Category: Automobilia

First round for the European Ferrari Challenge has started at Monza…

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In the opening act of the first round for the European Ferrari Challenge at the Monza circuit, the Passione Ferrari Club Challenge 2021 has started. During this exclusive circuit event, owners of the Ferrari 488 Challenge and 488 Challenge Evo were given the opportunity to perfect their racing technique and record a personal fastest lap time.

The Passione Ferrari Club Challenge was created to give Ferrari owners the opportunity to get to know their cars – without a competitive element – on the track. The program of these exclusive club meetings is aimed at both beginners and drivers with more track experience. The cars are equipped with telemetry thanks to which the lap times and track data can be read. These data allow the participants to analyze their performance and improve their driving technique. Professional Ferrari instructors personally supervise the participants, conduct driving technique workshops and assist with the analysis of the telemetry data.

The Ferrari 488 Challenge and 488 Challenge Evo are extreme sports cars, but their performance remains very accessible. With these cars, drivers experience the same sensations and excitement as a professional driver. For Ferrari owners who want to take part in the Ferrari Challenge, the Passione Ferrari Club Challenge is an ideal springboard. Drivers who dream of taking part in an official FIA Championship are being guided in the right direction.

Driving on six European circuits…

From April to September, owners of the Ferrari 488 Challenge and 488 Challenge Evo will be able to drive on six legendary circuits in Europe. In addition, they have the opportunity to start during the Finali Mondiali 2021, where all international Challenge series will ride the final race of their championship, according to tradition.

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Leasys and FCA Bank launch from 12 to 30 of April the “Electric Days”…

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Electric mobility is growing more popular worldwide, and even more so in Europe where the growth of electric and hybrid cars has been in three figures recently.

Leasys and FCA Bank want to play a leading role in this trend, and therefore they launched the “Electric Days”, three weeks of special offers dedicated to electric mobility, all entirely in digital fashion.

The offers will be active from the moment of writing until the end of April and they are designed to make the services offered by the Group and its rental company Leasys even more accessible and convenient.

Digital offers range in Europe from mobility to financial and banking products: from personal loans to GO4xe financing, from CarCloud to Leasys Miles, to Clickar.

Leasys and FCA Bank launch a cross-country commercial promotion that includes 10 European countries simultaneously dedicated to electric mobility and sustainability. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Denmark and Belgium will offer their customers the best digital solutions to satisfy every green mobility and financial needs in every different market.

For Belgium, PR & Communication Director Dominique Fontignies announced that the first offer of this campaign gives professional clients the opportunity to drive a Jeep Compass 4xe Plug-in Hybrid from € 319/month (excl. VAT) in the financial renting formula.(60 months). Leasys offers this model in operational leasing from € 589/month (incl. VAT).

Leasys also offers the Fiat 500e Business Edition. This 500e is available from € 469/month (incl. VAT) in operational leasing. Finally, the Fiat 500C Hybrid Lounge is available in operational leasing from € 269/month (incl. VAT).

There is more news to come from Jeep, we will soon present here the new Compass…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Jaguar launches a stunning “R-Dynamic” version of their elegant F-Type…

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Jaguar launches a mouth-watering version of their elegant F-TYPE: the Exclusive F-TYPE R-Dynamic Black. It boasts additional equipment as standard and is offered in Coupé and Convertible body styles

There is an even more desirable version: the so-called “Black Pack”, with 20-inch gloss black wheels, and choice of Santorini Black, Eiger Grey or Firenze Red metallic paint.

Refinement…

The driver-focused interior is equipped with 12-way adjustable Windsor Leather Performance Seats in Ebony with Light Oyster stitch or in Mars with Flame Red stitch. An Ebony coloured suede cloth headliner enriches the iconic ‘1+1’ cabin.  

The R-Type comes with many appealing details: A heritage-inspired monogram pattern is used for seat and door trim stitching and also embossing of the suede cloth wrap for the instrument cluster.

And abundant power…

The F-Type comes with what it takes: the 300PS Ingenium four-cylinder and 450PS supercharged V8 with rear- or all-wheel drive and eight-speed ‘Quickshift’ transmissions deliver engaging, exploitable performance and outstanding driver reward.

The new R-Dynamic Black models add to the purity and presence that already sets Jaguar’s definitive sports car apart.

The F-TYPE’s shape is further accentuated by the Black Pack and 20-inch, five split-spoke wheels with gloss black finish. Known as ‘Style 5039’, these wheels are not available on any other model in the range. Complementing these perfectly is the choice of three metallic paints: Santorini Black, Eiger Grey or Firenze Red.

Performance galore…

Exclusively rear-wheel drive, the 300PS, 2.0-litre turbocharged Ingenium four-cylinder engine generates maximum torque from just 1,500rpm, delivering exceptional throttle response throughout the rev range. It also provides the performance expected from F-TYPE and enables acceleration from 0-60mph in only 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. 

The 450PS, 5.0-litre supercharged V8 has been developed to offer exploitable, useable and rewarding performance – maximum torque of 580Nm is generated from 2,500rpm. It is offered with a choice of all-wheel drive with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics or – for purists – rear-wheel drive. Both 450PS powertrains feature an electronic active rear differential to optimise traction, and both enable 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 177mph.

The 300PS and 450PS units are also available in other F-TYPE models, but for truly exceptional performance in all weathers and on any kind of road there is the F-TYPE R. Offered exclusively with all-wheel drive, its supercharged V8 delivers 575PS and 700Nm: the benchmark sprint to 60mph takes just 3.5 seconds, while maximum speed is an electronically-limited 186mph. 

Tailoring your Jaguar to your personal driving style…

The F-TYPE R and P450 models are equipped as standard with Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics system with Configurable Dynamics. Using electronically-controlled, continuously-variable dampers, Adaptive Dynamics optimizes both low speed comfort and high-speed control, while Configurable Dynamics enables the driver to tailor the settings for suspension stiffness, steering weight, throttle response and gearshifts. All 300PS four-cylinder F-TYPEs use meticulously tuned passive monotube dampers to deliver the ride and handling attributes which give these models their unique character.

Needless to say that we are keen to sample test driving impressions from these wonderful, sporting and elegant Jaguars soon…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Bentley celebrates the production of its 200.000th car…

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The Bentayga Hybrid, destined for a Chinese customer, met the oldest surviving Bentley, EXP 2, and a number of long serving colleagues, as it rolled off the production line at the home of Bentley in Crewe this week.

Things have taken off for the inconic brand over the last 18 years. Thanks to the success of the Continental GT and more recently the Bentayga SUV, daily production has soared. Indeed, over that period, over 75 per cent of 101 years of production has been hand-built at the Crewe factory, more than ever the home of Bentley. Current daily production, 85 cars per day, equals monthly production numbers of two decades ago.

The Bentley Continentals – then and now…

I vividly recall the interview I made at the Frankfurt Motor Show more than a decade ago with Franz-Josef Paefgen, then CEO of Bentley Motors and Bugatti Automobiles, posts he left in 2011.

During his time as the Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors Ltd., he was responsible for the Bentley Mulsanne and the Bentley Continental series of cars. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Paefgen was responsible for the development of the Bugatti Veyron.

Every Bentley is actually a four wheeled chapter in automotive history…

I asked him then whether a hybrid Bentley was not on the cards, as Bentley’s could be considered the pinnacle of engineering and an electrified Bentley would be proper. It clearly was not in the strategy of the VW Group then, as the idea was immediately brushed aside by Mr. Paefgen as unrealistic, customers not wanting this at all…

Well times have changed quite a bit since then, as we now read that Company aims to be end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030 with entire model range switched to battery electric vehicles(!). Bentley will move to full electrification – PHEV or BEV only – by 2026, then switch the entire model range to battery electric vehicles by 2030. The industry-leading Beyond100 Strategy will transform every aspect of the business as Bentley accelerates into its second century of luxury car production.

Six cylinder Bentley engine production in the ’50s in Crewe…

What this means for the retail value and depreciation of the existing and historic Bentley’s remains to be seen…

But back to the production history.

The Continental GT was the first landmark…

In 2003 the introduction of the Continental GT represented a transformative moment for the brand, and this Bentley alone, has represented 80,000 sales of the total of 200,000, and created both a new segment, and a contemporary image foundation for the Bentley business.

The Crewe factory in 1940…

…followed by the Bentayga

The success of the Continental GT has been mirrored by the Bentayga, offering a true Bentley driving experience and unparalleled luxury. Launched in 2015, when it established the luxury SUV sector, the fastest SUV in the world has reached its 25,000 production landmark. It is expected that the Bentayga could surpass total sales of the Continental GT within a decade and become the biggest selling Bentley model in history.

And now in 2021…

Since 2005, the company has also built 40,000 examples of the Flying Spur, the most successful luxury sports saloon in the world.

We show you here some photos, lifting a veil of the very interesting and multifaceted production history of the brand, and then we have told nothing of their sporting achievements…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

We personally witnessed the unfolding of the Audi Quattro (Rally) Saga…

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We were there: your servant in conversation with Michèle Mouton in Sankt Moritz, on December 8, 1982…

Your servant was already active as a freelance car journalist from the mid-seventies of last century, so we witnessed up close the birth of the Audi 5-cylinder engines and the (rally) cars powered by it were quite familiar. When we were telling you the long career of Audi’s 5 cylinder engine, we told you how your servant remembered a drive behind the wheel of the Audi 80 Quattro with this magnificent engine. Just look at our pages on this site, and more especially https://autoprova.be/2016/09/18/sweet-memories-our-drive-with-the-5-cylinder-audi-80-5e-quattro-in-sankt-moritz/

This memorable test drive of this Audi 80 5E Quattro took place in Sankt Moritz, on 8 and 9 December 1982. For the assembled international journalists, Audi had also organized a demonstration run with the Quattro Rally Cars, and had brought Michèle Mouton and Stig Blomquist to the venue.

You see me here chatting with Michèle Mouton before having a demo drive with her at the wheel in her Quattro Rally machine…

Sweet memories!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Maserati MC20 wins “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Awards with its outstanding design…

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The new Maserati MC20 receives the prize for “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Awards 2021 in the Product Design category.

Competition run by a German design center…

The Red Dot Awards is well known, although not everyone is aware that this international design competition is run by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, which has been assessing and selecting the most aesthetically exciting, functional, intelligent, innovative products from all over the world since 1955.

Every year, this prestigious competition rewards excellence in the field of product and brand design and communication at the global level, with criteria constantly updated to the socio-cultural context.

A jury of 50 international experts chooses products in almost fifty different categories, from fashion to accessories and from furnishings to vehicles.

This reward puts of course a smile on the faces at Maserati…

We cite a few comments:

Maserati CEO Davide Grasso: “Our mission was to develop a car that would be remembered in the future as the model that launched the Maserati New Era. And I think we’ve achieved our goal with MC20. Maserati is innovative by nature, powered by passion and unique by design: the new super spots car embodies all these values and is a watershed, the founding model of this new phase in the Brand’s history.”

Klaus Busse, Head of Maserati Design, added: “We are honoured to receive this coveted accolade, which recognises the work of an entire team who have worked hard on this unique project, creating a car that opens a new chapter in Maserati’s history.”

Truly Italian

MC20 is designed by the Centro Stile Maserati in Turin and inaugurates a new Era for the Trident Brand.

The new super sports car represents the pure form of speed, with Maserati style: a work of sculptural engineering, showing the way to the Brand’s aesthetic future.

Developed by the Maserati Innovation Lab and built at the historic Modena plant, Maserati MC20 is genuinely an all-Italian car.

Besides its innovatige, good looks, it is also fast…

With the new 630 hp V6 Nettuno engine the MC20 catapults from 0 to 100 km/h in under 2.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of over 325 km an hour. The patented engine was conceived, developed, designed and built entirely by Maserati, and uses a pre-chamber combustion technology derived from Formula 1 engines… wow!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

My unforgettable drive with the Giulia Super over the Alps on the way to the Monza Grand Prix in September 1970…

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Here I stand proudly as a 23 year old behind the driver’s door of the Alfa Giulia Super, with my nephew looking into the ravine of the Great Saint Bernard pass…

There are epic moments, already in the young life of a car enthusiast. I was barely 23 at the time, when I accompanied my father on a drive to attend the 1970 Monza Grand Prix. My father had a Olive Metallic Green 1,6 Giulia Super press test car for the occasion, and I have been smitten for Giulia’s and Alfa’s ever since, as the drive was so magnificent.

My father had his faithful Leicaflex with the 90 mm Summicon – R f 1:2  lens along, and this is the perfect camera to make impressive shots. You see them here.

My father and I had also taken my nephew along, and so we went on our drive, with me doing most of the driving, as my father found that I understood the car very well. Of course we were keen to let the Alfa perform. This meant cruising on  the German Autobahnen and the A27 through Switzerland and the Italian Autostradas at speeds between 150-160 km/h in fifth gear, when the law allowed it of course.

On our route, we decided not to take the Simplon Tunnel, but take the historic road winding over the Great St. Bernard pass itself, which lies a few hundred metres from the Swiss border with Italy, and is only passable from June to September.

Not only was the old classic pass road a dream for the Giulia, with its pleasantly short second and third gears, and I gladly helped the somewhat weaker synchromesh of the gearbox with expert double declutching. Descents were also epic, as this Giulia had already four disk brakes…

I still recall the eager sound and crisp exhaust roar of the 1,6 litre twin cam engine, and, as said, am totally smitten by Alfa’s ever since.

The Monza Grand Prix was rather dramatic. We arrived in Monza on the fifth of September, going down to the track after having got our press permits and parking voucher for our dear Alfa. Only to hear that Jochen Rindt had killed himself during the practice session on that day. He spun into the guardrails after a failure on his car’s brake shaft. He was killed owing to severe throat injuries caused by his seat belt. He was way ahead in points over the rest of the F1 field, so he became the only driver to be posthumously awarded the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship.

The Great Saint Bernard Pass was gruesome in winter, so prayer to our Lord was certainly appropriate…

We show you the photos, and dream away with you on the joys of holding the wheel of this magnificent four door Gran Turismo, which the Giulia was and still is right to this day…

Your servant would love to make a repeat edition of this drive on the Great Saint Bernard Pass with today’s Giulia… that would be truly great!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

My first Volkswagen Beetle, bought for 500 Belgian Franks or 12,5 Euros… here in a 1969 photo!

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Faithful readers remember the article on the Autoworld Exhibition where I told about my purchase of the ’55 export Beetle from famous Television critic Johan Anthierens. Just click Volkswagen celebrates its history in Autoworld… – Autoprova – for the Connaisseur to read the story.

I found a photo of the VW, with my eldest sister – she is one year younger than me – posing in front of it, in July 1969. She lives happily married in the US and is a busy mother and grandmother now. Note how the simple and clean Mary Quandt fashion of the end of the sixties looks even very smart today…

I had removed the hubcaps of the car, put a circular racing number background to camouflage the somewhat scratched door. The former owner Johan Anthierens has also damaged the side board slightly, but neverteless, with our cosmetic changes, the VW looked very preppy and the paintwork was overall still excellent!

More to come from my archives…

Stay tuned!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Some early photos from my automotive beginnings…

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In Corona times, some days are spent delving into archive boxes, and of course, treasures are found. I will show them in several reports here on my site.

They tell us about unique moments, and also learn us also how fast time goes…

Here above you see a photo of me in my early twenties, behind the wheel of the much underrated 914-6 VW Porsche, with its 2 litre six cylinder boxer, a necessary ingredient in making it a “true” Porsche.

We drove quite a few Porsche test cars from the D’Ieteren press fleet, here you see me at the wheel of one of the earlier 911’s, which I loved very much and was able to drive to their limits without the slightest mishap. Indeed, I never ever lost control of these early 911’s. I still love them… and their characteristic road manners, which still call for a talented and sensitive driver to master them. Note also the absence of headrests!

Much more to come!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Two Alfa Romeo F1 champions also fine- tune the Giulia GTA project…

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The 2021 F1 World Championship kicks off on Sunday, March 28th, at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Behind the wheel of the C41, unveiled in Warsaw in February, will be the proven Italian-Finnish pairing of Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen.

But there is more: The two champions are involved in fine tuning the Giulia GTA project. The racing suits of both champions feature the acronyms GTA and GTAm, evoking this project that draws all its inspiration from the 1965 Giulia Gran Turismo Alleggerita, a car that racked up so many successes on circuits all over the world.

Antonio Giovanazzi showing the GTAm logo on his suit…

The Giulia GTA project has benefited greatly from the partnership with the Swiss Sauber team, using their Engineering know-how in the prototyping and development of carbon fiber components with a bold aerodynamic impact: the new front bumper, side skirts, extractor, the GTA spoiler and the GTAm aerowing. You see here two photos taken by dynamic press officer Wim Willems of the test sessions, showing clearly the aerodynamic body parts on the cars.

The aerodynamic parts were still camouflaged during the test sessions…
Test session in full swing…

Indeed, the two drivers have also actively contributed to the project development, having completed a testing session at the Balocco Proving Ground.

Kimi and Antonio focused on the specific solutions taken up in terms of aerodynamics and handling, analyzing in depth all the changes made to the car and giving an account of their feeling on the track to the engineering team, resulting in a joint assessment of the effects on vehicle dynamics to complete its fine-tuning.

You see the champions and the here on the photo’s, at the test drives on the legendary Balocco circuit…

Hans Knol ten Bensel