Month: May 2019

Following the record-breaking run at the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the ID. R – Volkswagen’s fully-electric sports car – has now set its sights on another record in the summer of 2019: the lap record for electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, which is regarded as the toughest racetrack in the world. The ID. R is the sporty ambassador to an entire range of electric vehicles, which Volkswagen plans to launch from 2020 onwards. The ID. R’s motorsport assignments are a declaration of Volkswagen’s commitment to electromobility and underline the huge potential power that the E-drive can deliver on regular roads in the future. “After the record on Pikes Peak, the fastest time for electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is the next big challenge for the ID. R,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “A lap record on the Nordschleife is a great accolade for any car, whether a race car or a production car.”

The ID. R, which is being further developed for the record attempt at the Nürburgring, is powered by two electric engines with a system capacity of 500 kW (680 hp) and weighs less than 1,100 kilograms, including the driver. “Above all, we will modify the aerodynamics of the ID. R, in order to cope with the conditions on the Nordschleife, which differ greatly from those on Pikes Peak,” says François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport. Unlike the US classic on Pikes Peak, which starts at an altitude of 2,862 meters and ends at 4,302, the Nordschleife winds its way through the Eifel region at between 320 and 617 meters above sea level. The iconic German circuit has a very unique characteristic, not least thanks to the long Döttinger Höhe straight. “As part of our meticulous preparations for the record attempt, we will put the ID. R through an intense test and development program at various racetracks in the spring,” Demaison adds. The record attempt is planned for the summer. The multi-talented Romain Dumas will be at the wheel again for the record attempt. He won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the ID. R Pikes Peak in June 2018 and, with a time of 7:57.148 minutes, became the first driver in over 100 years of this iconic race to go under eight minutes. The Frenchman also has four victories in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring to his name.

“The thought of driving the ID. R on the Nordschleife is already enough to give me goosebumps. I know the track very well, but the ID. R will be a completely different challenge, with its extreme acceleration and huge cornering speeds,” says Dumas. “I can hardly wait for the first tests. Breaking the existing electric record will certainly not be a stroll in the park.” The current record for fully-electric vehicles stands at 6:45.90 minutes – at an average speed of almost 185 km/h – and was set in 2017 by Britain’s Peter Dumbreck in an NIO EP9.

On May 15th, I had my first experience at the 1000 Miglia – and it was amazing! There were some of the most incredible cars of the automotive history on the road today and I think 1000 Miglia is an ode to the golden times of the automobile.

Words and images by Alexberlinetta from Carphiles

For this opportunity, I was invited by the team of DRIVERSHALL to take photos and join them for the Ferrari Tribute. DRIVERSHALL is a community of people who are connected by a passion for supercars, as well as an exclusive members club for car aficionados that own and know how to drive a supercar and want to connect and pursue their hobby with like-minded awesome people.

Starting on the streets of Desenzano the race took two days and featured an exquisite selection of some classic and contemporary Ferraris. The DRIVERSHALL team participated with a stunning red F40, and we were lucky to follow them until Milano Maritima capturing the race with the camera.

Following the strict standards of the 1000 Miglia, every car that is being part of it must have an impeccable provenance. You will get to see some of the finest, most exclusive and rare classic cars that exist.

On the second day of the race, I woke up very early at around 5 am to have the chance to see all the cars on the streets in front of the hotels just sitting there for your enjoyment. It also gave me the chance to see all the other cars that were part of the main 1000 Miglia race, besides the Ferrari Tribute.

It was an amazing sensation to be surrounded by all these beautiful masterpieces when the race took off – and to hear all the engines roaring is quite an unforgettable impression.

Here is my selection of photos that capture the magical moments of the race. Enjoy!

The British company Ginetta has confirmed that an all-new supercar is on the way. Full details will be announced soon, with highlights including a carbon-fiber tub chassis, full carbon fiber body, race-derived 600+ hp naturally aspirated V8 alloy engine designed and manufactured in-house, a sequential gearbox and a race-derived aerodynamic package. Ginetta has a long history of manufacturing lightweight, high-power road cars to production-based race cars such as the G55 GT4 (producing almost 400 to date, more than any other global manufacturer) and competition cars for the highest level of prototype racing.

The new supercar utilizes this leading race technology and precision engineering to create a true driver’s car. This is not another supercar from a car company: this is a supercar from a top-tier motorsport manufacturer. Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson commented: “We’ve come a long way in 60 years but we still believe Ginetta has great untapped potential. In the 1960s our G10 was a giant killer on and off the track, regularly beating Jaguar E-Types. Sixty years on, we’re again applying knowledge and technology from our racing programs to build an uncompromised yet utterly capable road-going supercar.”

Founded in 1958 by the four Walklett brothers, Ginetta has a long and successful history of producing hand built road and race cars. Beginning with the G2, enthusiast favorites such as the G4, G10, G12, G40, and G55 followed in a varied lineup. Acquired by Le Mans winner and entrepreneur Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005, the company is now known globally for its motorsport activities. Ginetta operates a network of racing series, from nurturing young talent through the Ginetta Junior program (one graduate of which is McLaren F1™ driver Lando Norris) through to prototype racing such as LMP1.

Every car is hand-built in a state-of-the-art factory just outside Leeds in West Yorkshire. The company has continuously developed its technology and manufacturing capabilities, with the factory equipped with autoclaves, CNC machining capability, and extensive design facilities. As a result, Ginetta now carries out more original engineering than any other UK car company of its size and has produced more GT4 cars than any other global manufacturer (over 400 to date). Translating this expertise and manufacturing capability into an all-new supercar, 2019 will see Ginetta return to the company’s roots in ultra-lightweight, high-power road cars.