Now it is the turn of the Frankfurt Motor Show to be in the limelight - a huge
exhibition spread around many halls. Forget all the mundane and boring cars
on view, and let's see what's happening in the supercar world.
Aston Martin DBS
For a start, Aston Martin has launched the DBS, a two-seater version of the
DB9, sharing the same aluminum space frame, but getting a more powerful engine
- 510 bhp against 450 bhp - and more aggressive lines.
Aston Martin talks a lot about weight reduction, but in truth the
lightweight carbon fiber panels and lighter carbon ceramic brake discs just
shave a few pounds off the weight of the DB9, which is odd. After all, the DB9
is an older design and has two extra seats compared with the DBS, so what is
going on?
Hard to say, but the fact is that only the extreme specialists - people
like Pagani, Lotus, Caparo and Noble - are able to really reduce weight.
Everyone else is so busy adding electronics and other gizmos, not to mention
huge wheels, that the weight just does not come off. The use of 20-inch wheels
instead of 18-inch wheels adds a lot of weight, and is done just to please
the stylists.
The Aston Martin DBS is not only about 20 lb heavier than the Ferrari
F599GTB Fiorano, and has almost 100 bhp less, so there is no contest when
it comes to acceleration and top speed. Aston Martin has always lagged Ferrari
in power output, though - no different today than 50 years ago.
Even so, the DBS is an elegant supercar which will win many friends. After
all, not everyone actually wants to drive at over 150 mph, even though they may
want to own a 190 mph supercar.
Bentley Continental GT Speed: 600 bhp
Bentley has also produced a more sporty version of the fine Continental GT
- the Continental GT Speed. It has the same body as the GT, so you get a full
four seater coupe, but now with an engine souped up to 600 bhp. Incidentally,
the 600-bhp club is quite exclusive - I reckon there are only about 15 engine
types producing more than 600 bhp in the world.
This extra power takes the top speed up to over 200 mph, and it must be the
only full four-seater in production able to reach this speed. The car will get
to 100 mph in 10.3 seconds, which is very quick for such a big lump of metal.
Bentley has improved the handling of the Continental GT models, and the
Continental GT Speed gets the sharper handling, and more sporty settings for
the stability control and automatic gearbox.
Evidently, Bentley has succeeded in cutting the understeer of the car,
which is a good thing as this was one of the car's weaknesses. You might
remember that the Continental GT is very heavy, and so is the GT Speed,
despite the fact that the weight has been by 77lb (35kg). Hardly going
on a diet - it is like a 200 lb man boasting that he has reduced his weight
by 3 lb. I don't think his friends would be impressed.
As I have said before, it is a pity that Bentley has not invested in
production equipment to produce the aluminum space frames developed by Audi
- maybe Audi is keeping the technology to itself. With an aluminum body,
Bentley would be facing the world of expensive oil and the need to be
'environmentally friendly' head on. Enthusiasts would also find that Bentley
Continental GTs weighing under 4,500 lb would accelerate much better, use less
fuel, and handle better - ah, but it's just a dream.
Jaguar releases XF
Jaguar, which made a big song and dance about its C-XF in the USA, has now
unveiled the production version - the XF. As expected, it is virtually
identical to the C-XF. It will be interesting to see whether the BMW concept
car is also a true indication of future BMWs, as that also look pretty radical.
Unfortunately, Jaguar has not used the aluminum body technology of the XJR
and XK for the XF, presumably because the Ford bosses decided it was uneconomic
for the higher volumes. This is another great opportunity missed, and makes
Jaguar look as if it is not ready to face the new world that is beginning to
loom large.
So, what you get is an extra 20 bhp over the Jaguar S-Type R, but in a car
weighing about 50 lb (22 kg) more - at over 4,000 lb (1,816 kg). As a result of
this excessive weight, the performance is slightly inferior to that of the much
bigger XJR, which is much lighter owing to the aluminum body.
Hardly progress, except that the car looks great, and will no doubt seduce
people in the showrooms. the Jaguar XF certainly looks sporty, but is actually
slightly higher than the old S-Type, and is otherwise about the same size.
As with the S-Type, there is a whole range of models, but we're only really
interested in the SV8 as the 420 bhp supercharged model is called. It is quick,
but nothing like as quick as if it weighed 3,600 lb (1,635 kg).
It does have some natty interior controls and lighting, though.
