Chevrolet Equinox AWD 2010

Por Germán Botero. Los cambios en la General Motors ya se ven: nuevos diseños, nuevos motores y muy bien acabados. ¿Qué más se puede pedir? Buen precio. Ya está todo junto con este modelo lanzado el año pasado y que ya esta creando un gran impacto en el mercado de estos modelos intermedios que básicamente reemplazan el modelo Blazer producido por tantos años y además comparte la plataforma con el GMC Terrain.

La súper camioneta de las camionetas ya esta en  el mercado para el próximo año. Todo el mundo le pone el ojo. Los camioneros, los que manejan los utilitarios y hasta los que manejan los deportivos. Será por su tamaño impresionante que casi se necesita una escalera para subirse. Quien tuviera un bote o una casa rodante para darle buen uso a este excelente camión que se excede en fuerza y torque (400 ft-lbs) creado por un motor Hemi de 5.7 lts. con el tiempo de ignición variable (VVT) y el cual hace generar 383 caballos de fuerza, algo impresionante.

La Ram no es nueva en esta gama de pickups para las cuales en los dias de hoy cualquiera pensaria que no hay gran demanda. La verdad es que esta es la fuerza del mundo de la construcción y al mismo tiempo ofrece asientos para 5 pasajeros transportados con gran confort y seguridad. Los cambios verdaderos estan en su lindo diseño asi como en un interior que parece un auto de lujo. Los compartimientos para guardar artículos son tan grandes como su diseno exterior. En la parte central hay un compartimiento en el que se puede guardar hasta un computador, con todo y conexión eléctrica.

El chasis y suspensión han sido adaptadas a este nuevo modelo
ofreciendo nuevos resortes y amortiguadores. Ahora los trabajadores que unicamente pensaban en cargar materiales, hoy tambien piensan en poder usar estos vehículos en sus horas de esparcimiento con toda la familia.

Con tracción en las cuatro ruedas es también ideal para manejarla en mojado o nieve. Con un control en la cabina se puede cambiar muy fácilmente a tracción, eléctricamente, en las cuatro ruedas, con bajo y con alta. 5 cambios automaticos con un sensor electrónico que opera cuando se esta halando un remolque, optimiza el cambio en que debe estar y evita asi los cambios de velocidad, que a veces se hacen continuamente, al no  encontrar el cambio ideal, como puede pasar en una subida prolongada.

Las cuatro puertas hacen su acceso muy fácil a la parte trasera, mientras en el área de carga se encuentran unos nuevos compartimientos con llave para guardar herramientas o cualquier otra cosa que su propietario deseara. Hay compartimientos por todas partes.

También en la parte trasera se incorpora hay una pequeña división que hace fácil el transporte de materiales sin que se muevan de su sitio. Un forro de plástico muy fuerte recubre toda la parte trasera evitando los rayones en la pintura.

Como muchos de los modelos Dodge, este también cuenta con varios sistemas de seguridad entre otros:
bolsas de aire inteligentes que se abren de acuerdo al peso de las personas y colocadas en el frente como a los lados del vehículo,
cierre de  seguros traseros al detectar niños,
ajuste electrónico en el frenado y que se acciona al determinar la fuerza del frenado midiendo el peso del vehículo asi como la distribución del mismo,
la columna de la dirección se  colapsa automáticamente en caso de un choque,
un sistema de seguridad que opera en caso de emergencia al dispararse las bolsas de aire y que acciona las luces del interior, desbloqueo de los seguros centrales y ademas apaga automáticamente la bomba de gasolina evitando asi un posible derrame de combustible.
Sistema de asistencia en el parqueo al accionar una alarma si el vehiculos e encontrase muy cerca de un objeto.
Monitoreo electonico de la presion en los neumáticos.
Claro, tecnología  de conectividad para su celular incorporado a un súper potente sistema de sonido con navegación saltelital.

Todo esto y mucho mas en este súper modelo por U$48,000….

Por: German Botero - Definitivamente a la Chrysler, a través de sus productos Dogde, se le nota la calidad en diseño, seguridad y eficiencia, con este modelo que también se repetirá para el 2010. Es como un reemplazo de la Wagoneer, pero más alto y más robusto que permiten poder manejarlo logrando gran visibilidad.  Su suavidad tal vez se le debe a que está montado sobre el mismo  chasis del automóvil de la misma marca, el Sebring, modelo que ha sido sorpresivamente un gran suceso a lo largo de su larga historia.

En el frente, su parrilla frontal, lo identifica claramente como una versión pequeña de las camionetas Ram con grandes ondulados en sus guardabarros dando la impresión de fortaleza. En realidad no es un utilitario sino un auto muy versátil: todos los asientos (menos el del chofer) se pueden doblar ampliando mucho su interior para poder acomodar el mas grande de los artículos y además esta lleno de espacios para guardar hasta hielo con su bebida favorita. Una tercera banca hace este modelo muy especial pues acomoda hasta 7 personas. Además consta de asientos plegables para los niños.

El modelo SXT ofrece un V6  3.5 Lts. que trae 24 válvulas y genera 235 H.P. haciéndolo muy confortable al manejar, al mismo tiempo que reduce el consumo logrando 16MPG en la ciudad y 23MPG en carretera. También puede halar un remolque de hasta 3.500 lbs. haciéndolo muy razonable en el uso por parte del publico que necesita remolcar un pequeño trailer o bote.

Su interior es muy espacioso, con asientos térmicos bien amplios, terminados en tela anti-manchas de fina calidad y en dos colores rodeados de terminados en plástico también  buena calidad. La verdad es que la Chrysler si aprendió mucho de interiores, durante su asociación con la Daimler Alemana. La zona de carga es apta para la familia o el trabajador que necesita desplazarse con varias maletas u otro tipo de carga.

El modelo básico empieza en los $20.000,  mas este modelo que probamos se remonta a los $33.000 e incluye un paquete de lujos que consta de llantas de 19 pulgadas de diámetro y rines cromados así como luces para la niebla con un valor de $1.420. Los asientos plegables también se pueden comprar adicionalmente por $820 e incluye el aire acondicionado en las tres zonas, respectivamente con controles independientes. Tal vez lo maás costoso es el equipo de electrónicos que incluye suscripción a radio satelital y un amplificador de 368 Watts, 9 parlantes Infinity, DVD y pantalla de video, e incluye también televisión satelital, teléfono activado por voz, disco duro para sus canciones además de una cámara de video para su retroceso.

Este modelo incluye los asientos eléctricos, como el control de velocidad ajustable. Carga maletas en el techo así como alfombras en todo el auto lo hacen sentir como un verdadero coche familiar. En realidad se parece a un auto en vez de una camioneta, al frenar muy eficientemente con su equipo de ABS. También la tracción dinámica en las ruedas frontales así como un sistema anti-deslizante lo hacen perfecto para el 2010.

Otros modelos de la fábrica como el Jeep Compass, el  Patriot y el Caliber tratan de llenar este segmento de estos llamados utilitarios que hacen gran parte del mercado mundial.  

Por: German Botero - Todo el mundo lo mira. La gente joven, la gente mayor y claro, los niños. Su estilo deportivo y su color rojo brillante lo hacen bien llamativo. Pero no sólo es eso lo que lo hace apasionante. Un motor V10 con 600 caballos de fuerza, ganador de la 24 Horas de Daytona, ganador en su clase en Le Mans y además registra tiempos más rápidos que un Porsche GT3 y hasta un Nissan GT-R; no está mal para ser un auto hecho en los Estados Unidos.

Los choferes de otros grandes deportivos como Lamborghini y Ferrari lo admiran inmensamente: tal vez en sólo pensar que cuesta  alrededor de $90.000 y que comparado con estos otros modelos que fácilmente valen el doble de este, pues es una buena compra.

En su interior uno esta confinado a un pequeño espacio donde el timón y los pedales lo hacen sentir como si estuviera manejando un auto tipo Fórmula.

Una caja de cambios dura de usar a bajas velocidades, más, cuando se le aprieta el acelerador es muy rápida y precisa. Los instrumentos incluyen muchos medidores de temperaturas (aceite y agua), presión de aceite así como el medidor de velocidad (que afortunadamente casi no se ve) y otros instrumentos básicos como medidor de amperaje y una radio que se puede encontrar en el Toyota mas básico (pero con buena potencia).

Este modelo no trae tantas opciones pero si incluye un tanque de gasolina de 16 galones, frenos antibloqueo, llantas Michelin de 19 pulgadas, timón ajustable cubierto en cuero. Los dobles exostos lo hacen también muy llamativo no sólo por su estilo sino por el sonido que produce, claramente mostrando un súper-deportivo.

Este modelo fue en realidad el que trajo a la Chrysler a competir (1992) en el mercado de los Súper-Carros que anteriormente era dominado por modelos como el Corvette. Convertible, asientos para dos, sin tantos aditamentos y un gran motor de 8.4 lts. que lo hace el rey  en su renglón. De 0 a 60 mph en menos de 4 segundos y con unas llantas que miden 13 pulgadas de ancho… Hay bastante de donde agarrarse.

Por German Botero - Como una propaganda que decía: “este no es el carro que manejaba su papá”. Efectivamente este no es el Cadillac de antes: es un súper carro con un súper motor que también es súper-cargado y lo lleva a producir 556 caballos de fuerza en este V8 de 6.2 litros.

Es la envidia de muchos: tiene más fuerza que un BMW M5 por ejemplo y vale mucho menos. $60.000 lo ponen en el asiento del conductor, rodeado de los más finos cueros y asientos Recaro, como cualquier auto de pista. Este es un desarrollo de General Motors de lo que han aprendido en las carreras tanto en el Corvette como en el mismo Cadillac. Si está de afán pues este lujoso sedán lo lleva de 0 a 60 MPH en menos de 4 segundos. No esta nada mal para ser un auto de calle, además ya posee el record logrado en la pista de Nurburgring equipado con llantas de calle.

Las maderas usadas en su interior son dignas del mejor Europeo, así como los acabados de micro-fibra en el timón, tanto en todo su interior y hasta la palanca de cambios. Las alfombras y el ajuste en general son dignos de esta prestigiosa marca que definitivamente es lo máximo en su género de lujo.

Tracción trasera acompañada de control anti-deslizante es estándar en este modelo. Las ruedas de 19 pulgadas también hacen parte de este paquete que también incluye el sistema de navegación mas avanzado que incluye vista tri-dimensional en su pantalla central. El sistema de sonido Bose con 10 parlantes hacen parte de un grupo electrónico muy completo con conexión para I Pod así como MP3 y claro, Bluetooth.

El sistema de la GM también incluye el “On Star” que básicamente es un botón que lo comunica directamente a una operadora que le ayudará con las direcciones servicio, una emergencia y hasta le puede abrir el auto si se le quedan las llaves adentro.

La economía es de apenas de 13 millas por galón en la ciudad y 18  en la carretera, pero ¿qué más se puede esperar de este súper carro?

Por Germán Botero - Si alguien pregunta por qué se llama Supersports, pues la respuesta es muy fácil: es un súper deportivo. En todas las formas que lo mire es un súper carro. Es lo máximo que se haya construido como carro de calle, pero viene listo para el chofer que quiere maximizar la potencia, con manualidad y además, solo se encuentra en esta marca sin rivales: 6.0 litros V12 turbo cargado y que produce 621 caballos de fuerza para movilizar este monstruo que pesa más de 2 toneladas. Como será de deportivo que viene equipado con butacas de carreras y una barra de torsión dentro del mismo auto!!! ¿Que mas se puede pedir? ¡Pues que sea un Bentley!

Ya se había construido un auto con este nombre, que compitió en Le Mans, con un motor de 3.0 Litros y producía 85 caballos y sobrepasaba las 100 millas por hora, mientras otros en su categoría apenas llegaban a las meras 40 MPH.

Es una nueva versión del ya bien dotado Continental GT y que ahora nos trae el mejor y más rápido, en toda la historia de la fábrica. Algunas cosas han cambiado. Los motores y la caja de velocidades están hechos en Alemania pero el ensamblaje es Ingles como siempre. Esa calidad y atención inigualable a los detalles esta allí. Los instrumentos son de una fineza…hasta el reloj es un Breitling y es tan lindo que dan ganas de ponérselo.

Este auto tiene algo que no tienen otros: fuerza, confort, agilidad y una suavidad al manejarlo que es inigualable. Cuando se desplaza en la rampa de una autopista es simplemente increíble:
la fuerza lo pega, literalmente, al asiento y de la misma lo aguanta en las curvas sintiéndose confiado y feliz.

En su exterior la pintura, color ostra, no tiene molduras cromadas ni rines brillantes; todo es opaco o gris, dándole un carácter diferente al frente y a los lados. La parte delantera trae más aperturas para enfriamiento, como también para enfriar los frenos y darle también más aire al motor. Sus llantas masivas de 20 pulgadas hacen lucir espectacular este modelo que trae como equipo estándar, los frenos de carbón, que son opción en otros modelos, pudiéndose ver claramente el tamaño de los discos como la magnitud del sistema de frenado. La verdad es que en este auto hace falta un excelente sistema de frenos.

Las velocidades son ajustables a través de controles en el timón tipo Formula Uno y depende la forma como se este manejando la caja hace ajuste automáticos como la reducción de hasta dos velocidades al reducir la velocidad. Esto esta acoplado a un sistema de tracción en las cuatro ruedas que además incluye ajustes de la altura del auto que se controla desde la cabina y también cambia automáticamente al cambiar la topografía del terreno.

Al presionarlo en la carretera se un escucha un murmullo digno del auto mas fino, aunque tiene un motor impresionante que  enloquece a cualquier aficionado.  Sin embargo la agilidad y estabilidad obtenida en este diseño es también algo que aplaudir.

$273,000 lo ponen al mando de esta súper maquina llamada el “supersports” de todos y que hoy en día, es el campeón de la calle.

Por German Botero - Muchas personas piensan que el Lexus es un Toyota. No necesariamente el hecho de ser como un hijo de esta gran fábrica, significa que las diferencias no sean bien notables. Primero hay que tener en cuenta que los terminados son bellos y supremamente bien aplicados a este modelo intermedio que es un Híbrido equipado con un motor 2.4 Lts. y aparte un motor eléctrico que lo lleva a 187 caballos de fuerza.

Su transmisión es electrónicamente variable o sea no hace cambios de por si, mas va ajustándose de acuerdo a la velocidad y condiciones del camino. No es un carro rápido pero las personas que compran este tipo de vehículo, en su mayoría, no esta interesado en que sea rápido sino mas bien cómodo y económico.

Su manejo es suave y preciso. La economía es entre 34 y 35 millas por galón pero yo logré en promedio hasta 37, que hoy en día con el precio de la gasolina, es algo que usted verdaderamente puede apreciar. Los terminados de la tapicería son excelentes al ofrecer fino cueros que respiran aire acondicionado o un calentador que siempre resulta ser muy agradable de acuerdo con la variedad de climas.

En la consola central hay un control, tipo ratón de computadora, desde donde se pueden manejar todos los controles en la pantalla central que incluye desde telefonía, navegación, información de trafico, equipo de sonido con 15 parlantes, cámara retrovisora hasta un servicio de llamada directa a una operadora que le proveerá toda la información que necesitase o que lo puede ayudar en cualquier tipo de problema o consulta.

Su precio básico empieza en $37.000, el equipo de sonido vale $1,600 y el sistema de navegación cuesta $2.125 mas $3.900 que vale el paquete técnico que incluye información en el vidrio delantero a su vista, asistencia para mantenerlo dentro de su línea de conducción, radar dinámico con control automático de aceleración, asistencia de parqueo tanto adelante como atrás y un sistema pre-accidente que tensiona los cinturones de seguridad como pre-aplica los frenos y ofrece un monitoreo de la atención que el chofer este poniendo a su manejo (esto en caso de que por ejemplo se este quedando dormido, monitorea la posición de la cabeza como de los ojos!!!)

Algunas personas lo comparan con el Toyota Prius y aunque comparten partes como el chasis, siendo más largo el Lexus, no es el mismo auto en cuanto a precio, $15.000 más caro y también en la fuerza, pues el Prius solo tiene 134 caballos de fuerza. La maletera también provee mas espacio de carga. De todas maneras este Lexus por $47.000 hará pensar a la gente cuando van a recuperar su inversión o escogen un coche convencional a gasolina.

Por: Rafael Santoni y Germán Botero - El fin de semana pasado me di el gusto de probar el nuevo Audi R8 2010 V-10 en el Homestead-Miami Speedway.

El Audi R8 es un auto deportivo con toda la apariencia de un vehículo de lujo. Considerando su espíritu deportivo, es un auto bastante cómodo. La nueva versión de 10 cilindros, no tiene nada que envidiarle a esos otros deportivos exóticos mucho más costosos.

Este increíble auto con motor 5.2 litros y una potencia de 525 caballos de fuerza, comparte muchos de los componentes del motor de un Lamborghini. Tampoco es un Ferrari pero tiene más fuerza  que un F430 y tracción en las cuatro ruedas, algo que el “Cavallino” no puede decir y además vale casi $40,000 dólares menos, empezando alrededor de los $150.000.

Hay muchas personas que no habían visto este modelo y su aparición en la calle hace que la gente mire mucho esta obra de arte, pero la realidad es que este modelo apareció en el 2003 y es y sigue siendo, como un gran prototipo que se ha vuelto una realidad. Para aquellas personas que quieren un súper carro de 5.2 litros con seis cambios de velocidad y que al mismo tiempo sea un carro suave de manejar este es el modelo apropiado. Cuenta con unos frenos poderosísimos, algo que hace falta en este tipo de deportivo y además un embrague de muy suave acción.

Lo que más llama la atención de este modelo, son sus inmensas entradas de aire y su belleza de luces tipo LED que brillan en el día, realzando sus líneas esculturales que claramente lo distinguen del resto de sus competidores. En la parte de atrás, tal vez se destacan los difusores debajo del motor que lo hacen lucir ni mas ni menos que un Fórmula uno.

Indiscutiblemente tiene una caja de cambios envidiable. Responde dócil a los comandos del capitan, esta nave que ha llegado para robar el aliento de cualquiera que maneja. Sorprendentemente, tiene bastante espacio para guardar cosas en la parte delantera, ya que el motor se encuentra casi en el centro del auto, detrás de los ocupantes. La posición del motor le proporciona un balance casi perfecto.

La suspensión se ajusta automáticamente de acuerdo a las condiciones de la carretera así como la forma como este siendo manejado y aunque se siente un poco dura, la verdad es que es un placer manejar esta nueva generación de exóticos en el mercado.

Las ruedas con 10 estrías, complementan las llantas de 19 pulgadas que lo hacen ver como un verdadero carro de carreras, o sea no es que lo haga ver, sino que es, pues lo lleva de 0 a 60 MPH en tan solo 4.6 segundos. Lo máximo de este auto es la tracción que tiene y como lo transporta a través de la curvas sin el mínimo esfuerzo y con una autonomía total.

Su interior refleja asientos totalmente moldeados alrededor de su cuerpo, terminados en finos cueros e interesantemente, muy cómodos. Los instrumentos están colocados estratégicamente para fácil lectura, algo que verdaderamente hace falta cuando ud. va llegando a las 200MPH….

El sistema de sonido del R8 V-10 suena muy bien. El sistema de navegación GPS es de la mejor tecnología de hoy. Y no podía faltar el sistema ¨Blue Tooth¨ para poder disfrutar de las conversaciones en el celular sin la distracción y el peligro de manejar sujetando el teléfono con un sonido muy claro.

El Audi R8 avisa a cualquier otro en la carretera que es un deportivo serio. Que no teme a la tarea de visitar un autódromo durante el día para luego llevar a una pareja a un restaurante de lujo para una cena inolvidable. Pero eso si, cuidado con el valet, que sentirá la tentación de disfrutar de este exótico por los breves segundos que lo tendrá en sus manos.

Caballos indomables: Yamaha Vmax

Por Ryan Sudarsky - Con 200 caballos de fuerza no iguala a otras motos. El corazón de esta moto es dale pura adrenalina. La aceleración y la velocidad hacen que uno vuelva a la niñez, algo que las motos que se encuentran en esta misma categoría no hacen. De alguna forma esta moto se puede comparar con las superbikes pero siendo tan pesada y ancha, la única categoría adecuada es ABSOLUTO PLACER.

Por: German Botero -  Este modelo híbrido de la Chevrolet está en su tercer año de producción pero ahora ofrece un poderoso motor de 6 Litros que genera 332 caballos de fuerza. 

4th Geneva Classics: Another Successful Historic Show

Reuniting old, lively classic automobiles, historic aircraft, boats and motorcycles, Geneva Classics, the exhibition celebrating all forms of transportation from yesterday, attracted at the end of September 2009 some 20,600 visitors to the grounds of the Geneva auto show and to the tarmac of its adjacent international airport. This public attendance figure represents an increase of 20% over last year’s visitors count. The success is even more remarkable given the fact that the 2009 edition was one day shorter than the previous two years.

Por Marcelo Vivo - En los jardines del Hipódromo de San Isidro y con la organización del Club de Autos Clásicos de la República Argentina se llevó a cabo la 9ª edición de esta muestra de los más importantes vehículos clásicos e históricos en Sudamérica.

Este año, Autoclásica tuvo en exhibición y demostración de marcha a 400 automóviles, 200 motos y otros vehículos de más de 35 años de antigüedad, de categoría internacional en estado original y perfecto estado de funcionamiento.

 
La insignia de la muestra fue un Berliet de 1913, ganador del premio “Best of Show Autoclásica 2008”, y junto a él cientos de automóviles, motos, vehículos militares, a vapor, comerciales, micro cupés y automóviles de competición de todas las épocas.

En esta edición se logró congregar a veinte Rolls Royce originales. Desde el primer modelo de serie de la afamada marca construido en 1908 hasta los producidos en la década del ’70, representados en Autoclásica por automóviles en exposición. 
 
Otra célebre marca británica como Morgan, especialmente invitada por el Club de Automóviles Clásicos, presentó siete ejemplares originales fabricados entre 1927 y 1970 para celebrar el centenario de su fundación. Morgan es la más marca más antigua del Reino Unido y aún continúa en manos de la familia original. 

También Bentley presentará la antesala del raid que siete vehículos de esta marca inglesa emprenderán al recorrer de punta a punta la mítica Ruta Nacional 40, como parte de los festejos por los 90 años de vida de Bentley a nivel mundial.  Ejemplares fabricados entre los años 1920 y 1930 se exhibieron antes de desafiar el recorrido de 5.224 kilómetros entre Cabo Vírgenes y La Quiaca, en la frontera con Bolivia. El recorrido les demandará el cruce de 20 parques nacionales, más de 200 puentes, 18 ríos de considerable importancia y llegar a una altitud, en la provincia de Salta, de más 5.000 metros sobre el nivel del mar.

La exposición fue el escenario ideal para la presentación del libro “MASERATI 4CLT 1599. FANGIO CONQUISTA EUROPA”, del historiador Guillermo Sánchez, que relata la historia de la famosa máquina con la que el “Quíntuple” obtuvo el primer triunfo de su inigualable carrera deportiva en Europa. En el libro se cuenta una breve historia de la marca italiana, sus autos en la Argentina, la evolución del modelo, las participaciones internacionales argentinas anteriores a Fangio, uso de los colores argentinos, formación del equipo del ACA. Historia deportiva de la unidad, variantes y estadísticas.

Los visitantes, calculados en 40.000 personas durante los cuatro días de la muestra, pudieron recorrer el “Autojumble”, en el cual expertos en el arte de restauración distribuidos en 100 stands, hicieron gala de sus piezas y accesorios antiguos de toda índole, bibliografía y maquetas, entre otros objetos.
 
El broche de oro de Autoclásica 2009 ocurrió el pasado lunes 12 de octubre, cuando un exigente jurado premió a los ejemplares sobresalientes de cada una de las categorías de la Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) para consagrar a los esperados “Best of Show” entre los automóviles nacionales y motocicletas de este año.

Los ganadores de esta distinción fueron un Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost de 1920 entre los automóviles y entre las motocicletas la galardonada fue una Harley-Davidson de 1926 con sidecar.

Autoclásica 2009 fue declarada de “Interés Turístico” por la Secretaría de Turismo de la Nación y fue patrocinada por la Municipalidad de San Isidro. Al mismo tiempo, la muestra  donará equipamiento de alta complejidad para el Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro “Dr. Carlos Arturo Gianantonio”, con lo recaudado en concepto de estacionamiento.

Después de varios días recorriendo las rutas de Argentina, Chile, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia y Venezuela, los veinte participantes de esta aventura conmemorativa, La Buenos Aires – Caracas 2009, llegaron a la capital venezolana para ponerle punto final a la tercera reedición simbólica de aquella gesta deportiva de 1948.

La Cupé Ford N°6 de 1939, del binomio compuesto por Alberto Ventura y Esther D´Agosto, ganó la categoría “A”; la categoría “B” fue liderada por la Cupé Chevrolet N°8 de la dupla de Bruno Buso y Daniel Marini.

Al tope de la categoría “C” se ubicó el Subaru Outback N°25 de Sánchez Guex-Holjevac, y en la categoría “D” se impuso la Toyota Hilux N° 21, de Pontoriero-Perri.

La Buenos Aires – Caracas 2009 tuvo un recorrido total cercano a los 10.000 kilómetros y contó con el auspicio institucional de la Presidencia de la Nación, la Cámara de Diputados del Congreso Nacional, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto y el Automóvil Club Argentino.

A lo largo de las 21 etapas de la travesía, los participantes recorrieron el territorio argentino haciendo escalas en las provincias de Córdoba y Mendoza, para luego cruzar a Chile por la Cordillera de los Andes, y siguieron la costa del Océano Pacífico hasta el Salar de Atacama.

Ya en territorio peruano, pasaron por Arequipa, Nazca y su capital, Lima, luego atravesaron  el desierto de Talara, para llegar a Trujillo y Piura. El trayecto los llevó a las montañas multicolores y paisajes selváticos hasta el arribo a Quito, en Ecuador, a 2.800 metros de altura.

Posteriormente, la caravana atravesó la línea Ecuatorial para llegar a Colombia, cruzando tres veces el cordón cordillerano andino y finalmente llegaron a al meta en Caracas (Venezuela) y cumplir con este homenaje a aquellos héroes de la Buenos Aires-Caracas de hace 62 años.

By Walter Ainsworth - The formalities of the last few days are now finished. Two cars from the forty-six entered will not be starting. One, Hoey Ghose, fell ill and decided to withdraw while another, the Porsche of Belgian, Jacques Walens, suffered from what were at first described as "delays on the sea" and did not arrive here in Mombasa. One hoped that it would not be making an appearance on the Somali Pirate Rally in the New Year !  In fact, it never left Australia.

 
The Porsche 911 for Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo was here on time but Waldegård did suffer from delayed shipping but it was his luggage from Amsterdam that was the culprit.
 
One Kenya citizen, resident in London failed to get his new passport back in time to fly back to his home country and his place has now been taken by Uwe Kurzenberger who, as in 2007 when he stepped in to a similar situation, was just out here on holiday looking at the rally.
 
Meanwhile those who did have their cars on dry land were not finding it all easy going. Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander took out their BTR Motorsport Datsun 260Z for a shakedown but it turned into a bit of a shake-up when it hit part of Kenya a bit too hard - and Kenya won. Tim Ashton's men got to work changing the track control arm and bottom joint on one side of the front suspension and the 260Z is once again fit for action.
 
But another part of the Perez equip did work perfectly first time and that was his personal helicopter that got called into use earlier than anticipated to take his wife, Angie, to Mombasa hospital. Earlier in the day, she had fallen and, it turned out, broke a small bone in her foot.
 
In previous Safari Classics, the combination of veterans Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews have always suffered from head gasket problems in various Datsuns. The number of gasket changes even stretched into double figures on one occasion. To guard against this being repeated in 2009, a new engine was summoned from England and fitted. Sadly, the aerodynamics of the radiator and bonnet were not properly sorted before its first trials and the result was an overheated engine that needed - you guessed it - a cylinder head gasket change. Lofty is hoping that this old chestnut has not returned to dog their rally.
 
Also content was Paul-Eric Jarry who, with Jean-François Andreoli, is driving one of five Francis Tuthill prepared Porsche 911s on the Safari. He took the car out on Friday and pronounced it "just perfect".
 
And Gerard Marcy was also confident about his Tuthill Porsche 911 which is the same one that he drove so impressively in 2007 and so nearly beat Björn Waldegård's Ford Escort only to suffer suspension failure at the last day.
 
Eric Comas, the preparer of the two immaculate Alpine Renault A110s that are here has had to step in as driver when one of his clients fell sick. He and the other driver, Charles Firmenich, took the cars out to try them this morning and discovered that they had their suspension set perhaps a bit too high and will have them lowered before the rally starts.

The chief scrutineer, Karl-Heinz Goldstein - a man who in the past has engineered Safari winning cars like the Opel Ascona 400 - came into the press office yesterday glad that the bulk of his work was done.

He announced that he had seen all the cars and that he "had given out a lot of Webers" or at least it sounded like that. While everyone was wondering why the chief scrutineers had been doing handing our free carburettors. In fact, he had given out a "lot of waivers" to people whose cars had possessed some minor infringement of the technical rules. Who better to be able to decide what is a performance enhancing modification or one that was inevitable in the preparation of a car that is about to tackle 4,500kms of African roads ?

Comas did have one more set-back yesterday apart from discovering that perhaps the Alpines were set a little too high and were thus suffering from a restriction in the suspension movement that required them to be softened off a bit. He went out and tried the car again and jumped a bit too hard with it and the gearbox suffered a problem.

Over the last few days, the Safari competitors have been allowed to go and look over the first special stage to run on Monday morning. Opinions seem to differ quite considerably about what they saw. Björn Waldegård thought that the stage was rougher than last time, which is quite possible as the whole of East Africa has had some quite heavy rain in the last ten days. Gerard Marcy thought it very acceptable and thought that it incorporated all those things that made for a typical Safari stage thus making it a good yardstick by which to judge the whole rally. And, not surprisingly considering their problems, the Alpine Renault drivers thought that it was pretty rough.

The Safari Classic sends out a "three-day" car ahead of the rally that passes over all the roads exactly three days before the event. The reports back so far - it reached Arusha last night - were that the roads were in pretty good condition though the uphill parts were often more rutted than normal after the recent rains. However, today they will passing through the infamous Mbulu escarpment section over towards Lake Manyara, which, if it is wet, can be a graveyard for rally cars. It was this section that on one occasion in the past almost single-handedly reduced the list cars still running to the point where only seven of them finally came to the finish. The Safari Classic also runs a car through all the sections two hours before the rally passes but this is too close for it to be able to send back detailed information for the crews.

In fact the organisation behind even a classic rally run in the "traditional" mode is quite astonishing. Not only are there the marshals running the controls and timing but, thanks to the fact that in traditional Safari fashion, the rally runs through two countries, all the people and vehicles associated with it have to pass through two borders, the first going into Tanzania and the other returning into Kenya. All the passports, car documents, lists of spare parts and the necessary forms have to be checked by the rally officials. A team working under Achie Khan does all this and the organisation of the two border crossings themselves. It is a massive undertaking with the rally cars themselves as the top priority.

Achie reckons that if everything is done right before the rally and the crew have their paperwork ready as the car approaches the border, then his team working in close coordination with the border officials can get a rally car through a crossing in about two minutes.

At the moment, all forty-four starters are in a convoy from Whitesands Hotel to downtown Mombasa where the ceremonial start will take place at 13:00 under the famous crossed tusks in Moi Avenue. Following the ceremonial start, the cars will not immediately make their way back to Whitesands, from where the rally proper starts on Monday morning, but they will go north up the coast to Vipingo Ridge to do a competitive section. The times from this will determine the starting order on Monday morning. The Vipingo stage will also be the first stage out when the rally starts on Monday.

By Walter Ainsworth
 
WA: Bjorn, you are here again to defend your title, what makes you come back to these type of events?

BW: I still enjoy these events, although I think this year will be difficult the test stage we did yesterday was quite rough and I think the rally will break a few cars.

WA: do you think there is a call for these type of events.

BW: for sure, it is important for the sport and also for the spectators and public to be able to see these old cars still competing at full speed.

WA: You have a new co-driver this year how did that come about

BW: I was originally entered in a Porsche 911 from England; I was due to return with my son, Mathais, who was going to co-drive. However, circumstances prevented that from happening but at the last minute I was contacted by Iqbal Sagoo, a Kenyan now resident in California. Iqbal’s Porsche which he used on the 2007 event has now been fully re-prepared and he has invited me to drive it while he takes up the co-driver's duties.

WA: There are quite a few of these classic rallies now in the calendar, have you considered competing on any of them.

BW: I will drive anywhere, it keeps me young.

WA: it is rumoured that the Rally of the Inca’s are to run a classic as part of their main event next year is that event something you would be interested in.

BW: this is the rally that uses some of the World Cup route, right?

WA: Yes.

BW: then I am very interested, you must send me the details.
 

By Walter Ainsworth - The Mombasa start had been favoured earlier in the morning by a heavy rain shower and the results were still around in the form of puddles on the road out to the first competitive section. Few of the leading drivers seemed too worried by this and many hoped that it would have laid the dust that can be such a problem when one fast car is following another on a Safari road.

On the way to the Taita Hills, there was still the occasional shower but nothing likely to impede the progress of the drivers. However, rumours of wetter conditions on the roads west of Arusha that will run on Wednesday continue to persist. The Safari officials will consider the reports from the 3-day car this evening and make any decision that they deem appropriate.

The Ford Escort of Jean-Michel Martin, a past winner of the 24 Hour race at Spa, was suffering from engine problems on the classification stage yesterday and finally was not able to start the rally proper.

Taita Hills, afternoon

Light rain showers greeted the cars and crews as they checked in outside the Taita Hill Lodge. The two leaders were in first with Ian Duncan holding the privilege of leading the rally at the end of the first day with his Ford Mustang with a narrow four seconds advantage over the Porsche 911 of Björn Waldegård. One ex-Safari winner locked in close struggle with another - what more excitement could one want ? Third overall is Gerard Marcy, also Porsche 911 mounted some two and a half minutes behind the leaders. Disputing fourth place are two Datsun 260Zs with Graham Alexander from Australia holding the advantage of Britain's Steve Perez by eight seconds. Of the three competition sections run today, Duncan claimed fastest time on the first, Marcy on the second and Perez on the third.

Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot ht trouble on the first section when they had a rear puncture and the tyre damaged the rear damper. Consequently, they were some five minutes slower than Duncan through that stage bit with fastest time on the next and second fastest on the third section, they are still in a very strong position.

Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo had some intercom problems initially but this was rapidly traced to a flat intercom battery and the problem was permanently solved. They pulled into the Taita control with a completely flat front tyre that was almost on fire. Waldegård said "We came out of the last section and I knew we had hit and it was soft but Karl-Heinz Goldstein was there and he said that though it was soft it would be OK to get into the night halt".

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch, though leading the rally, gave the impression that they had been out on a Sunday drive. This laid back approach was continued in Duncan's comment that "We have had no problems and frankly been taking it pretty steady. The Mustang loved that fast section from Mackinnon Road, it just laps that up." But they did collect a puncture of the third section and arrived at the end of the section with what was left of the tyre wrapped around the rear wheel.

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander lost a few minutes on the first section with their Datsun 240Z. "The steering felt funny and I thought that we had a recurrence of the bottom bearing problem on the front suspension that we had found in testing before the rally. So I slowed. But when we got to service and they checked it out everything was OK. I think it must have been that soft sand giving a wrong feeling. The steering in any case is much heavier that I am used to with thing like the WRC Focus or the Stratos. But now it going well and I am very pleased to have been quickest on that last stage."

Quinten Savage and his brother, Russell, reported that on the whole they had had a good day out in the sections with their Datsun 180B. "We whacked a rock in the second section which has dented the sump guard and pushed it up but that is something that the service crew can sort. Nothing serious. We also had a puncture in the first section and stopped to change it."

Geoff Bell and Tim Challen in their Datsun 180B were reasonably content to lie sixth, one place ahead of the younger Savages. "I didn't get much sleep last night. There was some guy in the room over me who was evidently doing a 1,000 miles service on his rear axle. But it been OK today apart from a couple of driver 'wrong slots', you know where he says 'turn right' and I go straight on."

Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse came in with their Kronos Porsche 911 looking immaculate. "We have no problem and the car is very sound. It was very fast in the second section through the sisal plantation. I was doing maybe more than 170 kph and could probably have gone faster, but, as yet, I don't know if that is a good thing."

Graham Alexander and Ross Rummels in their Datsun 260Z had a problem on the first section. "We had a bolt come out of the rear suspension and I had to drive through with one rear wheel trying to wobble to the end before us. Then on the second section, we caught Mondron's dust and followed him through to the end where we discovered that we had sheared the engine mounts. The thing is held in at the moment by straps but we hope to improve on that arrangement in the service here. Everything considered, we are delighted to be lying fourth at this early stage."

Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence came in with their Datsun 260Z a bit disappointed to be just outside the top ten in eleventh place. "We had a puncture on the first section, stopped to change it and an Escort came past. When we got going again, we found that he was stuck in deep sand blocking our way and both of us had to struggle to get out."

Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli had a puncture on the third section through the Taita Hills with their Porsche 911. "We decided to stop and change it and found a really good place with a little bit of tarmac. It went quite well but I think we still lost almost six minutes. Without that, I think we could have two or three places higher but ninth is not so bad. The car is perfect and we look forward to the rest of the rally."

Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi were the ones who got their Mk1 Ford Escort stuck in the first section. "That cost us at least nine minutes. Maybe we were nervous but we then went and made two wrong slots in the sisal on section two. But that last section over the Taita Hills was just magnificent, real rallying. Can we have more please ?"

Lying in eight place is the Datsun 180B of Wayne Kieswetter and Steve Harris from South Africa. "I'm really pleased as this is only my second real rally. The first one was the Safari Classic in 2007 so you can see that I am getting used to things. No problems with the car either so we are really enjoying ourselves."

Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton in one of the Tuthill Porsche 911s came in smiling. "What can we say ? No problems with the car and we are both enjoying it."

Marzio Kravos and Renzo Bernardi came in with their big Mercedes 450SLC looking quite pleased. "The only problem that we had was that one of the drive shaft joint gaiters was leaking a bit but not enough to worry about and the service crew will change it now. But the most fantastic thing is - no punctures ! Simply wonderful."

Albert Michels and Patrick de Connick reported no problems with their Porsche 911 on the competitive sections. "Nothing went wrong so we have nothing to complain about. We are very content."

Andrew Siddall and Mike Borrissow, the British pair in a Datsun 280Z had a lot to say about their day of rallying. "I reckon we had only one good section out of four. Before the rally, we had all kinds of things starting with a leaking cylinder head gasket and then total electrical failure regarding the engine system. We had to change everything including the distributor.

And then on the classification section on Sunday, she stuck in second gear for most of the way. On the first section this morning, a Minilite wheel broke and we had to stop and fit a new wheel and tyre. On the second, the fuel pump fuse broke and we had to jury rig a wire from the battery direct to the pump to get going. Finally the last section was OK except that now it seems the intercom is not working properly. We have a lot of work to do here but hopefully tomorrow - and all the all the other days - will be better."

Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood in an Ian Freestone prepared Ford Escort Mk 1 were getting used to African rallying. "The car is good and we are just about getting the hang of driving in these conditions. At one point it was really like all those stories of the old Safari as we stopped to try and pull Aslam Khan out from where he was stuck in the second section. We failed but it gives an idea of what things are like. We really enjoyed the Taita Hills section which had everything to make a good rally section."

Dust was problem for Kishen Bandheri and Japsal Matharu when their Datsun 1600SSS caught up other cars on that second stage. "We had a puncture out on the main road to the start of the stage and then we went in there and straight away found ourselves in other people's dust. We got past one and then caught the Escort. But no real problems with the car."

Nick Mason and Adrian Grinstead found they were still suffering from dust on their Datsun 240Z. "Actually I made it worse. The wipers cut out on the first section and, when I dived in there to rearrange the wiring, I pulled a few grommets out of the front bulkhead. We have been running like that and the dust has been pouring in. But we carry on regardless ."

An exciting excursion was in store for Rommy Bamrah and Harvey Jutley on the second section when their Datsun 260Z went off the road. "We missed a turn and before we knew it, we were going through this barbed wire fence. Fortunately there were no big posts or anything but it was pretty frightening. To get back, we found a road parallel to the rally route inside the fence which looked as if it would bring us out but it was ages before we found a way back."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge in a Tuthill Porsche 911 were pleased with their day. "We have been going steadily at our own pace and enjoying everything. The only problem we had was that, on the descent from the Taita Hills, we lost the brakes through fading. They went away for about twelve kilometres and that was a bit worrying as the drop off the edge is not small ! The car is going well and we are looking forward to the next eight days of the rally."

In the second Kronos Porsche 911, Thierry Bosqueau and Nicolas Gilsoul reported just a small problem with the upper mounts on their rear dampers. "They are just a little too weak and we must replace them with a better solution this evening. But that is the only problem we have with the car. It is the first time in Africa for us and it is amazing the variety of these sections - fast, slow, mountain, plain, rough, smooth, sandy, rocky - there is just everything all in one day. And there are more days to come !"

But it was not a good day for Roddy Sachs and Denis Matthews in their Datsun 180B. "We had two punctures at various places but the real problem came in the first section when we broke a drive shaft. I don't know where it broke because it's not around anymore. But it took the brake pipe and the lower front wishbone with it. I drove out with just one-wheel power and then we found that it had damaged the differential as well. Shall we change the differential ? Well maybe not as we welded the old one up and now I have a Datsun with a live rear axle layout ! So it was a thoroughly miserable day and things can only get better."

Safari veterans both, Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews make a crew with more Safari experience than most in their Datsun 260Z. "The engine is now behaving itself but we had a puncture in the Taitas and it was a bit of a panic to remember how to change it. There have been a few problems on the co-drivers side of the car - the Halda fell off into Lofty's lap and his seat came loose - but the car goes along alright just like I remember it."

One of the smartest - i.e. least dusty - arrivals at Taita Hill Lodge were Hardev Singh Sira and Denis Giraudet in their Ford Escort Mk1, the latter immaculate in his Repsol driving overalls. "It has been a bit hard today trying to adapt from my normal Peugeot 504 Coupe which is much heavier and a little less powerful. So caution and common sense have been in my mind as I have tried to change my driving style to accommodate the difference. One thing that did catch me out was that we passed another competitor and then I was sure that someone was catching me only to discover that in fact it was the lights and dust of the car we had just passed !"

One slightly dramatic arrival at the final control was the Ford Escort of Gianluca Ciaraldi and Uwe Kurstenberger, which stopped to check the time before moving forward and then refused to start again and had to be manhandled through the control.

Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel in their Datsun 240Z reported that they had a good day. "Actually a very good day. We broke a TCA somewhere on the first stage but it didn't affect anything and we didn't actually discover it until we stopped in service on the main road. So pretty lucky. Hope it stays like that."

The big Citroen DS 21 of Frederic Daunat and Guy Chriqui makes an impressive sight as it goes through the sections but it not without its problems. "We broke a hydro pneumatic suspension unit on the first section, fixed it and then twenty kilometres later, blew another one. And then I nearly broke the jack trying to raise the car and replace the unit."

Jean-Marc Bussolini and Patricia Bussolini in their Porsche 924 suffered a damaged right rear suspension arm in the second section. "the car is very new, almost like a prototype - and the driver is not used to these roads so I go perhaps too fast. The first section was good but then we had this problem on the second. We also broke a front wheel. But it is a marvellous rally and we look forward to the rest of it."

The Alpine Renault A110 of Erik Comas and Ravi Soni had to miss the third section today as their car was still having problems. "I have decided that I shall continue with this car using it as a test for future events. We have the suspension expert here and we will use this car, which was our test car in France, to sort out a good solution for these roads."

Meanwhile, the sister car of Charles Firmenich and Jean-Pierre Martin continues as a full participant and the service effort will be concentrated on getting that through to the finish. They had one problem today when one of the rear bump stops failed and allowed the damper to over-stroke and break its valves. Stronger bump stops are currently being fitted in service after which the mechanics will turn their attention to preparing the A110 of Comas.

A very late arrival at Taita Hill Lodge was the Ford Escort Mk1 of Aslam Khan and Farhaaz Khan. They had taken a wrong turning on the second section and then tried to find their way back onto the correct route. Unfortunately, they came to it, mistook the direction and started going the wrong way. It was not long before they discovered the error of their ways and went to turn round whereupon the Escort suffered total electrical failure and the engine stopped. Hence they were blocking the section and facing the wrong way !

Arusha, Tuesday afternoon
The rally cars started arriving at Ngurdoto Lodge shortly after three o'clock. First in was the rally leader, Ian Duncan in his Ford Mustang followed very closely by the man holding down second place, Björn Waldegård in his Porsche 911. During the day, Duncan had set fastest time on all three competition sections and had thus extended his lead over the ex-World Rally Champion to two minutes, twenty seconds. After Gerard Marcy hit problems with his Porsche 911, Steve Perez is now in third place in his Datsun 260Z but classified some twenty-four minutes behind Waldegård. Quite close behind him is Graham Alexander in his 260Z with just two minutes deficit while fifth is Geoff Bell who brought his Datsun 180B through unscathed on a day that saw three other 180Bs in trouble.

For Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot, disaster struck on the second competitive section today when they caught a rear wheel of the Porsche 911 in what looked like an innocuous rut and promptly punctured the tyre and bent the trailing arm of the suspension. "Really I am amazed" said Marcy. "While we were stopped, I watch some Datsuns go exactly the same way through that thing at the same speed and - poof ! - nothing happens. We got the car out of the competitive section eventually but lost maybe forty minutes. The suspension was fixed in service and we went to the third section. About half-way through the engine stopped. The problem was the battery as the alternator had failed. We tried to persuade some local guys with trucks to sell us their battery but no chance. Then we got a jump start and got out but maybe we lost another fifty minutes in there. Now we have a big gap to the leaders."

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch, the carefree leaders came in and declared "No worries !". But their rapid day was not without its exciting moments. "When we hit that muddy stretch, almost a river, in the first part of the third section, we were going so sideways that the car was almost broadside on and collecting bushes and things at the side of the road.

Branches broke the spotlights that are mounted at the foot of the windscreen." Duncan commented, "I was surprised that Björn wasn't quicker than us up that hilly bit on the second competitive section. He took so much off us in the Taitas that he would do that." However after service there was a slight problem with the clutch of Duncan's Mustang, making it difficult to drive in traffic.

Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo had a pretty good day in their Porsche 911. "That last section was just like Paris-Dakar in places. There was Safari mud to start with and then that soft sand. We hit something when we were caught in ruts and thought for sure it must be a puncture. And we heard a stone going round in the disc brake but then that sound stopped, there was no puncture and we came through OK. But you should see that wheel. It is going in my private museum!"

Rising during today to a podium position, Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander looked to have enjoyed themselves but there was a bit more to it than that. "That concrete drift in the second competitive section where the 180B rolled, we nearly stood the 260Z on its nose. It came up late in the road book and we thought we must have passed it and then we hit it. Wow ! That was some lift-off but no damage. Then in the third section, we got stuck where the mud was and after getting that we got a bit lost and for a while we were running parallel to the proper track, just driving through bushes and things."

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnals drove all day with their Datsun 260Z's engine held in by the straps that they had fitted last night. "We had no choice but to leave it that way and hope to change the cross-member and fix the engine in properly tonight. We had a puncture on the first section and Marcy came past. Then there was that really tough second section with the hills, really hard driving. And then that last one with the mud and sand where we went pretty well." Nevertheless they are in fifth place.
 

Amboseli, Thursday afternoon
With two fastest times on the three competitive sections held today, Ian Duncan in his Ford Mustang has extended his lead over Björn Waldegård's Porsche 911. Duncan's lead is now just over five minutes, the large gap partially due to the fact that Waldegård suffered a puncture on the first competitive section this morning and lost four minutes, twenty five seconds to the Mustang in a single section. On the other competitive sections, the two leaders continued to spar for position and though the situation has changed considerably, they are still in first and second places and half an hour clear of third place man, Steve Perez in his Datsun 260Z. In his turn, Perez is comfortably clear of Geoff Bell in fourth place with his Datsun 180B. However, Bell and Graham Alexander in another 260Z are in a similar position to the two leaders with just less than five minutes of penalty separating them.

The Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 has now reached its halfway point and the rally crews will take a well-earned day's rest tomorrow while their service crews try to repair and correct the damage inflicted by East African roads in the last four days. Starting on Saturday morning, there are another four days of rallying each with three competitive sections before the rally reaches its finish on the coast at Mombasa on Tuesday afternoon. At the moment, it is still anyone's event but, with the rally crossing back into Kenya this morning, the ever-popular Ian Duncan is now on home territory and increasingly the crowds' favourite.

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch had just minor problems with their Ford Mustang today. "A bonnet pin catch broke and we nearly had the bonnet wrapped round the windscreen but we improvised something to keep it closed with a bungee strap. That first section that we did first on Tuesday afternoon was much drier now but also more sandy towards the end. Just about everything is full of dust including our starter motor which is why I asked the guys to push me back into place in the parc fermé. How's it gone today? Well, you know when it goes well, it goes well - and when it doesn't ..."

Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo in their Porsche 911 hit a problem early in the day. "We were just a third of the way into the first competitive section and we had a puncture. I saw the rock and tried to run round it but unfortunately the rear wheel just caught it and that was it. The other two sections were also a bit of a problem and we had a wrong turning in the second one that was down to Iqbal, but then I made a mistake and almost spun on the last one. We went sideways and off into the bush and hit a small tree head on. It was pretty small and I can't see anything on the car so everything must be OK." It was at this moment that the lady from the Amboseli conservation group came up and reminded Björn that last time he was here two years ago, he planted a tree with Ana Goni, Stig Blomqvist and Yvonne Mehta and he should make time tomorrow to water it. Perhaps he should also now plant another tree?

Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot suffered a puncture on the second competitive section in their Porsche 911 and dropped some time. "I really don't know why it happened - we didn't seem to hit anything to cause it. In the third competitive section I thought there was a problem with the car - maybe another puncture - so we stopped to sort it out and I think we lost a minute. Perhaps we could have got fastest time on that section." They did in fact get fastest time despite stopping.

Several crews reported difficulty with the road book notes on the second section but Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander with their Datsun 260Z were one of the few to actually experience a real loss of time as a result. "There was one slight bend over a jump which was said to be a 'care' but it really deserved a big 'caution'. If we had gone straight that would have been the end of the rally but we got more than half-way round, went up the bank and got stuck. Geoff [Bell] stopped to help but by then we had the local populace organised and got off. But then just before the end of the section, a strut broke and we had to change it on the transport section. It was bit hard to make that control on time but we did it. We are very, very happy to be here in Amboseli. You almost feel that God is on your side when things like that happen. And, oh yes, on the third section, it said 'humps' and, can you believe it, there were two camels crossing the road and we had stop or hit them."

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnals in their Datsun 260Z reported no problems. "That first section was drier but lot more chopped up towards the end in all the sand where the rally had been through two days before. The only incident we had was when we drove a bit off course in the third section and a branch whipped off the nearside mirror."

Geoff Bell and Tim Challen are still going very well in their Datsun 180B. "Today was very good - excellent in fact. The only problem we have are some holes in the floor under the seats which let in a few unwanted elements." Bell also gave an update from Wayne Kietswetter who rolled on Monday and damaged his shoulder. Wayne's text read: "I have a grade 3 dislocation of the AC joint, the end of the collar bone has torn away from the shoulder blade. I may also have some rotator cuff damage, but will only know in two weeks when the swelling has gone down and they can do the scan. Meanwhile I'll be going to the farm to rest!" Sounds technical and painful.

They came in to the Amboseli control almost ecstatic. It was evident that Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton had had a good day in their Porsche 911. "Perfect day, wonderful, all we need to complete it is two cold beers. About the only thing that worried us was a drift that we didn't find in the notes for the third section where we stood the Porsche on its nose and ripped off the front right-hand side bodywork."

Charles Firmenich and Jean-Pierre Martin brought their Alpine Renault A110 into Amboseli direct from the end of the first section. "Well, we have all the new parts of the car now but it is still very harsh on the suspension. In the first section, the sand towards the end was just unbelievable. We lost the clutch when it filled with sand and then we were stuck just 4 kms for the end when the car bottomed out in the sand. It took us a long time to get free and only with help and our tow-rope. So with no clutch working, we decided to come straight here by the road used by the service crews - but even that was quite a road !"

Arusha, Wednesday, afternoon - The story of the day centres on the continued fight between the two ex-Safari Rally winners, Ian Duncan and Björn Waldegård. Today, it was Waldegård's turn to fight back taking his Porsche 911 to a win on the first competitive section and removing, at a stroke, a minute and fifty-one seconds from the lead of two minutes, eighteen seconds previously enjoyed by Duncan's Ford Mustang. With a further four second advantage falling to the Porsche on the second section, Duncan's lead now stands at a mere twenty-two seconds with five days of hard rallying still to come.

In third place is the Datsun 260Z of Steve Perez twenty-five minutes behind the leading pair with Geoff Bell's Datsun 180B fourth some fifteen minutes further back. Fifth is Australian, Graham Alexander, in his Datsun 260Z with Paul-Eric Jarry chasing him hard from sixth place overall. Despite his problems of yesterday Gerard Marcy is still fighting back in his Porsche 911, taking fastest time on the second competitive section and second fastest time on the first section.

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch brought the Mustang into the final service today shortly after two o'clock this afternoon. "It's going well. The clutch problem that we had yesterday seems to be fixed but I am trying not to use it too much. There is a slight amount of brake knock-off that we have to investigate but otherwise it all feels pretty good."

Next car in was the Porsche 911 of Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo. "The driving was very nice today. The first section was climbing up the escarpment and it was wet towards the end, quite slippery but OK. The second section was much faster and nice too with some wet parts but no proper rain for us. But when we came away from it, the rain came hard and gave us a free car wash. We did see some traffic - a truck and two cars - on that section. I think perhaps rallying is not quite so well understood in Tanzania than it is in Kenya where they had the Safari for so long."

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmender are holding a solid third place in their Datsun 260Z but are aware there are still five days of rallying to go. "We took it quite steady on the first competitive section to consolidate our position. The second section went smoothly so we pushed a little harder. We've just to sit behind these guys and see what happens."

Geoff Bell and Tim Challen in the Datsun 180B said that "The first section was not too bad, some wet towards the end but OK. There was less in the way of wet stretches on the second section which for us was a pity as we could have done with more. We saw where the other cars had gone round the mud and we knew we could go straight through those places. No problems with the car and no worries."

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnals had a happier day in their Datsun 260Z knowing that engine was properly fixed in. "We got the new cross-member and engine mounts in last night but we took a bit too long about it and were penalised twelve minutes that dropped up down the classification a bit. The only problem today is that we hit a bank [co-driver's side] but the damage is minimal. The amazing thing is that since the rally started, we have only had one puncture on these 16 inch Michelin 4x4 tyres. We hope it stays that way!"

Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli had what they described as minor problems with the Porsche 911. "We lost a headlamp unit and we can't seem to turn off the heating inside the car but otherwise OK. At the start of the first section, there were a lot of people in the road and the road itself was quite rough uphill but then it was all right. The second section was just superb, a real rally driver's road."

Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence had a trouble free run but were rather scathing about the first section. "It was a real Rhino Charge road, and very hard on the steering with the big Datsun. I did think that maybe I would have been better on the last part of it had I fitted mud tyres as it was very slippery on that red stuff. But we came through OK and the second section was just glorious, somewhere you let yourself go and enjoy the driving. Could we not have done it twice ?"

Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton found the conditions a little changeable on the competitive section in their Porsche 911. "It was very slippery in places - worse than ice - making it difficult to judge. Sometimes you can go fast and then you hit a slippery patch. It was just luck whether you got a rain shower. But the car is in great shape and we were taking it a bit easier today." On leaving parc fermé co-driver Didier Breton thought there may be problems with a rear damper.

Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse had a "lovely day" in their Porsche 911. "The competitive sections were very nice and the second section was fantastic with nice landscape as well. The car is great and the team are fantastic - every morning it's like a new car."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge maintain their steady progress with their Porsche 911. "That second section was just awesome, I could do that as many times as you like. And today we cured the brake problem that has been plaguing us and the Tuthill mechanics for days. The brake bias was too far to the rear so that the knock-off from the front brake discs was making the pedal go long. We put more brake bias to the front and now everything is fine."

Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi had a good day in their Ford Escort despite suffering suspension problems. "The leaf springs at the back went flat on the first competitive section. Tonight we're going to add an extra leaf so there are three instead of two."

Despite yesterday's problems, Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot have no intention of giving up in their Porsche 911, setting fastest time on the second competitive section. "Yesterday we raised the car at the front so it was under-steering a bit, especially in the slippery parts of the first competitive section but the second competitive section was good."

Rommy Bamrah and Harvey Jutley enjoyed their day with their Datsun 260Z but with one proviso. "On the first section, suddenly there was no connection between the steering wheel and the steering rack. A bolt had fallen out of the universal joint so we had to stop and fit a temporary replacement. But it was good it happened there and not a bit later when there were big drops off the road. Otherwise the car is good and we are enjoying the run."

Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood had what they described as a fantastic day in their Ford Escort. "On the first competitive section we passed the car in front but we played it safe on the way down. The car is going perfectly."

Samit Gehlot and Asit Patel enjoyed themselves today in their Ford Escort Mk 1, despite some problems on the transport section. "Today was really good fun but we had two fuel pumps fail on the transport section near the airport. Luckily the third one was working and I don't think we lost any time."

Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel had a good day in their Datsun 240Z. "The sections were very nice and very interesting. There a some rain which made us a bit careful on the slippery bits but came through OK. We were losing a little bit of power in last section but hopefully we'll fix that tonight."

Martin Aguirre and Luis Mirasol had "a very nice day" in their Porsche 911. "The car drove beautifully and we are still alive so all is well."

The Gods are not favouring Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin in their Datsun 280Z. "After our previous troubles with the gearbox we thought that we could have a day without problems. But it was not to be. The wipers packed up right in the middle of the second section. We tried to fix the motor but frankly it was a waste of time trying to race the fault. We went on with a piece of tape tied to the wiper and coming in through the windows to the cockpit, but it did not make for fast driving and we had already lost nearly half an hour. We are just hoping that, as in the odds for Blackjack, we are due a good hand tomorrow."

Aslam Khan and Farhaaz Khan in a Ford Escort Mk1. "We had a pretty good day, well, enjoyable day. Fantastic run, fabulous stages. Only one problem and that was when I slid and nearly spun on a wet bridge. I had to reverse to get the car round and in doing so put a wheel over the edge. All would have been lost but a couple of strong fellows appeared and lifted us back on. Now I have some problem with reverse which is very noisy to engage but we will have a look now to make sure all is OK."

Naivasha, Saturday midday - If any proof were needed that Africa was unpredictable, when the rally office team arrived at the Sopa Lodge, Naivasha, this morning they discovered that it was raining - bit of a contrast to Amboseli who would dearly love to have some - and that all the tapes defining the parc fermé had been ripped out in the night by some wandering giraffes. Despite the rain here, the three competitive sections from Amboseli are said to be dry for the first cars but rain is moving in. Naturally speculation is rife about the sections near Lake Baringo tomorrow.

The news in from the sections today is that, provisionally, Ian Duncan with the Ford Mustang is increasing his grip on the lead. He set fastest time over the first competitive section of almost 120 kilometres with a time of 1 hr 15 min 16 sec, an average speed of some 95 kph. Second fastest was the Porsche 911 of Gerard Marcy three and half minutes slower with third fastest time going to Geoff Bell in his Datsun 180B. Duncan's closest pursuer for the lead of the rally, Björn Waldegård in a Porsche 911, was only fourth fastest just over six minutes slower than the flying Duncan.

On the second competitive section of 50 kilometres, Marcy was fastest but only by 15 seconds from Duncan with Steve Perez taking third fastest time with his Datsun 260Z. Waldegård was once again fourth fastest, one second slower than Perez but losing another 47 seconds to Duncan in the battle for the lead. At this point, Duncan's lead over Waldegård had risen to 11 minutes 57 seconds.

Naivasha, Saturday afternoon
The first car into the Naivasha control was Ian Duncan's Mustang and it was the only one to arrive before the rain started. With a clear lead of eleven minutes and forty-eight seconds over Björn Waldegård's Porsche, the local driver could feel that the advantage, barring the unforeseen, was his. Waldegård had set fastest time on the third competitive section today but had only taken back nine seconds of the Mustang's lead. Third overall is the Datsun 260Z of Steve Perez despite some early morning problems but the gap between him and Waldegård is around forty-two minutes. Geoff Bell in fourth with his Datsun 180B is definitely producing the drive of the rally in a less-powerful car than his principal rivals. He is just five minutes behind Perez and twenty-six minutes ahead of Gerard Marcy's Porsche 911. Marcy is making a remarkable recovery from early problems and his fifth place is indicative of the amazing pace he can set in the competitive sections.

There are two more Tuthill Porsches within the top ten with Thomas Flohr and Steve Troman flanking the Datsun 260Z of Jonathan Savage. Jean-Pierre Mondron in the Kronos Porsche 911 is ninth overall ahead of the unlucky Graham Alexander whose Datsun 260Z was stuck for an hour and twenty minutes in the first competitive section this morning.

And Alexander wasn't the only one who got stuck. Indeed, after today, no one can say that the East African Safari Classic doesn't inject revenue into the local economy. On the first stage a group of strategically placed Masai set up a service to push out the cars that had got stuck in the river. Since the cars were plentiful in number, the Masai took the initiative of offering the first push to the highest bidder.

What do you call a collection of rally cars stuck in a river bed? A local business opportunity.

So the question on everyone's lips is: will the situation hold between the two ex-Safari winners and Ian Duncan notch up a third victory for local drivers in the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. The score is currently locals 2, overseas 1 with this, the fourth Safari Classic poised to change that reckoning.

Naivasha - It has been something of hectic day out there on the competitive sections in the north. Björn Waldegård set fastest time on the first two with his Porsche 911 and reduced Ian Duncan's substantial overnight lead with the Ford Mustang to around three and half minutes thanks to the Kenyan driver picking up two punctures at critical points. However, on the third section, Duncan came back at the Porsche and took over two minutes from Waldegård so that he provisionally leads by five minutes and forty seconds. However, this is still a provisional result until the cars have arrived back here and any road penalties that might have been incurred added in to the individual totals.

But the events of today have certainly injected new excitement into the contest to be declared the winner of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009. With two more days of rallying and six tough competitive sections on the way back to the finish Tuesday night in Mombasa, there can still be changes within the results, even amongst the front-runners.

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch took their Ford Mustang into the first competitive section with an overnight lead of getting on for twelve minutes. "But we picked up a puncture going down the escarpment and had to stop and change it. It wasn't an easy place and we had to run on the flat for a while to get us out of the rocks and stones to jack it up. It was going well on the second one when we had another puncture, again on a rocky stretch and with about eight kilometres to go into Rumuruti. It took a bit longer than normal [Note that the Mustang has six nuts to undo on each wheel and the spare wheels have to be accessed through the rear window of the Mustang] and Waldegård came past us while we were working on it. But those were our only problems today. I guess maybe we just drove over one rock too many."

Duncan's main rivals, Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo in their Porsche 911, benefited by a total of nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds from those punctures on the Mustang. "We ran through those stages with no problems and took fastest time in both of them. We knew Ian had a problem because we saw him the second section. But he came back at us in the last section and reclaimed almost two minutes. Actually we did have what I thought was a misfire in that last section but we shall see now in service."

Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot had a consistent day in their Porsche 911 setting second fastest time on all three competitive sections. "We had a good day. The first section was very rocky and we changed the setting of the dampers for the second 150 km section - it wasn't so great at the beginning where the surface was loose but then it was okay."

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander reported that they had enjoyed a "great day" in their Datsun 260Z. "It was a good run with no problems. Staffan was sitting there saying what lovely views and amazing scenery there was and I was having to concentrate on the driving so the only things I saw of this wonderful part on Kenya were the rocks and stones I was trying to avoid."

Life was less pleasant today for Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli in their Porsche 911. "We started with a puncture on the first section which was just one of those things. But on the second one, we caught the stricken Datsun of Geoff Bell after maybe forty kilometres and had to stay behind him for fifty kilometres. It was not his fault. There was zero wind and the dust just hung in a long trail for maybe 300 metres. There was no way he could know we were there. Eventually he had to stop to address his problem and we got through. And that last stage was OK but it was really like a longer version of the prologue down in Kinango."

Similar problems afflicted the Porsche 911 of Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton. "The first section was fantastic and then we were really enjoying the second when, about three-quarters of the way through it, I had to drive off the road to miss a truck and we had a puncture. Then we had a second one just five kilometres later. It was one front and one rear. We passed Geoff Bell when he was trying to fix his car and that was then the end of our problems for today."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge had a trouble free but tough day in their Porsche 911. "We passed Jonathan Savage in the first section and Geoff Bell kindly let us past in the second section. The car is bang on and the Tuthill team are doing a great job - they even helped out one of the young Savage brothers when they let the jack down on their hand in service."

Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin had a worry on the first section but after that their Datsun 280Z performed impeccably. "We don't know what it was but on the first section the car just seemed to lose power. We did nothing and then it was working OK. Dust was the problem on the long second section. We passed maybe three cars. It was very dangerous because you need just the right luck to be close when they have to slow for something so they can see you and you can see them. When you drive in the dust of another car and can't see it or the road, you have your 'heart in your throat', as they say in Italian. Anyway, we came through the Delamere section OK and I had no bad memories from 2007 !"

Up to this point of the rally, the performance of Geoff Bell and Tim Challen with their Datsun 180B has been favourably remarked on but luck was not with them today. "We were thinking of changing one of the rear trailing arms before the second section but then decided not to.

Unfortunately the bolt attaching the lower art of the damper to that arm had been slackened - but not fully retightened. Just 20 kms into the section it fell out and the damper started thrashing around. We tried to restrain it with strapping but it eventually broke free and damaged the drive shaft. Which in its turn damaged the differential. The whole lot was pretty well messed up. We changed everything at Rumuruti and it went fine on the last section but I think that we to change some more things this evening as the replacement axle doesn't sound too happy."
 

Taita Hill Lodge, Monday - afternoon
There was very nearly a dramatic turn of events this afternoon as the rally cars headed south. Ian Duncan had the distributor drive shear on his Ford Mustang and the car coasted to a halt. But his luck was in as this all happened on the transport section between Email and Ndi and he was able to remove the old broken drive and fit a new one. Thus he was able to continue and take fastest time on the last competitive section thus bringing his lead over Björn Waldegård in the Porsche up to eight minutes, thirty-two seconds.

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch brought their Ford Mustang into Taita looking very relieved. "Yes, we had a few problems but nothing cost us very much in terms of time. There is a pipe to the power steering pump that is leaking a bit but we can fix that. And the distributor drive failure happened in a really fortunate place - away from the competitive sections. The pin joining it to the oil pump drive shaft had sheared and we were able to get the broken bits out using some masking tape and a screwdriver. We were lucky too that we managed to get the new part in without losing the timing. This evening, we hope to fix the starter problem. It just keeps getting filled up with dust - and we are fed up with push-starting !"

Incidentally, the Ford Mustang, it appears, was originally owned by Gurbux Nagi who was for many years a senior technical scrutineer in Kenyan motor sport events. His son, Andy Nagi, is co-driving Aziz Tejpar in the Ford Escort.

Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo had one fastest time today on the longest section of 115 kms. "But we started out this morning a bit too slow. The morning sun was directly in front and there was one chap in front of us who was not lifting off at all in that first section - Duncan !  I think that if I had tried to do that time of his, then I would not be here talking with you."  Last night, the misfire they had felt on the last section was traced to a poor connection on the low tension feed to the ignition and is now cured. In service, the car looks OK but there is a small repair going on with the exhaust system.

Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot were a bit concerned that their puncture total was still rising with their Porsche 911. "We had another one ! It was a rear puncture on the second competitive section. I don't know what we must do to go at competitive speed and not have punctures. And it was a very hot this afternoon, especially in that last section. But the times are not so bad."

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander described their day in their Datsun 260Z as a "day with no dramas". But "we had to change the alternator once, which is the second one now, and the guys are having to try and make one good one out to the two old ones in true bush mechanic style."

It is noticeable that, with just one car to service, the BTR mechanics are always first to be ready in the service area so that the Perez car is always first to go in from the holding area for its two hour service.

The Datsun 180B of Geoff Bell and Tim Challen dropped back today. "We hit a big jump in the second section which threw us off course and into some trees. There was not a lot I could do about it and I knew we would collect one of them. Fortunately, it was not the biggest one and came off worse than us. But we had done a lot of damage round the front and needed to do something about it if we were to carry on. We got the Datsun in a tug-of-war between a sand truck and a big tree and pulled out quite a lot of the damage to the front. Then we bought a stick from a chap for 500 shillings to wedge between the bulkhead and the radiator.

As we didn't use all of the stick we tried to get him to pay back 150 shillings for what we didn't use, but he wasn't having that. So we got out of the section, did some fettling with the service and then on the last section we managed to catch and pass someone ! And they tell us we are still in the top ten."
Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton came in looking tired and dusty as they stepped out of their Porsche 911. "A pretty good day if a bit hot. No punctures, no camels, no trees - so straight to the bar !"

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnals started their day badly in the Datsun 260Z. "The throttle linkage broke about four kilometres from the end of the first competitive section. We stopped and wired it up so the engine ran on nearly full throttle and then drove using the brakes - and ignition key finally - to control our progress to the end of the section. The rest of the day was tame by comparison."

Quentin and Russell Savage with their Datsun 180B had asked to be re-seeded after losing fifteen minutes checking out of the holding area at Naivasha yesterday but that was not granted. "We got stuck in someone's dust on the first section and then got a puncture in the second which let Dad [Jonathan Savage] get past us and we raced him to the finish. Unfortunately, when we punctured we also bent the steering so that the car now oversteers and it was a bit of a hazard on that third section."

Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence were able to clarify the problem that had cost their Datsun 260Z so much time on Sunday. "A bolt sheared in the outer part of one of the rear suspension arms where it bolts onto the wheel hub. We think it must have been an old metal fatigue problem. Anyway, we wired the arm up but then the other bolt failed. Fortunately there were just the right spares - and the right spanner to get to that bolt - for Gavin to change it over but it took time. Today, the car was running fine again. The second section was rough to start with but then magnificent and the third section was simply awesome."

Mombasa, midday - Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch win Safari Classic in Ford Mustang. A Ford has won the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 for the second time in succession. In 2007, it was a Ford Escort from Europe that took the overall victory but now it is the turn of the American breed to win with a car prepared and driven by Kenyan, Ian Duncan. His superiority was almost unchallenged throughout the event though for the first two or three days, it was pretty much neck-and-neck between Duncan in the Mustang and 2007 winner, Björn Waldegård in a Porsche 911 co-driven by the car's owner, Iqbal Sagoo.

Porsche 911s came in strength this year and Gerard Marcy, accompanied this year by Stephane Prevot, was very much the favourite before the start. But a coming-together with a hole in a Tanzanian road on the second day of the rally lost him too much time and, despite setting several fastest times, he was only able to finish fourth. However, there were six Porsche 911s in the top ten finishers with Thomas Flohr, Steve Troman, Jean-Pierre Mondron and Paul-Eric Jarry all finishing strongly with examples of the German marque.

The final place on the podium was taken by a Datsun 260Z driven by Steve Perez, an excellent result for the British driver. Though they were by far the most numerous at the start, Datsuns took a bit of a hammering in the results this year with Graham Alexander's Australian 260Z the only other of the Japanese cars to finish in the top ten. He took sixth place between the Porsches of Flohr and Troman. Rounding out the top ten was a Ford Escort Mk1 driven by Aziz Tejpar - the son of the former competitor on the Safari famous for tackling it with a DAF - who was driving an Ian Freestone prepared car on this his first major event.

The winners, Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch were naturally smiling broadly when they descended from their Ford Mustang after the arrival at Whitesands Hotel north of Mombasa. Of the twenty-four competitive sections run, they had set fastest time on twelve of them. They had twice come close to losing the lead that they had held from the start - once with punctures in north-west Kenya and then on the penultimate day when their distributor drive broke - but they always came back fighting and finally finished just under ten minutes clear of Waldegård. "That was a long way. We're so glad to have done it and won this rally at last especially after the disappointment with the Mustang last time, two years ago. Really we are so pleased and we owe so much to my guys who prepared - and serviced - this car. Great event."

The thing that really surprised Björn Waldegård, who was sharing Iqbal Sagoo's Porsche 911 with him, was that "so many people in Kenya seem to know me. When we came out of that last stage, there were so many people on the main road - and they all wanted to shake my hand. We are happy to be here and have enjoyed the rally very much. We did have one last problem on the first section today when the car jumped a bit high at a ditch, we landed sideways and swiped the back end against a bank neatly removing the rear bumper. In fact it has been a bit tricky today as, after yesterday and the repairs last night, the exhaust is quite noisy so I have had to back off to hear what Iqbal was saying even through the intercom. But the car was good and we are here in second place so maybe even the driver was not so bad either ." For the record, Waldegård set five fastest times on the competitive sections.

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander were looking a bit puzzled when they brought their Datsun 260Z into the finish in third place having set one fastest time on the competitive sections. "We go the whole rally without a puncture and then we have, not one, not two, but three on the last day ! We had two on the first section and then, when we had one on the second section after replacing the spares in service, there was no service before the third so we had to go through that with just one spare and many prayers to the Pirelli Gods. I drove like my grandmother and thank goodness, we didn't have any more. I am really delighted to be at the finish of such a tough rally. This result means more to me than any of the rallies or championships that I have won in the UK - and it was certainly much harder work!" Co-driver Staffan Parmander who celebrates his birthday today was also very happy despite three punctures. "We had a little drama but it was a fantastic day. And it's a great birthday present to finish on the podium on the Safari. For an event like this finishing on the podium means the same as a win."

For Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot it looked as if the Safari Classic 2009 was going to be an occasion when this talented and experienced crew achieved the success they deserved. Marcy proved beyond doubt in the 2007 that he was a formidable driver in the Porsche 911 and only bad luck on the last day robbed him of a good result. This year, Marcy set five fastest times in the competitive sections. "This was tough rally, yes, a rough rally, perhaps even rougher than two years ago. But where we had the problem that cost us so much time it was not really a case of the road being rough, just a hole in the edge of the road that twisted the rear suspension out of line and prevented our continuing. And the punctures.

We had two more today, one in the first and one in the third section. But this rally is a real challenge and sometimes you cannot alter your luck." Stephane Prevot, for a long time co-driver to Bruno Thiry in Fords and Subarus and with whom he did the Safari several times about ten years ago, commented that: "This was an interesting and unique experience, very much like the old Safari rallies of the 1970s and 1980s, and I saw for the first time what these East African roads are like in the wet !"

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnalls in their Datsun 260Z said that "Today we were just cruising with one Porsche well ahead and another well astern. I think the roads were a bit more rain damaged than they were two years ago on the last Safari Classic. But there were plenty of enjoyable moments nevertheless. No problems today and the car is running OK but it will probably be about a week of R&R before we can take it all in and start saying how much we enjoyed it all."

For Thomas Flohr, this was not just his first attempt at a Safari but virtually his first proper rally. Sitting beside him in his Porsche 911 was the experienced co-driver, Didier Breton, and Flohr readily acknowledged the contribution that he had made to their success in finishing fifth overall. "I think I had the best co-driver and the best team [Tuthill Porsche] so this was an excellent combination to have for my first big rally. And this will not be the last because I enjoyed the whole thing so much - even the bits when it was going wrong and I hit that tree. I shall certainly be doing more. Of course we had to round off our rally by having a puncture on the first section of the last day but then I noticed that of the first five cars, three of us had punctures in that section and all were on the same side of the car so perhaps it was not just me ."

Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli could report no problems on the last day with their Porsche 911. "I got the impression that the rally this time was much quicker and rougher that when I did it last in 2007. It's a shame because it is a real pleasure to drive fast on most of these East African roads and it is not so nice to have to really take such care in those rough places. But there was enough to enjoy - and we did."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge were smiling in their Porsche 91 as they came home to claim seventh place overall. "Today, no punctures and no problems. As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed the rally. It is an immense pleasure as everyone is so friendly and the atmosphere is very positive with the competitors, officials and all the people we see along the route and in the hotels and lodges. Can't wait for the next one."

Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse were very happy to arrive in Mombasa in their Kronos Porsche 911. "Today everything was perfect. We even made a new 'dish of the day': a Tuthill-Kronos sandwich. We've been between two Tuthill Porsches [Steve Troman/Calvin Cooledge and Paul-Eric Jarry/Jean-Francois Andreoli] and swapping seconds on the competitive sections."

Geoff Bell and Tim Challen were putting brave face on things as after we reported last night, their road penalties from the Sunday were added and their Datsun 180B dropped out of the top ten to finish thirteenth. The Datsun came to the finish with so much bodywork missing on the driver's side that it was almost like an open-wheeler. "In fact, we had trouble through today with the wheel rubbing on the strut so we went really slowly compared with what we have been doing on the other seven days.

Fantastic rally and can't wait to do another one. Meanwhile, would anyone like to buy a second hand car, one careful owner ?"

Jonathan Savage and Gavin Laurence finished just outside the top ten in eleventh place with their Datsun 260Z. "We had a great day today and the car is going perfectly. We tried to keep an eye on Aziz [Tejpar] in the Escort as he was running between us and my boys [his sons] in the 180B. We were only a minute behind him on penalties but I kept thinking that, one puncture, and both he and the boys would be past us in a flash. This was a super event and we are really pleased to be here after some of our suspension problems."

Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi were really happy as they brought their Ford Escort Mk1 in to the finish. "We've got that tenth place! My Dad would have been so proud if he had been here. We felt a bit like a sausage in a Savage sandwich today but what can I say: Asiz, as was, as will be ! This Escort is awesome. And I had more fun and broke more traffic rules coming through Mombasa to the finish than in a year's motoring in the UK. Really delighted with the result and big thanks to Andy for guiding me through."

Quentin and Russell Savage in their Datsun 180B: "Simply loved it - it was a great rally. We had no problems today, even though we cherished the fond hope of catching Tejpar's Escort but the gap of seven minutes or so was just too much if he had no trouble. But we had a good try at it and, like the rest of the rally, really enjoyed it."

As ever Samit Gehlot and Asit Patel looked very relaxed as they turned up at the final time control in their Ford Escort Mk1.  "We had a good day and the event was amazing. I only bought my first rally car four months ago and we've done two rallies as a recce for this." For Safari novices they definitely seemed to be taking everything in their stride.

Also Safari novices were Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood in their Ford Escort, although their performance wouldn't suggest it. "The rally was as good as I expected and I think I'll be back if I can.  The car hasn't missed a beat all day." However, the co-driver was feeling a little under the weather in the digestive department and definitely glad to be back at Whitesands hotel.

Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin set fastest time on the very last competitive section with their Datsun 280Z. "That fastest time was at least some small consolation for all our efforts during the rally. Such a shame that we had those problems but that's life! Did I enjoy myself? Well, I want to do it next time - that says it all."

Martin Aguirre and Luis Mirasol in their Porsche 911: "We really enjoyed this event. You know it's only the second rally we've ever driven - we did one in New Zealand before this. We can honestly say we've not had a single puncture. We would like to do more rallies than this one but for the moment our only future plans involve a drink and a bath." It was noticeable that the Filipino pair drove very gingerly across the holding area so as not to ruin their punctureless reputation.
Kishen Bandheri and Keith Henrie looked as joyful as ever as they arrived at Mombasa. "No adventures today.The whole event has been great. It was just a shame about our little accident coming into Amboseli as we were doing so well up until then."

Minesh Rathod and Sachin Sumaria described their day as "lovely" in their Mitsubishi Lancer. "We're very glad to be back. We really enjoyed the whole event and we're looking forward to the next one already."
Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel in their Datsun 240Z: "We had a puncture on the second section today and stopped to change the wheel.

Unfortunately some of the wheel nuts worked loose and we broke a couple of studs. This meant we started the third section with only two nuts holding on the rear wheel. Thus it was necessary to stop twice in the third section to check that those two were still hanging on."

Jayant Shah and Lofty Drews in their Datsun 260Z: "We've had no problems today and the car is behaving itself. It's a shame we had so many problems coming out of Tanzania back into Kenya but, even with all that, we enjoyed this excellent rally and now it's 'Tusker Time'."

Aslam and Farhaaz Khan in their Ford Escort BDA Mk1: "The car is going fine and the only problem today, because there was no re-seeding for speed last night, was overtaking other cars. We finally got a clear run through the third section and there, as on so many other parts of this rally, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves."

Albert Michels and Patrick De Connick had yet another enjoyable day in their Porsche 911. "The bonnet opened again on a competitive section but it was still a great day and a great event."

Jean-Marc and Patricia Bussolini in their Porsche 924 came in looking very happy with the car going very well after its initial problems on the first day. "Very enjoyable and enjoyable because it is different. We never imagined that it could be such a variety of conditions. We had of course some problems in the beginning but now the car is going very well and we had no problems today."

Thierry De Latre and Nicolas Gilsoul finished strongly in their Porsche 911. "We had a rear left puncture on the second section - one of very few that we've had. The hydraulic jack wouldn't work properly and we could not lift the car with it. We found a solution by driving the car up onto a small mound to take the weight off the punctured wheel so that we could change it. We didn't quite know what to expect when we came to this rally but it is an astonishing and unique event on which we've enjoyed ourselves very much."

Andrew Siddall and Mike Borrisow were glad to be back in their Datsun 280Z after suffering earlier problems in the rally. "I'm very very pleased to be here - at one point I thought we'd never make it. For me it was really a rally of two halves - when the car went well it was great but when it didn't it was terrible. Mind you, she had a last little go at us today - at the end of the last section she just died. We were towed away from the time control and bump started it - we think the battery failed."

Peter Stoehr and Crispin Sassoon made sure the beers were waiting for them when they arrived in their Datsun 1600SSS. "We had a last minute piece of chaos as usual - a rear shock went on the last section and we had to drive out on it. But I absolutely enjoyed the event - it's the third time I've done it so I guess I must like it!"

Nick Mason and Adrian Grinstead had a lovely day in their Datsun 240Z. "We had a pretty terrible day yesterday - the suspension fell apart and we broke a drive shaft. But today was lovely and we're very happy to be here."

Frederic Dunaut and Guy Chriqui were happy to reach the finish in their Citroen DS21 but felt that perhaps they could have carried on a bit longer. "The last day was the best day. It seems now the car is going perfectly - perhaps we need another ten days to really get going!"

Hardev Singh Sira and Denis Giraudet had a trouble free day in their Ford Escort Mk1. "Today I think we did some reasonable times. All-in-all apart from the problems we had at Naivasha when the matatu hit us I very much enjoyed it." Co-driving for Singh Sira was Denis Giraudet, an experienced rallyman who did the Safari Rally in its last years with Ford, Toyota, Seat and Peugeot works teams. "This was my first time on the Classic, the next best thing that one can do to having competed on those original old Safari rallies. We were under no particular pressure here so it has gien me a chance to know what this rally is like an learn how it works. Maybe there will be the chance to come and do more. One thing I saw was that the original road book was very good and that the additional information coming from the 3-day car that we were given was very bad."
Roddy Sachs and Steve Harris were another crew that were glad to be back in one piece in their Datsun 180B. "Today was very good and everything went well. Unfortunately we had to eat dust at the back but that's part of the rally."

Ekya and Zahir Shah were pleased with their day in their Colt Lancer. "I think we managed to improve our times and put in some practice for the next East African Safari Classic. We went as fast as we could today. We really enjoyed it although it's now that the expenses start to sink in. But I'll try and forget about them for the party tonight!"

Despite their problems with the tree on Saturday, which meant missing the last two days of the rally, Jean-Louis Juchault and Steven Funk arrived at Whitesands in their Peugeot 504 Coupe still smiling. "We had great fun but there was just one too many trees for us, or one particular tree. The shame was we had got into the groove and had just set eighth fastest time on the section before it happened." They got a very warm reception from representatives of all the charities that they had been supporting during the event and anyone wanting to know more can visit www.race4change.org.

The prize giving and gala dinner of the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 are tonight in the garden of the Whitesands Hotel starting at seven o'clock.

By Walter Ainsworth - Autosport International, Europe’s largest motorsport trade show, will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, UK, on 14-17 January 2010. Autosport International is firmly established as an essential part of the calendar for motorsport professionals, who want to be the first in-the-know for the forthcoming season.

Almost 80,000 visitors from 49 countries attended in 2009, including over 26,000 trade buyers, demonstrating the show’s international appeal and significant representation in the global motor racing industry. Furthermore, despite the economic climate, over $700 million worth of business was generated at the show.

Chris Aylett, CEO of the Motorsport Industry Association, described the International Business Lounge as “outrageously busy,” highlighting that Autosport International is the perfect venue to develop contacts and demonstrate products in a variety of specialised areas including Autosport Engineering and Manufacturing Technology. For this reason, the show is regarded by many industry figureheads as motorsport’s primary technology show.

Ian France, Show Director for Haymarket Exhibitions, is delighted to be celebrating the show’s anniversary: “Autosport International has played a pivotal role in the motorsport industry for many years. During the last two decades, the show has kicked-off the season and provided a perfect networking platform for businesses in the sector. With the UK at the forefront of the motorsport industry, Autosport International provides the ideal setting not only for the development of national relations, but also to establish contacts worldwide.

“The current economic climate is undoubtedly tough, yet there was a highly-positive atmosphere at last year’s show and many exhibitors are already queuing up to be part of the 2010 event.”

Marking the beginning of the 2010 season, Autosport International will once again host a wide range of the industry’s leading companies, exhibiting the latest innovations. Exhibitors already confirmed for the 2010 show include Willans, the world’s foremost harness manufacturer and supplier to F1 team Brawn GP, performance suspension manufacturer Eibach Springs, transmission specialists Xtrac, and high-performance coatings supplier Zircotec.
 

Los finalistas del "Auto Ecológico del Año"

Conocidos los nominados para el “Auto del Año 2010”, ya están los cinco finalistas que se disputarán el premio del “Auto Ecológico del Año 2010”; de los aspirantes a esta distinción, dos son diesel y tres son híbridos. 
 
La lista está conformada por tres autos híbridos, a saber: Toyota Prius 2010, Honda Insight 2010 y el americano Mercury Milan Hybrid 2010. Los otros dos nominados cuentan con motorización diesel, son ellos: el Volkswagen Golf TDI y el Audi A3 TDI 2010 (foto).

Este es uno de los primeros pasos de la marca de los diamantes hacia los todoterrenos verdes que la industria japonesa pronto tendrá en sus concesionarios.

El motor de combustión es un 1,6 litros a gasolina, con inyección directa, acoplado a un sistema de propulsión eléctrica; lo llamativo del sistema empleado por Mitsubishi es que es capaz de funcionar como híbrido en serie y también como híbrido en paralelo.

Este coche puede comportarse como un eléctrico puro y puede ser de rango extendido usando el motor de combustión para recargar baterías, o también puede ser un híbrido que utilice la potencia del motor de combustión directamente aplicada a las ruedas.

El Mitsubishi PX-MiEV puede ser considerado como de emisiones cero y además es enchufable, por lo tanto sus baterías de lítio alcanzan el 100% de carga conectándolo a la red domiciliaria.

El sistema de transmisión es integral permanente y se trata de una evolución del S-AWC, con diferenciales inteligentes.

Desde este jueves, la marca francesa permite realizar las primeras reservas del pequeño modelo iOn, el vehículo desarrollado sobre la base del Mitsbubishi iMIEV. Los primeros países en los que cualquier potencial cliente puede reservar su unidad son Alemania, Reino Unido, Francia, Italia y España. El iOn es un automóvil totalmente eléctrico que posee un motor que desarrolla una potencia de 47 kW (64 HP) y puede alcanzar los 130 km/h.

La recarga de las baterías se podrá realizar en cualquier enchufe convencional de 220V, pero para obtener el 80% de la carga en menos tiempo se requiere de los enchufes rápidos de 400V que demandan treinta minutos de recarga.

La forma de reservar el Peugeot iOn es simple, se debe entrar en la web del fabricante y completar el formulario respectivo y luego de probarlo se podrá confirmar el pedido.

Bob Lutz, Vicepresidente de Marketing y Comunicación de GM, confirmó que el vehículo  eléctrico de autonomía extendida, Chevrolet Volt, será vendido primero en California  a partir del último trimestre del año próximo.

El Chevrolet Volt llegará primero a California y luego a otros estados y la fecha de lanzamiento estará próxima al final del año 2010. Lutz develó que una flota de Chevrolet Volt de preproducción, de cien unidades, será entregada a once compañías americanas con el objeto de ajustar detalles para cuando el auto entre en producción.

También anunció una serie de acuerdos con corporaciones y condados para suministrar a los clientes del Volt de suficientes estaciones de carga en toda el territorio de los Estados Unidos.

Durante el Auto Show Los Angeles se llevó a cabo la premiación al “Green Car of the Year”, galardón que fue otorgado al producto alemán.
 
El anunció lo realizó Ron Cogan editor del Green Car Journal y editor de GreenCar.com quien presentó el premio al Presidente de Audi de America, Johan de Nysschen.

El Audi A3 TDI tiene motor turbodiesel de 2.0 litros con 140 HP de potencia y 236 libras-pie de torque, con un un consumo en autopista de 17, 9 kilómetros por litro.

El Presidente de Audi of America dijo: “consideramos al premio “Green Car of the Year” uno de los más importantes de la industria, comentó. El directivo dijo: “para nosotros es de gran importancia desarrollar vehículos que consigan eficiencia en el consumo de combustible y un impacto ambiental positivo. Estos atributos son imperativos para el futuro de los automóviles. Estamos honrados con este reconocimiento para el Audi A3 TDI”.

El ganador compitió para el premio del Auto Ecológico del Año junto con otros cuatro finalistas:  Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid y VW Golf TDI.

La firma alemana ha confirmado el lanzamiento al mercado de su primer vehículo eléctrico impulsado con hidrógeno denominado Clase B F-Cell, el que llegará a Estados Unidos con la primavera de 2010.

 
El próximo año, Estados Unidos y Europa recibirán los primeros automóviles eléctricos de producción en serie impulsados con hidrógeno de Mercedes-Benz con las primeras 200 unidades producidas.

Según la marca, el Clase B F Cell tiene una autonomía de 248 millas, casi el doble de su hermano mayor, el Mercedes Clase A F-Cell producido en 2004. Esta mejora también se manifiesta en el tamaño de todo el sistema, un 40% más pequeño pero capaz de desarrollar un 30% más de potencia y con un 30% menos de consumo de combustible, además de cero emisiones contaminantes.
 
En materia de seguridad, Mercedes-Benz  asegura que en caso de un accidente grave, las válvulas de seguridad cierran la salida del hidrógeno e impiden que el mismo se mezcle con los otros componentes del sistema.

La casa de Maranello estaría preparando una gran sorpresa para el próximo Salón de Ginebra a desarrollarse en marzo próximo, se trata de un modelo híbrido basado en la Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Las estrictas medidas anticontaminantes están obligando paulatinamente a los fabricantes de súperdeportivos a tomar medidas necesarias para cumplir con las futuras reglamentaciones. Por lo tanto, Ferrari sería la próxima compañía en incorporar un automóvil con tecnología híbrida en su exclusiva gama, sumando a la corriente de Porsche o Aston Martin.

El supuesto Ferrari híbrido de motor delantero tendría un conjunto de baterías de iones de litio y un motor eléctrico que estaría ubicado en la parte trasera junto a la caja de cambios, según anuncia la publicación italiana Quattroroute.

Pero, el motor eléctrico no sería capaz de impulsar por sí solo a la potente Ferrari GTB 599 Fiorano, y sus funciones serían la de asistir al motor V12 de gasolina en aceleración y en parte del proceso de regeneración de energía en las frenadas derivado del KERS de la F1. Con este sistema de propulsión, el consumo de combustible sería reducido en un 35%, y pasaría de 14 mpg a 22 mpg.

Luego de haber incursionado en el mundo de los eléctricos con prototipos como el ReCharge Concept, la marca sueca ha presentado en el NAIAS 2010 el C30 eléctrico.

El C30 BEV es un vehículo de emisiones cero completamente eléctrico y ha provocado las mayores miradas entre los ecológicos de la muestra. A simple vista, se notan pocos cambios con respecto al nuevo Volvo C30 convencional con su nuevo rediseño. En el interior apenas cambian se agregan los indicadores necesarios como el que marca el nivel de las baterías en uso.
 
El C30 eléctrico utiliza un paquete de baterías de ion-litio, que se ubican en la posición habitual del tanque de combustible. El tiempo de recarga, mediante un enchufe de 230 voltios, es de solo 1 hora, o de 8 horas si se conecta a una toma corriente domicilaria.
 
El generador eléctrico produce lo equivalente a 111 HP, produciendo una aceleración de  de 0 a 60 mph en 11 segundos y su velocidad máxima puede llegar hasta 81 mph. El Volvo C30 BEV es capaz de recorrer 94 millas con una sola carga.

Volvo producirá 50 ejemplares y serán puestos en la calle como flotilla este mismo año para obtener resultados en el tránsito normal. En 2011 podría fabricarse de forma masiva para Europa y USA.

Toyota acaba de presentar en Detroit, el FT-Ch, un modelo conceptual que estaría definiendo no sólo un próximo modelo ecológico, sino la posible división de la marca en dos, de acuerdo a los dichos de Jim Lentz, el presidente de la filial norteamericana de Toyota.

 
El nuevo prototipo FT-Ch visto en Detroit sería el primer producto de esta nueva marca y sería considerado como un híbrido compacto, un escalón por debajo del actual Toyota Prius. El vehículo es 56 cm más corto que el Prius, con una longitud de 3,9 metros, aunque el ancho se mantiene prácticamente invariable con respecto al modelo de referencia.

El FT-Ch estaría dirigido a un público más joven, por el estilo del auto y por el precio, más bajo comparado al Prius.
 
Jim Lentz anunció en la presentación una estrategia de marketing alrededor del Prius, con una gama de productos basada en este popular producto, empezando por el FT-CH y siguiendo con futuros lanzamientos con propulsión híbrida, la gran apuesta de Toyota para los próximos años y con la alternativa de que los híbridos puedan conectarse a la red domiciliaria.

Luego de larga espera, Honda ha presentado el modelo CR-Z de producción, un auto de tecnología híbrida de carácter deportivo, que se ha mantenido invariable con respecto al prototipo conocido durante el pasado Salón de Tokyo y que llegará al mercado de EE.UU. próximamente.

 
En el Honda CR-Z se destaca una gigantesca toma de aire en el frente, tal vez un poco menos futurista que en el concepto. La parte trasera se mantiene prácticamente igual, con faros con LED y un parachoques posterior envolvente calzando aros de 16 pulgadas de aluminio. La versión EX incluye luces de alta intensidad, faros antiniebla, bluetooth, y volante forrado en cuero.

En su interior muestra una tecnología de neta avanzada y controles intuitivos en el que se destaca el uso del aluminio y elementos en color negro. El habitáculo ofrece amplio espacio con tapicería deportiva de lujo y asientos diseñados con buena sujeción lateral y comodidad. El equipamiento cuenta con sistema de sonido AM/FM/CD/USB, climatización automática, entrada remota y control de crucero.

En materia de seguridad integra frenos ABS con distribución electrónica de frenado, sistema de monitoreo de presión en las llantas y un diseño que mitiga las posible lesiones de los peatones al tiempo que protege a los ocupantes.

Este híbrido lleva un motor de 4 cilindros y 1,5 litros i-VTEC con 114 HP, más un propulsor eléctrico alimentado por baterías de ion-litio, con una aceleración de 0 a 60 mph en 9,5 segundos al estar acoplado a la transmisión manual de 6 velocidades.

Honda ofrece tres modalidades de conducción: Eco, Normal y Sport, todas controladas desde un switch en la consola central, y sus diferencias se reflejan en la respuesta del acelerador y en el consumo de cada modo de empleo.

Tramontane, el primer eléctrico de Maserati

Un estudiante de diseño de la Universidad de Diseño de Pasadena (California) llamado Ondrej Jirec, desarrolló lo que podría ser el primer vehículo eléctrico de la marca del tridente y su creador lo ha bautizado como Tramontane.

Chicago 2010: Kia Ray Plug-in Hybrid Concept

La marca coreana reveló en el Autoshow de Chicago el producto que forma parte del programa de investigación global orientada a los combustibles y funcionamientos alternativos y las tecnologías EcoDynamics creadas para la reducción de consumo y emisiones contaminantes, bajo estas premisas Kia creó el Ray Concept.

Peugeot hizo oficial el lanzamiento del iOn

La marca del león anunció el lanzamiento de su vehículo 100% eléctrico para finales de 2010. Con este producto, la marca francesa asegura que dará una “respuesta concreta y accesible al reto de una movilidad urbana respetuosa con el medio ambiente”.

Mercedes-Benz presentó el F 800 Style

La casa de Sttutgart presentó el prototipo experimental F 800 Style, una muestra del futuro de los automóviles de lujo. Se trata de una berlina deportiva de alta gama con cinco plazas en la que se combina las tecnologías eficientes de propulsión con elementos de seguridad y el confort típico de la marca alemana.

El Fiat 500 eléctrico fue una de las grandes novedades que los grupos Chrysler y Fiat presentaron en el pasado Auto Show de Detroit, pero el grupo industrial ítalo-americano ha comunicado oficialmente su próxima fabricación.

El sistema impulsor del futuro Fiat 500 EV estará formado por tres elementos, a saber: un modulo eléctrico, un paquete de baterías de litio-ión y un software eléctrico de control. El pequeño vehículo comenzará a producirse en 2012 y Chrysler será el encargado de introducirlo en el mercado de los Estados Unidos. 

El pequeño y liviano deportivo inglés es, de acuerdo a sus creadores, el auto deportivo que menos contamina en el mercado. El criterio para tal afirmación está basado en las emisiones de CO2 a la atmósfera por cada kilómetro recorrido.

El motor que utiliza el Lotus Elise 2011 es un 1,6 litros de origen Toyota en sustitución del anterior 1,8 de la misma marca. Con 136 HP de potencia declara un consumo de 14 millas por litro de combustible en carretera, una cifra aceptable para un vehículo que alcanza una aceleración de 0 a 60 millas en 6,5 segundos. 

El Presidente del Gobierno español, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, encabezó el acto de presentación de la Estrategia Integral del Vehículo Eléctrico. 

Fuentes del Ministerio de Industria se mostraron confiadas en que el acto de presentación de este plan cuente con un fuerte respaldo empresarial y de todas las partes comprometidas en el desarrollo e introducción del coche eléctrico en España.

¿Has visto esto alguna vez?

Seguramente no has visto esto antes. ¿Es una motocicleta? ¿Es un automóvil? Parece las dos cosas... pero está registrado como auto. Si te fijas, la moto no tiene motor. Está propulsada por el motor del Ford Taurus de tracción delantera. ¿Cómo le llamarías? Tal vez "autocicleta" sea un buen nombre.

Mercedes-Benz S400 Certified for Qualified Hybrid Vehicle Credit

Mercedes-Benz USA announced that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has designated the new 2010 S400 Hybrid as eligible for the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit as a Qualified Hybrid Motor Vehicle.  Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid customers are eligible for a one-time tax credit of up to $1,150.

The highly anticipated LFA supercar, which just made its global debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, will be on display for the first time in North America at two back-to-back premier venues --  the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas this November and the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December.
 
Next year, Lexus will show the LFA at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chicago Auto Show, Dallas Auto Show and New York International Auto Show.

As the first Lexus supercar, the LFA serves as the flagship for the F portfolio of Lexus performance models and redefines the supercar for the 21st century.  The Lexus F brand complements the core Lexus DNA by emphasizing serious performance.  The LFA was carefully developed from a blank canvas by a small and dedicated team of hand-picked engineers that pushed every possible dynamic boundary.

“The development of the LFA was unlike any other Lexus,” said Mark Templin, Lexus division group vice president and general manager.  “Minute details were engineered to provide an engaging and serious supercar that delivers impressive performance on and off the race track.  Only 500 will ever be built worldwide, and each will be assembled to customer order, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of a small, exclusive group of individuals.”

All 500 LFA supercars will be hand-assembled by skilled technicians in the “Lexus LFA Works” at the Motomachi Plant in Toyota City at a rate of no more than 20 per month.

The rear-wheel drive LFA is dynamically styled and powered by a sophisticated new high-revving 9,000 rpm (redline) 4.8-liter V10 engine that generates 552 hp and 354 lb.-ft. of torque for adrenaline-fuelled 202- mph performance.  This specially-developed powerplant is paired with a unique six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) with blazing-quick paddle-activated shifts for ultimate driver control.  Linked by a rigid torque tube for excellent drivetrain integrity, the ASG is located in a transaxle layout over the rear axle for an optimal 48:52 front-to-rear weight distribution.  Motorsport-developed lightweight aluminum alloy suspension components are complemented by Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) brake discs and an innovative electrically assisted rack and pinion steering system.

Lightweight, powerful and balanced, the LFA features advanced Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) construction for its chassis and much of its bodywork to deliver a light, incredibly strong and impact-resistant structure.  Rather than outsource this sophisticated materials technology, the LFA team took the radical step of developing its own CFRP processes internally for ultimate quality control and to make a sound engineering investment in the future.
 
The LFA’s sporty styling is distinguished by coherent lines that flow from roof to sill in a seamless convex to concave line for sophisticated aerodynamics.  Its front-mid engine layout, long wheelbase, short overhangs, and snug, low-slung cabin identify it as a supercar.  CFRP also gave the LFA’s designers a far higher degree of design freedom, allowing them to create shapes, curves and edges that would have been impossible with metal.  For example, the sharp trailing edges at the rear of the LFA that help provide superlative aerodynamics would not have been possible had traditional metal been used for the bodywork.
 
A dramatic low-slung cockpit has been intelligently designed and hand-assembled with the finest materials to reflect the car’s driver-centric dynamics.  The intimate two-seat cabin has been conceived at every stage – ergonomics, acoustics, materials, comfort, versatility and visibility levels have all been painstakingly engineered – to put the driver at the center of the driving experience.

More than 800 motorsport professionals and members of the press attended Tuesday night’s Professional Motorsport World Expo Awards Gala Dinner, held at the end of a very busy first day for the show.

The big winner on the night was Brawn GP, which picked up the prize for Vehicle Development of the Year, as well as two awards for Ross Brawn himself: Design Engineer of the Year and Team Principal of the Year.

Collecting the trophies on behalf of the team, Brawn GP’s operations director Gary Savage said, “Before the season started, Ross asked me what my goals were. I said that to be honest, still having a job at the end of it would be a result! But if we could qualify two cars in the top 10, and perform decently throughout the season, that would be an achievement. If we had done that, and Ross had saved the team, I would have been happy, and he would have deserved these awards simply for that. But it didn’t work out l like that, and we won both championships. That’s not an achievement, that’s a fairy tale, and like the rest of the team, I’m proud to have been part of that. It’s something that may never be done again.”

Chevrolet unveils the U.S. production version of the 2011 Cruze compact sedan at the L.A. Auto Show on Dec. 2. It is a global car refined for America, delivering many segment-leading features and details that challenge preconceived notions about what a compact car can be in North America.

The Cruze also affirms Chevrolet’s commitment to building refined, fuel-efficient vehicles, with new, small-displacement four-cylinder engines. It is expected to deliver segment-leading fuel economy with a new Ecotec 1.4L I-4 turbo with variable valve timing – including up to 40 mpg on the highway with a high-efficiency model.

Leveraging Chevrolet’s design and engineering talent in Asia, Europe and North America, the Cruze brings to market a progressive, globally influenced design complemented by exceptional levels of quietness, quality and attention to detail – from precise tolerances between body panels to the use of premium materials throughout the interior.

Cruze goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2010 but has already logged more than 4 million miles in quality and durability testing worldwide, making it one of the most real world-tested GM products prior to a U.S. launch. The U.S. and Canadian versions of the Cruze will be built in Lordstown, Ohio, where $350 million was invested for their production.

More than expected

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze will be offered in LS, LT and LTZ trims. Standard and available equipment includes:

    * New family of efficient four-cylinder engines, including a 1.4L turbo and 1.8L
    * Six-speed automatic and manual transmissions
    * Ten standard air bags, including frontal, side-impact, roof rail head curtain, rear seat side air bags and new knee air bags
    * Electronic stability control with rollover sensing
    * Bluetooth, USB connectivity and navigation system
    * XM Satellite Radio and OnStar
    * MacPherson strut front suspension and Watts Z-link rear suspension, with a family of 16-, 17- and 18-inch wheels
    * Standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control, traction control and anti-lock brakes
    * Fuel-saving, rack-mounted electric power steering
    * Unexpected levels of quietness, smoothness and refinement for the segment

All models share an interior characterized by premium materials and a lengthy roster of unexpected equipment, including leading infotainment. A stereo system that includes MP3 playback capability, six speakers and an auxiliary jack for personal playback devices is standard. A premium Pioneer sound system is available, as is a USB port for iPod operation. Other available technologies include Bluetooth and a navigation system.

“There’s a lot of content in all Cruze models; it was designed to give customers the features they want regardless of the car’s size or segment,” said Brooks. “At a very competitive price, you’ll be able to get a Cruze with leather and heated front seats, 16-inch aluminum wheels, XM Satellite Radio, OnStar, Bluetooth, a USB port for your iPod, cruise control, power locks and power outside mirrors.”

Arching roofline

Chevy Cruze’s design is distinguished with a bold face – including a two-tier grille with the iconic Bowtie logo – that is Chevrolet’s signature look around the globe. An arching roofline connects a steeply raked windshield and fast-sloping rear pillars to give the car a sporty, coupe-like proportion.

The sporty aesthetic is also seen in prominent headlamp housings that wrap around the corners and sweep upward in the fenders and sculpted hood, as well as a short rear deck typically found on sports coupes. The wheels are at the corners, too, with minimal front and rear overhangs. All the elements work cohesively to give Cruze an aggressive look that is complemented by a wide, confident stance.

Indeed, the Cruze is wider and longer than most of its competitors. Taut, tightly drawn bodywork conveys solidity, while restrained use of exterior trim enhances the car’s high-quality feel. The overall appearance is one of purposeful precision.

Precision is also seen in the Cruze’s build quality. The Lordstown assembly plant’s body shop was retooled with the latest in body-framing and welding equipment to optimize the manufacture of a very solid body structure. That strong structure fosters minimal production variance and repeatable gap tolerances of 3 mm or less between most exterior panels. To the customer, this means a better looking car when new and one that feels solid for years to come.

Interior refinement

Cruze’s bold design cues and attention to detail carry over to the interior, where a Corvette-inspired twin-cockpit motif is matched with high-quality materials and exceptional assembly tolerances. Grained, soft-touch components and low-gloss trim panels exude a quality that is uncommon in the segment.

The instrument panel is an excellent example of how Cruze eschews expectations of compact cars. It features richly detailed instruments that are backlit with light-emitting diode (LED) technology. The LED lights provide a crisp, ice-blue illumination of the analog instruments, as well as lighting for other interior controls. A segment-rare standard driver information center offers a wealth of data for the vehicle owner.

Blending harmoniously with the instrument panels is an integrated center stack that houses the infotainment display, climate controls and radio controls. Flush-mounted components within the center stack have a gap tolerance of less than 1 mm, while the instrument panel-to-door panel gaps are less than 5 mm. Those tolerances are among the best in the class and contribute significantly to the Cruze’s aura of refinement and precision.

Cruze’s headliner and pillar trim exude craftsmanship, too. The headliner cover is made of a knit material that also serves as one of five layers of an acoustically designed headliner to help make the passenger compartment quieter. The interior pillar and other moldings are color- and grain-matched to the headliner, while seat inserts are color-matched to the color of the instrument panel accent trim, giving the cabin the detailed appearance of larger, upscale sedans.

New, efficient powertrains

Enhanced with its exhaust-driven turbocharger, the Cruze’s Ecotec 1.4L turbo performs like a larger engine when needed, but retains the efficiency of a small-displacement four-cylinder in most driving conditions. It is standard on LT and LTZ models, with power ratings estimated at 138 horsepower (103 kW) and 148 lb.-ft. of torque (200 Nm).

Standard on LS models is an Ecotec 1.8L four-cylinder that has the same basic architecture as the 1.4L turbo. Both engines are part of GM’s family of global small-displacement engines designed with fuel efficiency in mind, including technology such as full variable valve timing that optimizes performance and fuel economy across the rpm band.

Backing the Cruze’s new four-cylinder engines are six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Each contributes to Cruze’s excellent fuel economy and, with their carefully matched gears, enhances its fun-to-drive quotient.

With the Ecotec 1.4L turbo, Cruze’s fuel efficiency enables a cruising range of more than 500 miles (800 km), meaning it can go longer between fill-ups.

Cruze is backed by GM’s five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty – the best coverage in America.

Responsive, quiet driving experience

Complementing Cruze’s new powertrains is a strong body structure and chassis system designed to deliver a responsive and fun driving experience. The body structure is tight and stiff; and its solidity enabled engineers to more precisely tune the chassis for comfort and driving control.

A MacPherson strut suspension is used up front, while a technically advanced Watts Z-link design is used with the rear suspension. It helps center the rear axle during cornering, helping to keep the Cruze’s handling responses symmetrical on both left-hand and right-hand turns. The linkage’s capability to center the axle during cornering delivers a more balanced driving experience, as the rear suspension better follows the lead of the front suspension.

StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, as well as traction control and anti-lock brakes are standard. Electric power steering is also standard on all models. It helps save fuel because it removes the conventional power steering pump from the engine’s driven accessories. Sixteen-inch wheels are standard on LS and LT models, with 17-inch alloy wheels standard on LTZ. Eighteen-inch alloy wheels are available on 2LT and LTZ models.

Along with a responsive driving experience, the Cruze delivers quietness and refinement on the road. Hydraulic ride bushings and an isolated engine cradle reduce or eliminate vibration pathways that could be transmitted to the passenger compartment. Similarly, a number of noise-reducing and noise-cancelling technologies are employed throughout the body structure, including 18 distinctive acoustical treatments. Examples include:

    * The steel front-of-dash panel is sandwiched between two damping mats
    * Nylon baffles are used in various hollow portions of the body structure and filled with sound-absorbing foam that expands when the body enters the paint oven
    * The headliner comprises five layers of thermal fiber acoustic material, including a premium woven fabric on the visible outer layer
    * Patches of sound-damping material are applied strategically throughout the body structure and melt into place when the body passes through the paint oven, allowing the patches to follow the contours of the sheet metal below
    * Sound insulation material between rear-body structural components that is made from recycled blue jean material
    * The doors have triple seals and feature fiberglass “blankets” that serve as water, airflow and noise barriers. The doors are also beta-braced, meaning they close with a solid, precise sound and no resonance.

The 2010 Toyota Prius and the 2010 Toyota 4Runner are the latest additions to Yokohama Tire Corporation’s growing OE fitment program. The third-generation Prius is sporting the company’s AVID® S33D tire in size P195/65R15 89S, while the 4Runner is running on Geolandar® G96B tires in size P245/60R20 107H.  The OE fitments cover the U.S. and Canadian markets, with the 4Runner fitment also available in Mexico.

“Both of the fitments are on extremely popular vehicles,” said Jeremy Kahrs, Yokohama manager, OE Sales. “The Toyota Prius is an iconic hybrid car that matches perfectly with Yokohama’s long-standing environmental principles. The Toyota 4Runner is the classic midsize SUV and has been for decades. It has a strong reputation for on- and off-road performance and durability, as do our Geolandar tires. That’s why this fitment is such an ideal match.”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in the United States, Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes the dB Super E-spec™ - the world’s first tire to use orange oil to reduce petroleum – as well as tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications.

With an estimated 255 turbocharged horsepower (190 kW), a six-speed manual transmission and an advanced, adaptive all-wheel-drive system, the Buick Regal GS show car is a high-tech, high-performance version of the brand’s newest sport sedan. It was introduced at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

The mechanical elements were developed with the aim of delivering a driving experience that is sporting, confidence-inspiring and refined. It has a performance-oriented drivetrain, a lowered body and lower center of gravity. Exterior and interior cues include two additional vertical front air intakes; large, forged aluminum 20-inch wheels and performance tires; a racing-inspired sport steering wheel and metal pedals. Recaro high-performance front seats feature four-way lumbar support and cushion extensions.

“We designed the Regal GS to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal,” said Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick. “Like the Regal, the Regal GS is based on the award-winning Opel Insignia, and we believe it will reinvigorate Buick’s storied Gran Sport legacy.”

The Regal GS exterior is distinguished by vertical air inlets in the front fascia, as well as unique rocker panels, an integrated rear spoiler, dual exhaust outlets, Olympic White paint and satin metallic accents.   

“The idea behind the Regal GS was taking the production model in a more aggressive direction to appeal to performance enthusiasts,” said John Cafaro, Buick design director. “But along with its aggressive stance, there’s sophisticated style in the design that complements the driving experience.”

Inside, the Regal GS varies from the standard Regal by featuring a completely jet black interior, including the pillars and headliner, sport shifter for the six-speed manual transmission and a suede-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel reminiscent of those used in international racing series. The instrument panel glows ice blue when the driver engages the sport mode of the Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS).

Turbocharged AWD performance
Power for the Regal GS comes from a high-output 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged engine with direct-injection technology. It is based on the engine that will be offered on Regal CXL models later this summer, but the engine and turbocharger are tuned to deliver greater boost pressure in the GS. The output is estimated at 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).

The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission that directs torque to an adaptive all-wheel-drive system calibrated for performance driving. An electronic, limited-slip rear differential helps ensure the engine’s power is distributed effectively during cornering.

The high-performance drivetrain is expected to enable the Regal GS to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. That performance is complemented by a four-wheel-independent suspension, with a unique High Performance Strut (HiPerStrut) design in front. The HiPerStrut system helps reduce torque steer and maintain negative camber during cornering. This improves ultimate grip levels in dry and wet conditions, as well as improves the direct feel of the road, while isolating undesirable feedback. Behind the wheel the driver experiences reduced torque steer, improved grip and increased cornering power, along with crisper handling, steering precision and feedback.   

The Regal GS features a high-performance Brembo brake system with 14 x 1.2-inch (355 x 32 mm) cross-drilled rotors; four-piston, high-strength aluminum calipers, and high-performance pads.

The Regal GS is also equipped with Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS) chassis technology (also offered on Regal CXL models with the 2.0L turbo engine). It delivers enhanced vehicle stability and greater driving safety, while also adapting the driving characteristics of the car to the driver’s preferences. The driver selects among three operating modes – normal, sport and GS – that change the suspension settings, throttle response and steering sensitivity through the variable-effort steering system.

Bentley Motors, the only ultra-luxury manufacturer with a stand alone display at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, pulled the wraps off the all-new Bentley Mulsanne flagship sedan and ‘Series 51’ designer edition of the Continental GTC convertible during the vehicles’ first motor show debut in The Americas.

The new Mulsanne, designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, reaffirms the marque’s intent to create a new flagship Bentley with refined performance and unparalleled levels of luxury with the coach building elegance for which the marque has long been renowned.

The Series 51 Continental GTC represents Bentley exterior and interior styling at its most vibrant and will enable customers to order ‘off the peg’ from an exclusive range created by Dirk van Braeckel’s renowned team of Crewe-based designers.

“The Detroit Motor Show remains an important stop for Bentley on the annual calendar of international motoring events,” said Christophe Georges, President & Chief Operating Officer for Bentley Motors Inc. “Detroit is also the motor show debut for our flagship Mulsanne and the Series 51 Continental in The Americas region – our single largest worldwide – so it is an important opportunity to reach key influencers.
“Our annual NAIAS private customer previews have also proved successful and that proud record looks set to continue especially as we’re the only ultra-luxury manufacturer with a stand alone display this year,” Georges added. “Bentley has a busy year ahead and displaying our Mulsanne and Series 51 Continental GTC among Detroit’s automotive insiders, influencers and customers is central to our launch strategy.”

Flagship Bentley Mulsanne
The Bentley Mulsanne, which goes on sale in the fall of this year, will be priced at $285,000 in the United States. The Mulsanne will offer customers a degree of choice when commissioning their cars which is unmatched in the industry.  The luxury Bentley flagship offers a palette of 114 paint colours, 21 carpet colours, nine wood veneers and 24 interior leather hides, all of which will be tanned using a decades-old process to ensure this future classic retains its distinctive scent.  

In addition, through Bentley’s bespoke service, unique colours can be developed which will exactly match a customer’s vision and taste. With more standard leather and wood veneer than any other Bentley in the modern era, it is understandable that each Mulsanne will take nine weeks to build.

Bentley’s legendary hand-assembled V8 engine pays homage to its predecessors yet for the new Mulsanne it has been comprehensively re-engineered to employ advanced technologies that deliver unstressed, refined performance. The new Bentley V8 engine is lighter and features cylinder de-activation and variable cam phasing, a combination that can significantly reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Advanced technology is exquisitely packaged within the Mulsanne’s opulent cabin. Behind its heritage-inspired dials and new glass-effect switches lay leading edge features including iPod and mp3 connectivity, Bluetooth and a SIM card reader, as well as a 3G MMI system.  Those opting for NAIM’s premium audio system will be treated to the world’s most powerful system fitted to a production vehicle – a 20-channel 2,200-watt experience.

Series 51 Continental GTC
The Series 51 package, available on the Continental range’s GT, GT Speed, GTC and GTC Speed models, will be priced from $192,750 for the GT coupe model. It provides for a virtually bespoke vehicle experience due to the thousands of configurations available through Bentley’s expansive colour and trim catalogue.

Series 51 is named after the year that the first official styling department was established in Crewe by the gifted John Blatchley, who shaped the original and iconic 1950s Bentley Continentals. Every Series 51 car will feature a highly-distinctive interior colour palette and unique exterior design cues.

Bentley’s Colour and Trim team, managed by Melinda - June Jenkins, has designed some specially tailored three-tone interiors which demonstrate the full potential of leather hide colours and showcase the creative application of contrast stitching and piping. The colour combination on the Detroit show car is Imperial Blue as the main and secondary hide, Linen seat and door inserts and Saddle contrast stitching and piping.

Bentley’s designers have also selected a range of premium-quality materials for the dashboard and centre console to complement the three-tone interiors. The Dark and Bright ‘Engine Spin’ aluminium options provide a striking contrast with darker and lighter hide colour choices and a special, limited-edition Amboyna veneer reserved for solely for Series 51.

Both the Continental GT and GTC offer a powerful road presence and the Series 51 cars further accentuate these sporting credentials with some eye-catching exterior styling.  A 20” 14-spoke polished Diamond wheel with a dark centre cap provides Series 51 cars with a purposeful and stylish appearance. The cars will be distinguished by a signature ‘51’ badge on the front wings.

To enhance and personalise the Continental GT still further, a new two-tone paint can be commissioned which complements the contrasting interior configuration. This highly distinctive colour split (with one colour running over the bonnet, roof and flowing down to the boot) is a classic design used on many sporting Bentleys of the past.