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BRABUS shows that its upgrading expertise also extends to EVs

BRABUS declares itself to be the world’s largest independent automotive tuner for more than 4 decades and during that time, it has established a reputation for raising the performance levels of Mercedes-Benz models. Its expertise in petrol and diesel internal combustion engines (ICE) is considerable but with the industry moving towards electrification, will the company be able to continue its business of providing performance upgrades?

The answer would be yes and BRABUS is already showing that it can do for electrically-powered cars what it has done for ICE cars. In fact, it already has a Zero Emission Division for some time now and this division began looking at the EQC 400 4MATIC by Mercedes-Benz when it arrived on the market.

It has developed a performance upgrade for the EQC’s electric powertrain and delivers even more agile driving dynamics. Known as the E-PowerXtra performance upgrade, output goes up by another 10 kW to 310 KW (416 bhp) and peak torque is raised to 830 Nm from 760 Nm. As a result, the 5-door SUV can zip from standstill to 100 km/h within a claimed 4.9 seconds. The top speed remains limited to 180 km/h.

The upgrade is designed to become active when the driver selects drive mode ‘S’ with the standard DYNAMIC SELECT switch. When drive mode ‘E’ is active, , the PowerXtra ELECTRIC upgrade offers ‘one pedal driving’, a feature often requested by drivers of electric vehicles. The SUV decelerates sharply when the driver just lifts off the accelerator pedal. This requires far less frequent use of the brakes in normal traffic and further increases the energy recovery rate.

While the aerodynamic-enhancement kit with the exception of the already available rear spoiler is still under development, the appearance can already be upgraded with tailor-made BRABUS Monoblock Z alloy wheels with diameters of 20 or 21 inches. The eCrossover can be refined with two variants of the sporty and elegant 10-spoke design available for this model.

The BRABUS Monoblock Z PLATINUM EDITION wheels with 21-inch diameter are even more exclusive. The product of a high-tech forging process, these rims offer a combination of lightweight construction and maximum strength. The front axle runs on size 9Jx21 wheels with 255/40R21 ContiSportContact tyres of size. The rear fender wells accommodate forged 10.5Jx21 rims with tyres sized at 285/35R21.

As for all Mercedes-Benz models, BRABUS offers a host of custom refinement options for the interior of the EQC 400 4MATIC that include an exclusive fine leather interior crafted by the company’s own upholstery shop.

BRABUS offers exclusive options for the interior that create numerous possibilities for the customer. The line-up ranges from aluminium pedals and door-lock pins to scuff plates with backlit BRABUS logo in changing colours and a complete redesign of the cockpit.

2018 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC — *The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC made its global debut 2 years ago.*

The other side of the BRABUS business – armoured SUVs

Osamu Masuko, former Chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, passed away at 71

OBITUARY

We are very sad to learn that Osamu Masuko, special adviser and former Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), passed away on August 27 at the age of 71 due to heart failure. The news was only issued in an official statement by the company today, although Mr. Masuko’s funeral took place earlier.

Originally from Mitsubishi Corporation, the trading company, Mr. Masuko was appointed as the President of MMC in January 2005. He developed and implemented the Mitsubishi Motors Revitalization Plan and was largely credited with revitalizing the company when its image was seriously damaged due to what was regarded as a cover-up of defects for a long period.

He led the development of advanced environment-friendly vehicles including the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, as well as the world’s first 4WD SUV plug-in hybrid EV, the Outlander PHEV.

In the ASEAN region, he promoted in local production and expanded sales, particularly in Thailand which is the production hub for the Triton. In addition, in 2016, he built solid relationships with the Alliance companies (Renault and Nissan) and the Mitsubishi Group, establishing close cooperation and sharing resources.

Our condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.

Production of limited edition Pikes Peak Bentley Continental GT underway

The Pikes Peak International Hillclimb was held over the weekend and this year didn’t see any automakers participating. It’s a tough year for the auto industry and budgets are obviously reduced, and with the COVID-19 restrictions, entry for travellers from Europe is also not allowed. So the event has been largely a ‘domestic’ one like what it was for many decades before Audi and Peugeot stormed the peak in the 1980s. This year, there is also no motorcycle category as it has been deemed too dangerous for two-wheelers.

Coincidentally, over in England, the first of a limited run of 15 units of the Pikes Peak Continental GT by Mulliner has just been completed. Announced last year, the limited edition of the Continental GT was to celebrate the record-breaking run of a standard Continental GT at Pikes Peak in 2019. A base-spec Continental GT starts at £159,100 (about RM883,000) in the UK and these cars would cost considerably more.

Fastest production car up Pikes Peak
The Grand Tourer shaved 8.4 seconds off the previous record along the 19.98-km course, making it the fastest production car ever to compete in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb event. Driven by 3-time champion, former ‘King of the Mountain’ Rhys Millen, the W12-powered Continental GT climbed almost 5,000 ft through 156 bends in just 10 minutes, 18.4 seconds.

The limited edition features exclusive Radium by Mulliner paintwork, carbonfibre body kit, Acid Green brake disc callipers, and Pirelli P Zero Colour Edition Tyres. Gloss black detailing has also been added to the front lower bumper inserts, roof panel, wing mirrors and rear surfaces. 35% of the buyers (who are situated around the world) also specified the optional mountain decal, the same as the record-holding car.

While 22-inch Mulliner Driving Specification wheels in Gloss Black are standard, there’s an optional ‘100’ grille as a reminder that the Continental GT’s impressive hillclimb achievement took place in Bentley’s centenary year.

Sporting theme from competition car
Inside the cabin, Alcantara with contrasting Radium thread stitching adorns much of the soft trim areas, matched with Beluga hide. The steering wheel features a honeycomb stitching design and a centre stripe both in Radium, as per the Pikes Peak GT race car. Carbonfibre fascias and waistrails are complemented by a Piano Black centre console, all adding to the sporting theme.

The passenger-side fascia features a graphic showing a section of the Pikes Peak track, with 5 different graphics being used across the 15 cars being made, along with the record-setting time.

Pikes Peak embroidery to the seat headrests in Radium stitching, Radium contrast binding on the overmats, Pikes Peak treadplates and exclusive B&O speaker covers in Black Anodised and Radium finish further enhance the interior appeal. The Continental GT’s luxurious cabin includes the Bentley Rotating Display, deep pile overmats and Front Seat Comfort Specification.

Same W12 engine
Under the bonnet is essentially the same engine as the car that Millen drove. The mighty 12-cylinder petrol engine develops 626 bhp/900 Nm which can take the Continental GT from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 333 km/h.

*At the 2018 Pikes Peak Hillclimb, Millen claimed the outright record for a production SUV with a Bentayga when he did the run in 10:49.9.*

Bentley Continental GT breaks record at Pikes Peak

F1 (Round 7): Results And Highlights Of 2020 Belgium Grand Prix

♦ McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. didn’t get to race as exhaust failure while driving for the grid line-up forced him to instead return to the pits just before the start.

♦ Rain was headed towards the circuit but the start of the race was in dry conditions.

♦ The first crash took place during lap 11, bringing out the Safety Car. Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo was starting to spin and Russell (Williams) tried to avoid him but could not and crashed into the wall, with Giovanazzi doing the same a second later.

♦ Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez chose not to head for the pits to get fresh tyres while the rest of the cars came in while the Mercedes-AMG Safety Car was out for about 3 laps. Gasly would only bring his Scuderia Alphatauri Honda in on the 27th lap, the last driver to do so.

♦ Charles Leclerc was required to meet the Stewards after the race as he was seen to be ‘driving unnecessarily slowly’ during the reconnaissance lap.

♦ At the halfway mark, Lewis Hamilton had a 3-second lead over team mater Valtteri Bottas, and was about 7.5 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. The top three were essentially on their own as the gap after the Dutch Red Bull driver was about 16 seconds to Daniel Ricciardo.

♦ On lap 28, Hamilton’s car was spotted having a damaged wing and at the same time, the team sent a message to Bottas which suggested he was to push as hard as he could.At that point, Hamilton was still 3.7 seconds ahead.

♦ In the last few laps of the race, Hamilton expressed concerns about the front tyres, fearing a repeat of Silverstone – which wasn’t good at a track with such a long lap. But he managed the tyres as best as he could and crossed the finish line for his fourth win at Spa.

Aston Martin DB5 Junior for the little ones

Aston Martin’s DB5 is well known as the ‘James Bond car’, having appeared as a gadget-packed sportscar in the movie ‘Goldfinger’ (as well as ‘Skyfall’). Only 1,059 units were produced and sold between 1963 and 1965, so it is a rare model. As part of its Continuation program, the company is currently making 25 units of the ‘Goldfinger’ car, complete with the array of gadgets, priced at the equivalent of RM17.7 million.

While the original DB5 is not readily available and only 25 people will get to own the Goldfinger cars, there is now the DB5 Junior, a two-thirds scale replica that runs on electric power. It is the result of a collaboration between Aston Martin and The Little Car Company and based on Aston Martin’s reference 3D scan of an original DB5 to ensure complete accuracy and authenticity.

Developed over the last 15 months as a collaboration between the two companies, the junior car is priced at £35,000 (about RM195,000). Like all Aston Martin models, customisation of the DB5 Junior is possible in almost the same manner. Only 1,059 units will be available – the same production volume as the original DB5 – on a first-come, first served basis with a refundable deposit required.

The DB5 Junior is around 3 metres long, and 1.1 metres wide. It is designed to easily accommodate an adult and a child side by side. The aluminium honeycomb chassis and composite body provide a very rigid platform whilst keeping the total weight down to around 270 kgs.

Absolute authenticity was key throughout the development of the car. For example, the DB5 Junior sports the same iconic Aston Martin ‘wings’, ‘shield’ and DB5 badges as the original 1963 model. Like its big brother, the dashboard is filled with functional Smiths instruments, which have been cleverly updated for the modern era.

The fuel gauge has been converted into a battery meter, while the oil temperature now monitors the temperature of the electric motor. Finally, the same Smiths clock as seen in the original 1960s car sits proudly in front of the passenger seat.

The perfect two-thirds scale steering wheel has a racing-style quick release to make entry and exit easier for the driver. Power is regulated by billet aluminium accelerator and brake pedals and, as would be expected, there are working headlights, brake lights, indicators and a horn. However, there are no 007 gadgets which is a pity.

In true DB5 style, the car comes in the famous Silver Birch colour as standard, with a full black leather interior and carpet set. There is even a boot at the rear for storage.

Like the real car, the DB5 Junior sits on double wishbone suspension at the front and even the roll centre and camber gain match the original geometry. At the rear, there is a live axle that is of the 1960s period, with authentic upper and lower trailing arm suspension and Panhard rod.

Behind each of the 10-inch wire wheels are ventilated disc brakes. Like modern hybrid and all-electric cars, there is regenerative braking which contributes to recharging of the battery pack.

Powered by a torquey electric powertrain delivering 5 kW (6.7 bhp) to the rear wheels, the DB5 Junior can zip to a maximum speed of almost 50 km/h. The removable battery pack under the bonnet is said to provide 16 to 32 kms driving range, depending on how the car is driven. A second battery can be added for extra range and replacement of each pack is easily done in seconds.

For safety, there are three modes to suit the skill of the driver, with the power output reduced to 1 kW (1.3 bhp) for less experienced drivers. Besides a maximum speed of around 20 km/h, this mode has a remote kill switch which will disable the car if it is further than 30 metres. The Expert mode generates maximum output available and for the ultimate driving experience, a rally-style hydraulic handbrake is included.

DB5 Vantage Junior
There is also the DB5 Vantage Junior available in the UK for £45,000 (around RM250,000) which has a powerful 10 kW (13.4 bhp) electric motor. This output is delivered to the wheels through a Limited-Slip Differential. Performance is further enhanced by the lightweight carbonfibre body and a second battery pack, doubling the range to between 32 and 64 kms.

First ‘Goldfinger’ Aston Martin completed, priced at RM17.7 million (w/VIDEO)

F1 (Round 7): Preview & Starting Grid For 2020 Belgium Grand Prix

Race starts at 3:10 pm in Belgium/9:10 pm in Malaysia

After one weekend break, the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship begins its second three-in-a-row rounds with Round 7 at the historical Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgium Grand Prix. The event is the 65^th F1 World Championship round hosted by Belgium and is one of the original races from the 1950s season. However, the F1 races were not always held at Spa-Francorchamps and on 11 occasions, they were held at two other circuits.

The 7-km track with 19 turns is therefore familiar to the drivers and teams, with its outstanding features and characteristics leading to some interesting set-up decisions. The two long full-throttle sections of the first and third sectors require low drag – but the longer intricate middle sector, where much of the lap time is made or lost, makes for a complicated choice of downforce levels. If too high, the car cannot attack or defend on the long straights; too low and too much time is lost in the middle of the lap. Each team will therefore have different strategies and it is always interesting see which one proves suitable.

Spa-Francorchamps is F1’s longest track with a lap distance of 7.004 kilometres. This tops the second circuit on the list, Baku (6.003 kms), by just over one kilometre. Because of its long lap distance, the Belgium GP has the lowest number of race laps in F1 with only 44 – making for a race distance of 308.05 kms. Also at this track, the drivers experience up to 5.2g (at Turn 10), which is the highest lateral g-force of the season.

Longest lap, few gear changes
Interestingly, despite having the longest lap in F1, the drivers only change gear 38 times for each circulation of Spa, one of the lowest figures in F1. This is particularly low when compared to the busy laps of Monaco where drivers will change gears around 50 times per lap – and that street track is less than half the length of Spa.

The main reason for the relatively low number of gear changes per lap is that a large portion of the lap at Spa is covered in top gear. Additionally, most of the corners that require gear changes come in groups – for example, Turn 5 to Turn 7. Over the length of the entire 7.004 kilometres of lap distance, there are only 6 sets of gear changes required.

Prompted by a 2019 race in which no driver used the C1 tyre and seven of the ten points-scoring cars ran a one-stop strategy, Pirelli has brought a compound one notch down for this weekend’s racing, with the C2, C3 and C4 available to the teams.

Fresh engines installed
Another potential factor at this race is the use of fresh engines. The announcement of an extended calendar earlier this week takes the projected number of races up to 17 (originally 22) which is above the threshold that allowed competitors to use a third ICE, TC or MGU-H. Spa has traditionally been a race where teams install a new power unit anyway, and so this weekend may see a slight shift in running, especially in the ultra-tight midfield.

The championship positions
Lewis Hamilton continues to enjoy a commanding lead at the top of the Driver’ Championship table with 132 points. Behind him is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who has 95 points after having taken 5 5 consecutive podium finishes. He is ahead of Valtteri Bottas who started the season well but now finds himself slipping and has so far collected only 89 points.

Once again, Mercedes-AMG is in a strong leading position in the Constructors’ Championship with 221 points. That’s 86 points ahead of Red Bull Racing. The teams to watch are Racing Point, McLaren and Ferrari: Racing Point has 63 points, just one point ahead of McLaren and two ahead of Ferrari.

Past winners
Michael Schumacher has had the most number of wins at the Belgium GP -2 with Benetton and 4 with Ferrari. The Ferrari team has had the most victories, 18 in all, which is 4 ahead of McLaren.