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  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    Thanks, very watchable. Such a beautiful car.
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    Posts: 2,533
    Lotus Evija electric hypercar will sound like a V8 F1 car
    The otherwise-silent hypercar will reportedly produce sounds derived from the world championship-winning Lotus 49 V8 Formula One car.
    lnnky7jzm8coitwiazyl.jpg
    https://www.caradvice.com.au/932746/lotus-evija-electric-hypercar-will-sound-like-a-v8-f1-car/
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    I thought one of the advantages of electric cars was that the reduce noise rather than produce it? And it is not that the sound is meant to warn unsuspecting pedestrians of its approach, it is just there to fulfil an expectation we have of how a car is supposed to sound when powered by an exhaust engine.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 16,427
    I do like to see a Lotus in Lotus colours though.

    Fun to take sounds from a classic like the 49 though. Quite a lot of cars have synthetic noises now (not just electric ones) and apparently they're quite fun.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    You mean this? I am all for it!

    af7fa29c5fc49eebb114f1e80ba6f274.jpg
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    Posts: 2,533
    The GR Yaris has engine sounds on the speakers to make the engine sound sportier.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    I am almost on the brink of trying to write a longer piece about our society's nostalgia and how we now have so many things where we have a fixed idea what something should be that we totally ignore and distort what that thing actually is, but I can't get my mind around it and am not a good enough writer to do so.
    Somehow we all came to the agreement that the sound a combustion engine mainly from a certain time period makes is (one of) the ultimate signifier for the quality of an engine and, following from that, a sporty car. Probably because it is something a person like me (and the majority of the population), who has zero experience driving high performance cars and zero understanding of automobile engineering, can go and say: "Oh yeah, that is the sound of a good sports car" without any kind of understanding of the car or really where that sound is coming from and what it actually means.
    So when the underlying engineering solutions change, we still retain the idea that it has to sound the way certain sports cars of the past sounded. We still cling on to our signifier even though the thing it might have clued us in on in older cars (the size of the cylinders in a combustion engine or whatever makes the sound. Like I said, I have no idea) doesn't exist or have any meaning anymore. And instead of re-learning what a sports car is, we just build in artificial signifiers so that we can retain our idea of what a sports car should be.
    It is a very strange time we are in, where everything is changing at a rapid pace but we largely choose to act as if it hadn't and build things so that we don't have to face this change head-on.

    Or maybe this is high-minded bullshit and loud things make our hearts pump faster, so bring the loud things!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 16,427
    The GR Yaris has engine sounds on the speakers to make the engine sound sportier.

    Indeed, Harry from 'Harry's Garage' on YouTube (which I really enjoy) has even just bought himself one, and I think it looks smashing in red:

    EwODCZ4WQAEMfLb?format=jpg&name=large

    Very few cars just say "I am going to be enormous fun to drive" to look at like that one does! :)
    I think he's got close to the perfect collection of cars.

    I am almost on the brink of trying to write a longer piece about our society's nostalgia and how we now have so many things where we have a fixed idea what something should be that we totally ignore and distort what that thing actually is, but I can't get my mind around it and am not a good enough writer to do so.
    Somehow we all came to the agreement that the sound a combustion engine mainly from a certain time period makes is (one of) the ultimate signifier for the quality of an engine and, following from that, a sporty car. Probably because it is something a person like me (and the majority of the population), who has zero experience driving high performance cars and zero understanding of automobile engineering, can go and say: "Oh yeah, that is the sound of a good sports car" without any kind of understanding of the car or really where that sound is coming from and what it actually means.
    So when the underlying engineering solutions change, we still retain the idea that it has to sound the way certain sports cars of the past sounded. We still cling on to our signifier even though the thing it might have clued us in on in older cars (the size of the cylinders in a combustion engine or whatever makes the sound. Like I said, I have no idea) doesn't exist or have any meaning anymore. And instead of re-learning what a sports car is, we just build in artificial signifiers so that we can retain our idea of what a sports car should be.
    It is a very strange time we are in, where everything is changing at a rapid pace but we largely choose to act as if it hadn't and build things so that we don't have to face this change head-on.

    Or maybe this is high-minded bullshit and loud things make our hearts pump faster, so bring the loud things!

    It is artificial and a bit strange, but then cars don't really need to look good either; we just like them that way. When you're buying them for fun maybe it's best to just enjoy the enjoyable things. Cars are all about sensation so you want your senses filled by them, and that includes your ears.

    There are cars which feel like they always should have been electric. I think in years to come the idea that there ever were Rolls Royces powered by noisy, rough, dirty oil-burning engines will just feel wrong.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    I missed this new trailer for the next Top Gear series, the Bond episode looks quite fun- they seem to have all of the major Bond cars there.

    LotusTG.jpg

  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    James Bond's Lotus Esprit rebuilt


    F1 2021 Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG Safety Car Hit the Track


    Anyone like the yellow stripe on the lower part of the aston ?
    Also the gills look cheap ?
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    mtm wrote: »
    Again I'm not claiming to be a 'superior' driver, I'm just noting what I see around me on the road, but also amongst my friends. The cruise control system is used to relax and be less concentrated on the road.

    Nope, you're wrong about that, that's not what it's for.
    I'm not saying that's what it's for, I'm saying that's what I see it's beeing used for. As so many things that are used for other things than they were designed for.
    mtm wrote: »
    Moreover when I got a new Skoda to replace my then broken down 156 the cruise control set in without my knowledge at 140 k/ph. So when I took my foot off to slow the car down on its engine it did all but that. Not a pleasant experience I can tell you.

    All you have to do is touch the brake -the normal control to make a car slow-, it's not a problem. I've no idea how you managed to turn it on without realising.
    Yes, I know, but it's rather strange if you don't expect it that a car just settles in on a certain speed no matter if you let go of the accelerator. I don't think I turned on, I think nobody told me it was already on. They just handed me the keys of the car and wished me good luck without explanation. It'd been a way-too-long-a-day already after my own car lost it's clutch on the parking lot of the place where I was supposed to have a job-interview. Even worse, it happened at the director's parking spot ( I didn't know it was his) and they insisted I moved the car. I'd already been late because of a heavy crash happening not too far in front of me that got me stuck in a traffic jam that came about because of it. Anyway, long story short, I ended up 200km away from home with a completely different car.
    mtm wrote: »
    Yes, my car has the VDC system as well, but I don't recognise your descriptions. Perhaps I haven't pushed the car hard enough but I've certainly lost grip this winter and there was no braking without my initiative. But again I am perhaps a safer driver than you perceive me to be ;-)

    I'm not a bad driver either, but regardless, you have bought a car with a system where it brakes by itself whilst criticising cars that do that. It's not the car to have if you don't like the idea of cars applying their own brakes.
    Well perhaps you're right and yes, that would be a major dissapointment to me. On the other hand, few modern cars don't have similar systems, so I may not like it, but have little choice. With a young family a Donkervoort isn't really the type of car to buy for home-work-shopping traffic.
    mtm wrote: »
    And considering the 4C, I guess again it comes down to expectations. Had a laugh about this one, but it does sum up what I mean pretty good:
    https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15102458/i-dont-care-what-anyone-says-i-love-the-alfa-romeo-4c-column/

    Well yeah, that's someone talking about how it's a not a great car. I'll stick with the sportscars which get good reviews for their handling and engines I think! :)


    Here's a post on a forum talking about the VDC (this may be on an older model so hopefully they've developed it a bit more on your car:
    "A few nights ago I was negotiating a fastish sweeping left hand bend over a crest, to be suddenly confronted with another car heading toward me at excessively high speed in the middle of the (narrow) road. I backed off and the cars line tightened (as wanted and expected) so that my two left wheels were just off the edge of the dampish tarmac, which caused the start of a very minor oversteer. A touch of opposite lock and the car immediately started to straighten out as expected, no dramas, but then, the cars’ stability control system (VDC) decided to apply one (or more?) of the brakes, which then flicked the car in the opposite direction, into the path of the oncoming car. There was no accident, but it was a scary moment."

    http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=16338.0
    [/quote]

    That's definately worrysome!

    And about the 4C, it's all a matter of perspective and expectations. But I'll grant you there are definately better cars on the market.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 16,427
    Oh blimey. Still?
    mtm wrote: »
    Again I'm not claiming to be a 'superior' driver, I'm just noting what I see around me on the road, but also amongst my friends. The cruise control system is used to relax and be less concentrated on the road.

    Nope, you're wrong about that, that's not what it's for.
    I'm not saying that's what it's for, I'm saying that's what I see it's beeing used for. As so many things that are used for other things than they were designed for.

    I'm not sure how you're seeing in other peoples' minds, but no, that's not how most people use it. It's not for stopping paying attention. Resting a foot isn't the same not paying attention when you're doing 70mph.
    What other people may or may not do with it is also not a reason to explain why you don't use it. Even if some people did lose concentration it doesn't follow that you automatically would.
    mtm wrote: »
    Moreover when I got a new Skoda to replace my then broken down 156 the cruise control set in without my knowledge at 140 k/ph. So when I took my foot off to slow the car down on its engine it did all but that. Not a pleasant experience I can tell you.

    All you have to do is touch the brake -the normal control to make a car slow-, it's not a problem. I've no idea how you managed to turn it on without realising.
    Yes, I know, but it's rather strange if you don't expect it that a car just settles in on a certain speed no matter if you let go of the accelerator. I don't think I turned on, I think nobody told me it was already on. They just handed me the keys of the car and wished me good luck without explanation. It'd been a way-too-long-a-day already after my own car lost it's clutch on the parking lot of the place where I was supposed to have a job-interview. Even worse, it happened at the director's parking spot ( I didn't know it was his) and they insisted I moved the car. I'd already been late because of a heavy crash happening not too far in front of me that got me stuck in a traffic jam that came about because of it. Anyway, long story short, I ended up 200km away from home with a completely different car.

    No offence but it sounds like your concentration levels weren't exactly perfect.
    I've also never had experience of any cruise control that is on before the car is started. The whole point of cruise systems is that if you touch any of the controls they disengage straight away: these sort of systems you have to actively engage, and if it were set at 60mph or whatever when you got in it would have actually accelerated to that speed. Maybe it just coasted more easily than the car you were used to.
    mtm wrote: »
    Yes, my car has the VDC system as well, but I don't recognise your descriptions. Perhaps I haven't pushed the car hard enough but I've certainly lost grip this winter and there was no braking without my initiative. But again I am perhaps a safer driver than you perceive me to be ;-)

    I'm not a bad driver either, but regardless, you have bought a car with a system where it brakes by itself whilst criticising cars that do that. It's not the car to have if you don't like the idea of cars applying their own brakes.
    Well perhaps you're right and yes, that would be a major dissapointment to me. On the other hand, few modern cars don't have similar systems, so I may not like it, but have little choice. With a young family a Donkervoort isn't really the type of car to buy for home-work-shopping traffic.

    I was very surprised when I read in the manual that it applies the brakes itself. Releasing traction I'm obviously used to, but actually applying the brakes I found to not be a system that works all that well. As far as I'm aware other manufacturers only have automatic brakes in their adaptive cruise control systems or automatic emergency braking, which only kick in when the car senses a collision and I don't really have an issue with- if you're at the point where there's something in front of you then automatic braking isn't exactly going to make the situation worse. But I don't like the car using the brakes to correct what it sees as dynamic issues, and I thought the Alfa did it very badly. My current car doesn't do it.
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    2021 Kia EV6 unveiled: All-electric model marks new era for Korean brand

    The first standalone electric model from Kia has been revealed, showcasing the company's new design direction.

    Decent looking suv.

    Information released at the company's investor presentation earlier this year revealed the EV6 will offer a driving range of 500km from a single charge, with 100km of range available from just 4 minutes of charging.

    The company has not yet released details on the powertrain to be offered in the EV6, but the company claims a brisk 0-100km/h time of 3 seconds will be possible in an all-wheel-drive, high-performance variant in the future.
    That's supercar fast...........
    https://www.caradvice.com.au/933616/2021-kia-ev6-unveiled-all-electric-model-marks-new-era-for-korean-brand/
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    Kia do make nice looking cars.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    That KIA is a nice looking car with a clean and friendly interior.
    I can see the attraction of driving a powerful car, but insane acceleration in a SUV is just... not sane.
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    Posts: 2,533
    mtm wrote: »
    Kia do make nice looking cars.

    I like the stinger. What other kia cars do you think look nice ?
    1-kia-stinger-crdi-2018-review-hero-front.jpg?itok=5pzsuVqk
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    They're pretty much all well-proportioned that I've seen. I remember their hot hatch with the four little spotlights was nice. I'll try and find a pic.

    Yes here you go. Nothing incredible but it's not easy to do a car which just looks right, and they seem to manage it all the time.

    kia4-655x384.jpg
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    Volkswagen join GM in rejection of hydrogen technology

    Volkswagen Group boss Herbert Diess has solidified his company's commitment to battery-powered vehicles, rejecting hydrogen as a viable fuel alternative.

    Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Diess was adamant there was no future in hydrogen passenger cars due to limitations in the technology.

    "You won’t see any hydrogen usage in cars," Mr Diess said.

    "Not even in 10 years, because the physics behind it are so unreasonable. You can’t ramp the fuel cell up and down like a combustion engine. So you need another 10kW battery, you need an electric engine, and you need to run the fuel cell."

    The comments come as both Hyundai and Toyota expand their presence of hydrogen models in Australia, with the brands racing to deliver zero-emissions government fleets and open hydrogen fueling stations in major capital cities.

    According to the report, major manufacturers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis – which represent the newly-joined Fiat-Chrysler and PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) Groups – are joining Volkswagen Group in shunning the technology.

    https://www.caradvice.com.au/933112/volkswagen-join-gm-in-rejection-of-hydrogen-technology-report/

    Common sense prevails ?

    Taycan Turbo S vs. RS e-tron GT vs. GT | 0-100 & 100-200 km/h
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    Aston Martin V12 Speedster anyone ? :)>-
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    The Speedster seems fantastic, but it bothers me that he was not primarily promoting the DBX, because possibly Aston Martin should one day be starting to earn income again instead of burning money on V12 Speedsters. If the DBX does not sell, then AM may soon be history.
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    This looks better.
    DBR1

  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    That right-turn in front of the stonewall gives me the chills!
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    zebrafish wrote: »
    That right-turn in front of the stonewall gives me the chills!

    That's a good corner :)>-
    2 great looking ferrari sportscars.


  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 16,427
    I miss Festival of Speed: you see cars there which you genuinely wouldn't see anywhere else. The last time I went there we were wandering around and suddenly, right there under a tent in the car park, was one of the (two) actual genuine Mustangs from Bullitt! I had no idea it would be there. In the UK: that's crazy.
    Goodwood is always amazing. One year at the Revival I saw 10 Silver Arrows cars (incredible) and another year they had all six Cobra Daytonas. Which is properly mind-blowing, and I'm not sure had happened anywhere since 1965. Moments like that are surprisingly emotional sometimes.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Enjoyed the Bond cars segment in tonight's Top Gear but did feel they didn't really
    do justice to Sabine Schmitz, a quick message at the beginning, and a photo at the end.
    I though a short " Highlights" sequence would have been a little more respectful. Although Perhaps they have something planed for an upcoming episode, or it could
    be that maybe her family didn't want anything.
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    edited March 2021 Posts: 2,533
    2021 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    Enjoyed the Bond cars segment in tonight's Top Gear but did feel they didn't really
    do justice to Sabine Schmitz, a quick message at the beginning, and a photo at the end.
    I though a short " Highlights" sequence would have been a little more respectful. Although Perhaps they have something planed for an upcoming episode, or it could
    be that maybe her family didn't want anything.

    Chris Harris has said they have started production on a tribute to her and more information is coming.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384

    Top Gear - Sabine Schmitz Tribute, Fan made
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    Posts: 2,533
    A new video shows Tesla’s crazy new way to shift drive modes (drive, reverse, etc.) in a new refreshed Model S after Tesla removes the stalk.
    https://electrek.co/2021/03/24/tesla-crazy-new-way-shift-gear-drive-reverse-model-s/
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 16,427
    The Stig’s lap of the Top Gear circuit (or as it known in Bond’s world: Miami airport :) ) in a DB5 :)

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