IT IS BETTER TO SWEAT THAN TO BLEED

Automobiles have always been a status symbol for the fellows of the elite class in the society. Be it sports people, politicians, industrialists or movie stars and celebrities, your car shouts your name out loud. But only a handful of these people are inclined towards motorcycles. It’s not often that you see a movie star on a superbike. They’d rather pick their four wheeled machines to run about on their everyday chores. The reason behind this would be probably the risk factor. The added risk of injuries while travelling on a motorcycle would probably scare them off. But out of the very few movie stars who are adorned by their mechanical marvels, one notable person is Mr. Ajith Kumar, a superstar from tamil cinema. After all what better way to write an article to the star’s passion for automobiles, who recently celebrated his birthday on May 1^st.

The 43 year old actor has always been associated with automobiles since the early years of his cine career. He is well known for his short stint in motor racing. Yes Ajith Kumar is a professional motorcar racer, who drove in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He had also been abroad in his various races including Germany and Malaysia.

·         He has participated in the Indian Formula Maruti Championships n 2002.

·         He has participated in the Formula 3 BMW Asia Championships in 2003 for the Indian team.

·         He placed 6^th and 5^th in the 8^th and 10^th rounds respectively.

·         In total, he finished 12^th among a total of 20 drivers.

·         He participated in the British F3 Scholarship in 2004 for Team Mango from Japan.

“I’ve always had a need for speed. Ever since I sat in a car I wanted to be a professional racer. Lots of people have told me how difficult it is. But I’m not going to fail and I’ve never given anything less than my best shot in all my endeavors.” – Ajith

            He is a fan-favorite among superbike enthusiasts in and around Chennai and almost all his fans know about his passion towards collecting superbikes. Ajith for one has had his hands on a wide variety of superbikes like the Kawasaki ZMR, YZF R1, Ducati 1098, Aprilia Caponord, Ducati Diavel, BMW K1300S and his latest addition the BMW S1000RR.

            It is with this superbike that Ajith recently went on an awareness ride from Chennai to Bangalore and back. His fans are well aware of the star’s late night rides in the city, but this is the first time that he was reportedly seen on his new BMW superbike on bright daylight. He was quoted saying that the ride he undertook was mainly to emphasize on the importance of wearing proper safety gear on motorcycle rides in and out of the city. He also added that “It is better to sweat than to bleed.” Now this is a common phrase among the biking fraternity in Chennai and also among his fans.

            Now let us take a look on his race horse, the BMW S1000RR. In the world of motorcycles, BMW Motorrad was known for its offbeat, out-of-the-world adventure motorcycles until not long ago. The S1000RR however shot BMW into superbike zone. It won a pile of Bike Of The Year awards (BOTY) on its debut and almost overnight this bike was the one to beat. To put it in perspective, it’s the same way how the music composer of the “Kolaveri” hit single rocketed to fame overnight. The bike simply adds another feather to the crown of BMW and its great bie making heritage. This was the bike that gave BMW an indisputable edge in the world of sport bikes. When it was launched in 2009, it instantly became the most powerful production bike on the planet and it held that record for almost three years.

            Parked in a lot, this bike can pull a huge crowd, thanks to its quirky design. As with the case of almost all BMW bikes, the asymmetric design with the headlamps seems to kick of very well. The S1000RR is the epitome of German functionality. The oddball styling if not drool-worthy, is certainly eye catching. Not to mention the shark gill slits on the right fairing. That monolithic swingarm continues to exude that ‘marvel of engineering’ aura. It is bigger than most other liter class superbikes, especially the Japanese. It looks like nothing else and no one’s going to mistake it or anything else.

            For the S1000RR, BMW decided to do things a bit more in the conventional manner. They equipped it with a powerful 999-cc inline four cylinder engine, mated to a six speed transmission that supplies power to the rear wheel via a chain final drive and not a shaft drive. The chassis is aluminum and it features radial brakes, ABS, traction control and a weight of just 183 kilos. BMW’s intentions for the S1000RR were mainly related to racing and, in order to homologate the bike for WSBK, BMW initially produced only 1000 units. However, public demand for the bike forced them to enter series production, and the rest is history.

            With the inline four at heart, the Beemer boasts of a noisy and throaty cacophony from its exhausts which would be a delight to any superbike enthusiast. The power output of the S1000RR is around 193bhp and a whole 112Nm of torque at 9750rpm.

            Electronics and rider aids wise the Europeans have consistently had the upper hand. Throttle response is electric (literally) with ride-by-wire technology which is quite high end.  The S1000RR’s power delivery is quite aggressive, quite enough for your body to automatically clench itself onto the bike’s bodywork with just a slight twist of the throttle. It won’t kill you, but I’m sure it’ll give you a proper scare before it grabs you and knuckle-rubs your head.

            On the whole, the machine is a focused track tool, dedicated to motorsport enthusiasts. It works with the precision of a scalpel, slicing through corners with ease. And with the electronic package on, you’re free to switch it between ‘watering plants’ and ‘chainsaw massacre’ mode. The S1000RR remained the undisputed champion for a long time, saluting the Japs with its middle finger. On the pricing front, it is bloody expensive for things on two wheels. At thirty lacs on road, you could get yourself a brand new Audi Q3, or even a used premium sportscar. Nevertheless, the S1000RR is very much a fitting bike for an ex motorsport racer/ sport tourer/ superstar like Ajith Kumar.

-         Nova

HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS

Alright now, it’s time for a little tech-talk. This week we will be looking at a technology that holds plenty of promise for automobiles in the future.

            As we all are aware of, fossil fuels are finite by nature – and, therefore, they will run out at some point of time. Focusing on the industry, we people cannot imagine a life without automobiles. The freedom they provide combined with the passion they inculcate in most of us mean that they rely on them heavily. But the fossil fuel problem is very evident from the ever rising price of fuel – an issue that’s letting down economies and consumers all around the planet.

            For a long time now, companies and governments have been working on a technology that offers most of the benefits of fossil fuels, without the limitations of course. At the heart of this technology are Hydrogen Fuel Cells. What differentiates fuel cells from conventional technologies is the fact that the cells use Hydrogen for energy production. Here’s it how it goes: When Hydrogen mixes with oxygen, it produces a chemical reaction that generates energy within the cell, which is used to charge a high capacity battery that in turn powers electric motors connected to the wheels.

            Now that might sound similar to electric cars, (remember the Audi E-tron with four electric motors – one for each wheel?) but the difference is – since Hydrogen is stored onboard in a high pressure tank, it allows the fuel cell powered car to cover distances similar to a conventional powered one. Secondly, since refueling Hydrogen is almost as quick as refilling petrol, no extra time is spent replenishing the vehicle’s range. Thirdly, the by product. This is the most significant advantage of fuel cell cars over conventional ones. Combining the two elements that produce energy in the cells creates water (H2O). So, the only emissions that a fuel cell car produces is water – making it one of the most environment friendly means of transport. Fourth, perhaps one factor that is so much in favor of fuel cells, is that their efficiency hovers around the 60% mark, which is a massive jump from internal combustion engines that have an efficiency of 20 – 25% at most. This means that for the same amount of fuel used, a Fuel Cell powered car can do almost three times as much work as a traditional car.

            But, there are significant challenges before the technology can be commercially viable – the first of which is producing Hydrogen in the first place, a process that’s still in the development stage. The other challenge is to safely store Hydrogen. Unless stored in a safe, pressurized container, Hydrogen is highly volatile and could be dangerous. Third is that for Fuel Cell vehicles to work there would be a need for parallel storage and distribution network similar to the one that exists for petrol pumps. And since this would be needed on a global scale, it’s a massive task (with estimates putting the cost of this above $500 billion), which most stakeholders are reluctant to commit to.

            Multiple conglomerates have been at the forefront of Hydrogen vehicle development, with Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz being some of them. In fact, in Los Angeles, a pilot project has seen a few Hydrogen pumps already set up.

            Fuel Cells hold massive promise for clean, environmentally friendly motoring in future, but there’s still much work to be done before we can expect to see these machines out on our roads.

Source: Internet

-         Nova

SUPERHEROES SPECIAL #3

This week we are back with our Superheroes Special with a supercar, following the likes of last week’s Audi E-tron. And this time our superhero would once again be the caped crusader’s daylight alias – Mr. Bruce Wayne. This man needs no introduction. Being a billionaire, it is utter foolishness to not expect a supercar in Mr. Wayne’s garage.

            Previously, we glanced at the two wheel fantasy of this man – he owns an MV Agusta F4. (Motorcycle Art truly). And then in the movie trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, Bruce Wayne is seen to be closely associated with cars from Lamborghini, the world renowned Italian Supercar maker. In Dark Knight (2008), our hero is seen driving a Lamborghini Murcielago LP – 640, which he rams into a police motorcade. In the sequel, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), he drives a similar car. This very car is our subject this week. Claimed to be a worthy successor to the ten year old Murcielago, this car, following the company’s tradition of naming, is christened “Aventador”. It is named after a bull that fought valiantly in the bull ring of Saragossa, Spain in 1993. In my opinion, the Aventador is one of the most spectacular objects on the planet, a rolling work of art with a price tag enough to date Sunny Leone for two continuous nights! (Gulp!) The variant that was used in the last of the trilogy of Batman movies was the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4. 

DESIGN

            Design wise, the aventador is one of the most visually attractive cars ever to grace the tarmac on earth. Automobili Lamborghini designers have meticulously carved this piece of art like it’s the end of the world. Every line, every curve and every edge deserves a place of its own in an art gallery. The Aventador borrows styling cues from the short lived (only 22 were made) Reventon, its elder brother, whose styling was inspired from jet fighters. To be precise, the Reventon is a road going version of the Black Bird SR-71. The striking front end comprises of the huge twin air intakes on the side above which the angular headlamps are located. The eye (headlamp) has Y-shaped LEDs nestling a single powerful projector unit. The nose dips to the front so much so that it almost touches the ground. Not to mention the divine raging bull logo at the end of the central spine running across the hood. On the sides, the most visually striking feature could be the large 20” wheels on which the car stays. The wide section tires are fatter than Kim Kardashian’s rear and provide additional front end bite during the initial turn in. Then there are the enormous air intakes flanking the rear wheel arches. These intakes’ primordial function is too cool the haze of heat emanating from the menacing V12 engine behind the cabin. As with every V12 Lambo ever made, the doors scissor up spectacularly. Certainly a crowd puller. The rear of the car is more edgier than the front end, with the tail lamps being the centre of attraction. Below the LED lamps are the huge twin honeycomb meshes, and finally a wide exhaust tip that shrieks angrily the insane voice of the fired up V12. The car is so beautiful that it makes you cry and wonder rightfully if there’s any way it could look any better. In raw words, it is sheer automotive porn.

PERFORMANCE

            The LP in the name stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the transverse mounting of the mighty 6.5 liter V12 engine which churns out an earth-shattering 690 bhp @8250 rpm. This mighty number along with 690 Nm of torque produces a relentless tidal wave of acceleration that is enough to compress all seven bones in your vertebral column and slam a hole in the head rest. The engine is of AWD layout and is mid mounted.  This is the first all new Lamborghini to be developed since the Countach. Weighing in at just 1,575 kilograms, the aventador has a power to weight ratio of 2.25kg/hp, thanks to the carbon fiber monocoque chassis which is many times stronger than steel but much, much lighter. This, combined with many such other weight reduction technologies gets the aventador to the 100 kmph mark from standstill in a mere 2.9 seconds with a claimed top speed of over 350 kmph. Fast enough for Mr. Wayne to engage on his daily commute from the Wayne Manor to his Wayne Enterprises in Gotham city.

RIVALS

            The Lamborghini Aventador is a class of its own. This brutal car with its outrageous looks feasts us with so much excitement that we would be very sure that this fine piece of machinery is a born winner in any class. Although, Lamborghinis have always been rivaled against Ferraris and in the case of the Aventador, it has the Ferrari FF and the 599 GTO or even the 458 Italia in its sights. Not to mention the MP4-12C, a worthy rival from the British supercar maker McLaren. Another opponent would be the Aston Martin Vanquish, again from the land of the English. Irrespective of what its rivals have got in store, the mind-numbing and physically demanding experiences that a Lamborghini Aventador can give remain unparalleled.

PRICING

            You could own one of these booming missiles for about Rs. 6 crores in India. In Wayne terms it is about $400,000. At this price point, you could own roughly 3 Audi R8’s. But for this voluptuous price tag, the Aventador gets you demi-god status in the Indian society. Needless to say, this is one of Lamborghini’s most popular and most profitable models ever.

THE BAT-CONNECTION

            The Aventador fulfils all criteria in becoming a Batmobile, though it is not one. It is Mr. Bruce Wayne’s ride and not the Batman’s and it does not have superpowers. As mentioned earlier, this car is seen in the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” and gets impounded by the Gotham city Police Department. To quench the thirst of batman buffs, here’s a little trivia – There were actually two Aventadors used in the movie. One was extensively used in Los Angeles location shooting. The other was principally used for filming in Pennsylvania, New York and Great Britain (home of Wayne Manor). Neither of the two had any special equipment or other modifications. They were stock, street legal, insured and registered. Although one can get it in any color they want, Bruce Wayne’s car is adorned in paint described as “Grigio Anteras Metallic”. However, for a little twist, film makers made special, official looking Gotham city license plates for the Lambos. As one of the world’s most flamboyant, over-the-top automotive toys, it is consistent with the movie theme. The Aventador’s role could not have been substituted by any other car.

VERDICT

            The pros: Carbon Fiber richness, V12 engine + 700 bhp, outrageous looks with aggressive performance.

            The cons: Bloody expensive

            Alternative rides: McLaren MP4-12C, Aston Martin Vanquish, Ferrari 458 Italia, Sunny Leone !

            With the latest Aventador model, Lamborghini proves yet again that it is the best in creating sinister super sports cars. At Sant’Agata Bolognese, these people do it like nobody else. They create a marvel of engineering and art with such flair. With the standard package of the menacingly loud V12 engine, the Aventador is probably the most expensive way to go deaf. It is extreme in its design and performance, uncompromising in its standards and technology, and unmistakably Italian in its style and perfection. Overall, the dynamics and technical excellence of the Aventador LP700-4 makes it unrivaled in the worldwide super sports car arena. If you got the bread and the bones, and of course a huge bank balance, then go for it.

-Nova

SUPER HEROES SPECIAL #2

So here we are, after quite a long gap, back to our Superheroes Special. We had the famed Dark Knight last time and in this week’s column we’d be talking about someone similar.

            Our superhero subject is world famous for his lethargic attitude and hilarious slapstick humor sense. Not to forget about his billionaire panache. He is regarded as one of the wealthiest men alive on the planet – sharing the title with Mr. Bruce Wayne and a few others. This superhero character was portrayed by none other than Hollywood’s most wanted actor – Robert Downey Jr. Yes our superhero this week is IRON MAN.

            Mr. Tony Stark (the common man alias of Iron Man) is the kind of guy that young entrepreneurs would look upto. Tony is not your usual superhero who is a down-to-earth middle class man with a mediocre news reporter career. He is an American billionaire, playboy cum philanthropist (as he calls himself) and owns Stark Industries, a self funding, advanced weaponry Research Corporation based in the US.

            Billionaires and supercars are like bread and butter. They are inseparable. Assuring the obvious fact, Mr. Stark is seen using handful of these engineering marvels. We’ll just focus on the odd one out. In Iron Man 3 -  the movie, Tony uses a flash red, eye candy from Audi. On the first look, people could easily mistake it for an Audi R8 – the one that he uses in the prequels of the movie. In fact, it looks a lot like the Audi R8 but it is not. It is the Audi R8 e-tron. It is an all electric car from Audi, and currently the most popular and successful Electric Supercar.

            Several manufacturers have been toying around with the idea of a purely battery powered supercar, but none have jumped into the act with commitment. This is where Audi has succeeded, with the likes of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in its rear view mirror. The R8 e-tron is physically a variant of the regular Audi R8 V8 and V10 supercars. The design engineers at Ingolstadt wouldn’t have found it too difficult to design a supercar from scratch, as they already had the R8’s design as a template. The e-tron follows the mid-engine layout of the R8 which means, the heavy batteries are mounted in the centre of the chassis, without distorting the weight distribution of the car. In essence, the e-tron must be able to compete alongside the R8 V8 and V10. The question that arises in everyone’s minds will be – Will it be as exhilarating as its elder brothers?

            The V10 or the V8 would pack the punch that gearheads like us look for in a car. There are no second thoughts about that. As a matter of fact, the R8 V10 provides an unadulterated amount of power and a glorious soundtrack from the engine. All these would be missed on the e-tron. Being able to reach high top speeds in the least amount of time is the prime function of a supercar. If that is the case, then the R8 e-tron will not disappoint you. Yes. The Audi R8 e-tron is a world record breaker. With a lap time of 08:09.999 minutes, it is the fastest production vehicle with an electric drive system around the Nurburgring circuit.  The car was driven to success by racing driver Markus Winkelhock.

DESIGN

            As mentioned earlier, the e-tron is a mere edited version of the regular Audi R8. Though, it has minor styling tweaks that slightly differentiate it. Up front, the first thing that catches your eyes is the redesigned headlamps with the signature LED daytime running lights. This form of lighting has crept into almost all car manufacturers’ tool bag, but Audi does it best.  Then the large grill and the air intakes on the front bumper act perfectly in cooling the front brakes. As we move on to the rear, the huge air intakes flanking the doors cannot be missed. Their main function is to cool the engine. (!?!) The batteries produce a lot of heat on their own and they require proper cooling mechanisms to ensure efficiency. The rear end remains pretty much the same, except for the little “ctrl+x” operation that has been performed on the exhaust exits.

PERFORMANCE

            The R8 E-tron is powered by four motors – two on the front and two in the rear axles that each connect to their respective wheel by the use of a small shaft. By using the four motor setup this R8 delivers 313 hp and 4,500 Nm (3,319 lb-ft) of torque. It is capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. The true four-wheel drive system allows the Audi to become a full fledged Quattro car. By having four completely separate motors the onboard computer is also able to make the smallest adjustments to power outputs so that understeer and oversteer can be corrected.

            The car weighs in at roughly 1600 kg (curb weight), out of which the batteries weigh 550 kg. The overall reduction in weight is credited to the aluminum body and Audi’s Space frame technology. There is a triangular wishbone suspension on the front and a trapezoidal link rear suspension on the back. The entire set up is balanced on large 19 inch wheels. The power for the electric motors will be supplied by liquid-cooled, lithium ion batteries which can be powered by your household current of 230 volts/16 amperes. Charging time is about 6-8 hours when the battery has been completely depleted and goes down to about 2.5 hours when high voltage is used. These charged up motors offer a range of 155 miles. Another interesting fact is that, during braking the car is able to convert the energy provided into a useful source for the electronic systems helping to extend the range.

RIVALS

            As mentioned above, Audi faces heavy competition from Mercedes Benz, who are currently developing their electric version of the SLS AMG. Unlike Audi, Mercedes are reluctant to get their models on road for their customers. On the smaller end of the spectrum are Tesla  and Fisker, who have been developing this technology under the hood for years. Karma from Fisker is poised to take over the luxury electric car segment, competing head-on with Chevrolet Volt, but will not invade the E-tron market much.

PRICE

            You can expect the pricing to go with the likes of the discontinued Lamborghini Gallardo, the e-tron would cost over Rs. 2.5 Crores on-road. With the environmental awareness thing gaining a semi-religion status, making a statement in a closed circle doesn’t come for free.

VERDICT

            The pros : High performance, Four motors, short charging time.

            The cons : Very light, High price

If you’re the “go-green, don’t be mean” types, and have a huge bank balance, then close your eyes and go for the e-tron. On the other hand, if you are petrolhead that seeks power, power and power, you have the Audi R8 V10 waiting for you. Nevertheless the e-tron is not a bad choice for people like Tony Stark.

-Nova