#so ferrari fans needs to get down from their HIGH horse
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God I hate ferrari fans so much "oh you should respect ferrari" "oh it's a legacy team" I DON'T CARE.....Not everyone needs to bow down to the fuck ass horse. It'll be easy if ferrari fans learned that
#james vowles#he didn't even said anything disrespectful#He's just priorities HIS team#which every team principal would do#do you want him to say “oh ferrari is so great I wish carlos still drove for them”#FUCK NO#And if I'm being real petty Williams is also a legacy team#just like McLaren#so ferrari fans needs to get down from their HIGH horse#yeah that horse is high on something
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High Flyer - Part Five
pairing: charles leclerc x reader
summary: the demands of motherhood and racing are a lot, but with the right support, anything is possible.
a/n: sorry this took FOREVER, I graduated in december and it’s been kinda crazy since
masterlist series masterlist requests open
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A high pitched wail ring out, soon followed by another.
“I got them, go back to sleep,” Charles whispers. It’s his turn anyway.
“They’re probably hungry,” you groan, shifting in the bed to get up.
“You pumped earlier, I’ll warm some up and get them back to sleep. You have a race in the morning,” he insists.
“Ok, but wake me up if you need help,” you blink tiredly, watching your husband disappear to the next room over in your hotel suite. A glance at the baby monitor tells you that everything is okay as you drift back to sleep.
It’s been an adjustment for you and the team upon your return. Racing with newborns isn’t easy, especially since you are determined to be a present mother. You could barely handle being outside of Europe, so you and Charles decided that the whole family would be traveling.
“Charles, which one should Hervé wear?” you ask, holding two onesies - one a chili pattern and the other a horse pattern.
“The chili, it’ll make Carlos happy,” Charles says distractedly as he cuddles Gabriel who is sporting Ferrari red.
“Alright, aaaaaand baby two is ready,” you smile, picking up the giggling baby.
“Ready to head out?” Charles asks, grabbing the baby bag.
“Yep,” you double check you have everything on your way out of the room.
“My babies,” Arthur reaches out to steal Gabriel from Charles. He was able to get a seat at Haas for the year alongside Ollie. “He’s wearing the onesie I got him,” he coos, trying not to wake Gabriel up.
“Is he? We just grabbed red,” you glance at Gabriel, whose top reads ‘I have the best Uncle’. “Yeah, that would be you.”
It isn’t uncommon for the five of you to enter the paddock together, Arthur is really trying to go for brother of the year.
Carlos spots your small group and intercepts you. He shifts his weight awkwardly, clearly a little nervous.
“Could I steal Y/n for a minute?” he asks. He looks down at Hervé in your arms and cracks a smile. “My number one fan,” Carlos chuckles as you split off.
“It’s your home race, I thought you may want the support,” you look down as the baby in your arms who is looking back at you.
“Thank you, Hervé. When you want to kart and your mom isn’t letting you, just let Uncle Carlos know. I’ll give you all the tricks on how to beat her,” Carlos says, voice pitched slightly higher.
“I know you love the babies, but there is clearly something on your mind. What’s wrong?” you cut to the chase, you call it your mom instincts. You picked them up while watching over your grid kids -who have turned out to be amazing brothers.
“I’m leaving Ferrari at the end of the season. I wanted you to hear it from me first,” Carlos says carefully, observing every little muscle you move in reaction.
“Why?”
“Red Bull offered me a better contract. I really wanted to stay here as your teammate, but I just couldn’t refuse,” Carlos attempts to reassure you, but you can’t hide your disappointment.
“As long as you are happy,” you push down any sadness, feeling a bit guilty and selfish.
“Hey, maybe we will get Scuderia Leclerc,” Carlos suggests teasingly, stealing Hervé from you as he speaks.
“I am going to get an espresso, want one?” you ask Carlos as you step into the motorhome.
“No, I’ll get one after baby time,” he says, engrossed in playing with his godson.
You run into Fred, who is also waiting for a coffee. He shifts a little, more anxious than normal.
“Carlos told me he is leaving,” you break the ice, tension loosening.
“Yes, it was a shock at first, but he’s been very helpful in choosing a replacement,” Fred replies, making you curiouser. “As soon as the contract is signed you will be the first to know,” he pats your shoulder and walk away. You take the small cup and return to Carlos who is enthralled with Hervé.
“You know, babies are fun and all until you can’t give them back to their parents,” you smile a little bitterly. You love your kids, but there is something to be said for how hard it is to have a tiny human completely dependent on you.
“What did I do?” Carlos panics as Hervé starts crying.
“Nothing, nothing,” you say calmly, taking your son carefully into your arms. “He’s just hungry, excuse me.”
Carlos watches your eyes soften with affection, it’s like nothing he’s ever seen before. You seem like two different people. Ruthless and cruel as a driver, but warm and loving as a mother. He admires it. You disappear to your drivers room and he steals your untouched espresso.
“Someone’s hungry,” Charles looks amused as the way Hervé’s tiny hand grips your shirt.
“Won’t even let me drink an espresso,” you shakes your head adoringly. Charles locks the door behind you, Gabriel sleeping soundly in the pack and play.
“I don’t blame him, he has the twenty-four seven access that every man dreams of,” Charles jokes as you roll your eyes.
“You have the same access,” you lightly smack your husband’s arm. “Now, wake Gabi up to eat,” you sit down in the plush couch you added to the small space. Charles barely touches Gabi before he cries.
“Shh, it’s okay, your mama will feed you soon,” Charles whispers, sitting beside you and helping you set up.
“At least they are hungry at the right time,” you sigh, leaning against him. With the time on the clock, you should have just enough time to pump, nap, and make it to your pre-race duties. “I really couldn’t do this without you. You are the best support,” you feel your energy drain as you pay careful attention to the babies.
“Mon amour, not only would I do anything for you, I have responsibilities as the babies father too,” Charles kisses your cheek.
“I really don’t know what I would do without you, tu es l’amour de ma vie,” you turn to look at him, love filling your tired eyes. Charles repeats your words, leaning in to kiss you.
“Let me put them down,” Charles says when the twins start falling asleep. You fight the exhaustion setting in to pump so the babies can eat during the race. Charles doesn’t know how you can do it all, so he does his best to channel your strength when taking care of them during the races. As soon as the babies are sleeping, he turns to you and finds you mostly asleep. Charles sits back down on the couch, cuddling you as you drift off.
You wake up to your alarm, a blanket covering you as you lay on Charles.
“Feeling ready?” Charles asks, smoothing your hair.
“As I’ll ever be,” you yawn, nuzzling back into Charles’ side. He fights a laugh, holding you closer. “I don’t wanna get up,” you murmur.
“I know, but you have a strategy meeting then the drivers parade and the race. Plus, it’s the end of the triple header, we have a whole week to lay around the house,” Charles reminds you. He noticed how you struggle with balancing your time on race weekends, especially when it comes to napping. Your team has dealt with your crankiness and forgetfulness, so Charles does his best to help.
“We can sleep in,” you sigh happily.
“As long as the babies let us,”
“I can’t wait for them to grow up. And to think I thought about having more,” you pout, sitting up. A gentle knock sounds through the room.
“Y/n, meeting then workout in five,” Carlos reminds you. You begrudgingly get up from the couch, wishing race weekends were as easy as show up, get in, and drive. You’ve thought about retirement more so far this season than ever before in your career.
The strategy meeting, warm up, and drivers parade drags on, and you return to your drivers room to change.
“Enzo! When did you get in?” you hug your brother-in-law. You knew he was showing up to support Arthur, but you were unsure when he was arriving.
“About an hour ago. I had to come see my nephews and sister,” Enzo squeezes you as Charles gapes.
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Charles asks, affronted that his own brother disregarded him.
“Have you won world championships? Carry my nephews? No. Until you do so, Y/n is more important,” Lorenzo teases, as any good brother does.
“Enzo,” you lightly smack his shoulder. “Why don’t you and Charles go get a coffee while I change,” you suggest, waiting for them to leave before changing.
Sometimes you think that rookie you would be astounded by your pre race routine. Rather than keeping to yourself and clearing headspace, you spent time with your babies and Charles. Headphones on until the last possible minute has turned into talking to your team and Carlos.
“Is it too late to retire?” you joke to yourself, slightly annoyed as you change into your fireproofs.
“Please don’t,” you turn around, catching Charles unabashedly checking you out.
“Charles!” you gasp scandalously, pulling your race suit over your shoulders. You didn’t realize he returned without Lorenzo.
“Ma cherie,” he laughs, standing up and wrapping his arms around you.
“I have to go, I’ll see you in the garage?” you press a kiss to his lips, melting into his arms before bending down to put on your boots.
“Of course, drink some water on the way,” he says, handing you your water.
“See you soon,” you squeeze his hand, rushing to the garage for final checks and to bring the car out. Charles appears before you get into the car for warm up laps.
“Safe and sound, asleep in your room,” Charles shows you the baby monitor as you braid back your hair.
“Awww, soon they will be old enough to be in the garage,” you smile, heart swelling with unimaginable love. “Hopefully by then I have a few more championships,” you chuckle, finishing the braid and putting your ear monitors in.
“You can do it, I’ll be here after the anthem,” Charles says, helping you finish getting ready and into your car.
“I’ll be back,” your eyes crinkle as your flip your visor down. Charles backs up as your crew surrounds the car.
Your brain switches into go mode. You haven’t won this race yet, third on the podium is the closest you’ve gotten so your pole position is a welcome advantage.
Charles watches you battle, and when you have a healthy lead with fifteen laps left, he returns to your drivers room to feed the babies and bring them to the parc ferme. Arthur bought them little headphones to protect their ears right after they were born.
“Ready to see your mommy,” Lorenzo grabs Gabriel from Charles when he walks back into the garage after watching from Haas.
“You could always help feed and change them, you know,” Charles suggests, watching you push on your final lap.
“Hey, you’re the father. I’m just the uncle who gets to enjoy the baby time. Hopefully more next year,” Lorenze makes funny faces at Gabi who babbles and giggles.
“Next year?”
“Did I say next year? I meant next week,” Lorenzo brushes it off. “I love you, but if you spit up on my polo, you are going right back to your father. He isn’t as fun as I am,” Lorenzo warns Gabi. All he gets is a blank stare and gummy smile.
“She’s done it!” Charles cheers as you cross the line. Lorenzo and Charles are careful to make their way to the front. As soon as you see Charles and Lorenzo standing with the kids, you audibly squeal. Arthur rushes over from his car after weighing in to congratulate you. He finished in the points, but just outside the podium.
“Oh my god,” happy tears well in your eyes. “You don’t think I could bring them to the podium, do you?” you ask Arthur who just amusedly shakes his head.
“Marketing would love it though,” Arthur chuckles.
“Oh, let me go take off my helmet and weigh in,” you rush away, wanting to get back to your family as fast as possible.
“Great race!” Carlos pats your shoulder after you weigh in.
“Thanks, I gotta go see my babies,” you throw on your P1 hat and return to where your babies are being entertained by Fred and Arthur.
“Hand them here,” you extend your arms, joyful look momentarily turning deadly as you give the security a warning glance. You step against the barrier, leaning against Charles as Lorenzo takes a photo.
“Fantastic drive, mon amour,” Charles kisses your cheek. You are to distracted by the babies for a proper kiss.
“Family photo, get in Arthur and Lorenzo,” Fred cuts in.
“Oh, Maman will love this,” Arthur smiles.
“Hello, little ones! Who are the best grid babies,” you are surprised a little bit by Ollie’s baby talk behind you, but that goes away when you realize it’s him. “Interview time,” Ollie says, a twinge of sadness in his voice as you hand the babies back.
“That includes me, the media waits for no one,” Arthur shakes his head, leaving for the media pen.
“My first podium with my son,” you wrap an arm around Ollie as you head towards Hinchcliffe.
“I’m excited for the family dinner next week,” Ollie tells you. He’s said as much all week, well, all of your grid kids have.
“I love having my kids around. You don’t always have to wait for an invite,” you remind him. You have a guest room specifically for your grid kids.
“I know. I just don’t want to impose, or interfere with any chances of another sibling,” Ollie laughs as Carlos finishes his interview.
“Well, the next time I have another kid will be when I’m retired,” you shake your head, giving Ollie a little nudge forward.
Later in your driver’s room, Arthur and Lorenzo claim the couch, watching you and Charles clean and pack. You showered immediately after getting back to the room, sticky from champagne then fed the babies while Charles relaxed for a few minutes after he spend hours caring for them alone.
“I just wonder who Fred will get to replace Carlos. It will be weird not having him as my teammate,” you vent, taking shirts off hangers.
“Me,” Arthur reveals, causing both you and Charles to stop packing.
“Really?” your eyes widen, praying it isn’t a joke.
“Scuderia Leclerc is real! I haven’t told Maman yet, I am waiting to finalize the contract,” Arthur lets out a grunt as you and Charles practically tackle him.
“I’m so proud I could cry,”
“You are,” Arthur panics a little as tears roll down your cheeks. You swat away his hand, grabbing a tissue to dry your eyes.
“Stupid hormones,” you wave the tissue.
“You sure you aren’t pregnant again?” Lorenzo teases.
“You and Ollie both today,” you shake your head, composing yourself. “Not until I’m retired. It’s hard on Cha and I to raise the twins on the road,” you sit on the bench, busying your hands with folding.
“Maman is going to start bothering you about children soon too,” Charles turns the attention back to Arthur. Lorenzo nods in agreement, happy to put Arthur in the hot seat.
“I’m too young,” Arthur defends himself as you stifle a laugh.
“You aren’t much younger than me. Charles, Enzo, can you get Arthur and I a water and a snack? The race was brutal,” you ask. With a nod, Charles heads out to the main hospitality area to get a couple bottles. Lorenzo seems suspicious, but follows anyway.
“You’ve thought about retiring,” Arthur states like it’s common knowledge. Sure there have been rumors, but they are from untrustworthy sources.
“It’s crossed my mind. I wasn’t lying, it would be much easier to stay home and raise the twins. But I want them to see me race and win. On the other hand, I don’t want to race so long that I can’t have another,” you frown, leaning back against the wall.
“I get it. You could always take time off again. It isn’t unheard of to come out of retirement. Not that you have to right now, but in five years maybe,” Arthur suggests.
“I’ve never seen myself anywhere other than Ferrari. The chances of them bringing me back on again are so small,”
“Even if you go to Williams, you’d at least be racing,” Arthur points out.
“Michael returned and went to Mercedes. Fernando retired for a few years, twice. A couple years off in the future does sound nice. Especially if I return before a rookie takes my number,” you consider the possibilities.
“Well, it isn’t happening yet, no point in dwelling on it,” Arthur stands up and helps you pack.
“Dwelling on what?” Charles asks, handing you a water bottle. Lorenzo follows with a plate of snacks.
“What our names will look like when shortened,” you smoothly lie.
“I’m sure they will do the same thing as they did before,” Charles goes along with it. You and Arthur snack while Lorenzo and Charles pack.
“Let’s get back to the hotel before the kids wake up,” you say as you zip up your bag. Arthur grabs the diaper bag and one car seat as Charles grabs another bag and the other car seat.
“No partying tonight?” Kimi asks, running into you as you leave Ferrari.
“No, I leave that to you young people. I’m too old for that, unless I’ve won a championship,” you shake your head. Who would’ve thought that you’d turn into a homebody.
“You aren’t that old, you are what? 26?” Kimi asks.
“Oh honey, try 29. Go have fun, we will see you soon,” you send him off to where other drivers are waiting - plus Fernando. The guy is almost 50 and parties like the rookies. He retired twice and still came back to drive again.
“You could party too,” Lorenzo tells Arthur. Arthur just shakes his head, adjusting the weight of the bag.
“No, I am looking forward to a soft bed and greasy food,” Arthur declares, mind anywhere but partying until late.
“Dinner with Maman on Monday, don’t forget,” Lorenzo reminds your small group before getting into his car.
The rest of the night is a blur, getting dinner, feeding the babies, getting them to sleep. Charles collapses into the bed beside you after showering.
“Arthur and I were talking about me retiring,” you say into the darkness, causing Charles to wake up from his drowsy state.
“What? Why?”
“Well, I want the kids to remember me racing, and I also want to maybe have a little girl but without returning immediately. I won’t do it immediately, I need a couple more championships under my belt,” you explain quietly. Charles wraps an arm around you, rubbing small circles onto your arm and resting his head on your shoulder.
“I understand. It’s your choice when it happens, and if you decide down the road that you don’t want another baby then i will support that too,” Charles replies sleepily. “You deserve to enjoy your job for as long as possible while also having the life you want.”
“You are thinking about me being pregnant again, aren’t you?” a grin creeps onto your face, reaching to run a hand through his hair.
“Maybe. I can’t help it, you just look so sexy all the time,” Charles shifts so he can get a better look at you in the dark.
“I can and will say the same thing about you. You know, it’s never too early to start practicing,” your hand curls slightly in his hair as you pull him down to kiss you.
And practice you do. Many, many, many times over the next four years.
“Arthur! Have you seen Gabi?” you ask, hoping you don’t have to run around the paddock looking for your toddler. Hervé is his daddy’s boy, always stuck to Charles, but Gabi is your runner.
“No, but Kimi was just here not long ago,” Arthur pops out of his drivers room.
“Him and his uncles, what am I going to do with him?” you rest your head against the wall.
“Relax, one of your grid kids will return him. Just enjoy your last race,” Arthur smiles, excited for your retirement surprise after the race.
“Relax? When have I ever done that?” you fight a smile. The past few years have been great. You rewon your title and kept it, now you are fighting for your fifth.
“Are you worried that I’ll take your championship?” Arthur has been on your heels all year, and while you are proud, a little breathing room in the championship would be nice.
“No,” you don’t sound convincing at all.
“Good, fear me,” Arthur dodges your attempt to hit his arm.
“Y/n, I cannot believe you sent a spy,” you turn around to see Gabi hanging off of Toto, who doesn’t look or sound mad despite his words.
“Mr. Wolff, I am so sorry,” you rush to grab your son, who is just laughing despite your frantic apologies.
“Don’t be, it’s just like when Jack was little. I just couldn’t let Kimi bring him to our strategy meeting,” Toto chuckles. Your boy really does have the paddock wrapped around his finger.
“Wanna play with my new toy?” Arthur asks Gabi, code for the zippers on his backpack. Arthur follows Gabi into his drivers room.
“You will be missed around here. You know that, don’t you?” Toto asks, seeing the young racer hungry for a seat. He tried to sign you back then but the stakeholders were against it.
“Well, I would hope so, I’ve been around for a long time,” you joke in an attempt to not tear up. Since you announced your retirement the fan tributes and statements from other drivers have made you an emotional wreck.
“I know this isn’t the end for you, you have the spirit of a true racer and not one ready to permanently retire. Now, I know that all you know is Ferrari, but it would be a shame to never see you drive again. Let’s talk over the winter break,” Toto says before leaving. Any thoughts of crying turns to joy sparking inside you.
You lean back against the wall, taking in the details of the motorhome.
“Don’t start reminiscing now, you haven’t even retired yet,” a familiar voice pulls you out of your trance.
“Seb! What are you doing here?” you gasp, pushing off the wall to give your former teammate a hug.
“Well, I had to come watch you race one last time,” Seb looks at you proudly. “You are still my eager young teammate, hungry for a podium.”
“Sure, old man. You are just mad we have the same amount of title. Tell it to me straight, how bad is retirement?”
“Oh, seeing your children grow up erases any pain of not racing,” Seb reassures you.
“Right,”
“It’s okay to miss it, you’ve spent your whole life racing,” you look around the hallway and drag Seb into your driver room.
“I want to return to racing,” you admit like it’s a scandal.
“Does Ferrari know that?” Seb asks, worried about the possibility of you returning.
“Yes, but Fred hasn’t said anything about a space being open in the future,” you frown.
“Ferrari isn’t everything. Plenty of us retired with another team,”
“But Ferrari are the only ones who supported me and took a chance on me,”
“That’s not true. Plenty of teams considered giving you offers,”
“But they didn’t.”
“Y/n, if you even give an inkling to the press that you want to return, teams will reach out. Trust me,”
“Well, Toto did just say something that sounded suspiciously close to an offer,”
“Then negotiate. Surprise the world and come back,” Seb encourages you. Before he left Ferrari, he promised he would always be in your corner. The same promise you’ve given to anyone you’ve driven with, except for Arthur. He’s a special case, you don’t want to make him think you are the reason for thing he achieved himself.
“Thanks Seb, you always know what to say,” you exhale a deep breath. “Why are you really here?”
“Ferrari is throwing you a surprise retirement party after the race. They invited former teammates and drivers you were close to,” Seb reveals, you knew there would be a party anyway.
“So you don’t care about my championship? How rude,” you tease as he heads to the door.
“Yeah yeah, go train and get ready for the race,” Seb leaves you alone, hoping you don’t stay in your head.
“Oh, let’s train in your room today!” your trainer blocks you from entering your usual training spot.
“Okay,” you try to peer around him, but get corralled away from the room.
Once you return to your room, you find Charles playing on the floor with Hervé and Gabi.
“Everyone is acting strange today, even Arthur,” you sigh, getting ready for your final meeting in the garage before the installation lap.
“They think you don’t know about the party. I’m going to miss this view,” Charles watches you pull on your fireproofs and race suit.
“These are coming home with me, don’t worry,” you wink. Charles stands up so he can do your hair.
“I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished,” Charles whispers, hugging you from behind after he ties off the braid.
“I wouldn’t be here without you,” You wrap your arms around his, leaning into him.
“Mama, up,” Hervé reaches up at you, his sleepy blue eyes fighting a nap. You pull away from Charles, leaning down to pick him up. A quick knock sounds through the room before your door opens.
“Ready to head to the garage?” Arthur asks. It hits him that the next time you will all be like this, you won’t be his teammate.
“Yeah,” you shift Hervé’s weight, ready to hand him off to Charles before Arthur stops you.
“Let’s bring them with us, they won’t be a bother,” Arthur suggests. Charles follows behind you, the backpack full of kid essentials. Gabi holds your hand, having chosen to walk beside you.
When you get to the garage, the crew starts applauding and you lose it. Tears stream down your face as you look around.
“I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry. I love you all so much, you are the best team I could ask for. Today’s drive is for all of you,” you thank them, letting go of Gabi’s hand to wipe the tears away. Arthur wraps an arm around your shoulders, giving you a side hug.
“Alright boys, let’s let mommy work,” Charles says quietly, taking the boys out of the garage. You put on your headset, trying to get back into the zone.
“You have been and will continue to hear this a lot this weekend, but thank you for everything you’ve done for the Scuderia. You have created a legacy of excellence and your name will be remembered forever by the Tifosi and Ferrari,” Fred starts the meeting. You mouth a simple thank you as the strategists and engineers take over. Arthur grabs your hand and gives it a quick squeeze. You squeeze back before letting go, letting him know you are okay.
After the meeting you take extra time to talk with your team and thank them, making a mental note to add a handwritten note for them on this year’s Christmas card. You and Arthur do some final warm ups, getting your reflexes up to speed before you get into the car.
“One last installation lap,” you tell Charles, a bittersweet smile on your face. You get your earpieces in, watching Charles hand your gloves to the boys.
“You two wanna help Mommy get ready?” Charles asks, still not sure how much they can hear with the headphones on.
“Yeah!” they reply in unison. Twin telepathy has to be real. You pull your balaclava on and put the helmet on before holding your hands out. Charles helps each of them put a glove on.
“Y/n! Time to head out,” one of your engineers tells you.
“I’ll see you after the lap?” you ask Charles, knowing the answer. He kisses the top of the helmet, sending you on your way.
The world fades away on your lap, it’s just you, the car, and the track. There’s no thoughts of retirement or the championship, it’s like you are one with the car. You relay the necessary information to the team before getting out. Normally you’d take the umbrella and head right back to the garage, but today you don’t mind hanging around and enjoying the excitement. Kimi, Ollie, Jack, and Oscar come find you.
“When I first met you guys, you were lanky boys. Now look at you, all grown up,” you tell them. Their thin frames bulked with muscle, no longer the young adults you took under your wing. Each of them designed special helmets with little tributes to you. Ollie’s has a mama bear and a cub, Kimi has a phrase in Italian, Oscar has your racing number on his helmet, and Jack has a grandma emoji on his.
“Promise you’ll visit often?” Kimi asks, a little scared to lose you and your advice.
“Of course. I will miss my boys. I may not be here every weekend, but you all are always welcome in my home. We will still have dinners,” you promise, extending an arm in an invitation for a group hug. Ollie launches himself into you, Kimi following right after.
“I’ll take care of them,” Oscar promises, having adopted more rookies of his own.
“I know you will,” you smile, watching them tear off one by one to do their pre race rituals.
“Thank you for being the best grid grandma,” Jack thanks you.
“I’ll send you cookies,” you promise before turning to Ollie. “There’s no one else I’d rather take my seat,” you tell Ollie, especially proud of him. He was the first person you suggested to Fred.
“I’ll honor you with it,” Ollie promises before leaving you alone again.
“Do you have a moment for our F1 TV viewers?” Will Buxton asks. It’s rare to get a driver interview at this point of a race day, so you indulge him.
“I suppose so,” you adjust the umbrella so it blocks more of the sun.
“What is going through your mind today?” Will starts, asking the question that every reporter wants to know.
“A lot. There are so many memories and things I’m grateful for, I just want to take it all in. A lot has changed since I first stepped foot in the paddock. I think I’ve spend most of my day trying not to cry at all the tributes and thoughtful things everyone has to say. It just means so much to me that my kids have had the chance to see me drive as well,” you try to articulate the whirlwind of things you feel.
“I think it’s safe to say you’ve cemented yourself in F1 history. Any thoughts for the fans watching here and at home?”
“Thank you, for your support and criticism. I know driver dominance is hard to watch as fans. Four, hopefully five, championships later, I’m just grateful to have had the chance to drive. I don’t think this is the last you will see of me, maybe I’ll try rally or something,” you joke.
“Well, I can say for all of us that we are excited to see what you do next. Thank you for your time and congratulations on your retirement,” Will says before the camera cuts. “I can’t say this live, but I certainly hope you retire as Champion of the World. Keep an eye on your phone, we are looking for guest commentators next season,” Will tells you. You thank him before heading back to the garage.
For once, the celebrity guests are former Ferrari drivers and personnel. It’s nice spending the bit of time before the anthem reconnecting. Hell, even Max returned. He retired the year after you came back from pregnancy, holding to the statement that he would retire earlier than fans would expect.
“Good luck, Mommy,” Hervé hugs you before you leave the garage, kissing your cheek.
“Thank you, baby,” you hug him tightly. Gabi is currently talking Arthur’s ear off, well as much as he can for a four year old.
“Give Mommy a good luck hug, Gabi,” you tell him. He rushes over to hug you. Charles stops talking to Arthur to wish you luck. You stand up, Gabi hugging you leg.
“Good luck, show them why you are a four time world champion,” Charles kisses you. Arthur gags across the garage.
“Thank you,” you whisper against his lips.
“Alright love birds, I don’t want a fine for being late,” Arthur calls to you. You begrudgingly step away, waving goodbye to the twins. You and Arthur share the umbrella as you stand on the track.
“Don’t give me the win, I want to fight for it like I have every year,” you say quietly, knowing Arthur would sacrifice his title to let you go out a champion.
“Wasn’t planning on it. The only way I will back down if if given team orders,” Arthur tells you.
“Don’t listen to that, unless we would crash,” you insist. Just because you are retiring doesn’t mean you should get hand outs, unless it’s in the form of money.
“It’s been an honor getting to drive with you as my teammate. I never thought you would be my sister, or teammate, or best friend, but here we are. Thank you,” Arthur hugs you when you get to your cars, your final front row lockout.
“Thank you for being the best little brother, and a great teammate. Love you, Thur,” you hug him back. Fighting any tears that threaten to spill.
“Don’t cry, you’ll be back in a few years. I just know it,” Arthur reassures you as he pulls away.
“And you will be world champion, just not this year,” you grin, heading to your car to get your helmet on and get into the car. Before you climb in, you look around at the crew. “Thank you all, I wouldn’t be successful without your hard work,” you tell them, your sincere tone adding to their motivation.
You climb in, instantly entering race mode. All sentimental emotions leaving as you focus on the race. Time ticks away and it’s just you and the car, waiting for the green light on the formation lap. You’ve done thousands of laps, and it’s time to add 58 more.
The team watches as you drive effortlessly, defending and attacking like it’s your second nature. And an hour and a half later, you cross the finish line one last time for Ferrari as a champion.
“Y/n Leclerc, once again, you are Champion of the World. Thank you for everything you have done for us at Ferrari, it’s been an honor being your race engineer,” your engineer tells you as you cross the line.
“We did it,” you fight the tears, trying to focus on the track. “Thank you everyone, for all the hours, hard work, and late nights that you’ve put in. We’ve spent so much time together and I will remember this forever. This championship is all for you. Thank you Tifosi for all your support, through the ups and downs you were there. Forza Ferrari Sempre,” you say before turning the radio off, driving a little slower on your cool down lap than you normally would.
You don’t jump out immediately after parking the car. You sit a few extra seconds, taking your time removing the steering wheel and seat belt. When you stand on top of the car, the crowd roars.
“You did it!” Arthur cheers, hugging you as soon as you get out of the car.
“Let’s go see the team,” you pat his back. Running to the sea of red one last time.
It’s hard to imagine what will come next in those moments of pure joy.
You and Charles spend the next year enjoying being parents, and you do hop into the commentary booth for a few weekends. Toto reaches out, extending a contract offer whenever you are ready to take it. You talk when you attend races to cheer on your grid kids and Arthur. And following your own footsteps, you reveal your pregnancy to the public the next year - a healthy baby girl named Emilia Vittoria who is spoiled by her racing family.
Carlos is the second person to take Hervé and Gabi karting, you gifted them their own for their fifth birthday. Arthur had the honor of being the first since you were pregnant at the time.
After being away for four years, you rejoin the grid beside Kimi, racing for another four years before retiring for the last time. You don’t win another WDC, but you get to enjoy it while it lasted and retire happy.
#f1 imagines#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#charles leclerc#charles leclerc imagine#charles leclerc x reader#arthur leclerc
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Admittedly, the galas were something that Eli could do without.
He understood the need to raise money for charity, but was also fully aware that for events like these, there was less of an emphasis on fundraising and more of a focus on image. Everything concerning Ferrari was about image. As starry-eyed as he tended to be when it came to the team, Eli wasn’t so naive to believe that anyone attending tonight was wholly aware of what cause they were raising money for. Embarrassingly, he didn’t even know, but he’d pulled his blazer on anyway, emblazoned with the prancing horse crest, and tried his best not to feel too much like an obedient little school boy as he tied his tie in Matty’s mirror.
Catching sight of Matty coming up behind him in the reflection, he turned towards his best friend, letting himself be appraised. He trusted Matty to tell him if he was suitably dressed for the evening, although he knew that Matty, who came from a world of high-fashion and designer trends, would probably be the one caught holding the matches if his Ferrari blazer was ever set ablaze.
“I look okay?” he asked. He was modest, but not so humble to believe that he wouldn’t be the second most-photographed attendee at the gala, the first obviously being Jax. He wanted to make sure that he looked clean and professional so he didn’t screw up any pictures and accidentally set up a PR meeting.
His eyes dipped down to Matty’s bare chest, the water from his shower still clinging to him in a way that was disturbingly inviting. Had they still been in their early twenties with no real standing in the public eye, Eli was almost certain that that towel around Matty’s waist would already be long gone and Eli’s hair would be far more tousled than it was now. It seemed like a far more entertaining way of spending his night, but he had to be on his best behaviour. People were counting on him to show up and shake hands and charm people the way Brendan would have. The success of the night was riding on Eli’s ability to flash that boy-next-door smile and keep their fans right in the palm of his hand.
His eyes fluttered shut with a content little noise when he felt Matty’s hands in his hair, the touch soft and welcoming and far more comfortable than sliding on his racing balaclava and helmet. However, he immediately wrinkled his nose, peaceful expression gone as he cracked one eye open and gave Matty a withering look.
“Behave,” he warned him, half-heartedly. As supportive as Matty was of Eli and his career, he knew that his best friend had no fondness at all for the team he drove for. He thought they were too structured, too rigid, and while Eli would agree to an extent, Matty didn’t get it. Ferrari was Eli’s dream. True, that dream had been impressed upon him from the early days of following Brendan around the paddock, his godfather barely more than a teenager when he kindly made time for a starstruck Eli, allowing him to sit in his car and instructing the mechanics to be patient with him and allow him to help in the garage. Ever since then, you only needed to give Eli a papercut to know that he bled Ferrari-red. Hell, his first pet, a lop-eared rabbit he’d adored, had been named Enzo.
“I just need to look presentable,” he argued, turning back to Matty as he tugged at his own curls and tried to brush them into submission with his fingers. To no avail, of course. “We can’t all be effortlessly pretty like you.”
Sighing and edging out of the way so Matty could have monopoly over the mirror, Eli went in search of his comb. He picked up his phone on the way, where it had been buzzing incessantly, a clear sign that the Twitch Quartet group chat had been active. He scrolled through the messages from the other drivers in their little friendship group, all of them lamenting his absence from their stream tonight. In all honesty, he’d much rather be sitting behind his sim and battling it out on screen with the guys than attending the gala, but duty called. The rest of them didn’t have the same obligations to attend to, but this was what Eli had signed himself up for.
Sending off a gif of a sad-looking cat, he checked his other messages, thumb hovering over the screen when one in particular caught his eye.
“Holy shit,” he breathed. His head flew up and he stared at Matty, catching the other man’s attention. “Ash has been let go.”
Tyler, Eli’s own trainer and good friend, had text him about half an hour ago with the news, letting him know that they were going to be one team member short at the gala due to Ash’s departure from the team. ‘Departure’ being a fancy, PR-friendly word for ‘fired’.
He himself didn’t know the man too well, but he was Jax’s trainer and Eli knew the two were really close. Now, Jax had to attend the gala tonight, one of his first public appearances since the crash that had taken him out for the rest of the season, all with the knowledge that his trainer wasn’t going to be returning to help him in the new year.
“I really don’t think they’re going to care what my hair looks like tonight,” Eli said, swapping a wide-eyed look with Matty.
Having Elias back was like a weight had been lifted from Matty’s shoulders, one he didn’t even know had been pulling him down. He wasn’t overly inclined to feel homesick – he loved his siblings (and the many small children that came as a package deal alongside them), but there had always been so many of them under one roof. Countless voices fighting to be heard, some quieter than others, Hero often overlooked and Matty the one to wipe away her tears and lift her spirits. With Eli, it was much easier. Whenever the other man was away, Matty would find himself switching on the television and searching for his face, in news reels and Best Bit highlight shows. Tiny moments of his best friend, usually clipped down to a 12 second flash of him on the track or a glimpse of his smiling face as he stood alongside Jax.
Matthew had missed him in the way that a fight might miss the water; Eli was a phantom limb, the only thing keeping Matty entirely whole when he was around. It seemed dramatic and codependent, he knew that. It wasn’t that he couldn’t be happy without Elias around – not by any stretch – but he simply enjoyed life more when he was there. Matty was by no means a lonely person, but with Amira gone, Killian ghosting him, and a crush that he’d incorrectly assumed to be harmless, he desperately needed his best guy back.
The second Eli’s flight had landed, Matty had been there, standing at the arrival gate with a bouquet of flowers so extravagant they obscured his face from view. He’d peeked through the assortment of roses and peonies, grinning to himself as he spotted his best friend, releasing a peel of laughter as he saw the look of embarrassment on his face. Eli hadn’t needed to see Matty’s face to know just who was hiding behind the flowers, he’d simply known that nobody else on this earth would have shown up with the intent of both lovingly greeting him as well as flustering him.
Now, tucked safely into the comfort of Matty’s penthouse apartment, the whole city as their backdrop, the two of them were smartening themselves up for a night on the town. Or, rather, a Gala Evening courtesy of the speed demons that Elias was employed by.
“Well, you look as dashing as ever,” Matthew noted, wandering towards his best friend, a warm smile on his face. Eli was getting suited and booted for the night, while Matty was still shirtless, water droplets dripping down his chest from his still-wet hair. “I’m really loving the tousled look, I have to say.”
His friend’s fingers moved deftly at the fabric in his hands, securing his black tie to his neck. While he was almost fully ready – bar his cringey Ferrari blazer, as Eli had put it himself – his hair remained perfectly unkempt, appearing to be the very last thing requiring his care. Strands stood to attention every which way, with tendrils dropping low over his brow, in front of his eyes.
“You think Ferrero Rocher would let you wear it like this?” he asked, reaching forward to comb a delicate hand through the soft tufts of Eli’s hair. He smirked, anticipating the eyeroll his slip of the tongue would earn him.
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Arplis - News: 2020 Top 10 High Tech Cars
Photo: Polestar The Polestar 1 hybrid, the first of a sub-brand from Volvo, goes fast and goes far in all-electric mode—roughly 88 kilometers (55 miles). Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR In 2019, the auto industry finally started acting like its future was electric. How do we know? Just follow the money. General Motors just announced it was spending US $20 billion over five years to bring out a new generation of electric vehicles. Volkswagen Group has pledged $66 billion spread over five years, most of it for electric propulsion. Ford hopes to transform its lineup and image with an $11.5 billion program to develop EVs. And of course, Tesla has upstaged them all with the radical, scrapyard-from-Mars Cybertruck, a reminder that Elon Musk will remain a threat to the automotive order for the foreseeable future. This past year, I saw the first fruit of Volkswagen Group’s massive investment: the Porsche Taycan, a German sport sedan that sets new benchmarks in performance and fast charging. It lived up to all the hype, I’m happy to say. As for Tesla and Ford, stay tuned. The controversial Tesla Cybertruck, the hotly anticipated Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the intriguing Rivian pickup and SUV (which has been boosted by $500 million in backing from Ford) are still awaiting introduction. EV fans, as ever, must be patient: The Mach-E won’t reach showrooms until late this year, and as for the Rivian and Cybertruck, who knows? As is our habit, we focus here on cars that are already in showrooms or will be within the next few months. And we do include some good old gasoline-powered cars. Our favorite is the Corvette: It adopts a mid-engine design for the first time in its 67-year history. Yes, an electrified version is in the works. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 The middle: where no Corvette engine has gone before Base price: US $59,995 Photo: Chevrolet Perfect balance is what you get by moving the Stingray’s V8 to the center; unlike its mid-engine rivals, the car has generous cargo space in a rear trunk. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR By now, even casual car fans have heard that the Corvette has gone mid-engine. It’s a radical realignment for a car famous for big V8s nestling below long, flowing hoods since the ’Vette’s birth in 1953. Best of all, it works, and it means the Stingray will breathe down the necks of Ferraris, McLarens, and other mid-engine exotics—but at a ridiculous base price of just US $59,995. Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s chief engineer, says that the previous, seventh-generation model had reached the limits of front-engine physics. By rebalancing weight rearward, the new design allows the Stingray to put almost preposterous power to the pavement without sacrificing the comfort and everyday drivability that buyers demand. I got my first taste of these new physics near the old stagecoach town of Tortilla Flat, Ariz. Despite having barely more grunt than last year’s base model—369 kilowatts (495 horsepower) from the 6.2-liter V8 rumbling just behind my right shoulder—the Corvette scorches to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) nearly a full second quicker, at a supercar-baiting 2.9 seconds. This Stingray should top out at around 190 mph. And there are rumors of mightier versions in the works, perhaps even an electric or hybrid ’Vette with at least 522 kW (700 hp). With the engine out back, driver and passenger sit virtually atop the front axle, 42 centimeters (16.5 inches) closer to the action, wrapped in a fighter-jet-inspired cockpit with a clearer view over a dramatically lowered hood. Thanks to a new eight-speed, dual-clutch automated gearbox, magnetorheological shocks, and a limited-slip rear differential—all endlessly adjustable—my Corvette tamed every outlaw curve, bump, and dip in its Old West path. It’s so stable and composed that you’ll need a racetrack to approach its performance limits. It’s still fun on public roads, but you can tell that it’s barely breaking a sweat. Yet it’s nearly luxury-car smooth and quiet when you’re not romping on throttle. And it’s thrifty. Figure on 9 to 8.4 liters per 100 kilometers (26 to 28 miles per gallon) at a steady highway cruise, including sidelining half its cylinders to save fuel. A sleek convertible model does away with the coupe’s peekaboo view of the splendid V8 through a glass cover. The upside is an ingenious roof design that folds away without hogging a cubic inch of cargo space. Unlike any other mid-engine car in the world, the Corvette will also fit two sets of golf clubs (or equivalent luggage) in a rear trunk, in addition to the generously sized “frunk” up front. The downside to that convenience is a yacht-size rear deck that makes—how shall we put this?—the Chevy’s butt look fat. An onboard Performance Data Recorder works like a real-life video game, capturing point-of-view video and granular data on any drive, overlaying the video with telemetry readouts, and allowing drivers to analyze lap times and performance with Cosworth racing software. The camera-and-GPS system allows any road or trip to be stored and analyzed as though it was a timed circuit—perfect for those record-setting grocery runs. Polestar 1 This hybrid is tuned for performance Base price: US $156,500 Photo: Polestar Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Consider the Polestar 1 a tech tease from Volvo. This fiendishly complex plug-in hybrid will be seen in just 1,500 copies, built over three years in a showpiece, enviro-friendly factory in Chengdu, China. Just as important, it’s the first of several planned Polestars, a Volvo sub-brand that aims to expand the company’s electric reach around the globe. I drove mine in New Jersey, scooting from Hoboken to upstate New York, as fellow drivers craned their necks to glimpse this tuxedo-sharp, hand-built luxury GT. The body panels are formed from carbon fiber, trimming 227 kilograms (500 pounds) from what’s still a 2,345-kg (5,170-pound) ride. Front wheels are driven by a four-cylinder gas engine, whose combo of a supercharger and turbocharger generates 243 kilowatts (326 horses) from just 2.0 liters of displacement, with another 53 kW (71 hp) from an integrated starter/generator. Two 85-kW electric motors power the rear wheels, allowing some 88 kilometers (55 miles) of emissions-free range—likely a new high for a plug-in hybrid—before the gas engine kicks in. Mashing the throttle summons some 462 kW (619 hp) and 1,000 newton meters (737 pound-feet) of torque, allowing a 4.2-second dash to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). It’s fast, but not lung-crushing fast, like Porsche’s Taycan. Yet the Polestar’s handling is slick, thanks to those rear motors, which work independently, allowing torque vectoring—the speeding or slowing of individual wheels—to boost agility. And Öhlins shock absorbers, from the renowned racing and performance brand, combine precise body control with a creamy-smooth ride. It’s a fun drive, but Polestar’s first real test comes this summer with the Polestar 2 EV. That fastback sedan’s $63,750 base price and roughly 440-km (275-mile) range will see it square off against Tesla’s sedans. Look for it in next year’s Top 10. Hyundai Sonata It has the automation of a much pricier car Base price: US $24,330 Photo: Hyundai Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR The U.S. market for family sedans has been gutted by SUVs. But rather than give up on sedans, as Ford and Fiat Chrysler have done, Hyundai has doubled down with a 2020 Sonata that’s packed with luxury-level tech and alluring design at a mainstream price. The Sonata is packed with features that were recently found only on much costlier cars. The list includes Hyundai’s SmartSense package of forward-collision avoidance, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam assist, adaptive cruise control, and a drowsy-driver attention warning, and they’re all standard, even in the base model. The SEL model adds a blind-spot monitor, but with a cool tech twist: Flick a turn signal and a circle-shaped camera view of the Sonata’s blind spot appears in the digital gauge cluster in front of the driver. It helped me spot bicyclists in city traffic. Hyundai’s latest infotainment system, with a 10-inch (26-centimeter) monitor, remains one of the industry’s most intuitive touch screens. Taking a page from much more expensive BMWs, the Hyundai’s new “smart park” feature, standard on the top-shelf Limited model, lets it pull into or out of a tight parking spot or garage with no driver aboard, controlled by the driver through the key fob. That fob can be replaced by a digital key, which uses an Android smartphone app, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Near Field Communication to unlock and start the car. Owners can share digital-key access with up to three users, including sending codes via the Web. Even the Sonata’s hood is festooned with fancy electronics. What first looks like typical chrome trim turns out to illuminate with increasing intensity as the strips span the fenders and merge into the headlamps. The chrome was laser-etched to allow a grid of 0.05-millimeter LED squares to shine through. Add it to the list of bright ideas from Hyundai. Porsche Taycan It outperforms Tesla—for a price Base price: US $114,340 Photo: Porsche Fast off the mark and fast to charge, the Taycan inherits tech from Porsche’s LeMans-winning 919 Hybrid racers, including the 800-volt architecture. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Yes, the all-electric Porsche Taycan is better than a Tesla Model S. And it had damn well better be: The Porsche is a far newer design, and it sells at up to double the Tesla’s price. What you get for all that is a four-door supercar GT, a technological marvel that starts the clock ticking on the obsolescence of fossil-fueled automobiles. This past September I spent two days driving the Taycan Turbo S through Denmark and Germany. One high point was repeated runs to 268 kilometers per hour (167 miles per hour) on the Autobahn, faster than I’ve ever driven an EV. From a standing start, an automated launch mode summoned 560 kilowatts (750 horsepower) for a time-warping 2.6-second dash to 60 mph. As alert readers have by now surmised, the Taycan is fast. But one of its best time trials takes place with the car parked. Thanks to the car’s groundbreaking 800-volt electrical architecture—with twice the voltage of the Tesla’s—charging is dramatically quicker. Doubling the voltage means the current needed to deliver a given level of power is of course halved. Pulling off the Autobahn during my driving test and connecting the liquid-cooled cables of a 350-kW Ionity charger, I watched the Porsche suck in enough DC to replenish its 93.4-kW battery from 8 to 80 percent in 20 minutes flat. Based on my math, the Porsche added nearly 50 miles of range for every 5 minutes of max charging. In the time it takes to hit the bathroom and pour a coffee, owners can add about 160 kilometers (100 miles) of range toward the Taycan’s total, estimated at 411 to 450 km (256 to 280 miles) under the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seems to have sandbagged the Porsche, pegging its range at 201 miles, even as test drivers report getting 270 miles or more. Porsche hopes to have 600 of the ultrafast DC chargers up and running in the United States by the end of this year. That 800-volt operation brings other advantages, too. With less current to carry, the wiring is slimmer and lighter, saving 30 kilograms in the electrical harness alone. Also, less current is drawn during hard driving, which reduces heat and wear on the electric motors. Porsche says that’s key to the Taycan’s repeatable, consistent performance. In its normal driving mode, the Turbo S version kicks out 460 kW (617 horsepower) and 1,049 newton meters (774 pound-feet) of torque. The front and back axles each have an electric motor with a robust 600-amp inverter; in other models the front gets 300 amps and the rear gets 600 amps. The Porsche’s other big edge is its race-bred handling. Though this sedan tops 2,310 kg (5,100 pounds), its serenity at boggling speeds is unmatched. Credit the full arsenal of Porsche’s chassis technology: four-wheel-steering, active roll stabilization, and an advanced air suspension offering three levels of stiffness, based on three separate pressurized chambers. Porsche claims class-leading levels of brake-energy recuperation. It’s also Porsche’s most aerodynamic production model, with a drag coefficient of just 0.22, about as good as any mass-production car ever. Porsche invested US $1 billion to develop the Taycan, with $800 million of that going to a new factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany. For a fairer fight with Tesla, a more-affordable 4S model arrives in U.S. showrooms this summer, with up to 420 kW (563 hp) and a base price of $103,800. Audi RS Q8 Mild hybrid, wild ride Base price (est.): US $120,000 Photo: Audi Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR I’m rocketing up a dormant volcano to the highest peak in Spain, Mt. Teide in the Canary Islands. There may be more efficient ways to test a luxury crossover SUV, but none more fun. I’m in the Audi RS Q8, a mild-hybrid version of the Q8, introduced just last year. I’m getting a lesson in how tech magic can make a roughly 2,310-kilogram (5,100-pound) vehicle accelerate, turn, and brake like a far smaller machine. The RS Q8’s pulsing heart is a 4-liter, 441-kilowatt (591-horsepower) twin-turbo V8. It’s augmented by a mild-hybrid system based on a 48-volt electrical architecture that sends up to 12 kW to charge a lithium-ion battery. That system also powers trick electromechanical antiroll bars to keep the body flatter than a Marine’s haircut during hard cornering. An adaptive air suspension hunkers down at speed to reduce drag and center of gravity, while Quattro all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering provide stability. A mammoth braking system, largely shared with the Lamborghini Urus, the Audi’s corporate cousin, includes insane 10-piston calipers up front. That means 10 pressure points for the brake pads against the spinning brake discs, for brawny stopping power and improved heat management and pedal feel. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes trim 19 pounds from each corner. Audi’s engineers fine-tuned it all in scores of trials on Germany’s fabled Nürburgring circuit, which the RS Q8 stormed in 7 minutes, 42 seconds. That’s faster than any other SUV in history. Audi’s digital Virtual Cockpit and MMI Touch center screens are smoothly integrated in a flat panel. A navigation system analyzes past drives to nearby destinations, looking at logged data on traffic density and the time of day. And the Audi Connect, an optional Android app that can be used by up to five people, can unlock and start the Audi. Audi quotes a conservative 3.8-second catapult from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). We’re betting on 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, maybe less. Mini Cooper SE It offers all-electric sprightliness US $30,750 Photo: Mini Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR I’m on a street circuit at the FIA’s Formula E race in Brooklyn, N.Y., about to take my first all-electric laps in the new Mini Cooper SE during a break in race action. The Manhattan skyline paints a stunning backdrop across the harbor. My Red Hook apartment happens to be a short walk from this temporary circuit; so is the neighborhood Tesla showroom, and an Ikea and a Whole Foods, both equipped with EV chargers. In other words, this densely populated city is perfect for the compact, maneuverable, electric Mini, that most stylish of urban conveyances. It’s efficient, too, as Britain’s Mini first proved 61 years ago, with the front-drive car that Sir Alec Issigonis created in response to the gasoline rationing in Britain following the 1956 Suez crisis. This Mini squeezes 32.6 kilowatt-hours worth of batteries into a T-shaped pack below its floor without impinging on cargo space. At a hair over 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds), this Mini adds only about 110 kg to a base gasoline Cooper. With a 135-kilowatt (181-horsepower) electric motor under its handsome hood, the Mini sails past the Formula E grandstand, quickening my pulse with its go-kart agility and its ethereal, near-silent whir. The body sits nearly 2 centimeters higher than the gasoline version, to accommodate 12 lithium-ion battery modules, but the center of gravity drops by 3 cm (1.2 inches), a net boost to stability and handling. Because the Mini has neither an air-inhaling radiator grille nor an exhaust-exhaling pipe, it’s tuned for better aerodynamics as well. A single-speed transmission means I never have to shift, though I do fiddle with the toggle switch that dials up two levels of regenerative braking. That BMW electric power train, with 270 newton meters (199 pound-feet) of instant-on torque, punts me from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 kilometers per hour) in just over 7 seconds, plenty frisky for such a small car. The company claims a new wheelspin actuator reacts to traction losses notably faster, a sprightliness that’s particularly gratifying when gunning the SE around a corner. It all reminds me of that time when the Tesla Roadster was turning heads and EVs were supposed to be as compact and light as possible to save energy. The downside is that a speck-size car can fit only so much battery. The Mini’s has less than one-third the capacity of the top Tesla Model S. That’s only enough for a mini-size range of 177 km (110 miles). That relatively tiny battery helps deliver an appealing base price of $23,250, including a $7,500 federal tax credit. And this is still a hyperefficient car: On a subsequent drive in crawling Miami traffic, the Mini is on pace for 201 km (125 miles) of range, though its battery contains the equivalent of less than 0.9 gallon of gasoline. Following a full 4-hour charge on a basic Level 2 charger, you’ll be zipping around town again, your conscience as clear as the air around the Mini. Vintage Fiat 124 Spider, Retooled by Electric GT A drop-in electric-drive system gives new life to an old car—like this 1982 Spider System base price: US $32,500 Photo: Electric GT This modern classic from 1982, retooled by Electric GT, hums along on an electric system that fits the space the engine used to occupy. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Vintage-car aficionados love to grouse about the time and money it takes to keep their babies running. Electric GT has a better idea: Skip ahead a century. The California company has developed an ingenious plug-and-play “crate motor” that transplants an electric heart into most any vintage gasoline car. I drove an orange 1982 Fiat 124 Spider that Electric GT converted to battery drive. With a relatively potent 89 kilowatts (120 horsepower) and 235 newton meters (173 pound-feet) of torque below its hood, and 25 kilowatt-hours’ worth of repurposed Tesla batteries stuffed into its trunk area, the Fiat can cover up to 135 kilometers (85 miles) of driving range, enough for a couple hours of top-down cruising. Best of all, the system is designed to integrate exclusively with manual-transmission cars, including the Fiat’s charming wood-topped shifter and five forward gears. This romantic, Pininfarina-designed Fiat also squirts to 60 miles per hour in about 7 seconds, about 3 seconds quicker than the original old-school dawdler. Electric GT first got attention when it converted a 1978 Ferrari 308, best known as Tom Selleck’s chariot on the U.S. TV show “Magnum, P.I.,” to electric drive. The company’s shop, north of Los Angeles, is filled with old Porsches, Toyota FJ40s, and other cars awaiting electrification. The crate motors even look like a gasoline engine, with what appears at first glance to be V-shaped cylinder banks and orange sparkplug wires. Systems are engineered for specific cars, and the burliest of the bunch store 100 kWh, enough to give plenty of range. With system prices starting at US $32,500 and topping $80,000 for longer-range units, this isn’t a project for the backyard mechanic on a Pep Boys budget. Eric Hutchison, Electric GT’s cofounder, says it’s for the owner who loves a special car and wants to keep it alive but doesn’t want to provide the regular babying care that aging, finicky machines typically demand. “It’s the guy who says, ‘I already own three Teslas. Now, how do I get my classic Jaguar electrified?’ ” says Hutchison. Components designed for easy assembly should enable a good car hobbyist to perform the conversion in just 40 to 50 hours, the company says. “We’re taking out all the brain work of having to be an expert in battery safety or electrical management,” Hutchison says. “You can treat it like a normal engine swap.” Toyota RAV4 Hybrid A redesigned hybrid system optimizes fuel economy Base price: $29,470 Photo: Toyota Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR The RAV4 is the best-selling vehicle in the United States that isn’t a pickup truck. What’s more, its hybrid offshoot is the most popular gas-electric SUV. No wonder: Forty-four percent of all hybrids sold in America in 2018 were Toyotas. And where many hybrids disappoint in real-world fuel economy, the RAV4 delivers. That’s why this Toyota, whose 2019 redesign came too late to make last year’s Top 10 list, is getting its due for 2020. My own tests show 41 miles per gallon (5.7 liters per 100 kilometers) in combined city and highway driving, 1 mpg better than the EPA rating. Up front, a four-cylinder, 131-kilowatt (176-horsepower) engine mates with an 88-kW (118-hp) electric motor. A 40-kW electric motor under the cargo hold drives the rear wheels. Altogether, you get a maximum 163 kW (219 hp) in all-wheel-drive operation, with no driveshaft linking the front and rear wheels. The slimmer, redesigned hybrid system adds only about 90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) and delivers a huge 8-mile-per-gallon gain over the previous model. Toyota’s new Predictive Efficient Drive collects data on its driver’s habits and combines that with GPS route and traffic info to optimize both battery use and charging. For example, it will use more electricity while climbing hills in expectation of recapturing that juice on the downhill side. And when the RAV4 is riding on that battery, it’s as blissfully quiet as a pure EV. Toyota’s Safety Sense gear is standard, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automatic emergency braking. Next year will bring the first-ever plug-in hybrid version, which Toyota says will be the most powerful RAV4 yet. Ford Escape Hybrid This SUV has carlike efficiency Base price: US $29,450 Photo: Ford Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Years ago, Americans began abandoning their cars for SUVs. So by now you might think those SUVs would be achieving carlike efficiencies. You’d be correct. Exhibit A: the new Ford Escape Hybrid, with its class-topping EPA rating of 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers (41 miles per gallon)in combined city and highway driving. That’s 1 mpg better than its formidable Top 10 competitor, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Where the Toyota aims for a rugged-SUV look, the Ford wraps a softer, streamlined body around its own hybrid system. That includes a 2.5-L, four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine, and a pair of electric motor/generators for a 150-kilowatt (200 horsepower) total. A briefcase-size battery pack, about a third the size of the old Escape Hybrid’s, tucks below the front passenger seat. The Toyota’s rear electric motor drives the rear wheels independently and thus offers only an all-wheel-drive version. The Escape forges a mechanical connection to the rear wheels, allowing both all-wheel drive and front-wheel-drive versions. The latter is lighter and more efficient when you’re not dealing with snow, ice, off-roading, or some combination of the three. The 0-to-60-mph run is dispatched in a whisper-quiet 8.7 seconds, versus 7.5 seconds for the Toyota. The Ford fires back with powerful, smartly tuned hybrid brakes that have more stopping power than either the Toyota or the gasoline-only Escapes can manage. Tech features include a nifty automated self-parking function, evasive-steering assist, and wireless smartphone charging. A head-up display available on the Titanium—Ford’s first ever in North America—projects speed, navigation info, driver-assist status, and other data onto the windshield. FordPass Connect, a smartphone app, lets owners use a smartphone to lock, unlock, start, or locate their vehicle, and a standard 4G LTE Wi-Fi system links up to 10 mobile devices. A plug-in hybrid version will follow later this year with what Ford says will be a minimum 30 miles of usable all-electric range. All told, it’s a winning one-two punch of efficiency and technology in an SUV that starts below $30,000. Aston Martin Vantage AMR High tech empowers retro tech Base price: US $183,081 Photo: Aston Martin Best of Old and New: The AMR blends an actual manual transmission integrated into an adaptive power train and suspension Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Take an Aston Martin Vantage, among the world’s most purely beautiful sports cars. Add a 375-kilowatt (503-horsepower) hand-assembled V8 from AMG, the performance arm of Mercedes-Benz. Assemble a team of engineers led by Matt Becker, Aston’s handling chief and the former maestro of Lotus’s chassis development. Does this sound like the recipe for the sports car of your dreams? Well, that dream goes over the top, with the manual transmission in the new Vantage AMR. Burbling away from Aston’s AMR Performance Centre, tucked along the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, I am soon happily pressing a clutch pedal and finessing the stick shift on the Autobahn. The next thing I know, the Aston is breezing past 300 kilometers per hour (or 186 miles per hour), which is not far off its official 195-mph top speed. That’s a 7-mph improvement over the automatic version. This stick shouts defiance in a world in which the Corvette C8, the Ferrari, the Lamborghini, and the Porsche 911 have sent their manual transmissions to the great scrapyard in the sky. But what’s impressive is how seamlessly the company has integrated this classic technology with the newest tech, including an adaptive power train and suspension. The AMR’s 1,500-kilogram (3,298-pound) curb weight is about 100 kg less than that of an automatic model. The seven-speed manual, a once-maddening unit from Italy’s Graziano, has been transformed. An all-new gearbox was out of the question: No supplier wanted to develop one for a sports car that will have just 200 copies produced this year. So Aston had to get creative with the existing setup. Technicians reworked shift cables and precisely chamfered the gears’ “fingers”—think of the rounded teeth inside a Swiss watch—for smoother, more-precise shifts. A dual-mass flywheel was fitted to the mighty Mercedes V8 to dampen resonance in the driveline so the gearbox doesn’t rattle. The standard Vantage’s peak torque has been lowered from 681 to 625 newton meters (from 502 to 461 pound-feet) to reduce stress on transmission gears. Aston also sweated the ideal placement of shifter and clutch pedal for the pilot. A dual-chamber clutch master cylinder, developed from a Formula One design, moves a high volume of transmission fluid quickly, but without an unreasonably heavy, thigh-killing clutch pedal. A selectable AM Shift Mode feature delivers modern, rev-matching downshifts, eliminating the need for human heel-and-toe maneuvers, with thrilling matched upshifts under full throttle. The Graziano still takes a bit of practice: Its funky “dogleg” first gear sits off to the left, away from the familiar H pattern of shift gates. Second gear is where you’d normally find first, third replaces second, and so on. The layout originated in old-school racing, the idea being that first gear was unneeded, unless you were rolling through the pit lane. The dogleg pattern allows easier shifting from second to third and back without having to slide the shifter sideways. Once acclimated, I can’t get enough: The shifter grants me precise control over the brawny V8, and the Aston’s every balletic move. More improbably, this sweet shifter on the AMR won’t become a footnote in Aston history: It will be an option on every Vantage in 2021. This article appears in the April 2020 print issue as “ 2020 Top 10 Tech Cars.” #Transportation/advanced-cars #Transportation
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Choosing the 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car
Patron saint of literary cool Joan Didion—who stalked the steamy, smoggy canyons of Los Angeles in a Daytona Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray—once said, “Rationality, reasonableness bewilder me.” If only Didion were along for this year’s Best Driver’s Car competition. There is nothing rational or reasonable about holding the keys to $1.9 million worth of the world’s dreamiest sports cars, exotics, grand tourers, and supercars. It’s one thing to parse the packaging of family-friendly compact SUVs. That’s our day job. Best Driver’s Car is about the way a car makes you feel. It’s about the bees in your belly as you clip an apex, the giggles induced by the slingshot launch of barely restrained acceleration, and the sense of satisfaction that comes from the melding of man and machine. Where’s the cupholder for my latte in the McLaren? Can you fit anyone in that back seat of a 911? How much does that Ferrari 488 really cost? Don’t know. Don’t care. Our Highway Patrol–assisted closure of California State Route 198 and subsequent invasion of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are the highlights of this event. But the Best Driver’s Car format actually began two weeks prior at Auto Club Speedway, when our testing trio of Kim Reynolds, Chris Walton, and Erick Ayapana took their first crack at our contenders with our battery of standardized instrumented testing. To earn the title of Best Driver’s Car, a vehicle must deliver a balance of usable performance, intuitive handling, and driver-friendly design. The winner should be a vehicle with a multidimensional personality, a car that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions. We had quite the field this year, with representation from Italy, Germany, Japan, England, and the V-8 thunder of American freedom. But as the test team crunched the test results, there was no clear leader. A storm was brewing. Highway 198 Revisited A four-hour drive along I-5’s trackless wastes brings us to our hotel in King City, California. Most of the other judges had convoyed up together around noon. But with most of California tucked into bed, associate editor Scott Evans and I made great time in the Aston Martin and Corvette. We rolled into the King City Days Inn a tick past midnight. We were the last to arrive, but our hotel clerk couldn’t have been happier. It isn’t every day you get to meet a YouTube hero, a certain “Mr. Lieberman,” who earlier had given an impromptu car show to our host. His fan club is everywhere. Highway 198 is a magical place, an undulating public two-lane roadway filled with tight switchbacks, sweeping curves, midcorner bumps, long straights, and panoramic views. It’s a gorgeous 4.2-mile stretch of roadway that climbs about 1,000 feet, allowing Motor Trend judges to test each contender at its (and their own) limits. Any shortcomings of either car or driver will be quickly identified on this passage. It is the mill that grinds the grist. Just past daybreak, the ground fog still clearing, we pulled to the side of the road to set up camp, clean cars, and wait for the California Highway Patrol’s black and white Ford Explorers to close the road so we could begin. After a team meeting, we fired up all 86 cylinders and commenced our first runs up the beckoning hills—each of us starting in the familiar car we had driven from L.A. That meant the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, intimidating in looks and sound, for me. The ’Vette is really a sweetheart once set up properly—Driver Mode Select in Sport and the steering wheel set to Tour. In those modes, the throttle response is linear and quick, and the suspension is dialed in to maximize the car’s speed around corners. The steering is light and direct, though you need to make a conscious effort to slow yourself down because turn-in is still very quick. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. “Needs 100 extra horsepower! Felt slow!” Jonny shouted after his turn behind the wheel. Also, the crowded seven-speed manual gearbox has rubbery, ropey throws and doesn’t like to be rushed, and the gear ratios felt too tall for the track-oriented Grand Sport. Said executive editor Mark Rechtin: “It seems like there was a big gap between the powerbands in third and fourth gear.” Chevy used to sandbag the Camaro to avoid stepping on the Corvette’s toes, but those days are gone. The Camaro ZL1 1LE is an uncaged race car. As he pulled into our makeshift pit lane, Jonny could be heard screaming, “Yeaaaah!” and clapping his hands. You’d think power would be why the Camaro works so well, but it’s actually grip that’s the key to this muscle car. Those steamroller-wide, superglue-sticky Goodyear tires work hand in hand with the DSSV dampers and the added aero aids to ensure that the Camaro can use each and every one of its 650 horses. “You quickly learn you can trust the tires as you unleash the power,” Detroit editor Alisa Priddle said. Scott added: “There’s a lot of vertical movement in the cabin, but the car never jumps sideways a foot when it hits a midcorner bump; it never moves around laterally at all.” The downside to the Camaro’s grip is its ride quality—basically there is none. “I’ve encountered smoother paint mixers,” guest judge Derek Powell said. “The bouncing was so bad that I found myself reacting to that instead of focusing on the sheer act of driving. The nuclear-waste green Mercedes-AMG GT R provoked whoops and hollers from all of the drivers. A brutal supercar that rewards fortitude, the AMG needs to be driven flat out in order to properly enjoy it. Dig deep into the 577-hp twin-turbo V-8, and you’re compensated by a violent surge of power and the soundtrack “of a small arms factory exploding behind your hips every time you come off the throttle,” as Jonny put it. “Let it rip,” Alisa added. “The AMG has the power to get unruly, but it holds the road incredibly well.” Although the Mercedes’ nose bites with ferocity—only fighting back once you approach its limits—the rear end wasn’t as well behaved even at sane speeds. “There were several times when the rear would hop side to side or even produce drop-throttle oversteer or on-power oversteer,” Chris said. Unlike the Merc, it’s hard to get into trouble in the Mazda Miata RF. Like any good naturally aspirated engine, the Miata is happy to rev its way to redline, growling sweetly as you stab the clutch and flick the six-speed manual into its next gear. The Miata is not fast, but it rewards a driver’s skill. Entering corners, the Miata RF is surprisingly tail-happy. Mazda rehashed the ragtop’s suspension for 2017, but the RF is unsettled. “It’s always dancing on the top of its springs and edge of its tires,” Scott said. With traction control on, the Mazda’s electronic systems are constantly grabbing at the brakes to keep the Miata’s tail in line—sapping the little power the RF has to give. A better beginner sports car to explore one’s limits might be the Porsche 718 Cayman S. “The chassis is so beautifully balanced, the handling so predictable,” Derek said. “Each movement is connected directly to the brain’s synapses.” Scott agreed, adding: “Steering is among the best here—talkative and light, quick enough but not too much. I wish the Miata handled like this.” The 718’s 350-hp mid-mounted turbo flat-four is a good match for the platform, too–even if some of our judges wish it sounded less like a garbage disposal eating a fork. Alisa silenced those critics: “There are those who miss the sound of the old throaty engine, but the trade-off for a nice, wide powerband is worth it.” There isn’t much room for improvement in the 718, but the Aston Martin DB11 could use some help in the braking department. Its 600-hp V-12 is more than capable of getting its nearly 4,200 pounds of British aluminium going (and quickly at that), but it lacks the brakes or suspension to handle that heft on a twisty road. The DB11 has three suspension settings, but all feel inadequate for spirited performance. Its body control was subpar, the car displaying a tendency to porpoise through corners and over bumps. “It’s a wonderful GT car and is happy at high speeds, as long as the road doesn’t twist too much,” Scott said. Upsides: The V-12 provides epic thrust, and the steering is beautifully weighted, light, and linear—just as a British GT car should be. As the Aston’s counterpoint in the grand touring department, the Lexus LC 500 was a revelation, having done its homework on chassis and suspension tuning. “The fundamentals are all there,” Jonny said. Scott provided further details: “Weight transfer is nicely handled, and the car sits in a turn nicely.” The Lexus provides light, progressive feedback from the wheel, and its four-wheel-steering system helps make the LC feel smaller than it is. The LC’s 5.0-liter V-8 makes a good match for the 10-speed auto, though the gearbox was frustrating for its abundance of overdrive gears. “How can this car have 10 gears and never, ever be in the right one?” Chris asked. “There were at least a dozen rejected downshifts.” You’d expect the lone four-door sedan in our group to be soft, but it’s clear the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio “is a sports car regardless of how many doors it has,” Derek said. The Alfa’s sportiness is baked into its chassis; it’s a car that rewards smooth inputs yet begs to be driven hard. “This might be the best-handling sedan I have driven in 25 years of automotive journalism,” Mark said. “And yes, that includes the W124 and E39.” The 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 is laggy down low, but it hits you in the face with a sledgehammer once you’re above 2,000 rpm. Its eight-speed auto rattles off shifts as if it were a dual-clutch transmission. Complaints? A few. The engine, for all its power, doesn’t communicate what it’s doing at redline, making shifting by ear difficult. Some also found the Alfa’s Italian electrics a little buggy, with inconsistent brake-by-wire feel and a seemingly overeager overheat protection mode that would impose a 5,000-rpm rev limiter on the engine and limit torque vectoring at the rear axle. The other Italian in our group, the Ferrari 488 GTB, delivered thrills on an epiphanic level. After piling out of the Ferrari babbling a red-mist rant, Mark calmed down enough to say, “This delivers every teenager’s fantasy when they think of Ferrari.” The Ferrari 488 is one of those rare cars that makes you feel immediately at home despite its exotic appearance. The cabin is open and airy with a driver-focused interface. There are no distractions. Your hands hold a flat-bottomed, carbon-fiber and leather steering wheel, and all the needed controls are a finger’s reach away. Not only does the 488 GTB feel magical merely sitting still, but it’s also glorious to drive. The Ferrari’s small twin-turbocharged engine makes 661 horsepower. “It’s a force of nature, like being picked up by a tornado,” Scott said. The 488 also carries tenacious grip “with a flat attitude and fingertip control while cornering at speeds 10 to 15 mph faster than other vehicles—with the same if not greater confidence heading down 198 as up,” editor-in-chief Ed Loh said. The Achilles’ heel for the Ferrari is its brakes—the carbon ceramics have a slightly wooden feel and squeak like the midnight subway to Coney Island. If on the emotional scale the Ferrari is an embrace from a Victoria’s Secret model, the McLaren 570GT is a polite but firm handshake from gritty Bruce himself. Last year’s winning 570S was a highly rewarding and technical car, but in softening the 570 for grand touring duty, McLaren seemed to scrape away some of the special sauce. “It’s not what I would have expected,” Chris said. “This one feels far more ass-happy and less balanced and composed.” The 570GT feels stuck between sledgehammer and rubber mallet—it no longer drives like a supercar, but it’s not soft enough to drive like a proper GT. The issue is especially apparent if you’ve forgotten to press the “Active” button. Turn on the Active Panel, and dig into the 30-some-odd possible drivetrain configurations, and that sharpens steering and throttle response. But then the handling becomes unpredictable. “There were times when I’d exit a corner and the engine and transmission would be ready for it, and I’d rocket out onto the straight at full boost,” Derek said. “Other times it felt like I caught the car unaware.” When the McLaren is awake, there’s a hint of that 570S magic in its fingertip-light steering, supple ride, and peaky but powerful little engine, but the 570GT’s inconsistency hurt its credibility. If you want instant confidence bordering on immortality, the Porsche 911 Turbo S is your machine. Despite the PDK seven-speed dual-clutch doing the shifting, despite the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system constantly shuffling around the twin-turbo flat-six’s 580 hp, and despite the four-wheel steering making the 911 feel smaller than it is, the Porsche makes its driver feel responsible for it all. “Right out of the box, the 911 Turbo S lets you drive as fast as you dare, brake as hard as you can, and turn as much as you wish,” Derek said. “It doesn’t just inspire confidence. It inspires a relationship with the driver.” Still, some, like Jonny, thought the 911 made things too easy. “This thing is weaponized speed,” he said. “It’s maniacally capable but not the most engaging car, let alone 911, I’ve ever driven.” Added Ed: “It is a focused tool intended for one purpose: going very fast. Really hard to find a flaw here; if I’m being really critical, it’s a bit anodyne.” He quickly followed with: “I take it back about it being boring.” Now eight years since it made its debut, the latest Nissan GT-R NISMO still remains very proficient at hauling ass. Defined by what should be physically impossible levels of grip, it’s a car that you chuck into corners, mash the gas, and let the all-wheel-drive system sort things out. Godzilla’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 is indeed a monster worthy of the name—boost hits strong, and the power keeps coming. “This engine pulls and surges effortlessly,” Erick said. Ed said it was “noticeably sharper, like they ran the GT-R over a Japanese whetstone.” But some things don’t change. The programming on the GT-R’s six-speed dual-clutch is lacking, making manual shifting a must for performance driving. The ride is literally a sore spot. And then there’s the steering—it broke. Nearly every judge had a bizarre issue after hitting a midcorner bump, where the steering wheel would go cockeyed at a 20-degree angle, yet the car would be going straight down the road. Then the steering wheel would correct itself as if nothing had happened. Chris had it happen multiple times, with GT-R chief engineer Hiroshi Tamura riding shotgun. “It was an unusual electro-mechanical anomaly,” Chris said. “Tamura-san was as curious about it as I was.” As Motor Trend en Español editor Miguel Cortina nursed the NISMO back to our makeshift Highway 198 paddock, he handed the keys to Tamura-san and the Nissan team for repairs. The question as we pointed our field north toward Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was whether the GT-R would be fixed in time for our staff champion racer Randy Pobst’s hot laps around the track. Hot Shoes, Cool Fog Monterey, let alone Mazda Raceway, has its own microclimate. Monterey proper was warm and clear, but the track was cool and foggy. It would be lousy for visibility but great for the turbocharged cars that Randy would run that day. After a quick sighting lap in our long-term Honda Civic to scout the conditions, Randy, Ed, and the test team determined which six cars to run on day one. 718. Corvette. Ferrari. McLaren. Camaro. 911. The assembled teams scrambled off to start prepping the cars. Meanwhile, a local Nissan dealer was attempting to bandage Godzilla. The Cayman was ready first. Randy hopped in, fired up the rumbly little four-pot, and set off for his hot laps. Not long after—1:40.22 to be exact—Randy pulled the ticking 718 into the pit with a huge smile on his face: “People! Marry this car! This is not like the crazy, scary girlfriend who will give you the time of your life and then boil your rabbit in the morning. The Cayman S has such beautiful balance; it’s so good that I felt like I could push it harder and harder.” Not long after, Randy set out in the red, white, and blue Corvette. But when he came back, Randy’s smile had been replaced with a scowl: “It wasn’t until the second timed lap that the tires started to get some temperature, but the car still wanted to power oversteer at throttle tip in. The front is ready to turn full blast, and the rear isn’t. Or the rear is ready to accelerate, and the front’s not too happy.” Going out in the Ferrari 488 GTB seemed to cheer Randy up before he was flagged for breaking Monterey’s punitive noise regulations: “I talked about marrying the Cayman, but this car is your mistress! This car accelerates so quickly that I needed to apex a lot later. The turbos on that Ferrari V-8 give it a big, fat torque curve. The transmission is such a beautiful match for that engine.” He did caution that the brakes did not provide a solid initial bite and that pedal pressure and brake force were not in cahoots. And like that, Randy was off in the McLaren 570GT, choosing to leave the stability control on because it felt fairly easy to break the rear end loose. “Track mode gets into a nice place where it allows some drift,” Randy said. “But it’s controlling the throttle a bit for me, and it’s less satisfying because I’m not the one driving. I could even feel the stability control activating significantly in Turn 1. The McLaren is fast enough that we’re arriving there at over 140 mph, and the car gets light and a bit oversteery.” You’d think the Camaro ZL1 1LE that Randy lapped next would be as oversteery as the Brit, but its claws stuck into the track. “This thing handles so well,” he said. “For a front-engine, rear-drive car with 650 horsepower, the traction was incredible. It put power down extremely well. Stability controls aren’t necessary for the average good driver.” The same rules applied for Randy’s last car of the day, the 911 Turbo S. “I don’t want to get out,” he said. “This car is the one you married, and it’s your mistress. It’s the whole package. I’m so utterly blown away by its capability. It was incredibly rewarding to drive. I was driving that car hard because I could.” As we wound down for the day, the Nissan GT-R arrived—but after a quick spin, Chris and Tamura-san quickly shut it down. Not ready. Nissan PR called for an identical white GT-R NISMO to be shuttled up from L.A. the next morning. It needed to arrive before the track went cold at 5:30 p.m. The Final Countdown As the clock started ticking for the NISMO on day two, we turned our attention to the remaining cars’ hot laps. Or warm laps in the case of the Miata RF. Its lap around its namesake track is not surprisingly the slowest of our 12, but it’s probably one of the most fun. “The MX-5 makes every trip to the grocery store feel like a Grand Prix at 34 mph,” Randy said. “I have to really slow my hands down because it leans over a lot. I like to trail-brake into a corner, and the Miata does not like that. But you can go around screaming at redline all day and not end up in jail.” By comparison, the Mercedes-AMG GT R is a go-directly-to-jail card. “This AMG really has personality in its engine,” Randy said. “It’s satisfying to pull all the way to redline. The fat torque curve makes it easier to drive, too, because it’s more controllable.” But the brakes started exhibiting signs of heat soak by the time Randy was on his final lap. Although the Lexus LC 500 might not spring to mind as a track car, Randy found it to be a delightful experience. But he also had some caution. “When attacking the corners, the Lexus is reluctant to change direction,” he said. “But once it finally comes down the apex and I go back to power, it’s beautiful from then on.” Randy was pleasantly surprised with the other front-engine GT car in our group, the Aston Martin DB11: “My expectations were low. I thought it would be a boat, but I was wrong. Well behaved on the track. Surprisingly good handler. Responsive and well damped in the Sport Plus suspension setting.” But the Aston’s brakes were shot midway through its second hot lap. With still no sign of our missing NISMO, Randy hit the track in the Giulia Quadrifoglio, returning with queries about cornering inconsistency: “I think there are electronic variations with the torque-vectoring differential. When I started at a quick pace, small steering changes really brought the car into the corner. Then when I go flat out, I get a lot of understeer in the middle of the corner under some circumstances but not others. I noticed the brake pedal doing something similar, too. It’s a lot of fun, it’s fast, it’s quick handing, but I’m not a fan of variation.” The Return of Godzilla All available cars having run, there was still no NISMO. Ed called a meeting; the manufacturers who wanted another lap would get one. Porsche wanted the Cayman to run again, citing the fog on day one. Ferrari wanted a run with flushed brake lines and new calipers and pads. The Corvette would run in Sport mode. And why not? The AMG GT R and McLaren 570GT could rerun, too. But if the GT-R showed up, bonus laps would cease. The Cayman, Corvette, McLaren, and Ferrari improved their times—the Italian by nearly a full second, leading some to suspect Ferrari’s mechanics did far more than change the brakes. But the AMG was actually 0.2 second slower. With 45 minutes on the clock, our replacement NISMO rolled into the paddock. The garage buzzed around the NISMO. The test team hooked up our data-logging gear, replaced wheels and tires, torqued lug nuts, and checked pressures. Video mounted and prepped cameras. Sound strapped down microphones. Everyone else stayed the hell out of the way. Some Formula 1 pit crews aren’t this in sync. At 5:15, Randy hopped in the GT-R and blazed a 1:35.01 lap. “The GT-R has been around for a long time,” he said. “It has gotten better and better, and the NISMO is the best version, but after it brakes pretty well once or twice, it starts getting hot. And when you first tip into this thing, it gives you full power and throws the car completely off balance. All-wheel drive or not, it suddenly makes the car run wide.” It was 5:30 on the dot. Time to hash out the winner. Final Tally When you have such a closely contested field, it is almost harder to pick the last-place car than the winner. Someone has to come last even if we really truly love our cellar dweller. And love, love we do, the 12th-place Aston Martin DB11. The DB11 is a great car to drive, but it’s not a good driver’s car. It’s a little too heavy, a little soft. There’s still plenty to like, though. “It’s beautiful inside and out,” Miguel said. It has a killer engine, too. Derek described the sound of the starter as “God Himself wound a pull cord around the flywheel and gave it a wondrous yank.” Coming in 11th place is a car that was minutes away from earning a DNF: the Nissan GT-R NISMO. Mechanical issues aside, the Nissan’s 11th-place finish is a testament to how competitive this year’s field was. Yeah, it’s a bit heavy and a bit vague through corners, and it isn’t as fast as some of the new kids on the block. “It’s impressive that there are still improvements to be made,” Ed said. Godzilla might be old, but he sure as hell can still breathe fire. Tenth place goes to the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club. Miatas are the go-to for entry-level racers, and that ain’t just because of its price point—it’s because it is an exceptionally well-composed sports car with approachable, unintimidating limits. But although the Miata ragtop finished in third a few years back, the package isn’t improved by adding 125 pounds worth of complicated hardtop, which doesn’t accommodate a helmeted driver. Also, Mazda’s suspension tweaks fell out of favor of our judges. Oh how the mighty have fallen. After winning it all with the 570S last year, McLaren comes in ninth place this year. The 570GT is unsure of its place on the road. There are moments of brilliance in the delicacy of its steering, its surgical precision, and its tremendous brake feel, but the 570GT never gives you the confidence to go for more. “Somehow the magic of the 570S didn’t translate into the 570GT,” Chris said. “It’s a brilliant car, but it’s no winner.” Jonny had argued against bringing the Lexus LC 500 because it’s so big and heavy. But chastened, following its respectable eighth-place finish, he said: “Folks, we have an athlete on our hands.” We were all impressed with the Lexus’ sonorous V-8, quick-shifting automatic, and crisp steering feel—even if the LC was too eager to default to understeer at its limit. “Tighten this thing up, cut some weight, add some power, and you’ve got a really good GT car here,” Scott said. It seems that the Chevrolet Corvette is always this close to perfection, and that remains the folly of the seventh-place Corvette Grand Sport Z07. First the good: Its 6.2-liter V-8 is fantastic. It’s got a big, meaty powerband, and although it could probably benefit from an extra 100 horsepower, it’s tremendously rewarding to drive. The Corvette’s biggest issue is its transmission—its gearbox doesn’t like to be rushed, and its gear ratios are ultimately too tall and too widely spaced for performance driving. Sixth place goes to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The Alfa is high strung, but that’s part of the fun—the engine is laggy down low and peaky up high, and the steering is so quick off-center that you’re liable to drive off the road if you so much as sneeze. “LOL-fast steering, short gearing mixed with a turbo-tickled powertrain,” Ed said. This is where things get real close; any of our top five could have justifiably won the whole shebang. Finishing a few points shy of fourth place, the Mercedes-AMG GT R is a helluva car. “The harder you drive this thing, the better it gets,” Erick said. But it needs to be driven at ten-tenths to get the most enjoyment out of it. Wring it out for all it’s worth, and it rewards you with endless grip and lightning-quick shifts. But it isn’t as gratifying at five-tenths as it is flat-out. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE’s fourth-place finish was a contentious one. We could agree on power and grip. The fact that all 650 of the Camaro’s horsepower is usable without instantly vaporizing the rear rubber is an engineering feat. But some of us maintained that a car couldn’t win Best Driver’s Car if you didn’t want to drive it every day. “I’ve probably lost all my fillings, and my kidneys are bruised,” Derek lamented, to which Jonny retorted: “Some judges thought the ride was too harsh on their way to Pilates class, but who cares? Finishing fourth is a failure of democracy.” One vote is all that separates our second- and third-place finishers. One. Earning the bronze is the technological tour de force that is the 911 Turbo S. It never seems to run out of grip, power, or brakes. “The 911 Turbo S is so amazingly competent on every level—without having any visible compromises—that it’s easy to forget how high its limits are,” Derek said. “Some might be tempted to punish the Porsche for its unflappable greatness. Big mistake.” Life’s funny. The Porsche 718 Cayman S wasn’t supposed to be here. We didn’t invite it until a last-second dropout had us scrambling to fill a hole in our lineup. Now the 718 Cayman S is tootling away with a silver medal. “There is something really spirited and sweet about this car,” Alisa said. “It’s so well balanced and smooth, so seamless in its power delivery and responsive to the slightest steering input.” Mark agreed: “It’s an exacting corner-carving machine that entices you to push your limits even more.” Erick, who did his best to hog the Cayman most of the week, called it “lovely,” adding that it “felt impossible to do wrong in this car.” Simply put, the 718 is a phenom. Deus ex Machina You’d think a mid-engine supercar would be a one-trick pony, but our 2017 Best Driver’s Car proves that wrong. First place goes to the Ferrari 488 GTB. This Ferrari makes you your best self behind the wheel. It grabs your attention, it focuses you, and it helps you improve. The 488 GTB lets you know when you screw up and pushes and prods you to do better next time around. The Ferrari 488 GTB’s powertrain is an endless assault on your senses, with wave after wave of devastating power. The engine pulls all the way to 8,000 rpm and then, bam, the seven-speed gearbox upshifts, and the engine digs deep for more. The powertrain is happy lugging around, too. “This car is amazing even loafing along I-5,” Mark said. Derek agreed about its cruising manners: “Very little engine noise makes it into the cabin despite it being inches away from the back of my head.” Chassis, steering, and suspension tuning are equally impressive. “The steering is very lively and requires constant attention—this car needs me,” Chris said. The 488 GTB does it all. “The Ferrari fulfills the complete list of needs, from extreme exotic to dauntless touring car,” Mark said. It’s memorable, too. “This is one of those cars, one of those drives, one of those moments that will forever be seared into my synapses as an epic moment,” Chris said, “a true deus ex machina experience in my life.” Joan Didion once described driving in Los Angeles as requiring “a concentration so intense as to seem a kind of narcosis, a rapture-of-the-freeway. The mind goes clean. The rhythm takes over.” The Ferrari 488 GTB is that rapture. It is that rhythm. It is our 2017 Best Driver’s Car. Read more about 2017 Best Driver’s Car contenders: Ferrari 488 GTB Porsche 911 Turbo S Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Porsche 718 Cayman S Lexus LC 500 Mercedes-AMG GT R Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Aston Martin DB11 Nissan GT-R NISMO Mazda MX-5 Miata RF McLaren 570GT The post Choosing the 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car appeared first on Motor Trend.
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German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
Michael Schumacher was worshipped by the Hockenheim trustworthy, profitable 4 occasions in entrance of his house crowd (1995, 2002, 2004 and 2006)
Guten tag, Germany… and welcome again.
Hockenheim returns to the Formulation 1 calendar after a two-year hiatus this weekend, and what higher option to get the German followers by the gates than having certainly one of their compatriots sitting atop the drivers’ championship.
Come Sunday, Sebastian Vettel will probably be aiming to do what Lewis Hamilton couldn’t at Silverstone – win on house soil.
The headlines have been already written for the Mercedes man to assert a document sixth British Grand Prix victory however the prancing horse had different concepts. As a substitute it was Vettel who held aloft the winner’s trophy to prolonged his lead this intriguing title race to eight factors.
Hockenheim recollections
Ferrari’s workforce radio to race chief Felipe Massa in 2010 was a basic: “Fernando… is quicker… than you.” Alonso went previous to take the race win
So what does the two.842-mile Hockenheim circuit deliver to the desk?
Bust-ups, crashes and emotional drama, it will appear.
Located within the Rhine Valley, the unique circuit at Hockenheim took drivers on a flat-out thrill trip by lush, inexperienced forests. Throw in some ewoks and a few speeder bikes as an alternative of F1 automobiles, and it might simply have doubled-up as Endor from Return of the Jedi.
In 1982, Nelson Piquet was main the race for Brabham and regarded sure for a podium end; enter Eliseo Salazar. As Piquet tried to lap the inexperienced backmarker, a conflict of wheels despatched the Brabham and ATS right into a spin and into retirement. The incident had a glimmer of the Hamilton v Raikkonen, first-lap Silverstone drama about it. The aftermath, nonetheless, took a punchier flip.
Brazilian Piquet leapt out of his automobile like a raging bull, launching himself on the Chilean, fists flying, and with a relatively ungentlemanly kick in direction of a fragile space. If solely Instagram had been accessible again then for these two to kind out their variations.
If go all the way down to the woods at present… you would possibly discover David Coulthard’s 2001 McLaren with a blown engine
The daybreak of a brand new millennium noticed one other Brazilian make the Hockenheim headlines, this time for the appropriate causes. Step ahead Rubens Barrichello, 122 grands prix into his profession and nonetheless no victory parade. Beginning 18th on the grid and having German legend Michael Schumacher as a team-mate, it did not look very promising.
However someway all of it fell into place.
Schumacher went out in a first-corner crash, a monitor invader triggered a security automobile and the heavens opened. All of the whereas Barrichello drove faultlessly by the sphere earlier than the tears of pleasure got here as he crossed the road for a stirring maiden win.
Two years after that historic second, the lengthy straights by the forests got the outdated heave-ho, with a shorter structure constructed across the present stadium part.
It is honest to say the alterations haven’t been universally embraced. Certainly, in the event you take a look at fan boards the post-2002 Hockenheimring doesn’t get the identical love that was bestowed on the outdated monitor.
However a victory for Vettel would certainly put aside a few of these misgiving among the many house trustworthy.
Sebastian… are you prepared?
Flashback quiz
What number of grand prix winners from Germany are you able to title?
It is a easy query… with a couple of very simple solutions, maybe?
Seven German drivers in whole have claimed high spot on the rostrum at numerous circuits for the reason that 1960s.
There are solely two minutes on the clock to guess all of them.
What number of German winners are you able to title?
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Beforehand in F1: Spherical 10, Britain
Better of British qualifying: The group solely needed one particular person on pole for Sunday’s race and so they received it. Lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel in an exhilarating last-lap tussle to take his place on the entrance row at Silverstone
Championship sunny delight: Within the warmth of the Silverstone solar, it was the blazing crimson of Vettel’s Ferrari that took the chequered flag. A gap nudge from the wheel of Kimi Raikkonen left Hamilton with all the things to do, with the Mercedes man recovering beautifully from the again to complete second
The monitor
Again pocket info
When kids begin their first day of faculty in Germany, they obtain a schultute, which is a big cardboard cone stuffed with toys, chocolate and sweets.
Based on German legislation, an individual’s gender have to be apparent by first title, so the civil registration workplace, or Standesamt, can refuse names that do not comply.
In 2013, Germany dumped the mammoth, 63-letter phrase Rindfleischetikettierungsuberwachungsaufgabenubertragungsgesetz. It interprets as “legislation delegating beef label monitoring” and regardless of the German’s love for prolonged compound nouns, was deemed a tad extreme for the trendy language.
There is not any middle-lane hogging in Germany. When utilizing the well-known Autobahn, motorists stick religiously to the foundations of the highway: hold as far to the appropriate as doable and use left lanes for passing solely.
Drivers’ social
Vive la France! Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly joined within the celebrations for France’s 4-2 win over Croatia within the World Cup closing…
… so did fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean…
… Lewis Hamilton spoke for a lot of after England’s semi-final defeat by Croatia…
…and in the course of all of the soccer drama, Valtteri Bottas went to see Eminem at Twickenham
Find out how to observe on BBC Sport
BBC Sport has reside protection of all of the season’s races on BBC Radio 5 reside and BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further, plus reside on-line commentary on the BBC Sport web site and cell app – together with viewers interplay, professional evaluation, debate, voting, options, interviews and video content material.
All occasions BST and are topic to vary at brief discover.
German Grand Prix protection particulars Date Session Time Radio protection On-line textual content commentary Thursday, 19 July Preview 21:30-22:00 BBC Radio 5 reside Friday, 20 July First follow 09:55-12:35 BBC Sport on-line From 09:30 Second follow 13:55-15:35 BBC Sport on-line From 13:30 Saturday, 21 July Third follow 10:55-12:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 10:30 Qualifying 13:55-15:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further Sunday, 22 July Race 13:45-16:30 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 12:30 Monday, 23 July Evaluation 04:30-05:00 BBC Radio 5 reside
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First Drive: 2018 Ferrari Portofino
PUGLIA, Italy—Ferrari decided to introduce the 2018 Portofino, the company’s new entry-level model—of course, with a base price of $214,533, “entry level” means different things to different people—at a beachfront resort on the Adriatic Sea. That’s about 471 miles southeast, as the European magpie flies, from the now-trendy namesake fishing village of Portofino, Italy, on the Mediterranean Sea.
This being winter, Ferrari executives figured the weather would be much warmer and possibly drier farther south, which is why we ended up not in Portofino, but in the Puglia region of Italy, which constitutes the boot heel in Italy’s profile. (Puglia’s motto, roughly translated: “We hope you like olives!”)
Unfortunately, it wasn’t much warmer, and it sure wasn’t any drier, but as we took the stylish red keys to a cluster of Portofinos, the clouds parted and the temperature warmed to the point where we could drive with the retractable hardtop down (and the heat on), which is a pretty important aspect of the Portofino which, this summer, replaces the Ferrari California T.
This lucky change in the weather suggests that despite Enzo Ferrari having died in 1988, he still runs Italy, and likely controls the climate. After all, the airport we flew into, Bari International, is located on Enzo Ferrari Street, even though Bari is a seven-hour drive from Maranello.
This was also lucky for us, because the drive route for the Portofino would have been nearly unusable in the rain. Not because the Portofino couldn’t handle it—the traction control and windshield wipers work quite well—but the roads we were on, even dry, had to be some of the slickest, most potholed pavement the Land of Olives has to offer. And since many of the roads were lined with sturdy, up-close rock walls, we had to be especially careful, since Ferrari had already written off a Portofino that was driven by a European journalist on an earlier wave of test drives. He reportedly tested the wall’s sturdiness and was impressed.
In one sense, this test drive route was advantageous, since we got to gauge the Portofino’s ride on very rough roads (the ride was surprisingly good, even with the steering wheel-mounted Manettino switch dialed to Sport rather than Comfort). We got to test the carbon-ceramic brakes when dogs, buses, farmers on tractors, and street gangs clad in matching Lycra skinsuits riding bicycles suddenly appeared around the next corner.
What we didn’t get to test much was the Portofinos’s at- or near-the-limit performance. The plethora of polished asphalt and potholed concrete did test the electronics, because most every time we’d get through a roundabout and hit the throttle, the fat 20-inch Pirellis (245/35 front, 285/35 out back) would search for grip, the rear end of the car would slip a little to one side, and the traction control would intervene. Thankfully.
Late in the drive we did find what we thought was a deserted, very suitable straight to test Ferrari’s reasonable claim of 0 to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds, but regardless of what kind of launch we chose, we could barely get it done in less than 4 seconds. Incidentally, these are the electronic controls as listed on the Portofino’s spec sheet: “ESP, ESC with F1-Trac, E-Diff 3, SCM-E with twin solenoids.” We probably could have used three or four solenoids. And yes, twist the Manettino all the way to the right and you can disable some of those electronic acronyms, but be sure you want to before you do.
With more torque than the California T, and noticeably more horsepower (38, with the outgoing T rated at 553, the new Portofino at 591), we have no reason to doubt Ferrari’s claim of a top speed of 198.838782 mph (yes, a slightly awkward number, due to our overly detailed translation from kilometers to miles per hour), and a 0 to 124 mph time of (we’ll spare you the .274238 conversion carryover) a very quick 10.8 seconds. But we just didn’t get a chance to prove it. This time, anyway.
If this all makes our drive sound miserable, it was far from it. The scenery was gorgeous, and the Portofino was cheerful both chugging through villages at single-digit speeds, and, when we got the chance, carving up corners. The electric power steering is better but not quite there yet. In corners, there is less body lean than found in the California T, but without a little track time, it’s hard to say how much less. Top up or down, the chassis and body did not flex, squeak, rattle, rock or roll on roads that would not be out of place in Detroit or Newark, so that’s saying something.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, a carryover from the California T, responds immediately when shifted up or down by the two fixed-position paddles behind the new steering wheel, but if you leave it in automatic mode, the transmission is often slow to downshift, likely due to the quest for improved fuel mileage, and a teachable transmission algorithm that was learning that we weren’t able to go all that fast, thus deducing that we were in no hurry for it to downshift. A suggestion: When passing tractors and tourists sightseeing in rented diesel Fiats, downshift manually.
We asked the Portofino’s powertrain engineer about the possible future of manual transmissions, since the pre-T California (T standing for Turbocharged) actually offered a manual, but he just shook his head sadly, as if we had inquired about the health of an aging but beloved family pet, only to learn it had died. And had been replaced by a robot. This also brings up an interesting, and mildly puzzling factoid: The handful of Californias sold with manual transmissions now command far more on the used exotics market than the Californias with manu-matics …
The Portofino’s engine is mostly the California T’s 3.9-liter, twin-turbo, flat-crankshaft V-8, with the extra 39 horses mostly the result of electronic tuning, a new exhaust that includes a one-piece header, new pistons and connecting rods, and redesigned intake manifolds. Open the hood and behold a work of art: We’re so tired of seeing engines covered by massive pressed-plastic burkas, and that is not the case here.
The engine produces a peculiar, distinctive yowl at full throttle. The Portofino’s exhaust system has a new electronically controlled bypass valve that moderates the sound depending on the situation, and on the Manettino switch position. In Comfort, the valve opens to “a moderate degree,” says Ferrari, to produce a “marked, recognizable sound that still will not be out of place in an urban context.”
In Sport, the valve produces “a sportier, more seductive sound from the lowest engine speeds all the way up to the redline.” On the rough roads we tested the Portofino on, you’d think Comfort would be the way to go, but the ride in Sport is so good, even on really uneven pavement, that we just left it in that setting and forgot about it. So just enjoy being sporty and seductive.
Still, Ferrari didn’t seem to worry about its sound this much with its normally aspirated engines, because it didn’t have to. There’s no question that turbos are here to stay for high-performance exotics, but we’re afraid when we talk about this Gran Turismo we sound like Walt Kowalski in “Gran Torino” (“Get off my lawn!”). Refer to the Good Old Days, when an accelerating 458 Italia could peel skin with the downright erotic siren call of its 562-horse, 4.7-liter V-8 at full song. It’s like when Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers: Yeah, he’s good and all, but it wasn’t the Doobie Brothers anymore. (Is that a dated-enough reference? Should we talk about when lead singer Tony Williams replaced Cornell Gunter in The Platters in 1953? We thought not.)
Outside, Ferrari stylists haven’t broken any new ground with the Portofino, but they’ve certainly created a very handsome, slightly understated profile that has a nice sense of Ferrari family looks. The Portofino looks a little like a California T that the designers took a second crack at, in the process fixing the T’s main issue, a rear end that stuck up like a cat in heat. That was to make room for a folded-down hardtop, but the Portofino’s complex top sits low enough to avoid the need for a raised deck. And even when folded—which takes 14 seconds, and now can be done while driving at speeds up to 25 mph—there’s enough room in the trunk beneath the top to cram in soft luggage sufficient for a weekend. Well, a weekend at the beach, anyway.
The design cue that may be the most controversial is the sculptured horizontal vent that starts behind the front wheels and leads into the doors. At the front of the vent is a black plastic insert. From some angles it all works, from others it looks like a piece of the body fell off. You can’t ignore it especially with the big yellow Ferrari badge perched on the front fenders, right above the vent’s largest separation. At least the vent is mildly functional, like the pair of vents on the hood.
Inside, this is one of the prettiest, most intuitive Ferrari interiors yet. Switchgear is properly placed and easy to use. Displays are packed tight but don’t seem crowded. Attention to detail is impressive, so very far removed from the era when Ferrari just shrugged at criticism of how the interior looked, much less whether or not you approved of where the company put the heater-fan control.
Designers and engineers worked to lower the Portofino’s weight—successfully, as it weighs 3,668 pounds, while the California T was 3,813 pounds—and the front seats are an example of how they accomplished the task. The seats’ frames are magnesium, and they seem impossibly thin, but they are 18-way adjustable and quite comfortable.
That thinness also makes for a little more room for the rear seats, and Ferrari points out 30 percent of customers are expected to actually use those seats. For what, we aren’t sure, whether it is a place to put groceries or kids, but unless a couple of jockeys have to get to the Kentucky Derby right now, don’t expect a lot of repeat Uber customers.
Bottom line: The Portofino is an improvement over the California T it replaces in every way, and it seems very comfortable in its role of introducing new buyers to the Prancing Horse, and providing them with a fun, fast GT experience. While the performance is an improvement over the T, the Portofino is not a serious track day car—that would be the 488 GTB’s role.
It’s also difficult to overstate the Portofino’s importance to Ferrari. Though the company is reluctant to provide actual numbers, the California T represented close to a third of Ferrari’s output, which is about 8,500 cars a year. Until the inevitable Ferrari SUV arrives, Portofino sales—along with a lot of red hats, Puma sneakers, and Scuderia Ferrari Ray-Bans—will be expected to fund a lot of Ferrari’s ultra-niche limited-edition models.
The Portofino is up to the task. It’s ideally positioned as the company’s entry-level car, as well as its internal exit-level model, as new customers become old customers and move up from the Portofino to other, more expensive Ferraris. In the U.S., there’s little doubt Portofino sales will help Make Italy Great Again. And there must be a reason we’re craving olives.
2018 Ferrari Portofino Specifications
ON SALE June PRICE $214,533 (base) ENGINE 3.9L DOHC 32-valve twin-turbo V-8/591 hp @ 7,500 rpm, 560 lb-ft @ 3,000-5,250 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD convertible EPA MILEAGE N/A L x W x H 180.6 x 76.3 x 51.6 in WHEELBASE 105.1 in WEIGHT 3,668 lb 0-60 MPH 3.4 sec (est) TOP SPEED 199 mph
IFTTT
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First Drive: 2018 Ferrari Portofino
PUGLIA, Italy—Ferrari decided to introduce the 2018 Portofino, the company’s new entry-level model—of course, with a base price of $214,533, “entry level” means different things to different people—at a beachfront resort on the Adriatic Sea. That’s about 471 miles southeast, as the European magpie flies, from the now-trendy namesake fishing village of Portofino, Italy, on the Mediterranean Sea.
This being winter, Ferrari executives figured the weather would be much warmer and possibly drier farther south, which is why we ended up not in Portofino, but in the Puglia region of Italy, which constitutes the boot heel in Italy’s profile. (Puglia’s motto, roughly translated: “We hope you like olives!”)
Unfortunately, it wasn’t much warmer, and it sure wasn’t any drier, but as we took the stylish red keys to a cluster of Portofinos, the clouds parted and the temperature warmed to the point where we could drive with the retractable hardtop down (and the heat on), which is a pretty important aspect of the Portofino which, this summer, replaces the Ferrari California T.
This lucky change in the weather suggests that despite Enzo Ferrari having died in 1988, he still runs Italy, and likely controls the climate. After all, the airport we flew into, Bari International, is located on Enzo Ferrari Street, even though Bari is a seven-hour drive from Maranello.
This was also lucky for us, because the drive route for the Portofino would have been nearly unusable in the rain. Not because the Portofino couldn’t handle it—the traction control and windshield wipers work quite well—but the roads we were on, even dry, had to be some of the slickest, most potholed pavement the Land of Olives has to offer. And since many of the roads were lined with sturdy, up-close rock walls, we had to be especially careful, since Ferrari had already written off a Portofino that was driven by a European journalist on an earlier wave of test drives. He reportedly tested the wall’s sturdiness and was impressed.
In one sense, this test drive route was advantageous, since we got to gauge the Portofino’s ride on very rough roads (the ride was surprisingly good, even with the steering wheel-mounted Manettino switch dialed to Sport rather than Comfort). We got to test the carbon-ceramic brakes when dogs, buses, farmers on tractors, and street gangs clad in matching Lycra skinsuits riding bicycles suddenly appeared around the next corner.
What we didn’t get to test much was the Portofinos’s at- or near-the-limit performance. The plethora of polished asphalt and potholed concrete did test the electronics, because most every time we’d get through a roundabout and hit the throttle, the fat 20-inch Pirellis (245/35 front, 285/35 out back) would search for grip, the rear end of the car would slip a little to one side, and the traction control would intervene. Thankfully.
Late in the drive we did find what we thought was a deserted, very suitable straight to test Ferrari’s reasonable claim of 0 to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds, but regardless of what kind of launch we chose, we could barely get it done in less than 4 seconds. Incidentally, these are the electronic controls as listed on the Portofino’s spec sheet: “ESP, ESC with F1-Trac, E-Diff 3, SCM-E with twin solenoids.” We probably could have used three or four solenoids. And yes, twist the Manettino all the way to the right and you can disable some of those electronic acronyms, but be sure you want to before you do.
With more torque than the California T, and noticeably more horsepower (38, with the outgoing T rated at 553, the new Portofino at 591), we have no reason to doubt Ferrari’s claim of a top speed of 198.838782 mph (yes, a slightly awkward number, due to our overly detailed translation from kilometers to miles per hour), and a 0 to 124 mph time of (we’ll spare you the .274238 conversion carryover) a very quick 10.8 seconds. But we just didn’t get a chance to prove it. This time, anyway.
If this all makes our drive sound miserable, it was far from it. The scenery was gorgeous, and the Portofino was cheerful both chugging through villages at single-digit speeds, and, when we got the chance, carving up corners. The electric power steering is better but not quite there yet. In corners, there is less body lean than found in the California T, but without a little track time, it’s hard to say how much less. Top up or down, the chassis and body did not flex, squeak, rattle, rock or roll on roads that would not be out of place in Detroit or Newark, so that’s saying something.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, a carryover from the California T, responds immediately when shifted up or down by the two fixed-position paddles behind the new steering wheel, but if you leave it in automatic mode, the transmission is often slow to downshift, likely due to the quest for improved fuel mileage, and a teachable transmission algorithm that was learning that we weren’t able to go all that fast, thus deducing that we were in no hurry for it to downshift. A suggestion: When passing tractors and tourists sightseeing in rented diesel Fiats, downshift manually.
We asked the Portofino’s powertrain engineer about the possible future of manual transmissions, since the pre-T California (T standing for Turbocharged) actually offered a manual, but he just shook his head sadly, as if we had inquired about the health of an aging but beloved family pet, only to learn it had died. And had been replaced by a robot. This also brings up an interesting, and mildly puzzling factoid: The handful of Californias sold with manual transmissions now command far more on the used exotics market than the Californias with manu-matics …
The Portofino’s engine is mostly the California T’s 3.9-liter, twin-turbo, flat-crankshaft V-8, with the extra 39 horses mostly the result of electronic tuning, a new exhaust that includes a one-piece header, new pistons and connecting rods, and redesigned intake manifolds. Open the hood and behold a work of art: We’re so tired of seeing engines covered by massive pressed-plastic burkas, and that is not the case here.
The engine produces a peculiar, distinctive yowl at full throttle. The Portofino’s exhaust system has a new electronically controlled bypass valve that moderates the sound depending on the situation, and on the Manettino switch position. In Comfort, the valve opens to “a moderate degree,” says Ferrari, to produce a “marked, recognizable sound that still will not be out of place in an urban context.”
In Sport, the valve produces “a sportier, more seductive sound from the lowest engine speeds all the way up to the redline.” On the rough roads we tested the Portofino on, you’d think Comfort would be the way to go, but the ride in Sport is so good, even on really uneven pavement, that we just left it in that setting and forgot about it. So just enjoy being sporty and seductive.
Still, Ferrari didn’t seem to worry about its sound this much with its normally aspirated engines, because it didn’t have to. There’s no question that turbos are here to stay for high-performance exotics, but we’re afraid when we talk about this Gran Turismo we sound like Walt Kowalski in “Gran Torino” (“Get off my lawn!”). Refer to the Good Old Days, when an accelerating 458 Italia could peel skin with the downright erotic siren call of its 562-horse, 4.7-liter V-8 at full song. It’s like when Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers: Yeah, he’s good and all, but it wasn’t the Doobie Brothers anymore. (Is that a dated-enough reference? Should we talk about when lead singer Tony Williams replaced Cornell Gunter in The Platters in 1953? We thought not.)
Outside, Ferrari stylists haven’t broken any new ground with the Portofino, but they’ve certainly created a very handsome, slightly understated profile that has a nice sense of Ferrari family looks. The Portofino looks a little like a California T that the designers took a second crack at, in the process fixing the T’s main issue, a rear end that stuck up like a cat in heat. That was to make room for a folded-down hardtop, but the Portofino’s complex top sits low enough to avoid the need for a raised deck. And even when folded—which takes 14 seconds, and now can be done while driving at speeds up to 25 mph—there’s enough room in the trunk beneath the top to cram in soft luggage sufficient for a weekend. Well, a weekend at the beach, anyway.
The design cue that may be the most controversial is the sculptured horizontal vent that starts behind the front wheels and leads into the doors. At the front of the vent is a black plastic insert. From some angles it all works, from others it looks like a piece of the body fell off. You can’t ignore it especially with the big yellow Ferrari badge perched on the front fenders, right above the vent’s largest separation. At least the vent is mildly functional, like the pair of vents on the hood.
Inside, this is one of the prettiest, most intuitive Ferrari interiors yet. Switchgear is properly placed and easy to use. Displays are packed tight but don’t seem crowded. Attention to detail is impressive, so very far removed from the era when Ferrari just shrugged at criticism of how the interior looked, much less whether or not you approved of where the company put the heater-fan control.
Designers and engineers worked to lower the Portofino’s weight—successfully, as it weighs 3,668 pounds, while the California T was 3,813 pounds—and the front seats are an example of how they accomplished the task. The seats’ frames are magnesium, and they seem impossibly thin, but they are 18-way adjustable and quite comfortable.
That thinness also makes for a little more room for the rear seats, and Ferrari points out 30 percent of customers are expected to actually use those seats. For what, we aren’t sure, whether it is a place to put groceries or kids, but unless a couple of jockeys have to get to the Kentucky Derby right now, don’t expect a lot of repeat Uber customers.
Bottom line: The Portofino is an improvement over the California T it replaces in every way, and it seems very comfortable in its role of introducing new buyers to the Prancing Horse, and providing them with a fun, fast GT experience. While the performance is an improvement over the T, the Portofino is not a serious track day car—that would be the 488 GTB’s role.
It’s also difficult to overstate the Portofino’s importance to Ferrari. Though the company is reluctant to provide actual numbers, the California T represented close to a third of Ferrari’s output, which is about 8,500 cars a year. Until the inevitable Ferrari SUV arrives, Portofino sales—along with a lot of red hats, Puma sneakers, and Scuderia Ferrari Ray-Bans—will be expected to fund a lot of Ferrari’s ultra-niche limited-edition models.
The Portofino is up to the task. It’s ideally positioned as the company’s entry-level car, as well as its internal exit-level model, as new customers become old customers and move up from the Portofino to other, more expensive Ferraris. In the U.S., there’s little doubt Portofino sales will help Make Italy Great Again. And there must be a reason we’re craving olives.
2018 Ferrari Portofino Specifications
ON SALE June PRICE $214,533 (base) ENGINE 3.9L DOHC 32-valve twin-turbo V-8/591 hp @ 7,500 rpm, 560 lb-ft @ 3,000-5,250 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD convertible EPA MILEAGE N/A L x W x H 180.6 x 76.3 x 51.6 in WHEELBASE 105.1 in WEIGHT 3,668 lb 0-60 MPH 3.4 sec (est) TOP SPEED 199 mph
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Choosing the 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car
Patron saint of literary cool Joan Didion—who stalked the steamy, smoggy canyons of Los Angeles in a Daytona Yellow 1969 Corvette Stingray—once said, “Rationality, reasonableness bewilder me.”
If only Didion were along for this year’s Best Driver’s Car competition.
There is nothing rational or reasonable about holding the keys to $1.9 million worth of the world’s dreamiest sports cars, exotics, grand tourers, and supercars.
It’s one thing to parse the packaging of family-friendly compact SUVs. That’s our day job. Best Driver’s Car is about the way a car makes you feel. It’s about the bees in your belly as you clip an apex, the giggles induced by the slingshot launch of barely restrained acceleration, and the sense of satisfaction that comes from the melding of man and machine. Where’s the cupholder for my latte in the McLaren? Can you fit anyone in that back seat of a 911? How much does that Ferrari 488 really cost? Don’t know. Don’t care.
Our Highway Patrol–assisted closure of California State Route 198 and subsequent invasion of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are the highlights of this event. But the Best Driver’s Car format actually began two weeks prior at Auto Club Speedway, when our testing trio of Kim Reynolds, Chris Walton, and Erick Ayapana took their first crack at our contenders with our battery of standardized instrumented testing.
To earn the title of Best Driver’s Car, a vehicle must deliver a balance of usable performance, intuitive handling, and driver-friendly design. The winner should be a vehicle with a multidimensional personality, a car that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions.
We had quite the field this year, with representation from Italy, Germany, Japan, England, and the V-8 thunder of American freedom. But as the test team crunched the test results, there was no clear leader. A storm was brewing.
Highway 198 Revisited
A four-hour drive along I-5’s trackless wastes brings us to our hotel in King City, California. Most of the other judges had convoyed up together around noon. But with most of California tucked into bed, associate editor Scott Evans and I made great time in the Aston Martin and Corvette. We rolled into the King City Days Inn a tick past midnight.
We were the last to arrive, but our hotel clerk couldn’t have been happier. It isn’t every day you get to meet a YouTube hero, a certain “Mr. Lieberman,” who earlier had given an impromptu car show to our host. His fan club is everywhere.
Highway 198 is a magical place, an undulating public two-lane roadway filled with tight switchbacks, sweeping curves, midcorner bumps, long straights, and panoramic views. It’s a gorgeous 4.2-mile stretch of roadway that climbs about 1,000 feet, allowing Motor Trend judges to test each contender at its (and their own) limits. Any shortcomings of either car or driver will be quickly identified on this passage. It is the mill that grinds the grist.
Just past daybreak, the ground fog still clearing, we pulled to the side of the road to set up camp, clean cars, and wait for the California Highway Patrol’s black and white Ford Explorers to close the road so we could begin.
After a team meeting, we fired up all 86 cylinders and commenced our first runs up the beckoning hills—each of us starting in the familiar car we had driven from L.A.
That meant the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, intimidating in looks and sound, for me.
The ’Vette is really a sweetheart once set up properly—Driver Mode Select in Sport and the steering wheel set to Tour. In those modes, the throttle response is linear and quick, and the suspension is dialed in to maximize the car’s speed around corners. The steering is light and direct, though you need to make a conscious effort to slow yourself down because turn-in is still very quick. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. “Needs 100 extra horsepower! Felt slow!” Jonny shouted after his turn behind the wheel. Also, the crowded seven-speed manual gearbox has rubbery, ropey throws and doesn’t like to be rushed, and the gear ratios felt too tall for the track-oriented Grand Sport. Said executive editor Mark Rechtin: “It seems like there was a big gap between the powerbands in third and fourth gear.”
Chevy used to sandbag the Camaro to avoid stepping on the Corvette’s toes, but those days are gone. The Camaro ZL1 1LE is an uncaged race car. As he pulled into our makeshift pit lane, Jonny could be heard screaming, “Yeaaaah!” and clapping his hands.
You’d think power would be why the Camaro works so well, but it’s actually grip that’s the key to this muscle car. Those steamroller-wide, superglue-sticky Goodyear tires work hand in hand with the DSSV dampers and the added aero aids to ensure that the Camaro can use each and every one of its 650 horses. “You quickly learn you can trust the tires as you unleash the power,” Detroit editor Alisa Priddle said. Scott added: “There’s a lot of vertical movement in the cabin, but the car never jumps sideways a foot when it hits a midcorner bump; it never moves around laterally at all.”
The downside to the Camaro’s grip is its ride quality—basically there is none. “I’ve encountered smoother paint mixers,” guest judge Derek Powell said. “The bouncing was so bad that I found myself reacting to that instead of focusing on the sheer act of driving.
The nuclear-waste green Mercedes-AMG GT R provoked whoops and hollers from all of the drivers. A brutal supercar that rewards fortitude, the AMG needs to be driven flat out in order to properly enjoy it. Dig deep into the 577-hp twin-turbo V-8, and you’re compensated by a violent surge of power and the soundtrack “of a small arms factory exploding behind your hips every time you come off the throttle,” as Jonny put it. “Let it rip,” Alisa added. “The AMG has the power to get unruly, but it holds the road incredibly well.”
Although the Mercedes’ nose bites with ferocity—only fighting back once you approach its limits—the rear end wasn’t as well behaved even at sane speeds. “There were several times when the rear would hop side to side or even produce drop-throttle oversteer or on-power oversteer,” Chris said.
Unlike the Merc, it’s hard to get into trouble in the Mazda Miata RF. Like any good naturally aspirated engine, the Miata is happy to rev its way to redline, growling sweetly as you stab the clutch and flick the six-speed manual into its next gear. The Miata is not fast, but it rewards a driver’s skill.
Entering corners, the Miata RF is surprisingly tail-happy. Mazda rehashed the ragtop’s suspension for 2017, but the RF is unsettled. “It’s always dancing on the top of its springs and edge of its tires,” Scott said. With traction control on, the Mazda’s electronic systems are constantly grabbing at the brakes to keep the Miata’s tail in line—sapping the little power the RF has to give.
A better beginner sports car to explore one’s limits might be the Porsche 718 Cayman S. “The chassis is so beautifully balanced, the handling so predictable,” Derek said. “Each movement is connected directly to the brain’s synapses.” Scott agreed, adding: “Steering is among the best here—talkative and light, quick enough but not too much. I wish the Miata handled like this.”
The 718’s 350-hp mid-mounted turbo flat-four is a good match for the platform, too–even if some of our judges wish it sounded less like a garbage disposal eating a fork. Alisa silenced those critics: “There are those who miss the sound of the old throaty engine, but the trade-off for a nice, wide powerband is worth it.”
There isn’t much room for improvement in the 718, but the Aston Martin DB11 could use some help in the braking department. Its 600-hp V-12 is more than capable of getting its nearly 4,200 pounds of British aluminium going (and quickly at that), but it lacks the brakes or suspension to handle that heft on a twisty road.
The DB11 has three suspension settings, but all feel inadequate for spirited performance. Its body control was subpar, the car displaying a tendency to porpoise through corners and over bumps. “It’s a wonderful GT car and is happy at high speeds, as long as the road doesn’t twist too much,” Scott said. Upsides: The V-12 provides epic thrust, and the steering is beautifully weighted, light, and linear—just as a British GT car should be.
As the Aston’s counterpoint in the grand touring department, the Lexus LC 500 was a revelation, having done its homework on chassis and suspension tuning. “The fundamentals are all there,” Jonny said. Scott provided further details: “Weight transfer is nicely handled, and the car sits in a turn nicely.” The Lexus provides light, progressive feedback from the wheel, and its four-wheel-steering system helps make the LC feel smaller than it is.
The LC’s 5.0-liter V-8 makes a good match for the 10-speed auto, though the gearbox was frustrating for its abundance of overdrive gears. “How can this car have 10 gears and never, ever be in the right one?” Chris asked. “There were at least a dozen rejected downshifts.”
You’d expect the lone four-door sedan in our group to be soft, but it’s clear the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio “is a sports car regardless of how many doors it has,” Derek said. The Alfa’s sportiness is baked into its chassis; it’s a car that rewards smooth inputs yet begs to be driven hard. “This might be the best-handling sedan I have driven in 25 years of automotive journalism,” Mark said. “And yes, that includes the W124 and E39.” The 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 is laggy down low, but it hits you in the face with a sledgehammer once you’re above 2,000 rpm. Its eight-speed auto rattles off shifts as if it were a dual-clutch transmission.
Complaints? A few. The engine, for all its power, doesn’t communicate what it’s doing at redline, making shifting by ear difficult. Some also found the Alfa’s Italian electrics a little buggy, with inconsistent brake-by-wire feel and a seemingly overeager overheat protection mode that would impose a 5,000-rpm rev limiter on the engine and limit torque vectoring at the rear axle.
The other Italian in our group, the Ferrari 488 GTB, delivered thrills on an epiphanic level.
After piling out of the Ferrari babbling a red-mist rant, Mark calmed down enough to say, “This delivers every teenager’s fantasy when they think of Ferrari.”
The Ferrari 488 is one of those rare cars that makes you feel immediately at home despite its exotic appearance. The cabin is open and airy with a driver-focused interface. There are no distractions. Your hands hold a flat-bottomed, carbon-fiber and leather steering wheel, and all the needed controls are a finger’s reach away.
Not only does the 488 GTB feel magical merely sitting still, but it’s also glorious to drive. The Ferrari’s small twin-turbocharged engine makes 661 horsepower. “It’s a force of nature, like being picked up by a tornado,” Scott said. The 488 also carries tenacious grip “with a flat attitude and fingertip control while cornering at speeds 10 to 15 mph faster than other vehicles—with the same if not greater confidence heading down 198 as up,” editor-in-chief Ed Loh said. The Achilles’ heel for the Ferrari is its brakes—the carbon ceramics have a slightly wooden feel and squeak like the midnight subway to Coney Island.
If on the emotional scale the Ferrari is an embrace from a Victoria’s Secret model, the McLaren 570GT is a polite but firm handshake from gritty Bruce himself. Last year’s winning 570S was a highly rewarding and technical car, but in softening the 570 for grand touring duty, McLaren seemed to scrape away some of the special sauce. “It’s not what I would have expected,” Chris said. “This one feels far more ass-happy and less balanced and composed.” The 570GT feels stuck between sledgehammer and rubber mallet—it no longer drives like a supercar, but it’s not soft enough to drive like a proper GT.
The issue is especially apparent if you’ve forgotten to press the “Active” button. Turn on the Active Panel, and dig into the 30-some-odd possible drivetrain configurations, and that sharpens steering and throttle response. But then the handling becomes unpredictable. “There were times when I’d exit a corner and the engine and transmission would be ready for it, and I’d rocket out onto the straight at full boost,” Derek said. “Other times it felt like I caught the car unaware.” When the McLaren is awake, there’s a hint of that 570S magic in its fingertip-light steering, supple ride, and peaky but powerful little engine, but the 570GT’s inconsistency hurt its credibility.
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Free Games Online For Most Horse Racing Fans And Gamblers
Car Games For Boys Online
Challenge your Driving games skills with Car Games, Dirt-Bike Games, and Parking Games Online While all of us dream of trying out those awesome youtube videos where they make a flawless parking at 60 Mph, I can safely (and thankfully) say that none of us actually do. Then there are those who try to get the next best thing ala 3d Games like Grand Turismo, Nascar and Need for Speed, however even a glancing look at the hardware prices required to run those jaw dropping visual effects promptly turns them around. So then, where does the lonely, desperate wannabe speed racer turn to? He turns to the Internet of course! Now for a small sacrifice of visual quality you can vent out all your innate, dormant kung-fu driving skills right of the bat! All you have to do is select which kind of driving tingle your taste-buds the most and give it a shot on many of the sites offering these 3D online racing games. You only have to log on to one of the many online car game sites and pick up a game there. Here are the three most raging game genres available online today: a. Online car games : Now just because I said "for a small sacrifice of visual quality" it does not mean that all you will see is gibberish. Most of the graphics in these fun car games are actually pretty neat! Hop into your favorite Car, be it a Ferrari, Mercedes or even a Truck, select the track and GO, GO, GO. You will be amazed at the variety of challenges these games can throw on you, go spiraling around a mountain or run down a dirt track, your choice. b. Online dirt bike games : Now these are where things get really nasty! Using your browser, you can skillfully tackle roads and tracks which will throw mind bending obstacles, high dunes and low pits, the freezing cold and the scathing heat on you. You also have a choice between many accessories like shock absorbers, lighter bodies, tires etc. As you progress you can unlock more levels, accessories and bikes, it plays just like one of those expensive 3D Games! c. Online parking games : For someone unfamiliar with what a parking game is, this sounds confusing at first, and then becomes pure addiction as they get the hang of it! Most car parking games online offer you three choices. You have to drive a car and park it in an empty space in a set time frame without hitting the obstacles. The Second one is called 18 Wheeler, where you have to park a huge 18 wheeler truck without denting and/or scratching any other vehicles around you. Lastly, my favorite, the skilled parker, where you are giving a race car and have to set it up in a given parking lot within 60 seconds. Since most of these games only require Flash to run you can easily use a standard browser to play them. The number of games and then the number of challenges present within the games will surely keep you busy for quite some time. So go ahead and try some, I dare say you will go OHHHH when you do (pun intended!).
Car Games For Boys Online
There are many market . place regular bets in the world of horse off road racing. There is no doubt this specific has been one belonging to the most popular forms of gambling for years. Bettors go to the tracks on a regular basis to wager and try winning some money. However, if you are not undoubtedly one of them and you find betting on horses risky, opt for different types of horse racing games that can be in stores as well as the Internet. Unlike real gambling, horse racing games don't involve any risk and the players can try the best skill game available. Movie(That you own): For anybody who is date is someone kind of person moderately well, Invite them over for getting a movie. It's cheap, you keep it, additionally know where all the nice parts are really you'll be well prepared for when she jumps into your arms as the scary stuff goes straight. This is more of a date for a person that is looking to take "The step" between friends and "Good" Pals / buddies.
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Skip Away was trained well by "Sonny". The colt may have made a singular win out on six starts he made as a 2 year old, he neatly placed 2 of them, one at the Cowdin Stakes and another at Remsen Stakes. Food only after he qualified for the 3 year olds that the colt's career began shaping up. Skip Away participated and won the Blue Grass Stakes by six lengths in front of the runner up Louis Quatorze. Following the outlet event was Triple Crown where Skip Away faired pretty disappointingly though he managed conduct second the particular second and third hips and legs. If choice that only dress up games are available as far as Barbie is concerned, think when again. There are the kinds of Barbie games looking for you find out. You end up being interested find out that lucrative car racing games created too such as the Barbie Car Driving that is featured at Games Jockey. Barbie can be a character is actually highly appreciated. You can expect her to show up even with the most unlikely online adventure. Game play: this is a reasonably difficult game to excel at. As the bricks get lower each level and the ball speed increases, it can be more along with difficult to 'break out'. Also, sometimes the angle that the ball is removed the bat is so acute that should be very hard judge whereas the ball will bounce! It's one of your companion games in just keep on saying 'just one more game' and before you realize five hours have eliminated from the body. There are games created especially for girls and for boys too. For now lets regarding girls console games. For them is quite readily accessible games. It isn't usually violent, they have mostly pink colors and consequently are related to dolls or house activities. You can find cooking games, dressing games, Barbie games, Bratz games and others as sufficiently. They can do the manicure to little princesses, do their hair, dress them and undress them. Process, which is learn the way to cook pizza, and other items. Beside these there are educational games like puzzles, decorating, painting and many. You can try games like Dancing Penguins, Perfect Wedding cake, Hamster Restaurant, Sparkle Pixie, Nail DIY, Long Hair Princess and a good many others. Visuals in FlatOut are basic and appearance like they can fit the content well. You will find allot of track objects to hit in each location, putting them unit would unquestionably be a good option. FlatOut features below average music that you need to not be forced to listen and. A.I. in FlatOut refuses to lose, even though you have a great lead it will find a way to pass you. Overall this game is okay, FlatOut is a good rental.
Car Games For Boys Online
Challenge your Driving games skills with Car Games, Dirt-Bike Games, and Parking Games Online While all of us dream of trying out those awesome youtube videos where they make a flawless parking at 60 Mph, I can safely (and thankfully) say that none of us actually do. Then there are those who try to get the next best thing ala 3d Games like Grand Turismo, Nascar and Need for Speed, however even a glancing look at the hardware prices required to run those jaw dropping visual effects promptly turns them around. So then, where does the lonely, desperate wannabe speed racer turn to? He turns to the Internet of course! Now for a small sacrifice of visual quality you can vent out all your innate, dormant kung-fu driving skills right of the bat! All you have to do is select which kind of driving tingle your taste-buds the most and give it a shot on many of the sites offering these 3D online racing games. You only have to log on to one of the many online car game sites and pick up a game there. Here are the three most raging game genres available online today: a. Online car games : Now just because I said "for a small sacrifice of visual quality" it does not mean that all you will see is gibberish. Most of the graphics in these fun car games are actually pretty neat! Hop into your favorite Car, be it a Ferrari, Mercedes or even a Truck, select the track and GO, GO, GO. You will be amazed at the variety of challenges these games can throw on you, go spiraling around a mountain or run down a dirt track, your choice. b. Online dirt bike games : Now these are where things get really nasty! Using your browser, you can skillfully tackle roads and tracks which will throw mind bending obstacles, high dunes and low pits, the freezing cold and the scathing heat on you. You also have a choice between many accessories like shock absorbers, lighter bodies, tires etc. As you progress you can unlock more levels, accessories and bikes, it plays just like one of those expensive 3D Games! c. Online parking games : For someone unfamiliar with what a parking game is, this sounds confusing at first, and then becomes pure addiction as they get the hang of it! Most car parking games online offer you three choices. You have to drive a car and park it in an empty space in a set time frame without hitting the obstacles. The Second one is called 18 Wheeler, where you have to park a huge 18 wheeler truck without denting and/or scratching any other vehicles around you. Lastly, my favorite, the skilled parker, where you are giving a race car and have to set it up in a given parking lot within 60 seconds. Since most of these games only require Flash to run you can easily use a standard browser to play them. The number of games and then the number of challenges present within the games will surely keep you busy for quite some time. So go ahead and try some, I dare say you will go OHHHH when you do (pun intended!).
Car Games For Boys Online
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We’re all chasing one thing boys and girls: love. Many of us haven’t found it, and some of us have. For those that haven’t there’s a reason.
This message today is brought to you by “Bro’s Anonymous Incorporated” (The company I’m going to start, to teach all you guys how to be a man so you can get what you’re looking for). Women will also find this guide very insightful when it comes to the male species.
There’s probably one clear reason us single guys are still yet to find an amazing, successful woman. Here it is:
You haven’t given enough of yourself, and you’re still in love with you.
No woman gives a rats a$$ about how in love you are with yourself. The more you love how good you think you are, the less chance you have of being in a position to give something beyond your own selfish needs.
Attracting a woman is about taking the focus off your needs, and putting the focus onto someone else. You’re never going to attract a beautiful woman unless you learn to treat one like royalty and give everything you have.
Giving the metaphorical five bucks change you have in your back pocket from last nights piss up with the boys down at the local pub is not going to cut the mustard young Skywalker. Become metaphorically naked, and be vulnerable.
Drop all your thoughts about what you have to try and be to attract a woman. If I was to sum up this advice it would be, “BECOME OPEN MINDED!!!”
So let’s define the ultimate guide you are going to need to attract a woman:
A) Share your brains not your assets
Assets such as houses, cars, shares, cash in the bank, etc are like trophies. They’re exciting for about two weeks, and then they become boring and seemingly unimportant. Don’t lead a conversation with a woman around these objects.
Let me give you an example. It’s like asking who won the 1965 200-metre high jump. 0.01% of people can remember, and most of us will just Google it because we can’t be stuffed caring.
The achievement and gold medal was significant in 1965, but decades on, it’s about the person that athlete has become in their life, not the medal. It’s about how much that athlete gives back and uses his or her triumphs to inspire others. Now that’s memorable.
Back to the guide for a minute. Your brain is your real asset, and that is what the long-term value proposition is for a woman. There are lots of ways to show a woman your brains and here are a few:
– Have an intelligent conversation with her
– Show your emotional intelligence by analysing a romantic situation of someone you know
– Ask her intelligent questions about her life
– Share your greatest fears and how you overcame them
– Tell a great story that has a happy ending
– Tell a tragic story and what you learned
Bottom line, talk about things with her and bring her into your world. Steer away from assets and towards engaging, addictive, inspiring conversation.
B) Practice honesty not bullsh”t
Don’t over exaggerate! Women are very smart creatures, and they know if you lie or bend the truth. Tell it how it is; it’s much sexier that way. I’ve seen women literally throw themselves at men who can be insanely honest.
Honesty would have to almost be at the top of a woman’s list of things she’s looking for in a man. If you’re not honest by nature, then it’s time to practice.
Have an accountability partner to keep you honest if that’s what it takes. Lying is like throwing mud at a woman’s face and then asking “What’s wrong baby why don’t you like me?” Come on guys this stuff is not rocket science and I’m no Einstein.
C) Try harder
I see so many guys put a half-baked effort into the pursuit of a successful and attractive woman. Remember this quest for a woman is one of the only things you were put on this planet to do. It’s bloody important so give it the attention it needs.
Put some effort in, and you’ll get to see what it’s like to be indestructible with a strong woman by your side. Now I know us guys need things spelled out for us sometimes so let me do that for you right now! This is what I mean by trying harder:
– Plan the date in advance
– Learn her friend’s names (and her name if you’ve forgotten that)
– Open the god damn door of the car, hotel, house, club (insert door name here)
– Tell her how she looks. If she looks stunning then tell her so
– Show her you care by sending good morning and good night messages
– Come over to her when she’s in a crowd of people and give her your undivided attention
– Look her in the eyes when you talk to her
– Tell her what you’re thinking and feeling
– Spoil her with fantastic food
– Surprise her with flowers when you take her out
– Hold her hand. Hug her. Kiss her (you get the message?)
Now the list above may sound obvious but common sense when it comes to attracting a woman seems not so common. Let me put all of this in simple terms again: instead of treating her like your doormat, treat her like the dream Ferrari that you want to own (or maybe you have one already and are richer than me).
D) Have some guts
Okay, this point is brutal. Text messaging is not going to cut it forever. It opens the door about 5cm to a women’s heart, and then you have to grow some balls and make a move. Hiding behind the screen of your phone is about as attractive as the freshly laid pooh from a horse’s anus.
Before I go on, I need to spell out something to do with text messages. Learn to spell and use grammar. If you type in English that is full of abbreviations, acronyms, and spelling errors, women will think you are totally dumb. Dumb is not going to work (see point A).
Now that’s off my hairy chest let’s move on. Women are looking for their version of a superhero. Let’s think about Batman for a second. Does Batman sit on his ass, eat potato chips, drink beer, and never leave the house.
No! The guy is out there saving lives, saying impressive sh*t, picking up smoking hot women, and most of all, having the guts to take action. This is what women secretly all want. They’re looking for their superhero who can swoop in and lift them off their feet.
They want their version of Batman who has the balls and the guts to do one of the following:
– Talk to them
– Ask them on a date
– Formalise a few successful dates into a relationship
– Ask them one day to marry them
If the best you can do is stand on the other side of the room with “The Boys” and not even have the guts to come over and talk, you’re never going to attract a woman. You may attract an unhealthy dose of sitting at home watching porn and masturbating though!
E) Make a move
Think about business for a second. A large part of entrepreneurship is selling. If we break down selling it comes down to this beautiful, mysterious concept called a sales funnel. Basically, you take someone from a lead, to an opportunity, to a raving fan (customer).
Attracting a woman is the same concept. To be successful, you have to constantly be taking the next step and driving the action. There’s nothing sexier to a woman than a man who’s in charge. So to break it down even further, you will not win the attraction game unless you keep “MAKING A MOVE!”
Don’t wait for time and space to align. Tell her you like her. Ask her on a date. Make a move son and quit avoiding the truth.
F) Don’t be a dick
It’s a shame I have to mention this one, but in a world full of madness it applies more than ever. Don’t be a dick. Here’s what that looks like translated: “Be the best version of yourself and remember that it’s not all about you.”
Secondly, quit the games. I see my male friends all the time playing games.
“Maybe I’ll call her. Maybe I won’t and keep her hanging.”
“What will she think if I do that? Maybe I look too desperate.”
Bottom-line is forget about how you might look and act with intention. Playing games will get you nowhere fast. There’s loads of competition trying to find an amazing woman so act swiftly and cut to the chase. The more games you play, the further you will get from your goal.
Games are for amateurs with no balls.
G) Leave your ego in the closet
That big ugly thing you bring out of the closet to the club on a Saturday night is scaring all the girls away. This illusive thing is called your ego.
“Divorce your ego and marry the truth”
Egos are a sign of ugliness. When you bring out all the stories of how awesome everything is about yourself, no woman believes it. On the other hand, your vulnerable self that has failed, broken girls hearts, shattered dreams, and suffers from fear like the rest of us, is much more real.
Providing you are not some muppet with zero confidence that stays at home in the dark, too afraid to fart in case the sound bursts your precious little ear drums, I think being the real you will be fine. What do you reckon? Are you with me?
H) Get out there and get amongst it
***Insert dating app name here**** will be unlikely to help you attract a woman. Women are living creatures that breathe and roam the planet like us males. I know it’s utterly shocking when you think about this little-known fact.
The best way to attract them is to create serendipitous, spontaneous moments and get out there and find one for yourself. How do you do that?
Go to stuff. Festivals, bars, meetups, balls, charity events, freaking bake off’s if that’s your thing. The key message is start doing and get off your lazy butt. Things will move much faster than any dating app where you are texting for twelve months wondering what each other really look like.
Real attraction begins with human connection, and it’s impossible to get that from an app. There’s nothing better than seeing each other in the flesh and looking into each other’s eyes over a genuine conversation. That’s where the attraction happens gentlemen.
By the way, I sometimes think I sound like a muppet myself with some of this advice, but I’m all for spelling it out.
I) Iron your shirt (trust me on this)
Geez I can’t believe I included this one. Don’t roll up with your shirt all creased, bad breath, and a sign on your head that says “I am too lazy to iron my shirt because I don’t care about you that much.” Part of attraction comes down to looks, so make an effort to dress well.
How would you feel if she rolled up in pumpkin costume with a bag over her head? Probably not too good, although there may be some weirdo’s reading this who get turned on by this and have some crazy fetish. I’ll assume that’s not you for the sake of this guide.
***Final thought***
Let me finish by saying that chivalry is not dead; there is just a major shortage of it. Guys, if we don’t follow this ultimate guide, we could become extinct. Let me remind you that masturbation cannot allow you to reproduce and without reproduction, none of us exist.
Again, obvious but worth stating at this late stage in the game. Best of luck with your newfound wisdom. Now go use this guide!
April 02, 2017 at 09:05AM http://ift.tt/2nK5ErI from Tim Denning http://ift.tt/2nK5ErI
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Arplis - News: 2020 Top 10 High Tech Cars
Photo: Polestar The Polestar 1 hybrid, the first of a sub-brand from Volvo, goes fast and goes far in all-electric mode—roughly 88 kilometers (55 miles). Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR In 2019, the auto industry finally started acting like its future was electric. How do we know? Just follow the money. General Motors just announced it was spending US $20 billion over five years to bring out a new generation of electric vehicles. Volkswagen Group has pledged $66 billion spread over five years, most of it for electric propulsion. Ford hopes to transform its lineup and image with an $11.5 billion program to develop EVs. And of course, Tesla has upstaged them all with the radical, scrapyard-from-Mars Cybertruck, a reminder that Elon Musk will remain a threat to the automotive order for the foreseeable future. This past year, I saw the first fruit of Volkswagen Group’s massive investment: the Porsche Taycan, a German sport sedan that sets new benchmarks in performance and fast charging. It lived up to all the hype, I’m happy to say. As for Tesla and Ford, stay tuned. The controversial Tesla Cybertruck, the hotly anticipated Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the intriguing Rivian pickup and SUV (which has been boosted by $500 million in backing from Ford) are still awaiting introduction. EV fans, as ever, must be patient: The Mach-E won’t reach showrooms until late this year, and as for the Rivian and Cybertruck, who knows? As is our habit, we focus here on cars that are already in showrooms or will be within the next few months. And we do include some good old gasoline-powered cars. Our favorite is the Corvette: It adopts a mid-engine design for the first time in its 67-year history. Yes, an electrified version is in the works. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 The middle: where no Corvette engine has gone before Base price: US $59,995 Photo: Chevrolet Perfect balance is what you get by moving the Stingray’s V8 to the center; unlike its mid-engine rivals, the car has generous cargo space in a rear trunk. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR By now, even casual car fans have heard that the Corvette has gone mid-engine. It’s a radical realignment for a car famous for big V8s nestling below long, flowing hoods since the ’Vette’s birth in 1953. Best of all, it works, and it means the Stingray will breathe down the necks of Ferraris, McLarens, and other mid-engine exotics—but at a ridiculous base price of just US $59,995. Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s chief engineer, says that the previous, seventh-generation model had reached the limits of front-engine physics. By rebalancing weight rearward, the new design allows the Stingray to put almost preposterous power to the pavement without sacrificing the comfort and everyday drivability that buyers demand. I got my first taste of these new physics near the old stagecoach town of Tortilla Flat, Ariz. Despite having barely more grunt than last year’s base model—369 kilowatts (495 horsepower) from the 6.2-liter V8 rumbling just behind my right shoulder—the Corvette scorches to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) nearly a full second quicker, at a supercar-baiting 2.9 seconds. This Stingray should top out at around 190 mph. And there are rumors of mightier versions in the works, perhaps even an electric or hybrid ’Vette with at least 522 kW (700 hp). With the engine out back, driver and passenger sit virtually atop the front axle, 42 centimeters (16.5 inches) closer to the action, wrapped in a fighter-jet-inspired cockpit with a clearer view over a dramatically lowered hood. Thanks to a new eight-speed, dual-clutch automated gearbox, magnetorheological shocks, and a limited-slip rear differential—all endlessly adjustable—my Corvette tamed every outlaw curve, bump, and dip in its Old West path. It’s so stable and composed that you’ll need a racetrack to approach its performance limits. It’s still fun on public roads, but you can tell that it’s barely breaking a sweat. Yet it’s nearly luxury-car smooth and quiet when you’re not romping on throttle. And it’s thrifty. Figure on 9 to 8.4 liters per 100 kilometers (26 to 28 miles per gallon) at a steady highway cruise, including sidelining half its cylinders to save fuel. A sleek convertible model does away with the coupe’s peekaboo view of the splendid V8 through a glass cover. The upside is an ingenious roof design that folds away without hogging a cubic inch of cargo space. Unlike any other mid-engine car in the world, the Corvette will also fit two sets of golf clubs (or equivalent luggage) in a rear trunk, in addition to the generously sized “frunk” up front. The downside to that convenience is a yacht-size rear deck that makes—how shall we put this?—the Chevy’s butt look fat. An onboard Performance Data Recorder works like a real-life video game, capturing point-of-view video and granular data on any drive, overlaying the video with telemetry readouts, and allowing drivers to analyze lap times and performance with Cosworth racing software. The camera-and-GPS system allows any road or trip to be stored and analyzed as though it was a timed circuit—perfect for those record-setting grocery runs. Polestar 1 This hybrid is tuned for performance Base price: US $156,500 Photo: Polestar Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Consider the Polestar 1 a tech tease from Volvo. This fiendishly complex plug-in hybrid will be seen in just 1,500 copies, built over three years in a showpiece, enviro-friendly factory in Chengdu, China. Just as important, it’s the first of several planned Polestars, a Volvo sub-brand that aims to expand the company’s electric reach around the globe. I drove mine in New Jersey, scooting from Hoboken to upstate New York, as fellow drivers craned their necks to glimpse this tuxedo-sharp, hand-built luxury GT. The body panels are formed from carbon fiber, trimming 227 kilograms (500 pounds) from what’s still a 2,345-kg (5,170-pound) ride. Front wheels are driven by a four-cylinder gas engine, whose combo of a supercharger and turbocharger generates 243 kilowatts (326 horses) from just 2.0 liters of displacement, with another 53 kW (71 hp) from an integrated starter/generator. Two 85-kW electric motors power the rear wheels, allowing some 88 kilometers (55 miles) of emissions-free range—likely a new high for a plug-in hybrid—before the gas engine kicks in. Mashing the throttle summons some 462 kW (619 hp) and 1,000 newton meters (737 pound-feet) of torque, allowing a 4.2-second dash to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). It’s fast, but not lung-crushing fast, like Porsche’s Taycan. Yet the Polestar’s handling is slick, thanks to those rear motors, which work independently, allowing torque vectoring—the speeding or slowing of individual wheels—to boost agility. And Öhlins shock absorbers, from the renowned racing and performance brand, combine precise body control with a creamy-smooth ride. It’s a fun drive, but Polestar’s first real test comes this summer with the Polestar 2 EV. That fastback sedan’s $63,750 base price and roughly 440-km (275-mile) range will see it square off against Tesla’s sedans. Look for it in next year’s Top 10. Hyundai Sonata It has the automation of a much pricier car Base price: US $24,330 Photo: Hyundai Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR The U.S. market for family sedans has been gutted by SUVs. But rather than give up on sedans, as Ford and Fiat Chrysler have done, Hyundai has doubled down with a 2020 Sonata that’s packed with luxury-level tech and alluring design at a mainstream price. The Sonata is packed with features that were recently found only on much costlier cars. The list includes Hyundai’s SmartSense package of forward-collision avoidance, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam assist, adaptive cruise control, and a drowsy-driver attention warning, and they’re all standard, even in the base model. The SEL model adds a blind-spot monitor, but with a cool tech twist: Flick a turn signal and a circle-shaped camera view of the Sonata’s blind spot appears in the digital gauge cluster in front of the driver. It helped me spot bicyclists in city traffic. Hyundai’s latest infotainment system, with a 10-inch (26-centimeter) monitor, remains one of the industry’s most intuitive touch screens. Taking a page from much more expensive BMWs, the Hyundai’s new “smart park” feature, standard on the top-shelf Limited model, lets it pull into or out of a tight parking spot or garage with no driver aboard, controlled by the driver through the key fob. That fob can be replaced by a digital key, which uses an Android smartphone app, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Near Field Communication to unlock and start the car. Owners can share digital-key access with up to three users, including sending codes via the Web. Even the Sonata’s hood is festooned with fancy electronics. What first looks like typical chrome trim turns out to illuminate with increasing intensity as the strips span the fenders and merge into the headlamps. The chrome was laser-etched to allow a grid of 0.05-millimeter LED squares to shine through. Add it to the list of bright ideas from Hyundai. Porsche Taycan It outperforms Tesla—for a price Base price: US $114,340 Photo: Porsche Fast off the mark and fast to charge, the Taycan inherits tech from Porsche’s LeMans-winning 919 Hybrid racers, including the 800-volt architecture. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Yes, the all-electric Porsche Taycan is better than a Tesla Model S. And it had damn well better be: The Porsche is a far newer design, and it sells at up to double the Tesla’s price. What you get for all that is a four-door supercar GT, a technological marvel that starts the clock ticking on the obsolescence of fossil-fueled automobiles. This past September I spent two days driving the Taycan Turbo S through Denmark and Germany. One high point was repeated runs to 268 kilometers per hour (167 miles per hour) on the Autobahn, faster than I’ve ever driven an EV. From a standing start, an automated launch mode summoned 560 kilowatts (750 horsepower) for a time-warping 2.6-second dash to 60 mph. As alert readers have by now surmised, the Taycan is fast. But one of its best time trials takes place with the car parked. Thanks to the car’s groundbreaking 800-volt electrical architecture—with twice the voltage of the Tesla’s—charging is dramatically quicker. Doubling the voltage means the current needed to deliver a given level of power is of course halved. Pulling off the Autobahn during my driving test and connecting the liquid-cooled cables of a 350-kW Ionity charger, I watched the Porsche suck in enough DC to replenish its 93.4-kW battery from 8 to 80 percent in 20 minutes flat. Based on my math, the Porsche added nearly 50 miles of range for every 5 minutes of max charging. In the time it takes to hit the bathroom and pour a coffee, owners can add about 160 kilometers (100 miles) of range toward the Taycan’s total, estimated at 411 to 450 km (256 to 280 miles) under the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seems to have sandbagged the Porsche, pegging its range at 201 miles, even as test drivers report getting 270 miles or more. Porsche hopes to have 600 of the ultrafast DC chargers up and running in the United States by the end of this year. That 800-volt operation brings other advantages, too. With less current to carry, the wiring is slimmer and lighter, saving 30 kilograms in the electrical harness alone. Also, less current is drawn during hard driving, which reduces heat and wear on the electric motors. Porsche says that’s key to the Taycan’s repeatable, consistent performance. In its normal driving mode, the Turbo S version kicks out 460 kW (617 horsepower) and 1,049 newton meters (774 pound-feet) of torque. The front and back axles each have an electric motor with a robust 600-amp inverter; in other models the front gets 300 amps and the rear gets 600 amps. The Porsche’s other big edge is its race-bred handling. Though this sedan tops 2,310 kg (5,100 pounds), its serenity at boggling speeds is unmatched. Credit the full arsenal of Porsche’s chassis technology: four-wheel-steering, active roll stabilization, and an advanced air suspension offering three levels of stiffness, based on three separate pressurized chambers. Porsche claims class-leading levels of brake-energy recuperation. It’s also Porsche’s most aerodynamic production model, with a drag coefficient of just 0.22, about as good as any mass-production car ever. Porsche invested US $1 billion to develop the Taycan, with $800 million of that going to a new factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany. For a fairer fight with Tesla, a more-affordable 4S model arrives in U.S. showrooms this summer, with up to 420 kW (563 hp) and a base price of $103,800. Audi RS Q8 Mild hybrid, wild ride Base price (est.): US $120,000 Photo: Audi Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR I’m rocketing up a dormant volcano to the highest peak in Spain, Mt. Teide in the Canary Islands. There may be more efficient ways to test a luxury crossover SUV, but none more fun. I’m in the Audi RS Q8, a mild-hybrid version of the Q8, introduced just last year. I’m getting a lesson in how tech magic can make a roughly 2,310-kilogram (5,100-pound) vehicle accelerate, turn, and brake like a far smaller machine. The RS Q8’s pulsing heart is a 4-liter, 441-kilowatt (591-horsepower) twin-turbo V8. It’s augmented by a mild-hybrid system based on a 48-volt electrical architecture that sends up to 12 kW to charge a lithium-ion battery. That system also powers trick electromechanical antiroll bars to keep the body flatter than a Marine’s haircut during hard cornering. An adaptive air suspension hunkers down at speed to reduce drag and center of gravity, while Quattro all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering provide stability. A mammoth braking system, largely shared with the Lamborghini Urus, the Audi’s corporate cousin, includes insane 10-piston calipers up front. That means 10 pressure points for the brake pads against the spinning brake discs, for brawny stopping power and improved heat management and pedal feel. Optional carbon-ceramic brakes trim 19 pounds from each corner. Audi’s engineers fine-tuned it all in scores of trials on Germany’s fabled Nürburgring circuit, which the RS Q8 stormed in 7 minutes, 42 seconds. That’s faster than any other SUV in history. Audi’s digital Virtual Cockpit and MMI Touch center screens are smoothly integrated in a flat panel. A navigation system analyzes past drives to nearby destinations, looking at logged data on traffic density and the time of day. And the Audi Connect, an optional Android app that can be used by up to five people, can unlock and start the Audi. Audi quotes a conservative 3.8-second catapult from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). We’re betting on 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, maybe less. Mini Cooper SE It offers all-electric sprightliness US $30,750 Photo: Mini Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR I’m on a street circuit at the FIA’s Formula E race in Brooklyn, N.Y., about to take my first all-electric laps in the new Mini Cooper SE during a break in race action. The Manhattan skyline paints a stunning backdrop across the harbor. My Red Hook apartment happens to be a short walk from this temporary circuit; so is the neighborhood Tesla showroom, and an Ikea and a Whole Foods, both equipped with EV chargers. In other words, this densely populated city is perfect for the compact, maneuverable, electric Mini, that most stylish of urban conveyances. It’s efficient, too, as Britain’s Mini first proved 61 years ago, with the front-drive car that Sir Alec Issigonis created in response to the gasoline rationing in Britain following the 1956 Suez crisis. This Mini squeezes 32.6 kilowatt-hours worth of batteries into a T-shaped pack below its floor without impinging on cargo space. At a hair over 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds), this Mini adds only about 110 kg to a base gasoline Cooper. With a 135-kilowatt (181-horsepower) electric motor under its handsome hood, the Mini sails past the Formula E grandstand, quickening my pulse with its go-kart agility and its ethereal, near-silent whir. The body sits nearly 2 centimeters higher than the gasoline version, to accommodate 12 lithium-ion battery modules, but the center of gravity drops by 3 cm (1.2 inches), a net boost to stability and handling. Because the Mini has neither an air-inhaling radiator grille nor an exhaust-exhaling pipe, it’s tuned for better aerodynamics as well. A single-speed transmission means I never have to shift, though I do fiddle with the toggle switch that dials up two levels of regenerative braking. That BMW electric power train, with 270 newton meters (199 pound-feet) of instant-on torque, punts me from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 kilometers per hour) in just over 7 seconds, plenty frisky for such a small car. The company claims a new wheelspin actuator reacts to traction losses notably faster, a sprightliness that’s particularly gratifying when gunning the SE around a corner. It all reminds me of that time when the Tesla Roadster was turning heads and EVs were supposed to be as compact and light as possible to save energy. The downside is that a speck-size car can fit only so much battery. The Mini’s has less than one-third the capacity of the top Tesla Model S. That’s only enough for a mini-size range of 177 km (110 miles). That relatively tiny battery helps deliver an appealing base price of $23,250, including a $7,500 federal tax credit. And this is still a hyperefficient car: On a subsequent drive in crawling Miami traffic, the Mini is on pace for 201 km (125 miles) of range, though its battery contains the equivalent of less than 0.9 gallon of gasoline. Following a full 4-hour charge on a basic Level 2 charger, you’ll be zipping around town again, your conscience as clear as the air around the Mini. Vintage Fiat 124 Spider, Retooled by Electric GT A drop-in electric-drive system gives new life to an old car—like this 1982 Spider System base price: US $32,500 Photo: Electric GT This modern classic from 1982, retooled by Electric GT, hums along on an electric system that fits the space the engine used to occupy. Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Vintage-car aficionados love to grouse about the time and money it takes to keep their babies running. Electric GT has a better idea: Skip ahead a century. The California company has developed an ingenious plug-and-play “crate motor” that transplants an electric heart into most any vintage gasoline car. I drove an orange 1982 Fiat 124 Spider that Electric GT converted to battery drive. With a relatively potent 89 kilowatts (120 horsepower) and 235 newton meters (173 pound-feet) of torque below its hood, and 25 kilowatt-hours’ worth of repurposed Tesla batteries stuffed into its trunk area, the Fiat can cover up to 135 kilometers (85 miles) of driving range, enough for a couple hours of top-down cruising. Best of all, the system is designed to integrate exclusively with manual-transmission cars, including the Fiat’s charming wood-topped shifter and five forward gears. This romantic, Pininfarina-designed Fiat also squirts to 60 miles per hour in about 7 seconds, about 3 seconds quicker than the original old-school dawdler. Electric GT first got attention when it converted a 1978 Ferrari 308, best known as Tom Selleck’s chariot on the U.S. TV show “Magnum, P.I.,” to electric drive. The company’s shop, north of Los Angeles, is filled with old Porsches, Toyota FJ40s, and other cars awaiting electrification. The crate motors even look like a gasoline engine, with what appears at first glance to be V-shaped cylinder banks and orange sparkplug wires. Systems are engineered for specific cars, and the burliest of the bunch store 100 kWh, enough to give plenty of range. With system prices starting at US $32,500 and topping $80,000 for longer-range units, this isn’t a project for the backyard mechanic on a Pep Boys budget. Eric Hutchison, Electric GT’s cofounder, says it’s for the owner who loves a special car and wants to keep it alive but doesn’t want to provide the regular babying care that aging, finicky machines typically demand. “It’s the guy who says, ‘I already own three Teslas. Now, how do I get my classic Jaguar electrified?’ ” says Hutchison. Components designed for easy assembly should enable a good car hobbyist to perform the conversion in just 40 to 50 hours, the company says. “We’re taking out all the brain work of having to be an expert in battery safety or electrical management,” Hutchison says. “You can treat it like a normal engine swap.” Toyota RAV4 Hybrid A redesigned hybrid system optimizes fuel economy Base price: $29,470 Photo: Toyota Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR The RAV4 is the best-selling vehicle in the United States that isn’t a pickup truck. What’s more, its hybrid offshoot is the most popular gas-electric SUV. No wonder: Forty-four percent of all hybrids sold in America in 2018 were Toyotas. And where many hybrids disappoint in real-world fuel economy, the RAV4 delivers. That’s why this Toyota, whose 2019 redesign came too late to make last year’s Top 10 list, is getting its due for 2020. My own tests show 41 miles per gallon (5.7 liters per 100 kilometers) in combined city and highway driving, 1 mpg better than the EPA rating. Up front, a four-cylinder, 131-kilowatt (176-horsepower) engine mates with an 88-kW (118-hp) electric motor. A 40-kW electric motor under the cargo hold drives the rear wheels. Altogether, you get a maximum 163 kW (219 hp) in all-wheel-drive operation, with no driveshaft linking the front and rear wheels. The slimmer, redesigned hybrid system adds only about 90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) and delivers a huge 8-mile-per-gallon gain over the previous model. Toyota’s new Predictive Efficient Drive collects data on its driver’s habits and combines that with GPS route and traffic info to optimize both battery use and charging. For example, it will use more electricity while climbing hills in expectation of recapturing that juice on the downhill side. And when the RAV4 is riding on that battery, it’s as blissfully quiet as a pure EV. Toyota’s Safety Sense gear is standard, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automatic emergency braking. Next year will bring the first-ever plug-in hybrid version, which Toyota says will be the most powerful RAV4 yet. Ford Escape Hybrid This SUV has carlike efficiency Base price: US $29,450 Photo: Ford Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Years ago, Americans began abandoning their cars for SUVs. So by now you might think those SUVs would be achieving carlike efficiencies. You’d be correct. Exhibit A: the new Ford Escape Hybrid, with its class-topping EPA rating of 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers (41 miles per gallon)in combined city and highway driving. That’s 1 mpg better than its formidable Top 10 competitor, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Where the Toyota aims for a rugged-SUV look, the Ford wraps a softer, streamlined body around its own hybrid system. That includes a 2.5-L, four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine, and a pair of electric motor/generators for a 150-kilowatt (200 horsepower) total. A briefcase-size battery pack, about a third the size of the old Escape Hybrid’s, tucks below the front passenger seat. The Toyota’s rear electric motor drives the rear wheels independently and thus offers only an all-wheel-drive version. The Escape forges a mechanical connection to the rear wheels, allowing both all-wheel drive and front-wheel-drive versions. The latter is lighter and more efficient when you’re not dealing with snow, ice, off-roading, or some combination of the three. The 0-to-60-mph run is dispatched in a whisper-quiet 8.7 seconds, versus 7.5 seconds for the Toyota. The Ford fires back with powerful, smartly tuned hybrid brakes that have more stopping power than either the Toyota or the gasoline-only Escapes can manage. Tech features include a nifty automated self-parking function, evasive-steering assist, and wireless smartphone charging. A head-up display available on the Titanium—Ford’s first ever in North America—projects speed, navigation info, driver-assist status, and other data onto the windshield. FordPass Connect, a smartphone app, lets owners use a smartphone to lock, unlock, start, or locate their vehicle, and a standard 4G LTE Wi-Fi system links up to 10 mobile devices. A plug-in hybrid version will follow later this year with what Ford says will be a minimum 30 miles of usable all-electric range. All told, it’s a winning one-two punch of efficiency and technology in an SUV that starts below $30,000. Aston Martin Vantage AMR High tech empowers retro tech Base price: US $183,081 Photo: Aston Martin Best of Old and New: The AMR blends an actual manual transmission integrated into an adaptive power train and suspension Introduction Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8 Polestar 1 Hyundai Sonata Porsche Taycan Audi RS Q8 Mini Cooper SE Fiat 124 Spider Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Aston Martin Vantage AMR Take an Aston Martin Vantage, among the world’s most purely beautiful sports cars. Add a 375-kilowatt (503-horsepower) hand-assembled V8 from AMG, the performance arm of Mercedes-Benz. Assemble a team of engineers led by Matt Becker, Aston’s handling chief and the former maestro of Lotus’s chassis development. Does this sound like the recipe for the sports car of your dreams? Well, that dream goes over the top, with the manual transmission in the new Vantage AMR. Burbling away from Aston’s AMR Performance Centre, tucked along the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, I am soon happily pressing a clutch pedal and finessing the stick shift on the Autobahn. The next thing I know, the Aston is breezing past 300 kilometers per hour (or 186 miles per hour), which is not far off its official 195-mph top speed. That’s a 7-mph improvement over the automatic version. This stick shouts defiance in a world in which the Corvette C8, the Ferrari, the Lamborghini, and the Porsche 911 have sent their manual transmissions to the great scrapyard in the sky. But what’s impressive is how seamlessly the company has integrated this classic technology with the newest tech, including an adaptive power train and suspension. The AMR’s 1,500-kilogram (3,298-pound) curb weight is about 100 kg less than that of an automatic model. The seven-speed manual, a once-maddening unit from Italy’s Graziano, has been transformed. An all-new gearbox was out of the question: No supplier wanted to develop one for a sports car that will have just 200 copies produced this year. So Aston had to get creative with the existing setup. Technicians reworked shift cables and precisely chamfered the gears’ “fingers”—think of the rounded teeth inside a Swiss watch—for smoother, more-precise shifts. A dual-mass flywheel was fitted to the mighty Mercedes V8 to dampen resonance in the driveline so the gearbox doesn’t rattle. The standard Vantage’s peak torque has been lowered from 681 to 625 newton meters (from 502 to 461 pound-feet) to reduce stress on transmission gears. Aston also sweated the ideal placement of shifter and clutch pedal for the pilot. A dual-chamber clutch master cylinder, developed from a Formula One design, moves a high volume of transmission fluid quickly, but without an unreasonably heavy, thigh-killing clutch pedal. A selectable AM Shift Mode feature delivers modern, rev-matching downshifts, eliminating the need for human heel-and-toe maneuvers, with thrilling matched upshifts under full throttle. The Graziano still takes a bit of practice: Its funky “dogleg” first gear sits off to the left, away from the familiar H pattern of shift gates. Second gear is where you’d normally find first, third replaces second, and so on. The layout originated in old-school racing, the idea being that first gear was unneeded, unless you were rolling through the pit lane. The dogleg pattern allows easier shifting from second to third and back without having to slide the shifter sideways. Once acclimated, I can’t get enough: The shifter grants me precise control over the brawny V8, and the Aston’s every balletic move. More improbably, this sweet shifter on the AMR won’t become a footnote in Aston history: It will be an option on every Vantage in 2021. This article appears in the April 2020 print issue as “ 2020 Top 10 Tech Cars.” #Transportation/advanced-cars #Transportation
Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/2020-top-10-high-tech-cars
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German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
Michael Schumacher was worshipped by the Hockenheim trustworthy, profitable 4 occasions in entrance of his house crowd (1995, 2002, 2004 and 2006)
Guten tag, Germany… and welcome again.
Hockenheim returns to the Formulation 1 calendar after a two-year hiatus this weekend, and what higher option to get the German followers by the gates than having certainly one of their compatriots sitting atop the drivers’ championship.
Come Sunday, Sebastian Vettel will probably be aiming to do what Lewis Hamilton couldn’t at Silverstone – win on house soil.
The headlines have been already written for the Mercedes man to assert a document sixth British Grand Prix victory however the prancing horse had different concepts. As a substitute it was Vettel who held aloft the winner’s trophy to prolonged his lead this intriguing title race to eight factors.
Hockenheim recollections
Ferrari’s workforce radio to race chief Felipe Massa in 2010 was a basic: “Fernando… is quicker… than you.” Alonso went previous to take the race win
So what does the two.842-mile Hockenheim circuit deliver to the desk?
Bust-ups, crashes and emotional drama, it will appear.
Located within the Rhine Valley, the unique circuit at Hockenheim took drivers on a flat-out thrill trip by lush, inexperienced forests. Throw in some ewoks and a few speeder bikes as an alternative of F1 automobiles, and it might simply have doubled-up as Endor from Return of the Jedi.
In 1982, Nelson Piquet was main the race for Brabham and regarded sure for a podium end; enter Eliseo Salazar. As Piquet tried to lap the inexperienced backmarker, a conflict of wheels despatched the Brabham and ATS right into a spin and into retirement. The incident had a glimmer of the Hamilton v Raikkonen, first-lap Silverstone drama about it. The aftermath, nonetheless, took a punchier flip.
Brazilian Piquet leapt out of his automobile like a raging bull, launching himself on the Chilean, fists flying, and with a relatively ungentlemanly kick in direction of a fragile space. If solely Instagram had been accessible again then for these two to kind out their variations.
If go all the way down to the woods at present… you would possibly discover David Coulthard’s 2001 McLaren with a blown engine
The daybreak of a brand new millennium noticed one other Brazilian make the Hockenheim headlines, this time for the appropriate causes. Step ahead Rubens Barrichello, 122 grands prix into his profession and nonetheless no victory parade. Beginning 18th on the grid and having German legend Michael Schumacher as a team-mate, it did not look very promising.
However someway all of it fell into place.
Schumacher went out in a first-corner crash, a monitor invader triggered a security automobile and the heavens opened. All of the whereas Barrichello drove faultlessly by the sphere earlier than the tears of pleasure got here as he crossed the road for a stirring maiden win.
Two years after that historic second, the lengthy straights by the forests got the outdated heave-ho, with a shorter structure constructed across the present stadium part.
It is honest to say the alterations haven’t been universally embraced. Certainly, in the event you take a look at fan boards the post-2002 Hockenheimring doesn’t get the identical love that was bestowed on the outdated monitor.
However a victory for Vettel would certainly put aside a few of these misgiving among the many house trustworthy.
Sebastian… are you prepared?
Flashback quiz
What number of grand prix winners from Germany are you able to title?
It is a easy query… with a couple of very simple solutions, maybe?
Seven German drivers in whole have claimed high spot on the rostrum at numerous circuits for the reason that 1960s.
There are solely two minutes on the clock to guess all of them.
What number of German winners are you able to title?
Rating: 0 / 7
Begin quiz
You scored 0/7
Share your rating with your folks!
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Surrender!
Beforehand in F1: Spherical 10, Britain
Better of British qualifying: The group solely needed one particular person on pole for Sunday’s race and so they received it. Lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel in an exhilarating last-lap tussle to take his place on the entrance row at Silverstone
Championship sunny delight: Within the warmth of the Silverstone solar, it was the blazing crimson of Vettel’s Ferrari that took the chequered flag. A gap nudge from the wheel of Kimi Raikkonen left Hamilton with all the things to do, with the Mercedes man recovering beautifully from the again to complete second
The monitor
Again pocket info
When kids begin their first day of faculty in Germany, they obtain a schultute, which is a big cardboard cone stuffed with toys, chocolate and sweets.
Based on German legislation, an individual’s gender have to be apparent by first title, so the civil registration workplace, or Standesamt, can refuse names that do not comply.
In 2013, Germany dumped the mammoth, 63-letter phrase Rindfleischetikettierungsuberwachungsaufgabenubertragungsgesetz. It interprets as “legislation delegating beef label monitoring” and regardless of the German’s love for prolonged compound nouns, was deemed a tad extreme for the trendy language.
There is not any middle-lane hogging in Germany. When utilizing the well-known Autobahn, motorists stick religiously to the foundations of the highway: hold as far to the appropriate as doable and use left lanes for passing solely.
Drivers’ social
Vive la France! Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly joined within the celebrations for France’s 4-2 win over Croatia within the World Cup closing…
… so did fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean…
… Lewis Hamilton spoke for a lot of after England’s semi-final defeat by Croatia…
…and in the course of all of the soccer drama, Valtteri Bottas went to see Eminem at Twickenham
Find out how to observe on BBC Sport
BBC Sport has reside protection of all of the season’s races on BBC Radio 5 reside and BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further, plus reside on-line commentary on the BBC Sport web site and cell app – together with viewers interplay, professional evaluation, debate, voting, options, interviews and video content material.
All occasions BST and are topic to vary at brief discover.
German Grand Prix protection particulars Date Session Time Radio protection On-line textual content commentary Thursday, 19 July Preview 21:30-22:00 BBC Radio 5 reside Friday, 20 July First follow 09:55-12:35 BBC Sport on-line From 09:30 Second follow 13:55-15:35 BBC Sport on-line From 13:30 Saturday, 21 July Third follow 10:55-12:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 10:30 Qualifying 13:55-15:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further Sunday, 22 July Race 13:45-16:30 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 12:30 Monday, 23 July Evaluation 04:30-05:00 BBC Radio 5 reside
BBC Sport – Formula 1 ultras_FC_Barcelona
ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/formula1/8878/
#Barcelona
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German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
German GP: Will Sebastian Vettel style house victory on Hockenheim
Michael Schumacher was worshipped by the Hockenheim trustworthy, profitable 4 occasions in entrance of his house crowd (1995, 2002, 2004 and 2006)
Guten tag, Germany… and welcome again.
Hockenheim returns to the Formulation 1 calendar after a two-year hiatus this weekend, and what higher option to get the German followers by the gates than having certainly one of their compatriots sitting atop the drivers’ championship.
Come Sunday, Sebastian Vettel will probably be aiming to do what Lewis Hamilton couldn’t at Silverstone – win on house soil.
The headlines have been already written for the Mercedes man to assert a document sixth British Grand Prix victory however the prancing horse had different concepts. As a substitute it was Vettel who held aloft the winner’s trophy to prolonged his lead this intriguing title race to eight factors.
Hockenheim recollections
Ferrari’s workforce radio to race chief Felipe Massa in 2010 was a basic: “Fernando… is quicker… than you.” Alonso went previous to take the race win
So what does the two.842-mile Hockenheim circuit deliver to the desk?
Bust-ups, crashes and emotional drama, it will appear.
Located within the Rhine Valley, the unique circuit at Hockenheim took drivers on a flat-out thrill trip by lush, inexperienced forests. Throw in some ewoks and a few speeder bikes as an alternative of F1 automobiles, and it might simply have doubled-up as Endor from Return of the Jedi.
In 1982, Nelson Piquet was main the race for Brabham and regarded sure for a podium end; enter Eliseo Salazar. As Piquet tried to lap the inexperienced backmarker, a conflict of wheels despatched the Brabham and ATS right into a spin and into retirement. The incident had a glimmer of the Hamilton v Raikkonen, first-lap Silverstone drama about it. The aftermath, nonetheless, took a punchier flip.
Brazilian Piquet leapt out of his automobile like a raging bull, launching himself on the Chilean, fists flying, and with a relatively ungentlemanly kick in direction of a fragile space. If solely Instagram had been accessible again then for these two to kind out their variations.
If go all the way down to the woods at present… you would possibly discover David Coulthard’s 2001 McLaren with a blown engine
The daybreak of a brand new millennium noticed one other Brazilian make the Hockenheim headlines, this time for the appropriate causes. Step ahead Rubens Barrichello, 122 grands prix into his profession and nonetheless no victory parade. Beginning 18th on the grid and having German legend Michael Schumacher as a team-mate, it did not look very promising.
However someway all of it fell into place.
Schumacher went out in a first-corner crash, a monitor invader triggered a security automobile and the heavens opened. All of the whereas Barrichello drove faultlessly by the sphere earlier than the tears of pleasure got here as he crossed the road for a stirring maiden win.
Two years after that historic second, the lengthy straights by the forests got the outdated heave-ho, with a shorter structure constructed across the present stadium part.
It is honest to say the alterations haven’t been universally embraced. Certainly, in the event you take a look at fan boards the post-2002 Hockenheimring doesn��t get the identical love that was bestowed on the outdated monitor.
However a victory for Vettel would certainly put aside a few of these misgiving among the many house trustworthy.
Sebastian… are you prepared?
Flashback quiz
What number of grand prix winners from Germany are you able to title?
It is a easy query… with a couple of very simple solutions, maybe?
Seven German drivers in whole have claimed high spot on the rostrum at numerous circuits for the reason that 1960s.
There are solely two minutes on the clock to guess all of them.
What number of German winners are you able to title?
Rating: 0 / 7
Begin quiz
You scored 0/7
Share your rating with your folks!
Fb Twitter WhatsApp
Copy and share hyperlink
Surrender!
Beforehand in F1: Spherical 10, Britain
Better of British qualifying: The group solely needed one particular person on pole for Sunday’s race and so they received it. Lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel in an exhilarating last-lap tussle to take his place on the entrance row at Silverstone
Championship sunny delight: Within the warmth of the Silverstone solar, it was the blazing crimson of Vettel’s Ferrari that took the chequered flag. A gap nudge from the wheel of Kimi Raikkonen left Hamilton with all the things to do, with the Mercedes man recovering beautifully from the again to complete second
The monitor
Again pocket info
When kids begin their first day of faculty in Germany, they obtain a schultute, which is a big cardboard cone stuffed with toys, chocolate and sweets.
Based on German legislation, an individual’s gender have to be apparent by first title, so the civil registration workplace, or Standesamt, can refuse names that do not comply.
In 2013, Germany dumped the mammoth, 63-letter phrase Rindfleischetikettierungsuberwachungsaufgabenubertragungsgesetz. It interprets as “legislation delegating beef label monitoring” and regardless of the German’s love for prolonged compound nouns, was deemed a tad extreme for the trendy language.
There is not any middle-lane hogging in Germany. When utilizing the well-known Autobahn, motorists stick religiously to the foundations of the highway: hold as far to the appropriate as doable and use left lanes for passing solely.
Drivers’ social
Vive la France! Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly joined within the celebrations for France’s 4-2 win over Croatia within the World Cup closing…
… so did fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean…
… Lewis Hamilton spoke for a lot of after England’s semi-final defeat by Croatia…
…and in the course of all of the soccer drama, Valtteri Bottas went to see Eminem at Twickenham
Find out how to observe on BBC Sport
BBC Sport has reside protection of all of the season’s races on BBC Radio 5 reside and BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further, plus reside on-line commentary on the BBC Sport web site and cell app – together with viewers interplay, professional evaluation, debate, voting, options, interviews and video content material.
All occasions BST and are topic to vary at brief discover.
German Grand Prix protection particulars Date Session Time Radio protection On-line textual content commentary Thursday, 19 July Preview 21:30-22:00 BBC Radio 5 reside Friday, 20 July First follow 09:55-12:35 BBC Sport on-line From 09:30 Second follow 13:55-15:35 BBC Sport on-line From 13:30 Saturday, 21 July Third follow 10:55-12:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 10:30 Qualifying 13:55-15:05 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further Sunday, 22 July Race 13:45-16:30 BBC Radio 5 reside sports activities further From 12:30 Monday, 23 July Evaluation 04:30-05:00 BBC Radio 5 reside
BBC Sport – Formula 1 ultras_FC_Barcelona
ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/formula1/8878/
#Barcelona
0 notes