SMALL CAR, FOR A BIG CAUSE

As Ratan Tata launched the Nano amid much fanfare, there were lot of skeptical eyes looking at him (including mine), but they were surely outnumbered by thousands of hopeful ones. However what has transpired following the launch has surprised many. I’m referring to the fact that the car is yet to receive a negative review and, in fact what were supposedly its Achilles’ heel (namely emissions and safety) too have been appreciated.

What the Tata’s have done is not just make a decent car (this they’ve done earlier too, with the Indica), but instead they’ve given the vast underprivileged lot of the country a tool to realize their dreams, cause a car in India was still a dream, until now. This places him right up there in the league of greats such as Gottlieb Daimler and Henry Ford, two men credited with empowering the world with affordable personal mobility. And surely it does not finish here. With the launch of the Nano, Ratan Tata has announced the arrival of India in the automotive scene with authority. What many have tried to do and failed (Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn came the closest with the Logan) has been done, and done beautifully at that by a relatively low profile manufacturer.

But it evn does not end here. This small car has given birth to one of the biggest debates in the country and caused people to question the government on some much wanted but forgotten issues. Lot of people have criticized the car prior to launch, which includes prominent ministers and social activists stating that the car will increase pollution, cause mega traffic jams and burden the economy in the means of increased oil imports. I feel they all are missing the target. They are focusing on the problems and not the solutions. What they should be stressing about instead, are the need for better road infrastructure and mass transport and more importantly bring them closer to international standards. This will automatically solve what they’re afraid of, cause Nano or no Nano, what they’re hinting at will happen sooner or later. And just to bring things in perspective, India has 3.5 four wheelers per sq km of road space. This is lower than all “comparable” countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Even if we take Delhi at 47.5 per km, it is still lower than the other country averages. Further the developed countries have far more vehicles on a much smaller landmass. But they still are not in such bad a condition as ours. Why? The answer is very simple, firstly they have a very effective mass transport system. Think logically, given an option why would I drive daily to office (n take risk, spend money) if I have decent mass transport system. The success of the Delhi metro being a cse in point. Secondly these countries have regulations which discourage the use (and not purchase of cars). They are many such as congestion taxes in London, or environmental taxes (based on the car’s particulate emissions) in California.

Continuing with the Tatas, they’re not just content at this and are very close to sealing the purchase of Jaguar, one of the most respected luxury sports brands in the world. And that an Indian company purchases an icon of the erstwhile “Raj” makes it all the more sweet. The contribution of Tata for the country could not have been brought out better than as by Vir Sanghvi in Counterpoint, Hindustan Times dated Sunday 13 Jan 08. They ought to be applauded for all their efforts and not ridiculed for the problem that is not even of their own making. The Tatas have always been trying to give the best of the automotive world to the common Indian and no other manufacturer can even come close to what they’ve achieved in such a short span of time with so many restrictions imposed on them.

But all said and done, in the democracy one can’t stop a manufacturer from launching cars, nor can one stop people from buying it. What instead can be done is that they can be discouraged from diving it often. And this can only be achieved only by the government making policies in favour of it. But all this only after the people have a way out in the name of effective mass transport system. In the mean time, we’ll have to wait and see if the Nano will become an icon of changing times or just another drop in the million annoying, polluting vehicles plying on our hapless roads.

FERRARI 599GTB FIORANO

Someone once told me that writing an article about a Ferrari is rather stupid. Anyone even faintly interested in cars knows about them, people interested a little more will have their pics all over their walls and pc screens; but hardly any of them will be even able to ride it, let alone own it. So who would want to read an article about them? Sounds pretty logical, more so considering no one in my circle of influence is privileged enough to own one (well I don’t think that by me not buying a Reliance phone/fuel it’ll influence Mr. Ambani). But still, there was something about this car, the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano, that compelled me to write about it.

Personally, I consider this recently launched Ferrari to be one of the most visually appealing design penned down by Pininfarina for the Maranello based company. I’ll put it right up there with a 250GT in my list of all time gorgeous looking Ferraris. Well while this point may be debatable, what is certainly not debatable, is the mechanical superiority of the car. Infact it is already being hailed as the best V12 Ferrari ever.

If I start writing about all its features, this article will become far too beg, so instead I’ll restrict myself to the main modifications which stand out. Officially, the replacement of the 575M, the car borrows its 65 degree, 5999cc V12 engine from the Enzo. The engine though is thoroughly reworked and detuned for greater reliability and fuel efficience (read that as more miles before you hit the workshop for engine repairs). This has come at a cost of 6% loss of power, which still at a staggering 612bhp is more than enough to take you to heaven (both in the literal sense and as a sense of euphoria). Ferrari took it mid way in the body deparment, making it entirely of aluminium (575M was steel, while the exclusive Enzo was carbon fibre). All this boils down to a 0-100 kmph sprint time of 3.7 sec and a top speed in excess of 330 kmph. Mindblowing! The car also produces a phenomenal 160kg of downforce (more than 10% of its own weight) after crossing 300 ks. But what is more significant is that the designers have achieved all this without any spoilers or ugly aerodynamic part protruding out (to aid airflow but spoil the curves of the car in the process), instead this has been achieved by a carefully contrived undertray giving a superb coefficient of drag, which is 0.34.

Now, for what probably is the most significant aspect of this car. Ferrari’s traditional double wishbones at each corner now carry magneto rheological (MR) dampers, a technology that a very few manufacturers can boast of (the recently launched Audi TT is one of the very few). Rheological fluids change viscosity in response to an applied electric field (electro-rheological), or magnetic field (magneto-rheological) as in the case of the Ferrari. The magnetic field is varied by electromagnets coiled around each damper. Ferrari says that the MR dampers react in 10milliseconds when the control information that determines the coil current required for each damper is updated every millisecond. Compare it to the earlier mechanical system where control information was updated every 10millisecond and the dampers took upto 4 times as long to deliver the required damping force.

Ferrari is yet to confirm the pricing on the 599, but a tag of Rs. 1,28,00,000 (excluding duties) is expected. But hold, just having the required green bucks won’t guarantee this beauty in your garage, as you have to convince Ferrari first that you status befits the car. In that case I think it is better for people like me, who cannot own it and so I won’t have to face the ignominy to be refused by the company even though I have the money. But certainly I don’t require Ferrari’s permission to buy a poster of it (or in our net savvy age, ‘to download a wallpaper of it’ will be more apt), or even write an article about it!!!

It’s official: Kawasaki have revealed that the ZZ-R1400 will be the most powerful series production bike in the world. When released next month, it will come with a whopping 200PS on tap, made at 9500rpm with the aid of the ram air system. Interestingly, Kawasaki also suggests that without the benefit of the high-pressure air intake system the bike would yet make 190PS, making the bike a power benchmark any which way in the world.

It may have the power but the Kawasaki boffins also wanted to make it a bike with impressive usage qualities in the real world. The 1352cc four develops 154Nm of torque at a low 7500rpm using relatively small 43mm throttle bodies – these units being 3mm narrower than those on the ZX-12R. To go along with the gut-wrenching torque with massive loads of bottom-end thrust is a clever fuel injection system with a twin butterfly set-up in the throttles. One of the two butterflys is rider-controlled while the other is computer-controlled, a system conceived to smoothen the massive rush of horses the engine is capable of unleashing.

What makes the ZZ-R1400 even more impressive is that while it appears large and bulbous, it is amazingly light. Power and weight figures Kawasaki hadn’t revealed at the bike’s launch late last year but now it can be told that the ZZ-R1400 weighs in at 215kg dry – a whole 21 kilos less than the old ZZ-R1200. But even more astonishing is the fact that this stonker even weighs one kilo less than the ZX-12R!

Kawasaki had clearly sought to keep many vital stats behind the ZZ-R1400 close to its chest until it had readied the bike for launch and now the figures are tumbling out thick and fast. Despite its visual and obvious length, its 1460mm wheelbase is just 10mm longer than a ZX-12R. It may be termed a sports tourer but it surely has the emphasis on sport because its steering rake angle of 23 degrees is steeper than many superbikes, and a full two degrees less than the ZX-12R. No wonder that the radial brake callipers and those wavy disc rotors suddenly justify their existence.

Much of the business behind the ZZ-R1400 hinges around the innovative manner of the Kawasaki’s monocoque frame construction and the way the mechanicals have been packaged. The compact nature of the four-cylinder in-line engine is the key ingredient – no wider than the ZX-12R unit even though it is larger in capacity. Kawasaki have adopted the mass centralisation theme on the ZZ-R1400 and there is virtually no weight positioned outside the central section of the bike barring the sub frame to mount the seat and the tail piece bodywork.

The way the Kawasaki designers have been able to mount the battery and the airbox inside the hollow monocoque frame (which runs over the engine like a backbone spine) is sheer genius towards attaining the compact form. The fuel tank resides under the front of the seat, keeping the variable weight low and close to the bike’s C of G.
From the specs alone, Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1400 seems to be a stonker and looks set to etch a new standard in overall performance terms. The competition should have a hard time just trying to stay in its wake this year.

Fast facts
Cost: Rs 7,19,600
Power: 197.3bhp
Torque: 114ftlb
Weight: 215kg (dry)

DUCATI HYPERMOTARD

What you are looking at are the pics of the bike which won the Motorcycle Design of the Year for 2005, Bologna, February 2006. Another of Pierre Terblache’s gems, the bike is the Ducati Hypermotard concept. Slip my clutch, back me in and take my deposit – this is as deliciously hardcore as it gets. The outrageous Hypermotard concept is a mighty supermoto, designed to combine agility with the proper and speed single-cylinder supermotos can only dream of. Being a Ducati, there was no getting away from engineering and mechanical traditions. So while the vee-twin desmo engine had to be there, the same held true for the trellis frame as well. Type in 100bhp on call and a 175kg dry weight and you have a great power to weight ratio, Italian style with seamless power and torque.

The Hypermotard concept penned by Pierre Terblanche and using inputs from a few others first appeared at last November’s Milan Motorcycle Show and as concepts go, everything was built to the highest order. Money-no-budget bits adorned the chassis: large chunky Marzocchi front forks, an Ohlins unit at the rear, super lightweight Marchesini wheels and radial Brembo disc brakes plus of course the finest in Pirelli footwear. All these bits might just be obvious bolt-on bits on a top line Italian stunner, but when blended together on a tall fling-it-anywhere type of motorcycle makes one rut out of superlatives. Look closely if you are a Ducatista and one can imagine as a more stylish but slimmed down Multistrada.

All of Ducati’s concepts from the last five to six years have made production, given the response they generated and that for the Hypermotard was no different. Evidently works has begun on making this possible but expect bikes only in late 2007. It is stunners like this that makes the Bologna firm different from its Japanese competitors and infact puts it a level above them.

So now we have another Ducati to drool over (how many are there, lost count!), and if you are one of those lucky few who can afford one, then book now or you will miss out.