Archive for September, 2008
Monday, September 15th, 2008
People have always had the urge to explore “the very ends of the earth”. And motor vehicles have been used on such voyages of discovery ever since they have been in existence. The new special exhibition “To the ends of the earth – legendary expedition and long-distance journeys” at the Audi museum mobile (September 10, 2008 to January 7, 2009) shows twelve extraordinary exhibits that took their venturesome drivers on journeys around the globe.
The urge to explore and travel to far-off places is central to the history of mobility: this very urge is what inspired man to develop and make use of every means of transport. A spirit of adventure has always stirred drivers to explore their limits. Original vehicles that covered thousands of kilometres in the remotest regions of the world now bear testimony to their adventurous travels at the Audi museum mobile.
Ever since the motor car was first invented, people have used it on their “wanderings”. In 1888, Bertha Benz set out on secret journeys in her husband’s patented motor car. The Sahara Desert was crossed in 1922 by an extraordinary semi-tracked vehicle, the Citroën Autochenille B2, which had a crawler drive instead of rear wheels: its two French drivers covered a distance of 3,200 kilometres in three weeks, reaching a top speed of 25 km/h. The original commando vehicle, the “Scarabée d’Or” (Golden Beetle) is now on display at the Audi museum mobile.
The “Max Reisch” expedition vehicle is another rare specimen in roadworthy condition. Max Reisch set out on the bold venture to cross Asia by car in an Austrian Steyr Type 100. From the nose as far back as the A-post it is identical to a standard Steyr; from the A-post backwards the body is a specially built aluminium structure with a small load platform, and was designed by Professor Max Reisch himself. The 40,000-kilometre journey in the 32 hp Steyr took two years.
The trip undertaken by the two Czechs Miroslav Zikmund and Jiri Hanzelka was even more daunting: they set out in a Tatra Type 87 in 1947 on their journey around the world. The vehicle was notable for its streamlined body, independent suspension, rear-mounted engine and air-cooling, and was driven by a powerful V8 engine. The Tatra Type 87 accomplished the three-year journey through Africa and America without any major hitches, clocking up almost 90,000 kilometres in the process. This illustrious Czech car, on loan from the National Technical Museum in Prague, is making its first appearance in Germany.
The four rings, too, were commonly to be seen on expeditions, and four notable vehicles are on display in the new special exhibition at the Audi museum mobile: in 1935/1936 Paul Hartlmaier covered 18,000 kilometres on his expeditions in India in three different versions of the DKW F5 Meisterklasse, taking as his motto “three times 20 horsepower”. As none of the original vehicles survived the taxing exploit, an identical model of the DKW F5 Meisterklasse, a four-seater cabriolet/saloon from 1935, is on display.
The DKW Munga was a popular off-road vehicle on numerous expeditions, including to the Himalayas and Peru. And in 1978, two standard Audi 100 models with diesel engine circumnavigated the globe in 66 days, clocking up 30,000 kilometres in the process. A DKW Munga, an Audi 100 and the Audi A4 in which Gerhard Plattner accomplished the 1995 Panamericana run from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 20 days, 11 hours and 55 minutes are all on display. He had already caused a stir with his first run in 1992 in a standard hybrid car, the Audi Duo, from Ingolstadt to Expo ‘92 in Seville. This was the first long-distance trip to be undertaken in a hybrid vehicle. Gerhard Plattner also completed some truly tough endurance runs in completing the most economical circumnavigation of the globe in 1992 in an Audi 80 TDI (average consumption 3.78 l/100 km at 85.8 km/h) and the fastest round-the-world journey in an Audi S2 (in 28 days and 16 hours) in 1991.
There will be twelve cars and anecdotes in abundance to enthral car and travel enthusiasts, and indeed anyone with an unquenchable thirst for far-off places, at the Audi museum mobile from September 10, 2008 to January 7, 2009. But the exhibition also covers various explorers who journeyed without the assistance of the motor car, such as Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed around the world between 1519 and 1522, and Friedrich Gustav Kögel, who travelled the world on foot at the end of the 19th century. Not forgetting Heinrich Horstmann, who cycled around the world – not on a modern-day, 21-gear trekking bike, but on an early contraption built in 1895. Finally, the special exhibition includes a model of the Messerschmitt ME 108 “Taifun” in which long-distance aviator Elly Beinhorn pulled off the remarkable feat of becoming the first woman to fly round the world single-handed.
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Thursday, September 11th, 2008
A new Rolls-Royce showroom was officially opened today in Hangzhou, China by Tom Purves, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ Chief Executive Officer.
The new showroom, the sixth for Rolls-Royce in Greater China, is situated in the commercial area of the city, opposite a famous tourist attraction known as the West Lake. With a floor space of over 400 sq.m, it can accommodate up to four Rolls-Royce models.
Other Rolls-Royce showrooms in Greater China are located at Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Speaking at the showroom grand opening, Mr Purves said, “This latest milestone is the first of several showroom openings which we announced in our Asia Pacific expansion plan at AutoChina 2008 in Beijing, earlier this year.”
At the opening, Mr Purves also unveiled the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, the first time the two-door, four-seater grand tourer has been shown in Hangzhou. The most driver-oriented of the Rolls-Royce Phantom family, the car combines the design, craftsmanship and advanced engineering which has led to more new buyers embracing the brand – nearly two-thirds of the Coupé’s customers worldwide have not owned a Rolls-Royce before.
Also attending the ceremony was the Asia Pacific Regional Director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Colin Kelly; General Manager for Greater China, Jenny Zheng and Dealer Principal of Sime Darby Hong Kong Limited, Peter Goh.
In 2008, Rolls-Royce has a four model line-up, the Phantom, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, the Phantom Drophead Coupé and the Phantom Coupé. The Phantom remains the best-selling super luxury car in the world, with sales in 2008 breaking all previous records. A new Rolls-Royce model called the RR4, priced slightly below the Phantom, will be launched around the turn of the decade.
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Thursday, September 11th, 2008
MINI goes Channel hopping with Crossover Concept debut at Paris Motor Show.
The MINI Crossover Concept is a design study for a fourth variant in MINI’s current model range. With four doors, four drive wheels, four single seats and at four metres in the length, the Crossover Concept combines versatility and style: its main aim is to tempt new target groups into the world of MINI.
The MINI Crossover Concept is packed with innovative design details and practical solutions. It seeks to retain MINI ownership as a unique prospect as competitors continue to try and replicate the successful MINI recipe.
You know what they say about length…
The MINI Crossover Concept is the first MINI model to measure over four metres in length and almost 1.6 m high, giving it greater practicality and enhanced flexibility. Interior personalisation opportunities are also increased.
Looks matter…
The MINI Crossover Concept still features many of the typical MINI characteristics, such as the wheels located at four corners to highlight the ‘go kart’ feeling, the circular design features and the entertaining use of space and functions. More than just an all-wheel drive, however, the MINI Crossover offers fantastic flexibility and meets more specific customer requirements.
With four doors, two on each side, you may think the MINI Crossover Concept has a conventional feel after all. But you’d be wrong. Two conventional doors can be found on the passenger’s side (front and back), with a third for the driver. The fourth door, for the rear passenger on the driver’s side, slides back along the outside of the car for convenient access and loading.
The rear door has a frameless, retractable window and when open, swivels to one side to facilitate the loading of long items, such as skis, snowboards and surfboards. But it doesn’t stop there: the capacity can be increased even further due to the folding roof cover which extends across the whole length of the roof and there’s even a transport case which can be fitted on to the outside of the rear door.
But it’s what’s inside that counts…
With more storage space than ever seen before in a MINI, the MINI Crossover Concept offers additional capacity and uniquely, the opportunity to personalise the layout of the interior.
The four seats are individual, single seats which can be adjusted forwards and backwards by up to thirteen centimetres in the rear – allowing more legroom to the rear passengers.
The front and rear seats are linked visually by the new MINI Centre Rail – a matt-polished aluminium fastening rail which extends from the dashboard through the middle of the car, to the rear. A unique fastening system can be used with the Centre Rail to attach cupholders, storage units and entertainment consoles which can be passed between the front and the rear passengers.
A special collection of dishes and cups have been created by Porzellan Manufaktur, Nymphenburg, specifically for the Crossover Concept’s Centre Rail.
The MINI Crossover Concept features a new display and control console which hosts all major entertainment, telecommunication and navigation functions: the MINI Centre Globe. This three dimensional globe can be personalised independently by both the driver and passenger as the display is shown in two hemispheres – for example, allowing the passenger to surf the net whilst the driver follows the navigation.
Operated by a touch-sensitive surface, the MINI Centre Globe can also be programmed by a trackball situated on the steering wheel, buttons or slide controls in the lower section of the globe, or even by a keyboard which extends out from the dashboard on the passenger’s side.
The MINI Centre Globe also hosts the stop/start function, whereby the driver inserts a Keyball into the upper edge to start and switch off the engine.
The MINI Crossover Concept previews at the Paris Motor Show and is the basis on which a series production will be developed in the future.
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