Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. VW’s Record at the ‘Ring, Sci-Fi Airless Tyres, Bond 25 Interrupted by BMW Club and Classic Beauties in London
Coffee cup in one hand and feet up... This week's "Petrolhead Corner" isn't so serious!
Every Saturday MONOCHROME brings you a weekly fix of fuel-infused reading and viewing… Even though this week’s episode won’t be so much about burning petrol – one has to adapt to his times (apparently). So fasten your seatbelt and let’s look at some of the most entertaining car-related stories we found around the web.
Volkswagen Sets New Electric Nürburgring Lap Record (and 2nd fastest lap, all cars included)
That classic image of guys gathering around cars and saying “gentlemen, start your engines and let’s burn some fuel” is about to become history. As sad as that sounds to me, as a true petrolhead and a guy driving classic cars, the era of the oil/gasoline engines is about to be replaced by the era of plugged cars. Still, electric cars CAN be cool too… I mean, isn’t there something amazing in the below-3-second 0-to-60mph achieved by a Tesla? A few days ago, Volkswagen showed us that the future of electric cars can also be infused with fun and performance.
6:05.336 to perform a 22.8km (or 14.1mi) lap… Yup, Volkswagen Pikes Peak winning car, the ID R, averaged a speed of 206.96km/h (128.6mph) making it the fastest electric car ever and second fastest car ever on the Nürburgring Nordschleife – a race tracked that some have named “the Green Hell”, certainly one of the most demanding circuits in the world (Niki Lauda would agree). Indeed, this 680hp track devouring monster beat the previous electric record by more than 40 seconds, and also beat the 1983 Porsche 962 record (in 6:11.130), leaving only the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo up there with its 5:19:546 record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iZY5IMn0wg
And for those who are still sceptical about an electric car capable of creating emotions, look at the record lap… You might change your mind!
Read the full story on DriveTribe here.
Airless tyres will be a thing in 2024
Obviously, there’s still some work to do in terms of styling (honestly, they look really weird). However, it appears that Michelin’s latest technology is about to bring a solution to that supremely annoying issue of the flat tyre (we’ve all been there), in addition to several other advantages.
Michelin, top-tier tyre manufacturer, in association with GM, is currently developing and testing what could be our new type of tyres as of 2024. The Uptis tyre, which is made from composite rubber and resin-embedded fibreglass, can “bear a car’s weight at road-going speeds” thanks to material and structure improvements. The benefits of a tyre without air are many and varied: the risk of punctures and blow-outs will be totally eliminated and tyres can be replaced much less often, so fewer can be produced – the raw materials, energy and emissions required to do so saved. But still, please make them a bit more attractive visually-speaking!
Read the full story on Top Gear right here.
Bond 25 Filming in Norway Disrupted by BMW Club
Filming the latest James Bond film, Bond 25, has not been going smoothly, to say the least! Dany Boyle quit in August 2018 citing creative differences causing the film to be delayed, the script had to be re-written, the film’s star Daniel Craig suffered an ankle injury in May and a controlled explosion at Pinewood studios caused damage to one of the buildings… But that’s not the end for Bond 25.
The latest in a series of numerous unfortunate adventures occurred this Sunday in Norway… “Norwegian newspapers are reporting that a car club from Møre og Romsdal caused damage to the tarmac of a bridge Bond 25 planned to use as a location for the film.” What was supposed to be the biggest GTG event of BMWs in Norway ended up in a series of burnouts for several kilometres of the route, which left heavy black lines along the famous Atlantic Road between Molde and Kristiansund… This apparently created quite some annoyance at the production company behind the film, as this will create some damage to the visuals of the film. “Norwegian authorities spent a considerable amount of time trying to remove the marks but have had little luck.”
Well, James should have brought his own rocket-loaded DB5 and show those reckless drivers who the boss is!
Read the full story here, on GT Spirit.
Classic car heaven in the city, with the 3rd London Concours
This week was the third London Concours, a true heaven for classic cars enthusiasts, which took place at the Honourable Artillery Company, right in the heart of London. Besides being surrounded by glass, high-rise buildings, there is something totally British about this event… A wide selection of cars – 70 entrants, themselves divided into seven classes including ‘The Icons’, ‘The Outlaws’, ‘The Innovators’, and two ‘Great Marques’ categories for Ferrari and Jaguar.
The event, sponsored by Breguet, gathered exceptional cars, ranging from Mario Andretti’s 1978 Lotus 79 to Lamborghini Miuras, Peter Sellers’ ex-Aston Martin DB4GT or impressive young-timers such as a 288GTO or a silver Bugatti EB110 Super Sport. For having already attended the event ourselves back in 2018, it really is a great place to enjoy some good, old-fashion motoring.
You can read the report of the 2019 edition and enjoy some stunning photos right here, at Classic Driver. More details too, at londonconcours.co.uk.
