Ferrari’s predictable XX development prototype of its latest supercar, LaFerrari, is proving to be something of a challenge to the engineers at Maranello. Like the Enzo and the 599 before it, the strictly limited-production model will be a more extreme, track-only version of the “standard” LaFerrari but that’s the problem: it’s already so extreme that, in order to extract even more performance from it, the test mules are being pushed so hard that they appear to be breaking. Recently, at the Monza test track in Italy, a prototype was spotted (and filmed) by onlookers when its rear suspension gave up the fight. Still, we doubt this will put them off.
Telsa sets a test
Cars don’t come much more laden with technology than the electric Tesla Model S, hardly surprising when you consider that it was built in Silicon Valley. But computer systems are constantly under threat from hackers and, at the 2014 SyScan Conference in Beijing this week, people have been invited to crack the Tesla’s codes with US$10,000 (Dh36,720) up for grabs. In order to win, according to Autoblog.com, hackers must remotely access the 17-inch touchscreen display that forms the car’s centre console so they can surf the internet and access the Model S’s controls. If anyone succeeds they will get the money and, no doubt, a job at Tesla.
Bertone goes broke
It looks like the Italian styling house Bertone is beyond rescue but the fate of its assets is still unclear. Responsible for many all-time classics such as Lamborghini’s Miura and Countach, and countless Lancias, including the stunning Stratos, the company was left in fragmented tatters after its founder’s son, Nuccio Bertone, died in 1997. The firm is now facing an inauspicious end with no rescuer in sight. The extensive (and extremely valuable) car collection it owns cannot be liquidated because, according to WardsAuto, it’s classified as an item of “historic national heritage” in Italy.
The big BMW jumble
BMW’s nomenclature used to be so simple – a 325i was a 3 Series with a 2.5L, fuel- injected engine; a 635i was a 6 Series with a 3.5L and so on. Now the numbers make so sense whatsoever, with a 328i having a 2.0L motor and the 550i being powered by a 4.4L being just two examples of the madness. According to the BMW enthusiast website, f30post.com, things are to get even more confusing, with an impending range refresh that will see the 320i and 328i become one as the 330i, while the 335i will evolve into the 340i, with no increase in engine capacity. Please, BMW, can we go back to the way it used to be?
A hybrid Veyron?
When a car is as zeitgeist- defining as the Bugatti Veyron, replacing it will always be something of a poisoned chalice – a process that the VW marque has been battling with for some time. But according to a recent report by Reuters, Bugatti’s CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer, is rather keen on the idea of hybrid propulsion, no doubt spurred on by the devastating successes of the Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and LaFerrari. A Veyron would go through a full tank of fuel in 12 minutes at its top speed, so any help with bringing down its thirst would be a welcome development.
khackett@thenational.ae
