SUNDAY CAR CRUSH: PORSCHE 944 CARGO

We’ve always had a penchant for shooting brakes.

We love the combo of rakish sportiness combined with the solid practicality of serious boot space and a flat roof. Strikes us that a true sportsman not only needs a hard-edged gadabout runabout, but a bit of room to store the sporting goods; and potentially the ability to overnight in the wagon if necessary. The 944 ‘Cargo’ Porsche is one of the coolest we’ve seen of these often bespoke vehicles.

This short run edition of a custom build was the brainchild of German tuning outfit DP motorsport – with the first edition being released in 1988. According to info from the forums, DP began experimenting with the roof of a VW Passat estate laid over the top of a 944 body shell. The conversion eventually evolved into a complete remodel of the 944′s rear section, with a fibreglass roof and rear door supported by a tubular steel framework, adding increased rigidity to the otherwise open-backed coupe.

Apparently there were two or three more Cargos created in 2008 using the original bespoke glass work for the rear of the wagon. An initial seven were made, it seems.

Not sure what these beauties are going for, but we reckon the combo of scarcity value, increased stiffness and the brake practicality would mean they’d fetch a pretty penny.

September 14, 2014 0

1976: HUNT VS LAUDA

The James Hunt versus Niki Lauda battle for the 1976 world championship elevated motor racing from the back pages to the front.

Hunt was the tall, blond, good-looking British public schoolboy, who liked a ciggy and a beer and wore ‘sex-the breakfast of champions’ badges on his overalls. He arrived in Formula 1 as the underdog — a talented, brave driver run by Lord Alexander Hesketh and his bunch of Hooray Henry Establishment friends.

Hunt was a good story, especially when he broke his duck and scored a fine win in the ’75 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, beating Lauda’s Ferrari into second place. When Emerson Fittipaldi unexpectedly left McLaren to start his own team, Hunt suddenly found himself with a top drive.

Lauda was the buck-toothed young Austrian chancer from wealthy stock opposed to his career choice! He borrowed to the hilt to get himself into the March and BRM teams, then along came Ferrari and Niki no longer needed to worry about cash. By the end of ’75 Lauda had arrived, winning five races en route to the championship – Ferrari’s first champion since John Surtees in 1964.

At the start of ’76 it was all Lauda. Hunt was quick but things didn’t go his way. But then Lauda tipped a tractor over while building himself a house and cracked a rib. In Spain he had to drive in a corset with pain-killing injections. James came down his inside, edged him over a kerb, knocked the wind out him and won the race. But then Hunt found himself disqualified, his McLaren marginally too wide.
It was typical of Hunt’s luck, it seemed. On a weekend trip on team mate Jochen Mass’s boat, Hunt had to knock girlfriend Hottie (Jane Birbeck) out of the way when she was almost collected by an errant sail arm.
“She nearly went for a burton and it would be careless of me to lose another one like that…” joked James, whose wife Suzy had run off with actor Richard Burton.

Going to the south of France for the French GP at Paul Ricard, Hunt’s situation looked hopeless: Lauda led the championship with 55 points and five wins, Hunt had no wins and eight points. But Niki’s Ferrari blew up while leading, James won and also heard he’d had his Spanish win reinstated. The score was now Lauda, 52; Hunt, 26.

The British GP at Brands Hatch was next and Hunt’s bad luck reverted to type. The Ferraris collided on the first lap and Hunt’s McLaren was damaged in the ensuing debacle. Hunt won the restarted race but was disqualified for failing to complete the first lap of the original race and therefore being ineligible for the restart. Niki scored another maximum.

But then it all changed. Lauda crashed at Nurburgring and the Ferrari burst into flames. Niki, badly burned, was pulled from the car by four fellow drivers but for days his life hung in the balance as the oxygen count in his blood fell below that generally necessary to sustain life.
A priest shocked Lauda into hanging on by administering the last rites and, amazingly, six weeks later, having missed just two races, a badly disfigured Lauda was back in the Ferrari cockpit at Monza. Well-known British sports broadcaster Harry Carpenter, whose main beat was boxing, called it the bravest sporting story he had ever reported.

Hunt, meanwhile, had won the restarted Nurburgring race in which Lauda had been injured and also the Dutch GP that Niki missed. Suddenly he was right back in the fight. The score was now Lauda, 61; Hunt, 47, with four races to go.

Monza of course, is Ferrari territory. Hunt found himself put to the back of the grid due to a fuel octane infringement and Lauda came home a fabulous fourth, the first of three Ferraris entered that day.
‘Hunt versus Lauda’ became great newspaper copy as the media lapped up the twists and turns. In Germany, meanwhile, Bild ran headlines such as “how can a man live without a face,” having snapped a bandaged Lauda lying defenceless in a Mannheim hospital bed. Niki had recently married Marlene Knaus, formerly the partner of actor Curt Jurgens.

Hunt won Canada as Lauda struggled home eighth in an ill-handling Ferrari. The Italians had signed a deal with Michelin for ’77 and the Goodyear tyre development was going in McLaren’s direction. At Watkins Glen in the USA, Lauda got up early on race morning, knocked on Hunt’s bedroom door and informed him, “today I win the world championship!” He didn’t. Niki came home third as James won again.
With the score Lauda, 68; Hunt, 65, it all came down to the season finale at a soaking Fuji in Japan. That was bad news for Niki. His eyelids and tear ducts had been burned in the accident and despite an operation he could no longer blink away tears properly. He was okay in the dry but, in the wet, Lauda freely admitted that he was struggling, and scared.

Emerson Fittipaldi was among those protesting that conditions were too bad, but the race went ahead as TV scheduling won the day. Lauda parked after the first two laps, along with Carlos Pace. Ferrari offered to say it was the engine but Niki declined. “Life,” he said, “is more important than the world championship.”
Hunt needed a third place to overhaul him. He led but then needed a tyre change and came back fifth. He passed Lauda’s Ferrari team mate Clay Regazzoni and then Alan Jones to do just enough to win the title. At first, amid the confusion, he didn’t realise he’d done it and berated McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer for not pitting him earlier. Then someone put a hand on his shoulder and told him he was world champion, 69 points to 68. Lauda was already on his way to the airport…

September 11, 2014 0

BMW M3: THE EVOLUTION.

1986: E30
After completing its brief career in Formula 1, BMW’s Motorsport arm focused all its energy on touring car racing. The BMW M3 E30w was born. The first edition came with a 195 hp, four-cylinder 16-valve power unit. Right from the start the car was a success and in 1987 Italian driver Roberto Ravaglia won the World Touring Car Championship at the wheel of a BMW M3. In the following five years the M3 was the uncontested leader in the international touring car scene, bringing home two European Touring Car Championships and winning the DTM twice. But the M3 was, of course, an equally successful road-going car. Sales reached a heady volume of 17,970 units, including 600 units of the 2.5-litre M3 Sport Evolution version, as well as 765 hand-built convertibles.

1992: E36
The E36 M3, launched in 1992 was voted car of the year in Germany two years on the trot – and in France even gained the questionable moniker ‘car of the century’. Between 1992 and 1996 M-sport built more than 85 four-door racing 3 Series based on the E36 M3 GT, with Johnny Cecotto at the wheel winning the ADAC GT Championship in 1993, and next setting out to conquer the US motor-sport market. In 1995 the car received even more power – 321 hp from 3.2 litres, to be precise – and for the first time the M3’s grunt exceeded 100 hp per litre. Double variable timing was also used for the first time, as well as a six speed gearbox.

2000: E46
Making its debut in the year 2000 the E46 M3 turned up the gauge in all departments. 343 hp. 365 Nm. 5.2 seconds. And the design in turn reflected the increased attitude. One year later the M3 GTR lined up on the starting grid of the American Le Mans Series with a four-litre eight-cylinder under the bonnet for the first time. The racing car with the characteristic air scoops in the bonnet and the powerful rear aerofoil proved superior on the race tracks of the USA and won the Championship in the GT Class. 2003 saw the return of the CSL with its roof, centre console and door panels made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. This lean beast was powered by an engine tuned to 360 hp, which gave it an astonishing Nürburgring lap time of 7.50. In 2003. All 1800 units were sold before they hit the forecourt.

2007 E90-series
For the E90, with that marmite design that put quite a few folk off, BMW went with an eight-cylinder engine for the first time in the coupé and the saloon launched shortly afterwards. The new V8 engine generated power of 420 hp from a displacement of 3,999 cubic centimetres. Around 85 percent of the maximum torque of 400Nm could be called up over the enormous rev range of 6,500 rpm. Power was transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox and a completely new rear-axle differential. Particularly in the coupé, the design engineers once again used lightweight construction. The positive experiences with other M models led to the roof also being made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic and the engine bonnet was made of aluminium.

2014 BMW M3 / M4
Engine/Drivetrain

BMW has reverted to an inline six cylinder for the new M3 and M4. But unlike the S54 in the E46 M3, the new S55 is turbocharged. Based on the N55 six cylinder, the S55 utilizes VANOS and Valvetronic as well as gasoline direct injection in the cylinder heads. But unlike the N55′s twin-scroll single turbocharger, the S55 utilizes two turbochargers, one turbo per three cylinders. Given all of the heat the engine is capable of producing, BMW has taken great care in ensuring that it is properly controlled, especially knowing that the M3/M4s will see a lot of track time.
The S55 is set to deliver 431 HP and 406 lb-ft of torque. To ensure that nothing untoward happens on the bottom end the S55 employs a forged steel crankshaft. The torque developed by the S55 is fully available from 1,850 to 5,500 RPM which leads one to believe that the turbos selected for use on the S55 are slightly larger than the ones employed on the N54 motor of yore. Two tidbits worth considering are the huge increase in torque over the outgoing V8 and the approximately 25% increase in fuel economy of the S55 over the V8.
Attached to the S55 will be one of two available transmissions. A six speed manual with dry sump lubrication (forced oil feed rather than the gear-train sitting in a ‘splash bath’ of oil) is available. The six speed manual will have some software integration with the ECU in that it will blip the throttle on downshifts (rev-match engine RPM to road RPM). The available third generation M DCT seven speed transmission will offer launch control and stability clutch control. Stability clutch control is an interesting feature that disengages the clutch momentarily, invoking a whiff of power of oversteer when too much understeer is detected by the car’s electronics. Think of it as augmented stability control.

The power from the transmission is delivered to the Active M Differential, a multi-plate electronically collected limited slip differential, via a carbon fiber prop shaft. The carbon fiber shaft saves weight, provides more than adequate strength and reduces inertia in the drivetrain. Of course tying everything together is the software and electronics that monitor vehicle dynamics and intervene based on the requirements of the situation.
Suspension:
The M3/M4 utilize BMW’s proven double pivot strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension. The front and rear suspensions utilize M specific aluminum components which are light weight and biased towards stiffness. The front suspension has additional stiffening in the form a CFRP strut brace, aluminum stiffening plate, and additional connection points between the sub-frame and the chassis. The downside of the additional stiffening may be additional harshness but the responsiveness gained is beneficial. The suspension features the M Adaptive suspension settings of Comfort, Sport, and Sport +.

Another benefit of the additional stiffening may be an acceptable level of feedback for the electrically-assisted power steering (EPS), which BMW M employs for the first time. It will be interesting to read the reviews of the steering gear to determine how much ‘feedback’ the EPS provides. Since the EPS utilizes software to control its responses, different settings can be utilized ‘on the fly’. The EPS will have Comfort, Sport, and Sport + settings, and the hope is that most drivers will leave it in Sport +.

Regarding the use of EPS however, one would think that BMW would not deploy EPS in this critical set of M cars if they weren’t confident that they had achieved a level of feedback M drivers expect. Braking is provided by M compound brakes and optional M carbon ceramic brakes (with gold brake rotors).

Electronics

There is a good deal of integration between drivetrain and chassis, especially if the M DCT transmission is specified. In addition there is a BMW M Laptimer app available for the driver’s smartphone than we connected via USB cable or the optional phone cradle can record lap data and playback the data graphically on the smartphone’s screen. AN optional heads-up display is also available and it too contains M specific functionality.

The M3/M4 exhibit a degree of technological capability/creativity that were unimaginable when the original M3 was conceived. For better or worse the tight integration of mechanical systems with electronics (and lines and lines of software code) make the new M3/M4 what it is.

September 9, 2014 0

BMW: A HOMAGE TO M3

BMW M3

The Ultimate Driving Machine…

It was a slogan BMW once slathered across the majority of its marketing material. A slogan that would now struggle to add gravitas to the likes of the bloated X5, the awkwardly-styled 3 Series GT or the barge-like 7 Series, but one that remains credible thanks to one car: the BMW M3.

The F80 designation looks crisp in Yas Marina blue…

It is not often that a vehicle comes along and slashes the rulebook clean in two but in 1986 – when the E30 BMW M3 Coupe was first available for public consumption – it did just that. Brandishing pure racing performance thanks to BMW’s motor sport division and a boot that could swallow even the biggest C&A shopping trip, it was a freak of nature; One of the original Q cars that could be comfortably driven everyday but also thrash the pants off a Porsche should the need arise.

It was on my wall, next to a jet black Lamborghini Countach.

The E46 CSL coupé defined the genre….

But unlike the Countach, it whispered rather than bellowed into the ears of those who desired high performance. After all, then BMW chairman of the board Eberhard von Kuenheim simply wanted to slot a spicy engine into his beloved 3 Series, fettle the damping a bit and make sure the brakes didn’t fade after a few hot laps, not create a supercar.

But even Kuenheim couldn’t have predicted just how delicious his recipe was to taste.

My first bite of the M3 masterpiece wasn’t to come until 14 years after the original car graced UK roads. The E36 M3 had already arrived and riled fans by ditching the favoured four-pot engine of the E30 and ballooning in weight, but that was in the past. The E46 was now here and it was a belter.

A friend of mine had a father who was brazenly reckless with cash and harboured a soft spot for ludicrously quick coupes. He once turned up to my house in a brand new E46 M3 CSL – a lightweight range-topper that not only cost £60,000 at the time but also hid a 3.2-litre straight six under the bonnet. My mum commented on the nice car sat on our driveway but she didn’t have a clue about the cutting-edge flappy paddle gearbox, the carbon fibre roof and precision-cut lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels.

I did and I was physically salivating at the thought of strapping into the lightweight bucket seats.

The profligate pops floored the CSL as soon as we left the 30mph roads of my estate. All three of us (my mate was hunkered in the back) squirmed with the ferocity of acceleration and above the induction roar of the almighty engine, the old man could be heard rattling off figures. “It weighs under 1400kg!” he beamed. “Nought to sixty in under five lads!” he exclaimed. We rounded a bend and I felt the tail of the car step out. Naturally, I went to grab the nearest handle but there wasn’t one on this pared-back machine. My friend’s dad laughed his head off.

That outing had me hooked. I swore to learn to drive the following year (I didn’t, I bought a motorbike instead) and I vowed to experience that aural battering and accelerative ass whooping for myself, be it through owning an M3 (unlikely) or by becoming a motoring journalist and borrowing one (yeah, that).

The M4 Coupe pushes the form forward…

Driving a modern M3 remains a special experience. The squat stance and aggressive styling is the first thing to smack you between the eyes. It isn’t lairy like its Germanic rivals – the Audi RS4 and the Mercedes C63 AMG – but instead remains relatively faithful to the original Q car understatement.

The bulging ‘Power Dome’ on the bonnet that accommodates the engine alludes to its neck-snapping intent and the trademark flared wheel-arches, M-badged side strakes and bonnet scoops provide reference points for those in the know. My first drive in an E46 didn’t fail to disappoint. The Welsh A and B-roads more commonly known as the Evo triangle provided the perfect canvas for some automotive tomfoolery, evoking memories of that gut-wrenching acceleration I’d experienced years before.

I’ve also visited the roads of my youth in an E90 M3; flooring the accelerator on the exact same stretch I first experienced the awesome pulling power of the CSL. It felt as good as it did 14 years ago.

My friend tells me his old man has been divorced twice since that first driving experience but one thing remains the same.

He still owns a BMW M3.

September 5, 2014 0

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

BMW M3

Share this: