Auto Contest USA: September 2011

Friday,Sep30,

Bentley Continental Supersports

The evolution of the Bentley Continental Supersports' design is very much a case of 'form following function' with new purposeful sculptural forms signalling the engineering changes beneath the skin. For example, the increased power and torque of the W12 engine necessitated additional airflow to the twin turbocharger intercoolers and cooling system. Bentley's designers responded with a purposeful and dramatic style that features large vertical intake apertures and twin bonnet vents. Similarly, new flared rear wings that accommodate the 50 mm (2 inches) wider rear track are designed to emphasise the powerful stance of this ultra-high performance coupe. The resultant Supersports style combines the looks of the iconic Continental GT with a new and distinctive appearance that reflects its more extreme character.

The Bentley Continental Supersports is further distinguished from its Continental coupe stable mates by a unique dark-smoked steel finish to all exterior 'brightware', including front grilles, lamp bezels, window surrounds and wheels. A complex 'Physical Vapour Deposition' process is applied to all stainless steel components to give a lustrous and highly durable finish. A car industry first, this process is normally used as a coating on industrial tools, watches and even hip replacement joints.

Fully embracing the extreme spirit of the Supersports, Bentley's interior designers have created a unique ambience. The cockpit represents a dramatic reinterpretation of Bentley interior design in which carbon fibre and Alcantara not only convey a sporting and contemporary style but also reduce weight. The Bentley Continental Supersports is a strict two-seater featuring all-new lightweight sports seats with carbon fibre clamshell rear panels. In the rear compartment, the seats are replaced by a stowage deck with a carbon fibre luggage retaining beam. The new interior also provides a showcase for the skills of Bentley's craftsmen and women at the company's factory in Crewe, England. Signature premium grade leather and brightware are complemented by carbon fibre panels, replacing traditional wood veneers.

The Bentley Continental Supersports is capable of running on either petrol and E85 biofuel or any combination of the two. E85 biofuel can offer a reduction of up to 70 per cent in CO2 emissions on a 'well-to-wheel' basis. Well-to-wheel is a measurement of a fuel's net CO2 contribution to the atmosphere, not just tailpipe emissions. It is a way of quantifying how much CO2 a fuel emits from its growth or extraction (well) to its combustion or deployment (wheel). It includes refinement, distillation and transport of the fuel. The fuel supply system detects the blending ratio of the fuel in the tank and ensures that power and torque remain constant regardless of the ratio of petrol to biofuel. The result is seamless power delivery in the Bentley tradition.

The 'Supersports' name is inspired by the original two-seater 3-litre Supersports model introduced in 1925, itself an evolution of the 3-litre Speed. The lightweight, 85 bhp Supersports was the first production Bentley to reach 100 mph and was also renowned for the application of Le Mans-winning race technology.

Thursday,Sep29,

Audi A1 e-tron Concept

Audi 11:08 PM

The Audi A1 e-tron Concept is a Mega City Vehicle (MCV) with an innovative drive technology. It comes equipped with a powerful electric motor for zero-emission driving in the city. There is also an internal combustion engine on board that recharges the battery in exceptional circumstances. The Audi A1 e-tron Concept is very agile thanks to the 75 kW (102 hp) peak power of its electric motor. The e-tron model family from Audi is just a few months old, but it already has a number of members, for each of which Audi has chosen a different drive technology. The first e-tron, which debuted at the 2009 IAA in Frankfurt/Main, is a near-series high-performance sports car with electric motors for all four wheels. The study shown at the Detroit Motor Show in 2010 is a lightweight, compact two-seater with two electric motors on the rear axle.

The Audi A1 e-tron Concept now presents another approach - a compact electric car in the premium class. The four-passenger, two-door MCV city car was designed specifically for use in the metropolitan areas of Europe and North America and in the rapidly growing megacities of Asia and South America. The Audi A1 e-tron always drives on electric power; its internal combustion engine is only used to recharge the battery in isolated cases.

The synchronous electric motor of the Audi A1 e-tron is mounted transversely at the front of the car. Its low mounting position has a positive effect on the vehicle's center of gravity. Continuous output is rated at 45 kW (61 hp), with peak power of 75 kW (102 hp) available in short bursts. 150 Nm (110.63 lb-ft) of torque is continuously available, and peak torque is 240 Nm (177.01 lb-ft).

The electric motor sends its power to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. The elegant, retractable selector lever on the console of the center tunnel used to choose between "Drive," "Reverse," and "Neutral" was taken from the first Audi e-tron.

The power electronics are mounted in the engine compartment above the electric motor. The most important components are the pulse-controlled inverter, which serves as the controller between the electric motor and the battery; the DC converter, which connects the high-voltage network with the 14 volt electrical system; a breaker unit to protect the high-voltage components; and the charging module. The socket for the standard charging plug is located behind the rings in the single-frame grille of the Audi A1 e-tron. A fully depleted battery can be recharged in approximately three hours from the 380 volt grid. A display immediately adjacent to the plug-in connection shows the current charge status and the charging time remaining.

The concept of the innovative Mega City Vehicle requires the electrification of key auxiliaries. The refrigerant compressor of the climate control system, for example, is electrically powered by a high-voltage electric motor that supplies only the amount of power needed at the time.

This increases system efficiency substantially compared to conventional concepts. Thanks to a special circuit, the climate control loop also functions as a heat pump that regulates the temperature of the cabin and the battery.

The power steering of the Audi A1 e-tron is electro-mechanical and thus particularly energy-efficient. An electronic brake system makes it possible to tap into the recuperation potential of the electric motors. A hydraulic fixed-caliper brake is mounted on the front axle, with two novel electrically-actuated floating-caliper brakes mounted on the rear axle. These floating calipers are actuated not by any mechanical or hydraulic transfer elements, but rather by wire ("brake by wire"). In addition, this eliminates frictional losses due to residual slip when the brakes are not being applied. In addition, the servo unit received a new, demand-controlled electric vacuum pump.

The large electric motor powering the Audi A1 e-tron Concept can convert braking energy into electric current and feed it back into the electrical system. The high degree of recuperation benefits overall efficiency. The electric control actions are imperceptible to the driver, who notices only the familiar, precise, and perfectly controllable pedal feel.

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa

Alfa Romeo 3:25 AM

The TZ3 Corsa is not a design exercise. It does not take inspiration only from the 90 year collaboration between the two brands, neither only from the Milanese conjunction between Alfa Romeo and Zagato. The TZ3 Corsa is a race car, honouring 100 years of races and victories across the whole 20th century. It celebrates men and machines of the Alfa Romeo Zagato common tradition. Scuderia Ferrari of the 20's and 30's, Alfa Corse of the 40's and 50's, Autodelta of the 60's and 70's up to the latest Scuderia Zagato of the 80's and 90's. Recalling these racing emotions, the TZ3 Corsa is based on a mono shell carbon fibre tubular chassis, coupled with a tubular frame and a lightweight aluminium body. It boasts Technical Partners such as OMP and Pirelli.

Following Zagato's gentlemen-driver heritage, the car has been commissioned by the Alfa Romeo Zagato collector Martin Kapp, during the Zandvoort Tribute to Zagato event, where more than 130 Alfa Romeo Zagatos were celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the brand.

Martin Kapp owns, among his Alfa Romeo Collection: SZ coda tonda and SZ coda tronca, TZ and TZ2, Junior Z and S.Z..

Wednesday,Sep28,

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, 2012 honda civic, Bikes 9:07 AM

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade has been launched at the World Superbike Championship 2011 in Imola, Italy, and the World Championship at Le Mans Endurance. After 20 years of success with the Honda CBR900RR, they want to try to use this opportunity to further enhance consumer confidence in the products of Honda, namely by launching its newest product, 2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

All fairing revised, with the nose is more fresh and modern, and the tail is also revised to be more futuristic. Honda has implemented a new design for all-new rear shock with dual-tube, it is said they have offered a smoother and quicker response through the old hardware. In front, CBR1000RR work with 43-millimeter telescopic front forks.

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade is a sport type motorcycle with powerful specs that reportedly will soon be released to the world market, but the release date is still kept secret by the Honda Manufacturer. 2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade has many powerful specs on the engine and chassis and the sector has undergone a new development. The new development is to improve engine performance and chassis for the motor which is less optimal in the sector frame and chassis at the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Chassis and Frame rigid and inflexible have made the motorcycles unstable when passing the bend at high speed.

2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade using the size specs on the powerful displacement of a engine motorcycles that uses the size Displacement 999.8 cc (60.96 cubic inches) and reportedly supported by a compression ratio of 12.5:1. New 2012 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade using a engines type 4-stroke that have a size Bore x Stroke: 76 x 55.1 mm (3.0 x 2.2 inches) and is supported by the DOHC systems (Double Overhead Camshaft) to improve engine performance.With a very powerful engine specs, New motorsport CBR1000RR Fireblade capable of generating a maximum power up to 215HP with supported by Dual Stage Fuel Injection (DSFI).

2012 honda cbr1000rr fireblade

2012 honda cbr1000rr fireblade

2012 honda cbr1000rr fireblade

Tuesday,Sep27,

Bentley Continental Flying Star

Bentley 3:19 AM

Performance

The Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring inherits the chassis of the Continental GTC. The 6-liter, W12 engine is available either in the 560HP version which delivers 650NM of torque at 1600rpm or the GTC Speed variant which delivers a massive 750Nm from 610HP. The car exhibited at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show featured the GTC Speed specifications.

Performance braking, cornering and traction functions mesh together to provide precise and immediate driving control under extreme or difficult conditions.

Self-adjusting air springs and electronic dampers operate independently for each wheel. Allwheel drive promotes advanced traction.

Homologation

The model is CEE homologated according to the new low-volume production directive. For the first time since its introduction, the type approval was awarded without destructive test, using simulation and FEM-analysis.

Future Programme

Touring Superleggera undertakes a limited production run of up to 20 units of the Bentley Continental Flying Star. This series will be exclusively built to special order and customer specifications. The car is offered at a basic price of € 590.000 when based on a Continental GTC - 560 PS. Other versions on request.

The car will be serviced at the Bentley dealers. Bentley Motors and Touring Superleggera have developed a special mutual warranty program, which safeguards warranty clauses for both the basic car, and the transformation by Touring.

Personalisation

The customers are actively involved in the early stage to choose the specifications of their own unique automobile, ranging from bespoke cabinetry and trim to a wide choice of dedicated options. The accessory collection includes the Touring designed luggage set coordinated with the boot trim, and the distinctive Borrani X-Ray spoke wheels.

Blending advanced technology with craftsmanship, Borrani 20" 9.5j X-Ray spoke wheels provide distinctive design, precision and comfort. Featuring monolithic spun aluminium rim and hand assembled steel spokes, they can be tailored to the car's painting and finish.