BMW Group Malaysia will be hosting their largest pre-owned vehicle fair next weekend from 13-15 September 2019. Called the BMW Premium Selection Fair, the event will feature a fine selection of pre-owned vehicles from the X5, 3 Series, 7 Series, as well as MINI models and several BMW Motorrad premium motorcycles. (more…)
MINI will be putting on quite an ‘electrifying’ show at the IAA Cars 2019 where they plan to globally unveil a number of new electrified models but the one that caught our attention the most is their new all-electric 2020 MINI Cooper SE which marks a new era for the brand’s pure electric mobility. (more…)
Lamborghini has created the Aventador SVJ 63 Roadster, a limited edition of the iconic V12 super sportscar with the same exclusivity as the SVJ 63 coupe. The SVJ Roadster will also be produced in just 63 numbered units, commemorating the company’s founding year of 1963 – and collectors have already put their money down for every unit.
8 exclusive design expressions
With the Aventador SVJ 63 Roadster, Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design team and Ad Personam department have drawn on the virtually limitless colour and trim options available through Lamborghini’s personalization program, with the collaboration creating 8 exclusive new design expressions. Each of the eight unique combinations comprises an exotic exterior and interior, unique to the Roadster version of the SVJ 63.
The exterior styling is specifically developed for the Roadster model, with a matt or shiny carbonfibre upper part that includes roof, engine cover, engine air vents, windscreen rim and wing mirrors. A new matt titanium finish features on the Leirion forged rims and the car carries the SVJ 63 livery, as well as a ‘1 of 63’ numbered plate.
3 choices of cabin colour schemes
Inside, three colour schemes in Alcantara, featuring carbonfibre elements throughout the cockpit, are complemented by Lamborghini’s patented lightweight CarbonSkin. A badge on the steering wheel endorses the car as one of a limited edition, as does a ‘63’ logo on the rear wall in Alcantara and CarbonSkin.
The Aventador SVJ Roadster upholds the exceptional performance, handling and aerodynamic superiority of the SVJ coupe. Sporting the ‘Super Veloce’ for superfast and ‘Jota’ suffix signifying the car’s performance and track prowess, its coupe stablemate took the Nurburgring-Nordschleife production car record.
Generating 770 ps at a maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm, the SVJ delivers 720 Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm. The SVJ Roadster accelerates from standing still to 100 km/h in a claimed 2.9 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.8 seconds. It is said to be able to reach a top speed of more than 350 km/h and come to a stop from 100 km/h in 31 metres.
The 680hp all-electric Volkswagen ID. R has set the very first record of the “China Challenge” on Tianmen Mountain earlier this week. With a time of 7:38.585, Romain Dumas conquered all 99 corners of 10.9km “Big Gate Road” and we’re guessing that this record is going to stay there at the top for quite some time. (more…)
Over the weekend, the opening round of the 2019/2020 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Silverstone Circuit in England marked Goodyear’s global racing comeback. For the new season and its racing partner, the company had developed 4 all-new tyre specifications to start the 8-round WEC season.
Three top WEC teams (Jota Sport, Jackie Chan DC Racing and High Class Racing) will race on Goodyear tyres in the highly competitive LMP2 class for high-downforce prototype cars. At Silverstone, this was the only WEC class to feature open tyre competition, providing the perfect showcase to benchmark Goodyear’s latest technology.
All-new approach for ultimate dry performance
The WEC regulations allow tyre manufacturers to supply a range of up to 3 dry-weather tyre specifications to racing teams for the season and Goodyear has chosen their first two specifications after an extensive 12,000 kms of testing at 7 circuits.
At Silverstone, Goodyear offered their A (softest compound) and C (medium compound) specification tyres to the three teams. These both feature brand-new constructions designed to offer driveability and consistency across the varied season of WEC circuits.
“With races lasting between 4 and 24 hours, our focus was to develop a range that had the versatility and performance to cope with varying temperatures, stint length between pit-stops and cater for the needs of a wide range of driving styles,” explained Mike McGregor, Manager Race Sales, Testing & Track Support.
With the first three races (at Silverstone, Shanghai and Fuji) being in temperate climates, Goodyear will initially focus on working closely with the teams to optimise the A and C around their cars. They then will consider introducing their third specification at the Bahrain (December 14th) or Sao Paulo (February 1st) rounds.
Commenting on the conditions at Silverstone, McGregor said the new track surface had been expected to have a major impact on race strategy: “Testing had shown that earlier resurfacing had created a very high grip circuit that put heavy loads through the tyres. We also noticed the surface took longer to ‘rubber in’ after rainfall which was one of the reasons we had chosen softer compounds to give drivers the confidence to push hard on new tyres after a pit-stop,” he explained.
Due to the resurfacing, the FIA relaxed the regulations to allow teams to use an additional set of tyres during the event. This change turned the 4-hour race into a series of flat-out sprints between pit-stops, which is another reason that Goodyear had chosen an aggressive tyre selection strategy.
Wet focus – new technologies introduced
An English summer race means that wet performance is likely to be a talking point. Goodyear’s LMP2 wet features a dramatic new tread pattern with curved grooves in the shoulder to dispel water at high speed but with a large continuous centre rib to retain stability and grip under heavy cornering loads. This design is inspired by Goodyear’s latest Eagle F1 SuperSport range for ultra high-performance road cars.
The intermediate tyre actually features the same construction as the A-spec dry tyre to enhance its grip changing wet to dry conditions. This versatility allows the teams to optimise stint lengths between pit-stops.
Goodyear’s testing encompassed 7 different circuits with the goal of testing in as many different wet conditions as possible. In addition to the circuits of Silverstone, Donington and Rockingham in England, Goodyear also headed to Northern Ireland to Bishopscourt before testing at Portimao (Portugal), Motorland (Spain) and Sebring (USA). “We’ve tested in wet conditions that have varied between 4 degrees C. to 35 degrees C., giving us a deep understanding of what’s needed to win in the wet,” said McGregor.
Starting off with a strong pace
Jackie Chan DC Racing finished the LMP2 class in 4th position, followed by Jota Sport in 5th and High Class Racing in 7th. “The pace of the race shows the benefits of a tyre war. The battle at the front produced lap times that were over 3 seconds a lap faster than the 2018 race and all 3 cars used a mix of our A, C and intermediate tyres during the 4 hours. We are pleased to have returned in such a competitive arena and have shown strong pace as well as learning a lot for the future. It bodes well for the rest of the WEC season,” said Ben Crawley, Director of Racing.
It was only recently that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) announced that post offices will stop their road tax renewal services for private vehicles 2,000cc and above for the states of Sarawak, Sabah, Langkawi, and Penang effective yesterday (1 September 2019). However, the Transport Ministry has stated that they are going to review the order by organising a meeting with JPJ to finalise whether the move is actually viable. (more…)
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