I know, just earlier today I was raving about the merits of a green supercar running on ethanol saving the world from the wrath of angry penguins upset about melting icecaps ... but come on, a new Bentley can't be missed, especially this one!
The Brooklands, based on the Arnage, sports the same old 6.75L V8 (introduced in 1325), pumped up to 530hp and 1020 torques. 1020 torques is what egyptians used to raise all three major pyramids over the course of a hundred years, it's that much. How they enabled this dinosaur to put out so much power and abiding by the emissions laws is beyond me.
I am genuinely excited about the Brooklands because it's not some rebadged Volks like the Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur (cringe if you will). Oh, don't get me wrong, they aren't bad cars, I just like seeing the pedigree and heritage in a car, and the last W12 Continentals didn't have the classic interior design or old world smell a Bentley should have. Sure, they sold by the million, I still don't like them much. Sitting in the car is such a unique experience, believe it or not. In an Arnage, the door sill is so low and seat so high, you can't help but sit gracefully, you can almost hear the working class applaud as you remove your top hat and light a cigar. In the Continental GTC, you just sit in as if it were a random car.
I have no doubts the Brooklands will be even more unique than the Arnage can be ... one just needs to read the press release, scattered with beautiful words such as hand-assembled, traditional coach-building techniques, peerless craftsmanship ... I can't help but appreciate that in a Bentley, where loud innovation and complex engineering just isn't appropriate, it needs to be hidden under a metal skin skillfully and patiently formed by talented craftsmen. And the Brooklands sure seems to be a traditional Bentley.
I hope this work of art will be displayed at the New York Auto Show ...
- Julien
I don't know how many more letters Koenigsegg will keep on adding to their different model names, but one can't deny their last CCXR, unveiled in Geneva is a very interesting twist, an ethanol powered 1000hp+ engine. Crazy swedes.
Oh before we get started, did I mention the CCXR's stage name? You know, Ferrari calls its 599GTB the "Fiorano" (please, say that with an italian accent and gesticulating wildly), Chrysler calls its SRT-10 the "Viper" (use a deep grumpy voice, complemented with an evil muuuhahahahahaha) ... and Koenigsegg calls the CCXR ... get this ... "Flower Power". Completely ridiculous, just like a lion wearing a clown's red nose is ridiculous. You know it devoured the clown minutes earlier. This being said, the Koenigsegg is cuter, as flowers go in one end, and puppies come out the exhaust, how nice is that?
I like this environmentally responsible trend, using renewable bio-fuels, they have close to zero publicity yet are a technically valid solution. Just ask Brazil, 80% of the new cars sold are Ethanol ready. Sure, you have to grow a lot of crops, but as previously mentioned, the only emissions are puppies. Golden retriever puppies. I already hear the nay-sayers "but ethanol has 33% less energy than conventional gasoline and makes your mileage go down 30%!" ... I say think of the puppies ... no emissions and renewable, who cares how much you need of it. Well, yes, your wallet is bothered.
This brings a good point in terms of performance, though. Koenigsegg achieved 1018hp(!) on a 1/3 less energetic power source. Don't come up saying "well, they could've gotten 1350hp if it ran on gas", as it's not that simple. Pure ethanol (E100) or the usual E85 actually has a higher octane rating (I would've loved to know the CCXR's compression ratio ... must be through the roof!) and runs cooler than oil-derived gasoline! Best of all, previous CCRs and CCXs can be retrofitted with ethanol ready components. The mileage will probably go from 8mpg (?) to -500mpg, but Koenigsegg definitely took a step towards the future with this, as I'm sure many other manufacturers will step up to the plate. Ethanol sure looks like a far better alternative than 100% electric like Venturi's Fetish or Tesla.
It may go unnoticed, as it's a fair bit smaller than the supercharged V8, but Koenigsegg's iPod integration is great. No more head unit, all controls go through the iPod (yes, the radio somehow plugs into the iPod). Hop in, plus your iPod and you're all set.
They definitely leaped in front of the competition in terms of innovations, 2007 sounds like Koenigsegg's year thus far!
-Julien
I still don't get it. It's been weeks, and I still have no idea what in the world went through Aston Martin's mind for in Detroit.
Before I start blabbing about ... here's a visual of Aston Martin's stand.
It's all there, fellas. Two cars, a poster and a glass wall so no one gets close. Ooookey. Don't get me wrong, the cars looked great, but it was a bit ... uuh ... simple? When asked about it, the AM guy just said it was a piece of art, and the sand couldn't be walked on. Great.
I'm honestly at loss for words here ... who the hell brings 50% of their line-up at the biggest show in north america? Isn't Ford trying to sell AM? Oh ... I get it now.
It's been a couple weeks now, and things have settled in. No more mint-chocolate mousse, no more drinks, no more fancy lighting effects ... time to look back with a mind at ease on Detroit's stands.
And let's start with one of my favourites, Mercedes Benz.
Right as you enter the show floor ... a cold breeze hits you ... uh? Smells like an arena in here? As a canuck, it's an odd feeling, you're in Detroit ... and yet it smells like a hockey game is about to start. Minus the fans shouting Go Habs Go! And indeed a hockey game it is! What has this world come to? I flee Montreal, only to have hockey players catch up to me! What next? Moose running wild carrying a 6pack of Molson Dry? Ok ... enough with the canadian cliches.But still ... there are those guys, skating around on the Cobo Hall floor, slapshooting the puck between cars. "Step closer, you must" says a little voice in the back of my head ... well I'll be damned, but an ice rink it is. And pretty large too! Big enough for an S-Class to drive 8s all across. 
And there's an ice wall too!!! Suddenly, no more hockey, enough of this nonsense (seriously ... it was the first time I saw hockey and no fights!), half a dozen skaters hop on the ice and just zoom around, quite gracefully, if I may say so.
Perfect time to go to the MB hospitality, sit down, grab a coffee and croissants (excellent, BTW). The furniture is awesome, your usual semi-modern chairs and tables ... covered in furry baby seal skin. The damn thing looked like it came straight out of a corny movie ... I felt like an actor sitting there, on my fancy furry chair, right next to skaters sharing the rink with a Mercedes. Surreal. But fun.
On this first day, there is no car worth mentioning ... as they were all to arrive on day two (don't ask why, I have no clue). Day 2, the end of the skaters. Some grippy substance (salt?) is everywhere, and we're free to roam on this now surprisingly un-slippery ice. And there's a red carpet straight in the middle, laid on top of the ice. Cars are now parked and we can finally check out the MB cars. Actually, there's only one I have to check out, the SLR. Everything else is either boring or old news. What can I say, I'm 24, I'm too young to be seen in an R-Class! I'm being a bit mean, here. I like the G, love the completely digital S-Class dash, and the CLS is as beautiful as ever. But R, GL, E ... it's only for people with walking sticks and dentures.
I mentioned the carpet laid on the ice ... did I mention they put sofas on the carpet too? Let me tell you that at the end of the day, sitting on the sofa, with your feet on the cold carpet almost made me want to buy an R-Class. It was that close.Now the Ocean Drive unveiling ... that's what the red carpet is for. I must say I just love all the irony of a convertible, called Ocean Drive, being unveiled on an ice rink in Detroit of all places. Some things y
ou just can't make up. On to the concept car ... I'll be blunt, I don't get it. Fit and finish is rather poor, the headlights seem dull like a 15 year old truck (if they had LED lights ...), the global shape is uninspiring, the color bland ... and why is this a Mercedes anyways? I would see it as a Maybach, not MB! Now what did I like about it? It made me work hard, as I spent ages taking pictures and I don't think a single one made it look right. Ok, ok, I have to say I somewhat liked the interior, especially, the cloth inserts in the seats. I'm not a leather fan, so I was all too happy to notice it. Aaaaaaand, that's about it. Don't get me wrong, it's not ugly by any stretch of imagination, it's just uninspiring ... and it's a concept car!
Overall? Well, good thing MB had an amazing stand ...
-Julien
Some extra pictures ...
Well I'm back from Detroit, and it was a bit of a mixed bag. Some ups, some downs, but overall amazing.
First impressions you ask? Nowhere near as relaxed as the LA show was. Lots of (over)zealous security, and odd decisions (GM stand anyone? more on that later) and absents, but one thing sticks out ... the lack of green cars.
I'm the first to love sports cars, trucks, land yachts and the likes ... but let's face it, the future is in hybrid or electric cars and not big bore pushrod V8s. LA was chock-full of green vehicles (fuel cell, flexfuel, hybrid, electric, ...you name it, it was there!), Detroit had all but a few. The Chevy Volt, Toyota FT-HS and Honda FCX were the sole representatives (or at least advertised as such ... you reeeally had to look for the hydrogen on the Ford Airstream), other than the usual production hybrid or flex fuel vehicles. This show had definitely an early 1900s red-brick and steel industry feel to it, if you catch my drift. The fellow holding a "it's easy to pretend to be green" sign outside the Cobo Hall was probably not wrong ... although he would have looked like a fool in LA.
It wasn't all bad though.
The new Lexus IS-F, as conventional as it can be among concept cars from Jaguar, Toyota or Acura, looked absolutely mindblowing in its blue robe and wide body.
The mercedes stand was great, a giant ice rink (partially covered with a carpet and sofas) perfect place to cool down (literally) at the end of the day, with 
unobstructed view of the Ocean Drive concept.I can't think of a concept car that did not look great. Most had silly names, but the Acura takes the cake ... the Advanced Sport Coupe Concept? I can't even remember if it's the right name. Same for Jag or Toyota, XC-F? CX-F?FX-C? FT-HS? FL-TH? FA-LFL? Falafel? WTF? I'll have to look it up ...
- Julien
Well, I worked hard the past 30 days, finally got media credentials and am leaving for Detroit tomorrow. It wasn't easy, but I won't bore anyone to death with ramblings and details. All there is to know is that I will be attending the NAIAS starting sunday, and will update my blog as much and as early as I humanly can.
The Detroit show should be as great as ever (100th anniversary to boot!) , loaded with concepts and unveilings. Personally, I'm most stoked about the new Rolls Phantom Drophead Coupe, and will probably set camp in front of the Rolls Royce booth. Anyone have a reclining chair and sleeping bag I could borrow?
Anyways, stay tuned and expect some pictures and impressions as soon as sunday night!
-Julien
Let’s go straight to the point … the Autobahn is mostly about great automobiles. To qualify, you’ll need innovation, originality, style and passion. Lots of passion. What can I say, I’m more impressed by a small company that files more bankruptcies than it makes cars, than by a big corporate manufacturer trying to convince us impressive figures make an exceptional car. If you don’t know who I’m talking about with these examples or where the name of the blog comes from, odds are you could use reading some articles over here …
There are some guidelines, of course, but if any object seems interesting enough, I will mention it, be it a supercar, a truck, a watch, a boat or a bike. We’ll stay on track and talk about cars as much as possible, but beware, you’re never too far from an article or pictures about a watch or a boat, as long as it’s innovative or stands out from the crowd.
There are also subjects I’ll stay away from. If you watch the Fast and the Furious back to back and come here expecting to find the cheapest body kit for a Civic, or some gold rims for an 86 Caprice, may I just suggest you close this window right now. Thanks.
So there you go, news, articles, pictures and diaries of the events I cover, this is what The Autobahn will be all about.
-Julien
PS - Oh yeah, and have a great year 2007 ... while we're at it.
I am genuinely excited about the Brooklands because it's not some rebadged Volks like the Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur (cringe if you will). Oh, don't get me wrong, they aren't bad cars, I just like seeing the pedigree and heritage in a car, and the last W12 Continentals didn't have the classic interior design or old world smell a Bentley should have. Sure, they sold by the million, I still don't like them much. Sitting in the car is such a unique experience, believe it or not. In an Arnage, the door sill is so low and seat so high, you can't help but sit gracefully, you can almost hear the working class applaud as you remove your top hat and light a cigar. In the Continental GTC, you just sit in as if it were a random car.
I have no doubts the Brooklands will be even more unique than the Arnage can be ... one just needs to read the press release, scattered with beautiful words such as hand-assembled, traditional coach-building techniques, peerless craftsmanship ... I can't help but appreciate that in a Bentley, where loud innovation and complex engineering just isn't appropriate, it needs to be hidden under a metal skin skillfully and patiently formed by talented craftsmen. And the Brooklands sure seems to be a traditional Bentley.
