A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
TVR lives again
Once based out of the popular seaside resort of Blackpool in jolly old Blighty, specialty sportscar maker TVR has since slid into obscurity with the ignominious flop of a child's ice cream falling on the pavement.
Sad stuff, as it was once the maker of some of the most bonkers-looking machines to ever slide sideways into a hedge and catch on fire.
These were bizarre fibreglass concoctions with high-powered straight-six engines (and occasionally V-8s), and they weren't easy to drive, no sir.
On the other hand, they did have a character and panache that's sadly waning in the automotive world. Happy news then, that the TVR badge seems to be making a comeback. While there are no actual sheets flying off concepts yet, a new entrepreneur, one Les Edgar, has purchased the brand and seems to be revving things up - the website is back online, and there are indications that a new car is in the works.
This news that the company is now back in the hands of an enthusiastic U.K. businessman would no doubt please the late Trevor
Wilkinson, who founded TVR in 1947. Victory, battle and tragedy at the Canadian Grand Prix
Last weekend saw the beautiful city of Montreal become a battleground for top-tier racing: Formula One came to town.
After some interesting hijinks during qualifying, the race turned out to be an easy win for whiz-kid Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull/Infiniti car, running out ahead early on and maintaining a lead through to the finish. Infiniti must be very happy that their sponsorship is working out so well, victory-wise.
The real battles were farther back in the pack, particularly between Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who squeaked by Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes-Benz to steal second. Not necessarily a clean victory for the Spaniard: rumours here of a pass under a yellow flag, which is a definite no-no.
Sadly, while there would be much champagne sprayed post-race, there was also terrible news. A volunteer track worker was crushed by a crane while attempting to remove a crashed F1 racer from one of the corners. Details are slim, but apparently the veteran track worker slipped and fell out of sight of the moving crane, and was caught under its wheels.
It's worth remembering that in the fraternity of speed, it's not just the drivers who risk everything, but the support workers who do a far less glamorous, and similarly dangerous job.
Honda enters minivan in Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Honda seems to be increasing their involvement in motorsport these days, and you could hardly claim they're not being creative.
Their entry for a race-bred machine to tackle the dangerous and lofty Pikes Peak time-trial challenge?
A Honda Odyssey. This rollcage-prepped, turbocharged van isn't the kind of thing you'd schlep the soccer team around in either. It's got huge fat tires, a racing suspension and 550 horsepower to hurtle it up the hill.
Naturally, you know what I'm thinking - why not a production-model Odyssey Si for the street? Just because life requires parking a minivan in the driveway doesn't mean you can't have a little fun too.
Electric Mercedes-Benz sets Nürburgring record
When it comes to performance-oriented electric vehicles, Tesla has been soaking up the spotlight for too long. Let's turn that light on a growing battle between two traditional manufacturers, locked in combat on the legendary Nürburgring.
Audi threw down the gauntlet with its Etron R8 - an electric-only version of Ingolstadt's supercar. With a lap time hovering around the low eight-minute range, the R8 made its bones as a fairly impressive machine, though slower than its gasoline-powered compatriots.
However, Mercedes has firmly established itself as current electric King of the 'Ring, shattering Audi's times with a seven minute, fifty-six second lap that's faster even than the V-8-powered R8. They did so with their SLS Electric Drive, which is . . . well, you can figure it out.
With all-wheel drive and the equivalent of 751 h.p., the electric SLS is quite the machine, though it should be noted that it's handily trumped by the normally powered version (which is also half the price). Still, with carmakers focusing on electric performance as well as efficiency, it's good news for our inevitably battery-powered future.
Watch this space for all the week's best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected]. Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendan_mcaleer.
