McLaren F1

McLaren has a strong pedigree in Formula one in the name of Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes (also known as McLaren racing). Its automotive division on the other hand, McLaren Automotive, has yet to enjoy prolonged success. The Woking based company shook its leg in the roadcar segment with the launch of F1 in 1992 which happened to rule the roost for a considerable period. The F1’s ability to hit 231mph earned it the name of The Fastest Production Car until 2005 when the record was broken by Koenigsegg CCR. Just 106 units of the F1 were produced between 1992 and 1998 some of which were purpose built for racing under the name F1-GTR.

Mclaren stopped making roadcars for more than a decade. In 2009 it unveiled the design of MP4 12C which was launched early last year. Sadly it did not win too many accolades as one of the main drawbacks of MP4 12C was emotionless driving experience as described by most of the journalists. The likes of Ferrari 458 Italia and 911 Turbo S are giving it a good run for money.

Mclaren’s move to rebuild the iconic F1 has brought a huge delight to its fans. Principally targeted at overshadowing Bugatti Veyron, the upcoming F1 which is scheduled for launch in 2014 has already started the testing stage. Under the hood will be a 5.0L V8 outsourced from Ricardo that can churn out a brutal 799bhp and 800Nm of torque to propel the mean machine to 60mph in a mere 2.8seconds.  The supercar will be equipped with a Graziano seven speed gearbox (currently doing work in the MP4-12C) for lightning fast gear changes and the chassis will be an all carbon fiber shell which is McLarenesque. The aggressive stance of the new Mac will boast active aerodynamics like the original F1. Pricing is expected to be higher than $1m.

The upcoming McLaren’s new avatar possesses all that it needs to whet the adrenaline of supercar aficionados. It will be interesting to see if the new F1 closes the gap left by its legendary cousin back in the mid 90s.

The Carbon Fiber Revolution

Weight reduction is one of the key areas of vehicle development where the car manufacturers never seem to be resting on their laurels.  The multifold increase in the strategies adopted to bring down the weight of the car in order to shave few tenths of a second in the sprint times is justifiable from a few recent stellar designs.

Of late, carbon fiber is categorically considered to be the Holy Grail in the automotive industry. Manufacturers are ready to invest money worth billions in carbon fiber research as they believe there is always bang for the buck for carbon fiber designs especially in the ever competitive sports and supercar markets.

Let’s a consider a case-study to understand it better.

Lamborghini’s upcoming supercar, Sesto Elemento is a paradigm in groundbreaking carbon fiber technology.  Currently we are only seeing Lambos built with bits and pieces of carbon fiber in the chassis which complement the high revving motors to define what is called hair-raising driving experience. Sesto Elemento is the lightest and the fastest Lamborghini yet with stupendous performance figures. The 5.2L V10 engine from the Gallardo is carried over so a solid 570bhp and 540Nm is on cards. The most striking attribute of the Sesto Elemento is the car’s power to weight ratio. As a result of Lamborghini’s magnificent job in weight reduction using carbon figure, the Sesto Elemento weighs less than a tonne! A mind-boggling 999kg means a power to weight ratio of almost 570bhp/tonne, thereby the “nought to 60mph” time of a mere 2.5 seconds will certainly give the likes of Bugatti Veyron, Koenigsegg CCXR and Pagani Zonda a good run for their money. All credits go to the carbon fiber chassis in the wake of which the Sesto Elemento is almost half a tonne lighter than Gallardo.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The fact that this supercar costing a fortune is intended only for track use and will never be road legal is the biggest blow to supercar aficionados. However, that is not the end of everything. The concept that debuted in 2010 Paris Motor show is coming into production as a track car and if it turns out to be a fillip to Lamborghini’s niche sales, then we might even seen a road legal version of Sesto Elemento with potentially an attractive price tag. 

Outlook

Sesto Elemento is clearly a microcosm of how the automotive industry will shape up in the near future, or a couple of years if you like in terms of pioneering weight reduction strategies. In a wider perspective it has to be said that, not only Lamborghini but almost every supercar manufacturer (few other notable carbon fiber chassis supercars include Pagani Zonda R, Lexus LFA, and McLaren MP4-12C) has started adopting the “carbon fiber” route to blow its rivals out and unequivocally we are heading to a future when carbon fiber cars will be ruling the roost!

F10 M5 - Benchmark sedan?

Car manufacturers leave no stone unturned when it comes to increasing performance. From adopting massive weight reduction strategies to bolting on tantalizing high revving powerplants, they succeed in getting the dumbfounding performance figures. And cranking them out from a sports sedan is never a no-brainer and  poses a host of challenges like the cost, fuel economy and so forth.

But BMW has now provided a confutation to all this through the all new M5!

The F10 M5 as it is called clearly conveys to its competitors BMW’s ambitious plans that might be in the offing soon in a wide range of its products. The German manufacturer has certainly gone the extra mile to build a car that is not just cutting the mustard but also setting the benchmark in the sports sedan segment. With an all new 4.4litre V8 powerplant (downsized from the outgoing E60 M5’s 5.0litre V10) the F10 M5 happens to be the first M division sedan to be equipped with a turbocharger (only the X5M and X6M are turbocharged in the “M” lineup).  The new V8 motor is capable of pumping out 550bhp and combined with a staggering 690Nm of torque, the new M5 can hit 60mph in a mere 4.4 seconds. Truly mind –boggling! Remember the E60’s power and torque figures are 500bhp and 520Nm respectively. Downsized engines are ruling the roost of late over their naturally aspirated counterparts and manufacturers have started adopting the forced induction route to avoid eating others’ dust. Unsurprisingly, the advantages of turbocharged engines are manifold ranging from higher power to weight ratio to reduced emissions and fuel consumption. Sadly NA motors are becoming the old chestnuts!

F10 M5 happens to be the most powerful version in the entire lineup since the introduction of the first model in 1984 and unequivocally possesses everything to throw down the gauntlet on other sports sedans like the E63AMG and the RS6.

The last word is that the new M5 evinces a turbocharged M3 is certainly on cards and the M division is on a serious pursuit to blow its rivals out!

2011 Formula one season

The 2011 Formula one season started with an intriguing pre season testing that was dominated by Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. McLaren almost wrote the season off due to abysmal performance in the testing because of the octopus style exhaust which was originally believed to give an extra amount of downforce but eventually turned out to be fiasco. The mid fielders justified their efforts involved in developing their 2011 contenders by some strong testing results.

The first race in Oz was marked by a shocking P2 and P4 in qualifying for McLaren which was exactly the opposite to what the rivals were expecting given their poor pre season testing and it came to light that the Woking team had ditched the octopus style exhaust and had reverted to the conventional one which was where they got all the speed from. Sebastian Vettel on the other hand continued to prove Red Bull Racing's reign by taking both the pole position and the race win thereby kicking off the season in style. Ferrari, who proved to be faster than McLaren in the testing endured a tough start to the season by finishing behind them.

Sebastian Vettel extended his run of victories by winning at Sepang, Istanbul, Barcelona, Monaco and Valencia while his team mate Mark Webber hasn't won a race yet this year however has managed to get some strong finishes. Lewis Hamilton ended his drought of victories since Spa last year by winning a thrilling Chinese grand prix and then went on to win the German Grand prix. Proving to be the master in changeable weather conditions no matter how difficult they are, the 2009 World Champion Jenson Button clinched a spine tingling victory at the wet Canadian GP and after two hapless consecutive retirements emerged victorious at the recent eventful Hungarian GP. Ferrari's sole race win was the one at the British Grand Prix where Fernando Alonso comfortably finished ahead of the two Red Bull cars. Felipe Massa hasn't been able to step up on the podium, however, is now closing the gap to the front runners. Mid fielders Renault and Mercedes GP have been good contenders in the top ten while the likes of Sauber Ferrari, Force India and Torro Rosso are trying to get some decent finishes. The season hasn't been like the one Williams would have expected to be as the Cosworth powered team is languishing at the bottom of the tables along with Lotus Renault who are never ceasing to be optimistic, Marussia Virgin racing and Hispania Racing team, the only team to fall victim to the 107% rule that requires the drivers to finish within 107% of the pole sitter's time.

The second half of the season has started unfolding in a more thrilling way as Red Bull Racing's rivals are pushing hard to stop Sebastian Vettel's run of victories which is evident from the German's only one win in five races. Now that the teams have got a few weeks to stay away from the sport, a lotta exciting action is definitely on cards in the final leg of the 2011 Formula one season. Will Sebastian Vettel retain the championship crown or will he be deprived of the title by any of the other contenders is likely to be answered very soon. 

Lamborghini Sesto elemento : Redefining supercar madness?

I feel greatly pumped up as I write about Lamborghini’s new performance incarnation which will be a sensational supercar raging through the tarmac in the next two years. Yes, it is all about the forthcoming Lambo’s Sesto Elemento. If you are a true gearhead striving to quench your thirst for supercars and the very thought of V8s, V10s and V12s, oodles of horses, 0 to 60 and quarter mile times, wheel spin and launch control,  g-forces, cornering, braking and so forth tingle your spine then you are no way different to me.

The recent news of the Italian marquee’s much hyped concept Sesto Elemento getting the green signal for production has started sending shivers down the spine of other supercar manufacturers.  It is a supercar (read hypercar) that possesses half of Bugatti Veyron’s power, but is equally expensive, quick and most importantly weighs around 1870lbs less than the quad turbo beast! 580 horses from the lightweight Sesto Elemento’s 5.2V10 can give the car the thrust to 60mph from a standstill in a mere 2.5 seconds. The most intriguing part of the car is its chassis itself. It’s not made of bits of carbon fibre as in any other Lambo but it’s made of entirely carbon fibre! The complete chassis weighing less than a tonne (circa 995kg) results in a mightily increased power to weight ratio of over 500bhp/tonne and shaves a chunk off the nought to 60 and 100mph times. Carbon fibre chassis is seemingly becoming Lambo’s forte.

Let’s not get too carried away by the news of Sesto Elemento’s launch because production will be limited to just 20 cars. However you should consider yourself lucky even if you manage to spot this two million pound machine.  Every inch of the car oozes raunchiness which is a perfect evidence that it has enough aura to whet your adrenaline. Since the age of Miura till today, Lambo has been able to captivate the interests of avid gearheads and rule the roost in the supercar challenges whose every single machine exudes stellar performance, majestic stance and magnificent engineering.