sportmotor164

 

 

  This is our first opportunity to hear the 4.0-litre V12 at speed, and as Franchitti approaches the headline-bating 12,100rpm rev limit, the engine note has obvious echoes of the twelve-cylinder power units used in Formula 1 until 1996.  As was the case with the McLaren F1 (also developed by Gordon Murray and widely regarded as the T50's spiritual forebear), this test mule, known as George, is based on an Ultima, which is usually powered by a Chevrolet-derived V8 and as such has had to be extensively modified to accomodate the larger engine. Three functioning XP cars are in operation, however, and one will star at the Goodwood Member's Meeting next week, lapping the Sussex circuit in anger in what will be the T50's public debut.  The biggest mechanical difference between George and the final production car is that the early prototype goes without the T50's trademark downforce-enhancing fan technology. Inspired by the device used by Brabham's 1978 F1 race c...

  The eyes of new-car buyers may be on the recently launched third-generation   Hyundai i10 , but savvy city car customers would do well to check out its predecessor. This dinky hatchback proves that basic transportation doesn’t have to mean basic transport. From around the £3000 mark, you can pick up a modern car that’s easy to drive in cut-and-thrust traffic but also offers the equipment and refined feel of something far bigger. Power comes from one of two petrol engines. There’s a 65bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit that’s just about satisfactory around town but, if you’ll ever be venturing out onto the open road, you’ll appreciate the greater vim and vigour offered by the 86bhp 1.2-litre four-cylinder. This is almost as economical, too. Stick with the five-speed manual gearbox because, although the four-speed slusher is the best automatic in the class, it’s still rather old-school. The trim levels start with S, which is pretty meagre, with 14in steel wheels and e...

 

  Aston Martin is weighing up potential ties with  Lucid ,   Rimac   and   Mercedes-Benz   architecture for its first electric sports car, due in 2025. The firm has today announced a huge, £653 million investment plan aimed at paying back debts, ramping up production volumes and boosting profits - but the package will also be instrumental in the fruition of Aston's electrification strategy. The Gaydon firm's first plug-in hybrid – expected to be based on the Aston Martin DBX SUV – will be launched in 2024, before a pure-electric model arrives in 2025 on the way to a "fully electrified GT/sport and SUV portfolio" in 2030. Both an electric sports car and SUV have previously been mooted for a 2025 launch, with executive chairman Lawrence Stroll saying: “We’re literally defining now the products we want to launch with and expect to have an answer early next year.”  Details of the first electric car are unclear, but Stroll conceded ...