The Italian Junkyard

2011 24 Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps, LIVE streaming!

2011-07-30T15:45:00.007+02:00

I was going to post the usual series of streaming for this endurance race, and eventually found that the fellows over Bsim Racing did a wonderful job at that.
So this time you've got to thank someone else ;)

You can find the live timing over here.

Not sure if Radio Le Mans will do some coverage, so here is the link just in case.

Enjoy the live streaming of the race after the jump!... except it's not working, not even on the official website...?!

Lucky us there is still the Audi LIVE feed over here. According to Audi itself they will be straming the whole 24 hours of the race!!!

You can check out the detailed results - here

Blancpain Series Official Live Timing - here

Spa 24h on twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/24HoursofSpa

Spa 24h on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/Total24hoursofspa

Spa 24h on Website - http://www.total24hours.com

   Blancpain Series webpage        -   http://www.blancpain-endurance-series.com

Official Track Webpage - http://www.spa-francorchamps.be

Berlin Time

Saturday 30/07/2011

13:30 – 14:40 01:10 Drivers Presentation 00:00

14:40 – 15:00 00:20 RACB GT Parade

15:05 – 15:44 Total 24H of Spa – Grid visit by VIP

15:10 Total 24H of Spa – Pit lane open

15:20 Total 24H of Spa – Pit lane closed

15:44 Total 24H of Spa – 10 min board

15:53 Total 24H of Spa – 1 min board

15:53:45 Total 24H of Spa – 15 sec board

15:54 Total 24H of Spa – formation lap

16:00 – Total 24H of Spa – Race

Sunday 31/07/2011

16:10 – 00:15 Total 24H of Spa – Podium

The race will be streamed live.

2011 24 Hours of Nurburgring, LIVE STREAMING

2011-06-22T15:48:00.009+02:00

THE 24 HOURS OF NURBURGRING IT'S BACK!
Time to watch some endurance motorsport at its finest once again.

News has just come that the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid 2.0 has been penalized with an air restrictor to reduce the power output of its combustion engine, reducing by a large margin its overall performance and forcing its drivers to rely on the electric motors much more than what they were planning.

We tried to incorporate the official streaming for the race and its live timing, but it seems there is something not properly working in the code.
If it doesn't, head over the live streaming page from the ADAC website, and use the Radio Le Mans English conmmentary for a complete experience!
You may need to install the windows media player plug in for the video, and the commentary would be in German, so Radio Le Mans will surely help you.

You can also find the live feed from Audi over here, once again in German.

Also check out this live tracking webpage to check the position and status of some of your favorite cars.

ENJOY THE RACE!

Streaming after the jump!

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2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, LIVE Streaming!

2011-06-11T13:27:00.003+02:00

The only bad thing about this year 24 Heuers of Le Mans is that Aston Martin screwed up its car, big time. So it's once again a two men race, with both Audi and Peugeot showing off their brand new weapons of track destruction.

While the new Peugeot 908 looks just about the same as the old 908 HDi FAP, the new Audi R18 is completely different despite vaguely resembling the R15, except it got a canopy this time.

Both cars are designed around the new set of rules with modified aerodynamics and reduced engine displacement. It's hard to say if they are faster because of the design's quality, or because of the huge budget both teams has compared to even Aston Martin Racing itself.

That's the same reason why it's hard to tell if diesel powered cars are indeed faster. I guess we'll never know by the look of things.

Regardless, it's time for the action on track to talk for itself. Will Peugeot drive its cars to destruction once again, or did Audi fix all those small issues which were holding the R18 back?

We'll know in 24 hours.

Keep in mind that this page may often be updated depending on the quality of the streams I may find and whatnot. You may have noticed there isn't a chat box on the right anymore. Damn spammers. You can still drop a comment or send me an email if you want.

I'm not even sure how much of the race I'll be able to follow myself.
I know I'll be on MSN with a few friends for a while though.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Check out all the LIVE feeds after the jump, and be sure to tune on Radio Le Mans for an excellent English commentary!

Beware of the Peugeot LIVE feed, audio will start automatically, in French of course.

CLICK HERE FOR A RADIO LE MANS LIVE COMMENTARY IN ENGLISH!

AUDI STREAMING CHANNEL

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;De browser ondersteunt het IFRAME element niet.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

21.3 Dart to the Heart: Ferrari 308 GTB Quattrovalvole #49397

2011-06-11T00:50:00.003+02:00

The Ferrari 308 may seem pretty average to a modern eye. Maybe even ugly, unfinished and almost as cheap as a kit-car assembled in your backyard.

The again, such an eye would be wrong.
Of the various iteration of the entry level Ferrari model, I think the 308 has a special place in the company history. Not only it was the first of a long line of entry level models to feature a mid longitudinally mounted V8, it also carries on this sharp dart shaped bodywork which could very well be something to remember from its decade, if it wasn't for one Lamborghini Countach.

I'm pretty sure the is a very long and very painful list of all things that could and will go wrong with this car should one of us decide to part ways with a relatively low amount of money.
There is indeed a reason why you could buy one for as little as 40.000 €. I'm not going to add "in decent conditions", as that's very subjective, mostly depending on how much time you're willing to pass looking for spare parts or checking your bank account.

That's actually the case with most cars from more than 30 years ago, so that's not real surprise and it didn't get better until the Ferrari 360 Modena as far as I know.

This is completely irrelevant though, as I'm still convinced the look of this car is just great. Raw, untamed, projected to the next corner. I don't really care how it will handle it and how that's going to cost. It looks great, and that's fair enough for me.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

21.2 Who cares about Air Conditioning?! Dino 246 GT #02566

2011-05-25T17:47:00.005+02:00

It's not summer yet, but days are getting warmer and warmer.
There are a few places were I wouldn't mind being, most of them include a Caribbean beach, a chilling wind and an icy drink.

That, or a ride in a vintage car, sunglasses and a great soundtrack to follow me on a winding road.

It's OK to dream, isn't it?

That said, the day I'll appreciate the original shade of Rosso Ferrari is still quite far away.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

21.1 Spring brought flowers, and some Ferrari memorabilia

2011-05-10T00:31:00.002+02:00

Spring.
It’s not just about flowers, bees, weekends at the lake or whatever you may prefer.
There is another key element. Automotive events!

Yep, with the good season come a lot of minor events all around Italy and not only, without even considering the racing season going straight in its more packed period.
To prepare yourself for the next months I’ve taken a last year’s se4t of pictures from a random and pretty small “show” I’ve stumbled upon in a town close to my parents’, while on vacation.

Not much to be seen on an absolute scale, still a nice place to stop by. Main attractions were probably the four Ferraris (one of them being actually a Dino) parked next to the church and a Lola B05/52 Zytek from the late A1 Grand Prix championship, but there also was a pretty large and weird selection of various Ferrari related items and memorabilia of all sorts.

So be it, enjoy the randomness!
Photoshoots with the other cars will come soon!

Ferrari 208 engine:

Ferrari 360 Modena engine:

Ferrari F430 engine:

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

17.5 Get your hands dirty, assemble your own Zonda: an interview with Horacio Pagani, PART 4

2011-03-27T16:55:00.005+02:00

Talking with Mr Pagani has been an honor and a very interesting experience, but it was his son Leonardo and their PR manager Miss Pramazzoni who explained us how the magic is run at Pagani’s, and how your Zonda comes to life. They also managed to transmit the passion and commitment which go into each car. We were particularly surprised by the level of knowledge and enthusiasm of Leonardo. You can really see he and his brother Christopher are an actual part of the company and don’t just sit in a corner waiting for the job to be done.

Make the jump and follow us during an imaginary assembly of a Zonda. Close your eyes, and perhaps it will look like it’s your Zonda!

As many of you may already know, plans have been long under way to build a new factory so that annual production could be increased from 15 or so cars to up to 30/40 cars. This building has already been acquired by the company some years ago, and is in the process of being reconverted accordingly to Pagani’s requirement. As you may have figured, the first Huayra units are already being assembled in the old factory, which we’ll be converted into a sort of spa resort for the venerable Zonda once the new building will be up and running.

When we visited the factory last summer, a bit less than 120 road going Zondas had already been built, not considering a few other cars such as the track-only 2004 Zonda Monza, two units of the racing 2003 Zonda GR (built on behalf of team Carsport, with no official involvement of Pagani Automobili Spa) and a handful units of the ferociously fast Zonda R. That’s good for about 13 cars built every year since 1999 when the Zonda was unveiled in Geneva. At first each car took about 9 months to be completed from scratch, while now we could appreciate how they became much faster at that, as between our visits in May and June the cars under assembly were not the same. Given the quality has increased over the year to an almost senseless level, while new variants and options were introduced, you really got to give them credits for their work. Quicker and better, what more could you want? No, cheaper supercars are not in the cars…

Everything starts in the smaller room of the factory. In this climate controlled environment a few skillful hands model the precious carbon fiber and carbo-titanium fabrics into parts of the car and its chassis. Each component is then ready to be vacuumed into special bags and put into the autoclaves (large ovens which can maintain high pressures and temperatures for hours). It’s really important that you get as much air vacuumed outside of those bags as possible, as it would dangerously affects the variations in temperature and pressure inside of the bag itself, damaging the carbon fiber part, with also the possibility of air being absorbed by the resin itself. Even if you use a vacuum pump, when dealing with complex parts it may not be an easy task. Back in the days though, Mr Pagani found an easy solution to this problem.
If you ever happened to see how a new road or a parking lot is built, you may have noticed a white, soft yet compact fabric positioned just underneath the concrete and asphalt layers, mainly to avoid roots and other sorts of vegetation to find their way through, rather than around. On a similar occasion, Mr Pagani thought about trying that white fabric as a way to get the air out of the bags even using parts with complicated geometries. The fabric is laid adherently to the carbon fiber part, so that when the bag stick to it because of the vacuum pump’s caused depression, air can still flow through the fabric’s fibers. A very simple and cost effective way to solve a tricky situation.
As we mentioned, once the part is ready it needs to be positioned into the autoclave, where it will stay for a time which depends on the component itself and the desired properties you want to get out of it. By this step though, a lot of pages have been written in a very special book. Each car built so far has its own book, and there every step of its production is reported next to the names of workers and what they did, when and how. Everything is written down, so that whenever something needs to be checked back, it’s all there. This increase the responsibility of those who work on the cars, as your name is there to testify you’re responsible for your work.

It indeed happened that while Leonardo Pagani was giving us this technical tour, Mr Horacio Pagani himself showed up into the production rooms, and right before we left for his office, everybody gathered around a carbon fiber sill, and none of them looked too happy about what was going on. What happened is that the bag failed while in the autoclave, obviously damaging the sill. So whoever handled that component before of that stage was there to try to figure what went wrong and why. We all know that something can go wrong with no given reason sometimes, but I found it sort of reassuring (ok, it wasn’t my car, still) that everyone felt in a way involved in this little accident.

Once your carbon fiber parts are taken out of the ovens, you can start the actual assembly of the car. The first step is to position the whole bodywork and chassis on a jig to check that everything is perfectly aligned and each part fits each other. The two jigs are positioned next to the autoclaves, in the third and largest room.

Then the parts are shipped to a trusted paint shop here in Modena where the paints are applied. Meanwhile AMG Mercedes ships an almighty custom developed M120 V12 engine completed with all the electronics, while a gearbox is made available by Cima, another company from Modena. The front and rear Chromium-Molybdenum steel subframes are prepared to accommodate all the wirings and the suspensions, made out of Avional, a special aluminum alloy developed for the aircraft industry. The tank is integrated in the rear bottom part of the chassis. The whole assembly is held in the first room, the one you access to directly from the showroom in acse you’ve already been there. The smaller climate controlled room is now at your right, while the larger room is straight ahead of you, just to give you a quick idea on the factory’s configuration. The whole production area is smaller than what you’re thinking, really.

Up to now, the car could still be either an LHD or an RHD car, and hypothetically it wouldn’t be a major task to convert a car to one or the other configuration even after the assembly is completed, given it was making economically sense that is. While the two subframes are completed and connected to the main tub, the interior is on its way right after the wiring is done. Then each part of the car is assembled from the gearbox and exhaust to the complete and finished bodywork. As soon as everything is properly fixed and checked the car is ready for a test drive and a fine tuning, also according to the owners requests. The fine tuning is either held in the main room or in the largest one, depending on what’s required and on the stage of assembly of other cars.

I remember the first time I was there as a visitor in 2008, I’ve read a sheet full of notes about a car which was there for servicing. I can remember something in particular: “reduce downforce”. Guess the owner wanted some more thrill.
Perhaps a bit too simple, but that’s how you get the job done. From some layers of carbon fiber to one of the most acclaimed supercars of the last decades.

This would also be all from the Pagani factory, hope you enjoyed our lengthy report and pictures. We can’t wait to check the Huayra in the flesh in a month or little more.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard

17.4 The Da Vinci Code, Pagani edition: an interview with Horacio Pagani, PART 3

2011-03-22T23:49:00.006+01:00

Back on Pagani’s side of the supercar universe, we carry on our extensive interview with founder and genius Horacio pagani. Should you need a recap, here are PART 1 and PART 2.

Eventually we came to talk about workers. There are only a few people which are over 40, while the rest are pretty young, requiring Pagani to personally train them within the company. There is one sole engineer, in charge of the electronics and of the relations with Mercedes-Benz. This of course led me to question my choice to study automotive engineering.
Pagani agrees that our national network of universities has lost a bit of its main purpose, which is educating people capable of creating something new, rather than simply piling more information on previous lectures. As far as engineering is concerned, the university’s framework leaves little space for actually being ingenious. Despite being a problem felt in many other countries, Italy probably has it worse off because we, as students, are not provided with internships within local factories and companies beginning in the first year of university. Actually, only a select few of us will get to work in an external company during the specialization degree dissertation (comparable to a Masters degree). So once we are done with university, we are left with a very limited but superfluously theoretical knowledge.

Digressing a little… regardless, be sure to make the jump to keep reading how Pagani mixes art and engineering to create his masterpieces.

Pagani’s aspiration for his own career would be to carry on Da Vinci’s approach trying to merge aesthetics and engineering. In this way there will be an exchange between the two fields, with designers trying to create objects in which form is not so predominant over function, and engineers trying to design something which is extremely efficient, but also pleasing to own or use. That should bring more stimuli to both figures, and give us better objects, more functional but also passionate, more communicative. Incidentally, in the Italian language a “stilista” or designer is in charge of the aesthetical aspect of an object. What Pagani tries to achieve is basically a designer both from the English and the Italian point of view.

Curiously enough, he quotes Toyota’s Design Director which is also Quality Control Manager. These two fields couldn’t be farther apart, yet quality, from an engineering point of view, also starts with the aesthetical quality of an object, such as a car’s bodywork. Ironically, the whole automotive world, media and enthusiasts mainly, keeps on blindly blaming Toyota for the recent “unintended acceleration” problems. Not only is this situation is getting better for Toyota considering recent breakthroughs from the investigations at NASA, but every time I have a chance to talk about someone actually into the automotive business, they never mention this situation and actually praise Toyota for their methods and achievements.
Regardless, the key seems to be the approach to whatever your role might be. It has to go deeper than simply following through with the assigned task. It should be well-rounded, more global, where one takes into consideration aspects that might be pertinent to other positions, other figure. So, in an era when what used to be a one man job is now subdivided between a group of workers, being capable of having the same points of view of that single man is the key to realize something “better”, something more complete.
So Leonardo Da Vinci is not simply an inspiration, but the foundation of Pagani’s philosophy on how education and work should be. I just couldn’t agree more.

After more than an hour of pleasant conversation with Mr Pagani, I left his office quite inspired by his words and his attitude. I always admired his achievements, his way of working and his personality, and I was extremely happy to have verified all of this first hand. When the interview was over, we took some more minutes to talk about… my neck brace, which I was wearing because of recurrent pain after an accident I had a few years ago. He was so kind to even provide me a couple of tips on that too, and the name of a Doctor specialized in this field. It may have little to do with designing cars, but it shows you how you have to be a good person if you want to be a good worker too.

The only letdown is that he didn’t offer me a job at the end of the interview, but to be fair I didn’t ask for one either.
My bad then, next time possibly.
I’d really like to thank Sarajane for helping me and taking many of the shots featured here, and both Wouter and Pieter Melissen from UltimateCarPage for giving me the chance of doing this interview also on their behalf.
You can read their reports over here: Horacio Pagani and his dream of carbon fiber.

It’s not over though, as PART 4 is coming next. In that last chapter you’ll find out all the processes to build your own Zonda, in case you’re rich enough to afford one and at the same time willing to get your hands dirty at the factory. Stay tuned.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard

20.3 More Is Never Enough: Last Addition to Koenigsegg's Line-Up Is Just Insane, perfect way to end an interview

2011-03-14T01:26:00.005+01:00

So you thought that was it? No way, a new addition to the Agera’s family has just been parked in my extremely virtual garage.

Incidentally, I asked for a white Agera, and Koenigsegg released images of their new car in a bespoke white paintjob. Unfortunately, that’s not my car. Life can be tough…
This, my friends, is the new Koenigsegg Agera R.

Keeping with the company’s tradition, the “R” suffix means the car is capable of running on biofuel, which once again means an embarrassing amount of power at your disposal, if the “standard” 900 bhp Agera wasn’t enough for you.

Make the jump to keep reading, enjoy the rest of the high resolution official gallery and download the extensive press release, which I must say it's quite interesting for once.

Featuring chassis #83, this car wears a custom paint job which extends also to the interior, with red accents and some parts in exposed carbon fiber. I know you ‘d probably agree the most evident new feature is actually the additional cargo volume. Yes, that’s not a photoshop, and yes, it’s an official option, called the Winter Pack.
If you think about Koenigsegg, the fact it’s based in Sweden and how much snow you’re just thinking about, that makes sense, if you really want to go skiing and your snow plow is currently being serviced at the local garage.

There is actually so much more to talk about the production versions of the Agera and Agera R that it’s probably simpler for you to read the admittedly interesting press release. I’ll summarize the most striking features:

- New engine design allows for a BMEP (break mean effective pressure) of 28/30 bar, depending on your model, obtained also through a new combustion chamber design, new block which uses cylinders’ sleeves to improves its stiffness, new connecting rods, new intake and exhausts manifolds to improve airflow dynamics.

- Previous point translated for non engineer human beings: 900/110 bhp, 1.000 Nm of torque over a 2.500 rpm range, or 1.250 Nm for 3.300 rpm on the Agera R, 310 grams of CO2 in the EU homologation cycle, 14,7 km per liter.

- New 7 speed actuated manual gearbox, much lighter than a standard dual clutch unit at 81 kg.

- 70 kg carbon fiber chassis, including the integrated fuel tanks, and 65.000 Nm/degree of torsional stiffness. Dry weight setting a new benchmark at 1.330 kg, curb weight at 1.418 kg (all fluids plus half tank of fuel).

- “Rear Triplex Damper” suspension, for improved comfort and driving precision, which you can also spot trough the opening on the engine bonnet.

- New tires and vortex generating wheels, each of them specifically forged and machined to achieve this aerodynamics feature.

- Top speed limited (seriously) to 375 km/h, with possibility to engage a “full speed mode” through the infotainment system, given the car is in the right conditions, and so the track you’re about to face.

- Dynamic rear wing, which modifies its angle according to the speed to reduce drag, while also creating an effect very similar to a diffuser extracting hot air from the engine bay through the two pillar.

- Winter pack (yes, you read that right): custom made roof box by Thule, integrated into a second roof for a top speed of up to 300 km/h. In the same package you also get a vacation at Åre’s skiing resort, the most exclusive place for skiing in Sweden. Good deal, isn't it?

- Lithium Iron cells battery, enabling also new energy saving strategies specifically for when the car is left unused for long periods of time.

So the car is ridiculously fast and incredibly high-tech, but it still manages to maintain that old-school supercar air. Like they used to be: the danger, the thrill, and that feeling that came from knowing that the car is trying to kill you at every sharp turn, minus the killing part.

Once again credits to Mr Koenigsegg and his staff for the brief interview he gave us and the precious material they managed to provide us. Looking forward to talk again, and perhaps meet you at the next autoshow.

Thank you, The Italian Junkyard.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE (PDF):
2011 Koenigsegg Agera R #83 press release

All Pictures Copyright: Koenigsegg Automotive AB

20.2 Theory of Evolution: the interview with Christian Von Koenigsegg goes on

2011-03-05T19:07:00.003+01:00

Europe is a nice small continent, but there is much more to be seen out there, which is the reason why the Koenigsegg CCX was introduced in 2006. Contrarily to what many think, this is a new car and not just a revised CCR. Unlike the preceding models, the shape of the car was the result of 3D CAD programs and all the tooling necessary for its production were created according to the results gathered from those programs. Just to further underline how the two cars are different, not a single body panel can be exchanged between the two.

Make the jump to enjoy some exclusive live images and read the rest of the story about Koenigsegg's supercars.

At the same time the CCX is homologated also for the North American market, which required new passive safety solutions, and also features a new engine. You could still say that’s the old Ford V8, tuned and polished, but you’d be mistaken, as this new unit it’s not only much more powerful but also gifted with many new solutions, and is now assembled at Koenigsegg’s headquarters. A new lighter block is produced in England, and other Koenigsegg-designed components are added. The only way you could still connect this engine to Ford is that probably you could fit one in a Mustang, if that makes any sense to you anyway.

The chassis was also enlarged, allowing for a roomier interior, and a new high-tech electric system was adopted. Last but not least, it was the first supercar to ever pass the new European pedestrian impact testing. Just in case you are staring at the car in the middle of the road…

One of the main variations of the CCX is the CCXR model, capable of running also on biofuel. Some of you may be happy to hear such an extreme supercar having an eco-friendly approach. I prefer to consider that gave the car an additional 200 bhp though. The specific specimen pictured here at Geneva 2010 autoshow was purposefully made for the supercar dealer Platinuss from Brazil, and it’s capable of running on pure biofuel.

And then time came for the Agera. First unveiled in Geneva 2010, we already covered its debut last year and now you can enjoy a few more exclusive live pictures we took in Geneva during the autoshow. Keep in mind this was a pre-production prototype. It’s slicker and more aggressive than any other CCX special edition to date, yet very familiar. Regardless of the apparent similarities, this car shares only 20% of its component with the CCX. Being longer and wider, with a new front track and a new bodywork, this according to Mr K is a larger leap than between the CC8S and the CCR. The Agera has a new gearbox, the engine is still made by Koenigsegg but it’s a new unit, the suspensions were modified and tweaked, new and more powerful brakes were adopted, also updating the ABS and the tires. New interior fittings were adopted and a new air conditioning system was installed. Of course the new bodywork gave the car also new aerodynamic features.

Mr Koenigsegg recognizes that a much more dramatic change in the bodywork would have helped people identifying the new cars as, you know, a “new” car. At the same time his approach is more similar to the one adopted by another car company, much more famous and much larger:

“However, my design philosophy is that of the Porsche 911. Even if the 997 is technically very different from a 993, to the untrained eye the look very similar when passing by on the road. Still the 997 is a very capable and modern car. The philosophy is to only change what needs to be upgraded in order to maximize function, handling, performance and compliance, nothing else. Especially important to avoid trends as the cars should be as timeless as possible.”

I hope this is enough to teach all of you on how another supercar came to see the light of the day: one man’s commitment and ideas, but most of all, passion.

Mr Koenigsegg, thank you for your supercar company.

Now, if we could find an arrangement for that white Agera I was talking about…

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard
Koenigsegg CCX pictures: Koenigsegg Automotive AB.

20.1 Sweden Ain’t That Cold: Christian Von Koenigsegg gives us a quick interview on how he made his dream come true

2011-03-05T00:42:00.005+01:00

A few months ago I found a Swedish website reportedly explaining how the Koenigsegg automotive company started life back in the nineties. After posting a link and some of the images in the Pagani forum I’ve already mentioned about and where I’m a moderator, everything seemed just fine.

It wasn’t.

About two weeks ago, Mr Christian Von Koenigsegg himself wrote me an email informing me that wasn’t exactly how things went. Now if you think about it, it’s weird enough that a company founder and CEO would take the time to contact a random guy to check on what he wrote about the company. It’s even weirder when such company produces cars so expensive that 99% of those who will read what that random guy wrote, won’t even be capable of ever buying such a car.

Click past the jump to know what happened over 10 years ago in Sweden...

Being an engineer myself, I’ve noticed far too many times that companies are often much too focused on sales and market shares rather than on their own products and image. Meaning that BMW is delivering ugly fat cars only because that’s what the market wants, regardless of what BMW may or may not be capable of producing and let alone paying attention to how many future customers they are losing.
I’m pretty sure BMW, did its calculations right, figuring not only they’ll manage to sell a lot of X6 SAVs now but also in the future, yet I won’t be buying any of their cars anytime soon, assuming money is not a setback.

At the same time, it’s my personal opinion that Ferrari isn’t paying enough attention to its fan base, avoiding official commitment to small and local events even though they are not only capable of affording the attendance fee, but probably of sponsoring the whole event. Granted, it is unlikely for them to hook a potential customer at these smaller venues, but they have surely lost out on the surefire sales of Ferrari accessories and extra gadgets that make up their large merchandising business.
Then again if a small and exclusive company like Pagani basically shows up at every possible event in Italy, not getting even just 1 € back, I guess everybody else can.
And this is specifically my point here chaps.

You produce hyper exotics cars in a cold country up there in northern Europe, your name is very famous among true enthusiasts yet there are people who have yet to figure how to pronounce it, and the speed of your car is only surpassed by the rate of which my bank account will dry up at the moment of purchase. Yet, you contact this Mr Junkyard person in Italy, to make a point your car company is nothing less than a dream come true and that you and only a handful of friends are responsible for it.

Mr Koenigsegg, you just got my respect. We’ll talk about my bright white Agera in a few decades though.

So back to the reason why I’m telling you this, Mr K (can I call you that?) started his company back in 1994, way before any of us could get a glimpse of that egg shaped whitish rocket. The foggy website reportedly mentioned one man named Svenharry Åkesson, who was responsible for the design of the first prototype, later purchased by Koenigsegg. The car was going to be named Sethera Falcon, and was featuring a tubular steel chassis.

It actually was the other way around. Mr Koenigsegg already designed the first CC model, on paper in 1994, and a 1:5 model was built by himself and friend David Crafoord. Subsequently Mr Åkesson was commissioned to build a full scale model, still based on Mr K’s design and on his behalf. You can even see what looks like a 1:10 model in the background, based on the original design. That was 1995.

Eventually Mr K and his team took over the full scale model, modifying it according to the original idea and to the evolution that the CC was already undergoing in his creator’s mind.
The steel chassis featured in that article was eventually purchased by Koenigsegg himself, that’s correct, but it was never used in any car. To put it to some use, this steel chassis was eventually used as a support structure for a full scale clay model.

Just one year later, in 1996 the full scale model was used to create the tooling to produce the very first CC drivable prototype, tested by Rickard Rydell as you can see in this picture. The chassis was once again designed by Mr Koenigsegg himself and by Dag Bölenius. A very similar second prototype was built and painted black. The whole project was still completely developed in-house.

A prototype was produced but things weren’t ready yet. In order to improve the overall project, they built a new full scale clay model with improved aerodynamics and design, specifically referring to the height of the tail, roof air intake, new headlights and more importantly the targa roof itself. Managing to fit the hardtop in the front compartment was a major challenge, especially because this time the roof was made out of one single piece of carbon fiber, while another car with a similar feature, the Porsche Carrera GT, went for a 3-piece roof solution. Eventually, the new CC prototype was still capable of 120 liters of luggage volume, the largest available on any supercar according to the factory.

If that doesn’t sound impressive, think about the Veyron Grand Sport and its glass roof which you must leave at home in lieu of an umbrella. The Koenigsegg sounds downright luxurious in comparison, regardless of how large the boot is on the Veyron, which I couldn’t find. I’ve added a couple of pics for comparison, judge by yourself which is the supercar capable of grand touring weekends…
Once this model was readied in 1997, they started making models of each part, and building the tools for them. At the same time they were developing the chassis and the new suspensions, between 1996 and 1999. During this process the 180° 12 cylinders was scrapped in favor of a V8 which was based on an engine from the Ford modular family, albeit heavily modified, with dry sump lubrication, stronger internals and that marvelous thing called supercharging.

Eventually, it took until the year 2000 to have the Koenigsegg CC ready for its maiden debut at the Paris Autoshow, and another 2 years were necessary to gain the European certifications. In this time frame, the car was tested in extreme environments and on various race tracks, while also undertaking the mandatory crash tests. Yes, supercars are crash tested as well. It’s painful but necessary.

This led to the first customer car, the CC8S in 2002:

Two year later in 2004 the CC8S evolved into the CCR. Among various technical updates, the CCR got new brakes, shock absorbers, a redesigned interior and bodywork, and more power thanks to a modified supercharging system. The chassis was still the same and proved to be up to the task giving Koenigsegg the official speed record for production cars in 2005, with a top speed of 388,87 km/h clocked on the Italian test track in Nardò.

Stay tuned to know what happened next, part 2 is coming soon!

All Pictures Copyright: Koenigsegg Automotive AB
Special Thanks to Christian Von Koenigsegg and Josephine Winger-Lang for the rare pictures they provided me.

17.3 Weaving a New Story in Carbo-Titanium: an Interview with Horacio Pagani, Part 2

2011-02-28T14:04:00.004+01:00

In case you just missed it, here is PART 1!

When the time came to start selling cars, customers became another important part of the Pagani company. There is a strong bond between the company and many of its customers, with the most standout part being the annual gathering, the Vanishing Point rally. Many customers, be them dealers or just friends bring their Zondas or even other cars, and drive around Italy for three days just enjoying each others’ company. It’s like an extended family, possibly what was happening back in the days when Ferrari was in its first years (or decades).

Make the jump to keep reading this interview with Horacio Pagani!

You may notice that Pagani’s customers are generally extremely rich personalities. Many of them are car collectors, experts and true enthusiasts. Even if presently there are also some younger customers in the mix, originally Pagani designed the Zonda with a specific customer in his mind. Deciding that the car was going to be very light and safe through the extensive use of carbon fiber and other expensive materials, the Zonda was positioned above the top of the line models from Ferrari and Lamborghini, which in those days were still using less expensive tubular frame with steel as the main material. So with such a price, who was going to buy this car? A true enthusiast, a connoisseur of the automotive industry, someone who could appreciate technology and clever engineering, perhaps to revisit childhood dreams about cars like this. Like him. So it isn’t by chance that this is exactly the kind of customer that has gravitated to the Zonda in this year, as Pagani basically designed his car according to their own core values.

As we said, Mercedes-Benz has always been extremely important in the whole Pagani venture, though it never was simply a supplier for those powerful engines, but rather a strongly supporting technical partner. Thanks to high quality facilities and techniques, Pagani could improve the developing and testing of the upcoming Huayra to the highest standards. Talking about testing, I wanted to put to rest a rumor that spread around Modena and the surrounding areas regarding an accident with one of the prototypes at the end of March 2010. Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to go ahead and start saying the driver died in the accident, adding useless details to this story. Actually, the driver was fine and well – he was back at work that very afternoon! Pagani was happy to explain me how it happened.
The car was on its way back from Stuttgart to Affalterbach, AMG’s headquarters, after a run on MB’s dynos for emissions purposes. Obviously, in order to test run the car, all the electronic aids were disabled directly by disconnecting their wires. Someone forgot to connect the steering sensor back at the end of the run, and the person in charge of bringing the car back didn’t know that. A combination of low temperatures, a slightly wet road, and perhaps a bit too much trust on the electronics of the car resulted in that accident after an overtaking maneuver. As simple as that. In related positive news, the chassis made it out safely too, so that they could even decide to use it to build a whole new car from it if they felt so inclined.

Which brings us to the next argument, engineering!

The new carbo-titanium material is quite a step forward in this field. Despite the lightness and stiffness of a carbon fiber structure, there is a weak point: lack of elasticity. Right from the beginning, Pagani evolved the basilar carbon fiber technology so that bodywork parts could sustain small impacts without developing small cracks, using also different resins so to bring a different mixture of stiffness and elasticity in each component. Later he applied these updates to the chassis itself.

By using titanium and carbon fiber together, Pagani managed to keep the structure together even after a particularly intense crash. In this way the chassis, despite being totaled, won’t collapse unto itself and will absorb the energy of the impact in a more foreseeable and controlled way, like with standard metal structures. That’s not a problem if the carbon fiber part is large enough to absorb all the energy while disintegrating, and therefore without transferring a sensible part of this energy to the driver. In regards to a lateral impact, the sill can’t be designed large enough, so it may be helpful to find a way to dissipate the energy differently. Allowing the structure to deform is an excellent way. Carbon fiber by itself can’t achieve that, but weaving in titanium wires will do the trick. Among the various tests they did, shooting a bullet against both a standard carbon fiber panel and a carbo-titanium one shouldn’t be exactly the first thing that comes to mind, but we are in Italy you know. Anyway, given the two panels are otherwise the same, if a bullet can pierce the standard panel, it won’t pass through the carbo-titanium one, despite ruining it, of course.
A similar result could have been used with kevlar, but it tends to absorb humidity and would deteriorate over time. It therefore wasn’t an option for the main chassis, despite being used in many other applications including other Zonda components.
Pagani won’t try to hide his pride for this achievement, but once again he underlines how commitment and hard work were what brought them to this point, and who knows where it will take them in the coming years. He already believes the Zonda’s chassis itself is 20 years ahead of the main competition, so there wasn’t a technical need to achieve new goals if not ambition and commitment once again. The new Huayra, codenamed C9 at the time of this interview, will manage to further highlight the value of this recent technology with a new approach to its design and building processes. The main efforts in the last part of the project were towards simplifying the car so that it will be easier to assemble and to work on.

Now that we talked about carbon fiber, it was clear that I had to ask his opinion on the recent gravitation towards these “fancy” materials, inciting interest also from “everyday car” builders. A new and more sensitive ecological approach demands lighter and more efficient cars, and carbon fiber is often involved in these discussions, as if sooner or later it will be featured also in your city car. He reckons that there have been a lot of advances these days. The upcoming Lamborghini V12 car, supposedly named Aventador LP700-4, features a composite chassis, which despite being simpler and less performing than what Pagani adopts for his cars, it will surely be a significant step forward compared to the Murcielago’s traditional steel frame. So many other companies keep on adding carbon fiber parts to their cars that this diffusion will both provide more knowledge and cost-reduction knowhow. Not to be underestimated, carbon fiber finds many applications also outside of the automotive industry. At the moment Pagani is completing a patent in the architectural field, relatively to the use of carbon fiber in restoration of historical buildings.
Despite current high costs of materials and manufacturing processes, back in the days when Pagani bought his first autoclaves there were five or so of them nationwide, while now there are probably 500. The same rate of growth could be seen globally as well. So there is definitely quite a margin for improvement, and he goes on comparing this technology to electric cars. Presently, and we talk about summer 2010, he believes they aren’t ready for everyday use, but it’s a positive development because there are companies pushing for this solution and governments asking for more eco-friendly ways of transportation that we will eventually see something absolutely worth it emerge in the coming future. Furthermore, it would extremely help in reducing the weight of cars, regardless of their category.

Once again related to emissions and the environment, it is no more a secret that the Pagani Huayra features a turbocharged V12. This wasn’t exactly a choice, but rather a consequence of Pagani’s request to AMG to have an engine capable of being registered in the US market, in relation to California’s strict laws on emissions, but also capable of delivering 1.000 Nm of torque. The only answer was using turbocharging technology. Pagani still prefers naturally aspirated engines though, so the new Huayra was developed trying to achieve power delivery comparable to that of an aspirated engine. That is useful also because when you’re dealing with such a light car (the Huayra dry weight is 1.350 km, compared to the Zonda’s 1.250 kg) and so much power, you definitely don’t want jerky reactions from the engine.
It wasn’t very easy for Mercedes-Benz as they are used to heavier, electronic-ridden automobiles, while Pagani didn’t want any sort of filters between car and driver. His own words: (and quite fitting too I must say) having those kind of electronics on your car is like making love to your woman while wearing a wetsuit. You definitely would want to avoid that, wouldn’t you?
On a more technical note, the new Huayra also features active aerodynamics, with four independent wings balancing the car in every situation. The reason boils down to efficiency. At lower speeds a traditional wing will work against the aerodynamic flow, thus worsening mileage, without giving any downforce advantage. When reaching higher speeds, however, mileage concerns will literally fly out the window when you approach that tight corner on your favorite track, because all you need now is downforce. And that’s exactly how a traditional wing works. When we are considering active wings though, we don’t have to deal with a worsened drag because the wing isn’t deployed until it’s necessary, and we can still rely on the much loved downforce. All you need to pay attention to is the weight of your active system, even if I’d dare to say the level of advantage it gives you isn’t going to be sensibly diluted by its own weight.

Another technical aspect of the car we have yet to talk about is its gearbox.
The Pagani huayra won’t be available with a manual gearbox, but for those hardcore enthusiasts out there, don’t despair. First of all Pagani went for a now common electro-hydraulically actuated standard manual gearbox, often mistaken as sequential gearbox (which is actually a completely different mechanism). The good news is that the car won’t adopt one of those modern and mostly over hyped dual clutch transmissions, which were initially faster than the actuated gearboxes. Now not only the speeds of these transmissions are getting more similar, but a DCT gearbox is also generally 60-70 kg heavier. That may not be enough to make the car as fast as one not equipped with a DCT, but it definitely influences its dynamics, especially when it counts for about 5% of the overall weight.

Another piece of interesting trivia, one of Pagani’s customers lent him his Veyron for a few days and he very much enjoyed it. On the other hand the gearbox was so quick and precise he often thought he was driving something more like a Bentley rather than the fastest car on Earth. What happens is that the gearbox works so well that the driver will just leave it in automatic mode, rendering the DCT kind of superfluous.
If the gearbox can do exactly what you are supposed to do, automatically and most likely better, then what’s the point of operating it yourself?

Pagani personally still prefers a more traditional manual gearbox, which is also why the Zonda is equipped with the actuated transmissions that still feature the gear lever between the seats. For the new Huayra this approach will be taken a step forward. He proudly explained the new car features an exposed mechanism that will revolutionize the seemingly banal act of gear-changing. The gear lever is still there, but it does not simply trigger an electronic device. It’s an elaborate mechanism with visible gears, springs, and rods, and it requires physical effort to move the lever and to engage the reverse through the grille. It took one engineer a full year to design this mechanical masterpiece. Talk about details.

Last but not least, suspensions. I’ve personally always liked the Zonda’s superior wishbone- and- pushrod monoblock, which despite its bulkier appearance, is still lighter and stronger than standard singular rods. As far as the Pagani Huayra is concerned, all suspensions will be forged in Avional, a particular aluminum alloy already adopted in many Zonda parts. The same happens in the Zonda R, contrarily to many other companies using parts which are machined from a solid metal block. The result is a suspension 30% lighter than those from similar cars and 50% lighter than more common suspensions, while achieving a security factor of 3, as opposed to many other applications where other companies manage a 1,5 factor.

Once again, stay tuned because Part 3 is coming soon and you really don't want to miss it

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard
Pagani Huayra: Pagani Automobili S.p.A.

17.2 Wild is the Wind: an Interview with Horacio Pagani, Part 1

2011-02-25T11:29:00.003+01:00

My grandfather used to be a wise man. When I asked him questions about something, he always started answering right from the beginning, as if giving the full picture was essential to grasp perfect comprehension of what’s in the world.

While talking with Mr Horacio Pagani it was obvious that what he has achieved was surely not a result of pure luck or chance, and it is clear that continuing to walk this path he will never have a shortage of successes. When you ask him a question, he doesn’t hurry to answer with a succinct sentence or repeat a press release as a broken LP. He takes a couple of seconds for himself, looks away and gathers his thoughts. Then he starts explaining everything right from the beginning, like my grandfather. Just younger. It doesn’t matter what you asked, you will end up with a comprehensive yet straightforward commentary which not only will answer your question, but possibly also the other 10 related questions you thought about the day before the interview. Of all the questions I came up with before I left for San Cesario sul Panaro (Modena, Italy), he answered most of them without me specifically asking them, because everything he was talking about was rather a complete overview regarding that argument, underlining how he indeed has a very clear idea of what has happened so far, and what is about to.

Make the jump to keep reading this amazing story.

As I said, it was not by chance that he is now the man behind one of the most acclaimed exotic cars of the decade after pretty much coming out of nowhere 11 years ago in Geneva with the first Zonda C12. Such success comes after a myriad of tough moments, risky decisions, and lots of hard work. Nonetheless, his day-to-day schedule has remained the same.

In 1983 he arrived to Italy from Argentina with the clothes on his back and two bicycles; one for him, one for his wife Cristina. With a lot of determination and some support from his friend and mentor Juan Manuel Fangio, a few years later he purchased one of the first autoclaves in Italy with a mortgage. At the time he was working for Lamborghini and didn’t have a factory of his own, so one day he just showed up at Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory, asking where he could leave the autoclave as the truck which was bringing it was about to arrive.

Everything began when they rented a new building. Even before the very first carbon fiber chassis belonging to the Laborghini Countach Evoluzione came to be he fully understood the importance of this material, despite its prohibitive costs and usage being limited to the aeronautical and aerospace industries in those days. Lamborghini did not share his enthusiasm regarding carbon fiber, and even though the experiences and opportunities had at Lamborghini were precious, Pagani realized that it was time for him to part ways. It took a while, but eventually the Modena Design company was established, designing and producing carbon fiber parts for just about all the various automotive companies of the area, among which Ferrari and Lamborghini too.

Pagani did’t come to Italy just to listen and cater to other companies’ ideas and needs, he came here to establish his own. Some of these ideas would later materialize into the Zonda. While during the day he and his small staff were working a 9 to 5 for other companies, during evenings and nights they were helping the project C8 come to life.

It should not come as a surprise if it took years, from the early nineties to 1999, for the finished Zonda to see the light of the day. This is also the reason why Pagani Automobili is still a family business run by Horacio, Cristina and their sons, Leonardo and Christopher. If you ever happen to visit the factory you will find them running around the factory, hard at work like everyone else. Not quite your typical unapproachable royal family.

This is when you understand that humility is a part of Pagani Automobili’s foundations. It may sound irrelevant when you’re producing cars which cost over one million euro and when everything is held to impossibly strict quality standards, but having core values as your building blocks and your company’s mantra is fundamental to ensure a steady, healthy growth. Proof of this is the mile-long waiting list, super VIP clients and limited editions, all milestones occurring during Pagani Automobili’s proverbial childhood.

Now that you are familiar with the factory and the general ambiance, we can start this interview with the man behind the Zonda, which incidentally is also one of my favorite cars, but that’s another story…

While we were visiting the factory with his son Leonardo competently guiding us and explaining everything about the company and the production process, Mr Pagani showed up, welcoming us and inviting us upstairs in his office. Before that, we stopped in the production zones so that he could show us some more details and aspects of this company, but you’ll read about all these facts in the next article.

His office is positioned in a strategic position, with a huge glass window facing the gateway to the factory. Not only is it perfect to keep a watchful eye on who comes and goes and what cars are parked outside the showroom, but it floods the office with warm sunlight.

In the middle of the office is a long table with many delightful objects casually lying about, reminders that someone’s flights of fancy become reality pretty much every day. There are drawings, books and vintage Le Mans artwork lying next to technical sketches and Excel spreadsheets.

Images of the Zonda are all over the factory, but they don’t look like they were there to show off, quite the contrary – they are there to be admired, possibly by the “proud parents” who made it in first place. This was also the topic which started the interview.
I personally “met” Mr pagani 3 years ago, and as a young enthusiast and engineering student, I asked for a picture, to which he kindly obliged. I therefore found it obvious to ask him about his position in the automotive world, not only as a car company, but as a luminary for many enthusiasts.

Even though he doesn’t see himself as such, there was not one bit of self-consciousness in his words. Despite being fully aware of what he achieved and the success gained by the Zonda, he is more focused on the responsibility that it brings. Having reached this position in such a difficult market, let alone feeling confident enough to release higher-priced special editions with this economic climate, means you are also creating expectations among your customers and the market as well. It means you’ll have to commit even more to your work, because it is more difficult to maintain the position at the top than to merely reach it. There is also something about having a responsibility towards his own name, and those who carry it. This is a family business, and as such, there is more than the company at stake, it’s your own reputation, and of those who where there with you making it possible.

This personal connection with the company is even clearer when you consider how personal the approach is to the whole creative process. Pagani never hid his admiration for Leonardo Da Vinci, who is also a source of inspiration and a major guideline in his work. The idea of merging art and engineering together may seem old and cliché, but if you think of the actual applications of this concept, there aren’t exactly a great many outstanding examples to choose from. I can think of handcrafted watches and jewels, exclusive architecture, but that’s pretty much it. What about cars then? For as much as it may be subjective, I always thought the Zonda was much more than just a fast car with a lot of horsepower and an embarrassing price tag. There are many other fast cars, a lot of them with even more impressive figures, but many of them also look exactly like the standard mishmash of curves that 12-year-old boys dream about. Pagani was already creating little car models with wood and clay by that age, but his creative process had a sensible evolution over the years. While you can hardly nitpick on the engineering aspect, art is very much subjective and as such we may endlessly talk about the artistic side of his cars, but you can’t deny the refinement and sort of baroque elegance of the interior, or the fluid and smooth design of the bodywork, without over aggressive and superfluous air intakes, fins, wings and so on. It doesn’t stop there, as possibly the best looking part of each Zonda is what’s underneath the skin. From the engine to the suspensions, everything is designed first of all to perform exactly as it’s supposed to, but also to be good looking, elegant, and satisfying to the senses. As an example, he showed me his mobile phone, one of those Motorolas of the Aura series. It’s light, compact and essentially does what it’s supposed to. It is also sleek and stylish, presenting a small window that showcases the opening mechanism as a design highlight.

As you may have already noticed, the new Huayra is just another milestone along this path.

This is Pagani’s approach to cars, as a company, and as a person, so it is what makes this company unique and different from what others may offer. Managing to achieve this recognizable image was key in many aspects. First of all for Pagani’s need to express himself through what he enjoys doing, and also to stand out in an overcrowded market. After little more than 10 years the Pagani brand is valued around 150 million euro, but he still feels the need to underline how money wasn’t a priority in this project. He still wakes up and goes to work every day as if it were a matter of simply surviving, to put bread on the table. That’s probably the secret to remain focused on your work so that you won’t disappoint either your clients or yourself. This philosophy also applies to his employees. Recognizing that we live in a world of superfluous needs and desires, while trying to infuse this same enthusiasm but also the importance of working hard to reach your goals isn’t easy, and it’s among his tougher undertakings.

As you can see now, I may have asked one question, but I got many answers.

All this commitment and creative process eventually materialized in March 1999, when the first Zonda C12 was unveiled in Geneva. Unlike many other companies’ first attempts in the past and even today, this was a car ready to be driven, not just another hypothetically production ready concept. The car was already fully homologated, no exceptions whatsoever, and ready to be purchased and driven by the first lucky owner. That was an exceptional feat that blew everyone away, considering Pagani Automobili were essentially unknown and especially due to the uncertain climate that reigned over the automotive industry following the mid nineties crisis as well as departure of the Italian Bugatti.

The reason why they decided to present a straightforward, road-ready car was to gain as much trust as they could. The bankruptcy of Bugatti left a deep scar in Modena’s industry, leaving many local suppliers in an economical bind. The shockwaves were felt internationally as well, amongst dealerships, suppliers and customers. It took a few years for the market to get back on its feet and for Pagani to establish a trusted, consolidated network. With a weak market and a lack of external investors, what kept them on the right path was developing their own designs as much as possible, optimizing every component, and carrying out a series of exhaustive testing for the cars, much more than what is the norm for similar companies. That grueling dedication as well as Mercedes-Benz’s support for the drivetrain was of fundamental importance. Once Daimler gave them the OK not only to use their engines, but also to keep the logo and the name on them, it became clear to Pagani that he was moving in the right direction.

Some noteworthy trivia: the first person to sit in the Zonda in Geneva was former Daimler’s CEO Jürgen Schrempp.

Stay tuned for the second part of this in depth interview with Mr Pagani, I’ve much more to tell you…

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard

19.1 Toys for Engineers: Modena Expotech 2010

2011-01-26T16:07:00.007+01:00

Modena Expo Tech 2010.
Not an enthusiast’s event by any means, but I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of many of the featured cars and booths.
Supposed to be a business event for automotive suppliers and makers to expose their technologies and capabilities, it has sensibly grown up during these first three years of life, allowing more and more people to enjoy this two days event even if they are not strictly interested in expanding or improve their companies and business.
To be honest one should be involved in an automotive business in some way to be granted a (free) access to this fair. Now the entrance may be free, but the parking is 8 €. Anyway, basically everyone would find a way or another to get inside, as no matter what your business is, they’ll give you an accreditation. I myself was there thanks to this website, even if the very next day I was told it would have been sufficient to be a student at our university to get that famous ticket. Whatever.

Make the jump to know more.

Irrelevantly of this sort of pointless bureaucratic filter, the event was a small one, but relatively interesting even if you’re not going to distribute your curriculum trying to get a job. Specifically, the reason why I was there is because while I was posting my reportage and pictures from the 2010 Modena Terra di Motori event, a member of the Mito Group association contacted me about a photography contest themed around that event. This competition was run through a dedicated Facebook group, which I never got into, Facebook I mean. So I have to thank Giulia Sighinolfi for contacting me in first place about this competition, and for entering my pictures in my place.
Eventually I would have received the third prize (no prizes were actually provided, it was all a glory thing), and the three best shots, plus another small selection, were exhibited during this Expo Tech event for all visitors to enjoy. Unfortunately when I was there I didn’t notice Giulia being there to personally thank here, so this is the right occasion: Thanks Giulia!
You can enjoy also other participants’ images in the shots below.

Among the various suppliers of pistons, camshafts, crankshafts, carbon fiber parts and tolling of various sort, there were also a few teams from the universities bound Formula Students championsip, which possibly you may know as Formula ATA (Italian championship) or Formula SAE (worldwide championship). This small rockets aren’t actually that fast, but that’s not their point. Just being capable of design a car starting from a white sheet (or previous year’s project), and in many cases without a huge budget behind, is quite an achievement, even if I have to admit results can vastly vary. I remember when in 2007 I was a volunteer and marshal during the Italian event, held at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track. On one side of the field you could have the Graz team from Austria, with a carbon fiber chassis and basically everything else too except the engine ( Yamaha R6 in-line four, screaming all the time), while on the other you could find the Rome team, which as far as I can remember barely made it to the event, and which had the two drivers continuously misinterpreting rules and the track until two out of four suspensions failed at a very low speed corner, at the same time. For the record, the Graz team didn’t win despite being about 10 seconds faster than other teams on a 1 minutes and 10 seconds lap during the endurance trial as the engine failed (head gasket, to be precise). Speed isn’t the main aspect as I said.
Now, why am I talking so much about this Formula SAE thing if I took just a quick picture about those tiny little cars? You’ll see.

Talking about taking pictures, most of them were actually taken by the loyal Sara B. which from now on (at the time of this event) will be an hopefully constant presence over The Italian Junkyard team. You already appreciated her efforts and skills during our reportage on the Italian launch of the McLaren MP4-12C in Milan a while ago. She’s not the only new member of our team, as also Alberto P. is now our one and only video operator and will be in charge of the newly established Video section of our website, which will even more hopefully start somewhere in the near future for you to enjoy…

Quick list of the notable featured cars: a very rare and a quite unusual sight in Europe, a red Bill Thomas Cheetah, a Maserati 250F Formula 1 car which was driven by one Juan Manuel Fangio, the mighty Pagani Zonda R celebrating the Nurburgring lap record, a 2006 Ferrari F2006 F1 car and an older Ferrari 625/F1, a Stanguellini 100 Sport Ala d’Oro and the always deadly gorgeous Aston Martin DBS coupe. Not so gorgeous the actually very fast Porsche Panamera S developed by N Technology for the Superstars Championship. Among bikes, a Superbike Aprilia RSV Mille which just allowed Italian rider Max Biaggi to clinch his first SBK title at his fourth season, and a brand new MV Agusta F4.

Enjoy the rest of pictures, and sorry for the long sabbatical period…

All pictures copyright: Damiano Garro and Sarajane Bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard

17.1 Spotted in the City: Pagani Zonda S Roadster

2010-11-21T01:45:00.004+01:00

Spotted the 30th of May, 2010, in front of the Hotel Real Fini in Modena.
This stunning car was heading back to the UK after participating to the Vanishing Point, the annual Pagani gathering. The fact that just the day before I was in Trieste starring in front of 8 Zondas, a Ferrari Enzo, a Ford GT in Gulf livery, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a massive Rolls Royce Phantom didn't make it less special at all.

Make the jump to see the rest of the imagses!

It was actually very nice, as I was just arrived in Modena and while on may way home on the night bus I spotted the car, went home and grabbed the camera to take some more shots.

This specific car is the last S Roadster ever made and it's the #52. Remember to join our small but very passionate community over Pagani-Zonda.net (check the forum too!) for eveyrthing about Pagani. :D

Unfortunately my images hosting service (Picasa) is again screwing with my pictures, resizing them to 1.600 px in width. Sorry about that.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

8.4 McLaren Strikes back: quality time with the brand spanking new McLaren Mp4-12C at the Italian unveiling

2010-10-27T22:22:00.011+02:00

I’ve probably been a bit harsh reviewing the new McLaren MP4-12C the first time (Chapter 8.3), and that was probably because I was expecting something more, or something else all together.
Very recently I’ve had the chance to get up close and personal with the new supercar from Woking and the team of personalities behind it. Having a car in front of you is obviously much different than looking at it on television or on your laptop’s monitor, and that means I should try to get invited to these events more often.

You know where to click to get the rest of the story...

After receiving the invitation for the national unveiling of the new McLaren I was getting more and more excited as days went by, as I thought I’d have never had the chance to spend some time with this car except that at a dealer. McLaren strategy for the reboot of their road going line of cars is quite different and possibly more effective than many other attempts.
If you consider the estimated price is between 190.000 and 210.000 € for the Italian market, this car won’t come cheap at all, but it’s also a far cry from the embarrassing price of the previous McLaren F1. So while it may seem obvious you should try to get as much attention on your car as possible, they’ve figured it would have been more sensible and effective to spent the same budget originally programmed for various international autoshows in quite more national private events like this, were the local press could spend much more time with the car and the McLaren team, while also being closer to potential customers which could see the car in the flesh right after the media event.

While it’s too early to say if this is actually working, it surely was a nicer way to get to know the car. Less people around the car, more time to enjoy it (consider you have barely two days to check the whole display at an international show, while here we got the whole morning just for one car) and the chance to take better shots. The atmosphere was quieter and therefore everything seemed more like a n interesting chat with some friends rather than a formal event. That’s probably also thanks to McLaren’s staff being very gentle and nice.

The new design direction for the brand was everywhere, with contrasting white and black/orange surfaces, replicating the same environment as the one you can find at their website. A silver prototype was exhibited on a boot recreating the same image of the virtual car configurator, also giving more light and depth to the stand. Unfortunately the choice of the lights for the bare chassis was not so lucky, despite being quite artistic.
Waiters were trying to make us comfortable with fresh drinks and pastries the whole time. You can’t beat that.

Enough with the place, the car now. It was quite a widespread opinion that its style was a bit too simple, not really aggressive and sort of obvious, and McLaren Automotive CEO Anthony Sheriff admitted that was exactly what they were looking for. Something typically British and understated, something you could really drive on a daily basis without continuously being in the spotlight at every traffic lights. It surely works on this perspective, being quite less in your face than a Lamborghini Gallardo, and less over-detailed than the Ferrari 458 Italia. On the other hand I’m not very sold on the fact that this car will still be considered so good looking in 20 years as they are. Everyone’s thought at their first contact with the car is that it seems already dated. Well finished, nicely proportionate and good looking, but also old. To be honest, it’s chances may be reassumed in this aspect: the original McLaren F1 isn’t probably as proportioned and elegant or aggressive as its competition, but the fame it gained through its achievements manages to keep it still desirable and incredible to look at. Let’s wish the same fate for the Mp4-12C then.
While I’ve never been a fan of the Gallardo in sort of all of its iterations, I also recently spent some time with a Ferrari 458 Italia, and I have to admit it looks much better and less tacky in the flesh. Especially the front and the tail which were not exactly my favorite parts.
Something similar happened with the MP4-12C, yet I think it lacks of that “twist” to really find a place in your heart and garage. It may suffer from a lack of personality due to the fact that this is a new company at the end of the day and you can well see that in many details borrowed from the iconic F1.

I’m referring to the front wheelhouses which are completely visible when the doors are open, which immediately reminds you of the F1 despite the fact that the older car had the front tires clearly visible with no cover at all. At first I thought they weren’t working visually and that a better solution could have been found. Then while you’re about to sit in the car you notice the refinement on the carbon fiber surface, and suddenly it all makes sense. It’s definitely something you’d expect on a racing car, but on the other hand you’re now in a very roomy cockpit, extremely well finished, with all the commands in the right place and with the right consistency. That’s sort of what you can read about the F1, even if its 3 seat configuration might have helped in this regards. I’ve never liked carbon fiber on the interior on all cars, regardless of the segment, but in this case the design of the console and the overall quality make it works. A very important detail is the color and intensity of the lights. It’s not the usual orange tone you’d find in your average Fiat, like mine, it’s something more like flowing magma pulsing underneath the surface. Something which expresses power and strength, like seeing the air intake for the engine right in the middle of your external rear view mirrors. Who cares about visibility now?

Talking about power, headlights and taillights were a nice detail to capture, but they kept on turning themselves off after a short time, and I had just heard by someone from the staff that they could be turned on again just pressing the START/STOP button on the cockpit. Kids, don’t try this at home, really. While I was sitting on the car, the lights turned off even inside the cockpit, so I decided to turn them back on to take some nice shots. Except that I probably pressed the START button for that fraction of a second longer than what McLaren’s people intended, and at that point I’ve felt something really powerful and intimidating. No, the engine didn’t come to life roaring in a large and mostly empty warehouse, that would have been just epic and the end of my time there too possibly, but me and my cameraman Alberto distinctly felt the crankshaft rotating trying to fire up the cylinders. No one noticed it, but I was really smiling after that. Thing is they previously said it was a non working prototype. Their words, not mine.

Next F1-inspired detail, the glass covering the engine, which doesn’t touch the bodywork in its lower part to help the air to evacuate the engine bay, while a further air vents right after the glass helps the exhaust manifold being cooled down while also recreating the same central panel dividing the engine cover on the F1. Also featured in both cars is the airbrake, an otherwise well integrated wing which is positioned almost vertically when braking hard to provides further load on the rear axle.

What’s interesting is how the tail grille evolved in basically 20 years. First of all now it isn’t as horizontal as it was before, and it now integrated LED taillights. Unfortunately as I thought when looking only at pictures and video, it isn’t exactly the best part of the car. It actually is good looking as a standalone detail, but it doesn’t work with the whole car, it’s a bit too aggressive compared to the rest of the bodywork. The same design is adopted at the front, but possibly because of its smaller dimensions, it’s a bit less problematic. Actually I really like the possibility to have the lower part of the front painted in a different color or to have it in carbon fiber, as it enhances the feeling of a huge air intake devouring air at insane speed, like on a shark. This perception is also improved by the lateral bodywork going under the aforementioned carbon fiber splitter like two powerful jaws, or claws if you prefer. I always love to see references to animals and beasts on road cars. I liked the Bertone Mantinde for a reason.

Now that I mentioned sharks and animals, you should point your attention towards the lateral air intakes. While also being a clear reference to the brand’s badge, they also look very similar to gills, and they are indeed responsible for providing fresh air to cool down the mechanics and to feed the engine as well, me thinks.
The same shape was given to the door’s contour, especially with the door open. What you’d actually notice more easily is the resemblance with the F1 even in this aspect, not only because of the same movement described by the mechanism, which opens the door with a precise and firm trajectory. As on the older car the door also includes part of the sill, so that when it’s open you are basically watching the actual chassis or thereabouts. It’s a nice feeling because it makes you think you’re sitting even deeper in the car, like if you were entering some sort of tactical weapon or a giant Japanese robot. Not sure if its designers were really thinking about this when they designed this part.

So while the side of the car is a nicely proportioned and has quite a classical profile in the sportcars panorama, and while the tail is a bit overaggressive compared to the other parts, the front is a bit … flat. Not only from a geometrical point of view, but it is also completely lacking of any worth of note detail. It feels so empty that the badge is much too evident, and if we ignore for a second the air intakes, the only think you’d be prone to look at are the daytime LEDs, which once again replicate the badge design and at the same time provide a feeling as if you were looking some fiery beast straight in the eyes. The bonnet is flast thought, and so are the wheel arches. There isn’t enough to look at to really consider this car oh so fast and quick when you’ll eventually see it in your rear view mirror. It is fast, so light and so powerful as it is, but it’s a bit too understated as well. Even the McLaren F1 had a pretty simple bodywork, but it also was pretty unique in it segment with that low noise, roof design and those doors. Fortunately for us, they seem to have already worked a little around those air intakes to make them a bit more evident. It also looks like the production car will have some minor differences compared to these prototypes, but nothing really perceivable for us.

This is a bit too refrained from actually being as much a sportscar as its technical counterpart is suggesting. It’s more like a Ferrari F355 rather than an F340. Simpler, more elegant, less showy. It may look like a problem, but on the other hand, playing a little with the online car configurator, you’d find out that there are many suitable colors for this car, and that you could really see yourself buying it in some less then exotic colors contrarily to what you’d do with say a Gallardo. Mine would be metallic brown, or Fire Black as they call it, with black and red interior and dark superlight wheels. Not sure on the color of brake calipers, might go for orange for that bit of additional heritage. Now that I think of it, showcasing a silver car may have been the worst choice when considering an already understated car. Look at those pictures from the 2010 Goodwood Festival of speed, isn’t that orange car much sportier? Except it’s the same car…

Now imagine this car in the middle of the traffic, going to work on an ordinary day, in a way less than ordinary car. It works, much more than what I’d consider with a Ferrari or other Italian gems. It’s closer to an Aston Martin or Jaguar in this regards, while being much faster than them.

It’s an interesting point as quite often other brands were quoted during the press conference, something that among Italian companies is quite of a taboo, something you don’t do otherwise customers will considering other cars too… don’t ask. Regardless, they wanted to make it clear this isn’t designed to be a sum of all of its competitors, because “as good as is not good enough”, as they say. The 12C is supposed to have its own character, its own peculiarities, and no compromises whatsoever. We’ll talk about its technical and mechanical side on the next article on this car (so stay tune).

Now when I look at the car I configured on the website, I really like it, and would probably buy one if only I was in the position of going through such expensive investment, but I’m wondering if that will be enough for the more ordinary car guy out there. The answer is probably no, and it shouldn’t be a problem, because of how customers are eventually chosen, as of now.
Avoiding international autoshows, presenting the car to local journalists during private events and then inviting potential customers to directly see the car and talk with those who are behind this project is on one hand hiding a bit the car from the ordinary/mass public, while it is also moving the car closer to those who are really interested into it. When talking about production figures, McLaren calls for 1.000 units during the first year, while the new factory which is presently being built will have a capacity of 4.000 cars per years. You won’t see 4.000 units of this 12C though, as that capacity will be eventually split between all the future models that McLaren is going to release each year from now on. That’s going to be exciting.

PS: blame Picasa for deciding to resize all the shots from 1920 to 1600 pixel, with some effects on the quality, and blame Google (or Blogger, which is the same AFAIK) for deciding my posts contain too much HTML code, and therefore limiting the number of posts visible on one page.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro and sara bradshaw for The Italian Junkyard
Except: McLaren Mp4-12C configurator: McLaren Automotive ltd

18.7 2010 Modena Terra di Motori, Random Sightings on the road!

2010-08-02T11:58:00.004+02:00

Random sightings we were saying, but these two vintage cars could have well been featured in one of the squares.

They were actually spotted parked around downtown, and I've stumbled upon them while walking from one place to another.
Make the jump too discover these two beauties...

The first is a pristine MG A 1600, which I've seen a couple other times. Gentleman driver included.

The second is a even cooler Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce, or GTV, otherwise knows as the Tipo 105.44.
Ironically, it has the same color scheme as this other GT 1300 Junior I've photographed for this other post.

That's it for this year Modena Terra di Motori, I hope you liked my shots!

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.6 2010 Modena Terra di Motori, large square + about 30 Ferraris = enthusiast's playground!

2010-07-28T23:25:00.007+02:00

A weird natural phenomenon takes place almost every year. A few dozens Ferraris appears in Piazza Grande, Modena, Italy, for a couple of days, and then they just disappear. No one really knows why they do that, and many scientists formulated various hypotheses on that with no lack.

... who cares?! Just enjoy the show and the gallery after the jump!

Dino 246 GT

Ferrari 365 GT 2+2

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona"

Ferrari 308 GTB

Ferrari Testarossa

Ferrari 365 GTS/4

Ferrari F40

Ferrari California, Ferrari 400i, Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Ferrari 456 GT

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.5 2010 Modena Terra di Motori, More beautiful cars from the good old days!

2010-07-24T23:08:00.006+02:00

What else to say?!
Enjoy the gallery!

Abarth 695

MORE after the jump!!!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider

Ford Consul Classic

Ford Taunus

Fiat 508 Balilla

Ford Anglia

Siata 850 Spring

Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.4 2010 Modena Terra di Motori, Maserati's open top tradition

2010-07-22T15:44:00.008+02:00

Maserati never disappoints you.
Official stand, a nice albeit small selection of cars and some mechanical memorabilia from the past. I thought the new Maserati GranCabrio (or GranTurismo Cabriolet if you're from North America) had a not really proportioned tail looking at the first images, and while in Geneva the feeling was still a little there, possibly because of the artificial environment.
Of course I was wrong, as the car is still gorgeous in the flesh, even without the roof. I just can't remember where I left the keys...

Make the jump and keep scrolling down to enjoy once another gallery from the 2010 edition of the Modena Terra di Motori.

Maserati GranCabrio, or GranTurismo Cabriolet

Maserati Ghibli Spyder

Maserati 3500 GT Spyder

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.3 Modena Terra di Motori, Vintage beauties

2010-07-21T00:35:00.008+02:00

Another gallery from the 2010 edition of the Modena Terra di Motori event.
This time focus is on vintage beauties mainly from the sixties.
Here is for you a selection of shots of them, just for you my fellows, enjoy it after the jump!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint

Fiat Topolino Furgonetta

Alfa Romeo 1900M "Matta"

Maserati 3500 GT

Stanguellini Monoposto Formula Junior

Ferrari 750 Monza

Triumph TR3

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider

Fiat 500C Belvedere

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider

Triumph TR4

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.2 2010 Modena Terra di Motori, an exposed carbon fiber Pagani Zonda to rule them all

2010-07-19T14:47:00.008+02:00

This is just a gallery-post, so that you can fully enjoy what was going on in Modena during the Terra di Motori show.
I think this specimen of Zonda is among the best looking, except for the cheapish Italian flag sticker at the front which fortunately is featured on the car anymore.
Too bad the, supposed, 900.000 € asking price is a bit off my current possibilities...

Enjoy the gallery after the jump!

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

18.1 Modena Terra di Motori, 2010 Edition!

2010-07-18T18:07:00.007+02:00

You can well say it’s now summer. Not only it’s quite hot out there but there are also much more automotive events. Modena is of course no exception, and even this year time came for the “Modena Terra di Motori” show. If you need a quick review of previous editions head here (TERRA DI MOTORE tag) for a summary of the 2008 and 2009 editions.

Make the jump to know more.

As you may remember, I had something to say about how the whole deal was handled, the main point being the lack of official stands from some local companies, like, you know, Ferrari. Maserati and Pagani always showcased some cars with an official booth, while the Maranello based company has been relying on local owners and dealers so far. While this meant that last year, when it rained, there only were two Ferraris in the main square, a 308 and a Mondial iirc, this year things went a bit better, with a couple of dealers bringing there something like 6 cars which never left the square. I’m still of the idea that something should be done. Ferrari may have a better opinion of itself even than what its Tifosi have, but it won’t last forever.

Follow the jump to know more thoughts and images!

If it was Pagani to skip the event, I’d sort of understand, you’re small, the new guy (hey, 11 years since the very first appearance of the Zonda C12) and you sell a very few cars each year, mostly to people who don’t need a local show to know about your super rocket. That’s even more the case for someone as big as Ferrari, everyone already knows about you, and your cars are already the dream of those who both can or can’t own one. BUT, if we consider what Ferrari can and can’t do, I’d dare to say that bringing say 10 of their cars 20 km out of the factory isn’t really a big deal. It may seem pointless, but we are talking about passion, about a car show for enthusiasts, and a love for exotic, expensive and insanely fast cars is pointless on its own.

What I found out though may explain something. Other events take place during these days, from gathering of local clubs (Vespa’s and Lambretta’s clubs for instance) to some sort of food festival. Talking about the latter, I has been told that those bars and restaurants who decide to be involved in this small festival has to pay for it, and not a cheap fee. The justification being that this way they would be advertised. Well, Modena isn’t that big anyway, and people already know who is where, and where is the best place for a piadina or whatever you are into that evening. Even if it’s true that they get paid by customers who stop by their shops, the price is set by the organization in 15 €, which may seem not that much, but it’s quite a lot compared to what you get. So while last year many people bought the ticket and paid the money, this year the avoided being screwed and just walked in the next bar. It was a bit of a failure.
Now I’m not sure if something similar also happens with the auto show, but it would explain the lack of more official presence or some sort of disorganization. Some sort of a political decision, possibly. Still a silly excuse, but hey, who are we to judge?!

Regardless, the weather was much better this year and there were also quite some cars to see, possibly more interesting than last year even without considering what happened to the Ferraris last time around. No Lamborghinis this year unfortunately and I don’t know if it has something to do with the historical rivalry with the Prancing Horse company or just because no one bothered…. Or simply because Sant’Agata Bolognese is indeed in Bologna’s territory, not Modena. Whatever, shame on you.

Yeah, that's a Maserati 250 GT sportsbike!

What I did appreciate was a small square dedicated to the past, in general. From classic cars, bikes and bicycles to cinema, local products, pictures and so on. Every 45 minutes a short sequence from some famous Italian movie (sort of) featuring a car was reinterpreted right on the square. Nothing special but still funny.

All in all a good event, nothing special to report but it’s a good thing that this event is taking place every year. Call it tradition, or nostalgia, but if it wasn’t for cars, Modena wouldn’t be so attractive to a gear head like me…

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

17.0 Another record bites the dust. Pagani Zonda R laps the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:47. High resolution official pictures inside and then...

2010-07-09T19:30:00.001+02:00

The same way Pagani came out of the blue 11 years ago in Geneva with the striking Zonda C12, now he storms the motorsports world with the new record for the infamous Green Hell.
Despite not being even remotely road legal, the Zonda R was faster than its own track only competition, beating the Radilca SR8 LM and even more importantly, the latest track toy from Maranello, the Ferrari 599XX.
To be fair, the Zonda R is little to non related to the road going Zonda, no matter which iteration you're thinking of. Brand new chassis (carbo-titanium technology of course), stressed V12 engine from the almighty Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR and a truly sequential racing gearbox, 1.070 kg, bespoke everything. Just a handful of components are shared with the road going versions.
Regardless, even if the 599XX is """just""" a heavily modified, redesigned, updated 599 GTB, and you can well see that in the 1.521 kg weight, no one asked Ferrari to bring the car to the Nurburgring with Raffaele De Simone at the wheel, set a fast time, but not a record, and then start bragging about it. Not only the road going Radical SR8 was faster by 3 seconds with a 6.55 time, but its track only variant was a full 10 seconds faster with a time of 6.48.

To be brutally honest, I'd have hired a driver much more experienced on this track. No matter how good De Simone is, and I'm sure he is, but he is not one of those who race over there every given Sunday afternoon. He is not a Ringer, as they say.
You may argue that the FXX Evoluzione is probably faster than the 599XX... well, bring it!
Anyway, Pagani came to the track, set a time lower than the Radical for just one second and then they even took a while to release a statement and these official shots. You'd ask yourself if they are doing this only for their own satisfaction...

EVO Magazine was there documenting the happening, so there is possibly a huge review on the event coming soon, but if I was you, I'd stay tuned to TIJ for more because,

did I ever mention Pagani's headquarter is only 12 km from my laptop?

Official press release and more images after the jump, be sure to scroll down!

June 30th, 2010 - NÜRBURGRING, Germany

Pagani Automobili SpA would like to announce that the Pagani Zonda R has lapped the difficult and tortuous 20.83 km Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6 minutes and 47 seconds.
On this track with its 73 corners, bumps and compressions each component of the vehicle is exposed to severe stresses, that cannot be reproduced on other tracks. Each of Horacio Pagani’s creations has to be subjected to this ordeal, in order to reassure and guarantee the customers that they have bought a vehicle built without compromise, able to take the toughest treatment.
The laptime has been possible also due to a weight reduction of almost 200 kg compared to the road going Zonda F, including a carbon-titanium frame, lightened suspensions, a lower center of gravity, reduced polar inertia and improved downforce.
The Pirelli P Zero Slick tyres specially designed for Zonda R derived from the knowhow, materials and expertise of Pirelli’s Motorsports division, give an essential contribution to the extraordinary levels of grip.
The bespoke Pirelli P Zero slick tyres are created in Milan at the first line MIRS, the latest evolution of the innovative automated process patented by Pirelli, able to cover the entire production cycle, from compounds to the finished product without interruption or the waste of energy. The MIRS process represents Pirelli’s technological excellence and focuses on the production of Ultra High Performance and Motorsport tyres. In light of the technological goals that are achieved during the ongoing development, the Pagani team is pursuing the application of such results on future road going Pagani vehicles.
This result has been achieved in partnership with Pirelli, Mercedes-AMG, Bosch, ASPA, MHG, Logico, Bagatti and Ennegi.

All Pictures Copyright: Studio Zero for Pagani Automobili S.p.A.

Spotted at the mechanics - OK, but... what's this car?!

2010-06-27T16:27:00.003+02:00

This oldie was spotted at a tire shop in Grisignano di Zocco (Vicenza - Italy), where we had to service the car because of a puncture. I wasn't there so I couldn't ask for more information, yet my father thought it was a good idea to take some shots with his cell phone. I was actually surprised of this technological effort of him.

Anyway, I have no idea on what it is. It looks British, which means near to nothing given the possible time frame when this car was born. I don't even know if the name "Susie" written near the front grille is of an indication, but the internet appears to have never heard of such a name for a car company.

So I'm hear if someone help did and if he/she knows something more on this car.

Feel free to express your guesses in the comments below.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

16.2 Up close and personal with the Maserati MC12 Versione Corse, aka Moby-Dick

2010-06-26T20:11:00.003+02:00

There is something about the MC12 I always liked, and it wasn’t until the Versione Corse was released that I realized it was exactly what I didn’t like. Its rawness, and the fact it is purpose built in a way it’s hard to come to grasp.
I liked its design when I saw the first images, I even more I liked the racing version of the car, even if I was well aware how much the paint job on racing cars can be deceptive.

More after the jump.

Anyway, when I saw both cars in the flesh during the Italian round of the FIA GT in 2004, at the Imola race track, I was a bit disappointed. While the road going car was just huge, and ridiculously long, the GT1 version was on the other hand too wide, specifically because of the rear end. It wasn’t only the rear wing, rather the whole bonnet and its flatness.
It was still quite attractive, but also disproportioned, reminded me of some sort of fish which has just been stranded. I guess the whitish and blue paint job wasn’t helping. On the other hand there is a dark blue car in France, and it seems even longer.

Then the Versione Corse, or just MC12 Corsa, came out and something started making sense. The time I saw it for the first time it was at the 2007 Modena Terra di Motori, and I think I looked at it for no less than a couple of hours. It isn’t a beautiful car by any means, but with this untamed bodywork it was clear this car and its bodywork were born with just one mission in mind, and that has been achieved largely. The detail I always loved were the enlarged front wheel arches, flattening the car to the ground and giving it a much more impressive stance. The slightly longer noose also helped creating a more fluent shape, and while I was exploring the whole picture, something started coming out of it.

It may be a little hard to imagine, but just try to remove, ideally, the whole front end of the car from the windshield onwards, and then remove also the rear end, except for the engine cover with its pointy shape.
Now what should be left is the cockpit, and the bodywork surrounding the engine. Looks like something you know? It does, to me. It’s a drop! Perhaps it is just me, but I really do see a drop shaped car, stripping the most of bodywork off it, that is. Which is brilliant, like a huge bridge between those cars from the early automotive days and this ultimate track killer.

On the other hand, heading towards the tail, you can’t really say that the rear end is a good looking one. The need to evacuate a lot of hot air from that engine bay is quite underlined by that extra large air vent, which honestly is shaped in a way that just doesn’t cut it. There isn’t something else on the car that can be paired with it, and that’s something wrong. I thought that after the nineties people started actually care about rear ends and their looks, abandoning all those squared or grilled tails. Even if this car is made to race in win and little else, I just can’t say this was the most efficient design available.
And that’s pretty important, because that’s the only part of the car you will likely see, unless it’s parked that is.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

Spotted on the road - (old) Fiat 500 Limousine from Germany

2010-06-15T18:49:00.004+02:00

While on my way to Trieste, something weird appeared in front of me.

I was on the highway and something almost identical to an old Fiat 500 was on the right lane. Almost being the key.
It wasn't even that slow, going at 120 km/h or so.

As soon as I was closer, I noticed something wrong with the roof of the car and ... wait?! How many side windows am I seeing there!?

Yep, that's a stretched Fiat 500. Stretched as in a 6 meters or so long limousine based on the most iconic Italian city car.
It turns out Germans are more lunatic, in a good way, than what I thought. Apparently fitting twin turbocharged V12s into stealthy sedans isn't their only hobby.

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

16.1 How to build your Italian Gran Turismo: Maserati Factory Visit

2010-06-14T21:51:00.003+02:00

One of the downturns of studying automotive engineering is that the last thing you’ll probably see at university is something car related. We may study a bunch of stuff and all, but it’s mostly something a bit too theoretical and up in the air, or too much into the technical side of it to be exciting from an enthusiast’s point of view. Well, it’s university after all. Regardless, you may remember I was after a project requiring to design a new car (as in its bodywork and a few other things) based on the Maserati MC12. Nothing really technical, it’s just bodywork design the old school way, with technical parameters to comply with and so on. The project is actually finished, waiting for the exam in the next few days, but we’ll talk about that in another post.

This time we are going to talk about a collateral event connected to that subject. Our teacher is a bit of a gearhead. No wait, let me say that again. He is a Tifoso, period. That kind of person who can come at university dressed up as if he was Fernando Alonso during an interview right after the Italian (or Spanish) GP. More often, he wears Maserati’s stuff, as that’s apparently his main “love” at the moment. That gave us the chance to enjoy a complete visit at Maserati’s factory, from the showroom to the factory in its main compartments. All for free. Good stuff, I can assure you.

Before you hit the jump and enjoy the reportage and pictures, I have to admit the pictures themselves are not so great. I don’t consider myself as a master in photography, but it will be pretty evident how this time the shots were taken in a hurry, too many excited kids in just one room, plus for some reason the camera was set to shoot in JPEG, not in RAW. Too bad, sorry about that.

Now as you may expect we weren’t allowed to take shots of anything except the showroom, and while I’m used to that from other visits at other companies, many of my “colleagues” had a different opinion on the subject and kept shooting via their damn iPhones and other gizmos. Not that they have shot ground breaking secrets or something, but if someone gives you such an opportunity and ask you just one thing, I can’t see why not to comply with that. Unless you’re doing that on purpose so that next year it won’t happen again. After all you can still find pictures of the assembly line on the internet, and you won’t be able to share yours on the damn (more than the iPhones) Facebook. Or perhaps they did that, regardless of the possible “consequences”. Whatever, end of the rant.

Talking about the showroom, it’s a nice one, with a complex structure in the middle of the room, emulating Indianapolis’ race track where Maserati won quite back in the days. The structure itself is also used as a booth for up to two cars, and it’s auto balanced thanks to differentiated density of its inner parts. Even if that looks cool, the downturn is that the whole room is quite dark, and the lights are not efficiently positioned.
Other than that it’s quite nice, especially the corner where there are samples of the colors available for your car, sheets of leather, pieces of the wood trim, different materials, everything. If that’s a bit too expensive, you can still buy the merchandise stuff, definitely cheaper.

A nice addition to the cars usually showcased there was this pearl white Maserati MC12 Versione Corse, with an exquisite red alcantara finished interior. It’s the second time I see this version of the MC12, the first time it was the first model in dark blue with yellow headlights, and I have to say darker colors suit it much better. Regardless, it’s quite a car, you can say it’s stupidly fast even without driving it. That assuming we are up to the task to control a 750 bhp track-only beast, a car which took the racing MC12 GT1 car, winner of five FIA GT championships in a row, and brought it to the next level, with unrestricted engine, aerodynamics and everything that could be tuned to achieve the top performance.

Talking about the factory itself, it’s of course a different experience than walking into the three-rooms only Pagani factory, it’s rather something more similar to Lamborghini. The assembly line is quite similar, the car proceeds on an automated line, while parts are manually assembled on it trough the help of various machines. There aren’t actual robots, just mechanically aided operations, so to assist the worker, not to substitute him. Lamborghini still had a completely manual line for the Murcielago, but that line was put on halt, for good, a couple of months ago, and it’s now being substituted by a modern automated line for the new V12 powered car.
At Maserati, there are two lines, which could both build all possible models, the Quattroporte sedan, the GranTurismo coupe and the GranCabrio open top variant. Mainly because the latter GranCabrio has just been unveiled and released on the market and the demand is quite high, this car is built on one of the lines, while the other two are built on the remaining one.

Each station has a 30 minutes time frame to be completed, but workers can spend up to 5 minutes relaxing even outside of the building. So basically each station has actually a working time from 25 to 30 minutes, and workers can decided when and how to spend those 5 minutes they are given. If that’s sounds like a waste of time or an extremely good news for workers, I think truth is once again right in the middle. We all know that whatever we are doing it, we are not doing it every single second of our time, being studying, working or even just relaxing. So while in another company workers may be allowed to take it a more “easier”, at Maserati they are supposed to work “harder” for the actual working time, and then they are free to completely chill for 5 minutes. Eventually, it may even come out that this solutions helps the company improving its productivity and quality while also making workers happier. Don’t know, just and educated guess.
As in many other companies, workers change their roles every 6 months (iirc), so that they are forced to focus on new tasks to face, and are capable to recognize if something is not working even if it’s not directly related to what they are doing.
The factory itself is roomier than at Lamborghini, I’d dare to say it’s also more silent. It is also much larger, but that’s pretty obvious as Maserati build quite more cars. Among which, the limited edition Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, as the Competizione coupe run has already being built.

Again contrarily to Lamborghini, more parts are assembled in house, especially the drivetrains while the engine are shipped already assembled from Ferrari’s factory. That’s the same with the chassis, which is built in Turin, then painted in Maranello.
Once the assembly is over, the car is moved to a new building on its own wheels and horsepowers, where it is tested and checked in many details. Even at the end of this process, there is still one last thing to do, drive it! 40 kilometers of Modena’s twisty roads are put on each car by two drivers, so that they can crosscheck their opinions.
OK, now you can bring your Maserati at your home!

All Pictures Copyright: Damiano Garro

2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, RACE, streaming LIVE!

2010-06-12T14:10:00.011+02:00

Yeah, this new Audi's paint job is horrible.

Anyway, first of all huge thanks to Peugeot and Peugeot for providing us with another excellent quality streaming to enjoy the race. Yeah, the commentary is in French, but can always rely on Radio Le Mans for a better comprehension of what's going on there.
As usual many channels to enjoy the race should be available, and when I find others to add I'll update the page, so if the streaming you're watching foes offline, try refreshing the page, OK?

Other than that, live timing is provided by the ACO itself, the suggested commentary is once again from the folks over Radio Le Mans, and hopefully as many videos as possible will be provided by other enthusiasts all around the world.

24 Hours of Le Mans, LIVE streaming of the whole race!
Will you last 24 hours of tight competition? You should.

For some chat activity, I'll reanimate my MSN account, drop me an email, if you're interested.

All links, videos and stuff after the jump!

RADIO LE MANS broadcasting: HERE

LIVE TIMING from ACO: ctrl + CLICK HERE!

AUDI's IN BOARD STREAMING

It may happen that your monitor is a bit too small for the width of this streaming,so you may loose a portion of it or even just the live timing on its side.
If that's the case here is the original link: PEUGEOT LIVE STREAMING OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS or TRY OVER HERE AT LE MANS' WEBSITE

SPEED TV STREAMING click here

Watch live video from Freddy49 on Justin.tv

Live video chat by Ustream

DIRECT LINK
SECOND DIRECT LINK
DIRECT LINK (spanish commentary)

Stream videos at Ustream

Free TV Show from Ustream

Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

Webcam from the Corvette garage, GT2 category:

Watch live video from Corvette Le Mans 2010 on Justin.tv

2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, Friday qualifying session, LIVE streaming

2010-06-10T18:12:00.009+02:00

Two days left before of another mighty race from Le Mans.
This is the last qualifying session before of the warm-up Saturday in the morning.
So far, Peugeot is dominating the scene taking 1-2-3-4 provisionally, Audi took 5-6-7, with the first petrol powered cars the Lola-based Aston Martin taking 8-9-10.
Will it change, will the revised R15 TDI "plus" manage to beat to older 908 HDi FAP? Or perhaps AM will manage to storm the race and took petrol on the highest spots once again.
We can only wait an see.

Enjoy the LIVE streamings after the jump, many channels are available, and will be updated as soon as others come to the surface.

RADIO LE MANS broadcasting: HERE

DIRECT LINK
SECOND DIRECT LINK
DIRECT LINK (spanish commentary)

Live video chat by Ustream

Stream videos at Ustream

Free TV Show from Ustream

Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

Webcam from the Corvette garage, GT2 category:

Watch live video from Corvette Le Mans 2010 on Justin.tv

2010 ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nurburgring, LIVE Streaming!

2010-05-15T15:06:00.005+02:00

Some live action eventually!

Time has come again for the mighty 24 hours race on the awesome Nurburgring race track, with hundreads of cars facing this amazing challenge.
Who will win this year?

Watch the live straming from the ADAC website, and use the Radio Le Mans English conmmentary for a complete experience!
You may need to install the windows media player plug in for the video, and the commentary would be in German, so Radio Le Mans will surely help you.

No chances I could embed the video here.

Enjoy the race!

2010 FIA GT World Championship round 2 from Silverstone, Championship race LIVE!

2010-05-02T15:54:00.002+02:00

Time for the Championship Race from Silverstone, FIA GT 2010.

The new balance of performance allowed a even closer competition between all cars, so it will definitely be another excellent race.

Race is cheduled at 15:15 GMT, so just a few minutes and the race will start.
Enjoy the LIVE broadcast after the jump!

2010 FIA GT World Championship round 2 from Silverstone, qualifying session and race and LIVE!

2010-05-01T00:58:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow the second round of the FIA GT World Championship will start at Silverstone, inaugurating the new track's layout. Unfortunately I won't be at home watching it, but I thought it was nice to broadcast it nonetheless, so I had to post the video streaming now while I'm still at my place.

Feel free to enjoy the qualifying session and the qualifying race from The Italian Junkyard, see you on Sunday for the championship race.
Follow the jump for the live streaming.

15.2 1969 Pininfarina Alfa Romeo 33 Coupe Prototipo, pictures wanted!

2010-04-22T23:39:00.006+02:00

I purposely avoided mentioning something in my previous post while playing with Oscar.

The styling. Now given this is still a Maserati MC12, you may expect that the overall style of this car has to be somehow recognizable as Maserati’s, and you’d be right. Except, this year things are different.
Different meaning that with the Alfa Romeo’s 100th anniversary in air, we were given the opportunity to style this car after this other iconic Italian company. Many went for this option, showing how large is the place occupied by Alfa Romeo in enthusiasts’ hearts.
Sort of.
Keep reading after the jump to know more.

I always thought that trying to force an MC12 into something more practical and road friendly was a bit pointless, especially with the rest of Maserati’s line up being made of just, well you guessed it, grand touring cars. A mid engined exotic over 5 meters long isn’t exactly what you’d call a grand touring car, and while many tried with relative success to force GT aspects on it, others ended up designing something more similar to a Ferrari, but with a trident on the hood.

So it may even appear like picking Alfa Romeo could be a way to change this trend. Thing is Alfa Romeo doesn’t have something like this in its line up since…ages, unfortunately. Yep, the 8C Competizione is an example of what you can do even while you are selling 20.000 € mini cars, but that’s just another grand touring car at the end of the day, plus it’s a front engine one, so it would be a bit silly to force its shape onto this platform. Even more, I’m afraid it could even be kinda obvious.

The next car to be featured in our list of possible muses it’s the deadly gorgeous Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, 1967. You gotta love the sixties. You may think it is even more obvious than the 8C Competizione, but you’d be surprised knowing how many of the students in the room thought about the other Alfa 33 when out teacher talked about the Tipo 33. Not only they were thinking of the wrong (very wrong) car, they didn’t even know about the Stradale either. That’s probably when you say “omg wtf?!”. True story.

Now the "Tipo" 33 Stradale, also reffered to as the "Tipo 33.2 Stradale" may even be good looking, but it’s also more than 40 years old, which means that it’s curvy beyond every possible level, that’s extremely low, and even more, that it’s small, really small. Once again the trend of building large and heavier cars creates once another problem.
Some of the following shots are taken from the book "Alfa Romeo, production cars from 1910 to 2007", which is the awesome present my lovable girlfriend bought to me for my recent degree. Divided into two volumes, it covers all production cars from Alfa, with chassis numbers, blue prints, specs, everything.
It's quite expensive as well...

Fortunately the 33 Stradale is very similar in proportion to the MC12, meaning that once you scaled the Alfa’s wheelbase to the MC12’s size, the height is very similar and the two overhangs are just a bit, a large bit, shorter on the Alfa. Which is great, as since the beginning I wanted to shorten the MC12 to at least 4.7 meters, so about half a meter shorter.
This would have been possible only shortening a little the front steel frame responsible for the passive protection and energy dissipation in case of accident, and moving elsewhere the two front radiators, responsible for the engine cooling. At the back, the only part I had to deal with was the gearbox, which is much shorter than the whole overhang so that wasn’t a problem at all.
Eventually, the car is now 4.45 meters long or thereabouts. It is also a bit higher than the MC12, being now 120 cm tall. As you can see the profile is somehow set, I’ve a few doubts on the position of the air intakes in front of the rear wheels, but everything else is somehow definitive. Many details are missing of course.

You should also notice that while the car is penned partially after the 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, the main inputs come from the 1969 Pininfarina Alfa Romeo 33 Coupe Prototipo. This idea was actually rejected by other members of the team at first, but since I’m doing it myself I’ve decided to keep going with my original idea. Right because of the references to the 33 Coupe Prototipo, I think that perhaps those air intakes could be moved higher as in the yellow concept car, while maintaining a smaller air intake on the lower part of the side as well, so basically inverting what’s going on on the MC12. The longitudinal position of the intakes is set though, as the radiators are just a little after that, while moving them forward wouldn’t be possible if not by just a couple of inches, as the chassis considerably increase its wildness near the cockpit area.

Regardless, now I’m working on the aerial view and while things are quite sketchy at the moment, I already have some ideas. The front end is giving me quite some problems, and it may requires me to change the profile as well, something I’d rather avoid. The front overhang looks indeed a bit too short now that I'm looking at it again. Oh well.
Regardless, the point of this post should be the fact that I don’t have a clear shot from this point of view for as regards the Pininfarina concept car, and even if I think I’ll be fine nonetheless, I thought asking could hurt.

So this is the question. Does any of view have a picture of the 1969 Pininfarina Alfa Romeo 33 Coupe Prototipo from the top/aerial view? If yes, please contact me, I’d really appreciate it. Images of this car in general are OK now that I think about it, and consider the Pininfarina Ferrari P5 as well, as they are pretty similar as well.

Other than that, any sort of input, suggestion or critic is welcomed.

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and Pininfarina 33 Coupe images copyright: Wouter Melissen from Ultimatecarpage.com
All other images copyright: Damiano Garro

15.1 The Italian Project: drawing a new bodywork for the Maserati MC12

2010-04-22T17:53:00.006+02:00

I'm doing this project for one of my courses at university.

Basically we have to design the bodywork of a new car based on the Maserati MC12's underpinning.

Even if it is indeed very interesting and exciting, you’d terribly wrong assuming CAD programs, math and clay models are involved in the process.

It’s much “simpler”, and somehow disappointing. It all starts this way: our teacher brought various technical drawings (aka blueprints) of the Maserati MC12. They are all about the aerial and lateral views, but while one of them depicts the actual bodywork, the others are more and more focused on the actual chassis and mechanics, until we arrive at something like the following images.

Make the jump for more about this new project.

These blueprints are printed in 1:5 scale, which means we have to deal with more than 1 meter wide sheets, given the MC12’s length of 5,14 meters. Even if the process doesn’t mean designing in a technical way, we still have some tasks to face. First of all, the actual car in the drawings is the racing version of the MC12, so many things are supposed to be changed, like the wheels (we can actually maintain the racing ones), the ride height, but most of all, the drivers position. At this point, I’d like to introduce you my newest best friend forever… Oscar.

He is a funny guy, albeit he doesn’t speak much. 175 cm tall, 178 with the helmet which he never takes off, I’ve assumed he is The Stig's Italian cousin. Fortunately for my ears, he has much better music tastes.

Anyway, given the limited production nature even of the road going MC12, many things are to be changed.

The most annoying is his back’s inclination, which can’t be more than 25°. For the record, on the GT1 car it’s of about 45°. Now, you can’t just set the seat in a different position, because now my dear friend Oscar wouldn’t just fit in the car, because of the height of the cockpit. Even more, you have to simulate the rotation of the upper part of his body in case of an accident around the so called "H point" (his hip), and he doesn’t have to impact on anything except the airbag. So this required not only a new driving position, but also a new cockpit.

We were given clearance to modify the A-pillar and the windscreen at will, while the B-pillar was set in stone together with the air scoop. This is when things become a little…pointless. For lack of time and resources, we won’t do any sort of calculations to justify and verify our modifications to the chassis. The same goes for the impact structure at the front, and the position of the radiators. We're allowed to move the radiators elsewhere, we just should maintain theoretically their sizes and therefore the overall size of the air intakes and outlets.

As you can see in this hi-tech animation, the difference between the old and the new cockpit's profile is quite large.
With the older design and the new driving position, Oscar's head would impact on the upper part of the windscreen and on the transversal beam connecting the two A-pillars, for lack of a better word. The pillar itself wouldn't have been a problem as it's positioned on his side.

It’s a bit disappointing, but it would be barely impossible for us to do that at the moment and in such a short time frame, given it’s a 2/3 months project, about 4 hours a week and with what I think is a limited technical knowledge on these aspects.

All we are asked to do is to design a new bodywork around the given mechanics respecting actual production cars’ rules, maximum dimensions, angles, crash test areas and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, it would also be a good idea to drawn a decently looking car too.

Everything will be done on paper sheets of various kind, so using a CAD to design it would then require to print it in full scale first, and then to trace it again on a sheet with the use of a specific pen. Don’t ask.

About one month into the project, I think we are a bit behind the schedule. I said “we” because this is supposed to be a 6 people project, even if so far I’m basically the only one working after it. That may explain it.

Stay tuned for more, I may need your help too!

Maserati MC12 images Copyright: Maserati Spa
All other images Copyright: Damiano Garro

2010 FIA GT World Championship round 1 from Abu Dhabi, Champioship Race LIVE!

2010-04-17T17:19:00.006+02:00

Da 2010 FIA GT World Championship round 1 from Abu Dhabi, Championship Race LIVE!

It's time to watch some LIVE action!

Finally the FIA GT is back, this time in world wide form.

Championsip race is about to strat in a few minutes, and while hoping this race will be accidents free I'd like to wish Natacha Gachnang a quick recovery from her accident during the previous race.

Enjoy the broadcast of the race after the jump!

Image Copyright: Nissan Motor Company Ltd

2010 FIA GT World Championship round 1 from Abu Dhabi, Natacha Gachnang's accident

2010-04-17T15:42:00.007+02:00

Due to a bit of confusion about the time schedule, I completely missed the first "qualifying race", only to discover it was stopped due to a massive accident involving one of the Matech Ford GT, precisely the one driven by the only female couple. At the moment of the accident Natacha Gachnang was driving.

A leak in the rear braking circuit was apparently the reason for a lack of braking power, so when she was approaching Turn 8 from a top speed of 260 km/h she had to apply more and more pressure on the brake pedal. It appears that doing so not only the braking power at the rear was reduced by the leak, but probably she also pressed in some way the accelerator pedal. At that point, with the front tires completely blocked (as the front circuit was apparently fine) and the rear tires still turning she had no control of the car which smashed against the ARMCO barriers at the end of the straight.

The cameraman who was positioned in that area was hit by his own camera, resulting in a suspected broken nose. On the other hand he was definitely luckier than Natacha Gachnang who has already been operated because of a double compound fracture at her right leg.

It is very unfortunate to start this important season this way, but once again we know we can rely on safe cars and circuits.

You can watch the video of the accident, waiting for the championship race to start in a few hours.

GET WELL SOON NATACHA!

2010 ALMS 12 Hours of Sebring, LIVE!

2010-03-20T18:40:00.016+01:00

So, yeah, I'm late, but I was fighting an infestation of parasite caterpillars in our garden... kinda cool, isn't it?!

Just make the jump for a LIVE streaming of the 12 Hours of Sebring race. Too bad Audi isn't there trying to fight against the Peugeot tea, so it's probably the fight between the GT cars to get the award for the most interesting category this time.

Since the streaming is in French, you should drop the volume of the streaming and turn on Radio Le Mans.
Just head HERE, and click on the "LISTEN LIVE" button on the top right corner.

Enjoy the race.

Watch live video from lefermier on Justin.tv

Justin.tv

LIVE timing: HERE

Watch live video from rolexx_tv on Justin.tv

Head here if the first fails: rolexx_tv

Image source: BMWblog
Video source: Justin.tv

14.0 Before of Geneva, Thanks to Pierlucio Tinazzi

2010-03-10T14:56:00.007+01:00

It has been a wonderful trip, a great event, an interesting experience and it is now a must for the following years I hope, but that's not what I want to talk about in my first post about the 2010 80th Geneva International Motor Show.

Yesterday I was wasting my time surfing the web with little if nothing to do for my new university courses (we started them just a week ago), and with Modena wrapped up in several inches of snow. On my long journey on various websites, I also tried to get some additional informations about the Mont Blac tunnel.
It's a 11,6 km tunnel under the highest mountain of Europe, and it helps connecting the Northeast of Italy with the Southwest of France, helping saving 50 km when reaching Turin (from France) and up to 100 km when heading to Milan.

Above you can see the Italian and French entrances.

After a huge fire in 1999, where 39 people died, the tunnel was closed for three years for repairs and updates. Many of you may even not know about this accident especially if you don't live in Europe, or France and Italy. There is a chance you won't remember of it even if you live here.
Personally I did remember about it, and I actually thought it was happened much closer to now.

A lot of things went wrong that day. A truck transporting butter and flour caught fire without the driver noticing it. It is still unclear how that happened, but when the driver tried to extinguish the fire it was too late, and the white dense smoke was already preventing many drivers to find their way out despite the tunnel being basically straight. In a few minutes the smoke became dark and even thinker. While some cars managed to exit trough the Italian side, two fire trucks were sent from the French side but they could even reach the original accident spot as the temperatures were already too high and the smoke was making it almost impossible to walk, while wrecked and abandoned cars were preventing the trucks to go any further. They had to enter one of the emergency fire cubicles on the side of the tunnels.
Five hours later a third team rescued them, but out of 15 firefighters one of them died in the hospital.

Those cubicles were equipped with doors capable to resist 2 ours of direct fire, whit some of them been update trough the years whit an extended range of 4 hours.

The fire burned for 56 hours, and it took five days before the conditions inside of the tunnel could allow any person to enter it, after an over 1.000 °C temperature had melted to the ground basically everything.
Even in the first minutes all the cables were melted so the tunnel was left in the dark with no electricity.

This is what was left of the closet cubicles. People died in it, and if it seems pretty much unharmed if not for the melted door, just consider it is not supposed to be that dark.

27 people died in their vehicles, 10 were bodies were found on what was left of the road, trying to reach an exit. Then there is the firefighter, and then there is Pierlucio Tinazzi.

If 12 people survived is only because one Pierlucio Tinazzi helped them.
All they would have later said was "the guy with the bike saved my life".

These pics are from the first truck on. What you see in the ceiling is actual the stone of the mountain. It was possible to say there were people in that car only because the seat belts were still engaged, and rests of human bones could be found on the floor of the car.

He was an employee of SITMB, the company in charge of managing the Italian side of the tunnel. His role was to run the tunnel up and down to check if everything was OK and to occasionally give assistance to driver in need. He turned down the possibility to work in the office as it preferred to ride his bike in the tunnel.

He was on the French side, ready to start his job again after a break, when the fire began.
The firefighters already gave up when he decided to take his bike, breathing equipments and to enter the tunnel. Thanks to a radio built in his helmet he was continuously in contact whit the Italian side of the team.
Down in the tunnel, he found a 6 people trying to run out of the tunnel, and helped them, giving the instruction never to stop if not to breath from the air vents positioned on the walls, to walk close to the walls where the fresh air was pumped and to stay down to avoid the smoke. Then he went even further, and found other people not able to walk away or too far from the exit. He took each of them on his bike and run out of the tunnel again on the French side. He did it five times, saving 5 additional people.
On his last attempt, he found an unconscious truck driver, too heavy to get him on the bike, so Pierlucio dragged him in an emergency fire cubicles.
That's the last thing he did.

Tinazzi's BMW bike

Five days later the only thing that was found was his BMW bike melted to the ground, about 200 meters from the starting point of the fire, about 2,5 kilometers down the tunnel.

I entered the Mont Blanc tunnel twice, one per each side, and didn't even notice the small commemorative plaque on the Italian side of the tunnel. I didn't even know about him, yet this guy not only died to save a life, he saved all the 12 people was managed to survive to the fire.

I have a lot of respect for those people who help others, for those who do that for free, for those who give their lives for other people they don't even know.
What I can't stand is why we, Italian people, have to commemorate only people who die in extraordinary conditions or places, without noticing the ordinary guy who did more in his last hour than what we would do in out entire life.
I also have a lot of respect for people in the army. We aren't a country which uses its army to invade other countries, to fight them or to "bring democracy all over the world". We arrive later, when the big deal is done and what is needed is only a resident army to keep everything under control. That's what we do, so there aren't many "fundamentalists" in the army, people ready to shot whatever moves. Mainly they do missions to actually help the population, without even using their weapons.
So, when somone from the army dies in Afghanistan it isn't something good at all, no doubt, and I'm sorry for him.
Just, is it all that necessary to stop the whole country, to give them State funerals, while each of us should feel like in debt towards them.
I don't get it, especially if we can't even remember an employee which saved 12 people whit his bike when firefighters could even enter the tunnel, or when we can't even think about the fact many people die every day just trying to earn enough money to pay the bills and no one told them "hey, people shot each other on the streets, it's a war".

Really I don't get it, digressing maybe, but I feel sad that I went to the Mont Blanc tunnel without even knowing the guy who would have saved me.

Tinazzi's commemorative placque

Sources of the images: here, here, here and here.