Обзоры лучших машин

Archive for Август, 2009

When Bugatti launched the Veyron, the world was a very different place. More people had money, for sure, and far more moneyed folk were happy to show the world what they could afford.

Into a very different world marches the convertible version of the Veyron, the nearly $2 million Grand Sport. Even those people who have money are finding it prudent not to demonstrably splash it around, even if this car is–almost certainly–the most astonishing convertible ever built.

Other things have changed, too.

When Bugatti launched the Veyron, there was no public consciousness about it. It was just another oddly shaped machine that barely drew a look. That’s all gone. Even in car-hating France, people know what the Veyron is. And they love it. They cheer for it. They raise their thumbs for it. They take photos on raised Nokias. When it parks, they call their friends, who all come down to take their own photos.

This is what Ferraris used to be in the 1960s–but faster, stronger and better built.

Taking the roof off any car is dangerous. Convertibles don’t feel as composed in corners, they struggle in crash safety, and their windscreens wobble on bumpy corners. Not the Veyron. The carbon-fiber chassis was redesigned around the windscreen pillars, down in the sills and behind the driver to cope with the forces.

And what forces. Nothing in series production accelerates the way a Veyron does, and the Grand Sport lost nothing in translation from the coupe. It’s a touch heavier, at 4,387 pounds, but it will still disdainfully explode past 62 mph in 2.7 seconds and smash beyond 124 mph in 7.3 seconds, and 186 mph–considered an end-goal speed for most sports-car makers–will be dead and buried in 16.7 seconds.
The four-turbo, 7.9-liter W16 in the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is rated at 1,001 hp.
A picture of The four-turbo, 7.9-liter W16 in the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is rated at 1,001 hp.

The four-turbo, 7.9-liter W16 in the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is rated at 1,001 hp.

And in spite of Bugatti claiming not to have done much to the driveline–with 1,001 hp, 921 lb-ft of torque and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox–Bugatti heard few complaints about urgency. The noise pedal unveils the biggest change from coupe to convertible.

If you’re not careful, both Bugattis will crush the air out of your lungs so hard that you’ll feel as if you’ve been spit out of a submarine. Yet with the roof off (and stowed somewhere other than in the Veyron, which can’t carry it), the Grand Sport becomes involving and passionate and menacing in ways the coupe never could.

If you could level one criticism at the monster W16, four-turbo Veyron 16.4 coupe, it is that the noise didn’t match the fury that the engine must have felt to propel the damned thing so brutally. Not anymore. The induction starts it all at low revs, followed by the exhaust, and at about 1,500 rpm, the turbos begin their demonic whistle. None of them will cede superiority to the other, and it becomes an escalating cacophony, bellowing and bruising the air around it.

If anything, the Grand Sport is even easier to drive. The lateral grip is prodigious, the brakes (on a public road, at least) are unfailingly strong, the all-wheel drive still works superbly, the springs are a fraction softer, and the Michelin tires are more progressive when they run out of grip (which takes some doing).

The cynical ones might think that a convertible Veyron obviously would be a lesser Veyron. They are wrong.

Only 150 Grand Sports ever will be built, and it’s hard to imagine the day when it ever will be outclassed, outsprinted or outposed. Against most machines, it’s expensive. Against other things that line up at the million-euro mark (the Ferrari Enzo, the Maserati MC12, the Lamborghini Reventón, to name a few), the engineering runs so deep it’s a bargain.

After a relatively slow start, the storm season 2008 was one of the most destructive in recent memory. One of the statistics that’s not generally reported in such natural disasters is the number of cars that are damaged by the floodwaters, often having been completely submerged.

Three storms in September alone battered the U.S. and soaked hundreds of thousands of cars. The Atlantic seaboard was littered with flooded cars in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna, while vehicles from the Gulf Coast, from Galveston to New Orleans, and all the way up through Indiana were soaked by Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.

Let’s also not forget Hurricane Fay’s August assault on Florida and the floods that ravaged Midwest states like Iowa, Missouri and Illinois in June, turning thousands of vehicles in those states into waterlogged wrecks.

The number of flood damaged cars on the market more than doubled from 2002-2006 and these powerful storms are likely to result in even more being resold — often thousands of miles away from where they were damaged. A flooded car from Houston or Cedar Rapids, Iowa is more likely to wind up for sale somewhere in Arizona, New York or California than it is locally.

Despite the fact that most flood damaged vehicles from Hurricane Ike and other storms will be written off by insurance companies, some will make their way back onto the used car market, cleaned up and disguised as regular used cars with clean titles. Flood damage can be difficult to spot because typically there’s little physical damage; a car that’s been underwater literally will rot from the inside out.

Consumers shopping for a used car should be on high alert for signs of flood damage and potential fraud. Flood damage information is reported to Carfax from all 50 state DMVs.

Carfax also offers these tips to help consumers spot signs of possible water damage:

- Check the trunk, glove compartment, dashboard, and below the seats for signs of water damage such as silt, mud or rust.

- Examine upholstery and carpeting closely; if it doesn’t match the interior or fits loosely, it may have been replaced. Discolored, faded or stained materials could indicate water damage.

- Turn the ignition key and make sure that accessory and warning lights and gauges work properly. Make sure the air bag and ABS lights come on and go off.

- Test power and electronics systems such as interior/exterior lights, windows and door locks, radio, cigarette lighter, heater and air conditioner several times to make sure they work.

- Flex some of the wires beneath the dashboard. Wet wires will become brittle once dry and may crack.

- Take a whiff for musty odors or strong perfumes used to mask the smell of mildew.

THE Calibra is back! Vauxhall’s legendary coupé is about to make a welcome return in the shape of this sleek new sports car, Auto Express can exclusively reveal.

Replacing the much-loved and much-missed Calibra – the world’s most aerodynamic coupé when it arrived in 1989 – the model will sit above the forthcoming three-door Astra, set to debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

It will go into battle with a raft of desirable machines. With VW’s Golf-based Scirocco proving a hit, and demand for Peugeot’s 308 RC Z and Ford’s upcoming Focus-based two-door likely to be equally strong, the market for compact coupés is growing.

Thanks to a sleek body which mixes styling cues from the GTC Concept – seen at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show as a preview to the Insignia – and those of the new Astra, the car is set to take centre stage.

Along with the Astra Roadster (Issue 1,069), the compact newcomer will be the star of Vauxhall’s line-up, as the firm has put on hold its plans for a larger, Insignia-based coupé, in the style of the GTC.

So it carries a lot of hope on its shoulders – but, just like the original Calibra, it’s sure to turn heads.

Key to its appeal is the sloping roof, which gives the impression of a car that can slice through the air. The front boasts Astra-style headlights along with ‘sabre tooth’ vertical air intakes – a design feature taken directly from the GTC Concept – and a low splitter. Sculpted flanks and sleek tail-lights complete the distinctive shape.

Inside will be a 2+2 cabin, and it’s possible the Calibra could have a development of the GTC’s Flex4 arrangement, which allows the two seats in the back to slide fully forward, maximising boot space.

That would make it one of the most practical cars in its class. As with the Astra, the Calibra will sit on Vauxhall’s latest front-wheel-drive Delta platform.

But with a wider track and increased wheelbase – as you can see from this prototype (centre), which was disguised by a hatch body – it will provide better stability and traction.

Vauxhall’s FlexRide electronic damping system will be fitted as standard to flagship versions. This features Standard, Sport and Tour settings, letting the driver tweak suspension stiffness, throttle response and other variables.

Under the bonnet, power will come from a range of Astra-sourced engines, including a 157bhp 2.0-litre diesel and a 177bhp 1.6 turbo. A range-topping 2.0 turbo from the upcoming Astra VXR will kick out in excess of 250bhp.

The Calibra is still some way off, though. First, Vauxhall will launch the Astra three-door and estate, not to mention a new Zafira MPV. However, when the coupé finally does arrive, it will be an instant hit.