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>Freak of the Week: Buzz-by

11 Jun

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June 10, 2011 marks the end of the Isle of Man TT event and also marks the centenary of its mountain course. First held in 1907, this incredible venue is even older than the Indianapolis 500, of which only celebrated its 100th anniversary last month.

More than an event with an illustrious past, the Isle of Man TT is also an event that warmly embraces the future. In FotW #21, we take a look at the third annual Isle of Man TT Zero, the clean emission electric motorcycle race.

Arguably the most stand out team in the electric class is Portland based, two-time TT Zero winner, MotoCzysz. This year, MotoCzysz fielded their unique Segway-Czysz motorcycle to win their event and to set a new electric lap record of 99.513 average mph, thanks to their newly developed 3-phase AC motor capable of producing an equivalent of over 200hp.

Moreover, the fairings on this year’s motorcycle completely shroud its innards. Last year, the 2010 MotoCzysz E1PC’s fairings were conveniently stuck in customs, allowing fans to get a closer look of the Czysz’s brilliantly engineered battery array design.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to dig up any substantial specs on the 2011 model but I imagine it’s essentially an enhanced and refined version of their 2010 bike. Undoubtedly, the battery array is the E1PC’s party piece. The 2010 E1PC possessed a 10 individual lithium polymer cell array, each cell weighing 19.5 Lbs.

Rather than have wires connect batteries to the bike, MotoCzysz created these docks that lock the batteries into receivers integrated onto the bike’s frame, conducting the batteries and supporting the batteries’ weight at the same time. This allows for lighter weight, stronger rigidity, durability, and quicker servicing.

The TT Zero is a fantastic event that deserves it’s place in the Isle of Man program as we benefit from innovations emerging from MotoCzysz’s and their competing teams. Both batteries and electric motors will get lighter and lighter as well as better packaged within a chassis. Whether you are an advocate of alternative energy or not, the question is no longer “if”, only “when”.

>A Memorial

29 May

>While everyone is celebrating their right to drink, grill, and have an extra day off on this Memorial Day weekend, FPH would like to thank those that have served this country.  Thank you for protecting our freedoms and way of life.  This being an automotive blog, we thought it prudent to showcase some military hardware that have also served this country well.

Happy Memorial Day!  Have fun, be safe, and buy a serviceman a drink.

>Cars with air conditioning should not have carbon fiber bits!

18 Sep

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These carbon vents are pretty gaudy, aren’t they? Why would we ever need vents made out of carbon fiber? If you really want to make your car lighter, might you consider completely removing air conditioning instead?

Okay no, maybe not. I’m sure I wouldn’t want my sweaty butt B.O. smell to bake inside my hypothetical $225k Italian sports car either.

It may not seem like it to you, but I do appreciate carbon fiber. The weaves are seriously cool. And especially from a technological standpoint, it’s almost magic. If I could travel back in time and show alchemists this miracle material, I wouldn’t be surprised if they forget all about turning lead into gold.

Unfortunately, the trend with carbon fiber is men believe they have to have it in order for their cars to be any better. The marketing folk understands that especially. That’s why they show no shame when they vomit out unnecessary applications and accessories. There are plenty of people who take the bait.

Take this: Carbon fiber cup holder trim? Seriously?? Just how many grams will you take off of your car’s curb weight? Did you actually gain a lower center of gravity?

We have got a better idea for you. Don’t even bother with cup holders at all. Go on your own little diet. Lose some weight. Empty the change from you pockets, wear a thinner shirt, buzz your hair, shave your beard. Hell, manscape.

There are cars where carbon fiber should be the least of its concern– the Bentley Continental Supersports, for example. The “base” Continental GT, if a hand built car can ever have a “base” model, costs around $180k.

A bump in horsepower and a two hundred pound weight saving raises the price by approximately another hundred grand, slotting itself into DB9/ 599 GTB territory.

Is it suddenly a weapon for the track? No. The spec numbers still mark it at 4939 lb., comparable to the weight of a million elephants. It tells me that no amount of carbon fiber will hide what it was always meant to be— a torque monster long distance GT car, a coachwork orgy of rich leathers, burled wood, aluminum switches, and the trademark Breitling analog clock on the center console.

I’ve always liked that about Bentleys, anyway.

Look, the fact of the matter is that we have to admit what’s right and leave carbon fiber for the real hypercars and sports cars– Pagani Zonda, Lamborghini Superleggera, Ferrari Challenge, etc.

Even then, few of us will ever drive these vehicles to limits where we truly cannot do without the car’s carbon fiber weight and rigidity characteristics. I know I never will.

For the record, though, why yes, I would take the Aston over the Supersports and the GTB, thank you very much.

As a matter of fact, the DB9 is the prime example of why a car really does not have to throw carbon fiber around to shout about itself. Its cabin is just a gem to sit in and the true sense of occasion comes from… well, from the fact that it’s an Aston Martin.

It’s possible I can be mistaken. Perhaps the DB9 does have some mechanical bits or panels that are carbon fiber. I can’t be positive and I haven’t a clue where the bits could be. Honestly, I don’t care and I can’t be bothered to research it on Google. The point here is Aston Martin made sure not to make carbon fiber a hallmark in presenting the DB9. Such a suggestion actually distracts you from the real reason why the car is so desirable. The car is more than the sum of its parts.

Hm, “more than the sum of its parts.”

Think about that the next time you think your sports car needs to have that carbon fiber trim that includes carbon vanity mirror covers.

>Porsche. It’s not a sellout.

18 Aug

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You prefer feeling secure? Go buy a wittle puppy. Porsche understands this.


Danny Chin and I rarely agree on all things Porsche (pronounced Poor-sha!). I remember a particular conversation we had where I was convinced, unfounded or not, that a 911 is a car that is truly befitting of my character… to which Chin responded with a Jezza-like remark, “Because of its ass-backwards engineering?”

You haters might as well throw in some Volkswagen Beetle jabs while you’re at it. After all, one of founder Ferdinand Porsche’s first projects was the creation of the Beetle for Nazi Germany, which eventually became the building block for the 356. With the engine, suspension and chassis Volkswagen derived, the Porsche 356 was essentially an aluminum bodied Beetle with a sportier silhouette.
Ironically, the modern Porsche 911 is more true to its Beetle roots than the New Beetle on the market. While the New Beetle was modernized to a front engine fwd layout, the 911 is still and, mark my words, always will be rear engine and rwd.
It is also this stubbornness to move the engine that is the main gripe for many people who dislike Porsche 911’s. There just isn’t enough weight to keep the grip at the front tires. Come into a turn too quickly, and you’ll understeer. You’d think lifting off will be enough to correct it and the next thing you know you’re facing oncoming headlights while spinning backwards. Think of the piece of mind you’re going to feel not having to worry about seeing what you’ll eventually end up smashing into. It’s a plus.
Okay okay fine. Maybe it isn’t a plus. But what about the Lamborghinis that spontaneously combust? Or what about the happy buyer of the new Ferrari 458 Italia who wrote-off the red head in less than 24 hours? Easy come, easy go. You want to be coddled? Buy a Regal land yacht. You prefer feeling secure? Go buy a wittle puppy. Porsche understands this. It’s no accident that the bat sh*t crazy GT2 RS has the looks of a serial killer too.
courtesy of Autoblog
What about the other models? That ridiculous Cayenne? The ugly as sin Panamera? You might think, “Surely, Danny, Porsche is tainting their brand with other vehicles in the line-up that don’t belong. It has abandoned its sports car pedigree to embrace a more promising future as a luxury brand.”
Yes and no. I see this in a different angle. In multiple occasions in the past, Porsche has come dangerously close to bankruptcy. But I believe Porsche will do anything, absolutely anything, to continue selling 911’s. It will do anything, absolutely anything, to prove that they are, and always will be, the best sports car brand in the world, period. If this means that they must sell an SUV and a sedan in order to finance the future of their performance legacy, so be it.

The “always will be” will prove difficult. CAFE laws governing emissions and mpg aren’t doing the future of performance cars any favors. In the car shows of the past year, we’ve seen a new era of hybrid or EV concepts from every sort of manufacturer— veterans like Toyota, sophomores like Tesla Roadster, and the new kids including Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla’s new sedan, the Lotus Evora hybrid that many of you may have forgotten, and Ferrari’s green colored 599 hybrid. The one that takes the cake, though, is the Porsche 918. And I’ll tell you why.

Courtesy of Autotribute

This year, companies were introducing hybrids for one of either two reasons; either 1.) The company figures that everyone else is doing it and it’s a good idea to go into something that’s lucrative and 2.) It’s great for the company’s public image. Take that Ferrari 599 HY-KERS for example. Arguably, it was more of an afterthought, an accumulation of existing parts just so they have something to show people. The Chevy Volt was done because our Federal government bailed them out with taxpayer money and we told them to make things happen or else. The Nissan Leaf, the Fiskar and the Tesla were all made by accountants with the intention of profits. The Porsche 918 is a whole new prototype. “A vision for the future of the brand.” Their noble cause is to ensure the survival of the sports car.

They are not sellouts. They are survivors.

>What is the Bugatti Veyron?

30 Jul

>To start, Bugatti Veyron is a noun.

From there, things are going to get a bit complicated.. Or, dare I, things get a bit nonsensical.

Bugatti Veyron Gran Sport


We begin describing the Bugatti with numbers. Let’s get started with the price first, something you should all feel more comfortable with understanding. It is a cool $170,576.90.

Wait, something isn’t right… Oh no! I’m sorry, how embarrassing– I accidentally moved it to the wrong decimal place. The starting price for a Bugatti Veyron is, in fact:

 
$1,705,769

I repeat, One Million Seven Hundred and Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Nine US Dollars. And get this, the company is still losing money for every car sold.

That’s not all. The latest special edition Veyron Super Sport is said to be, according to New York Time’s Wheels column writer, John Pearley Huffman (I did not make any of this up), priced at $2.5 MILLION!!!!!!! I’ll give you a moment to let that settle in.

But it’s true, isn’t it? You should always get what you pay for.  So what’s so special about this car, then, that it has the audacity to charge a price that is even greater than the stimulus amount granted to the schools of Orange County, California?

The first question we should ask when it comes to sports cars like the Bugatti is, “How fast does it go?”

We know it’s more than 250mph, but how much is that really? The Veyron can out-accelerate a cheetah to 60mph, reach a higher top speed than a Boeing AH-64 Apache Gunship Helicopter used by our Navy and, in a very interesting 2-mile drag race, it is also a very competent adversary against the British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon.

I mean seriously, a W16 cylinder quadturbo engine?! When I first heard of those numbers, i nearly crapped my pants. The Veyron would crap itself too if it didn’t have ten radiators, only four of which are for the engine itself, to cool off.

No, she is not a midget nor is this photoshopped. Just accept that everything about this car is staggering and completely defies logic.

In spite of all the logic that it defies, we see that this car does exist for a purpose. The Veyron exists to be the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive production automobile in history. When the just-as-ugly Ultimate Aero SSC TT 123ABC decided to challenge the seat for top speed king, Bugatti Veyron answered back by doing what it does best, introducing the Veyron Supersport. It’s even faster, even more powerful, even more ludicrous and twice as expensive as the original.

In the last episode of Top Gear (half of you readers probably saw it before I had a chance to), presenter James May gave it a go in the Veyron SS. Upon hitting the magic number, attaining the Veyron SS’ terminal velocity of 417.9 kph (259.7 mph), Bugatti sent their factory test driver to take the car out again to do two runs, one at each direction of their oval test track, to average a top speed of 267mph. Now just to be clear, that’s a total of three maximum speed runs in a span of one afternoon and this car just kept on going.

But I hate them for it.

On one hand, I am more than impressed by the monumental engineering. The undertaking of such a vehicle is immense and in car terms, comparable to a Saturn V rocket or CERN Large Hadron Collider project. Unfortunately, on the other hand, I feel like all this marvel is always going to be in the hands of people that least deserve it:

>"The world’s most beautiful cars…

4 Jul

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… almost always look like a naked woman lying on her stomach about to get up.” -unknown

I would have gladly taken credit for this quote, but let’s face it, we all know it was said by someone much more brilliant. If any of you know of its origin, feel free to leave a helpful comment.

Every once in a while, your favorite car magazines will do a cover on what they’ve nominated as the most beautiful cars in the world. 90% of the time, they’ve somehow managed to let you down by either not including one of your favorite cars or by putting in a car that you just don’t care for. Unfortunately, this may happen here too. If you really want a list that meets your expectations, it’d be easier if you just created your own.

Anyway, back to me. I imagine that industrial design may be one of the most creativity prohibiting fields within design. Oftentimes, designs are dictated by the boring philosophies of practicality and functionality. You’ve all heard the phrase “form follows function,” yes?

Even so, the humble automobile that started out as a tool for transportation, has become something that has transcended to lifestyle, culture, and won the affections of many.

Affection is wonderful. Affection has given upright utility a sprinkling of the irrational. But with a little extra addition of passion (Italian or otherwise), the flood gates opened and we witness the evolution of modern car design.

Through the decades, specifically starting in Europe and the United States during the late 1930′s, one shape overcame the test of time and became the shape we have all universally agreed upon as beauty.

A common misconception has been that the most important part of a car is its engine.


Take this picture of an 1918 Peugeot for instance. It suggests to me that it is as powerful as a locomotive, dramatically displays the immensity of its engine. All else is an afterthought.

Later, a new philosophy stated that, in fact, the most important part of the car is its contact points to the road– the wheels and tires. Car design paid close attention, and eventually devoted attention, to incorporating fenders that cover the wheels and suspension for better protection, aerodynamic fluidity and, of course, aesthetics.

1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster


1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900


Italian “Pontoon”



1949 Mercury Coupe


American “Character Line”
This design pursuit gave fruit to two key design cornerstones. The “pontoon fender” and the “character line.” The majority of later design exercises have always been a combination of the two in varying degrees.

1955 Porsche 550 Spyder

1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa


1963 Ferrari 250 GTO


1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe


1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback

Approaching the late 1960s, we enter the golden age of Italian car design and engineering.
Advances in fiberglass and metallurgy allowed for even more complex surfaces. In order to convey athleticism, designers offered the illusion of tension and bottled energy. No longer is it simply an attractive steel shell covering the mechanical bits. Inspiration created taut, firm skin, appeared to have stretched itself to its limit of tension across the car. What’s the result?

Yes you guessed it, the result is a car that looks like a naked woman lying on her stomach.

Through it all, the philosophy from the 1930s remained true in the 1960s– wheel fender arches are even more aggressively exaggerated, the engine still bulges through the bonnet.

Another notable event happened in the 1960s. A small Italian automaker was founded in the once quiet town of Sant’Agata Bolognese. You may recognize the name from their more recent efforts; Diablo, Murcielago, Gallardo. But in 1966, Lamborghini created their genesis, the very first mid-engined V12 Lamborghini. The Miura.

A sword has two edges, however. In the 1960s, car manufacturers were still in the experimental phase of aerodynamics and many were yet to master wind tunnel techniques. What does this mean? The rule of thumb for designers became, “if it looks slippery, then it is slippery.”

1967 Lamborghini Miura

1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
1968 Ferrari Dino
Porsche 917

Ferrari 330 P4
Ford GT40
1990s Britain’s decade of Magnificence. The wind tunnel’s path of enlightenment.

Jaguar XJ 220


McLaren F1

Aston Martin DB7
2000s
Porsche Carrera GT

Ferrari F430

Aston Martin DB9
Alfa Romeo 8C Competitzione


Porsche Cayman S

Like many things, design can come back in full circle. For numerous reasons, whether it may be heritage, intellectual recycling, or what not, I do feel that the modern cars, while still thoroughly modern and innovative, borrow a lot from its predecessors.

Nonetheless, I am very amazed at how far and how successful the original Italian Pontoon and the American Character line have developed and evolved while still staying very true to its original intention.

Thank you all for reading this incredibly long post. In a century, there have been millions of cars that have been created so naturally there are numerous cars that have captured our hearts and inspired us.

To the Lotus race car fans, and Lancia Stratos fanatics, Acura NSX tuners, Rolls Royce connoisseurs and yes, even you BMW playboys, I have not forgotten about the contributions your cars have provided but I just couldn’t have possibly done them all.

>Flappy Paddle Head

6 Dec

>Even as you are reading this sentence right now, without me having to even begin the topic, I am willing to bet that you already know where this post is going.

Fellow car enthusiasts, we are fans of innovation. We appreciate the importance of our engineers and their forward thinking, providing us with automobiles that are more accessible, more practical, and safer on the limit.

Computer chips kick in, calculating all sorts of algorithms, feeding off of sensory devices across every parameter of the car. This effectively narrows the gap between the amateur weekenders and the abilities of a professional race car driver. Yes, fat man, even you can look like a hero behind the wheel of the modern Ferrari 430.

One of the more recent devices that have been implemented onto modern race cars are the sequential gearbox. This technology has become a staple. Whether the discipline is Formula 1 or WRC, cars are fitted with this device that promises quicker shifting and efficient ergonomics. It has become so popular, in fact, that it has become a symbol of cutting edge performance.

But here lies the rub, ladies and gentleman. Car companies see this as an opportunity to please consumers that are conscious for performance. German motor companies are the largest offenders of all– VW mates the sporting version of their bread and butter Golf to their trick DSG twin clutch transmission. [displeasure with what German motor companies do aside, I am a huge fan of the new GTI]

But let me explain the reason of my displeasure. The sequential, or flappy paddle gearboxes, are robbing our driving experience. The bond between a proper manual gearbox and a sports car is eternal. The tactile feel satisfies every sensory organ in our body– the touch of the shifter, the weight of the clutch, the engines noise during a perfect rev match, the smell of gasoline, liking what you see as you grin and glance at yourself from the rear view mirror.

::glances at the review mirror:: “Danny Choy, you are one bad ass muthafuka.”

The bottom line is that the relationship between man (or woman) and machine cannot be reproduced by any other sort of transmission. The arguably more efficient gearbox will win races, sure. But when you are buying yourself a car for pleasure, let me be the one to warn you against the hype.

Oh, won’t bother with what I’ve said? So be it! Just don’t blame me for calling you a “flappy paddle head” when you come crying back to me after you’ve realized your gearbox has betrayed you.


Automatic vs. Semi-Automatic vs. Manual pt. 1
Automatic vs. Semi-Automatic vs. Manual pt. 2

[credit to alernest, who provided YouTube with these select scenes from BBC show Top Gear and 5th Gear]

-Danny Choy-

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