Of toads and bulls: Rally tour in Lamborghini Espada

Four seats, twelve cylinders and Seventies styling: to look at, the Lamborghini Espada is one of Classic Driver’s great favourites. At the Schloss Bensberg Rallye Historique, we finally took the wheel – and found a few surprises in store...

The Lamborghini is a bull – but to drive it, you need to squat like a toad

The Lamborghini may be the bull in the automotive flock but, when it comes to the driving, you need to squat at the wheel like a toad. Because the seats (or should we say armchairs) are well-upholstered and the roof is low and the typically Italian driving position requires a retracted neck, extended arms and strangely bent legs. All very toad-like. Nevertheless, the Espada is easier to control than the combination of V12 power, four-seater configuration and speedboat dimensions suggest. Lamborghini had restored an S3 GT especially for the Schloss Bensberg Classics (adding an additional radiator), and the engine ran more smoothly than any Espada engine has a right to.

Confident and (nervously) agile

The Espada can accelerate happily in first gear to somewhere near 60mph. My co-driver Gerald and I switch between the second and third gears, trying to keep the rev-counter needle at a constant 3000-5000rpm, where power output is at its best and the engine note is the most pleasing. In fact, the Seventies-style controls were easy and enjoyable to use, but just one word of caution: on wet leaves and in damp bends, the Espada can respond nervously, and there’s a risk that the huge rear end will suddenly break away. A light mist of unburnt fuel and exhaust gases is all part of the four-seater’s special aura, and the heady atmosphere can add to the likelihood of throwing caution to the winds.

Even though we proved no match for the likes of a Gullwing, at the end of the day I was reluctant to hand back the Espada – toad-like driving position or not. 

Photos: Jan Baedeker / Nanette Schärf

via Classic Driver

The Spirit of Bonneville Flats

Tim & Kev really have got a groove-on when it comes to making the most out of Hinckley’s finest, and this time they’ve bestowed the Spirit of the Seventies character and performance on this lovely Bonnie.

As usual it’s the paint that strikes you first, with a deep, rich, HotRod/Bonnevill Flats inspired look that suits this bike perfectly. The rest is down to quality parts, from the Motogadget clocks to the custom seat, and a good eye in putting the whole thing together so beautifully and with such and acute attention to detail.

Love the tail end, and the tracker/brat combination seat, flipping up to reveal the tiny rear light.

You can see more of Spirit’s work on the website, or follow their builds, part by part on their blog.

via The Bike Shed

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Jean Bugatti @ 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

In the wake of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Legend Jean-Pierre Wimille launched in the summer, the legendary French carmaker has brought to the 65th International Motor Show in Frankfurt the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Jean Bugatti special edition, which is basically the second chapter of the “Legend” series and a tribute to the oldest son of company founder Ettore Bugatti and his most famous creation, the iconic Type 57SC Atlantic. All of the six models thatwill eventually make the series will be produced in a very limited run of three units.

The model is based on the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, whose 8-litre W16 enginegenerates no less than 1,200 horsepower and 1,500 Nm of torque between 3,000 to 5,000 rpm, empugh to go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.6 seconds. The body of the Jean Bugatti Vitesse Legend Edition is constructed entirely from jet black, clear-coated carbon fibrem while platinum was used to emphasize certain details such as the famous Bugatti horseshoe on the front grille and the EB logo on the rear. definitely worth mentioning are also those cool black diamond-cut rims.

The interior has been slightly revised to resemble that of the original Type 57SC Atlantic, so we have seats, instrument panel, steering wheel, dash panel, centre console, door trim panels and windscreen crossmember all rendered in chocolate brown. Other additional features include a leather insert embossed with the lettering “Les Légendes de Bugatti” in the extended section of the centre console and door sill plate displaying the likeness and signature of Jean Bugatti. In case you were wondering, it costs 2.28 million euros plus tax and other charges.

via EUROCARBLOG

THIS SPYDER BITES: PORSCHE SET NEW ‘RING RECORD

The Nordschleife has become the place for auto manufacturers to prove their metal. There’s been a veritable invasion of foreign companies setting up base on the track’s doorstep, from Nissan to Aston Martin, all looking to show how credible their sports cars are. So what of the domestic Germans, whose track this is? It seems like the Porsche elite have decided to remind the newcomers who’s the boss, and the car they chose to hammer them with was of course the 918 Spyder.

Like several other recent development cars, the 918 hasn’t stood still since its reveal in Geneva back in 2010, and has seen several refinements and variants released over the last couple of years – all this before the car’s official release, remember.

Static appearances by the Porsche 918 have always set the internet alight, but more recently the Spyder has been setting tracks alight, with proper on-road testing sessions made public. The potential of a plug-in hybrid supercar combined with Porsche’s heritage meant that it was always a thrilling prospect, and disappointment was never an option.

Production is due to start later this month, and as if there wasn’t already enough buzz around the long-awaited 918, Porsche decided to ramp things up by giving the Spyder a further little upgrade.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show they revealed the ‘Weissach’ option package. Add even more carbon and even more power (up to 887hp) then take away weight, and the competition are in serious trouble… The Weissach 918 Spyder also runs lightweight magnesium wheels which drop the car’s overall weight by 35kg with bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and a choice of vintage-inspired paint schemes. Martini stripes are always good for a couple of tenths on their own.

So where would Doctor Frank Walliser, the 918 project manager, possibly choose to show it off? Where better than the Nordschleife. Porsche had already taken a race victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2011 using Williams-derived hybrid technology fitted to a 997 GT3 RSR, but the Spyder is a fully road-homologated street car. Just a very powerful street car.

The team they assembled for the attempt was suitably impressive: factory driver Marc Lieb was joined by Porsche tester Timo Kluck and former European Rally Champion Walter Röhrl. All three beat the existing record set by the Gumpert Apollo Sport back in 2009, but ultimately it was Lieb who posted the fastest lap.

Runs by a pair of Spyders were monitored by independent observers, and Lieb’s lap of six minutes 57 seconds was 14 seconds quicker than the previous record – at an average of 179.5kph.

The Spyder is the first production model with global road homologation to break the seven minute barrier. Now the question has to be, can McLaren’s P1 beat it?…

Jonathan Moore