Some will argue that Top Gear will only go as far as Jeremy Clarkson takes it, and to a certain extent, there’s some truth to that. But that’s not to say that his co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, are scrubs by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, one of them is going to get his own show in, of all places, America.
That’s right. The Hamster himself is crossing over to the other side of the pond. As BBC continues to expand its line-up in our neck of the woods, one of the shows that has already been confirmed will feature Richie Boy in a show called ’Hard Drive with Richard Hammond.’
The show is being being pegged as something along the lines of the World’s Toughest Driving Tests. Hammond will be traveling across the vast expanses of our wondrous land in search of the weirdest machines that he can get to move faster than Captain Slow ever could. We don’t know what kind of contraptions are going to be in store for us, but we’re definitely digging the concept of the show.
Let’s hope that the show more than lives up to the pretty awesome concept.
Need another reason to buy a Ferrari, if you have the means? The Prancing Horse is now offering a free, seven-year scheduled-maintenance program for those who put a 2012 California, 458 Italia or FF in their driveway.
Ferrari announced the program this week for North America, and it will roll out in global markets over the next few months. The program includes regular maintenance at 12,500 miles, or once a year.
Meanwhile, the Prancing Horse also revealed financial results for the first six months of the year, and net profits grew 23.5 percent, to $131.86 million, on the strength of revenue that increased 19.6 percent. The supercar maker also delivered 3,577 cars in that time, an upswing of 11.8 percent compared with 2011.
Ferrari pointed to strong sales of its two 12-cylinders--the 599 GTO and the SA Aperta--for strong volume. The California and the 458 also reported solid figures, the company said.
In North America, sales jumped 23.2 percent to 939 vehicles in the first half, and it remains the No. 1 market for the brand.
Interestingly, Ferrari said all of its cars were personalized in some way by customers. Look for similar results when the "tailor made" program launches in September.
Additionally, 176 copies of the 458 were sold for GT competition around the world.
Ferrari said the FF, the first all-wheel-drive car from the Prancing Horse, has not made an impact yet on the financial results, as it is just now reaching the market after a reveal at the Geneva motor show.
In other news, Ferrari signed a deal with shoemaker Puma. The Formula One team stands third in the World Championship with 192 points, trailing McLaren (243) and Red Bull (355). Its next race is this weekend in Hungary.
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has bold plans for the automaker's Maserati luxury sports car unit: to boost annual sales almost tenfold to 50,000 units from 5,675 last year.
Three new models are key to this midterm goal and all are based on systems and components from Chrysler Group.
Maserati will introduce two new sedans to replace its Quattroporte flagship model using technology from Chrysler's large sedans such as the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Avenger.
The third new Maserati will be the company's first SUV. Chrysler will build it alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee in the Jefferson North plant in Detroit.
Maserati officials say the new models will not be rebadged Chryslers. They will have different bodies and interiors, as well as new front and rear suspensions and dedicated powertrains. The parts to be shared will be where the customer does not see it, the same as in the Bentley Continental, which is a rebodied Volkswagen Phaeton.
Quattroporte's size problem
Maserati's two new sedans will be produced at the Officine Automobilistiche Grugliasco (OAG), the new name Fiat gave to the former Carrozzeria Bertone factory it bought in 2009. Maserati will invest 550 million euros ($774 million) to refurbish the plant and launch the models.
The sedans will solve the current Quattroporte's size problem. The car is too big to be a compelling driver's car but too small--particularly in terms of rear legroom--to serve as a good chauffeur's car.
The problem will be resolved by offering two cars: a "baby" Quattroporte, code-named M157 and a larger Quattroporte, code-named M156.
The "baby" Quattroporte will launch next year and is designed to be a driver's car and compete with rivals such as the Audi A6, the BMW 5 series and the Mercedes E class.
The project was initially conceived as a flagship model for the Alfa Romeo brand but was switched to Maserati because this brand could win a higher pricing point and already has a global distribution network.
The new model keeps Maserati's traditional layout of a front longitudinal engine and rear-wheel drive.
The car will use a heavily revised, high performance version of the Chrysler V6 Pentastar engine. With capacity reduced to 3.0 liters, the addition of Fiat's fuel-saving MultiAir air management system, twin turbocharging and direct injection, this variant will deliver more than 400 hp and good fuel economy. The most powerful version of the 3.6-liter Pentastar currently delivers 305 hp on the Dodge Challenger.
Europe would also get a diesel variant of the baby Quattroporte with a beefed-up version of VM Motori's 3.0-liter V6 engine currently offered on the Jeep Grand Cherokee for export.
Maserati says the new car will fit a price range between 55,000 euros to 70,000 euros in Europe ($78,000 to $99,000).
Mercedes S class rival
The large Quattroporte will be considerably bigger than the current model to compete better with chauffeur-driven, long-wheelbase versions of German flagship sedans such as the Audi A8, BMW 7 series and Mercedes-Benz S class.
With overall length at about 203.5 inches, the new model would be 2.8 inches longer than the current Quattroporte and 8.7 inches longer than the "baby" Quattroporte.
Maserati's new flagship will use a revised version of the Ferrari-built 4.7-liter V8, switching to direct injection and delivering about 475 hp, coupled with ZF Group's eight-speed automatic transmission. This sporty, fuel-saving transmission is already available on large Audi and BMW models, while Chrysler will begin offering it on the 2012 model year on the 300 sedan and its Dodge Charger sibling.
Maserati will add all-wheel drive and stop-start technology, aiming to reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent from the current Quattroporte.
Maserati said the new Quattroporte should increase the brand's share in the global superluxury sedan segment to 8 percent from the current 3 percent. The company counts superluxury sedans as models priced between $180,000 and $215,000 (125,000 euros and 150,000 euros) in Europe.
The sedans will account for about 30,000 to 35,000 units of Maserati's 50,000 annual sales target and the SUV for about 10,000 to 15,000. The remaining 5,000 units would come from Maserati's current core products, the GranTurismo coupe and the GranCabrio convertible.
The new Maseratis were designed by the Maserati Styling Center in Turin, under the direction of Marco Tencone and the supervision of Fiat group design supremo Lorenzo Ramaciotti. For the past two decades, Maseratis have been styled either by Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. or Pininfarina S.p.A.
Frankfurt SUV debut
Maserati will debut a concept at the Frankfurt auto show in September that hints at its Jeep Grand Cherokee-based large SUV set to hit the market in 2013. The Maserati variant features specific body panels and a new interior.
The engine would be Maserati's 4.7-liter V8 unit capable of about 450 hp, coupled with ZF's eight-speed automatic transmission.
Possibly only for Europe, the Maserati SUV could also get a diesel variant using VM Motori's 3.0-liter V6, with power increased to more than 300 hp from 241 hp the engine currently delivers on the Grand Cherokee exported to Europe.
Maserati declined to give a price target for its large SUV, but in Europe it would cost considerably more than the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7-liter V8 Overland that in Italy starts at $92,000 (63,800 euros).
Ken Block and DC Shoes have started production for Gymkhana Four, which is slated for video launch late this summer.
Block said he never thought he'd outdo Gymkhana Three but that he's fully confident the fourth installment will blow it out of the water.
"The locations we visited and action we documented are absolutely wild," Block said. "Fans are going to be floored when they see the finished clip."
DC President Anton Nistl credits Block's Gymkhana video content for a spike in Facebook followers--from 1 million last October to 5.6 million to date. Block's Gymkhana franchise has brought in more than 110 million global views, and Gymkhana Three made YouTube's list of Top-10 Videos of 2010.
According to DC, Block fans can expect a whole new level of tire-smoking and precision driving in this next video. Block said the new race car he drives is "an absolute beast."
Block's Monster World Rally Team just finished building the car--a modified 2011 Ford Fiesta--in time for its public debut on Saturday at the Gymkhana World Tour event in Los Angeles. Block will use it again later this week at the X Games 17 in a rally-car racing event and a RallyCross competition.
The reworked Fiesta is dubbed the HFHV, or Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle. "Hybrid" is meant to denote a capacity for quick changes, as the Fiesta can be set up in different modes to be used for gymkhana driving, RallyCross racing or U.S. Rally America racing. External changes let the audience know which setup the car is operating in: white for gymkhana, green for RallyCross and black for Rally America.
Internally, the radiator moves between the front and rear for different setups, depending on cooling needs. Each mode also has individual suspension setups, engine programs, turbos, restrictors and more.
A new livery accompanies the new build, but retains the drip element from Block's Gymkhana Three car. It incorporates vertical pin stripes and a tonal repeat pattern from his 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC car.
And, yes, a new pair of updated-livery-inspired kicks will be premiere in Gymkhana Four, and DC Shoes will start selling them when the video launches.
To keep up with the making of Gymkhana Four, go to www.dcshoes.com/auto.
Pushing 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, the newest member of the Maserati lineup is now the brand's fastest production vehicle in North America.
The 2012 GranTurismo MC gets a base price of $143,400--which includes $1,800 in shipping charges and $1,700 in gas guzzler tax. For full wind-in-your-hair accelerative exposure, the convertible-sport variant starts at $146,300, including the shipping and gas guzzler charges.
The limited-production MC is the brainchild of the Maserati Corse racing team--crafted for those craving a more powerful four-seater for everyday driving. The 2012 MC offers handling and aerodynamics on par with the Stradale on sale in Europe.
The MC gets a 4.7-liter V8 that punches 444 hp and kicks out 376 lb-ft of torque. A shift-controlled ZF six-speed automatic matches revs upon downshifting and offers a top speed of 185 mph.
The combination of friction reduction on engine parts and a lighter exhaust system contribute to a 6 percent improvement in fuel economy. The MC has a shortened exhaust path with two large-diameter outlets--similar to the Trofeo race car and European Stradale.
The MC comes with an Aerodynamic Racing package that increases downforce up to 50 percent at high speeds without creating more drag.
The 2012 GranTurismo MC is expected to go on sale in late August.
