Monaco GP this weekend
Monaco round
the houses.
The annual parade of the film stars, rock
legends, B List pseudo-celebs and the rich and powerful is
on this weekend in the tiny principality of Monaco. The
harbour will be wall to wall expensive yachts and the villa
car parks will have all the Lambo’s, Ferrari’s and
Maserati’s you would ever wish for. There will even by some
models of the Dutch Spykers in the car parks, probably
faster than the Spykers they have entered in the Monaco GP.
Somewhere in the middle of all this excess wealth (me,
jealous?) is a supposed motor race. I say ‘supposed’,
because the circuit is now totally unsuitable for today’s F1
cars. Passing is impossible, and other than waiting for the
guy in front to stick it in the wall, you can forget about
passing. An over-ambitious move like Alonso’s at the start
of the Spanish GP will definitely lead to retirement.
So the most critical part of this Grand Prix will happen on
the Saturday. And that’s qualifying. He who is on pole, has
a greater than 75 percent chance of winning. So who will be
on P1? Massa has been amazingly quick for the past three
Grands Prix, and will be trying hard to make it four in a
row. However, I am putting my money on Hamilton. He knows
the circuit, has no fear and has superb car control. Rather
than fuel him heavy, compared to Alonso, they will fuel him
light to give him every chance. The Qualifying is at 7 p.m.
on the Saturday 26 May, with the race at 7 p.m. on Sunday
27.
I will be watching from my perch in front of the big screen
at Jameson’s Irish Pub, Soi AR, going there at 6 p.m. for
dinner before the race at 7 p.m. Why don’t you join me?
Current EffWun
standings
We have had four rounds so far this 2007 season, and it is
certainly tight at the top of the league. Nobody is head and
shoulders above the rest, so fans cannot complain. Here is
the table at this stage
Lewis Hamilton 30 points
Fernando Alonso 28 pts
Felipe Massa 27 pts
Kimi Raikkonen 22 pts
Nick Heidfeld 15 pts
Robert Kubica 8 pts.
Will Hamilton still be on top after Monaco, being the
youngest driver ever to lead the world championship? Watch
this space.
How to change 70
billion dollars into 650 million
The 70 billion dollars is what Daimler has spent on Chrysler
since it took it over nine years ago, changing their name to
DaimlerChrysler, and includes the 36 billion it paid for it
in the first place. In a new deal announced last week, a
private equity group called Cerberus Capital Management has
taken control of the Chrysler side of DaimlerChrysler (it
was a silly name anyway) at a cost of 7.45 billion dollars.
That’s a long way from 36 billion.
RIP Chrysler?
Under the terms, Cerberus will own 80.9
percent of a new company, called Chrysler Holding LLC, while
Daimler Chrysler will retain 19.9 percent. However, by the
time debts are paid and everything else is washed up,
DaimlerChrysler will have had to throw another 650 million
dollars on the floor. Hasn’t that been an expensive mistake!
Should I go so far as to say incompetence? Probably not,
just in case they sue me, and what would I know about profit
and loss ledgers? But I’m not colorblind. I can
differentiate red from black!
“We’re confident that we’ve found the solution that will
create the greatest overall value - both for Daimler and
Chrysler,” Dieter Zetsche, the Daimler CEO said in a
prepared statement. “With this transaction, we have created
the right conditions for a new start for Chrysler and
Daimler.” Well, for Daimler, at least they can now
concentrate on their own problems, without the millstone of
Chrysler around the corporate neck. Remember that Chrysler
recorded a cool 1.5 billion dollars loss for them in the
2006 year.
So now, Chrysler has a new boss(es) running the show. And
will a private equity company make a good job of turning
Chrysler around? “Cerberus is the right strategic buyer for
Chrysler, with a long-term commitment to Chrysler’s growth
and success. They are committed to working constructively
with both union leadership and Chrysler’s management team to
help Chrysler realize its full potential,” Chrysler CEO Tom
LaSorda said. He also said the deal would not trigger job
cuts beyond the 13,000 Chrysler announced in February as
part of its restructuring plan. And if you believe all that,
you still believe in Santa Claus.
What will happen is an immediate slashing of the above the
line expenses. Hatchet men will appear in suits, hiding
their scythes, to bring them out at the appropriate moment.
Private equity companies do not have an automaker’s soul.
Walter P Chrysler did. Lee Iacocca did. Cerberus does not.
I predict this new Chrysler company will sell off anything
that still has a value, and in four years it will be on the
block once more. Trussed and defeathered. RIP Chrysler.
Audi releases the V2 TT
The second-generation TT Roadster is out. And the Audiphiles
are salivating while waiting. I must say that this new one
looks better than the tarted up ‘old’ one, in my book, with
somewhat more conservative styling.
Audi TT
Roadster.
Audi opted for a fabric folding roof
again, having decided that the metal alternative favored by
many other car makers lately adds unnecessary complication
and weight, raises the center of gravity and affects boot
space too severely. (However, the Mazda MX5 that we featured
after the Bangkok International Motor Show didn’t have those
problems!) The cloth hood features steel and aluminium
reinforcements, a larger glass rear window than the previous
model and will be available in either black or dark grey.
Audi in Australia discontinued bringing in the six-speed
manual transmission early last year and will once again
offer the TT Roadster with only the so-called S tronic
(dual-clutch DSG sequential semi-auto) transmission.
As with the TT coupe, there are two engine choices – the 2.0
liter turbo driving the front wheels only, and the 3.2 liter
V6 driving all four wheels. Power outputs are the same: 147
kW at 5100-6000 rpm and 280 Nm at 1800-5000 rpm for the 2.0
TFSI, and 184 kW at 6300 rpm and 320 Nm at 2500-3000 rpm for
the 3.2 V6. I expect that Thailand will get the same model
specifications.
All Roadsters feature high-strength steel rollover bars, an
electric rear spoiler that automatic raises at 120 km/h (it
can also be activated at the push of a button), a new audio
system and a driver information system.
The standard electrohydraulic opening system opens the roof
at the push of a button in just 12 seconds and can be
operated at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
The roof also incorporates an additional layer of
sound-proofing beneath the black headliner for better
insulation over the manual roof that is standard on the 2.0
TFSI in Europe.
Like the coupe, the TT Roadster body benefits from the new
aluminium and steel spaceframe chassis construction that is
not only much lighter than then previous all-steel system
but also aids torsional stiffness, which is vital for a
convertible.
To further improve the structural rigidity of the
convertible, Audi replaced the coupe’s side sills with
complex extruded aluminium sections, strengthened the A
pillars and added a steel tube into the windscreen frame.
Audi claims that the result is a 120 per cent improvement in
static torsional rigidity over the previous model.
Compared with the original, the new TT Roadster is 137 mm
longer at 4178 mm, 78 mm wider at 1842 mm, 8 mm higher at
1358 mm and sits on a 46 mm longer wheelbase at 2468 mm.
Inside, there is more shoulder width, head and elbow room,
and luggage space expands from 210 to 250 litres.
The 2.0 TFSI S tronic is claimed to sprint to 100 km/h in
6.5 seconds (just one tenth slower than the coupe) on its
way to a 237 km/h top speed. Average fuel consumption on the
combined European measure is 7.8 L/100 km.
The 3.2 Quattro (4WD) completes the 0-100 km/h dash in a
claimed 5.9 seconds (two-tenths slower than the coupe) on
its way to a 250 km/h top speed, using an average of 9.5
L/100 km.
According to the Australian test panel, all the positive
aspects of the TT coupe are evident in the Roadster, making
it a considerable improvement on the frankly disappointing
first generation car.
On a brief test drive in northern Italy on mainly motorways,
the new offering felt altogether more solid, thanks to the
new chassis construction, which benefits both ride and
handling.
As with the coupe, the interior is well laid-out, with big
prominent dials, nice armrests in the doors and a handy
padded armrest on the handbrake (though this will be useless
for Australian drivers because the handbrake will remain
offset to the left when it is converted to right-hand
drive).
The dash presents a large, hard plastic face to the
passenger and I found it curious that there were three
central air vents, but the flat-bottom steering wheel is a
nice racey touch and the seats were quite supportive.
However, it is not all good news for the Roadster. While the
3.2 felt quite light and lively, well balanced and generally
taut, the 2.0 was not so pleasant. The ageing engine seemed
harsh and was prone to popping like turbos of the past, but
more worrying was the poor door shut quality. We hope it was
just a tired pre-production sample.
We were also disappointed by the lack of a cover for the
roof after it has retracted. It just looks incomplete and
leaves gaps on either side big enough for pedestrians to
drop a drink can or half-eaten hamburger into, left to rot
or be fished out by the unimpressed owner.
Overall, though, the TT Roadster is a huge step forward over
the original; it looks fabulous (more stylish than the
quirky original for mine), feels more solid (with
reservations over those doors), does not squeal into
understeer at the sight of a corner, the V6 is smooth and
flexible, and it goes as fast as it looks.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which F1 car broke down in its
debut race and spectators tossed coins into the cockpit in
derision? Clue, think green. It was the original BRM, a
vehicle so far ahead of its time, that it was in front of
the metallurgical knowledge of the day, leading to multiple
failures. It was a huge step forward in many ways, when it
was first shown in 1949. The 1.5 liter V16 was supercharged
and developed 450 bhp at 10,000 rpm. The motor racing world
had never seen anything like it, with most cars having large
capacity unsupercharged engines. Unfortunately, by the time
BRM had got it reliable, the formula had been changed and
the car was no longer eligible for F1.
So to this week. Who was the first American to win a Grand
Prix in an American race car after Jimmy Murphy in 1921?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
