Performance News - 14 August 2001

Z3 and 206 Suspension from SPAX

SPAX has released a new suspension upgrade for the BMW Z3. The SPAX PSX dampers allow the damping rate to be adjusted to suit the driver's requirements - all the adjustment can be made on the car by simply twisting the adjusting knobs. The dampers are matched to race chrome silicon springs which represent a dramatic improvement over standard specification springs. This matching is all-important for proper and precise handling and the result is 'near-race' performance. The look of the car is also improved with a lower, more purposeful, stance.

The recommended retail price for the BMW Z3 PSX strut and damper kit is £345.00 plus shipping costs. The SPAX uprated and lowered spring kit for the Z3 retails at £85.10 plus shipping costs.

The company has also released a new uprated suspension system for the Peugeot 206 that makes an excellent and affordable first stage tuning upgrade for this popular car. The kit contains four uprated performance dampers with race internals which are also matched to chrome silicon springs. The kit lowers the car by around 40mm for improved handling and looks.

Recommended retail price is £212.76 plus shipping costs.

www.spaxperformance.com.

Subaru's twin-turbo Liberty

Subaru Australia has launched the thrilling Liberty B4. Liberty B4 takes Subaru's turbo technology to new heights, with a 2.0 litre 190kW sequential twin-turbo engine. Local calibration of key systems including the engine, ABS anti-lock brakes and suspension, means the Liberty B4 is ideally set-up as a grand tourer for Australia's demanding roads. For added security, a sophisticated keypad immobiliser and alarm system are standard.

Following huge interest from potential customers, Liberty B4 is now a permanent part of Subaru's range, though available only in limited numbers. It features a Liberty range-topping sports specification and looks that are set to make it one of the most sought-after performance sedans. A premium McIntosh seven-speaker sound system with AM/FM tuner, CD and cassette is on the long list of standard features. Australia is the first market outside Japan for which the Liberty B4 has been fully homologated. While some other markets have previously received the Japanese domestic specification model, it was only under limited-number low import rules.

Subaru Australia General Manager Mr Nick Senior said: "We've already had lots of interest from potential customers wanting Liberty B4. It's a great turbo performance car that combines the thrill of the Impreza WRX with the capacity of a luxury family car. Judging by the response so far, we doubt we'll be able to meet initial demand."

Mr Senior said homologating the Liberty B4 for Australia had been a lengthy exercise. Adapting it for Australia's unique road conditions and optimising engine performance - given varying fuel standards - proved a demanding task for the engineers.

"But we consider it well worth the effort, to produce a vehicle specially set up for Australian conditions," he added. "Our track record has proved successful in making the effort to tailor vehicles like Impreza WRX and Forester GT for local demands, and we see Liberty B4 as a natural progression. Given the choice between taking an off-the-shelf version of a Japanese domestic market high performance car, or tuning it for our local market, we'll do the latter wherever possible." [Er, what happened then with the STi? - Ed].

"The Liberty B4 will go head-to-head with a range of much more expensive European sports sedans in the market. The B4 offers superior quality, superior performance, superior equipment levels and superior safety, given Subaru's All-Wheel Drive system, than these European competitors. It is a benchmark car release."

Standard features at a glance:

• ABS anti-lock brakes. Front: 16-inch ventilated discs with 2-pot floating calipers. Rear: 15-inch ventilated discs with 1-pot floating calipers.
• Alarm - keypad immobiliser system
• All-Wheel Drive
• Alloy wheels - 17-inch BBS
• Aluminium bonnet - 8kg weight-saving
• Bilstein inverted front struts and rear dampers
• Brushed aluminium-finish dashboard facia
• Clear halogen headlights integrated with indicators
• Climate control air conditioning
• Dual front SRS airbags
• Dual trip meters
• Electronic six-way adjustable driver's seat
• Five-speed manual transmission
• Front fog lights
• H4-2.0 2-stage twin turbo
• Leather interior - black with blue inserts
• McIntosh premium seven-speaker sound system with AM/FM tuner, CD and cassette
• MOMO leather steering wheel
• Remote central locking with visual recognition - two keys supplied
• Space saver spare wheel
• Sports body kit
• Three rear three-point A/ELR seatbelts
• Three-stage ignition illumination sequence on the dashboard
• Tyres: Bridgestone 215/45 R17
• Variable intermittent windscreen wiper control

Engine

The key to Liberty B4's breathtaking performance is a DOHC 2.0 litre sequential twin-turbo horizontally opposed four-cam 16-valve Boxer engine. It produces 190kW of power at 6,400 rpm and 320Nm of torque at a high 4,800 rpm. The two-stage twin-turbo includes a primary unit, for low-end torque and a secondary unit for top-end power.

The two-stage operation of the twin-turbochargers means power is fed progressively, with only the primary turbo operating at low revs. The secondary turbocharger operates at the mid-rev range and above. Both turbochargers have high gas pressure when operating in unison. The primary turbocharger, located at the rear passenger side of the engine, provides manifold boost pressure primarily for low to medium engine speeds, although it is active across the entire operating range.

The Engine Control Module (ECM) regulates boost pressure generated by the primary turbocharger by regulating the opening of the wastegate. The secondary turbocharger does not operate in the primary stage, as the exhaust control valve is closed. The primary turbocharger supplies pressurized air to the intake manifold via the intercooler, which reduces the air temperature from 120-130 deg C down to 70-80 deg C under normal operating conditions. The cooling of the intake air increases air density and helps reduce combustion chamber temperature.

At medium engine speeds, around 4,000-4,500 revs, depending upon engine load, the exhaust control valve is partially opened. This causes the secondary turbocharger to begin rotating. The ECM regulates the amount that this valve is opened and controls vacuum applied to the diaphragm of the control valve. Any pressure generated by the secondary turbocharger during this preliminary phase is redirected to its inlet side. The ECM uses a differential pressure sensor to measure the difference in boost pressure generated by the primary turbocharger and the secondary turbocharger.

When the ECM determines that the engine operating conditions are suitable, the relief valve is closed and the exhaust gas control valve is fully opened.

By measuring the pressures via the differential pressure sensor, the ECM determines the correct opening of the intake control valve. When this valve is opened, pressure from the secondary turbocharger is supplied to the intercooler. Boost pressure control during this phase is regulated via the primary turbocharger's wastegate.

The all-new engine management system on Liberty B4 is designed to take full advantage of the improved efficiency offered by the twin-turbocharging. The Australian Liberty B4 is designed to operate using 98 RON fuel for full power. The lack of 100 RON fuel in Australia means the Japanese specification 206kW Liberty B4 engine cannot be sold here. However, extensive testing has shown the 190kW Australian version offers improved driveability over the 206kW version using 98RON.

Apart from the turbochargers, several other aspects of the Liberty B4 engine are unique to the model.

• The cylinder heads have double overhead cams and direct actuation valves.
• There are hollow intake valves, producing less inertia. This equates to greater efficiency and less wear of the valve train.
• Liberty B4 has sodium-filled exhaust valves. Sodium has high thermal conductivity. The entrapped sodium will liquefy at high temperatures and move inside the stem as the valve is operated. Thus the sodium will effectively transfer heat from the valve head to the valve stem, contributing to cooling the valve head faster.
• The forged pistons are also considerably stronger than on standard Liberty. They offer greater inherent strength when under higher loads.
• An engine oil cooler is located between the oil filter and engine block.

An electronically controlled muffler is used for reducing exhaust flow resistance at mid and high speeds, while maintaining noise-damping ability at low speeds.

The exhaust pipe is divided into two immediately before the muffler. One of these pipes is equipped with a control valve. Depending on signals from the ECM, a controller opens and closes the control valve through an actuator and a cable.

Liberty B4 has a hydraulic control clutch that is appropriate for increased load. The clutch itself is a pull-type, featuring even pressure throughout its life. Clamping force is more than 60 per cent higher than standard Liberty.

Liberty B4 has a rear viscous-type limited slip differential (LSD). This means that if a wheel starts to slip, power is transferred to the wheel with most traction.

This type of LSD is very effective on slippery road surfaces. Liberty B4 is available with a five-speed manual-only transmission.

Liberty B4 will sell for $55,130.

Mitsubishi World Rally Car

Mitsubishi Motors' latest rally car, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC, is a new concept and a new start for Mitsubishi. It has been designed from the outset to comply with the World Rally Car regulations rather than the more restrictive Group A class. While it remains faithful to its production origins, it is a purpose-built competition car that takes full advantage of the possibilities offered by the World Rally Car rules and allows Mitsubishi to compete on level terms.

World Rally Car rules permit greater freedom in a number of key areas that are difficult to exploit with modified road cars, such as previous Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. While Mitsubishi Motors has enjoyed immense success with the Group A Lancer Evolution, the new Lancer Evolution WRC should be even more competitive in a number of respects, because it complies with the same rules as all Mitsubishi's rivals. Small details matter more than in the past, because the FIA World Rally Championship has become still more competitive. The margins between winning and losing are smaller than ever and it is therefore vital to take full advantage of the freedom the rules permit. As an air intake restrictor limits power, traction and roadholding are more than usually important. Transmitting power with the minimum of frictional losses through the drivetrain and ensuring that the tyres remain as far as possible in contact with the ground become overriding concerns.

Three areas are particularly significant from Mitsubishi's point of view. The first is weight distribution, as World Rally Car regulations allow the engine to be moved by up to 25 millimetres from the standard location. In addition, much larger suspension changes are allowed, increasing wheel travel and thereby offering greater stability and traction in almost all conditions, especially on rough roads. More extensive modifications are also permitted to the engine itself. Re-positioning the engine decreases pitching, while longer suspension travel improves stability and enhances driveability. The knowledge gained from the rally car will be put to good use in developing future Lancer Evolutions.

"Our Group A Lancer was already a good car, because Mitsubishi made quite a high-performance road car, but we were still struggling on three items compared to a World Rally Car," Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart engineer Bernard Lindauer explained. "The first item was the engine position, the second was front wheel arches and suspension turrets, and the third was rear wheel arches and suspension turrets, because we have quite a big difference with a World Rally Car on suspension travel and that was highlighted last year, when we started to lose performance. The areas we were really suffering were weight distribution and suspension travel. We did the first test this year with the Lancer Evolution, where we started to increase the rear suspension travel and we immediately saw that the effect was quite major. I think the three major items of the first World Rally Car for us are weight distribution, and the front and rear suspension travel."

The Lancer Evolution WRC has been designed to exploit the World Rally Car regulations in all these areas. There is greater suspension travel all round and the rear suspension is completely new, employing MacPherson struts, just like the front of all recent Lancers. The change has necessitated an extensive re-design of the rear end of the car. The engine is based on the well-proven Lancer Evolution unit, but it has been moved 25 millimetres rearwards, significantly improving weight distribution. As a result, front tyre wear should be reduced. The Lancer Evolution WRC is based on the Lancer Cedia production car, which has a longer wheelbase than previous Lancers, which provides improved stability. The latest car retains Mitsubishi's highly developed four-wheel-drive transmission, which optimises traction both under braking and acceleration. With such proven equipment on hand, development will be concentrated on the suspension. The new bodyshell is also stiffer, which further enhances roadholding and handling.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions have long been renowned for their potent and reliable engines, but again, the World Rally Car regulations offer scope for an improvement. The turbocharger restrictor size remains 34 millimetres and Mitsubishi therefore retains its existing turbo. However, inlet and exhaust manifolds need not be standard, facilitating improved throttle response. Although there is no increase in the size of the intercooler, which cools the inlet charge before it enters the cylinders, it can be re-located with none of the compromises necessary for a production car. The result is a useful power and torque increase compared to the older car.

The concept is more sophisticated, but refinement is just as important and therefore development of the Lancer Evolution WRC has already begun. It will cover several thousand kilometres of testing in the coming weeks. Engineer Lindauer believes that these few weeks are crucial. He is eager to find out how the new car performs, but admits that his team has a tough task to get the most out of its new car in the limited development time that the World Championship calendar permits.

The Lancer Evolution WRC will make its first World Rally Championship appearance on Italy's Sanremo Rally, the 11th round of the 2001 championship, which begins on 4 October.

The Very First Alfa Romeo The very first Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Romeo G1, and the only one left in the world, has found a new home with the Australian Alfa Romeo importer. The Alfa Romeo Museum, the guardian of all things Alfa Romeo, has confirmed that it regards the Alfa Romeo G1 as the very first true Alfa Romeo - all cars prior to this were either Alfas, being built prior to the purchase of the company by Nicola Romeo, or Darracq cars built under license - and the museum has confirmed that Alfa Romeo G1 chassis and engine number 6018 is the only Alfa Romeo G1 left in existence. "It is a great honour to be owner of the very first Alfa Romeo, the car that gave birth to one of the most famous car marques of all time," says Neville Crichton, Governing Director of Ateco Automotive, the Australian Alfa Romeo importer. "We plan to complete the restoration of this magnificent and historic car and then ensure that as many people can enjoy it by displaying it around Australia." The 6.3 litre straight six Alfa Romeo G1 clearly demonstrates Alfa Romeo's sports performance lineage, which runs right through to today's six cylinder Alfa Romeo sports cars and sports sedans. And, of course, it is bright red and lined with hand stitched leather upholstery. But magnificent as it looks today, it has had a very mixed history since it arrived in Australia almost exactly 80 years ago. Chassis 6018 was imported new into Australia in 1921 and was sold, for £850, to a Queensland businessman who, soon afterwards, was declared bankrupt. Since he had seen his crash coming, he hid the car to keep it out of the hands of his creditors. Then, three years on, he had the misfortune to die and the G1 remained hidden for 25 years, apparently holding up one corner of a shed in the Queensland outback. Then it was discovered by a couple of young jackaroos who decided it would make a fine 'paddock bomb' for rounding up cattle, chasing kangaroos and all the stuff that blokes do on farms. Eventually they managed to hit a tree and the damaged car was towed back to the farm where it was used to power a water pump. With its massive torque at low engine speed, it was ideal for the job and the work ensured that the engine remained in excellent condition even if the rest of the car was brutalised. In 1964 it was retired from pump duty and rescued by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts. The following year the car was bought by Ross Flewell-Smith who, against the advice of some experts who thought the car unrestorable, began to rebuild it, an exercise that took ten years. In this Herculean task he was helped by the fact that he discovered a second G1, a wreck, which supplied many of the parts that were missing. Most of the body was missing and, after experimenting with various styles, Flewell-Smith took advice from Luigi Fusi who was then curator of Alfa Romeo's museum. Flewell-Sinith's rebuild was good enough to win the 1977 Queensland Vintage Car Concours and to win the 1978 Australian Mile Miglia memorial run. In an historic race at Lakeside it was clocked at 86 mph, remarkable performance for a 1921 car, so remarkable, in fact, it was black-flagged for being so quick! In 1995, Flewell-Smith sold this car he had nicknamed 'Milly' from the 'Milan' on the engine black, to Julian Sterling who commissioned a restoration to his own exacting standards. All worn parts were replaced with specially-made components built regardless of cost. New tyres were supplied by Michelin, made from the original 1920s moulds, costing $6,000 for the set. The restoration was undertaken up to a standard, not down to a price, and the work was described in the 1998 edition of the Classic Car Yearbook as 'breathtaking'. Following a rationalization of Julian Sterling's car collection, the car was bought by Neville Crichton, the governing director of the new Australian Alfa Romeo importer, Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd.

Ford's View on Car Interiors!

The huge resurgence of leather and faux fur in fashion is inspiring car interiors of the future, according to Sharon Gauci, Ford Australia's Colour and Trim Design Manager.

"Leather and faux fur are huge in fashion at the moment so it is not surprising that they are going to have a big influence in car interiors over the next 12 to 24 months," she says.

Besides fashion, trends in architecture, industrial and interior design and soft furnishings are driving changes in every facet of the car from exterior colour, seat fabric, carpets, wood grain and plastic finishes.

"The preference over the past decade in car interiors has been towards more matt finishes," she says. "But customers can expect a shift towards a glossier and more glamorous look for car interiors in the next decade. This trend is being driven by the resurgence of shimmering effects in cosmetics, metallic plastics in product design such as mobile phones, and the use of shiny, smooth leather and leather-look fabrics, suede and faux fur in fashion. Leather and leather-look fabrics have been classic materials used in cars since they were invented but this new trend is about using leather in different ways," Sharon explains. "The focus is on finish and texture with lots of emphasis on details such as stitching, embossing, quilting, using leather cut-outs and mixing pieces of leather. The look is of crafted leather.

"The influence of faux fur from fashion into cars will be seen in the pile of fabrics used in interior finishes. Fabrics will become shinier, glossier, smoother with a strong brushing and napping effect."

Sharon says nature is also behind the trend towards greater use of natural colours in car interiors such as gold, off-white, camel and browns. "These colours are soothing and create a sense of calm within the interior. Expect to see these colours enhanced with dark wood finishes, currently popular in designer furniture."

Sharon is also predicting new trends in exterior colours of cars.

"Colours emerging over the next two years vary from particularly rich, warm purples, lilacs, reds and burgundies, to striking mixes of soothing, grounded colours of camel, dark brown and orange, to the clean industrial colours of white and pure silver. Beyond the next couple of years, there will be the emergence of hot acid brights like lime chartreuse and muted, greener versions of chartreuse, industrial greys and colours inspired from liquid sources such as clean, pure bright colour saturations and dehydrated, greyer softer undertones."

Besides fashion, trends in industries as diverse as telecommunications, architecture and health are impacting on Sharon's work.

"Plastics with metallic parts and tinted clear plastics in colours of yellow, blue and purple featured in computers and telephones at the moment will emerge in some form in cars of the future. The interior mechanics of products used to be hidden from view but now transparent plastics are revealing and featuring this technology and hardware. There are also ongoing advances in paints, for example, with metallic finishes and even paint which changes with the touch of a hand."

Materials from fashion, interior and industrial design such as mesh and stretch fabrics are being looked at for application in car interiors. New research is even looking at fabrics with medicinal and aromatic qualities. According to Sharon, changes happening in vehicle trim and colour are designed to offer more choice to individual customers.

"Customers are exposed to so much choice in their everyday lives, they naturally expect it from their cars. They want to choose colours, fabrics, finishes which suit their tastes and lifestyles."

This drive to customize vehicles is leading to a more holistic approach to interior trim and design within Ford Australia.

"I think you will see more linking of interior and exterior colour and trim of our cars coming onto the market over the next couple of years. We have thought of everything -- blending interior and exterior colours, carpets with seat fabrics, wood and other finishes to create a seamless, harmonious transfer from the outside to the inside of the car. I think we are creating something special and I hope our customers think so too."

Quickies

• The Queensland Gemini Rally Association now has a website to help people get into rallying and keep everyone up to date. Go to www.geminirally.org if you want to find a cheap way into rallysport.

• The Audi RS4 has finished production. With 6030 models built, the RS4 will now go down as another milestone in Audi's history. Based on the Audi S4 Avant, the RS4 was hand-finished in stages at the exclusive quattro GmbH subsidiary in Neckarsulm.

• According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFACTS Service, the top ten car manufactures by sale in Australia so far in 2001 are:

Marque	Year to date
	Volume	Share
Holden	94,363	21.4%
Toyota	77,660	17.6%
Ford	61,003	13.8%
Mitsubishi	39,389	8.9%
Nissan	26,418	6.0%
Hyundai	20,895	4.7%
Mazda	20,705	4.7%
Subaru	15,570	3.5%
Honda	13,714	3.1%
Mercedes Benz	9,234	2.1%

• Honda's new Fit (a small hatchback to be known as the Jazz when it reaches export markets) took second place in the Japanese market sales table in July - less than a month after its debut.

• After a 10-year wait, Lamborghini is ready to show off the Diablo's replacement at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. It is the first new Lamborghini since Audi took over the company in 1998.

• Drivers and cars in the Megamantis.com Australian Nations Cup Championship are set to race overseas for the first time when they join the American and European Le Mans Series grand final in Malaysia in November. A contingent of at least 12 exotic sports cars from the Nations Cup, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Viper and Porsche, is expected to enter for the Race of Champions weekend at the Sepang Formula 1 circuit near Kuala Lumpur on 8-11 November.

• Exports of Australian automotive products soared in the past year to the value of A$4.65 billion. This is an increase of 23 percent in the last 12 months, with exports of automotive products now ranked as the sixth largest exports from Australia - ahead of wheat, wool and beef.

• General Motors will broaden the appeal of the Hummer in the US. Hummer's only retail vehicle, the H1, will get its first national advertising campaign since GM bought Hummer's marketing rights in December 1999. Beginning today, four print ads will appear in diverse magazines and newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Scuba Diving and Wired. GM sells about 1,000 Hummer H1s a year at a price of around US$100,000 each.

• Automotive glass can be recycled as engine bay sound-damping material using a method developed by Fuji Heavy Industries and supplier Nippon Muki. Glass is difficult to recycle and accounts for almost a fifth of the total waste volume when cars are scrapped. However, the new process crushes and mixes side window glass with other glass materials which are then melted and processed into glass wool. Shaped and heat-pressed, this wool can be moulded into shape for attachment under the bonnet.

• The Orbital Engine Corp has passed another critical milestone in the development of its Orbital Combustion Process (OCP) direct injection technology. In a joint development program with a major car company, a test vehicle achieved the stringent ULEV II emissions standards in combination with a significant improvement in fuel economy. The emissions results have been verified independently at the customer's vehicle emission laboratory. After only 8 weeks of vehicle calibration development, the test vehicle achieved a fuel economy improvement in excess of 12 per cent over the US Federal test cycle while meeting the ULEV II emissions requirements.

• Toyota Australia has released a limited edition Toyota Avalon Sorrento. The Sorrento, based on the Avalon Conquest model, adds a $4,000 package of features consisting of air-conditioning, ABS, cruise control and alloy wheels for only an additional $500.

• A study has predicted that manual transmission fitment in Europe will have fallen below 50% by 2010.

• A new engine management control system, which for the first time uses cylinder pressure sensors, has been successfully demonstrated by a consortium led by UK engineering consulting company, Ricardo, with the collaboration of DaimlerChrysler and a high-tech Swiss company, Kistler. The engine is designed to produce a smoother running engine with lower fuel consumption and emissions, and to lower manufacturing costs. It shows substantial improvement over a conventional engine management system, the consortium claims.

• DaimlerChrysler has said that it will begin offering on-board wireless voice and data communication in its vehicles in North America, starting next year. It will partner with AT&T Wireless to develop the telematics system, which will be introduced on vehicles including Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz USA and Freightliner trucks.

• Porsche AG booked record profits for the financial year ending July 31 2001, thus continuing the strong growth shown in previous years. The company said that it had increased sales by at least 12% to over DM8 billion. The company grew pretax profit more than 17% to hit DM1 billion and in so doing outstripped forecasts.