A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
VW electric sets Pikes Peak record
There is a misconception, in the automotive world, that electric cars are a bit boring. Mostly, this is because early electric efforts have been marketed as an economical and environmental proposition, and it’s a bit hard to get excited about something like a Nissan Leaf unless you’re wearing hemp underwear.
Tesla has moved the excitement meter a little, but remains a sort of modern-day electric AMG. They’re great at straight-line acceleration, but tend to overheat at the track. It’s early days yet.
However, the real saviour of electric performance might end up being Volkswagen. Partially due to getting soot on their face with the whole TDI diesel scandal, VW’s been pouring money into electric-powered vehicles. Their I.D. sub-brand has a few projects on the way, including (naturally) a crossover, and a rebirth of the beloved VW van.
To drum up interest in EVs, VW decided to have a go at breaking the electric record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year, and ended up smashing everyone’s expectations. Because electric power isn’t affected by altitude, their I.D. R racing machine was perfectly suited to the thin Colorado air. With twin electric motors cranking out 600+ horsepower, and huge downforce to handle the corners, the I.D. R set the overall course record in less than eight minutes.
Of course, the I.D. R is a racing machine built for a single purpose (and a single driver). However, the writing on the wall is good news: electrification is the future of performance, but that doesn’t mean we have to slow down.
Porsche 919 Evo sets new record at Nürburgring
Another record that fell this week to an electrified machine was the course record at the Nürburgring. Used as bragging rights by many manufacturers, lap times at the tricky, bumpy, and narrow Nürburgring are often used to show off a brand’s engineering prowess.
Now, the Porsche 919 Evolution, a reworked version of their Le Mans winning endurance racer, has absolutely shattered things. With driver Timo Bernhard at the wheel, the hybrid 919 decimated the decades-old lap time around the track, reaching speeds as high as 360 kilometres per hour.
The car completed its lap in five minutes 19 seconds. To give you an idea of how fast that is, the current 700 h.p. 911 GT2RS has managed a best lap of six minutes 47 seconds. Count off a minute and a half in your head.
That’s just blistering performance, but as Porsche has withdrawn from Le Mans, what does it really prove? Perhaps, someday, we’ll look back on cars like the 919 Evo as the high water mark of what was possible. Or, perhaps, this is just the beginning.
Hellcat Redeye pushes H.P. to near 800
More than a few people will have read the above two news items with dismay, worried that the future will be missing the rumble of a big displacement V-8. They’re probably right – but the future is not here yet.
By borrowing a few bits from their dragstrip-focused Demon, Dodge has managed to increase the Hellcat Challenger and Charger to an even-more-ridiculous 717 base horsepower and 797 h.p. in a new model called the Redeye. Out of the box, these leviathan throwbacks will run as quick as a 10-second quarter mile, and have a top speed of 326 km/h.
Naturally, there is the tendency to want to pick a side. Are you for electric performance, or for this old-school, Hemi-powered, supercharged lunacy? Why can’t it be both? Isn’t there enough room in the automotive world to love something as silly as the Hellcat, and also look forward to a zippy little electric commuter for the weekdays?
MG returning with AWD, electric power
Now here’s a blast from the past, and by “blast” I mean blast of steam as your car overheats, bursts a hose, and has to go home on a flat deck. Those of us who love old British cars understand their foibles, but we also understand that they’re not for everyone.
However, the MG brand belongs to a Chinese company called SAIC Motor these days, and that company is confident that the image of an MGB pootling happily along a country lane is sufficient to overcome any remembrances of time spent calling a tow truck. Their plan is to bring MG’s sporting heritage back, this time with all-wheel-drive and electric power.
Hear that? It’s the sound of Sir Joseph Lucas cackling from beyond the grave. Would you buy an electric, all-wheel-drive Miata built in China? Why not? Your iPhone already comes from there and it only crashes thrice a week.
Watch this space for all the best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
