthly who was looking for series 1 Jaguar XJ12 to feature in an article on early 70’s super saloons. So on Saturday I spent half a day at a freezing RAF Bicester putting my XJ through her paces. The competition was an admittedly beautiful 1968 Mercedes Benz V8 6.3 saloon.

The build quality on the Merc was amazing – the doors clunking shut like the gates to Fort Knox. The XJ felt fragile by comparison. But the Teutonic V8 sounded harsh compared to the silky quiet smoothness of the Jag’s V12.

The journalist will score both cars in the article when it is published. I hope the Jag did enough to come out on top! Publication is due in late summer and I will post the results here.

March 29, 2013

Jaguar F Type

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar, Uncategorized | Tags: jaguar f type, Lana Del Ray |
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The more I see the F Type in the flesh the more I like it. The lines and details are fantastic. I am slightly less convinced about the quality of the detailing inside the cockpit and how the car looks with the hood up. In addition the car’s dynamic qualities are of course still unknown to independent road testers. Anyway, below are a selection of official Jaguar shots of the car and a link to Lana Del Ray’s video warbling homage to the car, “Drive”..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNcGgGMXXTs

March 15, 2013

Driving the Autobahns

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar, Uncategorized | Tags: autobahns, Jaguar XKR, stuttgart |
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After leaving Spa I faced a brief drive over the border into Germany and then a long slog down to Stuttgart. After sticking rigidly to the speed limits in France and Belgium I was looking forward to the unrestricted Autobahns where I would finally get to see how fast the Jag could go on a public road. Unfortunately I ended up on some very congested and windy little Autobahns that made running fast difficult, and at times, dangerous. When the weather turned bad and visibility fell matters became even worse. The Germans are obviously used to driving fast but I can’t believe travelling at 120 mph fifteen foot behind the car in front in the rain is safe or wise. Often I would be flashed to pull over by exotica such as MPVs and diesel Golfs. On one dry straight and empty stretch of autobahn I put my foot down and got the Jag up to 140 mph. Even in the Jag that felt fast – that was until I was overtaken by a German plumber in a Transit van…

March 11, 2013

Porsche: don’t mention the war

Posted by morewheelspin under jaguar, porsche, Uncategorized | Tags: Ardennes, Jaguar XKR, Joachim pieper, king tiger, la gleize, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, ss, Volkswagen, Wolfsburg |
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A few miles west of the Spa circuit is the picturesque village of La Gleize. In the tiny village square, by the church high up on a hill sits a striking piece of Porsche engineering. The 70 ton King Tiger tank rests in the village where it ground to a halt nearly 70 years ago. When Hitler launched his final offensive in the West, known to the Americans as the Battle of the Bulge, the Tiger formed part of an SS battle group under the command of Nazi poster boy Joachim Pieper. The offensive was a failure and La Gleize was as far West as Pieper got. His battle group ran out of petrol and had to abandon all their vehicles. After the war scrap men cleared them all away but the Tiger was saved by the village inn keeper in exchange for a case of wine.

Two big cats in the Ardennes

The flotsam of war in a small Belgian village. One of Porsche’s earlier products..

The same tank in December 1944?

When I visited the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart it was astonishing that no where was the War, or indeed Nazi Germany, mentioned. Whilst Ferdinand Porsche’s role in developing the Volkswagen Beetle and the Silver Arrows racing cars was highlighted nothing was said of the driving force behind those projects, Adolf Hitler himself. Similarly no mention was made of Porsche’s significant design work for the Nazi war machine. The King Tiger at La Gleize is as much a Porsche as the Beetle.

In addition to his design work for the military Ferdinand Porsche also managed the Wolfsburg Volkswagen plant that by then was producing military vehicles. Forced and slave labour were widely used, something that led to Porsche’s imprisonment as a war criminal by the French at the end of the War. Again there was no mention of this at the Porsche Museum.

Ferdinand Porsche, gifted engineer and war criminal?

Even after the War Porsche as a company made some questionable decisions. One was to employ Joachim Pieper in a sales capacity in 1957. This was particularly questionable given Pieper had just been released from prison having served 11 years of a life sentence (which itself was a commuted death sentence) for the murder by his men of 86 US prisoners of war at Malmedy during the Battle of the Bulge. This was not an isolated incident. He and his men had previously established a brutal reputation for taking no prisoners and massacring civilians in Russia and in Italy. In the Ardennes they were responsible for killing at least 100 POWs (including 17 African Americans tortured to death) and several hundred civilians in towns such as Stavelot.

At the time they chose to employ him Pieper was not an obscure low level Nazi, he was an infamous war criminal. Furthermore he was widely known in Germany as Himmler’s former adjutant, a Knights Cross holder and the youngest Colonel in the SS. This was a man who by his own admission had visited concentration camps and witnessed the execution of Jews and the disabled without any moral qualms. What were Porsche thinking?

Pieper’s time with Porsche was brief. Unbelievably they had put him in charge of sales to America. When veterans organisations found out there was a public outcry and sales in the US suffered. Pieper was quietly sacked, but with compensation, in 1960.

It is inevitable that companies such as Porsche would have become involved in the dark side of German life under the Nazis. What is unforgivable is the denial demonstrated by Porsche at its Museum and generally. By contrast Mercedes Benz at their Museum (also in Stuttgart) pull no punches when describing their role under the Nazis. Their shame and embarrassment when talking about their use of slave labour and their role in equipping Hitler’s war machine, seem genuine. Porsche could learn something from them.

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