Coming to terms with a 997 Carrera S

Having finally bought myself a 997 Carrera S, it took me a while to really come to terms with this car. I have owned all types of front engine turbo cars with front drive and rear drive and even four wheel drive. I test drove a lot of 911s in my life together with the Caymans and Boxsters but never owned one long term until recently.
I did spend 2 full days in a 997 turbo prior to my purchase and I found the car too light at the front for my liking but then again that car had a tonne of torque which meant that under heavy acceleration the front will naturally lift and make the front end feel very light.
The 997 Carrera S was actually very easy to live with and having a naturally aspirated 3.8 litre engine mated to the PDK gearbox the car was very tractable at low speeds. The newer 3.8 litre engine in this car had direct injection which helped the car's engine response even with the slightest touch of the throttle.
Most people who say that having driven a 997 Turbo you would love to have that extra 80hp but in reality the Carrera S is fast enough and gives you a greater sensation of control and feel of the car rather than just the massive shove in the back when the turbo kicks in. The front end of the car did feel light like a typical 911 but it was not as pronounced as the turbo model. The car's turn in was good and the wide rear tyres was confidence inspiring. Where I live requires me to drive through a winding street that snakes around a hill giving me plenty of chance to put the car through its pace. If a car does not have good handling the effect is very clearly demonstrated on this piece or tarmac. The 3.8 litre engine is very linear in power delivery which means that it is very predictable to drive.

the only 1 gripe with the car is the brakes. It takes a bit of getting used to. The driver has to press quite hard on the brake pedal to initiate any kind of speed retardation but once you get used to this the brakes are actually very good.

The best part about the car was the Sport Chrono function which came with the Sport Plus button. This little button really changes the behavior of the car from sporty to very angry. The engine would very willing spin to the redline and the suspension will stiffen up to reduce body roll. The animal really comes out and feels like the car will squeeze out the extra 5 to 10hp. It is definitely more applicable on the race track but nevertheless it is still fun on a empty piece of road.

Many motoring journalists have given good reviews about the 911 as the sports car of the century. I have to agree. The engineers have poured in enough hours to improve the car to such a point that it is a real driver's car. they also managed to overcome the rear pendulum effect and made the car drive very well.

F1 - the new vs the old

The new Formula One season just kicked off with the Australian GP. The big difference this year is the introduction of new regulations with new engines and new KERS system. All the changes were made to make the sport more exciting and also to make the sport Greener! if that is ever possible!
The new 1.6 litre turbo engine is aimed at higher fuel efficiency but it has taken away the shrieking exhaust note from the old 2.4 litre V8 engine. Many fans complained that the car has lost its character and is no longer as interesting. Apart from the sound the new regulations have made the sport more interesting from the spectators point of view. The new KERS system is much more powerful with 160hp extra power and 33 seconds worth of boost. The drag reduction system also has a greater effect allowing easier overtaking.

The smaller front and rear wings also mean that the cars will have less down force making it more tricky to drive this will see more drivers making mistakes to allow more overtaking. The first race was a good preview of what is yet to come for this season. Some of the former midfield teams may just pull out some surprises over the top teams.

Several of the rookies showed their skill in the season opening race with Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo making a name for themselves by taking on the former world champions and beating them convincingly. The 2014 will definitely shape up to be an exciting season indeed.

Proton asking USD1billion to develop a new car

It is hardly surprising to read that Proton is once again struggling. No one really wants to buy their new car or existing cars unless they cannot help it financially. Their sales figures have been on the decline and new models are not selling as fast as they had hoped. They recently asked the Malaysian government for US$1 billion to help them fund the research and development of a new model. The level of corruption in Proton is well known among many suppliers who previously supplied parts to them. The US$1 billion request is scoffed at by the public as many believe that half of that money will end up in the pockets of a few people in the company.

Realistically Proton could easily adopt a much easier route if they were serious about developing a new model in the attempt to do real honest business. They can easily buy an existing chassis from a major car company and buy the engine and transmission from another, or simply do a rebadging job and alter the physical appearance to call it their own. Since they don't have the right engineering team to develop a car ground up that is worthy to compete on the global market, they are better of just doing a rebadging job. Saves them time, money and they can offer more models to the market which will help them take a slice in the market in various market segments.

With the founder Dr. Mahathir leaving the company as advisor, the company is in a predicament where they do not have someone of power to lean on to for help. The company has been protected long enough and until today they cannot compete in the domestic market without protection. Shouldn't it be time for this poor excuse for a car company to shut down and call it a day instead of continuing to burden the Malaysian public!

Has Japan finally caught the engine downsizing bug?

It appears that Honda will be among the first Japanese car makers to follow the Europeans to downsize their engines and couple it with a turbo charger. It is about time too!! The Europeans have been doing this for about 10 years. The news is definitely exciting as Honda was a proponent in turbo charging back in the 1980s and now they are back to it again.
It will be interesting to see how Honda's new engines will compare against the European car makers. The newer turbo technology has made turbo charging more appealing than before offering better efficiency and also less turbo lag.
The soon to be released Honda Civic Type R will be the first of the Type R models to feature a turbo charged engine with impressive performance figures. This car will likely give VW and Audi a run for their money performance wise and it is likely that the car will also be cheaper than the VW and Audi.

We shall see which other Japanese car company will follow this direction.