TUCSON, Arizona--With editor-at-large Arthur St. Antoine having spent plenty of time with the new JL Wrangler Rubicon chasing hobbits down in the Shire, it only made sense for me to hop into one of the more conventional variants on hand. And so I hopped into a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited, which struck me as the variant most likely to be chosen by the vast majority of people who buy Wranglers not for rock crawling but things like Costco parking-spot trawling. While the Wrangler made no claims to the a significant share of the mass SUV market prior to arrival of the four-door JK Unlimited, it’s the model that’s powered most of its growth—Wrangler sales jumped almost 50 percent from around 80,000 to almost 120,000 when it was introduced in 2007, and the JK’s popularity exceeded the TJ’s even during the depressed recession years of 2008-’10, peaking in 2015 with more than 202,000 sold in the U.S. alone. With SUVs being far more popular in 2017 than they were in 2007 thanks to the rise of the crossovers, the competitive landscape is more complicated—and the potential customer pool is much larger. Enter the JL Sahara. The mid-range Wrangler is mechanically identical to the entry Sport—both can be had with your choice of 3.6-liter V-6 or 2.0-liter turbo four, regardless of door quantity, and both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic, though the V-6 can be had with a six-speed manual. Where the two differentiate are fancy frills like power windows and door locks, which the Sport goes without; on the two-door Sport, you can even skip the A/C. And while the stripper special is the one I’d likely drop my Bitcoin gains on, the 2018 Wrangler I spent most of the day in was a well-equipped Sahara Unlimited with a 2.0-liter turbo under its hood and the new retractable Powertop. On a variety of roads around the Tucson area, including a bit of washboardy dirt road, the Sahara Unlimited felt less like a Wrangler and more like, well, a modern crossover. There’s still a little on-center play in the steering, but it’s otherwise smooth and well weighted. The suspension offers a surprisingly smooth and composed ride with reasonable levels of noise, while the brakes don’t offer any surprises in either direction. (A brief stint in a two-door Sahara later in the day offered much of the same, but with the expected loss of directional stability due to the shorter wheelbase.) What was surprising was the performance of the 2.0-liter turbo-four. Aided by a linear throttle with a smooth tip-in, it made the Sahara happy to get going and offered plenty of pull at any speed. The eight-speed automatic did almost all of its work in the background like a good auto is supposed to, its ratios and programming well matched with the engine’s powerband. It’s enough of an improvement over the V-6, which is fine, that it’s worth having to forego the manual. As for the Powertop, it’s a nifty bit of kit that I can see having been inspired by one of its distant cousins, the Fiat 500C, as like the Cinquecento’s, only the central piece retracts. With the full doors in place, it’s not an entirely open-air experience, but you get a lot closer once you remove the cargo area side panels with simple twists of easy-to-operate latches. Half-doors should become available in 2019; in the meantime, you can also just yank them off. Unfortunately, no such luck for the rear glass of this setup. But you can fold the windshield, which is no longer a semi-Herculean undertaking requiring the better part of an hour and a half. The number of bolts that have to be removed has shrunk from 28 to four, and some of the Jeep staff boasted about being able to complete the task in about five minutes. General creature comforts are much improved as well. Interior material quality and fit is as on par with even the fancier Grand Cherokee and some bits almost felt premium, while the latest Uconnect iteration offers a much higher and crisper resolution than before. Several annoyances of the JK were expunged in the refinement process, such as the push-button door handles and non-stay doors. With the JL, you can easily open the (much lighter aluminum) door with one hand by simply pulling on the handle, and you won’t have to worry as much about it crushing your shins afterward. The Sahara off-road experience was kept to a basic dirt trail on the approach to a hilltop site where Jeep had some Rubicons prepared for us to hop into (the turbo-four is excellent for crawling, offering the sort of predictable and smooth power delivery needed to keep everything shiny without worries about atmospheric loss at altitude). I wouldn’t take the Sahara on the technical rock trail they picked out for us to crawl over simply because you’ll be charging sans lockers, but it’s not unhappy in moderate off-pavement. It’ll certainly get you and your surfboard down to the sand at San Onofre without complaint, which is as far off-road as most of these will ever go. And make sure you check the box for the optional limited-slip rear differential if you get snow or plan going to it. Despite all of its additional refinement and polished looks, the 2018 JL Wrangler will not be mistaken for anything else by anybody. Given the number of compromises removed in the redesign process, I hope Jeep has some shovel-ready plans to expand the footprint of its Wrangler plant in Toledo, Ohio. The JL Wrangler is an excellent all-around vehicle that also meets all purist expectations and stays true to the brand. Jeep will sell every last one that it can roll off the line. After all, there’s not much reason to get a functional but nondescript compact-midsize crossover for the Costco crawl when you can have this Wrangler instead. If you’re going to be stuck behind a slowly reversing Prius, you might as well sit there with a smile.
from http://chicagoautohaus.com/first-drive-2018-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-sahara/
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Typically, when a premium automaker adds a new SUV to its lineup it sees a significant sales uptick. But apparently that isn’t the case with Maserati. The Italian brand will extend production shutdowns in Italy this holiday season as it tries to unload current inventory, reports Automotive News Europe. The decision comes amid slowing sales in China. Although Maserati is keeping quiet on the matter, union sources are reporting a number of long shutdowns. Maserati’s Grugliasco plant in Italy has been shut down for a four-week period starting December 15. This factory, which makes the Ghibli and Quattroporte, was closed for just three weeks last year. At the Mirafiori plant, which builds the Levante SUV, production will stop from December 20 through January 15, although last year it shut down for just one day beyond required holidays and weekends. The Modena plant will stop making Granturismo and Grancabrio models until January 8. “It is clear that production is slowing down and investment in new models are on hold,” Federico Bellono, head of the union for the Turin area that includes the Grugliasco and Mirafiori plants, told Automotive News Europe. New regulations that affect the relationship between dealers and automakers have hurt sales in China. In October, Maserati delivered 750 Levantes to China, a decrease of 67 percent from 2016, according to JATO Dynamics. Sales in the U.S. fell 15 percent in October and November, and 4 percent in the EU. New products could help Maserati increase its sales. A second SUV is expected to arrive by 2020. Slotting under the Levante, it is expected to share the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. At this point, plans for the Alfieri sports car remain unclear. Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription required) from http://chicagoautohaus.com/maserati-extends-production-shutdown-due-to-slow-sales-2/ Typically, when a premium automaker adds a new SUV to its lineup it sees a significant sales uptick. But apparently that isn’t the case with Maserati. The Italian brand will extend production shutdowns in Italy this holiday season as it tries to unload current inventory, reports Automotive News Europe. The decision comes amid slowing sales in China. Although Maserati is keeping quiet on the matter, union sources are reporting a number of long shutdowns. Maserati’s Grugliasco plant in Italy has been shut down for a four-week period starting December 15. This factory, which makes the Ghibli and Quattroporte, was closed for just three weeks last year. At the Mirafiori plant, which builds the Levante SUV, production will stop from December 20 through January 15, although last year it shut down for just one day beyond required holidays and weekends. The Modena plant will stop making Granturismo and Grancabrio models until January 8. “It is clear that production is slowing down and investment in new models are on hold,” Federico Bellono, head of the union for the Turin area that includes the Grugliasco and Mirafiori plants, told Automotive News Europe. New regulations that affect the relationship between dealers and automakers have hurt sales in China. In October, Maserati delivered 750 Levantes to China, a decrease of 67 percent from 2016, according to JATO Dynamics. Sales in the U.S. fell 15 percent in October and November, and 4 percent in the EU. New products could help Maserati increase its sales. A second SUV is expected to arrive by 2020. Slotting under the Levante, it is expected to share the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. At this point, plans for the Alfieri sports car remain unclear. Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription required) from http://chicagoautohaus.com/maserati-extends-production-shutdown-due-to-slow-sales/ Like Valentino Balboni, Chris Goodwin became a McLaren institution. Goodwin’s test driving gave each successive McLaren a certain seal of approval that legitimized the car. From the first MP4-12C, to the forthcoming three-seat BP23 hyper grand tourer set to debut later this year, Goodwin has had his hands on them all, which makes his move from McLaren to Aston Martin an end of an era. His shadow loomed large. Goodwin had been with McLaren since 1997 when the legendary Ron Dennis told him that he should work as a test driver for McLaren. Chris had a fairly successful racing career, and when Dennis made his proclamation, the Brit wasn’t sure it was the right decision, but years later, Goodwin called it “the best thing I ever did.” Twenty years later, Goodwin is starting a new chapter at Aston Martin as the expert high performance test driver. The move is a boon for Aston Martin as not only is the British marque looking to expand its footprint in the luxury and supercar market but also the hypercar segment with the Valkyrie, and who better to determine if the car is ready for customers than the man responsible for tuning the McLaren P1? It won’t be an easy task. While Aston Martin’s Valkyrie is a hybrid hypercar like the McLaren P1, the Valkyrie uses a naturally aspirated V-12 and a body designed by Formula 1 superstar designer Adrian Newey. The car aims to employ similar dynamics to prototype Le Mans race cars—as well as a few tricks from Formula 1—to deliver an experience that’s yet to ever grace the road. Goodwin will also be in charge of developing and honing Aston Martin’s upcoming Ferrari 488 GTB competitor, although that project is a little further down the pipeline compared to the Valkyrie. Additionally, Aston Martin were also able to bring Simone Rizzuto into the fold. Rizzuto was previously responsible for vehicle performance testing and integration at Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Rizzuto will take on the chief engineer of vehicle dynamics at Aston Martin. Speaking about Goodwin and Rizzuto, Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer said, “I’m thrilled to have Chris and Simone’s caliber join Aston Martin’s already stellar engineering and dynamics team. Their decision is a great endorsement of our future plans, while the skills and experience they bring are second to none. As we enter the next crucial phase in the development of our growing product and powertrain portfolios, they will make an invaluable contribution in shaping an exceptional new family of Aston Martin models.” from http://chicagoautohaus.com/aston-martin-poaches-mclarens-chief-test-driver-2/ Like Valentino Balboni, Chris Goodwin became a McLaren institution. Goodwin’s test driving gave each successive McLaren a certain seal of approval that legitimized the car. From the first MP4-12C, to the forthcoming three-seat BP23 hyper grand tourer set to debut later this year, Goodwin has had his hands on them all, which makes his move from McLaren to Aston Martin an end of an era. His shadow loomed large. Goodwin had been with McLaren since 1997 when the legendary Ron Dennis told him that he should work as a test driver for McLaren. Chris had a fairly successful racing career, and when Dennis made his proclamation, the Brit wasn’t sure it was the right decision, but years later, Goodwin called it “the best thing I ever did.” Twenty years later, Goodwin is starting a new chapter at Aston Martin as the expert high performance test driver. The move is a boon for Aston Martin as not only is the British marque looking to expand its footprint in the luxury and supercar market but also the hypercar segment with the Valkyrie, and who better to determine if the car is ready for customers than the man responsible for tuning the McLaren P1? It won’t be an easy task. While Aston Martin’s Valkyrie is a hybrid hypercar like the McLaren P1, the Valkyrie uses a naturally aspirated V-12 and a body designed by Formula 1 superstar designer Adrian Newey. The car aims to employ similar dynamics to prototype Le Mans race cars—as well as a few tricks from Formula 1—to deliver an experience that’s yet to ever grace the road. Goodwin will also be in charge of developing and honing Aston Martin’s upcoming Ferrari 488 GTB competitor, although that project is a little further down the pipeline compared to the Valkyrie. Additionally, Aston Martin were also able to bring Simone Rizzuto into the fold. Rizzuto was previously responsible for vehicle performance testing and integration at Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Rizzuto will take on the chief engineer of vehicle dynamics at Aston Martin. Speaking about Goodwin and Rizzuto, Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer said, “I’m thrilled to have Chris and Simone’s caliber join Aston Martin’s already stellar engineering and dynamics team. Their decision is a great endorsement of our future plans, while the skills and experience they bring are second to none. As we enter the next crucial phase in the development of our growing product and powertrain portfolios, they will make an invaluable contribution in shaping an exceptional new family of Aston Martin models.” from http://chicagoautohaus.com/aston-martin-poaches-mclarens-chief-test-driver/
from http://chicagoautohaus.com/3m-pps-world-cup-justin-jimmo/
from http://chicagoautohaus.com/collision-reporter-round-table-diagnostics-tipping-point/ Did you know exhaust systems function like elaborate organ pipes? I always thought they were more like long megaphones or trumpets, transmitting and muting the sound of the explosions happening in the cylinders. Nope. The noise is actually generated by the rush of exhaust gasses passing—sometimes at sonic or supersonic speeds—through an exhaust valve opening, just like compressed air entering an organ pipe. This probably isn’t news to folks in the exhaust-system biz, yet Borla Performance Industries is only just now getting patent protection for tuning exhaust pipes like organ pipes. Maybe that’s because not enough musicians design exhaust systems. David Borla, son of the performance exhaust company’s co-founders, Alex and Alyse Borla, started out in the music biz. The composer and performer held a Sony recording contract and has several IMDB movie soundtrack writing credits to his name. Now serving as the company’s sales and marketing VP, David initially riffed on the idea behind his dad’s XR1 racing-muffler patent. That concept uses a bundle of perforated tubes inside a muffler to achieve greater noise attenuation and better flow than a single large perforated tube can deliver. His experimentation with combinations of perforated and unperforated tubes resulted in the company’s line of Acoustically Tuned Applied Kinetics (ATAK) products. Then one night David was contemplating the whole organ pipe concept and realized that “one of the things that makes an organ what it is are the polyphonic notes—playing more than one note at the same time. Harmony.” He reckoned that if pipes could be combined to engender pleasing chords like triads (a root note plus its third and fifth intervals) or perfect fifths (the kerrang of an AC/DC power chord—root plus fifth interval), the result might inherently sound more pleasing—an exhaust chorus instead of a soloist. So he visited organ pipe factories and learned how varying a pipe’s size can help it convert one note into another. Now his team records an engine’s exhaust signature using a frequency-spectrum analyzer that helps identify pleasing and objectionable frequencies. (V-12s mostly produce the former; four-bangers generate a ton of the latter.) Pipes are then selected to enhance the sweet notes, de-emphasize or cancel the sour ones, and generate harmony. Borla has just scratched the surface of what this technology can do and is working to develop computer simulations to speed development of new systems. At press time, polyphonic pipes are available for the Focus RS, Fusion Sport, Challenger R/T, and Infiniti Q60S, soon to be joined by BMW M3/M4, Honda Civic Type R, and Kia Stinger systems. Lessons learned so far: Location of the polyphonic pipes makes a huge difference—they’re quite close to the engine on the Focus RS system, just ahead of the tailpipe mufflers on the Fusion, and just aft of the cross-over pipe on the Challenger and Q60S systems. Polyphonics can restore much of the richness and sound character lost to turbochargers. And systems can be tuned loud or quiet—the Q60S system sings 4dB louder than stock (too loud for Euro pass-by regulations), but forthcoming Mustang EcoBoost and GT systems will be Euro-compliant. “You’re not going to listen to it and go, ‘Oh, that’s a C triad,’” David Borla notes, “because there are harmonics and overtones. And engine speed, heat, and humidity can all affect the note. But these combinations just sound cool, and they sound different.” They also look cool. Most feature four smaller pipes spliced into the main pipe using header collectors. Pricing for these million-mile-warranted T-304 stainless steel systems is higher-end but not crazy—$1,208 for the Focus RS cat-back system, with competitor prices ranging from $499 (MBRP’s aluminized steel) to $1,475 for a cp-e system claiming a 5 percent power boost. (Borla makes no specific performance claim for its cat-back system but does for its high-flow-catalyst downpipe.) Your choice—an exhaust that sounds like full-on AC/DC, or an Angus Young unplugged one-note solo. Read more by Frank Markus here:
from http://chicagoautohaus.com/borlas-pipe-organ-tech-gets-your-car-riffing-like-ac-dc-technologue/ As the 2019 Acura RDX prepares for its upcoming auto-show debut, the stakes are higher than ever before. The Acura RDX will need to defend its place near the top of the compact luxury crossover segment’s sales charts against new challengers from Volvo, Jaguar, and Infiniti, as well as plenty of other premium CUVs that start under $40,000. Now entering its third generation, the RDX comes from an automotive bloodline that started on the sporty side but then shifted toward the mainstream in its second iteration. So what will the 2019 Acura RDX be like? What follows are our predictions on how the luxury automaker will update one of its most important models. Photos of the outgoing RDX crossovers are shown below. Bringing Turbo BackWe called the first-gen Acura RDX “the EVO of crossovers” in a long-term verdict of a 2007 model that was powered by a 2.3-liter turbo-four with 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a five-speed automatic, this combination was good for Motor-Trend-tested 0-60-mph times of 6.5-7.3 seconds when we tested 2007 models (a 2011 model is shown above). Nearly 10 years later, we tested a second-gen 2016 RDX with its 279-hp 3.5-liter V-6 producing 252 lb-ft of torque. On the track, the RDX scooted to 60 in just 6.2 seconds. The 2019 RDX will likely be powered by a version of the 2.0-liter turbo-four in the 2018 Accord 2.0T and could use the brand’s eight-speed twin-clutch automatic to differentiate it from the Accord 2.0T that doesn’t offer that transmission. That sedan uses a 10-speed automatic and accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.7 seconds. We expect the 2019 RDX to be just as quick as the last-gen model but offer greater efficiency. With Honda preparing a CR-V hybrid in some markets and the MDX already offering a hybrid model, an RDX hybrid could be part of the product plan after the non-hybrid model is revealed. Matching Your Driving MoodThe 2019 RDX will have a version of the brand’s Integrated Dynamics system (IDS), which can change settings on the throttle sensitivity, steering, transmission, HVAC, and even the engine sound. Move from the TLX’s Econ or Normal modes to Sport+, and the car noticeably changes the way it sounds and drives. In the MDX, IDS settings can be programed into the two key fobs. What Sacrifice?Space comes at a premium in most luxury cars, but that’s not the case with the outgoing RDX. In fact, interior space was one of the bland-but-capable crossover’s best features; the 2018 RDX has more interior space than many of its similarly priced competitors, and don’t expect this to change on the new Acura. The outgoing RDX didn’t have reclining rear seats, but it shared the Honda CR-V’s simple latches in the liftgate area—pull a latch and part of the 60/40-split seat easily folds down. We hope this feature will make it onto the new RDX. If the 2019 RDX remains on the spacious side of the segment, that could leave room for an even smaller crossover such as the CDX. Through the first 11 months of 2017, Acura’s two crossovers each outsold the brand’s entire car lineup. ValueAlthough many over the years have questioned what Acura stands for, value is still one key brand advantage. The 2019 RDX will probably come standard with LED headlights, heated front seats, and a power liftgate yet still undercut a couple competitors in price. We’d be surprised if the AcuraWatch package of active safety tech isn’t standard on every model, as well. The tech suite will probably include adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go function, lane keeping assist, automatic braking, and rear cross-traffic alert. Dual-Screen Layout?The dual-screen layout on most Acuras today won’t survive to the 2019 RDX. That’s almost a shame considering the brand improved it on the refreshed TLX and MDX, but we won’t complain if the new RDX makes its debut with a large screen at the top of its center stack. Infotainment systems these days play a significant role in how much you’ll enjoy a car or use some features you paid extra for, so we hope Acura gets it right on the new RDX. The Acura Precision Interior concept (shown below) featured a 12.3-inch screen as its instrument cluster and infotainment displays, and we wouldn’t count on that for a base-model 2019 RDX. But an 8.0-inch infotainment screen with a 12.3-inch screen available on the top trim is a possibility, and we look forward to seeing the current RDX’s dated gauges being redesigned. Your Feature PresentationA 360-degree camera system will make its way onto the 2019 Acura RDX’s options list, as will heated/ventilated front seats (like the outgoing RDX), heated rear seats, and, most likely, additional interior color options aside from black, gray, and beige. It’s unclear whether there’s enough interest in an RDX A-Spec model, but all 2019 models will wear the brand’s diamond pentagon grille. In its second generation, the RDX became recommendable for a wider variety of buyers but lost a bit of its character. We can’t wait to see where the 2019 model fits in the standing-room-only $35,000-$45,000 luxury crossover class once the redesigned RDX makes its debut in 2018. from http://chicagoautohaus.com/2019-acura-rdx-what-to-expect-from-the-popular-luxury-crossover/ The brake lights just ahead flash bright red through the steeply raked windshield. I count an extra beat then mash the brake pedal as hard as I can, the bellowing 620-hp V-10 behind me erupting into a quick fire, shock-and-awe sonic barrage—boom! boom! boom!—as I fan the left hand paddle, working the transmission back through the gears. The all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracán Performante in front of me is squirming all over the road as Squadra Corse test driver Christian Engelhart dances it to the absolute limit of adhesion on corner entry. My rear-drive 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO stops hard enough to punch the air from my lungs, dives for the apex the instant I turn the wheel, and then carves through the corner, slick tires gripping like limpets, as the big V-10 at my shoulder blades bellows once more. In that moment I feel like a racing god—like I’ve swapped jobs with Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen, and no one’s laughing. And that’s exactly how Lamborghini’s newest factory race car has been designed to make me feel. Welcome to the future of the supercar. With its trick aerodynamics, racing transmission, slick tires, carbon brakes, and FIA-approved roll cage nestling in a stripped-down interior, the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO is a proper race car. It’s also proper production Lamborghini, created by Lamborghini engineers and designers and built alongside the Huracán and Aventador road cars. Write a $295,000 check, and the friendly folks at Lamborghini will send you one, pretty much ready to race. What’s more, they’ll give you somewhere to race it. Super Trofeo is a Pro-Am race series devised and promoted by Lamborghini specifically for these Huracán race cars and aimed at customers the company politely calls ‘gentleman drivers’—those with the money to consider racing Lamborghinis on some of the world’s most iconic tracks a hobby. Super Trofeo championships are held in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, culminating in a world final at the legendary Imola circuit in Italy, just down the road from Lamborghini HQ in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Despite its race-face swagger, the Super Trofeo EVO is heavily based on the Huracán road car, sharing about 70 percent of its parts, including engine and suspension. It’s not as fast, nor as tricky to drive on the limit, as the Pro-spec Huracán GT3 race car. Although it has more power, the Super Trofeo EVO generates less downforce, and it is electronically limited to 174 mph. “We allow drivers to enjoy the power and torque, but the Super Trofeo is meant to be a scholarship car, to prepare them to move up to a GT3,” says Lamborghini Motorsport boss Giorgio Sanna. The EVO’s engine, transmission, brakes, wheels, and tires are carried over from the 2015 Huracán Super Trofeo, along with sundry other pieces of hardware, including the giant rear wing. Power remains the same—around 620 hp—but a new air intake layout delivers a 3 percent increase in torque at maximum speed. Also new for 2018 are the exhaust system, revised hydraulic power steering pump, and updated software for the traction control and antilock braking systems. The new aero package that comprises most of the EVO upgrades has been specifically designed to improve chassis balance and stability, especially through the fast fourth, fifth, and sixth gear corners that would give gentlemen drivers wide eyes and sweaty palms in the edgier GT3 Huracán. Key elements are new rear fenders, a vertical fin on the engine cover, bigger cooling vents for the front brakes, and larger louver openings on the front fenders. Overall downforce is unchanged from the 2015 cars, but the aerodynamic balance has been shifted 3 percent toward the front axle, and the dorsal fin improves stability at the rear. Meanwhile, an 8 percent reduction in drag means better acceleration on the straights. Working together, these tweaks trimmed 1.5 seconds off the 2015 car’s lap times in testing at the storied Monza grand prix circuit outside Milan. Many racetracks are built on godforsaken pieces of real estate; barren and windswept, stinking hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, miles from anywhere. Not the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. This 3.1-mile track nestles comfortably among rolling hills on the tree-lined south bank of the Santerno river, barely a mile from the cafés and restaurants of Imola’s old town, the streets of which were mapped by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502. Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali was born here. Home to the San Marino Grand Prix between 1981 and 2006, the Imola circuit gained worldwide notoriety after the sublimely gifted Ayrton Senna was killed in the opening laps of the 1994 race. Tragically, Senna’s death had come barely 24 hours after Austrian Formula 1 rookie Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a crash during qualifying. The first fatalities at a Grand Prix in 12 years, they prompted a redesign of the track layout. With chicanes replacing the fearsome 190-mph sweeper called Tamburello, where Senna crashed, and the flat-out right-hand Villeneuve kink that claimed Ratzenberger, Imola today is a less intimidating place. But it’s still fast and flowing in places, with dramatic changes in elevation that test driver commitment as much as chassis composure. Perfect for a first drive of a 620-hp mid-engine race car, then. ‘My’ Super Trofeo EVO is one of two cars Lamborghini Squadra Corse has on hand for a small group of journalists to sample in between qualifying sessions and races over the Super Trofeo finale weekend. Painted menacing matte gray, it’s the older of the two, with some parts clearly straight out of the prototyping shop. The other EVO, painted bright lime green, is better finished but has been set up to suit the shorter drivers of the group. Only the pedals adjust—the seats are fixed—and the Lamborghini mechanics have had to guesstimate two broad compromise settings to enable journalists to switch in and out of cars with minimal time loss. At 6’2”, I’m the tallest driver here, and the pedals in the tall guys’ car are still slightly too close for my liking. But I fit, and at least the steering wheel is reach and rake adjustable. ‘Wheel’ isn’t an entirely accurate description: It’s a vaguely butterfly shaped affair with an Alcantara covered rim that’s flat across the base and loops up and around to join the top side of a carbon-fiber-covered boss that has eight buttons and two knobs. To the lower right of the wheel is a box covered with pads. You press one to awaken the Lambo’s electrics and another to crank the big V-10 into life. It settles down to a fast, bawling idle. As in most modern supercars, paddles lurk with easy finger reach behind the steering wheel rim, upshifts on the right, and downshifts on the left. But there’s also a clutch pedal, small and tucked down near the floor. The rear-drive Super Trofeo EVO has a full-race, six-speed sequential shift transmission that’s designed to bang home gears without the niceties of worrying about a clutch to smooth things out, but you still need that third pedal to get the EVO underway and to bring it smoothly to a halt. Lemme see … Clutch in, left thumb on the neutral button on the steering wheel boss, click back the right paddle. Thunk! We’re in first gear. Build revs, ease out the clutch, and the low-slung Lambo stutters down pit lane, bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bahing against the 30-mph pit lane rev limiter. Past pit exit, right thumb on the pit button to cancel the pit limiter, and the Super Trofeo leaps forward. Bang! Second gear slams home like an anvil dropped in a dumpster. Bang! There’s third. Bang! Fourth. I’ve only driven a car with a sequential shift transmission once before—the brain-melting Caterham R500, a pint-size 500-hp featherweight that, if you can stop the rear tires from going up in smoke, will dust a Viper ACR over the quarter mile. But that was only in a straight line. Over successive laps around Imola in the Lamborghini I learn there’s subtle art to getting the best out of a sequential-shift transmission; that on downshifts especially you have to pay close attention to engine revs and vehicle speed to prevent momentarily locking the rear wheels on corner entry and unsettling the car. The grip, the stability, the noise, the braking—especially the braking—it’s all a vivid rush for the first few laps. Every young racer I’ve spoken with after they’ve driven a Formula 1 car for the first time has raved about the braking, not the power, and in the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO I get a sense of why. This is my first experience of modern slicks, downforce, and carbon brakes all working together, and I cannot believe how deep I can go into corners before hitting the middle pedal. The Lambo slows crisply and concisely, corner after corner. What’s most impressive about the Super Trofeo EVO, however, is that even after a few laps you can start to push it, to explore its limits rather than worry about your own. Default handling mode is mild understeer, which requires a little patience with the throttle exiting tight second and third gear corners but is a safer, more predictable option through the fast curves, where that new fin helps keep the rear end tracking faithfully on line. The engine loves to rev, the LEDs on the simple digital instrument readout rapidly flickering through green, blue, and orange en route to red, but the fat torque curve cuts you a little slack if you aren’t quite on top of your shift points. This is a race car that rewards neatness and precision with a fast lap time but won’t bite your head off when you get it wrong, as mere mortals like us inevitably will … You can dial up or down appropriate levels of traction control and antilock braking via the two knobs on the steering wheel boss, depending on track conditions and your confidence level. And before you sneer, even the pros play around with these settings as they work toward the optimum setup. This is, as Lamborghini claims, a car in which you can learn how to drive like a pro racer. Super Trofeo racing is close and spectacular (check it out on Motor Trend OnDemand) and for Lamborghini, it’s good business—the company has built 150 Huracán Super Trofeos since 2015 and already sold nearly 50 of the new EVO models. But it’s also a long-term survival strategy: As mass automobility heads inexorably toward autonomous vehicles, automakers that are defined by high performance and driving passion can no longer rely on simply selling fast and sexy road cars. “Racing … it’s life,” said Steve McQueen in the 1971 film, Le Mans. “Anything that happens before or after … it’s just waiting.” The Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO, one of a growing group of factory-built race cars for gentleman drivers that includes the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the Ferrari 488 Challenge, and the Mercedes-AMG GT4, gives supercar owners the opportunity to not only drive the dream, but live it, too. from http://chicagoautohaus.com/2018-lamborghini-huracan-super-trofeo-evo-review-the-future-of-the-supercar/ |
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June 2017
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