McLaren P1: radical F1-inspired supercar revealed

The McLaren P1 has been designed to be “the best driver’s car in the world on road and track”, says the Formula One team turned supercar builder.

McLaren has unveiled its new road-going flagship ahead of its debut at the 2012 Paris motor show, the company’s first ever presence at such an event.

The McLaren P1 is described as a design study, though much of the concept’s styling is expected to remain intact for the production version that will be released in 2013.

McLaren is throwing its vast F1 engineering and aerodynamic experience and expertise at the P1, which as its name suggest is aiming for pole position among the world’s supercars.

“Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit,” said Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive’s managing director.

“It is the true test of a supercar’s all round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made.”

McLaren is not releasing more details about the P1 until its Paris reveal on Thursday 27th September.

An uprated version of the MP4-12C’s twin-turbo V8, rather than a V12 like the original McLaren F1, is widely tipped for the mid-engined P1, with an F1-style KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) capable of boosting power beyond 600kW and potentially past 700kW.

Acceleration of 0-100km/h in less than three seconds is anticipated.

The styling of the McLaren P1 should guarantee it doesn’t come in for the same criticism as the MP4-12C, which many labelled as overly conservative.

McLaren has no doubt honed the shape of the P1 in the same wind tunnel used for its F1 cars, and there are multiple aerodynamic touches.

There’s a roof-mounted airbox feeding air to the engine that nods not only to the F1 supercar of the 1990s – as does the P1’s overall silhouette – but also the McLaren Formula One cars.

The radical rear end features a dramatic diffuser with two large tunnels that will help suck the P1 to the bitumen. Above sits a large, high-mounted exhaust outlet that’s housed in a wide section of black bodywork with fancy LED bordering.

A front splitter and leading edge sill design hints at a flat underfloor, while the P1 is likely to feature a version of the carbon fibre monocoque used for the MP4-12C coupe and convertible.

The McLaren P1 will go on sale to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the company, which was founded by Kiwi racer Bruce McLaren in 1963.

“The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage,” said Ron Dennis, McLaren Automotive’s executive chairman. “Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again.”

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BMW 3 Series and 5 Series diesels gain M Performance boost

BMW has announced the availability of an optional upgrade for its four-cylinder diesel engine to boost the performance of specific variants in the 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series model lines.

Set to launch at next week’s 2012 Paris motor show, the BMW M Performance Power Kit brings a number of software and hardware upgrades to the 2.0-litre diesel engine fitted to the 120d, 320d and 520d variants.

The Power Kit, which introduces a larger intercooler and modified ECU mapping, boosts power from 135kW to 147kW and torque from 380Nm to 420Nm.

The extra oomph sees 0-100km/h acceleration times for the three variants fall by up to 1.0 second, yet has no impact on the cars’ combined cycle fuel consumption ratings.

BMW Australia’s Scott Croaker said the M Performance Power Kit is currently awaiting Australian Design Rule compliance approval and is expected to be available in the 320d and 520d from early 2013. (The 120d is not available locally and BMW Australia has no plans to offer it here.)

Croaker said it was too early to give exact pricing of the Power Kit but confirmed it would be “competitive with other performance upgrades on the market” – suggesting an approximate price in the region of $2000.

BMW says it will extend the M Performance Power Kit to vehicles equipped with its four-cylinder petrol engines in the future.

Joining the Power Kit cars on the stand in Paris will be a BMW 335i sedan showcasing a range of features from the brand’s M Performance accessories program.

Building on the already available M Sports package, the highly customised 335i adds 20-inch light alloy wheels, M Performance suspension and brake packages, carbon mirror caps and rear spoiler, and a high-gloss black radiator grille.

The cabin gets its own special touches, including an M Performance steering wheel with Race Display (an OLED display integrated into the upper section of the steering wheel showing a range of technical data such as oil and water temperatures and a shift point indicator), stainless steel pedals, Alcantara trim strips with open-pore carbon, and an Alcantara-bound gear knob and handbrake lever.

Croaker said with the exception of some suspension and exhaust systems, most of the M Performance accessories available overseas for the 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series would be made available in Australia.

BMW will also launch the 114d in Paris, which will become the new entry-level diesel in the premium hatchback line-up. The new variant is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with 70kW and 235Nm. It sips fuel at a rate of 4.1-4.3L/100km combined and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 12.2 seconds.

Croaker said the 114d was not on the agenda for BMW Australia, as the local division does not see demand for the model locally.

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Porsche Boxster ad shows off roadsters old and new

If there was any downside to owning the new Porsche Boxster it would have to be that you’re restricted to fine days for open-air motoring.

Porsche USA makes that point abundantly clear in a wonderful new commercial entitled ‘Porsche Boxster: Anticipation’, which shows the latest edition of the Boxster joined on track by a collection of celebrated Porsches including the 550 Spyder, 914 and Carrera GT after waiting out the rain.

Porsche Boxster: Anticipation

Apart from teasing us with such marvelous footage of the classic Porsche cars, the ad also gives us a tantalising taste of the various exhaust note

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Ford Territory accelerator pedal recall affects police fleet

Ford Australia is recalling roughly 300 Ford Territory models employed by police forces nationwide due to an accelerator pedal issue.

The 302 current-generation SZ Ford Territory models built between April 11, 2011 and May 24, 2012 fitted with Ford’s Police Equipment Pack are at risk of having their accelerator pedals interfered with by an incorrectly fitted driver’s side footwell trim panel.

The official recall notice published on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) website explains:

“Interference with the accelerator pedal travel could result in the engine not returning to idle, posing a potential crash hazard.”

As per normal, Ford Australia says letters have been sent to owners notifying them of the recall and recommending vehicles be brought into Ford service centres to be inspected and, if required, repaired. The repair should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Despite the recall affecting the entire fleet of Police Pack Territorys built in the given time period, Ford’s Sinead Phipps told CarAdvice that while a small number of reports of the issue initiated the recall, there have been no reports of any injuries.

In August 2011, 3681 Ford Territory SZ models were recalled for a fuel line return hose fault that had the potential to lead to a fuel leak.

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Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 GZ8 Editione Limitata for China only

Lamborghini has taken the wraps off the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 GZ8 Edizione Limitata, confirming that just eight will be sold exclusively in China.

It’s the third such special edition Lamborghini Gallardo for China after the Gallardo HK20 and Gallardo Gold Edition.

The ‘GZ’ stands for the city of Guangzhou while ’8′ is a lucky number in China and represents the total number of Gallardo GZ8s that will be produced.

Lamborghini developed the GZ8 in conjunction with the local Lamborghini dealer in Guangzhou, China’s third largest city with a population larger than 13 million.

Buyers of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 GZ8 will need to hand over a cool 3.88 million yuan ($587,000) for the privilege.

The special edition Gallardo GZ8 is powered by the 550hp (410kW) version of Lamborghini’s 5.2-litre V10, with drive sent to the rear wheels only.

The large rear wing, engine cover and side skirts are all constructed from carbonfibre, while the car also gets ‘Callisto’ (orange) winglets on the rear wing and matching alloy wheels and stripes down the side panels.

Images courtesy of AutoV.com.cn

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2013 Mazda CX-9 unveiled: global debut in Australia

A new-look Mazda CX-9 has been revealed, with the Japanese brand announcing the redesigned seven-seater SUV will make its global debut at the 2012 Sydney motor show.

The styling of the big SUV has been brought into line with the rest of the Mazda family and isn’t a new-generation model like the smaller Mazda CX-5 released earlier in 2012. Design changes are focused on the front and rear ends, with the headlights and grille familiar from the CX-5.

The revised Mazda CX-9 remains on the same platform as the original launched in 2007 and shared with the Ford Edge. It also carries over the same 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine that produces 204kW of power and 366Nm of torque, mated to the same six-speed auto.

There are no SkyActiv technologies featured on the revised Mazda CX-9, such as the lighter-weight chassis or i-Eloop brake energy regeneration system found on all-new models such as the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda6 that are aimed at improving fuel efficiency.

The result is no change in consumption for the CX-9, which is currently 11.0L/100km for the front-wheel-drive version and 11.3L/100km for the model equipped with all-wheel drive.

“The CX-9 is our flagship and while not a volume seller it does very well for our brand,” says Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver. “It’s well regarded for its driving dynamics. We have said that SkyActiv technologies will be adopted across the entire Mazda range but there’s no announcement for this [CX-9] yet.”

The update also brings some upgrades to the CX-9′s infotainment system and there are additional active safety features including lane departure warning, forward obstruction warning and high beam control.

Mazda says it has sold more than 210,000 CX-9s in 74 countries since the SUV first hit the road in 2007.

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Mercedes-Benz B-Class goes all-electric for Paris

The battery-powered Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will make its debut at next week’s 2012 Paris motor show, demonstrating Daimler’s continuing pursuit towards its ultimate objective of zero-emission driving.

The company says the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive is “almost ready for series production”, with a 2014 launch already planned.

The concept car will be one of the first models to have ‘Electric Drive’ in its model designation before future battery-powered models from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Smart follow suit.

The B-Class Electric Drive’s ‘Energy Space’ houses the car’s lithium-ion battery pack – likely to be sourced from Tesla Motors – low in the floor of the vehicle, in front of the rear axle, to provide the same interior space as the current B-Class production models (pictured below) as well as improving the vehicle’s centre of gravity.

Equipped with a 100kW/310Nm electric motor, Mercedes-Benz says the B-Class Electric Drive has a range of 200km with the battery able to be charged from any standard domestic 230-volt power outlet or with a rapid charge 400-volt terminal.

Joining the B-Class Electric Drive at Paris on September 27 will be the production versions of theMercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive and the Smart Brabus Electric Drive – both world premieres.

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