Subaru's Happy WRXmas for STi fans
Subaru Australia has confirmed the new generation Impreza WRX STi will be on sale in Australia by Xmas. A strictly limited number of the high-performance All-Wheel Drive turbo sedans will arrive in time for December sale. This betters previous estimates of a first quarter 2002 on-sale date.
While the full specification has yet to be confirmed, the Australian Impreza WRX STi will include front and rear limited slip differentials and a six-speed manual gearbox. It will be available in four colours - silver, white, black and WRC blue.
Mr Nick Senior, General Manager Subaru Australia said, "While we won't settle on price until much nearer the time, we can confirm it will cost considerably less than $80,000 and it will include a high-tech security system." The Impreza WRX STi will become a regular part of the Impreza range, though available in limited numbers. The car will be previewed at Sydney Motor Show in October. It will be Subaru's second high-performance offering this year, following the August launch of the twin-turbo Liberty B4 sedan.
Note that this picture shows Japanese domestic specification Impreza WRX STi: final specification for the Australian version has yet to be announced
New Lukey Performance Headers
Lukey performance headers are now available. Instead of the traditional - and often temporary - passivate finish of comparable products, they are finished in a high temperature black coating.
According to Graham Pyne, Product Manager for Walker Australia, the black coating signifies performance and longevity. "We are only too aware that customers are often disappointed that the finish applied to many headers flakes off after only a short amount of use," said Graham. "That's why we have incorporated a high temperature coating black finish. It's rated to over 700 degrees Celsius, it doesn't flake and it looks fantastic from day one onwards."
Made from 1.6mm and 2.0mm mild steel, Lukey Performance Headers are an interference-type design aimed at giving a performance increase over a wide range of driving conditions. Computer-programmed laser-cut flanges ensure that fitment is 100% with no heat warping, which can lead to leaks. To ensure quality, each Lukey Performance Header is leak-tested at the factory prior to distribution.
There are over 150 part numbers in the entire header range; in excess of 250 models of vehicle can be fitted with new Lukey Performance Headers. The complete range of new Lukey Performance Headers is available nationally through stockists of Lukey Performance Exhausts.
Pipercross Viper Carbon Fibre Cold Air Induction Kits
Britain's leading air induction specialists Pipercross have just launched the carbon fibre VIPER range of Cold Air Induction Kits. The technology used in the VIPER was first seen on the Lotus 340R, but now Pipercross are making it available for an ever-increasing range of popular road cars. The VIPER uses 'velocity air force' to direct cold air directly into the engine.
The cold air feed takes air from behind the grill straight into the VIPER's 100mm diameter inlet, swirling it through a unique Pipercross velocity filter contained within a carbon fibre heat shield, and then into a ram pipe to increase its pressure before feeding it into the induction system. The carbon fibre heat shield protects the air charge from under bonnet heat keeping it cool - and therefore more dense - thus introducing more oxygen into the combustion mixture, giving increased power.
The reverse flow technology filter and 150mm ram pipe make use of the physical phenomenon of air tending to move towards surface areas, creating more air flow on the edge rather than in the centre of the inlet. The unique design of the filter cone and the inlet 'tune' the moving airflow to increase its speed and therefore its pressure maximising the laminar airflow into the engine, again apparently resulting in increased power.
The Pipercross VIPER Cold Air Induction Kit is now available for most popular Audi, BMW, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Seat, Subaru,Toyota and Volkswagen applications, with more to follow shortly. Retail prices start at £250 including VAT.
www.pipercross.com.
Proton Waja
Proton has announced it will launch its first self-designed and built car, the Waja, onto the Australian market in September this year.
The GX Waja ushers in a new era in the 16-year history of Malaysian carmaker Proton - it is the first car designed and built from the ground up by Proton. The company has developed Waja using the extensive research and development facilities established at its Shah Alam headquarters in Malaysia as well as utilising the resources of Proton subsidiary Lotus Engineering.
The mid-size Waja has been developed using some of the world's best C-class sedans as benchmarks with an emphasis on ride, handling, body integrity and safety.
An entirely new production facility, separate from Proton's established lines, has been built at Shah Alam to manufacture the Waja. The Waja platform will be the base for the development of a range of Proton models including a station wagon, people mover and a four-wheel drive.
According to Proton Cars Australia managing director Mr Anuar Rozhan, the GX Waja was developed with global markets in mind. "The Waja has been tested and developed in the world's harshest regions including the snow and ice of Sweden in winter to the deserts and heat of Central Australia," said Mr Rozhan. "It is very much a global car which has utilised the latest technologies and has been built to surpass the highest regulatory requirements now and in the future," he said.
"It is with this knowledge that we are confident Waja will handle anything the harsh Australian environment can throw at it when it is launched later this year."
The Waja is planned to go on sale in Australia during August 2001 at a price in the mid-$20,000 bracket, depending on currency fluctuations. Mr Rozhan believes the Waja will carve a niche for itself with buyers seeking a car which offers superlative ride and handling and a stylish, unique presence on the road.
"Lotus has been involved in the development of this car from the ground up and its vast store of suspension and handling expertise has been put to good use in creating a car with enormous capability," said Mr Rozhan. "Proton engineers have benchmarked this car against the worlds best C class sedans from the Opel Vectra to the Honda Accord and Audi A4. The result is a car which can hold its own in what is an impressive line-up of automotive engineering not only in ride and handling but also in terms of safety and body integrity," he added.
The Waja will be initially available with a 1.6 litre 16-valve engine producing 76kW of power and 140Nm of torque with either a five speed manual transmission or a four speed "fuzzy-logic" automatic. The Waja will feature an extensive range of standard equipment including front and side airbags for driver and front seat passenger, air-conditioning, power steering premium sound system, power windows and leather trim.
MGF X-Power 500
MG has revealed the first in a series of Extreme cars - vehicles that are one-off demonstrators and not intended for series production. Each will be outrageously powerful and road legal.
The MGF X-Power 500 is powered by a race-bred 500hp (370kW) engine with a 6-speed sequential transmission in a modified MGF monocoque structure, fabricated around the popular and affordable two-seater roadster. The links between MG's motorsport programmes and the MGF X-Power 500 are evident throughout the car. Power is provided by the MG Le Mans XP development engine, mounted transversely behind the cockpit and driving the rear wheels via an X-Trac competition gearbox.
While externally MGF X-Power 500 appears radically different from the standard car, much of the original structure remains. The body is seam welded throughout and has a fully integrated cage. Front and rear subframes are modified to accommodate the new powertrain and handle the three-fold increase in power output. Track is 100mm wider at the front and 150mm wider at the rear. Four-pot AP Racing brakes ensure effective stopping performance. Wider tyres are specified for the task of managing the extreme power available - 225/35 R17 at the front and 265/35 R17 at the rear - and are on MG multi-spoke alloy wheels.
Covering these huge wheels and extended track requires some radical changes to the exterior style of the car and the wheel arches are flared and connected by a sill-mounted side-skirt. The front end is completely revised and is clearly influenced by the MG Lola Le Mans EX257 race car, styled under the leadership of Peter Stevens, MG Rover's Product Design Director. At the rear a high mounted wing-type spoiler balances the high downforce front end to ensure the car remains 'glued to the tarmac' at speed.
Engine cooling is optimised by an increased radiator capacity, fed by a much larger aperture in the front bumper and exiting through vents in the bonnet. The side air intakes are also enlarged to feed cold air into the engine bay. Inside, race seats and competition harnesses ensure the occupants remain firmly in place despite the very considerable g-forces the MGF X-Power 500 is capable of generating.
The MGF X-Power 500 is not for sale but has been developed as a showpiece to demonstrate the MGF's potential as a high performance sports car. It sets the scene for what is to follow as the Extreme treatment is progressively revealed on versions of the forthcoming MG saloons, the MG ZT, MG ZS and MG ZR; each one a one-off purpose-built demonstration vehicle.
Ford Researchers Tame The Wind
Ford Motor Company researchers in the United States have developed a way of measuring vehicle aerodynamics with a paint that responds to changes in air pressure. Using pressure-sensitive paint (PSP), an advanced optical imaging technique that measures air pressure or wind drag on a vehicle's surface, Ford researchers can more quickly and easily obtain data in a new vehicle program from wind tunnel testing. Previously, a large number of pressure ports or "taps", requiring drilling of hundreds of tiny holes, were used on a vehicle to obtain air pressure distribution. This laborious task could take several weeks to accomplish.
In contrast, once a vehicle is painted with PSP and the wind tunnel is set up, engineers can obtain a full field measurement in about 15 minutes. The new PSP technology will allow Ford to develop more aerodynamic vehicles, helping improve fuel economy and passenger comfort by lowering wind noise inside a vehicle. Similar pressure-sensitive paint is used in the aerospace industry to test aircraft but Ford researchers were the first to develop a process that would enable PSP to be used in the automotive industry where wind speeds are much lower.
Audi Reveals Secret: Petrol Direct Injection Triumphant at Le Mans
Audi has revealed the secret behind its double win at Le Mans 2001 - the Audi R8 is the first car with petrol direct injection to win this classic endurance race. For the teams that finished first and second, the use of this new technology meant not only an increase in performance potential, but above all a reduction in fuel consumption of around eight percent.
The double success of Audi's direct-injection vehicles also marks the start of a new era in spark-ignition engine technology: the use of FSI technology in Audi production vehicles is not far away.
The advantage of this technology in motor racing is that fuel consumption is reduced by around eight percent compared with the predecessor - an essential requirement for correspondingly longer distances between refuelling stops. Not only that, but the higher engine output that this technology produces can be metered more effectively than is usually the case in race engines.
The first win by a car with a direct-injection petrol engine in this classic endurance race also marks the start of a new era. In the future, FSI technology will be able to display its strengths - fuel economy combined with a high power output - not only in motor racing, but also to an increasing extent in production cars where it will provide for an additional fuel saving of up to 15 percent.
As with the TDI technology of diesel engines, the petrol direct injection process injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber, timed accurately to the nearest millisecond. The necessary pressure of over 100 Bar is provided by a piston pump, which supplies fuel to the electromagnetically actuated injectors in the cylinder.
The FSI injection principle is capable of two different charge modes - stratified charge operation and homogeneous operation. Stratified charge operation allows particularly economical fuel consumption at part throttle because an ignitable, rich mixture is only necessary around the spark plug. The rest of the combustion chamber contains strata of air/fuel charge with a high air excess.
FSI technology makes this so-called stratified charge possible by controlled charge movement in the combustion chamber and injection directly before the moment of ignition. This enables a considerable reduction in the amount of fuel required for combustion - the most important precondition for the economy of an FSI engine.
At high loads the entire fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber has the ignitable ratio of lambda = 1 (ie 14.7:1 AFR, called homogeneous). But this also enables a considerable fuel saving, as the victorious R8 engine has proven: owing to high performance requirements, race engines only operate with these relatively lean mixtures. Even more systematic use can be made of the fuel consumption benefits of FSI technology in everyday driving situations, when there is a constant switch between lean stratified charge and homogeneous operation.
The new generation of Audi engines will be on show for the first time at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. The launch of FSI engines in production vehicles will then follow in the first half of 2002.
Quickies
- Volkswagen's new Bora sports sedan lineup includes a V6-powered model which is the fastest production Volkswagen ever sold in Australia. The Bora 2.8-litre V6 features Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and joins the 2.3-litre V5 and 2.0-litre four cylinder in the revised model lineup. As part of the running changes, the V5 powerplant has gained extra power and torque - now boasting 125kW at 6200 rpm and 220 Nm at 3200 rpm. Entry price for the Bora range is just $36,850 (rrp) for the 2.0-litre model. The V5 starts at only $46,200 (rrp) while the V6 4Motion carries a price tag of $54,400 (rrp). Only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Bora V6 4Motion marks the Australian debut of ESP - Volkswagen's stability control system. Bora V6 4Motion is the only compact sports sedan in Australia retailing for under $55,000 which offers this feature as standard.
- Ford has been recognised for its commitment to safety, winning the 2001 Gold Award for Automotive Engineering Excellence at the Australian Society of Automotive Engineers' prestigious annual awards dinner. The Gold Award - sponsored by Hewlett Packard - was presented to Ford for its AUII safety systems upgrade, which set new standards for Australian passenger car safety.
- Ford is releasing a limited-edition racing bike in the United States through its associated company TH!NK Mobility. The Ford Racing Edition TH!NK bike features Ford Racing's red, white and blue colour scheme, sporty three-spoke aluminium wheels, red stripe tires, two-tone sport seat, handlebars and pedals. Other features include disc brakes, and an electric pedal-assist motor. It's the latest model in the TH!NK bike range which includes TH!NK bike traveller and TH!NK bike fun. The range is available for sale in the United States over the Internet or through selected bike, recreation and sports equipment dealers. Ford created the TH!NK group in early 2000 and is the first automotive company in the world to dedicate a brand exclusively to the development, marketing and delivery of a wide range of environmentally sensitive personal mobility solutions.
- Disc Brakes Australia has just won its fourth AAAA Manufacturer of the Year award, the most important award made to local producers of automotive components and accessories.
- Specification upgrades, better handling and refinement are key features of the model year 2002 Subaru Liberty range, released this week. Revised headlight, bonnet and front bumper designs are among many improvements. Liberty RX 2.5 litre manual transmission models now have a dual mass flywheel. This helps absorb naturally occurring engine harmonics, before they reach the transmission and results in reduced noise, vibration and harshness, and smoother clutch engagement. Suspension on all Libertys has been enhanced to produce even greater stability. Supports have been added to the rear suspension sub frame, increasing strength and manoeuvrability. Engine efficiency has been improved by reducing oil pump friction via altered rotor dimensions and use of reduced friction oil rings.
- Up to 1000 ute enthusiasts are expected to roar into Queensland Raceway next month for a major ute event being organised for fans of the new V8 BRute Muster racing series. Organisers expect the ute muster at the Ipswich circuit on Sunday 22 July will be one of the biggest of its kind in Queensland, with participants coming from throughout the Darling Downs, Brisbane and Fassifern Valleys, border regions and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.
- Holden is planning to build a $200 million research and administration centre at its Fishermen's Bend headquarters in Melbourne, the Herald Sun has reported. The investment would come on top of Holden's decision last year to build a $500 million V6 engine plant at the site. The centrepiece of the planned development would be a new headquarters building, the Herald Sun said. But the complex could include an interactive visitors centre and a small technology park for Holden's suppliers. Holden's chairman Peter Hanenberger told the Herald Sun: "Our dream is to redevelop the site so that it's a world class facility that is also open to the public, with some things going on around it." The newspaper said the complex would transform the historic Holden headquarters, leaving only heritage buildings untouched.
- General Motors Corp has announced the name of its first passenger vehicle designed and manufactured in Asia for the Asia-Pacific market. The car, formerly known by the internal code YGM-1, will be called the "Cruze" and sold in Japan under the Chevrolet brand. This compact lifestyle car is very similar to the YGM-1 concept vehicle, introduced at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. Production is set to begin in the fall at Suzuki's Kosai plant in Japan following its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The first vehicles will be sold in Japan towards the end of this year. The car will be exported to Australia starting in early 2002.
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