The Porsche team shares with us what went into the preparation of the new factory race car based on the 991 chassis Porsche 911. They also discuss how the new RSR is better than the outgoing 997 chassis that it replaces.
Supercars.net brings us this coverage of the Porsche 911 and Ford GT40 classes of the 2013 Amelia Island Concours. They do a great job explaining the historical significance of each car.
I think Chris Harris may currently be the world’s favorite automotive journalist. What I mean is that many automakers enjoy giving him access to their latest and greatest cars because he always gives an honest and well articulated opinion that excites his readers and subscribers. It works out for us here at Flux Auto because we’re now entering an era of hybrid and electric supercars. McLaren just announced the P1 hybrid and Ferrari was not far behind with the LaFerrari. We already have the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive and Porsche has been working on this 918 Spyder since last year. Journalists have been getting unprecedented rides in the 918’s test mules very early on in the development process probably as a demonstration on just how much work has gone into the controls architecture that blends power from the electric motors and the V8.
This video from Chris Harris is the first that I’ve found where Porsche has allowed outside personnel to drive the cars. They also prepared better finalized technical specifications and some technology demonstrations including a new technique where they are skinning carbon fiber with aluminum. Chris also gets a few minutes to pick the brain of the lead engineer and even discuss the merits and market demand for a hybrid supercar. In the end, the 918 Spyder will sell simply because it’s a technological masterpiece of a halo car. The training of engineers on electric and hybrid performance is also necessary even if the end result is a car that performs only equally as well as current technology. That’s the only way we’ll break through to green cars that perform better than gasoline cars.
Carlos Lago of Motor Trend gathers all four generations of the venerable BMW M3 to drive and review in succession. Rumor has it that the next generation M3 will be powered by a turbocharged inline-6 which will mark the end of the naturally aspirated era for the dynasty. That’s why Carlos decided to round up all of the previous generations to see how their characteristics have evolved while honoring the commonality that binds them together as a family.
I’ve always enjoyed Carlos’s reviews because of his appreciation for chassis balance despite of his easy access to the industry’s high horsepower monsters. He makes an interesting grouping of the M3’s based on their power outputs. Lago says the first two generations, the E30 and E36, are cars where there is more sweetheart lightweight chassis capability than power output. Starting with the 333 horsepower E46 and continuing with the 414 horsepower V8 E92, the M3 became larger and more flexible with the ability to mash the throttle to make the rear end step out at any time. The M3 had to grow in size, power and refinement to follow consumer expectations but always remained true to the M-Division’s goal of building the ultimate 3-series based driving machine.
Even though each generation is distinguished by period influenced power and weight figures, the M3 has always been a driver’s car in terms of exceptional chassis balance and smooth power delivery from an engine eager to rev. Will the next car be able to integrate with the M3 heritage? The new F30 chassis in standard 3-series form has been widely criticized for being duller than what people have come to expect from the car that has always been the industry’s benchmark for sport luxury. That being said, I’m sure the chassis design and suspension geometry are good enough for the M-Division to tweak with spring, shock and anti-roll bar tuning. BMW is also ahead of the curve when it comes to tuning turbocharged engines for responsiveness and smooth power delivery as shown in the Frankenstein hooligan of a car they built with the 1M. The auto industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift towards less energy consumption and carbon emissions, but that doesn’t mean that everything we like about the cars they make is lost. I have no doubt in my mind that BMW will make an outstanding turbocharged M3 that will live up to the cars they’ve built in the past while using technologies that we will need for the future.
This is a time lapse video of the Marussia F1 team assembling their 2013 Formula 1 car over the winter: