McLaren plotting entry-level model below MP4-12C

Could be called 'P13'

A recent report suggests McLaren is preparing a new model slotted below theMP4-12C.

According to Motor Trend, the third model in McLaren's lineup is codenamed P13 and will be a two-seater sports car but with a proper trunk. McLaren believes it will be the firm's best-selling model and they estimate on delivering between 2,000 and 2,500 units each year.

In terms of pricing, it will cost less than 200,000 USD so that it won’t steal the MP4-12C's spotlight which begins at 250,000 USD. Under the hood it will get a detuned version of the V8 twin-turbo powering the MP4-12C which should put out somewhere around the 500 HP (368 kW) region.

Design-wise, some of the styling cues will be borrowed from the recently introduced P1which means there will be several active aero elements, thin strips of LEDs, along with a lot of swoops and curves.

It is believed McLaren will launch the car sometime next year.

Source: wot.motortrend.com

via Worldcarfans

all on SIGNATECH-ALPINE !

Il aura fallu attendre 35 ans pour revoir le nom d'Alpine aux 24 Heures du Mans même si une A610 alignée par Legeay Sports a roulé dans la Sarthe en 1994 avec l'équipage composé de Jean-Claude Police, Luc Galmard et Benjamin Roy, et une 14ème place finale. C'est maintenant Signatech-Alpine qui va porter haut les couleurs Alpine avec une ORECA 03 au départ des manches de l'European Le Mans Series mais aussi des 24 Heures du Mans. Si pour le moment on ne parle pas de châssis Alpine, on ne peut toutefois qu'applaudir ce retour à la compétition de la marque lancée par Jean Rédélé en 1955. La #36 sera pilotée par Nelson Panciatici, Pierre Ragues dans le championnat européen avec le renfort de Tristan Gommendy au Mans. Le jeune pilote Paul-Loup Chatin aura pour sa part le rôle de pilote Junior. Le pensionnaire du Tech1 Racing en Formula Renault 2.0 prendra part aux séances d'essais mais aussi à la Journée Test des 24 Heures du Mans avec comme mission de s'aguerrir à l'Endurance.

La livrée de celle que l'on appellera Alpine #36 a été dévoilée à l'Atelier Renault situé sur les Champs Elysées avant de prendre la direction du Paul Ricard pour les Essais Officiels European Le Mans Series de mardi et mercredi. Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Signatech-Alpine, ne peut qu'être satisfait de cette arrivée d'Alpine : « On m'avait dit : tu vas voir la passion Alpine est un formidable accélérateur. Je confirme ! Depuis que l'annonce a été faite, le temps passe incroyablement vite. Il y a 15 jours nous étions au Mans aujourd'hui aux Champs Elysées... Pour moi, et pour mes associés, c'est un rêve de gosse, qui se réalise et une énorme fierté. Chaque jour nous avançons un peu plus dans le projet et surtout vers les 24 Heures du Mans qui vont être une fantastique édition cette année ! Nous devons maintenant nous concentrer sur le travail en piste. Un gros programme de développement pneumatique nous attend, ainsi que l'intégration de Tristan dans l'équipe. J'ai une totale confiance en mes pilotes Nelson et Pierre, car nous avons vraiment bien travaillé ensemble l'an passé, et je suis ravi de la venue de Tristan pour le Mans, qui avec trois participations à l'épreuve mancelle et un palmarès International bien fourni pourra apporter ses compétences à l'équipe. » L'émotion est la même chez Didier Calmels : « Je suis vraiment content que Philippe ait réussi son pari ! Plus on se rapproche de la première course plus l'émotion grandie. C'est également une immense fierté de voir l'Alpine #36 présentée sur les Champs Elysées, sous le nom de Signatech-Alpine. »

Les trois pilotes ont été formés par la filière Renault en monoplace. Fort d'une très belle saison en Championnat du Monde d'Endurance, Neslon Panciatici renouvelle le bail avec Signatech : « J'ai vraiment hâte d'être au Castellet pour effectuer mes premiers tours de roues en bleu ! Nous allons poursuivre le travail commencé avec Michelin à Magny-Cours où nous avons déjà énormément progressé et sans nul doute qu'après les différents essais prévus par Olivier, notre ingénieur, nous serons compétitifs pour jouer la victoire. C'est notre objectif même si nous sommes confiants que le niveau du LMP2 sera très relevé ! Je sais que je peux compter sur l'expérience de Pierre et Tristan, mes coéquipiers pour continuer dans la discipline. Il nous reste maintenant quelques séances d'essais et deux courses pour bien préparer les 24 Heures du Mans et je suis confiant ! »

Nelson Panciatici fera cause commune avec Pierre Ragues sur les cinq manches de l'European Le Mans Series. Le Caennais est un habitué de l'équipe dirigée par Philippe Sinault, et c'est avec une certaine fierté qu'il va rouler dans un prototype aux couleurs mythiques Alpine : « C'est un honneur pour moi que de faire partie de cette aventure et d'être intégré à Signatech-Alpine pour 2013. La voiture est vraiment belle avec cette incroyable livrée. Je suis impatient d'en prendre le volant dans quelques jours lors des essais au Paul Ricard et de poursuivre ce que nous avons débuté à Magny-Cours quelques semaines plus tôt. Je suis aussi ravi de poursuivre l'aventure avec Nelson Panciatici en ELMS et de rouler avec Tristan Gommendy au Mans. La saison s'annonce prometteuse en roulant sur de beaux circuits. En compagnie de mon partenaire le Group Auto Union, nous attendons beaucoup des prochains essais ainsi que la première manche qui va nous amener vers Le Mans où la bannière Signatech-Alpine sera bien en évidence. »

Tout est réuni pour bien faire chez Signatech-Alpine et à une époque où le sport automobile devient marginal pour ses détracteurs, on ne peut que se féliciter d'avoir réuni autant de partenaires tricolores pour ce programme, qui espérons-le n'est qu'une première pierre à l'édifice. Carlos Tavares et Philippe Sinault prouvent avec ce programme que l'on peut encore créer quelque chose en sport automobile de nos jours. Oui cette Alpine LMP2 n'est pour le moment qu'une ORECA 03 mais Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour...

Les photos de la présentation sont ici.

by Laurent Mercier(Endurance-Info)

ANATOMY OF A DRAG CAR: MAZFIX MADE ME A BELIEVER

It’s a fact I’ve never really been a fan of drag racing. Hang on though and stick with me, because I am now – and I hope that you will be too after reading this. Drag racing is not something I’ve just discovered either: I’ve been regularly visiting dragstrips for over 15 years. From Santa Pod in the UK to the National Trails in Ohio, Bakersfield in California, the Perth Motorplex and now Willowbank Raceway near Brisbane. The Mazfix Mazda 6 is what made me a believer, and this is why.

One of the first things I do when I’m planning a trip is to scan the internet and see what I can find along my route. The immediacy of the available information and the level of connection I can feel from a simple web search never ceases to excite me. So it was late one evening in January that I found the video above, only recently posted by the guys at Mazfix in Brisbane. Watching it I realised that prior to 1 minute 40 second point in that video I could take or leave drag racing. After that it all changed… Watch it now and come back with the same buzz I got.

The incredible sensation I got in the pit of my stomach when I saw the 6 launch from inside the cockpit, it just pulled me in. I wanted to know how that felt, how you did it and who was doing it. The ‘why’ part had disappeared… That infectious celebration at the end? I wanted know who those guys were. Four weeks and 12,000 miles in cattle class later I saw the 6 in person, and the header photo was taken by me at the dragstrip I’d seen in the film. This is Speedhunting.

Realising that I’m now a drag racing fan, it makes me wonder why I’d never really previously connected with it as a sport. I’ve ridden in really quick drag cars, but never on a strip; I have friends who race down into the sevens, but I’ve never crewed for them – instead occasionally watching from the sidelines. Then I think again about the times I’ve driven the quarter mile and felt like ripping the back seats out for weight saving as I crossed the line, or got excited about commentating on a jet car run – and suddenly it’s clear: I’ve just been in massive denial.

Archie Kajewski (pronounced kai-eski) was the first person in the world to go over 200mph on the dragstrip using a rotary; he was also the first in Australia to run a six-second quarter using one. He’s the man behind Mazfix, the Brisbane-based rotary tuner. Although he’s quick to point out it’s not just rotaries – but we’ll talk about that another time. As I stood at the strip, it was the definition of frustration as the rain started coming and racing was called for the day. The guys got one run earlier on in the morning and that was it… Game over. You see those speckles on the rear window? Their millions of friends arrived minutes later. Take another look at the rear profile of the body and you see just how it’s formed to flow air – not obvious from a cursory inspection.

So what was I going to do? No racing meant everybody was going home, so I made a plan with Archie to visit the Mazfix HQ and get under the composite skin of this drag car. It’s odd, but I was really gripped with the need to know more, as though my sense of guilt at not having paid more attention before at countless strips had fully kicked in. The Mazfix Racing 6 was just the thing to satisfy my need for knowledge: gorgeous details abound, even though purpose is paramount.

A few days later and I was in a spacious and busy workshop, and hidden in a back corner behind its large trailer was the 6. Partially stripped and raised on air jacks it sat like a sedated panther, allowing me access to analyse and understand. That table is where the guys have their breaks, lunch and chew the fat on a daily basis. The other side of the car is the microwave and water taps, so the 6 really is part of the fabric here and constantly under discussion.

It’s here I could take a look around and try to understand just what it takes to go that quick. As I said, Archie is a seasoned drag racer with masses of experience and previous six-second runs – he’s been at it for years. So the first step was to start with a proven chassis and body package (albeit originally intended to have V8 power) bought in from the States, fabricated by Jerry Bickel Race Cars Inc.

For a start this gives you an idea of safety measures in place: the carbon in-fill panels acting as a barrier if the door falls off. The tapered chassis is designed to distribute the force of an impact through the frame as that force moves rearward, whilst obviously allowing the body to be as slippery as possible. As I moved around the car Archie tells me everything is chromoly aside from the front suspension arms; they’re titanium, he tells me with a smile.

Wheels are obviously small at the front: they need to provide minimal steering and as little wind resistance as possible. You can see here how few runs they’ve done with the bobbles still present on the Goodyear Eagles. Spindle-mounted wheels are so simple in design, and I really like the machined details on these forged Weld items.

Behind them are Mark Williams floating carbon fibre discs, so these are able to move back and forth slightly with a simple, lightweight single-piston calliper. There’s no need for big brakes as the tyres wouldn’t be able to handle massive amounts of stopping power without locking up. Note the simple, familiar coilover set-up – another Jerry Bickel component. The spring rates remain a secret for Archie to keep though. I like the protective trim on the front chassis leg, helping to keep the paintwork chip free.

The front end that covers everything is obviously not a proportionally faithful copy of the Mazda 6, but with some cleverly applied graphics it does a pretty good impression. The headlights are real, and Archie tells me that they intend to get them working – although I’m fairly sure it’s not going to be for road legal reasons. Funny to think in decades gone by the lights and grille would have airbrushed on. Note here the turbo intake in the lower left-hand side.

Here you can see the massive intake pipe which feeds the turbo on the Mazfix 20B Bridgeport. Obviously Archie isn’t about to give up all his trade secrets, but suffice to say this is the global pinnacle of rotary tuning. The motor fitted today is actually a prototype that employs aluminum plates, though the two quickest times so far have been done with a steel-plated motor fitted. I can’t wait to see just how much faster it goes when the guys get some seat time.

The real kicker for me here is that this chassis was designed to house a mountain V8 motor, but now the weight is much lower down and there’s no scoop on the bonnet, which intrigues me as to just how the team have made it all work. Archie says that it’s just down to testing, which they’d love to do more of. They’re a comparatively low-budget team though, and Archie reckons they’re getting there with the suspension set-up. Although as I experienced a couple of days previously, rain can stop play and days of valuable testing are missed. An interesting thing you might notice here is the lack of intercooler, Archie preferring to inject methanol straight in to the inlet pipe – a shorter tract helping feed the rotary no doubt.

Although I’ve never owned a rotary-engined car, I’ve always admired the compact packaging they come with. Look at this picture and you can barely make out the ‘engine’ itself, it’s almost dwarfed by the intake and turbo. There are 15 2,000cc methanol injectors in total, with three per rotor and two in the inlet part way from the turbo. The engine was baselined on the Mazfix dyno but not taken to its limits, so Archie begrudgingly estimates that it’s putting out somewhere around 1,500-1,600bhp. I say that because he stresses to me that he’s not one of those guys who throws power figures around to show off, preferring to let the times doing the talking. There’s no nitrous here either, Archie favours boost, and he hasn’t even nearly run out of that yet.

In fact Archie is a quiet guy and you can see he struggles a little with the attention that the 6 brings, but it’s that adrenalin hit that the throttle brings he can’t deny. So I was honoured that he let me crawl around the 6 today. Although there were certain things I know he has to keep secret he really just left me to get on with it, and I appreciated that. Normally the underfloor would be clad with a flat carbon undertray, but here you can see the simple chassis work – although that’s what it looks like to an untrained professional like myself, because this chassis is built to transmit the power to the back wheels just as much as any transmission.

Moving around the back I notice how the bodywork tucks in behind the rear wheels, so at 200mph the rear arches don’t scoop up air like a bucket and try to rip free. Or worse, slow down the car…

Under the rear end the magnitude of those Weld wheels and Goodyear tyres becomes clear. This is a view I’ve never seen before, so I sit and imagine the air flowing under the body then being pushed, pulled and formed over the smooth lines of the rear undertray. The wheelie bars are there to physically stop the car from flipping on the spot when those tyres get traction, effectively stopping the car from rotating around them.

If they’re too stiff there’s no movement of intertia from front to back and that’s not good either: they need some weight transfer to get traction. This finely-balanced dance is the one Archie is perfecting at the moment, in the pursuit of the optimum launch.

Of course air moves over the body too, with the rear spoiler further aiding traction and doing the job of clearing it from the rear of the Mazda cleanly and quickly.

The forces involved must be massive; once again some exquisite engineering comes in to play with components like these rose-jointed mounts.

Aero is a science on its own and with the Mazda moving from static to 200mph in under seven seconds profile is important. The Speedhunters sticker is worth 10 percent increased flow across the rev range*.

*This is a lie. This sticker should only be used as part of a professionally-controlled race package.

Going back to that film, I got a real sense of awe when I leant inside the cabin. The controls are intentionally simple; it still blows my mind that virtually the whole quarter mile is run with just one hand on the wheel. Only nearing the line after the final shift does Archie actually grip it with two hands.

The safety cell is beautifully detailed to go with the function. Maybe it’s just the lack of graphics or colour, but it also looks like the kind of place the devil would ride when out harvesting souls…

If it’s possible to pick the coolest part of the Mazda, for me this is it. A shifter that looks like the handle of duelling sword? A dagger that’s sole function is to slice time in to tiny slithers. And yes, incredibly it’s a manual. In my experience virtually all high-end drag cars are autos, so that the ‘box can be built to do the same thing every time the power comes knocking. Plus, if you’re running a six-second pass and having to shift gear four times during a run that’s a lot to think about.

So I when I question Archie, he tells me that it actually seems quite slow when he’s on a run, saying he waits for the revs to rise between each gear shift, for the lights on the dash to illuminate one by one until the shift light comes on and then bang… another cog. The brain’s capacity to deal with this situation is incredible, his expertise and experience counting for a lot too. Yes, he’s basically saying his brain slows time down – that and the fact it keeps things fun sticking with the manual…

Or maybe this is the coolest part: quite possibly the only superfluous thing on the car. A simple sticker that I naively ask is significant. Maybe it denotes a type of fixing or point of contact that needs attention? No, it was made up and stuck on because you know what? The Mazda just is. In an otherwise very formal and purposeful build, this makes me smile and reminds me of the human element of this car.

Of course there are also those massive carbon wheel tubs that almost touch the rear window too… Oh man, how can I choose? I hope now you’ve taken a look around the Mazfix 6 you can get a better idea of the purity of purpose involved with drag cars. Maybe that’s why it took so long for me to convert. I just lacked the dedication needed to experience what could well be the ultimate high in the automotive world. The intensity involved with everything about this car makes my skin prickle. Keep up to date with the Factory Xtreme series this year and see how Archie gets on…

I’ll apologise now if you’re a hardcore drag racing fan: I know this article may be lacking in technical detail, but the reasons for this are obvious and out of respect to Mazfix I wasn’t going to push any further, as Archie was more than accommodating when it came to my many questions.

Did you spot the tell-tale marks that the wheelie bars left on the start line? The guys spraypaint them before every run so they can gather as much data as possible.

Right now I’m sat back at the computer where I first saw the film back in January. I’ve travelled to Australia and back, met some good, good people and seen some amazing cars. There’s more to come yet, but I genuinely love the sensation I get when I think about that, the smile it puts on my face when I look at this picture and know I took it. So if you leave this page understanding a bit more about how you can get from standstill to 200mph as quick as this car does and somewhere inside you wonder what it would feel like, then I’m glad – because I genuinely have no idea how I’m ever going to manage it… but I’d sure like to try.

Bryn Musselwhite

Chassis and body

Jerry Bickel Race Car Inc built chromoly, titanium suspension arms, carbon fibre bodyshell with Mazfix modified front half to ape Mazda 6 lines, carbon interior panels with carbon wheel tubs, twin parachutes

Engine

Mazfix Bridgeport 20B with alumium plates, Mobil 1 15/50 oil, dry sump system,  Motec M800 management system

Wheels and tyres

Weld Racing forged rims, Goodyear Eagle tyre

Transmission

Liberty five speed manual, Jerry Bickel nine-inch back axle with 40 spline shafts

Brakes

Mark Williams carbon discs and aluminium calipers

Suspension

Jerry Bickel front and rear struts

Interior

Coldfire safety system, carbon seat, Jerry Bickel fabricated interior panels

Thanks

Mobil Oil, East Coast Lubes, BP Race Fuel, GFB – Go Fast Bits and all my team…

Contact Mazfix for some of their unique expertise here

The First of the Few: 'Sir David's' V8 Lagonda prototype

Well, it was his company, so why shouldn’t Sir David Brown exercise an owner’s right to have Aston Martin make anything he jolly well wanted? The result, in 1969, was a prototype DBS V8 with nearly a foot added to its wheelbase, additional rear doors, Lagonda badging and seating for five. 

The car was announced to the media in January 1970 and bore Lagonda badges (on a new model for the first time since the early 1960s) - though it did retain the attractive four-headlamp chrome grille of the standard Aston Martin DBS. The idea of a full five-seater Aston Martin, able to transport Brown, a lady companion, two guests and a chauffeur had always appealed to the company’s MD.The concept had, in any case, been considered earlier when the design team under William Towns laid down the original drawings of the DBS. Sir David Brown’s car, chassis MP 230/1, registration ‘JPP 5G’, was fitted with an early, 5.0-litre version of the fuel-injected V8. It also ran on wire wheels – a feature of six-cylinder DBSs – while subsequent DBS V8s were always equipped with GKN alloys. In period, the prototype engine was replaced by a 5.3-litre engine (on carbs) and the wires made way for the more appropriate solid alloys.


Not only was the car lengthened, by some skilful styling the roofline ‘broke’ much further back, allowing rear-seat passengers an additional 2.5 inches of headroom. And that’s with a sunroof. The spare wheel was mounted flat under the floor of the boot whose lid now included the panel between the rear lights, thus allowing picnic equipment, golf clubs or shooting paraphernalia to be loaded and unloaded that much more easily.
As a prototype, MP 230/1 served as the inspiration for a further seven production four-door Lagondas in period (the ‘Magnificent Seven’, plus a car constructed on a spare chassis in the late 1990s), all subsequently referred to as ‘Series I’ cars. Featuring horseshoe-shaped grilles, they were built from 1974-1975, after the company had been sold to Company Developments and was no longer part of the David Brown empire.

While in Sir David’s ownership, though, resplendent in Roman Purple with a red velour interior, the one-off you see here was a familiar sight in Newport Pagnell. With ‘DB’ in the rear and faithful chauffeur ‘George’ at the wheel, it transported the MD to and from meetings in London, Newport Pagnell and Huddersfield, where the David Brown group’s HQ was located.

Sitting in the imposing car today, one can’t be anything other than impressed. And immediately transported back to the days of meetings at the Confederation of British Industry, three-piece suits with large collars and ties, and a drabber world, still recovering from the War, uncertain of itself in that strange period in Britain when the optimistic 60s turned into the strife-torn 70s.And, as you can see here, it’s as comfortable being ‘Sir David’ in the back as playing ‘George’ in the front. Now finished in a more sedate metallic navy blue with blue hide interior, on the back roads of Buckinghamshire the Lagonda feels just like an early, non-Vantage V8. Once warmed up, the carburettored engine and three-speed automatic 'box move the big car along quite well. It rolls a touch, but nothing out of the ordinary for what has always been a luxury (but still sporting) limousine.
Although interested purchasers might ask Aston Martin expert Desmond Smail to quote for total restoration, this is a car that works well as it is. Yes, a 6.3-litre engine, ‘quick-shift’ gearbox and the very effective braking and suspension parts now available for the V8 model would be nice.But this writer feels the car is so significant that such modifications take away its uniqueness and place in Aston Martin heritage. A repaint in Roman Purple, with all-red interior, now that’s another matter… “Home please, George!”

Related Links Full details of this unique car for sale at Desmond Smail, Olney, in the Classic Driver Marketplace All Desmond Smail's cars for sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace With grateful thanks to Kingsley Riding-Felce and Aston Martin Works who so very generously facilitated the use of 'Sunnyside' for the top photograph. For further information, visit www.astonmartinworks.com You can find more Lagondas in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Steve Wakefield (ClassicDriver)
Photos: Simon Clay