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March 31, 2016

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Godzila, but more refined Godzilla, but more refined

ALWYN VILJOEN ponders offering the other kidney for the latest iteration of Nissan’s GT­R THE most respected car unveiled at this week’s New York Interna­ tional Auto Show is the 2017 Nis­ san GT­R. The good news is Nissan South Africa has confirmed the latest it­ eration of Godzilla will also come to our showrooms later this year.

General manager of marketing communications Graeme Birch told media the local distributors are excited to welcome the new GT­R to South Africa.

“We will be announcing more details in the not­so­distant fu­ ture”, said Birch.

A decade after its introduction in 2007, the latest GT­R offers the most significant changes in the model.

The exterior gets a complete makeover, both to make what Nis­ san describes as a sportier­look­ ing car, and to create an aerody­ namically efficient vehicle, with less drag that retains the same amount of downforce as the GT­R in which Marburg’s Dezzi Gutzeit became King of the Hill at the Si­ mola Hillclimb in Knysna last year.

Nissan’s executive design di­ rector Mamoru Aoki said as the icon of Nissan’s driving perform­ ance, the GT­R continues to evolve.

“With the signature V­Motion grille, the GT­R now possesses the latest Nissan design language.

“Its exceptional aerodynamic performance and upgraded interi­ or have given the GT­R a more mature character, which will con­ tinue into the future,” said Aoki.

Beside the new design lan­ guage, the grille has been enlarged to provide better engine cooling and now features an updated mesh pattern. A new hood, which flows flawlessly from the grille, has been significantly reinforced, con­ tributing to stability during high­ speed driving.

And that front spoiler lip below the headlamps generating high levels of front downforce. The GT­R’s familiar wind­cutting shape defines its profile, but the side sills have been pushed out to improve air flow.

The rear of the car also received

a thorough makeover.

While the GT­R’s hallmark four­ring taillights remain, look closely and you’ll notice new bodywork to help improve air flow, as well as side air vents next to the quad exhaust tips.

Inside We have not yet had the privilege of just sitting inside the new GT­R, but want to remind readers that the first drive in 2007 result­ ed in this author offering a kidney for a GT­R. Nissan’s statement said the cabin greets the driver with a pre­ mium interior “that is befitting a high­performance sports car of this calibre”.

The entire dashboard and in­ strument panel are new and cov­ ered with high­quality leather art­ fully stitched.

The shape of the dashboard adopts a “horizontal flow” that delivers a sense of increased sta­ bility for the car’s front­seat occu­ pants, while the line from the in­ strument cluster to the centre console provides a distinct driver­ oriented environment for those behind the steering wheel.

The centre dashboard layout has also been improved and sim­ plified. Integrated navigation and audio controls reduce the number of switches from 27 in the previous model to only 11 in the 2017 model.

An enlarged eight­inch touch­ panel monitor features large icons on the display screen to make it easy to operate.

A new Display command con­ trol on the carbon­fibre centre console allows easy operation.

The shift paddles are now mounted to the new steering wheel, allowing drivers to change gears in mid­turn without having to take their hands off the wheel.

How it goes, reportedly The GT­R’s award­winning 3,8­li­ tre V6 24­valve twin­turbo­ charged engine — each unit hand­ crafted by its own Takumi techni­ cian—now delivers 421 kW (565 hp) at 6 800 rpm.

The improved output, which

are the result of individual igni­ tion­timing control of the cylin­ ders and extra boost from the tur­ bochargers, allow the new GT­R to possess superior acceleration in the mid­ to high­ranges (3 200 rpm and above).

It comes mated to a thoroughly refined six­speed dual­clutch transmission that features smoother shifts and less noise.

That familiar GT­R tone also has been upgraded with an engine that has never sounded better, ac­ cording to Nissan.

The GT­R has always been re­ garded as one of the world’s best handling machines, and for 2017, its cornering abilities have be­ come even better.

A more rigid body structure and new suspension result in bet­ ter stability through quick lateral transitions and higher overall cor­ nering speed. Grip are comes from 20­inch tyres, on “Y­spoke” aluminum rims.

Still a commuter’s dream Despite all the performance en­ hancements, the 2017 GT­R is the most comfortable model to date, with a new sense of elegance and civility that one would rarely find in such a high­performance super­ car.

The new GT­R exhibits a smoother ride quality than the outgoing model, and its cabin re­ mains much quieter at all speeds and new sound absorption mate­ rials.

Chief product specialist of the GT­R Hiroshi Tamura said, “The new GT­R delivers a heart­pound­ ing driving experience at all times and on any road for whoever sits in the driver’s seat. We have con­ tinued to push its performance boundaries to the outer limits — it’s even more potent than before.

“At the same time, more refine­ ment has been added to take the entire driving experience to an en­ tirely new level.

We’re proud to bring you what we feel is the ultimate GT that possesses amazing performance, newfound civility and a rich racing history.”

The GT­R, already the car of choice for KZN’s fastest quarter milers and SA’s blistering hill climbers, just got better, and its coming to SA. PHOTO: NISSAN

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2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

March 31, 2016

Auto smoke signals ALWYN VILJOEN unpacks three events that will one day close petrol stations MARCH has been quite a month for events that take us all a bit closer to the end of petrol­en­ gined motoring as we know it.

The last of these events hap­ pens tonight, at a car launch that will be watched closely by city planners and social anthropolo­ gists alike, for it involves that great disruptor, Elon Musk.

Musk, owner of the electric car brand Tesla, had already tweeted in February that “Mod­ el 3 reservations ($1 000 down) will be accepted in Tesla stores on March 31 and online April 1”.

Unlike other Tesla cars, the Model 3 is not a brutally fast, very luxurious all­electric vehi­ cle, but an affordable evee aimed at the masses — a lot like the Chevrolet Bolt.

The Tesla 3 will bring Musk a step closer to his real objective — to save the planet from our carbon­belching vehicles by re­ placing them with electrics.

Last year, Musk told students in Paris, while the French capital was hosting the U.N. Climate Change Conference, that elec­ tric vehicles are a crucial part of a solution to climate change.

That, and much higher taxes on carbon emissions.

The Model 3 launch will be hosted at the Tesla’s design headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and will be live­ streamed at the Tesla website from about 4.30 am on Friday morning, SA time.

Rocking the oil world While the Tesla car shows the way forward in propulsion sys­ tems, an announcement by the Rockefeller Family Fund (RFF) last week shows if not the end

ing a conspiracy against us.”

Elon Musk in front of a Tesla car at the electric car factory in Fremont, California.

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA.ORG of oil, at least that the end of oil is nigh.

The family fund, a charity set up in 1967 by descendants of John D. Rockefeller, announced last Wednesday that it would di­ vest from all fossil­fuel holdings “as quickly as possible”.

Bear in mind, it was in oil that Rockefeller made his billions, but now his descendants, Mar­ tha, John, Laurance, Nelson and David Rockefeller, have said that ExxonMobil in particular is “morally reprehensible” in its deeds as the world’s largest oil

company. In a statement that may as well have been written by Musk, the RFF founders thun­ dered: “There is no sane ration­ ale for companies to continue to explore for new sources of hy­ drocarbons. “We must keep most of the already discovered reserves in the ground if there is any hope for human and natu­ ral ecosystems to survive and thrive in the decades ahead.

“We would be remiss if we failed to focus on what we be­ lieve to be the morally reprehen­ sible conduct on the part of Ex­

xonMobil. “Evidence appears to suggest that the company worked since the eighties to con­ fuse the public about climate change’s march, while simulta­ neously spending millions to fortify its own infrastructure against climate change’s de­ structive consequences and track new exploration opportu­ nities as the Arctic’s ice reced­ ed.”

An Exxon spokesperson told CNBC: “It’s not surprising that they’re divesting from the com­ pany since they’re already fund­

In England, meanwhile…

While Musk and the Rockefell­ ers dominated the headlines, news that millions of pounds sterling will be sucked up by Brit­ ish vacuum maker Dyson to de­ velop a battery system, almost slipped in under the radar.

The news would have slipped past unnoticed were it not for the British National Infrastruc­ ture delivery plan first claiming that Dyson will develop an elec­ tric car, using £147 million in in­ vestment and creating 500 jobs.

According to the Guardian, the current version of the same government report now states “up to £16 million” will be grant­ ed to Dyson to support research and development for battery technology at its site in Malmes­ bury.

The news follows Dyson’s ac­ quisition of battery start­up Sakti3 late last year for $90 mil­ lion, citing it had “developed a breakthrough in battery tech­ nology”.

Sakti3 is best known for its “solid­state” batteries (SSBs) that store 50% more energy than current lithium­ion models in less space. The Sakti3 proto­ type can survive more charge­ discharge cycles than traditional Li­ion. Whatever the real reason behind the changes in the UK statement, the smoke signals seem to indicate a UK govern­ ment that is also on fire for vehi­ cles that do what Musk also wants — no carbon belching from exhaust pipes.

• See page 6 for London’s el­ ecgtric double­deck buses.

Durban connection will ensure new TVR is less fragile ALWYN VILJOEN REBORN British sports­car maker TVR announced it will be setting up shop in Wales to build the new All­British sports car.

TVR will be the second car maker to open a factory in Wales, after Aston Martin made a similar announcement last year.

But TVR is the only one to date that will be using Durban­ schooled Gordon Murray’s de­ sign process to build TVR. Using Murray’s F1 racing ex­ perience, the new generation of TVRs will still be ferociously fast but not as famously fragile.

TVR said the factory will cre­ ate 150 jobs for mostly artisans who will hand­assemble the be­ spoke sports cars for patriotic racers.

Steve Huntingford, motoring editor of the Telegraph, reports

Smart key prevents drunk driving

An artist’s impression of the new generation TVR to be built in Wales.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED that Wales was chosen because the Welsh Government agreed to provide financial backing, and this comes just weeks after As­

ton Martin announced plans to build a factory of its own in the principality.

The first is due to go on sale

next year and it will be a front­ engined, rear­wheel­drive two­ seater with a traditional manual gearbox.

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 033 355 1152 or 084 278 3447 Avir@witness.co.za

COMING SOON

Huntingford reported that TVR is also promising Formula One­inspired ground­effect technology to help stick the car to the road through corners, while power will come from a naturally aspirated V8 that’s be­ ing engineered by motorsport specialists Cosworth.

The new TVR is under the leadership of gamer millionaire Les Edgar, working in collabora­ tion with Murray.

Given the often troubled his­ tory of British sports­car mak­ ers, there is no guarantee that the revived TVR will be a suc­ cess, but Edgar is bullish.

“We are a well­funded, well­ supported organisation and boast a vastly experienced man­ agement team,” he said. “We have a fully evolved 10­year plan for business and product devel­ opment and are here to stay.”

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

A NEW kind of smart key could help drivers make a very impor­ tant decision not to drive when they’ve had too much to drink.

Honda and Hitachi have teamed up to develop a proto­ type of a portable breathalyzer that’s integrated into a smart car key, and can keep your car from starting its engine if you’ve had one too many.

The handheld device is roughly similar in size and shape to a small smartphone and can detect alcohol in hu­ man breath within three sec­ onds of someone exhaling on to it. The companies also claim that it can distinguish re­ al human breath from other gases.

The key can also be used with a system that the team developed, which shows the al­ cohol level measured by the detector on a vehicle’s display panel and works as an ignition interlock to stop a vehicle en­ gine from starting if it is de­ tected that a driver has had too much to drink.

We’ve seen similar devices to ward off drunk biking and help you call a cab when you’ve had too much, but few handheld devices can also integrate with the car to shut things down.

Common ignition interlock technology in use today re­ quires a driver to blow into an alcohol detector from the driv­ er’s seat of a vehicle.

Hitachi and Honda argue that their smart key holds an advantage in that it can render a verdict on a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely without having to first step in to a car, thereby reducing the tempta­ tion to drive anyway.

The sensor technology inside the smart key was developed

by Hitachi and is made up of an oxide insulator between a pair of electrodes.

Water vapor in human breath allows electric current to flow between the electrodes, enabling the system to recog­ nize the exhaled gas as breath.

The sensor area is only a 5 mm square and battery­pow­ ered, allowing it to be portable enough to put in a pocketable key. The device can detect as little as 0,015 mg/L of concen­ trated ethanol – 0,15 mg/L is the legal limit that can consti­ tute a charge of drunk driving in Japan. While the technology is just in prototype form now, the companies say they will continue to test it in hopes of commercializing it in the future.

— Gizmag.

Just breath: The size of a smartphone, Honda and Hitachi’s portable breathaliser can detect when drivers are over the legal alchol limit.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

MOTORING WitnessWheels

March 31, 2016

3

For posh urbanites on dirt Jeep launches its most capable factory­produced model range of Grand Cherokee Trailhawks CC WEISS JEEP has flashed some serious off­ road muscle in both Moab and New York this month.

While the bright lights and pol­ ished floors of the Jacob Javits Centre don’t make for quite as dra­ matic a Jeep reveal backdrop as the red cliffs and towers of Moab, that’s where folks will find the big­ gest Jeep debuts right now.

The new 2017 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk wears a raft of upgrades that make it the “most capable fac­ tory­produced Grand Cherokee yet”, while the Jeep Summit debuts as the most luxurious.

Moab’s Easter Jeep Safari isn’t just notable to this story because it shares some of the New York Au­ to Show’s dates once again this year, but because it was the birth­ place of the official Trailhawk trim, with the Grand Cherokee serving as the launch vehicle.

The Trailhawk name existed at Jeep for a while, and was used on an open­top, Wrangler­based 2007 concept car, but it really gained steam at the 46th Annual Jeep Safari in 2012. Jeep’s annual slate of Safari concept models that year included the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept.

Quite simple by Jeep Safari con­ cept standards (especially com­ pared to the Mighty FC also re­ vealed that year), the 2012 Trail­ hawk concept was a look at a Grand Cherokee with elevated off­ road readiness. It included Mopar rock rails, 18­in Goodyear off­road tires, and red, mineral­gray and

Jeep’s new Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has an updated front fascia, LED fog lamps and new 20­in polished aluminum wheels.

PHOTO: GIZMAG black accents throughout.

It wasn’t nearly as radical or lust­worthy as other Jeep Safari concepts then and since, but the modest Trailhawk package was one of the more production­ready designs to come out of the annual Safari gathering. Jeep experiment­ ed with a short­lived production Grand Cherokee Trailhawk in

model year 2013, then gave the “Trailhawk” a hard launch as the most capable of the four model options on the 2014 Cherokee re­ dux. It followed up with a Rene­ gade Trailhawk.

“Our Cherokee and Renegade Trailhawk models are among our fastest selling and most sought­ after models, and we are following

that successful formula to provide consumers even more legendary Jeep 4x4 capability for Grand Cherokee,” explains Jeep chief Mike Manley.

The black Trailhawk interior in­ cludes leather and suede perform­ ance seats, red contrast stitching, a Trailhawk­badged steering wheel, and brushed piano black

and gun metal­finish accents.

The standard 8,4­in Uconnect infotainment system includes off­ road­specific readings of things like wheel articulation, suspension height, and Selec­Terrain mode.

The Trailhawk will arrive in showrooms during July in a variety of colours and with the full slate of Grand Cherokee engine op­

tions (minus the SRT 6,4­litre V8). Pricing has not yet been re­ leased, but for reference, the 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk is priced $7 600 (R117 400) more than the Cherokee base Sport 4x2 trim and the Renegade Trailhawk is $8 750 more than the Renegade Sport 4x2 trim.

Rounding out the six­model 2017 Jeep lineup is the all­new Jeep Summit, also introduced in New York. If the Trailhawk is the brut­ ish dirt rat of the Grand Cherokee family, the Summit is the posh ur­ banite.

Jeep calls this one its most luxu­ rious full­size SUV, and premium features like the full­wrap Laguna leather interior, 19­speaker, 825­ Watt Harman Kardon audio sys­ tem, acoustic windshield and side glass, lighted door sill, headlamp washers and auto­folding power mirrors make it so.

Like the Trailhawk, the Summit tackles the ground ahead with help from the Quadra­Drive II 4x4 system with ELSD. It also comes standard with Quadra­Lift air suspension, Selec­ Speed Control and driver assist­ ance features like adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, for­ ward collision warning, lane de­ parture warning, and parallel/per­ pendicular park assist.

The exterior includes an updat­ ed front fascia, LED fog lamps and new 20­in polished aluminum wheels.

The Summit will roll out during the July or August time frame as the Trailhawk. — Gizmag.

British army gets first tank with side loading

The latest Audi R8 Spyder promises frugal fuel consumption — from a V10 engine. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Audi makes it gR8t AUDI unveiled the new R8 Spyder V10 at the New York International Auto Show this week, stating the new cabrio features a host of improve­ ments to the R8 to build on the performance car’s popu­ larity.

Foremost among these im­ provements is the grin­induc­ ing ability to blast from 0­100 km/h in a 3,6­seconds, thanks to the 397 kW V10 en­ gine under the hood.

Despite two banks of five cylinders burning the petrol, Audi claims the Spyder actu­ ally reduces fuel consumption to 11,7 l/100 km in everyday driving, thanks to Jeep’s trick of using cylinder­on­demand (COD) as well as dual injec­ tion.

The S­tronic dual­clutch transmission also has “free­ wheeling” mode, which aids in the frugal fuel economy by allowing the car to coast when it can. The freewheeling mode is activated when the driver takes their foot off the

accelerator at speeds over 55 km/h, which decouples the engine from the drivetrain to “coast.”

Inside, the new interior for the Audi R8 is dominated by the large 12,3­inch infotain­ ment monitor and the driver­ centric control layout. A full suite of track­ready apps for recording times, outputs, and more can be found there.

The multi­displays around the tachometer and speed­ ometer in the instrument cluster can be customized, too. Otherwise, the complete gamut of Audi MMI apps and navigation infotainment inclu­ sions are standard in the R8 Spyder. This includes Audi’s new natural­language voice control system, which utilizes microphones set into the seatbelts for better audio pick­up.

Customisation for many body add­on components, such as diffusers and front spoiler, are available as well.

— Wheels Reporter.

THE British Army has taken de­ livery of the first 515 new 40 mm cannons that will be fitted to the Ajax and Warrior vehicles and which incorporate unique tech­ nologies that will provide superi­ or firepower.

Developed by specialist engi­ neers from BAE Systems and Nexter Systems, the cannon sys­ tem uses an innovative design for both the cannon and its ammuni­ tion, and is the first completely new cannon system ordered by the MOD since the sixties.

This loading system on the new 40 mm Cased Telescoped Cannon System, which was hand­ ed over to the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Bourges, France, by CTA International (CTAI), is claimed to provide more firepower while saving space. The cannon uses a new ro­ tating breech system, with am­ munition loaded from the side, but at a 90­degree angle to the barrel before being rotated into the firing position.

Slotting the ammunition in sideways saves a large amount of space in the vehicle, allowing this to be used to store more ammuni­ tion or other equipment. The cannon has been developed and is manufactured by CTAI, whose factory is now in full production of the new cannon for the MOD. More explosion per round The new cannon fires 40 mm Cased Telescoped ammunition, manufactured for the British Ar­ my by BAE Systems’ munitions factories in Washington, Tyne and Wear and Glascoed in Wales.

The key to the new 40 mm gun is its Cased Telescoped ammuni­

The first new tank in the UK in over 50 years, loads its rounds at a 90­degree angle to the barrel to save space. PHOTO: BAE tion. Instead of using traditional bullet­shaped rounds with the projectile upfront and a cannister of propellant behind, Cased Tele­ scoped ammunition consists of a straight tube with the projectile inside the tube completely sur­ rounded by propellant and a plug in front that provides a gas­tight seal to drag the shell along. BAE says that this gives the shell four times the power of the previous 30 mm round.

The new ammunition can de­ liver a more explosive charge — up to four times the power of the 30 mm rounds it replaces.

The current types of ammuni­ tion developed for the cannon in­ clude armour piercing and train­ ing rounds, while a new airburst round for engaging light vehicles and infantry spread over a large

area, and a point detonating round which can penetrate thick concrete, are currently undergo­ ing qualification. CTAI is also working on an anti­aerial airburst round for airborne targets.

BAE Systems, which is a 50/50 partner in CTAI along with Nex­ ter Systems, said the delivery is the first of 515 40mm cannons for the British Army’s Warrior and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles.

The new system has been in de­ velopment since the nineties and has undergone extensive testing.

Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne said: “This next­generation cannon has been developed through close Anglo­French collabora­ tion and adds significantly to the capability of the UK and our Nato allies. The delivery of the first

cannon on our Ajax vehicles is an­ other example of how our £178 billion investment in UK Defence is ensuring our armed forces have the equipment they need.”

Managing director of CTAI Craig Fennell, said: “This is a sig­ nificant milestone for CTAI and a proud moment to see our can­ non being handed over to the British Army.

“We are the only group in the world who can design and manu­ facture this type of cannon and ammunition, giving us a unique product for export.”

The handover of the first can­ non follows many years of ex­ haustive testing and qualifica­ tion, which have proved the effec­ tiveness and reliability of the system. — Supplied.

4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

March 31, 2016

Understate it in aluminium BRIAN BASSETT drives way past his bedtime hour in the Audi A8 3.0l TDI Diesel Quattro The A8 is a full­size luxury saloon first unveiled by Audi in 1994 and designed by Christian Winkel­ man.

The current model is the third generation of the vehicle and was shown for the first time at Design Miami in 2009. It has been popu­ lar, selling about 40 000 units worldwide in 2014.

The A8 is the best that Audi can do and at the top of Volkswagen’s many­branched tree. The much­ lamented Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame once referred to the A8 as one of the best built cars in the world and, having driven one courtesy of Prunella Naidoo, New Vehicle Sales Manager at Audi Centre, Pietermaritzburg, I can see why.

Styling The A8 looks a lot like the A4. In fact your neighbours will probably think you have bought an A4 just like theirs until they look at the car more closely.

The A8 is distinctive and in­ fused with a subtle, understated elegance, which is true of most Audi’s. The A8 I drove was black and it was obvious that those in parking lots I used thought I was a senior government functionary.

The big sallon rides on handsome 19­inch takkies, with sleek, mould­ ed sides. The front has a slightly smaller Audi grille, with seven blades instead of eight in the pre­ vious generation and is flanked two LED light modules which pro­ vide brilliant night lighting.

The grille hangs over a single lower air intake, stretching across the width of the car, flanked by fog lights.

The rear lamps have been re­ styled and are now linked by a sin­ gle chrome strip, which balances the rear design. There are exterior, folding, auto –dimming mirrors, parking sensors front and rear; as well as power door closers.

Performance and Handling The A8 3.0 TDI Diesel Quattro has a V6, turbo­charged, diesel engine putting out 190kWs/580 Nm of torque.

The permanent AWD is driven by an 8­speed, tiptronic gearbox.

0­100 kmh comes up in about 5.9 seconds and fuel consumption at about 7,1 l/100km, depending a driving style and terrain.

The car is splendid to drive with immediate steering response and surefooted and stable on difficult roads. The finely­tuned suspen­ sion, AWD and intuitive steering give it huge cornering prowess.

In fact it behaves more like a small sports car than a two­tonne luxury leviathan.

The car is all aluminium and if you balanced a Honda Brio on the roof, it would still weigh less than a Range Rover.

This gives excellent fuel con­ sumption and improves perform­ ance.

In town the assists make park­ ing easy and traffic a pleasure to negotiate.

D­Roads present no problem and even mud is handled without much trouble. On my favourite potholed, winding Midlands road, the car’s athleticism impressed considerably. This is indeed one of the finest cars in the world.

Dubbed one of the finest cars on the road, our tester (right) found himslelf driving the A8 far into the night just for sheer pleasure of it. PHOTOS: QUICKPIC AND ALWYN VILOEN Interior In flagship vehicles the interior is very important and usually Audi interiors are businesslike and somewhat austere in design.

The A8 however is luxurious in execution, with rich wood inlays and soft leather everywhere, in­ cluding the door interiors and steering.

The car is spacious, with com­ fortable 14­way adjustable, electric front seats, which have a memory function. Should you have a bad back a lumber massager is availa­ ble for both front and rear seats as an extra.

The electric powered, fully­ad­ justable, multi­function steering will move to your preferred setting as you start the car.

The buttons on the steering op­ erate the usual range of functions, like the radio, Bluetooth, speed

control and, via the flappy pad­ dles, the Tiptronic gearbox.

The dash is ergonomically de­ signed and the controls clear and easy to operate.

Your driver will love it.

A feature of the central stack is an eight­inch, full­colour touch screen also operated from a con­ troller on the console surrounded by useful shortcut buttons.

The system connects to the rear­view camera, voice­ con­ trolled GPS and the rest of the car’s MMI infotainment system, which is equipped with plugs for a Sim and two SD Cards for the more old­fashioned among us who know memory sticks can and do fail.

The rear passengers enjoy a wealth of space and amenity, while the hydraulically­operated boot lid opens to acres of luggage space.

Safety and security The A8 has a list of safety features too long to cover here.

The handbook lists some 40 items relating to safety, from the usual belts, ABS/EBD and eight airbags of various types, to the more complex systems like Sec­ ondary Collision Brake Assist, Hold Assist, Lane Assist, Side As­ sist, and Park Assist with sur­ rounding display, 360 degree cam­

eras and Night Vision Assist as an extra.

There is also electronic assist­ ance to cope with slip and stabili­ zation a device called Pre Sense at the rear, which prepares the car for a rear impact.

Needless to say the car is also equipped a perimeter burglar alarm and auto locking. So the A8 has just about every possible safe­ ty device.

Only for the elite — engineers to build nine XKSS models JAGUAR will build the legendary XKSS as an ultra­exclusive con­ tinuation model.

Only nine new XKSS’s — often referred to by experts as the world’s first supercar — will be hand built by Jaguar Classic to the exact specification as they appeared in 1957, replacing the cars lost due to the famous Browns Lane factory fire.

Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “The XKSS occupies a unique place in Jaguar’s history and is a car covet­ ed by collectors the world over for its exclusivity and unmistaka­ ble design.

“Jaguar Classic’s highly skilled team of engineers and techni­ cians will draw on decades of knowledge to ensure each of the nine cars is completely authentic and crafted to the highest quality.

“Our continuation XKSS reaf­ firms our commitment to nur­ ture the passion and enthusiasm for Jaguar’s illustrious past by of­ fering exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences.”

The original cars were ear­ marked for export to the USA, however, just 16 were completed before disaster struck. Now 59 years later, Jaguar is going to build the nine ‘lost’ XKSS sports cars for a select group of estab­ lished collectors and customers.

Jaguar engineers is working on replacing the nine XKSS sports cars destroyed in a fire for a lucky few collectors and customers.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED The expertise gained during the construction of the Light­ weight E­type project will be transferred to the construction of the nine ultra­exclusive con­ tinuations. Each one will be hand­built at Jaguar’s new ‘Ex­ perimental Shop’ in Warwick.

Every car will be constructed

to the same specifications as those first 16 made in 1957 — ev­ ery aspect fully certified by Jag­ uar. The price will be in excess of £1 million.

The story of the XKSS began following Jaguar’s three succes­ sive Le Mans victories in 1955, 1956 and 1957 with the all­con­

quering D­type.

After the hat­trick of wins, Sir Williams Lyons took the decision on 14 January 1957 to convert the remaining 25 D­types into road­ going versions with several exter­ nal modifications ­ creating the world’s first super car.

These modifications included

the addition of a new higher windscreen, an extra door on the passenger side, taking away the divider between driver and pas­ senger and the removal of the fa­ mous fin behind the driver’s seat.

The first deliveries of the new continuation Jaguar XKSS will commence in early 2017.

Costs and the opposition The A8 3.0 TDI Diesel Quattro costs around R1,2 million new, but its quality and durability make it an ideal second­hand buy.

There are six models in the se­ ries. The top of the line ABL 6.3 W12 Quattro costs R2,1 million.

All come with the Audi Extended Warranty and a 5­year, 100 000 km maintenance plan.

Also look at the BMW 7 Series, the Mercedes S­class, the Jaguar XJ, Porsche Panamera and Lexus LS.

Calling black­ owned suppliers VOLKSWAGEN Group South Africa has invited black­ owned suppliers to partici­ pate in its first ever Black­ Owned Supplier’s Day. The event will take place at the VWSA PeoplePavilion in Uit­ enhage, on Thursday, 5 May 2016.

Successful applicants will have the unique opportunity of displaying their products and services to VWSA, its suppliers and other automo­ tive OEMs, with a certain possibility of securing signif­ icant contracts.

Successful organisations must have a minimum of 51% black ownership (in­ cludes Coloured, Indian and Chinese as per B­BBEE guidelines) and/or a mini­ mum of 30% black female ownership.

Contact Inkanyezi Events at 0861 101 475 or email support@inkanyezi.co.za for more information on Black­ Owned Supplier’s Day. — Wheels Reporter.

Barons Pietermaritzburg: A ‘fitting’ choice

By Barons Pietermaritzburg If you are looking for Volkswagen deals that are tailored to perfectly suit your budget and needs, then you need to pay your local Bespoke Volkswagen Dealer a visit. And for anyone living between Durban and the Drakensberg, that’s Barons Pietermaritzburg.

Barons Pietermaritzburg conveniently offer the complete range of Volkswagens, right on your doorstep. As your local Bespoke Volkswagen Dealer, they’ll be able to bring Das Auto Engineering and BlueMotion Technology in to your life, seamlessly. So, want to don yourself in quality, feel the confidence that comes with wearing a brand renowned for reliability, and enjoy more of what life has to offer thanks to the economy of the

brand combined with unbeatable tailored deals? Get to your local bespoke Volkswagen Dealer.

Barons Pietermaritzburg – they’re the ‘fitting’ choice!

Barons VW Pietermaritzburg can be found at 9 Armitage Road. They are committed to bringing you quality cars and excellent service at the best possible prices ALL year round!

To start hunting for your dream vehicle, visit www.baronsvwpmb.co.za. And to book a test drive or service call (033) 845 3100. Open Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, and Saturdays 8am – 1pm.

Polo made more affordable.

Polo Vivo from R1,988* p.m.

Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline from R1,988* per month. from R2,699* per month.

The Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline standard features include: Power steering Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Air-conditioning Model

Vehicle Price

Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline

R155,700

-

Monthly No. of Interest Rate Instalments Instalments Linked / Variable

R1,988*

72

-

Multi-Point-Injection (MPI) Driver and passenger airbags 14” Steel wheels

10,5%*

Deposit

Balloon Payment

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

16% (R24,912)

35% (R54,495)

R197,627

Primes less 3.35% Short Term: 36 months Guaranteed buyback** Model

Vehicle Price

Monthly No. of Interest Rate Instalments Instalments Linked / Variable

Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline R238,100 R2,699*

Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Receive free alloys and factory fitted radio.

6.9%*

Balloon Payment

10% R159,527 (R23,810)

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

R256,695

Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za

Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za

e&oe

An optional cost of R950 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Offers calculated on the Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline model in standard specification. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Instalment excludes optional extras, delivery, licensing and registration, but includes initiation fee of R1140. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Offers only available through Volkswagen Financial services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 16 April 2016 or while stocks last.

36

Deposit

An optional cost of R950 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Rate is dependent on customer credit scoring. Offers calculated on the Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline model in standard specification. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Instalment excludes optional extras, delivery, licensing and registration, but includes bank initiation fee. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. **Total retail price of R238,100 at a Guaranteed Future Value of R159,527 based on 20 000km p.a. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Offers only available through Volkswagen Financial services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 16 April 2016 or while stocks last.

e&oe

-

Adventure calls.

R129 900

R84 900 2013 Peugeot 107 Urban, 62 000km

2014 Toyota Etios 1.5 XS, 26 500km

R229 000

R199 900 2015 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost, 4 750km

2013 Tiguan 1.4 TSI Trend & Fun, 65 000km

The Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun and Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun standard features include:

R237 900

R235 000 2013 Tiguan 2.0 TDI BlueMotion, 79 000km

Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun for R325,900* incl. VAT vs Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun for R349,900* incl. VAT

2016 Polo GP 1.0 BlueMotion, 2 000km

Tiptronic

-

6-speed manual Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Front, side and curtain Airbags Electronic Park Brake with Auto-hold High-Beam Control “Light Assist”

-

Cruise Control Start-Stop with Brake Energy Recuperation 16” Portland alloy wheels

Offer exclusive to Barons Pietermartizburg.

2015 Golf 1.4 TSI Comfortline, 15 000km

2015 Touareg 3.0 TDI V6 Luxury, 15 500km

*The advised price exclude the 2 year Mastercars Warranty. The Mastercars Warranty is available as an option and is a contract between the customer, an insurer and administrator. This extended Warranty is not available for all Amarok and Light Commercial Vehicle models. Terms & conditions apply. While stocks last.

Mastercars Sales Consultants: Laurie - 082 783 8040 • Rajen - 072 228 9834 • Sanjay - 083 639 0989 Barry - 072 235 4244 • Phumlani - 073 017 1294 Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg

Barons

Pietermaritzburg

9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100

Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za An optional cost of R2200 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Offers calculated on the Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun and Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun models in standard specification. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Price excludes optional extras, delivery, licensing and registration. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Offers only available through Volkswagen Financial services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 16 April 2016 or while stocks last.

New Sales Consultants

John Brown • Merglin Rama • Menzi Ngubane • Bahle Bhengu Erica Neff • Keshnee Pillay

Sales Enquiries: 033 940 1445

BP Advertising

R775 000

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R275 900

WitnessWheels INNOVATION MOTORING

6

Just lean to roll ‘Segway’ chair No hands needed to roll wheels A NEW Zealand designer is re­ vamping the traditional wheel­ chair design with a new model that frees the arms of the user.

Instead of using the hands to create movement, the user moves his or her upper body to direct the two wheels.

Kevin Halsall was inspired to develop Ogo after noticing a friend’s difficulties with a tradi­ tional wheelchair, and deciding that things could be better.

Halsall has been experiment­ ing with various designs for a few years now, and has arrived at Ogo with its control system based on a moving seat. If the rider leans forward, the chair moves for­ ward. When they lean back, the wheelchair reverses. To switch direction, they can lean to the side — if moving up a flight of stairs is a priority, the Topchair­S may be the answer.

Besides being dynamic and us­ er­friendly, the designer says that Ogo stimulates upper body mo­ bility and increases core muscle strength because the body be­ comes part of the machine, which, in its turn, almost be­ comes an extension of the user’s body.

The rider also has the option to operate the wheelchair in a dif­ ferent way, though, as Ogo fea­ tures a thumb­controlled joy­ stick that can be installed on ei­ ther side.

Halsall is now fundraising on Indiegogo to develop five proto­ types to cater for the more specif­ ic needs of varying levels of disa­ bility. He concluded he should create several models while test­

ing the initial design with help from paraplegics, quadriplegics, quad amputees and others.

He says response has been in­ variably positive, but the Ogo de­ sign so far has been for people with lower­level spinal injuries only.

The five prototypes will fea­ ture push­button controls to start up and power down the ma­ chine, and also shut it down auto­ matically if the rider gets off the seat, the design of which will also be improved. The prototypes will be available for testing across New Zealand’s main cities.

A pledge of $1 000 (R15 500) will get supporters an Ogo of their own, with delivery estimat­ ed for September 2017 if all goes according to plan. — Gizmag.

An Amarok on a typical route in rural South Africa, delivering much appreciated supplies as part of a unique test drive programme.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Amarok turns test drives into upliftment THE Volkswagen Amarok So­ cial Test Drive harnesses the goodwill of South Africans with routine test drives to deliver books to rural schools.

Volkswagen’s Tarryn Knight says the world­first idea “clever­ ly connects our need to demon­ strate the heavy work that the Amarok is capable of doing off­ road and our country’s need to deliver supplies to inaccessible places.

“Most trials of our one­ton pick­up take place in a tarred ur­ ban environment while there are thousands of organisations and communities which are in des­ perate need of a pick­up to make urgently needed deliveries”.

Ogilvy & Mather Cape

Town’s Nicholas Wittenberg says the challenge was to find a way to connect the drivers with the deliveries.

“We began on a small scale by using social media sourced entries for a digitally­based competition to find five Social Test Drivers for a predetermined cause”.

This resulted in 6 000 text books being delivered to a school in Kwa­Zulu Natal, 10 sewing machines and 423 me­ ters of fabric going to the East­ ern Cape, 10 boxes of stationery and a further 41 boxes of books being delivered to schools in KwaZulu­Natal and 35 boxes of cat food and 12 boxes of dog food being delivered to animal

shelters in the Western Cape.

Nicholas Wittenberg says the initial programme demonstrat­ ed the viability and the appetite for the concept and “we now have a massive vision for it as the dealerships are starting to connect with local organisa­ tions that they can support on a regular basis with every Ama­ rok test drive”.

Amarok Social Test Drives are also being deployed to meet im­ mediate crises. Operation Hy­ drate approached Volkswagen to deliver four, one­ton loads of fresh water bottles to Senekal in the rural Free State in the midst of the worst drought the area has seen in decades.

Tarryn Knight says the upsi­

des for the Amarok dealerships are clear; “they contribute to their communities, give poten­ tial buyers a true test of the vehi­ cles capabilities and leave those potential buyers feeling like they’ve made a meaningful dif­ ference in the lives of others.

“That is what Amarok and the Volkswagen brand are all about”.

Nicholas Wittenberg believes the power of the idea lies in its scalability; “there’s no reason why every Amarok Dealer around the globe can’t do this quickly and easily which means there is a huge upside for ‘deliv­ ering’ social goods”.

To participate, visit www.so­ cialtestdrive.co.za — WR.

Off­road rollerblades give 20 km of thrills PAUL RIDDEN

New Zealand designer Kevin Halsall is raising funds for a self­balancing wheelchair that can also climb stairs.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

March 31, 2016

POLAND’s Jack Skopinski — the force behind the EV4 tilting electric quad we covered recent­ ly — has now designed electric off­road rollers with rubber tracks.

Skopinski says that his so­ called “off­road rollerblades” were designed and built in re­ sponse to customer demand for personal transportation that can be thrown in a bag between trips.

To the rear of each boot is a 350 W DC motor that’s juiced from 26 V/26 Ah Li­ion batter­ ies and 36 A controller.

This combination drives the rubber­tracked blades to a top speed of 15 km/h for about

20 km before the batteries need topping up.

Speed is controlled by a ca­ bled, handheld controller, with the system specs showing a 1:4 gear ratio. Bladers change direc­ tion by leaning into the turns.

Like the EV4, the tracked blades have a somewhat rough and ready aesthetic, the design certainly not as consumer­fo­ cused as motorised skating so­ lutions like the spnKiX. Tipping the scales at nearly five kilograms, these funky elec­ tric track boots are likely going to be quite a weighty haul be­ tween trips, too.

But if the off­road antics in the promo video below are any­ thing to go by, it might just be worth the effort. The “off­road

Only from Poland, off­road e­rollers. PHOTO: SUPPLIED rollerblades” are available now for about R22 458, or 5 500 in Polish Zloty.

Skopinski said he “plans to

build normal electric roller­ blades with 2 x 8 wheels” for in­ ner city electric rolling in the near future. — Gizmag.

WINGLET IS TOYOTA’S LAST MILE SOLUTION

‘NO BARRIERS TO MAKING ELECTRIC BUSES’

STU ROBARTS

TOURISTS who can afford the exhange rate in Pounds Sterling now have another attraction to spot in London, the world’s first zero­emission, long­range, all­ electric BYD Double­Decker bus.

Transport for London, (TfL) is currenrtly testing the bus on Metroline routes.

The buses are built by Chi­ nese battery giant Build Your Dream (BYD), a world leader in electric vehicles of all sizes, but especially buses.

BYD also installed fast charg­ ing equipment at Metroline’s Willesden Bus Garage in north London and is training drivers to handle the five buses on test.

Each bus is just over 10 me­ tres long and feature air condi­ tioned seats for 54 seated and 27 standing passengers.

The electric buses are equipped with BYD­designed

TOYOTA’s two­wheeled person­ al mobility vehicle, the Winglet, is to be trialled on public side­ walks in the Tokyo Waterfront City district Japan’s capital city.

Unveiled in 2008, the Winglet is similar to the Segway, albeit a little more streamlined, with us­ ers shifting their bodyweight to control it.

The Winglet has a maximum speed of six kilometres per hour and is said to require minimal ef­ fort to operate, making it quicker and less tiring to get around on than walking. It’s four­kilometre range gives it potential for use on last­mile journeys or by tourists.

Indeed, its potential as a tour­ ism resource is one area at which the trial will look, along with the device’s use around pedestrians.

The trial will also give mem­ bers of the public the chance to

experience the Winglet.

Previously, such trials were held in Tsukuba City and Toyota City, where new technologies like the Winglet had dispensation to be tested. The Winglet itself was tested in Tsukuba’s Mobility Ro­ bot Experimental Zone between 2013 and 2014.

Toyota explains, however, that a change in regulation last year has allowed special zones for tri­ alling such new technologies to be designated across Japan.

The firm chose Tokyo’s Wa­ terfront City district as it views the area as one “known for em­ bracing cutting­edge technolo­ gies and advanced research pro­ jects”.

It will be the first new area in Japan to host a trial like this under the expanded system. The trials will run from Monday, March 28 to today, with public test­rides available to those with motorcy­

Toyota aims for these Winglet to be as popular as a Corolla, only easier to park.

PHOTO: GIZMAG. cle licenses and introductory course passes from late April.

— Gizmag.

and built Iron­Phosphate bat­ teries, delivering 345 kWh of power that come with a Indus­ try­benchmark 12­year battery warranty, the longest electric battery warranty available.

The batteries can power the bus for over 24 hours and up to 300 kilometres of typical urban driving on the service routes with a single daily recharging re­ quiring only four hours.

TfL plans to charge the buses overnight using low­cost, off­ peak electricity to provide addi­ tional cost savings.

BYD’s Isbrand Ho said the Chinese company is pleased to partner with Transport for Lon­ don.

“TfL challenged us to develop a clean, all­electric bus that would meet their service re­ quirements, and we’ve done just that.

“I hope other transport agen­

London’s iconic double decker buses are back, but this time quitely powered by Chinese know­how.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED cies take note of TfL’s leadership and see that there are no barri­ ers to deploying all­electric bus­ es into service in today’s mar­ ket.” — Wheels Reporter.

MOTORING WitnessWheels BIKING

March 31, 2016

7

Radical brake system Australian company rethinks bike frame to send forks to the history books LOZ BLAIN The new enclosed Armadillo can seat two people or a driver and cargo, but at the price of a half­ton bakkie PHOTO: VELOVE

Swedish bike tests covered up The city of Gothenburg in Swe­ den hopes to cut vehicle con­ gestion, noise and pollution by replacing short car rides with electric bike rides.

The council is working with the private sector and acade­ mia to deploy the Elmob project, which aims to develop and test electric shared­mobili­ ty solutions.

Swedish electric bike compa­ ny Velove has made available 10 prototype Armadillos to be testedin the Elmob project.

Velove said the bikes will be ridder by city couriers, janitors and environmental inspectors and demontrated the all­ weather Armadillo’s abilities to carry different loads at the re­ cent Copenhagen Bike Show Each Armadillo has either a one cubic metre lockable cargo box and weather­protected driver area, or a passenger seat with full fabric body protecting both driver and passenger.

Velove plans to get the new products to market later this year or early next year, and since it sells equipment in modular fashion, so that cur­ rent Armadillo owners in Swe­ den can add the passenger section and polyester body to their existing quad­bikes.

These Swedish e­bikes are lviing up the Nordic countries’ reputation for pricey items.

A standard Armadillo electric bike from Velove costs from just over R135 160 before VAT (€7 800).

FRONT suspension on a motor­ cycle has always been a matter of compromise.

Telescopic forks have stuck around for nearly a hundred years because they’re the least bad solution we’ve found so far — but an Australian team be­ lieves it’s finally built the front end that could relegate forks to the history books.

It might look bizarre, but the Motoinno system is lighter, it maintains constant geometry, it turns tighter and you can dial in whatever rake, trail, and degree of brake dive you want at the turn of a spanner.

It’s so stable under braking and into a corner that Motoinno says it’s up to a whole second faster through a single corner than the same rider on a GSX­ R750.

The Motinno syste is not the furst alternative to the tradition­ al fork. There has been many others over the years, but they’ve all had their drawbacks, and until now, forks have prevailed — even though they’ve got problems of their own.

These problems are as old as forks themselves. As riders we simply ride around them, be­ cause no satisfactory alternative has popped up yet that didn’t have bigger problems of its own.

Enter the crazy­looking jigger from Australian company Mo­ torcycle Innovations TS3. In true Australian style, co­ founders Ray Van Steenwyk and Colin Oddy have shortened their company name to “Mo­ toinno,” so that’s how we’ll refer to them from here on.

Motoinno’s solution is not a simple one. In fact, it takes a fair bit of time to get your head around. It’s an entire motorcycle frame designed around a sus­ pension idea that appears to eliminate the major problems of telescopic forks, while introduc­ ing none of the usual problems that crop up with hub center

Loz Blain testing and liking the new Motoinno system front wheel braking system.

PHOTO: GIZMAG front ends. The Motoinno guys say it can be designed around pretty much any motor.

Looked at purely as a suspen­ sion system, the Motoinno front end operates as a parallelogram.

The triangle that holds the wheel on stays at a constant an­ gle, and there’s two more arms from the top and bottom of that triangle that go straight back to pivot points at the top and bot­ tom of the frame.

That provides your direct brace against braking forces, and it makes for a bizarre thing to watch, as my brother Chris will demonstrate below, in a glorious motion that gives us an idea of what to expect on his upcoming wedding night:The next step is to steer that front wheel.

The Motoinno design tilts the forward beam of the wheel hold­ ing triangle to steer the wheel ­ the lower beam and the parallel­

SADDLE PUMPS UP TO CRADLE TENDER BITS BEN COXWORTH ALTHOUGH a lot of people may describe conventional bike seats as being “a pain in the butt,” the fact is that they’re more often a pain in the crotch – in the perineum, to be precise.

That’s why Texas­based 3 West Design first announced its air bladder­equipped Reprieve Bicycle Saddle in 2014.

Two years and one successful Kickstarter campaign later, the first production units are now ready to go. We recently got the chance to try one out, to see how much it really takes the pressure off. The bladder starts at a ten­ der­bits­cradling dip half­way along the seat, and extends up to the nose of the seat.

Riders can set its pressure by inserting a separate hand pump in the end of an inflation hose, which extends out of the Re­ prieve’s underside.

The idea is that by setting that pressure just right, users’ nether regions will still be supported, but without being unyieldingly squashed against the saddle.

Instead, the bladder will con­

A couple of Texans have inflated ideas about bike saddles that will cushion riders’ butts — and bits — on longer rides.

PHOTO: GIZMAG tinually distort to accommodate them as the rider pedals.

In our test rides, it did indeed appear to make a difference — not an “oh wow” difference that will bowl you over as soon as you sit down on it, but one that you should appreciate on longer rides. We did try going with the bladder completely deflated just to see if that dip was really the only thing that was making a dif­ ference, but discovered that defi­ nitely wasn’t the way to go — it felt like sitting on a ledge, where

the rear padding met the blad­ der. So no, the air isn’t just a gim­ mick.

Materials­wise, the Reprieve is also no slouch. It features a full leather surface, titanium rails and weighs in the neighborhood of 265 g — this is actually up a bit from the original Kickstarter version, which was claimed to tip the scales at around 210 g. Still, it ain’t heavy. The Reprieve is available now in black or white, for about R2 858 ($185) pump included. — Gizmag.

ogram suspension stays firm while the wheel steers.

The handlebars connect to the steering mechanism via a simple pair of scissor links that isolate suspension action from the handlebars themselves.

Again, it’s easiest just to watch it in action. You can tune your rake and trail to a wide degree, and also dial in whatever degree of brake dive you’re comfortable with — including no dive at all, or even reverse dive, where the front end actually lifts under braking if you really want to bake your own noodle.

You can think of the system as something like a MacPherson strut car suspension system. So, what we’ve got here is: • a very direct connection between the steering and the front axle; • excellent braking force management through to the

DAY RIDERS WELCOME AT JOLIVET THE second round of the KZN Senior XC and Junior Hare­ scramble series will be hosted

by Barry and Jane Cole in Jol­ ivet, Highflats on April 10.

The first race was hailed a huge success with many rid­ ers claiming the course to be the best harescramble ever set.

Course setters for round 2, Barry and Gareth, are inspired to setting a challenging but fun course using the planta­ tions and cane fields on the farm.

Local riders who are inter­ ested in competing in a single event can do so by entering the Weekend Offroad Warrior class.

They will also be able to compare their lap times against some of the best of SA’s offroad riders.

Riders can compete in day race at Highflats on April 10. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

frame; • total control over brake dive or rise, without affecting steering geometry at all; • minimal sideways flex and zero front­to­back flex; • tuneable rake and trail ge­ ometry; • no large swingarm that might drag on the ground when leaned over; • a total frame and suspen­ sion system that actually comes out lighter than a forked bike, be­ cause it doesn’t need a massively reinforced steering stem; and, • a nice, wide steering lock that allows tight u­turns.

When we arrived at Sydney Motorsports park to test the Motoinno prototype, the guys had the front end tuned to dive a little under brakes — mainly because that’s part of the feed­ back riders are conditioned to use to feel how hard they’re brak­

ing. The system was set such that it would dive to no more than about 25% of the available suspension travel on the front monoshock, allowing the rest of the travel to deal with bumps in the braking zone.

The dialled­in brake dive feels very natural, and the bike is so smooth and stable under brakes that I quickly found myself lift­ ing the back end with confidence and ease. At slow speeds, it han­ dles great.

At faster speeds … well, due to a scheduling stuff­up, I didn’t get the chance to ride the Mo­ toinno bike in anger on the race­ track. That sucks. But Isle of Man champion Cameron Do­ nald did get three quick laps in at a tentative pace, feeling the bike out, and he was kind enough to give us a few comments.

“The bike amazingly feels quite conventional in the way it handles on the track, which is the biggest surprise to me. It’s not what you’d expect, because it certainly doesn’t look conven­ tional. The way it turns into a corner, and the way it has some dive under brakes and whatnot, is actually very similar to a con­ ventional forked motorcycle.

“I’ve had limited experience on center hub steered bikes, but what I saw as the big positive to this was the way that I could trail brake into the corner and hold a very tight line. You’ve still got an amount of dive, the way the boys have got it set up, but you can trail brake into the corner well past where you normally would on a conventional bike, and with a lot more brake pres­ sure. That’s something that will take some time to get used to, because it’s so different to a con­ ventional bike.

The Motoinno team claims thei system cuts a second per corner on a GSX­R750 with the same rider.

Not per lap, per corner — which will quickly add up to a big difference at the first race us­ ing this system. — Gizmag.

WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING

8

March 31, 2016

Less is also more in karting STUART JOHNSTON rates the contenders as new classes see stronger fields for better racing A WELCOME rationalisation of classes sees a new look to the first National Karting Championship meeting of 2016, which takes place at Cape Town’s Killarney Kart Cir­ cuit on April 2.

Three classes have been dropped for the official MSA championships, these being Jun­ ior Rok, Super Rok and the X30 Shifter classes.

The result is that for 2016 the classes are Maxterino, Mini Rok, Junior Max, Senior Max and DD2/ DD2 Masters.

This should see stronger fields in the senior classes, and race days that are better­paced, as with the previous system it was extremely difficult to package so many class­ es into one day’s racing.

Cape Town is extremely strong in the junior classes, especially in the Maxterino series for drivers aged between eight and 13­years­ old. So, visiting drivers from Gaut­ eng, KwaZulu­Natal and the East­ ern Cape will have their work cut out to be on the pace.

The Cape trio of Joseph Oelz, Charl Visser and Troy Dolinschek are extremely strong on their home circuit and likely to qualify within a few 1 000ths of a second of each other, at the sharp end of the grid.

But it would be unwise to ignore challenges from Aqil Alibhai, An­ thony Pretorius and Jordan Brooks, up­country racers who have already shown great form this season.

In the Mini Rok class, which ca­ ters to the same age­group as the Maxterino series, it is likely to be an all­Gauteng show.

Here the youngsters to watch are Kwanda Mokoena, Joshua Coetzee, Jayden Els, Saood Varia­ wa and Cameron Dias.

In the Junior Max it will be in­ teresting to see how quickly grad­ uates who were highly competi­ tive in Maxterino and Mini Rok in

KZN top karter Benjamin Habig will challenge for the title as fastest master in the country in Cape Town on Saturday.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED 2015 will fare in this much more powerful 125 cc class.

Notable amongst these is Aidan Strydom, who will be in his first season in this class for drivers aged 13­to16­years­old. Another is Blaine Rademeyer.

From Mozambique, Karl Pitzer is expected to be quick, as he won the first regional race in Gauteng a month ago, while Cameron O’Connor is also expected to fly.

Locals Joshua Coetzee, Sebas­ tian Boyd and Dan Lochoff will have home­circuit advantage, with Daniel Duminy from KwaZu­ lu­Natal and Luca Munaretto from Vereeniging being wild cards for a win.

In the Senior Max, a class for drivers 15 years and older, a young­ ster to watch is last year’s Junior Max champ, Dino Stermin.

This Cape driver and his “com­

patriot” Delano Fowler are said to be expected to fly at Killarney in 2016, while Gauteng challengers will be Fabienne Lanz, Delon Thompson and Joshua Dias.

East London’s Shannon Jack­ son is also very quick, as is fellow­ lady driver Ivana Cetinich.

A name missing from the kart­ ing action in 2016 is Jonathan Ab­ erdein, the 2015 Senior Max champion.

Aberdein has been selected for on Formula 4 international single seat racing in Europe and all kar­ ters will wish him well as he steps up yet another motor­sporting gear.

In 2016 the top gearbox Nation­ al class, DD2 sees both the senior drivers (15­years­old and older) and the Masters (32 years old and • For more information, go to older) compete to the same www.kart.co.za, or call Jennifer weight limit, whereas previously Verheul at 082 294 7485.

Chinese­backed Faraday Future car maker sponsors ePrix ALWYN VILJOEN THE Chinese­backed electric­ car start­up Faraday Future has joined Formula E as headline sponsor for the 2016 Long Beach ePrix race.

Faraday Future is one of several startups in China and the United States focused on building elec­ tric cars to rival Tesla’s.

Faraday has said it aims to make money not just on the vehi­ cles but on subscriptions for ap­ plications and infotainment piped into the car. The company plans to introduce its first car in 2017, after unveiling a concept next month at the CES electron­ ics show in Las Vegas.

The Long Beach race, now known as the 2016 Faraday Fu­ ture Long Beach ePrix, will take place on Saturday, April 2, 2016..

Faraday Future published a question and answer with Nick Sampson, company’s SVP of Re­ search and Development and En­ gineering, about his thoughts on the 2016 Faraday Future Long Beach ePrix.

What draws fans to the For­ mula E? Well, I suppose it’s no secret that I am particularly drawn to com­ petitive racing.

I’ve spent countless hours re­

All­electric Formula E race cars are as fast as the hybrids racing in Formula 1, but sound like angry cats at full speed.

PHOTO: DAVID DA­ VIES, PA ARCHIVE

fining high­performance sports vehicles and racing cars at Jaguar, Lotus, and — quite honestly — even in my spare time while working at many other positions, thereafter. I’m excited to experi­ ence this new frontier of automo­ tive competition. Some have this misconception that electric vehi­ cles are somehow “boring” — I think Formula E does a great deal to dispel that theory.

These vehicles not only rival their traditional counterparts; they will soon surpass them.

Electric vehicles like FFZERO1 operate more dynamically — for example, we have a motor for each wheel, each controlled indi­ vidually, optimising power out­ puts for more deliberate handling and greater performance.

This allows drivers to custom­ ize the way their platform oper­ ates to truly unleash its potential under their individual driving techniques. These vehicles are far from boring — they harness far more possibilities than anything we’ve seen before.

How does our involvement with Formula E align with FF’s greater vision?

Formula E is about far more than a few individual, competing race cars. The tournament series showcases the rapid advance­ ment of electric vehicles, in gen­ eral. It’s an exhibition for the breadth of potential that these technologies can offer — often­ times leading to revolutionary re­ sults. For instance, Formula E is exploring the potential of con­ nectivity with a new in­race vot­

the Masters ran to a limit eight kilogram heavier than the younger drivers.

As shown by early club and re­ gional races this year, some of the “old­timers” are proving very competitive against the young­ sters. Chief amongst these “ol­ dies” is Michael Stephen, multiple SA Production car champ who oh­ so­nearly won the Masters catego­ ry at Rotax Grand finals in Portu­ gal last year, leading for 18 laps be­ fore being punted out.

Cape drivers who are expected to be strong here include Luke Herring, Julian van der Watt and Jurie Swart, all competitors who have excelled in the junior ranks.

Luke Herring, a multiple SA karting champion, is likely to be super­strong on his home circuit, while Jonathon Thomas is anoth­ er Cape runner who could find himself right at the front of the grid after qualifying. Van der Watt, incidentally was a Formula Ford runner up in that champion­ ship last year.

If recent form is an indication, Gauteng’s Rachelle du Plessis and Justin Alison from Bloemfontein will be on the pace, while in the Masters division, Marouan Selmi, Ronnie Baptista and Nick Verheul and have all shown great form.

From KwaZulu­Natal Benjamin Habig is expecting to challenge strongly again for the title, as is masters competitor Jonathan Pi­ eterse.

Robert Whiting is another who, on his day, is equally capable of winning this fastest, and most­ competitive class in SA karting.

Fields for this halo formula of SA karting are now approaching 30 karts, indicating that karting is one of the go­to formulae in SA motorsport.

ing feature called “FanBoost”.

“With it, you can directly sup­ port your favorite driver by vot­ ing for them online — during the race, the top three drivers with the most votes receive a 30 kWh driver­activated momentary speed boost!

“It’s a fascinating, communi­ ty­driven experience that bridges the connection between drivers and their fans.

“This novel look at “connec­ tion” resembles the communica­ tive capabilities that we are inte­ grating into FF vehicles. Formula E also serves as a celebration of green, sustainable innovation, linked with assertive perform­ ance.

“This interactivity between rapid technological advance­ ment, entertainment and envi­ ronmental responsibility is abso­ lutely central to FF.” Does FF have any plans to compete in future seasons of Formula E? “FF will always be looking into the possibility of putting cutting­ edge engineering and high tech­ nology pursuits to the test — per­ haps even through entering auto­ motive competitions. We have no firm plans and are not making any announcements at this time.”

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR COX INVITATIONAL THE first ever Alfie Cox Invi­ tational takes place at Hen­ derson Farm near Umzumbe on the KwaZulu­Natal South Coast on Saturday 2 April.

Cox told Wheels some of the country’s best enduro motorcycle riders will fight it out for the title on the new track.

“The course is pretty sheltered but if we have rain like we had recently, it will add to the excitement levels and make for a great day of racing,” mentioned course builder and motorcy­ cle legend Alfie Cox. “I had no hesitation in wanting to have the event there as it is the perfect course to test SA’s best,” Cox said.

• More info available from http://on.fb.me/1XpXEX8.

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