Free passes for London
While ZAP is in Californian courts battling Daimler and smart, they are also expanding their markets. After opening a Chinese factory, now the 40 mph (64 km/h) ZAP Zebra 'city car' has been approved for UK roads.
But besides just being street-legal, the ZAP Zebra will also be one of the first (if not the first) car to be eligible for 'free passes' from London daily congestion tolls and parking. ZAP CEO Steve Schneider: "Here is a unique electric vehicle that will help drivers save significantly on fuel costs as well as free passes for the daily congestion tolls and parking.”
A very noble attempt, and most definitely a step in the right direction in regards to saving the planet but we'd still not want to be caught in a Zebra, let alone the pick-up truck version.
Revolution at every turn
A Formula One car for the road is about as tired a phrase as you're likely to hear in the annals of supercar history. Every time I hear the phase only to be presented with a 300bhp, one tonne piece of wishful thinking my teeth grate, a chill heads down my spine and a little part of me dies inside.
With a genuine 3g of lateral force trying to push my face down into the fast moving tarmac beneath like some equally clichéd movie villain, though, before the full-on assault of a sledgehammer blow to the back there was only way to describe the forces at work inside the Caparo T1. It's like, well, a Formula One car for the road.
This is a revolution at pretty much every turn, a two-seater where the passenger sits slightly behind and slightly to the side, but still in pretty close contact. You'd better be friends to share this car, and it's no long-distance cruiser. But then it's designed for getting to the track and then flying round it marginally faster than the private jet that you could probably have taken instead. At £190,000 + local taxes it's about as pricey as a track car is liable to get, but then it is also the fastest.
It hits 60mph in a near indecent 2.5s and a natural spring will run out of steam before this car. Just bang up the sequential 'box and keep it nailed and it will burst through 100mph in five seconds and keep going all the way to 205mph, if you can find a straight long enough. With just 575bhp at it's disposal that's no mean feat, but then the whole car weighs in at 550kg, giving it a power/weight ratio of 1045bhp tonne, which is double that offered by a Bugatti Veyron.
It's lighter than an F1 entry, with room for two, so don't expect too many creature comforts, although the stitching in the cockpit is inevitably superb you can forget boot space and ornate switchgear. And while the car has been paraded with a canopy-style roof that is an optional extra and in most countries in this world requires the addition of an air-conditioning system and 20kg. Now that's the weight of a few gallons of fuel, but you can almost feel the disdain for additional weight in the designers' voices.
The car looks like the result of illegal genetic experimentation with F1 and Le Mans cars. It's built around a carbon-fibre and aluminium honeycomb chassis, which stops short of a full carbon-monocoque, but not by enough that you'll notice the difference, and there isn't one piece of unnecessary bodywork - you can virtually see the components, or at least how they're laid out, and where possible everything serves a dual purpose. That's why the lights are built into the struts of the rear wing and the front fairing bleeds into a cunning wing mirror.
It's all designed in the wind-tunnel, unsurprisingly, and form has followed function without a moment's dissent. That it looks pretty, in its own special way, is either happy coincidence or proof positive that a tool that is fit for purpose is inherently beautiful. And that's a debate for the Arts section…
The Physics department will be happier to know that the car produces a staggering 800kg of downforce with a combination of Venturi effect underneath the car, that adjustable single-plane rear wing and a twin-plate front. That helps produce that 3g cornering force, which incidentally is double that of the formerly great flyweight the Lotus Exige, and a similar amount when the driver mashes the brake pedal.
So the driver should pass out before the car lets go on high speed bends, and it should feel like barrel-rolling an F-16. In slower corners there's more than enough power to boot the back end out of line and GT ace and Caparo development driver Rob Schirle worked overtime to keep the car on the straight and narrow, using all the leeway allowed by the limited slip diff and traction control.
Incidentally the T1 relies on steel AP Racing brakes, rather than the ceramics that are becoming de rigeur in the supercar world, which makes you think we might be spending over the odds for a set of yellow callipers that aren't really necessary - or that the flyweight nature of the T1 taxes the stoppers far less.
The brainchild of Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead, who both worked on the design team of the legendary McLaren F1, the project has recently gained the backing of Caparo.
This company has a £1 billion turnover every year and their money bought Gordon Murray, the man credited with the McLaren F1 and parting the Red Sea, among other projects. His influence helped take the T1 to another level, and three years after the first sketches we were invited to Goodwood racing circuit to taste the fruits of their efforts. And oh yes, it tastes mighty good.
The 3.5-litre engine that revs to a near dangerous 10,500 is developed in partnership with Menard, in-house, that's part of Caparo's philosophy and why they bought AP Racing brakes. They want to supply everything, be it pre-formed steel or a complete car. And while engine development is a risky strategy, as proved by technical glitches on the day, if they get it right then they will have nobody to thank but themselves, and nobody to share credit with for their 205mph missile.
Whereas the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron are supercars that also perform on the track, the Caparo T1 is a track car that can be driven on the road. There is no matching luggage, no great lifestyle statement, the T1 is purely about blistering speed.
At the expense of road usability, I suspect. Every hack emerged from the car complaining of a painful rear and that was on the glass-smooth tarmac of a race track. Now the T1 comes with five-way adjustable dampers and can be lifted for the drive home, which will help. But this machine is just too stripped, just too basic for a normal drive to the shops - it's a track car through and through and I'd give up on the road aspirations.
The only question that remains is who will buy one. Caparo went to great pains to outline a suave, successful businessman that was a racer in a former life, who was good enough to make the grade but didn't. The also talked about corporate experiences offering the ultimate passenger ride, but to be honest I would fire the market researcher.
When a car looks like this and has enough noughts in the price tag to pass for a big company's telephone number, there will always be a market. Rich Russians, Middle Eastern and American car collectors would have reached for the deposit without even hearing the final spec, that's the way it has always been.
Andy Priaulx (R) of Great Britain is sprayed with champagne by runner-up Nicola Larini of Italy on the podium during the awarding ceremony of FIA World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) in Macao
Andy Priaulx of Great Britain gestures during the awarding ceremony of FIA World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) in Macao
Andy Priaulx (R) of Great Britain competes during the FIA World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) in Macao.
Andy Priaulx of Great Britain holds his trophy during the awarding ceremony of FIA World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) in Macao.
Oliver Jarvis of Great Britain celebrates during the awarding ceremony of FIA International Formula 3 Cup in Macao.
Oliver Jarvis of Great Britain competes during the FIA International Formula 3 Cup in Macao, China, Nov. 18, 2007. Oliver Jarvis won the title with 38:29.452.
Aston Martin
Independent rally teams will soon be able to compete in the world’s most exclusive rally car, the Aston Martin Rally GT. The new car has been developed by Aston Martin Racing, a partnership between Prodrive and Aston Martin. The Rally GT is based on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, but extensively re-engineered by Prodrive. The motorsport specialist has combined its experience of running the Aston Martin DBR9s in international sports car racing with more than 20 years of rallying experience, to create this new car. As part of its development programme, the Rally GT has already competed in three French Rally Championship events, coming second in the Series GT class on its debut at the Lyon to Charbonniers Rally.As with the DBR9, the Rally GT uses a standard road car chassis which is fitted with a Prodrive-designed roll cage for 
Dodge Viper SRT10 Mopar Concept CoupeFeaturing Parts from
From lump of clay to life-size model
Last September Mazda started their search for the 2018 Mazda3 via a Facebook competition called the Mazda Design Challenge. Anyone could enter by submitting a 150-word description of their vision, a sketch was optional.
Mallory 'Car Girl' McMorrow, Industrial Design major at Notre Dame, won by a landslide and Mazda designer Jacques Flynn helped produce an early design sketch, “Jacques took everything I said and sketched, and put my thoughts and feelings on paper,” said McMorrow. In her own words 'I want a car with the body and soul of a sports car, but a car that knows that sometimes I want to bring my friends, my things, or my dog.'
Best part of the competition will be that Mazda designers will make a life-size model of the 2018 Mazda3 live at the LA International Auto Show!
“Now the hard part comes – to see if we can actually build a full concept car on the show stand in ten days and in full-view of show goers.” said Franz von Holzhausen, director of design at Mazda. The final unveiling will take place at 3 PM Nov 24.
It’s neither a commuter vehicle nor boring sedan. It is also not an undersized sports coupe or awkward, disproportionate hatchback. At the moment, the 2018 MAZDA3 is nothing more than a lump of clay on stage at the Mazda booth at the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show – and the vision of Mallory McMorrow of South Bend, Ind., the winner of the Mazda Design Challenge. By the time the auto show comes to a close, an exciting, life-size model will be unveiled for all eyes to see – and a talented woman will be one step closer to fulfilling her automotive design career dream.
A landslide victory, McMorrow’s entry was voted number one by Facebook members, as part of the first-ever program between Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) and the social networking site. To enter, contestants submitted a 150-word description of their vision of the 2018 MAZDA3 and an optional sketch drawing.
After weeks of voting – first by Mazda designers, then Facebook members – McMorrow was selected as a finalist, at which time she was paired with Mazda designer Jacques Flynn who helped bring her design to life on paper. “Jacques took everything I said and sketched, and put my thoughts and feelings on paper,” said McMorrow. “I was thrilled when I opened up the images of the final renderings. I’m proud to say that the end design was still definitely my car and I can’t wait to see it come to fruition on the show floor.”
Today McMorrow will begin working one-on-one with Franz von Holzhausen, director of design, MNAO, and his team to bring her concept to life, live from the Mazda booth at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. A formal press conference will be held at 12:50 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Mazda booth.
“The Mazda Design Challenge brought in a flood of cool, unique design ideas. The winning design concept is a fresh new way to look at the design of a vehicle,” said von Holzhausen. “This competition was a tremendous success, and the entire process was really beneficial to my team and me to understand what design means to our target buyers. Now the hard part comes – to see if we can actually build a full concept car on the show stand in ten days and in full-view of show goers.”
Auto show attendees can watch von Holzhausen and his team in action from 12 noon to 8:00 p.m. daily, as they mold, carve and smooth the would-be 2018 MAZDA3. The final clay sculpture of the concept will be unveiled at 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 24.
Mallory McMorrow – “Car Girl” by design
An Industrial Design major at the University of Notre Dame, McMorrow, 21, of Whitehouse, NJ, first heard of the Mazda Design Challenge from her professor, Paul Down. Dubbed “the car girl” by her classmates in the Industrial Design department, McMorrow, who discovered her love for cars at a young age, jumped at the chance to enter.
With a background in graphic and industrial design, most of McMorrow’s design experience to date has focused primarily on product design, including automotive cleaning and car products. “All throughout college, I’ve heard nothing but how hard it will be to get into the auto design world, how I should keep my options open, and even how I should ‘think about interiors (because) …women work on interiors,” said McMorrow. “Now, thanks to this contest, I have a completely refreshed feeling about pursuing a career in cars.”
Mallory’s 2018 MAZDA3– In her own words
“A decade from now, I want a car that doesn’t believe in falling into a category. A car that makes sure sedan and hatchback are no longer four letter words. A chassis made to handle every s curve that comes its way. Fast. I want a car with the body and soul of a sports car, but a car that knows that sometimes I want to bring my friends, my things, or my dog. I want a car that has a sunroof that’s actually a sunroof, not a sun-one-quarter roof. I want a car that causes heads to turn – even before the first rev of the engine. I want a car that went from concept to showroom without meeting muted for the masses – unapologetically. I want a MAZDA3 that gets me – the everyday sports car, the 5-door that makes me forget I own a 5-door.”
In addition to McMorrow, finalists in the Mazda Design Challenge included Christopher Chung, Silver Spring, Md.; Preston Gilliam, East Bend, N.C.; Andrew Kinomoto, Bothell, Wash.; and Danny Song, San Mateo, Calif.
Depending on the nature of the circuit - featuring long straights such as Monza or tight corners like Monaco - the engineers in the BMW Sauber F1 Team continue to develop the car throughout the course of the season. According to Willy Rampf, Technical Director of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Aerodynamics played a central role in the development of the F1.07. The aim was to build a car with high aerodynamic efficiency, yet at the same time one that handled well through corners.
In Barcelona the engineers added an extra multi-piece wing to the rear crash element for the first time in order to increase downforce. A transitional version of the front wing was used for the roll-out. A lot of work is put into the endplates, in particular, with the goal of achieving high downforce even when turning in.
The tight corners in Monaco saw the team opt for a new front suspension package with modified geometry to allow a sharper turn-in angle. The short straights there mean the brakes hardly have any time to cool, and they therefore used brake ducts with a large inflow area.
The new rear wing with modified endplates was the key element in a medium-downforce package the team developed for Montréal and Indianapolis. They fitted this in combination with the extra single-piece wing on the rear crash element in order to achieve high efficiency. With the four long straights at Monza producing speeds of over 300 km/h, a low-downforce package with highly efficient wing combinations to keep drag low was used. Plus, several additional fins on the engine cover were removed, again in the interests of ensuring low drag. The rear wing for the high-speed Monza circuit differed fundamentally from other variants, as the main wing was shorter than the flap. In addition it was given a zigzag profile, which ensured both high efficiency and good airflow stability.
In Japan the engineers introduced a new version of the additional wing on the roll hoop for the first time. Its optimised form allowed improved air flow to the rear wing. "The aero elements on the F1.07 at the roll-out in Valencia - the engine cover, front and rear wings, turning vanes and underbody - changed completely over the course of the season", Willy Rampf explained.
When Jenson Button first came onto the F1 scene there were glimpses of a potential top driver, but unfortunately that has never materialised and he is left nursing his wounds at Honda. Now with the emergence of F1s newest superstar Lewis Hamilton, it appears Jenson's jealousy has got the better of him, in an interview with the UK's “mail on sunday”.
“He's a great driver, but there are lots of great drivers in Formula One who did not have his package”, Button was quoted as saying believing Lewis has lost his only chance to win the world title. But to write off the young Brits chances so early in his F1 career would be a little premature, especially considering he has just completed the most successful rookie season in Formula 1 history.
It remains to be seen how well Lewis recovers from the major disappointment of losing the title to F1 rival Kimi Raikkonen, the flying Finn could go from strength to strength after a hugely successful end to his season and dominate for many years to come as Michael Schumacher did with Ferrari. And should we discredit the challenge of Alonso, that must depend on how competitive his new team (probably Renault) will be.
Let us know what you think – comment below, was this the only Lewis' last chance to win the F1 title?
Brought to the forefront of American pop culture in the early 1950s, hot rods were all over the silver screen in a large number of predominately bad movies. Born from the Southern California drag racing culture, over fifty of these films were made per year by the mid-50s, each featuring a hip and/or rebellious anti-hero with a fast-and-loose girl.
There were no stars in these films, and you likely won't remember very many of the titles. Do Running Wild, Hot Rod Girl, or Hot Rod Rumble ring any bells? Made in 1956, Hot Rod Girl is actually a personal favorite from this genre, simply because it must have been the basis for every 1980s ski movie. The plotline on IMDB really sums it up best:
After his kid brother is killed in a street race, a champion drag-racer quits racing. However, a new kid comes to town determined to force him back into racing so he can take his title--and he's already taken his girlfriend.
The cars were always more important than the men who drove them. In an article Matt Stone wrote on the subject for Motor Trend, he quotes Hollywood actor/writer Tim Considine with, "There were the good guy, the bad guy, and the girl--and the girl was probably second [in importance] to the car, just as the girl was second to the horse in the cowboy movies."
Eventually, biker movies gained in popularity, but the hot rod flick never really went away. Tarantino ripped off the genre for Death Proof, and the camp aspect was always there in Death Race 2000. Obviously, Smokey and the Bandit borrowed the same themes: good guy, bad guy, the girl, and the big chase.
Many of the cars built for the hot rod pictures of the early 1950s were put together by Barris Kustoms. Founded by Chicago-born brothers Sam and George Barris, the duo created the Batmobile, K.I.T.T., and the cars for Blade Runner, and Death Race 2000.
But the Chicagoans also assebled a bunch of celebrity theme cars, including Ringo Starr's 1957 Chevy Bel Air, the ultra-tacky Sonny & Cher matching 1965 Mustang convertibles, and the grotesque Elton John Super Star Kart.
Somewhere, amongst five decades of custom car building, Barris Kustoms built Travolta Fever.
Currently up for auction on eBay, this fantastically awful Pontiac Firebird was assebled in 1971, and customized as a show car for John Travolta in 1979. Fresh off his success as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and Danny Zuko in Grease, Barris built this piece of work to honor Vinnie Barbarino himself.
After Travolta's success in Urban Cowboy, Barris revamped the interior of the car to reflect America's growing appreciation for cowboys and country music (think Don Cheadle as "Buck Swope" in Boogie Nights). The Firebird was outfitted with gen-u-ine cowhide seats, brown leather everywhere, and a saddle in place of a center console. Travolta Fever (make me laugh every time I type the name) has sculpted fender flares and a large, rear whale tale inspired by the Richard Petty era of NASCAR cars.
It is somewhat amusing to see Recaro listed as one of the original sponsors on the side of the car. None of us here at WCF seems to remember a time when Recaro made overstuffed cowhide seats.
Ventura, California, car collector James Monroe is the most recent owner of the car, which Barris himself auctioned off in 1983. “Travolta Fever is an important piece of entertainment history,” Monroe said in a press release.
Opening bid on the auction is set for $25,000. Since its listing yesterday, there have been no bids. The listing ends at 5pm California time, on Sunday, November 18.
Monroe believes Travolta Fever "is a time capsule that highlights the Hollywood fads of the late 70's and early 80's.”
Some time capsules were meant to stay buried.
Press Release
John Travolta 70’s Show Car ‘Travolta Fever’ on the eBay Auction Block
The sale of ‘Travolta Fever’ coincides with the 30th anniversary of ‘Saturday Night Fever.’
Hollywood, Calif. – Years before mega star John Travolta started piloting his own jumbo jet, he cruised around in ‘Travolta Fever,’ a custom celebrity show car created just for him as his career took off. Now this piece of Americana is up for auction on eBay.
The most famous Pontiac Firebird ever to hit the streets was designed by famed car customizer George Barris who is also responsible for the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, the General Lee and the Monkee Mobile.
“Travolta Fever is an important piece of entertainment history,” says James Monroe, the car’s current owner from Ventura, Calif. “It is a time capsule that highlights the Hollywood fads of the late 70's and early 80's.”
Saturday Night Fever, the movie that catapulted Travolta to stardom and into Grease and Urban Cowboy, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
“Hollywood promoters wanted to create a special car that would fit Travolta's superstar image and tied into Saturday Night Fever,” says Monroe. “Travolta Fever was built to promote John Travolta and his rising career.”
In 1980, when Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze with Urban Cowboy, George Barris transformed the interior of Travolta Fever with an Urban Cowboy theme complete with appointed cowhide seats and an authentic saddle for the center console. Travolta Fever is also equipped with NASCAR-inspired, sculptured fender flares and a large rear whale tail.
Revell, the famous plastic model maker, produced and sold scale model kits of the Barris customized Firebird. In fact, John Travolta's "Firebird Fever" was one of the first celebrity car model kits ever offered by the company.
After a short time of being shown on the West Coast, Travolta Fever made its way to the Midwest, where it was leased from Barris by American car and custom hot rod designer Darryl Starbird and featured in several of his shows.
Travolta Fever, John Travolta’s custom celebrity show car, along with the TravoltaFever.com Web site are being auctioned together on eBay (Item number 160175750913).
The 10-day listing ends at 5:00 PM on Sunday, November 18.
First photos
Ford released four images of the upcoming Ford Focus ST when they send out press information about the new facelifted 2008 Ford Focus to print publishers. Once the official press release comes through the (internet) grape vines we will enlighten you with all the details, but untill then we will have to do with the leaked information from Auto Express and Autovisie.
Don't expect anything too earth shattering in this mid-cycle facelift. The 2008 Ford Focus ST will feature the new Mondeo headlights, new foglight housing and a fancy new honeycombe grille. Also the new Focus will feature larger side-view mirrors and LED-taillights. Inside Ford is using different fabrics and the instrument cluster has had a bit of a make-over.
The 2.5 liter 5-cylinder turbo engine has not changed which should make the ST fans both happy and sad. Happy that this great engine has not changed and very sad indeed that Ford hasn't been able to extract a bit more performance from it. Either way, 0 – 100 km/h should take no longer than 6,5 seconds and will still hit that 245 km/h top speed.
The new Focus range will hit dealerships early 2008 with the ST and Coupe-Cabrio following in spring 2008.
Note: Official information should follow in the coming weeks.
Three special editions
The Nissan March is 25 years old and Nissan celebrates with three special editions. Actually, two of the three special editons are loosely based on the first, namely the Nissan March 25th Happiness.
The Happiness is in turn based on the March 12S and 14S Four models but comes with an exclusive Silky Beige body colour. Inside, the Happiness special edition comes with odor-absorbing headliner, automatic interior lighting system and some more gadgets.
The Nissan March Plus Safety is based on the March Happiness but with additional safety features (like the name suggests) like SRS side airbags for the driver and front passenger, SRS curtain airbag and Xenon headlights.
Third in line is the March KISEKAE (Japanese for 'dress-up') and is based on the 12S and 14S Four models but with a choice of two exclusive seat covers with matching interior trim and pedals. Choices are Bubbly (soap bubble motif) or Striped (based on the March striped miniature model).
Pricing starts at YEN 1,189,650 (almost EURO 7,140) ranging upto YEN 1,566,600 (just under EURO 9,400) and the models go on sale today across Japan.
Congratulations go out to Yue Xian De, the recently announced winner of Geely's logo design contest. For creating the winning submission, Yue receives a Gold Medal, and two million Chinese Yuan (just shy of $270,000).
Yue beat out over 27,000 other submitters and earned the giant check, given to him in a presentation at the Beijing Geely University. While the logo should look a little better on a grill, hood, or trunk than the weird, mountainous, upside-down-Skoda-badge logo, we thnk it looks a bit too much like Coily from Q*bert.
One reader at China Car Times referred to it as being more like a piece of "chromed dog poo."
Regardless, good luck to you, Yue!
Geely today announced the winner of the Geely Logo Competition. Lucky winner, Yue Xian De, walked away from the Beijing Geely University held show with 360,000rmb in cold hard cash (well, actually a big cardboard check) The new logo is pretty much as we guessed the other day, we think the new logo looks pretty upmarket, but others think it looks like a chromed dog poo.
A while back Geely launched a competition for designers all around the world, the goal was simple: Sort Geely out with a new logo, and they’ll give you cash, not a lot, but not a little either. Surprisingly, the competition became worldwide news in a matter of hours, and we STILL get emails about it even now.
Two of the logos that are rumored to be in the final running are these two:
His first championship
Two races ago the world was convinced of Lewis Hamilton writing Formula 1 history to be the first rookie to take the championship, even after the McLaren team was disqualified from the constructors championship. But Kimi showed some famous Finnish 'sisu' and did what all McLaren fans and the UK feared most, to win twice in a row while Lewis stumbled, twice. Finland went crazy last night celebrating the first championship since Mikä Häkkinen's 1999 victory.
Kimi 'Ice Man' Raikkonen was even seen smiling, a first for this season of F1. Kimi: "It is very difficult for me to explain in words what I am feeling at the moment: it is an incredible emotion. Even when we went through some difficult times and it looked as though there was no way to fight back, we never gave up and this work produced its reward today.”
Obviously Lewis Hamilton was not in the best of moods but was still able to put this season into perspective: “Obviously I am pretty disappointed with the result today, having lead for so much of the season and then not to win the Championship. However I have to put the result into perspective, this is only my first year in Formula 1 and overall it has just been phenomenal.” We are not expecting Lewis to make the same mistake (he lost 28 seconds while resetting his gearbox) next season.
The McLaren doom scenario became a reality with Kimi gathering 110 points throughout the season and both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso ending on 109 points, Lewis takes second place. Next season should prove interesting with three championship candidates on three different teams, Raikkonen at Ferrari, Hamilton at McLaren and Alonso at Renault.
