As we come to the end of another week we look at some of the Motoring news which you may have missed starting with Naran Automotive who have launched their debut Hyper-coupe model
Naran Automotive, the new manufacturer of luxury ultra-high performance cars, has revealed the exterior design of its first model – The Naran.
The four-seater hyper-coupé will deliver an authentic GT3-style driving experience for the road when it arrives next year, combining the uncompromising performance and dynamics of a track-focused hypercar, with opulent ultra-luxurious materials inside and out.
Just 49 examples of the first-of-its-kind, four-seater, all-wheel-drive, front-mid engined hyper-coupé will be created. Each vehicle produced will be individually tailored to the personal taste of the collector, including the designation of a bespoke model name – a convention normally reserved for luxury superyachts.
Naran Automotive has brought together a team of world-class partners from the pinnacle of automotive design, motorsport, material innovation and powertrain development to create The Naran.
Jowyn Wong, founder of Wyn Design and visionary behind the Apollo IE and De Tomaso P72, is leading the design, while colour and materials design is being tailored by Kate Montgomery, former Aston Martin Lagonda designer.
The bespoke 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine is being crafted in Germany with partners Racing Dynamics and development of vehicle dynamics is being overseen by EY3 Engineering and Daniel Mense, renowned for his work on the NIO EP9 – the electric car Nürburgring lap record breaker.
Performance
The Naran will be capable of 0-60mph in less than 2.3 seconds, 0-100mph in 4.56 seconds and an expected top speed of over 230mph, with the 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 1,048 bhp and 1,036Nm of torque. The motorsport-inspired aerodynamic package helps produce an industry-leading 1,377kg of downforce, exceeding that of a GT3 race car.
Power is delivered by an all-wheel-drive system, providing both secure traction and confidence-inspiring performance in all conditions, with the option to switch to rear-wheel drive for a challenging, yet rewarding, analogue driving experience. The bespoke, race-derived double-wishbone suspension will apply adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars and camber and toe adjustments so customers can tailor the dynamic set-up to meet track specific demands.
New Lamborghini Huracán STO
Automobili Lamborghini presents the Lamborghini Huracán STO – Super Trofeo Omologata: a road-homologated super sports car inspired by the racing heritage of Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s one-make race series with Huracán Super Trofeo EVO, as well as its three-time 24 Hours of Daytona-winning and two-time 12 Hours of Sebring- winning Huracán GT3 EVO.
With its V10 naturally aspirated 640 hp (470 kW) power plant producing 565 Nm at 6,500 rpm, the rear-wheel drive Huracán STO delivers exhilarating acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 3.0 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 9.0 seconds and a top speed of 310 km/h. However, its heart beats with the exhilaration and emotion of a racecar. Superior aerodynamic efficiency, extensive use of lightweight materials, unfettered steering and first-class braking performance, ensure the Huracán STO delivers the emotion of a track experience on every road drive.
The first customers will take delivery of the new Lamborghini Huracán STO in spring 2021, with suggested retail prices as follows:
Europe EUR 249,412 (suggested retail price taxes excluded)
UK GBP 216,677 (suggested retail price taxes excluded)
Audi presents e-tron FE07 for Formula E World Championship
From zero to one hundred in 2.8 seconds, more than 95 percent efficiency within the entire car and preparation for any contingency in every detail, this describes the Audi e-tron FE07 that has been developed by Audi Sport, including its new Audi MGU05 motor-generator unit. The electric racing car in the new design will make its debut on the race track during the test in Valencia.
In the 2021 season, which starts in Chile in mid-January, Formula E will be held as an official FIA World Championship for the first time. For Audi, the commitment in the fully electric racing series is not just a sporting competition on the highest international level, but also perfectly supports the brand’s transformation towards sustainable and digital premium mobility. “Motorsport has always been of decisive importance for Audi and its technology development. That is also where our most famous slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ comes from,” says Team Principal Allan McNish.
For Audi, the seventh season is also associated with another premiere. “The Audi e-tron FE07 has an all-new electric powertrain that was developed in-house for the first time,” says Stefan Aicher, Head of Development e-Drive at Audi Sport. While in recent years a continually optimized version of the powertrain, jointly developed with technology partner Schaeffler, was always used, work on the new MGU inverter unit for the coming world championship started from scratch. “We went to the limits in all areas of this project,” comments Aicher.
The result is a new centerpiece named the Audi MGU05: an electric one-speed drivetrain with an internal rotor concept, external magnets, a highly efficient cooling system and six electrical phases. Moreover, the engineers led by Stefan Aicher managed to clearly save weight once again compared to the previous unit by using lightweight materials and intelligent integration inside the vehicle. “We were able to directly reinvest these savings in the new MGU for the benefit of enhanced efficiency. Even so, the new MGU inverter unit weighs less than 35 kilograms. This was an exceptional achievement by the whole team,” says Aicher.
Revealed: UK Drivers Saved Over £617,938,368 on Fuel During Lockdown
- The average person saved £76 a month on fuel between March and August.
- Work from homers in Cardiff saved the most on fuel, averaging £88 a month.
- 43% of participants have said that lockdown has made them want to commute less, and majority want to use their time and fuel driving to ‘staycations’.
A new study from findandfundmycar.com has found during the first lockdown between March and August 2020, UK drivers saved approximately £1,030,000,000 on fuel due to no longer having to commute and driving less overall.
The survey of 2,000 British drivers revealed the national average fuel saving during the lockdown period was £76 a month – which is more than a family of four spends on groceries for a week.
With approximately 46.6% of the UK workforce spending some time working from home during lockdown according to the Office of National Statistics*, that equates to around 13,551,280 workers that no longer needed to commute.
Of those that were surveyed, over half (54%) have said that they want to use the money and time saved from not commuting on staycations and leisure trips instead.
This is reflected by 11% of respondents that have said they want to upgrade their car next year, as well as sales data from MotoNovo Finance who power findandfund, which shows a 17% increase in finance agreements post-lockdown (July-Oct) in comparison to last year.
The survey also uncovered which areas of the UK had the biggest fuel savings, with some surprising results. London, came in fourth – with drivers from Cardiff, Norwich and Liverpool all saving more on fuel. Plymouth had the lowest savings, at just £60 a month.
|
City |
Saving |
|
Cardiff |
£88 |
|
Norwich |
£86 |
|
Liverpool |
£83 |
|
London |
£80 |
|
Manchester |
£80 |
|
Southampton |
£80 |
|
Edinburgh |
£79 |
|
Leeds |
£79 |
|
Nottingham |
£79 |
|
Belfast |
£79 |
|
Sheffield |
£69 |
|
Birmingham |
£68 |
Phil Morgan, Head of findandfundmycar.com, says:
“As drivers are spending less money on fuel, we’re not surprised that car sales have gone up. Many people could be upgrading their cars because they feel as though they’re going to be spending less on them throughout the year, although still using them for more personal trips like staycations and social activities.
The amount of time and money that can be saved or spent elsewhere from not commuting is great, and it really helps employees get a better work-life balance.
More people are avoiding public transport right now which is another reason for the increase in demand for used cars over the past couple of months.”
The data also revealed that the majority of people (55%) choose to save the extra money. While 45% of people were able to put some of their fuel savings away for a rainy day, others spent the money on essentials such as bills, perhaps due having higher bills due to remote working.
- 3 in 10 people (30%) used some or all of their fuel savings to cover debts and bills.
- Another 3 in 10 (32%) spent some of the money on groceries.
- 21% purchased items for their homes.
- 16% purchased items for family members.
The survey data suggests that lockdown might have triggered long-lasting behavioral shifts too, with a number of potential effects:
- Less car pollution: While there’s no sign people are abandoning their cars for the long-term, 43% of drivers said lockdown has made them want to commute less often.
- A boost for the Staycation market: 54% of people are planning more staycations in 2021.
- Cleaner and tidier homes: 55% spend the time saved by not having to commute to complete household chores.
Working from home was a large contributor to fuel savings, so these findings show Brits might be keen to stay out of the office – at least part time – long after lockdowns end.
For more information, visit findandfundmycar.com’s lockdown study here.
Rolls-Royce announces limited ‘Neon Nights’ variants
Any pre-conceived notion that Rolls-Royce’s Black Badge variants all have to be black is comprehensively laid to rest by the super-solid Neon Nights colours.
Created initially for clients in the United States, three further iterations of each colour are available for commission worldwide, making a limited run of just four of each colour. Comprising here of Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan Black Badge, each in a different hue, inspiration comes from the natural world.
Wraith Black Badge is finished in Lime Rock Green, a near-luminous hue naturally bestowed on the Australian green tree frog, which Rolls-Royce Bespoke Paint Specialist Sami Coultas first encountered on a trip to Tamworth, north of Sydney. The interior is swathed in Scivaro Grey leather, with Lime Rock Green accents in the form of stitching and piping.
The striking Eagle Rock Red created for this Dawn Black Badge mimics the flowers of ‘Ōhi‘a lehua, an evergreen tree native to Hawaii. The interior is finished in Selby Grey leather with Koi Red stitching and piping details.
For Cullinan, the Bespoke Collective looked to an exotic butterfly, Rhetus periander for inspiration. Known as the Periander metalmark, this species is found across Central and South America; the vibrancy of its wings is faithfully captured in Cullinan’s Mirabeau Blue finish. The Arctic White leather interior detailed in Lime Rock Green provides a dramatic contrast.
In all three cars, the Technical Fibre fascia is embellished with a spectacular graphic. The paint effect provides an intense neon glow and depicts the distortion of artificial light with speed.
The Neon Nights cars follow a suite of Black Badges that grabbed headlines at the 2019 Pebble Beach event, which saw Ghost, Wraith and Dawn finished in Bespoke pastel colours. Such was the demand for these cars, the colour palette was embraced and developed, inspiring a new and dynamic colour palette for Black Badge.
Just three further examples of each colour will be made available for commission worldwide.
Limited edition MS-RT Transit Connect R120
Here’s a rendition of ‘Frozen’ that you won’t mind sitting in front of in the run-up to Christmas.
Finished exclusively in Frozen White, the new MS-RT R120 is a Limited Edition of the Welsh company’s QVM-Approved MS-RT Transit Connect.
The company, which uses styling and technology pioneered by Ford’s works rally team, is producing a limited run of 30 R120s in the mainland UK and 6 in Northern Ireland, with the model designed and built at its factory in Pontypool, South Wales.
Priced from £25,995 + VAT, the strictly limited edition is based on the Transit Connect Panel van as a two or three-seater, in either short or long wheelbase configurations. The vehicle is available only in Frozen White, with subtle red and black rally decals and specially designed white rally-inspired OZ Racing Alloy wheels.
The interior receives further MS-RT treatment, with full leather seats with red stitching and a full carbon fibre sports steering wheel with red centre line.
In addition, it gets the MS-RT quad sports exhaust system with black exhaust tips, black mirror caps, bi-xenon headlamps, Ford Pass Connect, cruise control, wireless charging pad, reversing rear camera and dual sliding loading doors.
A further feature is a Maxhaust system, which uses app-based technology to deliver the sound of a sports exhaust through the van’s integral speakers, giving it a soundtrack to match its impressive road dynamics. This product will be a supply-only option from MS-RT.
Ferrari presents the new 488 GT Modificata
Ferrari presents the new 488 GT Modificata, a limited edition car that incorporates the technology developed for the 488 GT3 and 488 GTE, transcending the limits imposed by technical and sporting regulations to exploit its full potential. The 488 GT Modificata is exclusively for use during track days and at Ferrari Club Competizioni GT events.
The car’s name includes the word “Modificata”, which in Ferrari jargon means designs that have been evolved for better performance. It maximises the already outstanding performance of the 488 GT3 and the 488 GTE by combining their most effective and innovative solutions, as well as developing new technologies linked mainly to a powertrain no longer limited by the FIA Balance of Performance. The legendary twin turbo V8 was subject to advanced research, which resulted in specific components and the carry-over of materials from the racing engine. The maximum power delivered by the engine is now around 700 cv, due to the use of innovative solutions and more extreme and high-performance mapping. All this without compromising Ferrari’s proverbial reliability. The gearbox, available with different transmission ratios, and the carbon-fibre clutch, help to manage the increased power and torque delivered by the engine.
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is collaborating with OXIS Energy to provide the world’s first battery system for a luxury electric boat
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is working with fellow Oxfordshire-based firm, OXIS Energy Ltd, on the production of a world-first battery system, designed for an all-new 40ft electric luxury boat.
The craft, from Yachts de Luxe (YdL) of Singapore and designed bythe renowned boat designer, Jean Jacques Coste, will be the world’s first ever luxury boat to be powered by Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) cell and battery systems technology. The objective is to achieve a range between 70 and 100 nautical miles at cruising speed – setting new standards for range in electric boats.
WAE will be responsible for the state-of-the-art 400 kWh battery system, which comprises ultra-light, high-power/high energy density Li-S cells – provided by OXIS Energy Ltd, – and the battery management system (BMS). The design and manufacture of the cell modules, the BMS and its installation will be carried out by WAE at its dedicated battery facility in Grove.
High performance batteries and BMS are core to WAE’s business. The company was the original supplier of batteries to the entire grid of FIA Formula E World Championship cars in 2014, a relationship that has been revived for 2022-23 season with WAE being awarded the exclusive contract to supply the Gen3 battery system. WAE also supplies battery systems to ETCR and Extreme-E.
As well as having high gravimetric energy density and low predicted costs, the Li-S cells are a safer option for electric marine applications. Furthermore, OXIS’ Li-S technology contains no toxic or rare earth materials in the make-up of its cell technology, making it a safe option for open water transportation. At the end of life, the materials used in the Li-S cells can be disposed of without damaging the environment.
The latest programme celebrates a history of collaborations between Williams Advanced Engineering and OXIS designed to revolutionise the rechargeable battery market including a UK funded, Lithium Sulfur Future Automotive Battery (LiS:FAB) projectand the ALISE programme; a pan European collaboration focused on the development and commercial scale-up of new materials and understanding electrochemical processes involved in Lithium Sulfur technology.
