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ASH EXOTICS
August 20, 2015
Ride on the t s smalle evee
Witness
Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za
WHEELS
2012 BMW 1M COUPE
White, 6-speed manual, xenon lights, black leather with red stitching, MFS, speedo cruise, 19 inch mags, window tint, 42 000 km, balance of motorplan, immaculate condition.
R629 995
Contact Ash on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg)
550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235
EDITOR: ALWYN VILJOEN ON 082 4589 332 ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447
Bike of 2015 ALWYN VILJOEN JUDGES in the third annual Pirelli SA Bike of the Year (Boty) have voted the Kawasaki Ninja H2 as South Africa’s top bike. This year’s winner was an nounced last night at Red Star Raceway in Mpumalanga. Coorganiser of the event, Har ry Fisher, told Wheels the young Boty has gained official recogni tion as well as the respect of the motorcycling public. As with previous events, the judges were all riding scribes, se lected on the strength of their ex perience not only as journalists but also as motorcyclists. Their mandate was to rate each bike in each of the categories on its own merits and vote for the bike that showed the greatest ad vantage/improvement against its direct rivals. The 16 finalist motor cycles broadly fell in four catego ries: naked, sport, long haul cruis er and full electric.
The bikes were ridden to and rated over the Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga. Fisher stressed that the 16 final ist bikes were not judged against each other. “It would be impossible to compare a superbike with a cruis er, for example,” he said. Instead, the judges considered areas such as aesthetics, innova tion/technology, value for money, build quality, rideability, handling/ performance and suitability for in tended use. “However, emotion cannot be taken completely out of the equa tion and a percentage of the vote will be ‘would I actually spend my own money on this bike?’” said Fisher. Pirelli is the title sponsor of the Bike of the Year, with TomTom and Total SA as associate spon sors. The latest sponsors to have joined Boty, Liqui Moly look for ward to many more Botys. “We are very much involved in
SA’s top riding scribes judge 16 bikes to get one winner the Motorcycle industry in South Africa and internationally with our massive range of twowheel products,” said Melicia Labuscha gne, director Liqui Moly SA. “So we are delighted to be on board as a cosponsor for this
Bikes put through their paces along Long Tom Pass. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
great event and we look forward to the successful association go ing forward,” Labuschagne said. Votes for each finalist 76 — Kawasaki Ninja H2 66 — Triumph Tiger 800 XCX
54 — Yamaha R1 42 — Aprilia RSV 4RR 26 — KTM 1290 Super Adventure 20 — Yamaha Tracer MT09 13 — Ducati Scrambler/Ducati 1299 Pannigale S 10 — BMW S1000RR
08 — Indian Scout 05 — Ducati Multistrada 1200 02 — Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally/ BMW RnineT 01 — Zero S 00 — Suzuki GSXS1000/ HarleyDavidson 750
R279 900
2011 FORTUNER 3.0 4x4 R/B, WHITE 129 000 km
2
WitnessWheels MOTORING
August 20, 2015
The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R pays tribute to the 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL (on the left). PHOTO: BMW
Barebones racing Beemer The interior design started with the driver’s helmet race suit and seat, not the dashboard MUNICH/Pebble Beach — The BMW Group has come up with something special for the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, launching the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R to celebrate the BMW 3.0 CSL in 1975. That was the year the Bavarian manufacturer won the 12hour race at Sebring, following the his toric win with a succession of victories, including one at Laguna Seca near Pebble Beach. BMW’s rookie year duly culminated in the white BMW 3.0 CSL, decked out in eyecatching BMW Motorsport livery, winning the manufacturers’ championship at first attempt. This success, cou pled with the car’s striking design and the “Bavarian Motor Works” legend emblazoned across the wind screen and rear window, announced the BMW brand’s arrival in North America with a bang. “Motor racing is all about the ability of cars to mesmerise, about the unbridled joy of driving,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president BMW Group Design. “And as such, it represents the heartbeat of BMW. Back in 1975, as today, winning races came down to how man and machine could work togeth er. Technical innovations have taken the effective ness of this partnership to ever great heights. And with the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R we’re aiming to show how much closer the driver and car can grow in the future.”
A new level of driver focus The interior design of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R did not start with the dashboard, but the driver’s helmet, race suit and seat, before moving onto the lines and surfaces of the interior. As the layer of interaction closest to the driver, the helmet visor assumes the functions of a display and projects in formation such as the car’s speed, gear engaged and engine revs, into the driver’s direct field of view. The idea of the HeadUp Display is therefore ex pressed in a whole new way. “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” is the name of the game, ena bling the driver to concentrate fully on the job of driving the car. As well as helping the driver to do his or her job, the driver’s race suit by Puma visually expresses the connection between the driver and the car. If both the driver’s hands are on the steering wheel, illuminated piping integrated into the sleeves of the suit shows the progress of informa tion — from the shift impulse display, for exam ple — out of the steering column over the driver’s arms and into the visor. The sidesection design of the large carbonfibre seat shells reflects the anatomy of the seated driver, thus providing maximum support in any driving situation. At the same time, the seats ensure the driver’s body has the best possible connection with the car,
giving him or her a physical feel for it along almost the whole body, thus allowing for faster reactions. The seat shells follow a rising diagonal path to the rear, a line extended behind the seats into the rear by a structural carbonfibre element that in creases the torsional rigidity of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R. The only “comfort” function are the two vents on the sides of the steering column, which supply the driver with fresh air at ambient temperature. Only what is needed All the other elements in the interior are there out of necessity. A carbonfibre roll cage integrates with the roof structure and side sections that are almost entirely from carbon fibre. The only woodlike pres ence is the “instrument panel”, which is a cross member and structural element. This is a reference to a central element of the earlier BMW 3.0 CSL, in which even the racing version had distinctive wood trim ringing the whole of the interior. A highlight here is the additional informa tion illuminated through the wood. Recalling the BMW 3.0 CSL’s victory at Laguna Se ca in 1975, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R displays the track layout and braking points through the in strument panel’s wood strip. By using light in this way, this ultrasophisticat ed, supersmooth information display removes the
need for a classical display and slips perfectly into the car’s minimalist interior design philosophy. Only the small central eBoost charging display interrupts the flow of the otherwise unbroken wooden surface. A small display on the steering col umn provides the driver with secondary informa tion such as lap time, overall race time and the car’s current track position. Other racing elements in the interior include red anodised safety features, such as the outlet nozzles for the fireextinguishing foam, the extinguisher it self, and the two switches on the centre console for the emergency shutoff and fire extinguishing mechanism. The rear has space only for two hel mets integrated into the centre tunnel. These are held in place by a belt when not in use. Underneath the longitudinal braces jutting out to the rear are the covers for the eBoost energy accumulators. Outside rooted in racing Every detail of the Hommage car has its origins in the successful racing machine from 1975, but all have been updated and integrated technically into a modern design language. Laser lighting and LED technology enable slim light graphics. From the side, the front apron and kidney grille present a modern take on the shark nose design, ensuring the car will be easily recognis able. — Supplied.
Just slide into the smallest parking GORDON HALL SEEMS I’ve been doing it wrongly for years. Recently, in a shuttle bus between “here” and “there”, I overheard a pair of youthful bloggers dis cussing how to write up car launches. It was enlightening. “First,” declared 19yearold Mistressofcraft to 20yearold Student, “you deal with really impor tant stuff; like the cool colours. Then you go on to the neat things — what it does — and some technical details — just two or three — then you describe how it looks and feels.” Editor Alwyn Viljoen challenged me to try like wise, so here goes. Ford’s new BMax comes in 11 stunning col ours — three solid and eight metallic — of which five are available in even the basic Ambiente ver sion. My favourite, Deep Impact Blue, is rich, sexy and looks amazing on the car. They’re all brilliant, but that’s my best. Because Ford understands that we don’t all slave away in offices but work at the times and on the days we choose and have lives too, we need to stay
connected 247. That’s why it’s fitted with Sync, the company’s patented intouchware. It enables the connection of cellphones and mu sic players by Bluetooth or USB, allows handsfree telephone calls and controls music and other func tions with voice commands, while keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. You can transfer contact information from a compatible Bluetoothconnected phone to the ve hicle, make calls or find contacts using straightfor ward voice commands, or have it read text messages aloud. Ford describes Bmax as a multiactivity vehicle (Mav) that’s “compact, stylish, desirable, spacious, practical, safe, sleek and dynamic”, but its neat tricks are the doors and its almost infinitely variable seats. The front doors hinge normally, but the back ones slide open and shut. That’s useful in narrow spaces. But there’s more. Ford took away the inter vening pillar so it’s easier to load and unload bulky parcels, for parents to muscle baby chairs, and for older folk to climb in and out without bruising shoulders or hips. Three models with different spec levels — Ambi
Available in 11 stunning colours, the BMax just sips from Ford’s worldbest onelitre engine. PHOTO: SUPPLIED ente, Trend and Titanium — use the same engine, just in two states of tune. It’s a 1 000 cc, threecylinder motor with both lazy pulling power and the verve to excite. That’s thanks to turbocharging that plucks potent power from diminutive size yet remains economical — as little as 4,9 /100 km overall or 6,0 in the city.
Most important, it’s reassuringly safe, with seven air bags and all the electronic aids needed to survive the modern jungle — urban or freeway. Why BMax? Bsegment placement and Max imum versatility. Get it? Prices range from R221 900 to R271 900. It will be in showrooms from midSeptember.
Biggest first date driving turnoffs FORGET flowers and chocolates, it would appear that the surest way to woo a potential love interest is to grab the “learner” sign and brush up on driving skills, as a new survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) revealed in the UK. The research revealed that Brits pick up on the driving skills of a date — good or bad — within the first 65 seconds of getting in the car, with half picking up on their potential partner’s prowess behind the wheel in just 20 seconds.
While rudeness scored highest on the list, with 81% of Brits citing bad manners as the worst thing a suitor can do, driving is a threepoint turn off as nearly half of the 10 worst offences happen in the car before the date has even begun. The research found road rage to be the worst first date faux pas for almost half (46%) of the people, while a similar number said texting at the wheel leaves them wanting to put the brakes on the date. Talking on a cellphone while driving appeared at
number seven on the list, grinding the gears of 44% of those questioned. And it’s best to bin those chip packets as nearly a quarter (23%) find a dirty car unappealing. A further one in 10 (11%) are irritated by someone who takes 15 minutes to park, while an eighth of Brits (13%) find overly cautious drivers who go under the speed limit offputting. Other turnoffs include bad personal hygiene, which causes four in five (80%) of us to lose interest, and no sense of humour, which shirks nearly three
quarters (70%) of singletons. Being selfobsessed (69%) and sweaty palms (25%) also scored highly in the list. On the flip side, more than one in 10 (11%) Brits say good driving skills get their motors running on a first date, beating a nice car (seven percent) and great shoes (nine percent). The IAM’s chief executive, Sarah Sillars, said: “Bad driving not only has an impact on the safety of our roads, but can also affect your chances of romance. — Newspress.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
August 20, 2015
3
Zooming back BRIAN BASSETT goes to lunch in the Mazda 6 PHOTO: MAZDA THE Mazda car company is headquartered in Hiroshima, Ja pan and is named for the su preme, transcendental god of the Zoroastrian faith, possibly the oldest religion in the world. In South Africa the brand has suffered several years of low sales and profile while embedded with Ford. Now that the brands are sold separate, Mazda’s nine dealers in KZN are filling their floors with a series of distinctive models and a brand image which is continu ing to grow its independence and reputation. I was delighted when Faisal Hoosen, the new vehicle sales manager at Barloworld Mazda suggested that I drive the third generation Mazda 6, 2.5 Dynam ic Auto for a few days, a pleasura ble experience for both the Fat pack (who paid for lunch) and I.
when you park at a mall in the city.
sleep in the car, around twice that with the rear seats folded down.
Interior The interior is spacious and of excellent quality. Polished aluminium and soft touch plastics cover most of the hardworking areas and leather is used on the electricallyadjust able, sporty, wraparound, mem ory controlled seats and multi function, fullyadjustable steer ing wheel, which deals effectively with the Bose sixspeaker sur round sound system. It also han dles the Bluetooth, auxilaries, and MP3 players. The instrument panel has been laid out horizontally and is neat and simple to ease vision, as well as hand and arm move ments for the driver. The space for legs and elbows is particularly impressive. I took the Fatpack to lunch at Rawdon’s on Saturday. None of these gentlemen has grown any smaller since last they drove with me and yet the five of us were comfortable and the car performed well with extra weight on board. The airconditioning system has a useful automatic function and the three portly gentlemen in the rear reported that they benefited almost immediately from the cool air. The luggage space is quite suf ficient for a family of four, deliv ering 438 litres with the rear seats up and, should you want to
Safety The Mazda 6 has 21 elements in stalled to ensure your safety too many to name here. They vary from seatbelts, through ABS with EBD, sideim pact bars, six front side and cur tain airbags and Dynamic stabili ty Control to child restraints and a central locking and alarm sys tem. So it is as safe as possible and an ideal family car.
ing little problem. On the notori ous Midlands DRoads this large saloon treated rough surfaces with disdain and I always felt in control, even at higher speeds. The car is, however, so com fortable and the driving experi ence so laid back, that you do not feel it necessary to speed. The cost of comfort and style The entrylevel, twolitre Active will cost you around R350 000. The 2,5litre Dynamic Auto will set you back around R380 000,
while the 2,2 DE Atenza, which I hope to review at a later stage, costs R435 000. All models come with a three year, unlimited warranty, as well as a service plan and roadside as sistance. Service intervals are ev ery 15 000 km. Mazda said the 6 is aimed at the German truimvirate, but when it comes to asking less for more the 6 is up against stiff competition from the Honda Ac cord, Peugeot 508 and Volvo S60.
Performance and handling Despite having no turbo, the Mazda 6’s fourcylinder, 2,5li tre engine makes 138 kW and 250 Nm, putting the power on the tar via a sixspeed auto gearbox. Top speed is over 200 km/h and the car will take you from zero to100 km/h in around nine seconds. Driven thus with the Fat Pack, fuel consumption was 8,9 litres per 100 km and no doubt a lighter load and foot will im prove this number a lot. In and around the city the Mazda 6 is one of the easiest and most pleasant cars I have driven. The steering is light and yet you remain in direct contact with the road. Front and rear parking sen sors makes it easy to pakr and on the N3 it purrs along at a quiet 120 km/h, with accelera tion to higher speeds present
Styling I have used the word “distinc tive” many times, but to date I have not used the word “beauti ful”. This is indeed the word to use when describing the Maz da 6. It is in my view one of the best looking cars currently available in South Africa. Mazda designers have created a striking piece of machinery which at the front has design ele ments of the Aston Martin. It has the typical Mazda pen tagonal grille and a broad bonnet with distinctive light clusters and fog lights built into the front bumper. The rear projects a wedged body and prominent rear fender with rear light clusters almost mobile in their forward sweep. The boot lid has a clever Swan hinge which allows easy ac cess to the storage ar ea. We are a revolutionary new technology in Vehicle Enhancement & Customising. Dipworx Plastidip Mazda describe PMB is an official performix supplier and applicator of Plasticdip, Hydrodip, Laminexing, Smash & Grab & CPI Software via obd/chip tuning & diagnostics. We offer the ability to change the appearance their design philoso & Texure of surfaces through Plasti & Hydro dipping. Dipworx Plastidip PMB is a registered RMI phy as “Kodo” or Soul accredited outlet. of Motion. This has created a We also offer Performance Enhancement products under CPI Software for a number of vehicle brands. It improves fuel economy, lowering fuel consumption up to 20%. It increases power and torque while car which deserves to maintaining factory reliabilty, giving you the best of both worlds. It gives you a much smoother driving be parked outside a experience. We also repair and unlock the computer boxes. large, historic, multi million rand home in a suburb like Constantia in Cape Town, flanked by mature oak trees and framed by white, fluted gate pillars. If it’s that good a de 318 VICTORIA ROAD • Tel: 033 342 3289 • Cel: 071 414 5839 Email: plasticedip.pmb@gmail.com • Email: pmb@cpituned.co.za sign, think of what it will do for your image
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4
WitnessWheels MOTORING
August 20, 2015
Made for the track McLaren 675 LT’s body has gained a serious dose of racing attitude SCOTT COLLIE McLAREN hasn’t been massproducing road cars for very long, but that hasn’t stopped it from rapidly adding stable mates to the F1, which was designed by Durban’s Gordon Murray. Having created and launched the new entrylevel Sports Series, the British marque has expanded the top of its Su per Series, with the new 675 LT. Gizmag took a close look at the 675 LT before chatting with David McIntyre, McLaren’s Asia Pacific regional director. Whereas the McLaren 650S is de signed to be driven predominantly on the road, the 675LT is focused on the racetrack. Racing fans will recognise where the LT designation has come from. Murray inspired the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail in 1997, which was a mas sive 64,1 cm longer than the F1 GTR that shook up the Global GT Series in 1995 and 1996. The 675’s “Longtail” isn’t nearly as dramatic as the F1 GTR’s — although it is longer than the regular 650S, it is just 3,4 cm (1,34 in) longer than a regular 570S. In addition, the 675 LT’s body has gained a serious dose of racing attitude. From the rear, the car’s massive diffuser and central titanium exhaust give it a sense of purpose unmatched by anything else in the McLaren lineup. The sense of theater doesn’t stop with the diffuser — the 675 LT’s rear is covered with mesh, which gives anyone lucky enough to pull up behind it a peek at the braided hy draulic lines for the airbrake, and the im mense amount of heat shielding shroud ing the car’s 3,8litre V8. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber, the car is 100 kg lighter than the
The bucket seats hold you tight, perfect for flatout trackday work PHOTO: LOZ BLAIN/GIZMAG
Made for the racetrack, not the road, all models of the McLaren 675LT is nevertheless already sold out. PHOTO: MCLAREN 650S. It also produces 40%more down force, and will hit 100 km/h in 2,9 sec onds on its way to 330 km/h. The car’s turbocharged 3,8litre V8 is the same basic unit as the one hiding under the 650S’s hood, albeit with a bunch of new components. Thanks to more efficient turbos, detail changes to the cylinder heads, a new camshaft and
lightweight connecting rods, the 675LT makes 496 kW. “It’s all been about getting the weight down, maximising power to weight,” said David McIntyre, McLaren’s Asia Pa cific regional director. “This is not a car for people who want to own a McLaren and they want to drive it on the road most of the time, and occasionally on
track. If they want to use a car on track quite frequently and sometimes on the road, this is the car for them, because this is going to be more of a harder ride.” Beyond the raw numbers, McLaren has worked on making the LT feel a bit more ragged, which means that drivers can now turn traction control off all the way for tailout shenanigans.
Inside, the cabin is reflective of the car’s trackfocused design. McLaren’s deep, supportive buckets grab you tight as soon as you’ve jumped into the car and there is plenty of space for taller driv ers — with the seat set as far back as it would go, even my gangly sixfootsix frame fit comfortably. The airy, open feel that is so promi nent in the Sport Series McLaren’s cabin is absent in the cabin, and there are hints everywhere that this car isn’t designed to be used every day, like the lack of stor age pockets for small items like sunglass es and phones. Then again, you don’t buy a trackfocused supercar for its capa cious glovebox, do you? Ultimately, the 675LT offers up some thing special beyond the regular 650S. Looking at the two cars sidebyside, the 675’s extra presence and purpose is im mediately obvious. The bad news is that all 500 produc tion cars are sold, so if you’ve got your eyes on an LT, it might be time to start scanning the classifieds. — Gizmag.
Sissou beats his own 1 km record STELIOS Sissou is SA’s fastest man over one kilometre, breaking the 1 000 metre barrier with an official speed of 346,3 km/h at ODI Raceway on Sunday, August 9 and in the process shattering his 2014 record for streetlegal cars. The Gauteng businessman’s Bil steinbacked 1 200kW Nissan GTR35 endured a morning of technical niggles at the annual One Kilometre Invita tional before it all came together late in the day. Sissou launched his final at tack on the tarmac with the sun already heading towards the horizon. An enthusiastic crowd, which flocked to the popular Pretoria drag strip to see over 100 of the country’s fastest cars in action, erupted into spontaneous applause as the commen tator announced the result. With his own record of 337 km/h and a strong contingent of GTR35 rivals to beat, the car underwent further refine
ments compared to last year’s specifica tion, primarily an upgrade to Bilstein’s sophisticated Modular Damper System (MDS) suspension that allows fine tuning of the shock absorbers. The rate of compression and extension (com monly referred to as bump and re bound) as well as ride height can be adjusted. This enables startline trac tion to be optimised, while at the same time ensuring maximum stability at ve locities beyond the takeoff speed of a jet fighter. “The Modular Damper System is Bil stein’s flagship product for highper formance cars. It allows the driver to adjust key settings to achieve a desired result, whether the car is going to be used for drag racing, track days, or even a gymkhana. It allows for quick and easy changes to bump and rebound via col ourcoded rotary adjusters and with a little more effort ride height can also
Stelios Sissou powered his Bilsteinbacked GTR35 to a new official record of 346,3 km/h in the standing kilometre. PHOTO: MOTORPRESS
be altered,” said Bilstein’s Ted Gar stang. “Dialling in the ideal settings for a given circuit or driving discipline can be the difference between a good result and a great result and we’re really proud to have played a part in Stelios’s victory today.” Interestingly, every GTR35 leaves the Nissan factory fitted with Bilstein electronically controlled dampers as original equipment, so an upgrade to MDS is a natural progression. A jubilant Sissou added: “The morn ing was really characterbuilding, and something went wrong on every run. With the temperatures rising quickly and a bit of a headwind I was worried whether we’d be able to get past 340 km/h. But my final run was perfect: I went for a very conservative start strategy and didn’t use launch control, but when it did all hook up it was like riding a rocket ship — talk about warp speed!” As it turned out, the victory was an emphatic one with the monster GT R35 faster at the 800metre mark than the next fastest car was at the end of the full kilometre. “We’ll be back next year to defend our crown … and not just to win but break 350 km/h!” concluded Stelios. According to a Video VBOX datalog ger, the NXGenprepared GTR35 achieved the following results as it pow ered its way into the record books: •0 – 200 km/h 8,37 seconds •0 – 300 km/h 13,48 seconds •100 – 200 km/h 3,19 seconds •200 – 300 km/h 5,11 seconds •0 – 1 000 metres 18,35 seconds @ 346,74 km/h •0 – 800 metres 16,24 seconds @ 334,1 km/h •Maximum speed 349,6 km/h (achieved beyond the finish line). — Supplied.
The new MercedesBenz CClass Coupé is an absolute headturner. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
New levels of elegance MERCEDESBenz is adding a Coupé to its CClass family, which the company promises will raises interior elegance and style to a new sporty level. The sporty bit comes from a dy namically configured chassis, with op tional air suspension, forms the basis for a high level of suspension com fort, low road roar and tyre vibration, agile handling, and driving pleasure. There are initially four petrol en gines available for the Coupé. The power spectrum ranges from the 1.6litre fourcylinder engine in the C 180 with 115 kW/156 hp to the two litre C 200 (135 kW) and C 250 (155 kW) models and the C 300, likewise with a displacement of two litres but with an output of 180 kW. The two diesel models are equipped with an enhanced fourcyl inder unit developing 125 kW or 150 kW and feature ecofriendly SCR tech nology (Selective Catalytic Reduction) for exhaust gas aftertreatment. The new levels of elegance come from the Coupé’s wealth of standard equipment and optional driver assist systems based on the MercedesBenz Intelligent Drive concept. Attention Assist with adjustable sensitivity, which can warn the driver of inattentiveness and drowsiness, is
included as standard. Further standard equipment in cludes Collision Prevention Assist Plus, which features an acoustic warning for the driver at speeds above seven kilometre per hour and Adaptive Brake Assist to help avoid collisions by boosting the braking ef fect in line with the current situation. When a danger of collision persists and the driver fails to respond, the system is able to carry out autono mous braking at speeds of up to 200 km/h, thereby reducing the se verity of collisions with slower or stopping vehicles or, in the bestcase scenario, even avoiding the collision altogether. At speeds of up to 50 km/h the system also brakes in response to stationary vehicles, and is thus able to help prevent rearend collisions at up to 40 km/h. The AMG Line is available as an al ternative to further underline the dy namism of the Coupé. It differs by virtue of exterior fea tures such as special bumpers and sills featuring AMG bodystyling and 18inch AMG lightalloy wheels. The new CClass Coupé launches in December and will be coming to South Africa soon. — WR.
R
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* Limited to the Renault Sandero Expression (From Rl 999 PM or R139 900), Renault Clio Expression (From R2 999 PM or R199 990) or Renault Captur Expression (From R3 249 PM or R219 900). Deal is subject to the credit approval terms and conditions of Renault Financial Services. A product of Wesbank. A division of FirstRand Bank Limited. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP20. The financial offers are only applicable to the advertised vehicle derivatives, and are valid for this month only. Retail prices are in accordance with pricelist 10 June 2015. Prices exclude “on the road” costs and optional extras. * Terms and Conditions apply.
Yagan Padayachee 084 555 7456
Andries (Sbu) Hadebe 082 672 6618
Darryl Smith 078 120 6861
Hector Mkhwanazi 078 739 6392
Gerard Chetty 071 192 1609
*Terms and conditions apply. Repayments calculated on balloon of 35%, over 72 months, at 10,25% linked interest rate with )% deposit. Subject to bank approval. Excludes mandatory on-road charges and metallic paint. Vehicles depicted may differ to actual models. While stocks last. Above offers available for the month of June 2015. E&OE.
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ISHAAD RAHIMAN 084 274 7867 (SALES MANAGER) ishaad@mcmotor.co.za • Nicholas Mduli 082 977 0058 • Ruzaid Mahomed 073 786 1368 • Neil Pandaram 072 650 7108
McCARTHY RENAULT PIETERMARITZBURG 9 Armitage Road • Tel: 033 341 7600 • www.renaultpmb.co.za
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Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline from R1,984* per month. The Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline standard features include:
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5 speed manual 4.7ℓ/ 100km Anti-locking Brake System (ABS) Daytime running lights Model
Vehicle Price
Take up! 55kW 3-door
R137,600
Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments
R1,733*
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Power-steering Electronic immobiliser Central locking system Front, side and curtain airbags
72
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55kW @ 5,000rpm Fuel-injected 5-speed manual Air conditioning Driver and passenger air bags Power steering
Interest Rate Linked / Variable
Deposit
Balloon Payment
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT
Model
Vehicle Price
7.84%*
10% (R13,760)
36% (R49,536)
R174,296
Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline
R145,700
Height and reach adjustable steering column Digital clock and trip recorder 3 cup holders (1 in front; 2 in rear console) Body colour bumpers
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Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments
R1,984*
72
Interest Rate Linked / Variable
Deposit
Balloon Payment
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT
7.78%*
5% (R7,285)
37.5% (R54,638)
R190,987
Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za
An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Take up! 55kW 3-door model in standard specifications. Instalment excludes optional extras, but includes delivery and monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 26 August 2015.
An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline model in standard specifications. Installment excludes optional extras and delivery fee, but includes monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 26 August 2015.
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Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za
Tough gets you across rivers and over mountains.
Live confident. Drive confident.
3 year / 45 000km
service plan
5 year / 90 000km
Polo 66kW TSI Trendline from R2,571* per month.
Purchase a Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion Automatic from R518,500* incl. VAT
The Polo 66kW TSI Comfortline standard features include: -
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Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Dual front and side airbags Electric windows, front Model
Vehicle Price
Polo 66kW TSI Trendline
R201,900
Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments
R2,571*
60
14” Steel Wheels Composition Colour: Touch screen, Radio, 4 Speakers
Interest Rate Linked / Variable
Deposit
Balloon Payment
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT
7.19%*
10% (R20,190)
40% (R80,760)
R235,020
The Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion Automatic in standard specifications: -
8-speed automatic Alloy wheels – Aldo 17” with anti-theft wheelbolts
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ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) with brake assistant and Hill Start/Hill Descent Assist
Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Receive R40,000** worth of accessories or trade-in assistance. Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Polo 66kW TSI Trendline model in standard specifications. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Instalment excludes optional extras and delivery, but includes initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. Volkswagen Financial Services - a division of Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd.250 An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 26 August 2015.
Pietermaritzburg
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Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
Barons
service plan
An optional cost of R1600 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion Automatic model in standard specifications. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. Price excludes optional extras and delivery. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 26 August 2015.
9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg
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The Take up! 55kW 3-door standard features include:
SERVICE PLAN
SERVICE PLAN
5 Year / 90 000km
5 Year / 90 000km
SERVICE PLAN
5 Year / 90 000km
R419 000
R399 900 2015 Amarok Double Cab 4x2 Manual 132kW, 5 600km
Leather Trim, Park Distance Control Front & Rear, Tow bar, Rubberised Bin, Tonneau Cover, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Aircon
R490 000
2015 Amarok Double Cab 4x2 Automatic 132kW, 9 000km
Alastaro 19” Alloys, Leather Trim, Park Distance Control Front & Rear, Tow Bar, Roll Bar, Rubberised Bin, Tonneau Cover, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Aircon
R579 000
5 Year / 100 000km
R689 000 2015 Touareg 3.0 TDI V6 Escape Tiptronic, 10 200km
A Adaptive Chassis Control, Light A Assist, Keyless Locking and S Starting, Nappa/Carbon Fibre L Leather Seats, DynAudio Sound S System, Panoramic Tilt/Slide S Sunroof, Rear View Camera
Area View & Rear View Camera, Chrome & Style Package, Front Seats with Active Climate Control
R254 000
2010 Kia Cerato 2.0 Koup, 90 000km
Leather Trim, Park Distance Control Front & Rear, Tow Bar, Roll Bar, Rubberised Bin, Tonneau Cover, Electric Windows, Central Locking, Aircon MAINTENANCE PLAN
2015 Golf R DSG 206kW, 5 000km 2
R129 900
2015 Amarok Double Cab 4x4 Automatic 132kW, 4 500km
R260 000
2015 Golf 7 1.4 Trendline, 25 000km
2011 Amarok D/Cab 4x4 120kW, 104 000km
Offers exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg. Visit or contact us today for these great deals
R409 000
2015 Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline, 4 500km
and many more.
2015 Golf GTI 2.0 TSI DSG, 3 000km
New Sales Consultants
Alison Wiltshire – Sales Manager 082 783 8855 • John Brown – 082 645 4396 Merglin Rama – 083 382 4589 • Menzi Ngubane – 073 534 8545 Bahle Bhengu – 082 337 5825 • Erica Neff – 082 858 7749 Thando Gumede – 078 969 8072 • Keshnee Pillay – 073 372 1452
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*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 After hours Laurie: 082 783 8040 • Rajen: 072 228 9834 Sanjay: 083 639 0989 • Barry: 072 235 4244 Phumlani: 073 017 1294
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R309 900
ELECTRIC WitnessWheels MOTORING
8
August 20, 2015
For postapocalyptic racing Australia first gave the world the windy washing line, now there’s this solarpowered sports car ALWYN ALWYN VIJOEN VIJOEN FIRST there was the Stella Lux, a car designed by a group of Dutch students to be powered by the sun, which Wheels dubbed the most important automotive development this century. Now there is the Immortus, a car that aims to take the some what rough and ready effort by the students from the Eindhoven University of Technology a step further with bespoke luxury. Built by the Melbournebased electric vehicle technology start up EVX, the Immortus forms part of the new outfit’s vision “to make selfpowering cars the fu ture of transportation”. CEO Barry Nguyen states on the EVX website that the Im mortus was inspired by post apocalyptic movies and de signed to exhibit a toughness that no other car has. “The ability to run on the power of the sun and store the energy for later use make it a car of practically infinite endurance. As long as the sun shines, the Im mortus lives,” said EVX. For now, however, the team of 11 workers, lead by a former phys iotherapist, a design engineer and intellectualproperty lawyer, aims to sell “limited numbers” of their bespoke solarpowered passenger sports cars as well as affordable aftermarket automo tive products to convert petrol cars into plugin hybrid vehicles.
solar range of over 550 km at an average of 85 km/h and a top speed of over 150 km/h EVX says that depending on the conditions, the Immortus can run on an unlimited range on solar alone at over 60 km/h.
Looking good, on paper The solarpowered sports car has a power to weight ratio of 40 kW to 250 kg, with space for two people and their hand luggage. Fully laden, it can take its five metrelong body from 0100 km/h in less than seven seconds, which should be good to outrun most zombies. But that is not all. “The advanced aerodynamics and chassis design allow it to feel and drive like a truly nimble and balanced sports car.” It has a combined battery and
The devil in the detail What EVX does not say is how the Immortus’s batteries will re main immortal in a world where Charlize Theron lookalikes roam in figurehugging leather. (We all get to choose our own post apocalyptic futures, okay?) As Toyota has now repeatedly stated as part of its campaign to explain the company’s about turn on developing electric cars, batteries will, for the next decade at least, remain the Achilles heel in the evees, giving their owners shorter and shorter ranges.
But who knows, in the next Mad Max sequel, Immortan Joe may turn out as a gangster made good, and choose to drive around in the Immortus, rather than that methanolsmoking skorokoro in the current movie. Its postapocalyptic vision aside, EVX does have more real istic goods to sell, developed while designing the technology platform for the Immortus. These include: • a hybrid retrofit kit concept that enables current petrol cars, light trucks and fleet vehicles to be converted from petrol pow ered to plugin hybrid. In addi tion, the motor makes the car go faster and turns it into a four wheel drive; • a lightweight, aircooled bat tery box with multiindustry ap plications; and
• regenerative shockabsorber technology that recharges bat teries from absorbing the bumps on the road with multiindustry applications. “The hybrid retrofit kit concept has recently attracted interest from a prominent Melbournebased OEM auto parts manufacturer. This is a promising sign for EVX, which is poised to disrupt the $34 bil lion aftermarket parts and $9 trillion global auto industries. We look forward to exhibiting at the Sema trade show to develop new global partnerships, seek further customer feedback and attract presales for our break through products,” said Nguyen. He adds that the company is looking for investors. He said the global custom car and specialty equipment market is estimated to be worth $33 billion, and de mand for electric cars globally “is experiencing fast growth, hitting 740 000 vehicles sold in 2014”. Depending on spec, the Immor tus will sell for over R4,7 million.
vs
The Immortus, a solarpowered car with which Australianbased company EVX thinks you can dice Immortan Joe if the Mad Max movies become reality … naah, we don’t think so either. PHOTO: SUPPLIED, EVX
Tokyo gets ‘sawnoff skateboard’ Audi plans for a 500 km evee ALWYN VILJOEN JAPAN’s Cocoa Motors will take preorders for what it claims to be the world’s smallest electric vehicle, on Kickstarter from Oc tober. During July, the Tokyobased company invited test rides on what it described as an A4sized electric car, but what we call a sawnoff electric skateboard. Officially, this tray on wheels is called the WalkCar. A company video demon strates how this laptopsized board fits into a carry bag. To ride it, the driver slips the WalkCar out of the bag, places it on the ground, steps onto it and leans forward. Weight sen sors activate the motor. To slow down, the rider leans back. To turn, the rider has to lean into the turn to put more weight on the inside wheels. The WalkCar’s top speed is 10 km/h and Cocoa Motors claims 12 kilometres, with a threehour charging time. To stop, the rider just steps off the board and it stops.
Top: The word’s smallest electric vehicle is strong enough to move a trolley loaded with boxes up an incline (below). PHOTO: WALKCAR To avoid a collision, a rider can jump off, and the WalkCar will stop immediately. Details of the motor and bat tery are still to be confirmed, but as a screen grab from the compa ny video shows, it is powerful enough to carry a man who is pushing a trolley loaded with boxes, up an incline. (Presuma bly, the boxes are not too heavy.) — Wheels Reporter.
ONE of the concepts at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show that will have a definite impact on car design is Audi’s longdis tance electric sports ute. Audi said that the eventual production electric vehicle will have a range of 500 km, using a battery built on cells from LG Chem and Samsung SDI. At a press conference in March, Audi technical develop ment board member Professor Dr Ulrich Hackenberg said: “In early 2018, we will launch a bat terypowered sports activity ve hicle in the large premium seg ment with a range of more than 500 kilometres.” That’s almost certain to be an electric Q6 crossover between the Q5 and Q7. It’ll be built atop the newest iteration of MLB ar chitecture debuted on the new Q7 and is expected to get its looks from the Prologue con cepts that Audi has been parad ing around since last year’s LA Auto Show. Audi has now announced its partnership with LG Chem and Samsung SDI. These compa
Audi has plans for a 500 km electric vehicle. PHOTO: AUDI nies will supply Audi from their European production plants. “With our first batteryelec tric Audi SUV, we are combin ing an emissionfree drive sys tem with driving pleasure,” said Hackenberg. “We will integrate optimally the innovative cell modules de veloped with LG Chem and Samsung SDI into our vehicle architecture, thus achieving an
attractive overall package of sportiness and range.” Gizmag reports that Audi’s eSUV will have a proven heavy weight competitor when it launches three years from now: Tesla’s Model X. In his secondquarter share holder letter last week, Elon Musk said that Tesla will launch the Model X next month. — Wheels Reporter.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
August 20, 2015
9
Briggs can finally brag Britain’s BAC is making waves at the top tier of the luxury market BRIGGS Automorive Company, (BAC), this week cemented its status as a unique British brand in the top tier of the luxury market with appearances at the most ex clusive motoring events in the world: Pebble Beach and The Quail. As a sponsor of The Quail Rally — an invitationonly threeday event — The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, BAC proudly sits with some of the most recognised luxury brands in the world. The brothers Neill and Ian Briggs founded the company in 2009 to built specialist sports cars for driving enthusi asts. The company’s first vehicle is the Mono, which refers to its single, central seat that aims to create the purest possi ble driving experience. The factory in Liverpool builds one Mono per month, with strong global de mand from markets like the U.S., South America, Asia and Europe. Having introduced the 2016 model Mono at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month — where it unofficially broke the course record — BAC show cased the Mono on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Ele gance. BAC’s appearances on the West Coast of America this week are an indication of the worldwide growth the company has seen in the last couple of years, rising from British track car manufacturer to global luxury player. At its new factory in Liverpool, BAC builds one car per
V ANDREW WHITNEY, director of strategy and corporate development
“The Mono is much more than a track car — it’s a scrupulously engineered luxury product.”
The 2016 Mono by the relatively new Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) appeared on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, alongside Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche. PHOTO: NEWSPRESS month, with strong demand from cus tomers in the U.S., Europe, South Ameri ca and Asia. Andrew Whitney, director of strategy and corporate development, said: “The
Mono is much more than a track car — it’s a scrupulously engineered luxury product that uses the best materials and the best minds to create something that truly stands in a league all of its own.
“We believe that Pebble Beach and The Quail are the best events of their kind in the world and that’s why we’re here. We want driving enthusiasts around the world to experience the
unique thrill of the Mono, and these events are quite simply the best places we can do that.” Andrew was pleased to welcome Andy Palmer (CEO of Aston Martin) to the BAC at The Quail. “Aston Martin is a great British company and he was hugely supportive of our product and plans,” he said. The BAC 2016 Mono features an all new 2,5litre Mountune fourcylinder engine producing 227 kW — that’s up 18 kW up on the previous 2,3litre Cos worth engine. The revised car weighs in at just 580 kg, but makes 392 kW (526 bhp) per ton. The new model also includes a drivebywire throttle as well as a bespoke driver fitment culminating in a custom steering wheel and seat tai lormade for the owner. — NewspressWR.
Pick of the Corolla bunch SIBONELO MYENI THE Corolla has moved upmarket and with the adoption of a 1,4 turbo diesel, it’s the best option in the Corolla lineup. We gave it a test. Surprisingly, the design looks better in the metal than in pictures. We got curious looks and we also had some people stopping us to have a closer look at the “baby Lexus”, as some referred to it. The Prestige comes with attractive 16inch alloys that work best with the Eu rocentric design. Inside, we were a bit disappointed with the square dash layout but the quality is excellent. Standard on this model are the revers ing camera (strangely no PDC), leather interior, USB/MP3/CD/radio, multifunc tion wheel and Bluetooth. Space inside is good for five adults to sit in comfort with ample headroom.
The trump card for this model is its 66 kW/205 Nm 1,4 turbodiesel motor linked to a sixspeed manual gearbox. It works best and is segment leading with good refinement and power delivery. The torque is delivered early in the rev range and this allows good cruising abili ty, irrespective of load or road. We got an excellent 5,1 l/100 km during our test and this equates to more than 700 km per tank — brilliant. Ride quality is okay, but Toyota needs to work more on its noise vibration and harshness levels to give it the edge against the VW Jetta and the Koreans (Hyundai Elantra and Kia Cerato). Handling is safe and works well for a family car. At R249 900, the Corolla D4D Pres tige is the best in the local Corolla lineup and has no direct rivals in its segment. Add in Toyota’s quality and reliability, and its worth every cent.
The Corolla D4D Prestige is the pick of the Corolla bunch, with no direct rivals in its segment. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Buy into a legend in KZN
One of the six original Shelbys fetched $7,25 million (R93 298 075), but in Prospecton, racewinning replicas by Backdraft Racing sell from R463 000. PHOTO: NEWSPRESS
BACK in 1964, the Cobra won races ev erywhere, except at Le Mans. To fix this, Carroll Shelby gave de signer Peter Brock the job of making the Cobra’s body sleeker. The resulting Cobra Daytona Coupés went on to win Ferrari in the 1965 FIA Sports Car Championship and hearts all over the world. Only six of these cars were con structed. These Shelby masterpieces very rarely come to market, but one does, it fetches a fortune — the last Daytona Coupé fetched $7,25 million (R93 298 075). Now, for the first time ever, all six will assemble at the Good wood Revival meeting from September 11 to 13. Backdraft Racing builds replicas of
these cars in Prospecton, which handle as good as they look. The Backdraft factory is involved in motor racing throughout South Africa, with former international racing driver Tony Martin at the helm. The Backdraft crew recently won first prize at the Dezzi track day, and Martin is keen for new owners to join in. “With or without factory backing, we can dis cuss many options to get you on the track. Even our entrylevel Track Day Cars will give you very competitive times,” he told Wheels. The cars are built in both lefthand and righthand drive configurations for export. Arrange to view the cars in progress by emailing tony@backdraftracing.co.za
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
August 20, 2015
Hackers expose cars Security researchers exploit Jeep and Tesla’s vulnerabilities through infotainment system HEIDI HOOPES LAST month, security researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller made head lines when they remotely hacked a Jeep Cherokee, killing the transmission as a Wired reporter drove at high speed down the freeway. Valasek and Miller released the final piece of their research at both Blackhat on August 5 and DEF CON 23, days be fore two other researchers disclosed the vulnerabilities and strengths of the Tes la S. Even unrelated talks mentioned something about Tesla or Jeep and regu lar attendees were encouraged to sit in an officiallysponsored Tesla and hack car components in an open sandbox, a first of its kind at DEF CON. Clearly, vehicle hacking had become a thing. Old system opened door The vulnerability in the Jeep Cherokee revolved around weaknesses in the car’s Uconnect infotainment system distrib uted by Harman. A common strategy for hackers is to look for vulnerabilities in often lesssecure userfacing systems, then to pivot from there to more secure (and important) systems. In this case, the hackers found an open port and a process in the infotainment system al ready designed to execute code, which allowed them to inject a few lines of Py thon. Now able to navigate the system with root privileges, they spent months to re verse engineer and add their own code to the firmware, providing a means to send malicious instructions to systems including the transmission and brakes. Even without the firmware exploit, hackers can still use the infotainment API to play with functions like the radio and wipers, as well as track the car via GPS data. Worse, all of this could be done remotely, from anywhere in the world as long as a hacker was on Sprint’s network. The exploit resulted in recalls of 1,4 million vehicles spanning three years of models in the Fiat Chrysler (FCA)
This month’s Def Con 23 taught if your car has a threeyearold Harman system to connect to the Internet, hackers can get in and take over your vehicle. PHOTO: GIZMAG line, including the 2014 Durango and the 20132014 line of Ram pickups. Sprint blocked traffic on port 6667 and legislation was introduced that was months in the making by U.S. Senator Edward Markey. While Harman systems are used in many other makes of cars, the company stated that only the FCA vehicles were vulnerable because the car company used an older model of the infotainment system. Valasek, who is the director of vehicle security research for IOActive, and Mil
ler previously hacked a 2010 Toyota Pri us and 2010 Ford Escape but this re quired physical access through the cars’ ports, as we reported in August 2013. Tesla ‘like an airplane’ Jeep hasn’t been the only target for secu rity researchers in recent months. The Tesla S was chosen by Marc Rogers and Kevin Mahaffey because they consid ered it the most connected car currently in production, even referring to it as a “data centre on wheels”. They attempted to get access to the
same attack surface as Miller and Val asek did with the Jeep: the infotainment system. However, they discovered that the Tesla’s infotainment systems are set up more like an airplane than a car, with the important items more highly se cured. While they were able to obtain root access on the infotainment system, they were only able to perform actions that were legitimately in the API, though that still included altering speed readouts, unlocking and locking doors, opening windows, and lowering and raising the suspension.
New CEO as Mahindra looks north to grow MAHINDRA & Mahindra Ltd, one of India’s leading business houses, has confirmed the appointment of Sanjoy Gupta as the new chief executive officer of Mahindra South Africa. Gupta’s appointment comes in the wake of the earlier announcement that current Mahindra SA CEO, Ashok Tha kur, will be heading up Mahindra’s new ly established African Business Unit, which will act as the centre of the com pany’s business expansion into Africa. The highly experienced Gupta joins the Mahindra SA team from Mahindra & Mahindra in India, where his most recent position was vice president for national spares and service strategy, technical support, sales and service and customer satisfaction. He started his professional career in heavy earthmoving equipment in 1989. His more than 25 years of experience in the motor industry, gained at both Ford India and Mahindra, includes national dealer channel development, head of na tional salespersonal vehicles and head of customer care. Gupta joins Mahindra SA as the local company celebrates 11 years of opera tion in SA. During that time, the compa ny has developed into a solid business with compelling future prospects and a strong emphasis on growth. Its importance has gained further momentum with the recent announce ment of an Africafocused business ex
V ASHOK THAKUR, current Mahindra SA CEO
New CEO for Mahindra in South Africa, Sanjoy Gupta. PHOTO: QUICKPIC pansion strategy controlled by a dedi cated Africa Business Unit. This con firms SA’s key role in Mahindra’s future expansion plans on the African conti nent. “Back in 2004, when we started Ma hindra SA, we already knew that the country would be the beachhead for Mahindra’s growth in Africa,” said Tha kur. “Since then, we’ve encouraged local skills development and have reduced the number of expats in favour of SA em
“Back in 2004, when we started Mahindra SA, we already knew that the country would be the beachhead for Mahindra’s growth in Africa … Since then, we’ve encouraged local skills development and have reduced the number of expats in favour of SA employees.” ployees.” Customer care has been another core element of the Mahindra business here from the very beginning, and as our cus tomers will confirm, we support them in every way possible, added Thakur. “Against the backdrop of Mahindra’s closer focus on Africa, and the key role Mahindra SA is set to play in that strate gy, the local company is entering a new
and exciting phase, with more initia tives on all fronts. We have several new model introductions planned in the short to medium term, while we also an ticipate expanding the Mahindra dealer network. “I wish Sanjoy Gupta all the very best as he takes over the reins of Mahindra SA, and steers it towards a bright and promising future,” said Thakur. — WR.
While they did discover some weak nesses, such as a security token that was set as a password in plain text and an older browser that was a couple steps removed from the source (which makes for slower updates), they also discov ered some strengths to the Tesla design. Unlike the Jeep, there is a gateway be tween the touchscreen entertainment system and the auto systems that Rogers and Mahaffey believed wasn’t hackable, but hadn’t tried yet. Additionally, inter fering with the infotainment API did not cause complete vehicle failure, as with the Jeep, but instead gave a warning about applying brakes at speed while re serving the driver’s ability to use the steering and brakes. Another major difference between the Jeep Cherokee and the Tesla S hacks lies in how the companies were able to handle the fallout from the situation. Miller and Valasek initially disclosed the vulnerabilities to FCA months ago on October 24, 2014, with the recall not oc curring until shortly before the confer ences. While ports are now blocked on the affected models and drivers can’t pur chase WiFi for an unpatched vehicle, the recall and the negative publicity repre sent a significant loss of money and rep utation for the company, as opposed to Tesla, which was able to release an auto mated update that was pushed to all us ers. — Gizmag. • Tesla showed up to DEF CON 23 last week to address the audience after “tame” hackers Marc Rogers and Kevin Mahaffey finished their presen tation on the difficulties of hacking into Tesla’s systems. In what the website Tomhardware described as a presentation that felt “of being coopted by Tesla, possibly because of the 20 or so Tesla em ployees sitting in front”, the Tesla em ployees awarded the hackers Tesla challenge coins and announced its bug bounty programme, run through Bug Crowd, would be increased to up to $10 000 (about R120 000).
HACKERS TARGET OLD PROBLEMS IN a presentation illustrating that some modern hacks rely on weaknesses that should have al ready been solved, hacker Samy Kamkar demonstrated an attack at Def Con 23 that relies on vul nerabilities with some cars’ and garages’ RF systems. Famed for his earlier exploits with MySpace and SkyJack, he introduced a device called Roll jam that automates an attack that hackers have been aware of for years. When a car owner clicks his or her key fob to unlock the car, the Rolljam jams the signal from reaching the car, thus encourag ing the owner to click the key fob again, sending another sig nal. After jamming and saving the second signal, Rolljam plays back the first signal, unlocking the car for the still unwary own er. However, the hacker retains the next signal the car will be listening for, providing a way to unlock the car remotely from the key fob at a future date. Kamkar said that this is a problem that was solved years ago, with no reason for car owners to still be worried about it. — Gizmag.
MOTORING WitnessWheels BIKING
August 20, 2015
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A super bike for daily riding Yamaha YZFR3 is an economic cruiser or highrevving fun KERRYN COCKBAIN EKEROLD Yamaha recently wel comed the new YZFR3 to their showroom. Yamaha has taken the world class power of its super bike range and encapsulated it in to an entrylevel superbike fit for everyday use. At a glance, the YZFR3 comes off as the pretty boy of its class. Its design is infused with the R series’ signature DNA, displaying similar characteristics to its big brother, the YZFR1, as well as drawing from the inspiration of its World Championship win ning patriarch the YZFR6. Its sleek body work is available in both Racing Blue and Mid night Black. But don’t be fooled by this eyecatching, sporty exte rior, this pretty boy also packs a punch. Under its sleek, lightweight de sign, the YZFR3 boasts a 321 cc inline twin cylinder engine. Gone are the days of your frostbitten fingers fumbling with the choke every morning. The YZFR3 fuelinjected en gine combats against the chilly winter mornings by cold starting effortlessly. The rev output of its oversquare design makes the most of the smaller cc engine, keeping the power performances levels neck in neck with some of the bulkier competitors of its class. But YZFR3 proves it’s per fectly able to not only challenge but ultimately defeat its bulkier competitors. In a true David versus Goliath showdown, the YZFR3 trumped its greatest opponent, the KTM Duke 390, by being voted 2015 entrylevel sports bike of the year by MOTOUSA.com. This grand achievement can be
attributed to the ease of the ride. Coupled with the highrevving nature of the bike and its superb handling capabilities, the slim line body makes for swift move ment and smooth gearing transi tions. The handling is further en hanced by the standard fitted ABS braking system, arguably some of the best brakes in the in dustry. This outstanding feature is the cherry on top for commuter rid ers who desperately seek a solu tion to the loadshedding traffic dilemma. The further congestion caused by the current cable being laid in the Pietermaritzburg CBD is no match for the agility of the YZFR3. And with its 14 litre ca pacity you can get almost 300 km on a tank which translates to 4,9 l/100 km. With petrol price increases once again becoming a common occurrence nationwide, fuelling the YZFR3 is far lighter on the pocket than many others in its class. Owen Madondo, a sales con sultant at Ekerold Yamaha, who is currently test riding the bike, expresses some of its ideal quali ties. “The bike’s handling is agile and has a sporty feeling to it. It is a breeze to ride through the traffic. The bike is appealing to both women and men and is ideal for those who want to enter the superbike range.” The brand new bike is available at Ekerold Yamaha for the rea sonable price of just R69 950. Ultimately, the YZFR3 is a credit to its creators as Yamaha maintains its deserved position as an internationally competitive quality brand.
Martin Hulin’s eRaw electric motorcycle shows what a new generation of electric bike designers can do with the space not taken up by an internal combustion engine. PHOTO: EXPEMOTION
French artisans get artistic with eRaw bike LOZ BLAIN THE electric bike segment must be such an exciting opportunity for budding motorcycle design ers. Instead of making window dressing for an increasingly complex combustion engine, you’re dealing with an incredibly simple, compact motor and a flexibly shaped battery package. Plus, nobody has decided what an electric motorcycle should look like yet, so you’re free to experiment with all sorts of funky ideas that would simply never fly in the petrolpowered bike world. Case in point: the eRaw from
France’s Expemotion, which fea tures a floating seat made from 80odd layers of wood laminate, and uses an iPhone as a dash. The eraw is clearly not de signed for production; the proc ess of creating that extraordina ry laminate seat unit looks painstaking and timeconsum ing, and the bike’s clean design benefits from the fact that crea tor Martin Hulin hasn’t bother ed to stick brake lights or indica tors on it. But it’s an example of what can be achieved when the hard ware and plumbing associated with a combustion engine is ditched in favour of an electric unit.
The dash cradles a smart phone, altough a waterproof Sony Experia would be a better choice than this iPhone. PHOTO: EXPEMOTION
With the fuel tank gone, Hulin has been able to keep mass low and central while sticking on that eyepopping seat unit. It’s a retrofuturistic design and Hulin seems clearly to be a lover of petrol bikes as well, de scribing in poetic French his ap preciation of the “charming sounds and perfumes” of the petrol motor, but saying they must give way to the “osmotic silence and transcendental flow” of the electric. Personally, I can see that wooden seat rudely interrupting my “transcendental flow”, but then comfort is frequently the first casualty on a custom bike. Drive is by belt, the frame is
The price of beauty: A saddle that needs a bit more filing and the awkward handlebars. PHOTO: VIMEO SCREENGRAB
Italian Bad Bike with fat tyres
The all new YZFR3, a superbike for everyday use at less than R70k. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
ITALIAN electric bike builders Bad Bike have released a 25 kg Fat Bad folding bike (pic tured) that continues the theme of new design freedoms as displayed above by French company Expemotion. The blurb on the website states the folding bike is “quiet, ecological and designed to move nimbly in the urban traf fic, in full respect of nature”. A choice of two motors as sist the cyclist, allows him or her “to chew up the miles and easily overcome the climbs”, ac cording to Bad Bike. These motors are either a 36V/250Watt or 48V/500 Watt drivetrain. The 250Watt
drive is wired to a 10Ah lithi umpolymer battery pack with a top speed of 70 km/h. Riders will have to allow five hours to recharge the lithium ion battery. As with all Europe an electric bikes, even the en trylevel 250 Watt costs the price of a good motorbike — about $1 775 (over R22 700). The 500Watt Fat Bad R can be preordered for $2 220. The company also sells a bike with a sleek little sidecar for the bambino, as well as various city cruisers — all with electric motors mounted more or less elegantly between the back wheel and the frame. — Wheels Reporter.
a simple metal tube design, and the suspension is traditional USD forks with a laidover shock — although other CAD images from the Expemotion website show that Hulin has been experi menting with the idea of a girder front end. For the sake of sim plicity, the regular fork is a win ner in this case. There’s no detail available on battery capacity, motor output, charge times, range or pricing, because it’s not a production machine. But as a design study and a prototype it’s an interesting ma chine nonetheless, and we hope it’s not the last we see from Hu lin. — Gizmag.
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WitnessWheels MOTORSPORT MOTORING
August 20, 2015
Karters set iDube on fire Cape Town’s Tristan wins closest racing seen in decades in the Maxterino class for youngsters STUART JOHNSTON
usual on his home track at iDube, but he was shadowed by Potchefstroom’s Ronnie Baptista. Nicholas Verheul from Kempton Park finished third. Jonathan Aberdein’s achievement in winning both the DD2 class and the Sen ior Max class at iDube — and increasing his championship lead in both catego ries — should not be underestimated. Those in the know point to the diffi culty in switching from one category to the next over a race weekend, as the non gearbox Senior Max kart requires much more sensitive braking (these karts only have brakes on the rear wheels) and car rying much more momentum through a corner to make up for running just a single gear over an entire lap. On the other hand, the DD2 kart re quires a more aggressive style to get the most from its twospeed setup, and ex tra braking power from the front wheel brakes. KZN’s Jordan Sherrat took the fight to Aberdein in the Senior Max after winning the opening race. A slight inci dent dropped him back in Race Two, but came back a fighting third in race Three. Fabienne Lanz had a great run at iDu be, placing third overall.
THE Maxterino Class stole the third leg of the karting championship held at the iDube Raceway on Saturday. Two day’s racing saw the biggest entry in over a decade in the toptier DD2 Gearbox class, as well as the closest rac ing seen in decades in the Maxterino class for youngsters aged eight to 13 years old. Competition was fierce on the tight and tricky iDube circuit, which rewards both driver skill and a strong engine set up to cope with the uphill climbs. Maxterino class The youngsters in this class were so close that the lead changed in just about every corner. The best part of the racing, for both spectators and competitors, was that the drivers accommodated an over taking manoeuvre without tangling wheels, and yet retained enough mo mentum to come back fighting just a few corners later. The racing was so close that in the second heat the top seven finishers crossed the line just 1,2 seconds apart. When the excitement finally settled to a postrace adrenalinwash, Tristan Losch form Cape Town emerged as the winner for the day, followed by fellow Capetonian Charl Visser and Gauteng’s Cameron O’ Connor. Surprisingly, the impressive Aidan Strydom from Cape Town, who has been a top championship contender so far, battled in KZN and ended up seventh for the day. DD2 Gearbox class The sight of some 28 DD2 Gearbox karts taking starter’s orders on the tight iDube track took the breath away and glad dened the hearts of the promoters. Local favourite Benjamin Habig looked set for a fantastic weekend as he won the first race and placed third in the second, but saw his weekend ruined when his pitcrew misplaced a piece of the exhaust power valve, which saw him putter around powerless in the final race. Likewise, current SA DD2 champi on Bradley Liebenberg from Lonehill in Gauteng had a difficult weekend made worse when he hit a stationary kart in
Ivana Cetinich gets airborne in the Senior Max class, where she finished sixth for the day at iDube Raceway. PHOTO: HEINRICH SAUER
“Local KZN hero Mitchel Licen followed up a lowly placing in the first race to score two fine second places in DD2, and there were times when it looked as if he may run out the winner for the day.” Race Two, fortunately without injury. The fact that he fought back to win the third race speaks for his natural talent. Their mishaps took nothing away from the overall winner of the day from Cape Town, Jonathan Aberdein. The youngster has put an enormous effort into this racing this year, competing in the Euro Challenge as well as at his home
circuit in 2015. Local KZN hero Mitchel Licen fol lowed up a lowly placing in the first race to score two fine second places in DD2, and there were times when it looked as if he may run out the winner for the day. Eugen Brittz from Pretoria filled out the podium spot, followed by Jurie Swart from Cape Town, Cristiano Morgado
from Durban in fifth and Kashen Naiker in sixth. DD2 Masters and Senior Max The Masters class for drivers aged 32 and older runs concurrently in the DD2 ra ces, and has long been dominated by Durban’s multiple world champion, Cris Morgado. Morgado did the business as
Toyota take honours in tough, dusty Tshwane run CHARMAINE FORTUNE TOYOTA’s leading championship con tenders secured their lead in a tough and dusty Imperial Toyota Tshwane Motor Rally around Cullinan last weekend. It was a fascinating, exciting, yet tough duel between the leadings team, but in the end Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris S2000) emerged first from the dust. The outcome of the rally, the sixth round in the SA National Rally Champi onship, was hanging in the balance until the penultimate stage when Mark Cron je and Robin Houghton (Ford Perform ance Fiesta) fell by the wayside due to steering problems with their Fiesta. Up to that point, with two stages to go, the championship leaders led their Toyota challengers by a margin of only 1,3 seconds, and all was set for a nailbit ing finale to the dusty rally in and around the town of Cullinan in Tshwane. But it was not to be … After winning all four stages the previ ous day, Cronje and Houghton had a handy lead of 12,7 seconds over Poulter/ Coetzee, but in the opening stage on Sat urday morning (won by Henk Lategan/ Barry White in their VW Sasolracing Po lo racing under Superally rules) were
eight seconds slower than the Toyota crew. Cronje/Houghton duly made up the lost time in the next stage, winning it, but then lost 10 seconds to Poulter and Coetzee in stage eight, cutting their lead down to only 2,3 seconds. In the next stage Poulter took another 0,4 seconds out of their lead, to now trail by only 1.9 seconds. The Ford Performance pair’s woes in the next stage (they managed to fix the steering, losing 16 minutes, and eventu ally were classified 15th overall) saw Poulter and Coetzee take their third con secutive victory in the series — thereby levelpegging their championship chan ces. It also secured a double podium for the Castrol Team Toyota with Giniel de Villiers and Carolyn Swan finishing run nersup — just under halfaminute adrift of their teammates. However, getting lost in the excite ment of the battle for victory was the mighty tussle between De Villiers/Swan and the experienced Volkswagen Sasol racing crew of Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries. The two teams were swopping virtually identical times in the stages, and at the finish the difference between them was only 7,3 seconds — while they were split by only 5,6 seconds after the
FROM LEFT: Volkswagen’s thirdplaced Pierre Arries celebrates his podium with Toyota’s firstplaced Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee and second placed Giniel de Villiers. PHOTO: MARC BOW first day of the event. While teammates Lategan and White were making hay under Superally rules, winning three special stages on day two, Gugu Zulu and Hilton Auffray (VW Sasolracing Polo S2000) drove a steady race to secure fourth position. They were followed by team mates Thilo Himmel and Armand du Toit, scoring a rare race finish in fifth, followed by Ernie van der Walt/Greg Godrich ((Vecto Fuel Toyota Yaris) in sixth posi
Junior Max Delon Thompson from Gauteng and Di no Stermin from Cape Town battled it out over all three races for supremacy in this class for youngsters aged 13 to 16. In the end, Thompson ran out the win ner in all three races, but he was pushed hard all weekend by Stermin, who is en joying a great 2015 season. Fellow Cape tonian Jason Coetzee claimed third place, followed by KZN’s Dominic Lin coln, Delano Fowler from Cape Town and Daniel Duminy. The iDube round saw many different drivers score valuable points in the Four Round 2015 SA Rotax Max Challenge 2015, and has set up a wonderful finale for the fourth and final round to be run at Zwartkops on September 25 to 26. • Winners of the three Rotax classes will place in the World Championships, known as the 2015 Rotax Grand Final, in Portugal, a weeklong race meeting held from November 914. More info from the Rotax website www.kart.co.za Auris) had to withdraw just before the final stage. This effort also saw Joubert and Van der Walt finish second in the regional event. The battle royal in the S1600 class was highlighted by the spectacular crash of log leaders Matthew VacyLyle and Schalk van Heerden. The pair hit a big jump in stage eight and their Fragram Tool Toyota Etios R2 landed badly, causing it to roll over at high speed. Luckily both of them were unhurt. With Richard Leeke/Rikus Fourie (ATS Ford Fiesta R2) rolling out of con tention after breaking a control arm and AC Potgieter/Tommy du Toit (Ricky B VW Polo R2) damaging the radiator when hitting a major jump, both retiring in stage nine, Paulus Franken/Henry Kohne (Manitou VW Polo R2) moved up to second in the class, finishing nearly one minute and 40 seconds behind the Etios team, with Van Beurden/Swartz third. The seventh and penultimate round of the 2015 South African Rally champi onship, the Toyota Cape Rally, is sched uled for 18 and 19 September in the Western Cape Province.
tion, in the process also winning the Northern Championship regional rally overall. Theuns Joubert and Ma Follow us ri van der Walt (Salom Agri on Toyota Auris) drove a measured race to finish sev enth overall and win the NRC4 challenge after the Namibians Wilro Dippe naar/Kes Naidoo (North @WitnessKZN City Panelbeaters Toyota
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