Owner: wheelspin URL:http://wheelspin83.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:24:00 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: An Irish perspective on cars, driving and motorsport. Site statistics:Click here
30km/h limit for Dublin city centre proposed 2007-08-05 15:54:00 Slow down... to a crawlThe government is set to introduce a new lower speed limit of just 30km/h (18mph!) in Dublin
city centre. Their stated aim is to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, but keeping a modern car below that speed is quite difficult and requires constantly keeping an eye on the speedo to ensure it hasn't crept slightly over. As anyone who has driven in the city centre knowns, here more than anywhere it is vital to give full concentration to the road ahead at all times. In the height of rush hour, any speed limit is going to be irrelevant, but at less busy times this new limit could become at best an annoying inconvenience and at worst a dangerous distraction. Read more:proposed
Carzone Pick of the Week: Mercedes E220 Coupe 2007-08-05 15:20:00 Mid-90s classThis week's pick is a Mercedes
from the time when they were built like Mercedes should be: A 1995 E220 Coupe
. 123,000 miles is small change to these cars (a Greek taxi driver has seen a million in his, apparantley) and the combination of the coupe bodystyle, those uber-cool pillarless doors and an elegent shade of blue all come together to create a vehicle that oozes understated class and sophistication. Suits you, sir...
An ugly day for McLaren 2007-08-04 18:43:00 Clash of the titans... or petulant playground squabble?Tonight, yet another dramatic development was added to the litany of subplots that are making the 2007 Formula 1 season one of the most interesting and controversial in years. Just after 11:30pm, the stewards announced that Fernando Alonso had been demoted from the pole position he secured in today's qualifying session to sixth on the grid, and any constructor's points scored by the McLaren team in tomorrow's race will be declared null and void.The whole thing started when Alonso appeared to deliberately delay leaving his pitbox before his final hot lap, leaving Hamilton insufficient time to complete his outlap before the chequered flag fell. It seemed like a extremely petulant and frustrated move on Alonso's part - did he think this was the only way he was going to secure pole?With both sides of the story explained, however, it emerged that Hamilton was requested to let Alonso past earlier in the session for tactical reasons,
YouTube Clip of the Week: Captain Slow goes fast 2007-08-08 16:49:00 In anticipation of Sunday's Veyron demo run in the Phoenix Park, here's one of Top Gear's finest moments: James May hitting 252mph in the Bugatti supercar. Best quote: "Getting close to the maximum, which means the tyres will only last for about 15 minutes, but it's OK because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes!" Legend. Read more:YouTube
, Captain
In the papers... 2007-08-08 16:42:00 The number of road deaths dropped during the bank holiday weekend but there was no let-up in the number of people stopped for drink-driving offences. [Independent]Sales of SUVs have risen nearly thirty percent in the past six months, mainly thanks to the Nissan Quashqai. [Times Motors]The 5-axle truck ban in Dublin city centre is working. [RTE] Read more:papers
Fernando's future 2007-08-07 15:39:00 If you can't stand the heat...The fallout from Hungaroringgate (hehe) continues apace. All the chatter at the moment points to Alonso wanting to leave McLaren at the end of the season. But as Top Gear's Nick Trott points out, Ron Dennis could well say he has no problem with that, but enforce Alonso's contract, meaning the Spaniard won't be able to drive for another team until 2009. Would he really take a sabbatical rather than face up to Hamilton for another year? If these really are Alonso's sentiments, he hardly deserves to be called a racing driver. Primadonna is more like it. Read more:Fernando
Driving is greener than walking... yes, you read it right! 2007-08-07 06:44:00 Save the Earth - drive a car!Under the category of news that will almost certainly not get the coverage it deserves, environmentalist Chris Goodall writes in the Times that 'eating less and driving to save energy would be better'. He's calculated that food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance. Blimey. The article also mentions that Britain's rail safety and standards board recently admitted that catching a diesel train is now twice as polluting as travelling by car for an average family.You can be even friendlier to the environment by making sure you're driving in a fuel-efficient manner - this interesting piece on 4Car reveals how improper driving behaviour can hugely increase a car's fuel consumption and negate the advantage of having bought a more fuel-efficient car in the first place. Just be careful - that downhill coasting sounds a bit hair Read more:Driving
More info on Japfest and Phoenix Park 2007-08-07 06:36:00 Full timetables have now been released for the Phoenix
Park Motor Races this weekend and the Mondello Park Japfest show on September 9th.
Bourdais finally makes it to F1 2007-08-10 16:21:00 The other quick Frenchman named SebastianSebastian Bourdais has been confirmed as a Scuderia Toro Rosso driver for 2008. It's a long overdue move for the Frenchman, who has been wiping the floor with all and sundry in the Champ Car series for the past couple of years. Inexplicably denied a Renault drive for the 2003 season, he will no doubt be keen to make up for lost time. While Bourdais has the talent to join the Alonso vs. Hamilton vs. Raikkonen vs. Massa scrap, Toro Rosso will probably not be able to offer him a frontrunning car as soon as next season. Already 28, he'll have to be quick to make an impression and get a drive with a top team, either with parent outfit Red Bull or elsewhere, if he's to fulfill his significant potential. Read more:makes
Will the new Hachi be a Scooby? 2007-08-10 16:16:00 It looks like the mooted AE86 revival project may in fact be a joint venture between Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru. A Subaru boxer engine could find its way into the new model, which is now slated for introduction in 2010, not 2008 as previously reported. Read more:Scooby
Irish connection to the Enzo crash 2007-08-10 16:03:00 The aftermathThe February 2006 Ferrari Enzo crash
in Malibu, California has passed into automotive legend. The story of ruined Swedish software billionaire Stefan Eriksson fascinated people across the world as the fragmented details of his spectacular brush with death slowly emerged over the following months. But now, a year and a half later, evidence of an Irishconnection
in the tale has emerged. Los Angeles' CBS2 reports that 26-year-old Trevor Michael Karney was in the passenger seat when the monumental near-200mph crash occured.After the crash "Karney then disappeared. An acquaintance of Karney, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday that Karney fled to his native Dublin, Ireland. He returned to California around a month ago via Tijuana, and a friend helped smuggle him into the United States, the acquaintance said."No details on his exact background or the specific nature of his connection to Eriksson have emerged.
In the papers... 2007-08-10 15:51:00 I had a sneaking suspicion this would happen: Inconsistencies have been found in driving tests carried out by private contractor SGS. [Independent]Ze Germans have forced the EU to back down on proposed stringent limits on car CO2 emmissions. [Independent]The RAC gives advice on how to use the hard shoulder properly. [Independent]Free car... with the first three half-a-million Euro houses purchased! [Independent] Read more:papers
Japfest update: Subaru gathering announced 2007-08-10 05:26:00 There'll be Scoobies aplenty at Japfest in SeptemberThe Irish Subaru
Driver's Club have confirmed that they will be attending Japfest in Mondello Park on September 9th with 'the biggest ever gathering of Subarus at an Irish show.' The display of cars will be one of the centre pieces of the show and will take pride of place in the paddock display area. In addition the club will take part in the ‘Track Time’ track sessions - should be a spectacular sight!
Gavin Smith back in the BTCC; Adam Carroll tests for A1GP Team Ireland 2007-08-14 11:43:00 Gavin Smith
raced for Vauxhall in 2006Dublin touring car racer Gavin Smith will be back in the British championship for the last three races of the season in a privately-entered Team GR Asia SEAT. He joins fellow Dubliner Eoin Murray who races an Alfa 156 in the championship.Elsewhere, A1 Team Ireland
will be testing 24-year-old driver Adam Carroll
ahead of the forthcoming 2007-08 season of the 'World Cup of Motorsport.' The perenially underfunded Portadown man, who recently won a GP2 race, will test for the team at Snetterton, but his appointment is not certain at this stage as the team is also understood to be talking to former drivers Richard Lyons and Ralph Firman. Read more:Gavin
, tests
The Veyron in the flesh, at last 2007-08-13 17:06:00 Up close and personal with the mother and father of all supercarsSo the Bugatti Veyron
made it out between the showers in the Phoenix Park. Some folks have said they were a bit underwhelmed by the Franco-German masterpiece. But that's the whole point of the Veyron: It's not brutal and visceral like the Lambo Diablo or Ferrari F40. It's quiet and understated, one of the most supremely accomplished pieces of automotive engineering ever built, capable of travelling at 252mph in perfect stability and comfort. I for one feel privileged to have witnessed it.As for the rest of the racing, it was a bit of a damp squib. There were long delays between races and reports from competitors indicate that the organisation was not exactly first-rate. To make matters worse, the paddock was nothing short of a complete mudbath. It seems these days that the drivers are only racing in the Park for the sake of it, desperately trying to keep the historical tradition alive. So what do people think? Have th Read more:flesh
Carzone Pick of the Week: 2007 JDM Honda Civic Type-R 2007-08-13 16:17:00 Mmmm... Type-R... *drools*This week's Carzone pick is a little different to the others, in that I have actually had a good close-up look at the car, photographed it and researched it for a feature for the Manic-Motorz website. Thanks to Performance Motor Works, the brand-new JDM Civic
Type-R is now available to buy in Ireland. The damage? €40,000 in total once the government gets its cut. Suffice to say, I want one. Badly. Read more:Honda
Silvia lives! 2007-08-13 16:03:00 Could this be the shape of an all-new S16 Silvia?Nissan's decision to kill off the much-loved Nissan Silvia rear-wheel-drive coupe at the end of 2002 baffled car enthusiasts worldwide. But if reports in Japan's 'Best Car' magazine are accurate, Nissan may be developing a new affordable turbocharged RWD coupe model. Is it a coincedence this news has broken shortly after the Toyota's new AE86 concept? I think not. Reports of the cheap Japanese sportscar's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.
Devaney continues to improve 2007-08-13 15:43:00 Devaney: Going from strength to strengthRathfarnam driver Micheal Devaney had another good weekend in British Formula 3, finishing eighth and fourth in the two Silverstone races respectively, proving once again that the once-unfancied Mygale car has developed into a credible force with his help. However, fellow Irishman Niall Breen looks to be falling back a little from the frontrunning pace he showed earlier in the season, clocking up seventh and ninth.
Mean green speed machine 2007-08-13 15:27:00 Ford's 770bhp hydrogen-powered monsterI know I said a while back that if I was a Green cabinet minister, I'd have the hybrid Supra racecar as my ministerial vehicle. I might just have changed my mind, though. Popular Mechanics has the scoop on this incredible hydrogen fuel cell-powered Ford Fusion, which is expected hit speeds of up to 200mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this week. With zero emmissions.
Rally round-up 2007-08-13 15:14:00 Out in front: Shaun GallagherTwenty of Ireland's top rally driver's were storming around
the Northen Irish parliament buildings in Stormont recently, testing out a new bridge that will form part of the rally-opening Super Special stage in November.Elsewhere, Rally
Ireland will be one of several events looked at by a new study commissioned by the FIA, evaluating the socio-economic impact of the World Rally Championship.And finally, Donegal's Shaun Gallagher is leading the rookie class of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship after a second place finish on Rally Finland earlier this month.
In the papers... 2007-08-13 14:58:00 A new report places the blame for Britain's 'obesity crisis' on increased car usage. [Guardian]An increased risk of car-Luas crashes is among the objections raised to the redevelopment of Arnott's in Dublin. [Independent]The Galway Cycling Campaign calls for Dublin's proposed 30km/h speed limit to be introduced in other cities. [Independent]Eleven of the government's 'Transport 21' projects are running behind schedule. [Times] Read more:papers
Back to the Future in the Phoenix Park? 2007-08-17 11:21:00 Historic future?Bob Montgomery writes in the Times' Motors supplement that the Phoenix
Park motor races should remodel itself as a historic racing festival a la the Goodwood Revival meeting in the UK. Historics have always been a big part of the Park meeting and the event quite successfully flirted with this type of thing before for its 75th anniversary in 2004. Many came away from this year's event feeling that it needs to change if it's going to survive and the historic route would seem to be a promising one to explore. Read more:Future
In the papers... 2007-08-17 11:04:00 The RSA is considering a rehabilitation program for convicted drunk drivers. [Times Motors]Plans to re-designate certain dual carriageways as motorways have been delayed once again. [Times Motors]Survey shows greater levels of safety-consciousness among motorists compared with last year... [Times]...but some are still taking chances. [Independent] Read more:papers
TRD Aurion: Yes please! 2007-08-20 19:03:00 Toyota super saloonFrom Australia comes this awesome Toyota Aurion that's been fettled by Toyota's in-house motorsports division TRD. It boasts a 3.5-litre dual-VVTi quad-cam 2GR-FE V6 engine equipped with an Eaton twin-vortice supercharger. Putting out 323bhp and nearly 300 lb/ft of torque, the Aurion accelerates to sixty in about six seconds and keeps going to nealy 150mph. Upgraded brakes, suspension and exhaust and stylish 19" alloys complete the slew of modifications. Very nice, now when's it coming to Europe? Damn Aussies!
Carzone Pick of the Week: Lancer Evo GpN Rally Car 2007-08-20 18:57:00 Rallying 'roundThis week's Carzone pick: A Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V rally car! A snip at €25,500, it's the perfect vehicle for chasing Messrs. Gronholm and Loeb around the lanes of the Northwest come November. Just don't forget your helmet and pacenotes... Read more:Rally
Eric flattens them at Mondello 2007-08-20 18:08:00 The 2007 Prodrift Irish championEric O'Sullivan battled tough opponents and a shattered windscreen on his way to clinching the 2007 Prodrift Irish series title under blazing sun at Mondello last weekend. Coming up against 2006 champ Darren McNamara in the final, the Dubliner secured the title with a round to spare.Full set of photos here. Results were as follows:TOP 16Eric O’Sullivan (AE86 Corolla) beat Christy Carpenter (S14A Silvia)John O’Brien (S14 Silvia) beat Dennis Healy (AE86 Corolla)Shane Healy (S15 Silvia) beat Pat McDonagh (Sierra Cosworth)Darren McNamara (AE86 Corolla) beat Adrian Walsh (180SX)Alan McCord (S15 Silvia) beat Declan Munnelly (Escort Mark II)Dean Kearney (S13 Silvia) beat Tommy McDonagh (Volvo 740)Mike Deane (S13 Silvia) beat Damien Mulvey (S13 Silvia)Johnny Power (180SX) beat James Deane (S14A Silvia)TOP 8O’Sullivan beat O’BrienM. Deane beat KearneyMcNamara beat McCordPower beat S. HealyFINAL 4McNamara beat M. DeaneO’Sullivan beat PowerFINALO’Sulli
Are you telling me this sucker is nuclear? De Lorean resurrected in Texas 2007-08-23 16:50:00 Model shown with optional time-travel equipment packageThat perennial Northern Irish industrial anecdote, the DeLorean DMC12, is coming back. The Texas
-based De Lorean Motor Company (no affiliation to the original) announced recently that it will start producing hand-built copies of the original at a rate of approximately two per month. The firm was founded in 1995 and until now had specialised in manufacturing spare parts and restoring original DeLoreans. The new car will have some modern accoutrements not found on the original such as MP3 compatibility and airbags and will retail for just under $60,000. There are no plans to sell it in Europe at the moment. There are about 6,000 of the original production run of DeLoreans still in existence, including about 80 in Ireland. Read more:sucker
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