Fading Light, Ropey Camera - Action

As promised, here's a bit of a special edition Tyre Roar post. Some of you may remember my lucky snoop around a BMW 1 Series M Coupe in this post a few weeks ago, courtesy of Ben Barry of Car Magazine. Well, recently I was at it again, dashing round the corner on a reliable tip off from my father : "that writer chap's got some new 911 Porsche parked up."

Cheers, Dad. Turns out the weekend wheels for Mr Barry were a Carrera White Porsche Cayman R, the very one you can see featured in my impromptu videos below.

Here's my disclaimer. Having again been allowed free reign to delve into a special car, I thought it a decent opportunity to record some thought on video for the blog. I'm well aware the end results are not of Top Gear sheen or Chris Harris quality, and that turfing a lad who owns a 14 year old Ford into a contender for one of the cars of 2011 does lead to much tongue-twisting and finding oneself getting carried away. This particular example incidentally, via intensive research on the Porsche configurator, works out somewhere in the region of £57k, from what I could spot.

Anyway, check them out, enjoy, and comment back.





And if you want to see this very car in action, alongside the very same 1M also featured in Tyre Roar (in a far more professional video, it must be said) then do check out this official Car Magazine clip presented by Mr Generous himself, Car's road test editor Ben Barry, right this way...


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Ten Thousand Thank You's

A quick scroll down to the bottom of the page will show you that Tyre Roar recently soared past 10,000 worldwide hits.

This is nothing more than a quick post to say cheers to everyone who has dropped by, and thanks to those who keep coming back to sift through my inane motoring ramblings. Tyre Roar has reached every populated continent on the planet, which is rather humbling, and very impressive. The internet truly is what you make of it.

There's a rather special edition post to celebrate 10k coming in the next couple of days, and there's a little clue of the star of the show, as it were, on the right for you.

Please leave your comments or hit me up on Twitter if you'd like to take me to task on anything about the site, I'd love to hear from any readers. I know you're out there, the site counts you for me, (he said, going all George Orwell.) Do get in touch!

Here's to the next ten thousand, and after that, fifty, and a hundred...watch this space.


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Red Bull: Gives You Wins

Ironically, Sebastian Vettel managed to not win the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. That honour went to McLaren's Jenson Button, the only man who stood a chance of foiling Vettel's title hopes in the latter stages of this year.

Win F1 title. Receive free trainers. That's the life.

Button may have gallantly done everything he needed to do, playing his part in getting the win, and getting one over Vettel for the contentious barge he received off the line, but it was a hollow victory, a case of winning the Suzuka battle, but losing the championship war.

So how do we analyse Seb's record back-to-back world titles, aged just 24? Taking nothing away from the chap himself, who has proved vastly more mature and consistent than last year, the season has been rendered something of an anticlimax.

To Vettel's side of the Red Bull garage, that matters not one iota. Their best-case scenario is to put the championship to bed as soon as possible. Having seen off the pesky McLaren, Red Bull can pour resources into next year's car, allowing aero deity Adrian Newey to knuckle down way in advance of the winter break, and set about manipulating air to do his bidding in a way that no other team seems to have a hope of replicating. The smart money must be on Red Bull to make it a hat trick next year. Mine is.

But has the season been an anti-climax for fans? In part yes, as it's been wrapped up with 4 rounds still to go, just like in the bad old days when Schumacher was a dot on the horizon and television audiences were leaving in their droves. And in truth, the result hasn't really been in doubt since late spring, such has been the dominance of the young German, able in 2011 to convert scintillating qualifying pace into race wins, an absent trait which was very nearly his downfall in 2010.

We've been spoiled in recent years with photo finishes for the driver's title. Hamilton taking it from a celebratory Massa on the penultimate corner, of the final lap, of the final race, of 2008. Button doing just enough to get Brawn past the post, also at Interlagos, in 2009. And then Vettel coolly taken his maiden world title under the lights of Abu Dhabi less than 12 months ago.

Lewis imagines facing Felipe in a boxing ring...

So, (he said bitterly) we've been robbed of a Hollywood conclusion to what has been a fine season, but therein lies the real point.

...and that's the most overtaking a HRT has done this year.

Despite one German leading the rest of the field on a merry chase like the Pied Piper, this has still been a great spectator's season for the viewer. Hamilton's shares in bodywork repair, ill-advised Sasha Baron Cohen quotes in interviews, Massa and Maldonado's pantomime dislike of the aforementioned, some spectacular accidents, KERS, and DRS; every race, with the possible exception of the European GP at the god-awful Valencia circuit, has had intrigue, controversy, and entertainment. For that, Formula One should be proud.

(It should also bloody well stay on BBC, but that's another can of energy drink entirely...)

Therefore, let's not begrudge Vettel his one fingered salute to being the best of the best. I may have preferred one of the chaps in the silver Woking machines to swipe it from under his nose, just as Button did so brilliantly in Canada, but Sebastian Vettel is undeniably a fabulous driving talent, a sporting gentleman, a mature young man, a credit to the sport, and a bright (and rather terrifying) prospect for the future. Well done Mr Vettel.

Give 'Kinky Kylie' a kiss from Tyre Roar.

There'll be a full F1 in 2011 review, with the best funnies from year, up on Tyre Roar once the season is over, so stay tuned for that...

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The Only Way Is up!

A predictable title for a hopefully unpredictable post. You see, my 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show star, the car I craved most coverage of, and have found myself wanting to own most, was not the Ferrari 458 Spider, or Lamborghini Gallardo Super Duper Ultimate Trofeo. Good cars undoubtedly, but neither they, nor the Ford Fiesta ST or facelifted Twingo RenaultSport were the exhibits which caught my attention. That rather minor honour goes to the Volkswagen up!, and the GT up! in particular.

(NB: I'll play along with VW's poor grammar game of lower-case 'u' and mid sentence exclamation mark for now, but it really isn't big or clever. Also take note, Kia pro_C'eed, and the other punctuation misusers.)

So, why does the up! fascinate me, and more importantly, make me want to own one? Simply, it's the first ever car I can see myself buying, brand new. Not when it first arrives early next year in the UK, but in a few years time, with a bit of luck.

The production car may have lost the concept's rear engine and RWD layout (how ironic if it had kept it while the new Beetle stays front engined/front drive) but it retains the crucial character and philosophy, which was nail-on-head from the word go.

It's very small, but still spacious enough to not fall into the flawed trapdoor the Toyota iQ languishes in, pretending to be a four seater. It weighs less than 1000kg, and retains all the benefits of lightweight with 'big-car' safety features.

Naturally, the up! I like the most is the sporty GT concept, which looks like the natural successor to the rare and rather desirable Lupo GTi of a few years back. Rumours are that a sporty up! to sit as an entry level baby in the GTi range could get a 1.0l triple cylinder petrol engine with 98bhp. Given that a 3 pot Citroen C1 or Toyota Aygo can actually sound a bit rorty when revved, a nicely sorted VW lump would be, well, the business. And with only 999cc's powering 900kg, it should be feasibly cheap to run, for a mini warm hatch.

In short, it looks right, has a great image, great badge, spot-on design thinking, and is easily aspired to by young 'uns like me who wish hot hatches, and small cars in general, hadn't gotten so big, heavy and overcomplicated.

Volkswagen, please make the GT up! Keep it simple, realistic to insure, well priced, and you'll have a fabulous new People's Car on your hands. I'll be at the front of the queue. (or will settle for a press demonstrater...)

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Give Me Five

While the world has been mesmerised by the automotive Second Coming that is the F10 BMW M5, there's been far less attention paid to another, perhaps altogether more important new 5 Series. Naturally, the 520d EfficientDynamics doesn't have the heritage, the lineage, the folklore to live up to, but away from super saloon madness, in the tooth and nail fight of company car fleets, it's the undisputed king.

So here's a simple question? Which Five would you rather have?

Is it just me that really likes those lo-drag alloys?

As with most car comparisons, that which isn't subjective (styling, badge kudos) comes down to simple a Top Trumps numbers game, and as far as performance is concerned, the M5, as you'd hope, has it by a country mile.

Criteria	M5	520d ED
Engine	4395cc V8, Twin-turbocharged petrol	1995cc In-line 4 cyl, turbocharged, diesel
Power	552 brake horsepower @ 6000rpm	182 brake horsepower @ 4000rpm
Torque	501 lb/ft @ 1500rpm	280 lb/ft @ 1750-2750rpm
0-62mph	4.4 seconds	8.2 seconds
Top Speed	155mph (limited) 190mph (limited) with cost option M Driver package	144mph

The 520d is trounced by the M5 in the speed stakes, thanks to the latter's comparatively enormous engine. However, given that the 520d has almost half the torque, and less than one-third the power of the M5, it's still an easily adequate performer. Its top speed of 144mph is competitive and safe for autobahn commutes where many will no doubt find a home, while its sprint to 62 betters its direct turbodiesel rivals from Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes. Furthermore, it'll be drinking a damn site less fuel than the lot of them while it's at it.

Here's where the M5 starts to come unstuck against its humble sister, in the just-as-important 'everyday' stakes.

Criteria	M5	520d
Weight	1945kg	1695kg
CO2 Emissions	232g/km	119g/km
Economy (claimed)	28.5mpg	62.8mpg
Base price	£73,040	£30,435

Just as the 520d gave a good account of itself out of its comfort zone, in the performance fight, the M5 makes an effort to appeal to head as well as heart. It is the cleanest, greenest M5 ever, thanks to its move to  forced induction. And while journalists have complained than even under light load, the engine never gets close to achieving its 28 mpg promise, you'd have to assume the 520d is guilty of similar frugality optimism, as are all new cars.

So there's the figures, now a return to the initial question: which 5 would you have? Yes, this is in all but a handful of ways, a total non-comparison, but after the cars were launched mere days apart, their shared presence in all this week's magazines and websites is nothing if not thought provoking. So allow me to play devil's advocate.

In a world teetering on the brink of financial oblivion (again), committing to running a two tonne machine with a 20mpg everyday thirst is a risk that, in £1.35 a litre Britain, looks about as secure as a UBS investment portfolio. The 520d, despite its 10 litre shallower fuel tank, can achieve well over double the M5's potential range, having cost less than half as much to buy. According to reviews, it'll still be vaguely entertaining, if not a full on 'Ultimate Driving Machine', and it'll certainly be less hard on tyres, brakes and suspension thanks to a 300kg advantage next to the M5.

If you crave the M5's aggressive snout and sills, you'll have to settle for the non-Efficient Dynamics 520d, which BMW will fit with the M Sport pack, giving your rolling juxtaposition the deep chin spoiler, big wheels, and flared skirts that adorn the range topper. You lose quad tailpipes, the nasty chromed wing vent, and the choice of garish press demonstrator blue paint, but can still have a paddleshift transmission and sports suspension. Interestingly, the parsimonious ED version is manual only. Interaction and involvement with a the driving experience, in a modern eco car? Who'd have thought it..?

The F10 M5 is no doubt a wonderful car. It'll be in the running for a trophy cabinet's worth of Car of the Year prizes, and assert itself over the E63 AMG, XFR and RS6 as the super saloon benchmark. As Clarkson will  certainly note for the umpteenth time, 'there has never been a bad M5.'

But in making neccessary concessions to efficiency, the M5 has certainly lost a thimbleful of its aura. It was never going to compare well to the flawed but legendary V10 car it replaces, as with the rose tints on, that car will be one of the all time great four door supercars. Given that the 520d ED could be had as an estate, or Tourer in BMW speak (while the M5 won't, given the poor sales of the last one), play at being sporty, and not break the bank to run, I wonder if the M5 may lose perhaps a couple of sales throughout its lifespan, to the non-alcoholic enemy within.

Or will there be a true solution for eco-minded M addicts, through the rumoured diesel M5? A 4 litre twin turbo oil burner, superior torque and economy to its petrol sister, and four wheel drive is all muted for the black pump car. If it materialises, hopefully it'll sidestep BMW's increasingly peculiar naming strategy. 'M5' is a lot better than '550d M xDrive ED' or the like.

Now may I refer you to the brilliant Steve Sutcliffe of Autocar, with what is, so far, the M5 review.



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Let's Hear It For The Boys

..and the girls too, of course. This is actually intended as a thank you/well done post, to all the motoring journalists present at Frankfurt who did such an sensational job of reporting from the mammoth show.

Not all that long ago, motor shows were events to avoid on automotive websites. The sheer volume of new content being rushed up was hard to follow, untidy, and frankly unattractive. The online side of matters has really come of age now however, with 'best of' galleries, walk-around video clips and incisive concept analysis all prevalent on the big sites. Special mentions should go to Auto Express, the ever-excellent Autocar, Car Magazine, and Evo, who all used video snippets to great effect.

The single biggest revelation came in the useage of social media though, via Twitter specifically. As I read through the feed, noting hacks taking their seats at events such as the Volkswagen Group presentation, I was hugely jealous to be missing out on the big reveals. It's exactly where I want to be, professionally. Yet the quick-fire use of smartphones to instantly Tweet news as it was spoken, together with pictures live from the event, interspersed with witty analysis titbits from the journos themselves, made for an immersive, inclusive experience. Far from privatising, or isolating the event, the way in which the new medium of Twitter was embraced and exploited was well judged and, well, welcome!

Sincere gratitude then, to the boys and girls of Britain's finest motoring publications, who did themselves proud at Frankfurt, with fresh, entertaining, informative coverage. It really was the Top Gear antidote of automotive journalism.

The video featured below is my personal favourite example of what I've been appraising. A clearly impromptu yet impeccably delivered round up of the individual concepts and wider issues present at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, courtesy of the guys at Car Magazine. Well done, chaps.

 


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New Look, New Posts - But Still The Same TR

As you can see, Tyre Roar has had a bit of a freshen up as it approaches its 10 month birthday. Hopefully the added width of the page will make for less scrolling for you guys, and more space to cram content, high res pictures and HD clips straight onto the blog. It's also a lot less grey! Please leave comments at the bottom of this post or on my Twitter to let me know what you think, and how the site can be improved further.

The main new feature is the Garage, where I'll be running my own mini fleet report like you'll find in most car magazines. My personal long termer 'fleet' may only consist of one car, but it's a good 'un, so keep your eyes peeled for occasional updates on the welfare of my Ka, and news regarding the rest of the family motors.

Finally, do head over to Gridlock Magazine, and have a good look around the new issue, getting stuck into the superb free content and competitions. There's four new articles up this week by myself under the motoring tab, so check it out and see what you think.

Cheers!

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