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Lotus launches new driving academy in Hethel, UK

Lotus is beefing up its customer experience programmes with the introduction of the new Lotus Driving Academy, which is slated for launch in August 2017. It is aimed at drivers looking to experience the latest of the manufacturer’s sports cars as well as hone their driving skills on track.

There are various tiers of the programme ranging from the entry level experience through to the intensive ‘Gold’ course. Prices of each vary depending of the depth of involvement, and as a whole, this driving academy is catered to suit those looking to have a fun filled day on track to those eager for a more involving experience and informative track sessions. This will then help enable them to become better drivers/racers.

These ‘experience’ levels are classified into license categories that include ‘Scare Yourself Sensible’, Bronze, Silver, Gold and the top of the range Lotus License. During the course of the training, drivers are taught skills as such power oversteer, heel and toe, a personal evaluation and are given exclusive merchandise to remind themselves of their day.

Speaking of the new school, Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, said, “Lotus Driving Academies around the world are hugely popular, giving hundreds of people the opportunity to enjoy the pure driving experience of a Lotus sports car in a high octane environment.”

He went on to say, “This popularity has meant that we already have official Lotus Driving Academies in Malaysia, the USA and France and now a new one at Hethel, the home of Lotus. Only with the Lotus Driving Academy will you get an unbeatable experience on a challenging track in some of the best giant slaying sports cars you can drive.”

Lotus offers a fleet of Exige Sport 350 and Elise Sport 220 sports cars for participants of this new programme. There are even left-hand-drive versions for those who prefer to drive from the wrong side of the car.

All license participants get to to see the Lotus factory, tour the classic Team Lotus facility that houses some of the most memorable vehicles in the company’s history as well as experience a high-speed, on-the-limit ‘demonstration lap’ with one of the instructors.

All driving instructors of the programme have a fair bit of racing experience with a number of them having participated in GT and BTCC racing divisions as well as one from Formula One, which is Martin Donnelly.

Lotus hopes that with this new driving academy, participants get to sharpen their car control skills as well as experience the best that the Hethel based manufacturer has to offer them both on and off track.

Subaru breaks record at Nurburgring Nordschleife race track

The Subaru WRX STI RA NBR Special has broken the lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife for a four door sedan, but for this particular occasion, the time was recorded using Nurburgring timing equipment and was officially verified by track officials.

At the finish line, it clocked a time of 6 minutes and 57.5 seconds, which is quite impressive to say the least. The Prodrive prepared rally-spec car has been breaking lap records in several places prior to this achievement. But this latest feat, cements the idea that Subaru all-wheel-drive cars are capable of going toe to toe with much more powerful sports cars.

Subaru built this car to showcase its AWD WRX STI’s capabilities when it comes to acceleration and meandering past really tight corners. It’s basically a modified version of the standard car built by Prodrive and features a full roll cage welded in place to add strength and stiffness to the entire body.

It has got a redesigned aero-package, which is different from that fitted to the car that blitzed the Isle of Man TT record. And part of this package is a drag reduction system for the rear wing similar to what is used with Formula One cars.

This combination of electric and hydraulic actuation, allow this rear wing to move to suit various aero requirements under braking, cornering and straight line acceleration. As whole, the entire package provides the car with a 295kg worth of downforce.

Its angle can be altered within 20 milliseconds via a switch on the steering wheel. This combined with wide sticky tyres, make sure that the vehicle stays planted to the road at high speeds and under heavy braking.

Under the hood is a modified 2.0-litre Subaru WRC-spec boxer engine with a 75mm intake and a turbo that runs at 250 psi of boost. The result, is a powerplant that can produce 600bhp at 8,500rpm and a theoretical top speed of 288km/h. It is mated to a WRC gearbox with an automatic clutch, modified with hydraulics for paddle-shift operation. Shift times are rated at 20 to 25 milliseconds.

This won’t be the last time that we hear of the WRX STI RA NBR Special because the automaker tends to keep updating it to ensure that the car continually breaks lap records around the world.

New Mustang offers better acceleration than Porsche 911

Ford has tweaked the Mustang for 2018 and added a 10-speed SelectShift transmission. The Blue Oval boasts that the car is now able to accelerate faster from 0-100km/h than a Porsche 911. The reason for this is, both the V8 and V6 engines have been redesigned or retuned to offer better performance characteristics.

The top of the range 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine has been redesigned and as such power has increased to 460bhp and 569Nm of torque. And thanks in part to the quick and efficient shifting of the new 10-speed automatic gearbox, the 2018 Mustang is able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in under 4 seconds.

There are five driver modes to choose from that alter the vehicle’s power settings, but the most notable of the lot is Drag Strip mode. When enabled, it is designed to provide maximum acceleration and performance for straight-line acceleration.

It is primarily controlled by the transmission and delivers a significant acceleration boost, eliminating the lost time usually associated with automatic shifting. This should come in handy at the drag strip, where a tenth of a second can mean the difference between winning and loosing.

Mustangs equipped with the EcoBoost engine will see noticeable increase in power too, because the powerplant has been retuned to offer 310-bhp and 475Nm of torque, which is about 41Nm more than before.

This Mustang when configured with the Performance Package and a 10-speed automatic transmission, may not be as fast as the V8 one, but it’s still respectable. In Drag Strip mode, it can sprint from 0-100km/h in under five seconds, which is still a commendable achievement.

A 10-speed gearbox may seem like overkill, but the wide-ratio span and optimised gear spacing helps deliver higher average power for acceleration – resulting in improved responsiveness and performance.

The construction of this new transmission is based on the Ford-patented power-flow and Ford-patented direct-acting hydraulic controls. And as such, it is built to offer optimum ratio progression and efficiency and provides more accurate as well as quicker upshift and downshift capabilities.

Building upon that, it also features an all-new electronic control system that features real-time adaptive shift-scheduling algorithms. This means that the gearbox will ensure that it’s able to swap cogs efficiently and at the right time resulting in perfect shift times regardless of the environment.

Ford is also equipping the new Mustang with specially designed Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres as part of the Performance Package. This kind of rubber offers exceptional levels of grip especially when on a race track or in the Mustang’s case, the drag strip.

There’s no word yet on whether this new pony car will be offered here in Malaysia. But, since the current Mustang is already available in our market, there is a good possibility that the new car should make it to our shores soon.

New Suzuki Swift Sport to make world premiere at Frankfurt

Suzuki will be unveiling the all new Swift Sport at the 67th IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Since the first generation car made it onto showroom floors back in 2005, the Swift Sport has embodied the spirit of a true super mini. The lightweight body and a peppy naturally aspirated engine made for an extremely agile vehicle that offered similar thrills to that of a sports car.

This new car, retains the same basic recipe of the original but forgoes the rather angular design for more softly contoured curves that result in a silhouette that has a more sports car feel to it.

The front end of the bonnet features a wedge shape design that integrates nicely with the similar styled bumper assembly. Then, there’s the noticeably larger honeycomb grille compared to the outgoing car, which is rather tastefully done and is reminiscent of the Nissan GT-R.

The side profile of the car is little more interesting because from this angle, it becomes evident that the roof features a raked design that tapers off towards the C-pillar. This does provide the car with a compact and sporty look, which should be to the liking of younger car buyers.

The blacked out hexagonal type rims may not be to everyone’s taste, however it does complement the sporty styling and provide the car with a more aggressive stance. And overall, the Swift Sport is a very good looking car that we hope that the Japanese automaker keeps the design as is for the production version.

For now, the automaker is keeping mum on the exact details of the car. But as the 12th September launch date gets closer, Suzuki should divulge more information to build the excitement for the world premier of its third-generation Swift Sport.

Ford F-150 to become pursuit-ready Police Interceptor

Ford’s venerable F-150 may be joining the elite line up of Police interceptors with this latest reveal. The legendary pick-up truck has been outfitted with the latest tech and protective features that will enable it to function as a pursuit vehicle for various police departments in the United States.

It will be the first pick-up that is pursuit-rated which giving law enforcement agencies a more versatile and capable petrol vehicle. Unlike the Raptor, it is equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine that delivers 375bhp and 637Nm of torque. It is said to have more power than any other pursuit rated police vehicle currently in service.

The truck is based on the F-150 FX4 off-road model and features Ford’s high-strength, military-grade, aluminium-alloy SuperCrew body. It sits on a a high-strength steel frame, which together offer up the largest passenger volume, payload and towing capacity of any pursuit-rated police vehicle. The Ford also provides best-in-class front, rear shoulder, hip room and rear legroom.

“Ford’s 2018 F-150 Police Responder is the perfect all-terrain law enforcement vehicle,” said Stephen Tyler, Ford’s police brand marketing manager. “Aside from its industry-first on-road pursuit capability, this purpose-built pickup can comfortably seat five, while providing capability in off-road patrol situations for officers in rural environments patrolled by sheriff’s departments, border patrol operations and the Department of Natural Resources.”

Unlike the road-going civilian version, this Police interceptor features a whole slew of upgrades that include police-calibrated brake system with upgraded calipers and pad friction material, upgraded front-stabilizer bar for improved braking and handling and 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires.

Inside the cabin, there’s a column shifter, heavy-duty cloth front seats with slim bolsters and anti-stab plates as well as vinyl rear seating and heavy-duty vinyl flooring for easy cleanup. There’s also a 240-amp alternator that helps generate enough electricity to support on-board electrical devices used by various police departments including laptops and radios.

Under body skit plates and front bull-bars are installed to ensure maximum protection of the truck when going through rough terrain. Ford has also fitted a class IV hitch, giving the truck towing capabilities, which is said to be best in class with a maximum payload of 3175kg.

The F-150 Interceptor is an amazing truck but we shall have to wait and see if Police departments around the US welcome it as a useful addition to their current fleet of interceptors vehicles.

Apple to prevent iPhone use while driving for iOS11

According to a recent Financial Times article, which was picked up by automotive website Car Throttle, the introduction of iOS11 later this year for iPhone could bring with it an interesting and controversial feature.

Apparently, Apple is reading software that might prevent or limit you from using your iPhone while driving. Users can turn on the ‘do not disturb while driving’ mode which will prevent any notifications appearing until the feature is disabled.

Alternatively, if the user forgets to turn on the feature, their iPhone can do so automatically if it detects that the vehicle is in motion. This can be identified through the use of GPS and WiFi systems. If users try to circumvent the feature by unlocking the phone, it will be considerably harder to achieve the desired action unless said person is truly a passenger.

This software can also to reply calls and messages to inform callers/sender that the driver is unable to respond because he/she is behind the wheel of a vehicle. This then, could potentially be a major life saver for those who have the incessant need to glance at their phones after every audible tone that emanates from it.

Now, having said that, drivers are free to interact with their iPhones through their infotainment system should it already be paired through Bluetooth. Its completely legal to use these features while driving, due to the many control options that are available at your finger tips.

The official iOS11 release should take place concurrently with the launch of the new iPhone, which is said to offer revolutionary new features and design elements that underlined the success of the original.

Source: Financial Times, Car Throttle

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