2014 model cars: A peep into the future

Various manufacturers have already indicated the models that they will be releasing next year.
For those adrenaline and speed junkies, there is the 2014 Ferrari Enzo. It is unlikely this supercar will be called Enzo, but this is the Ferrari built to succeed the decade-old legend.
As with the Enzo, its structure will be carbon fiber, with the mid-mounted V12 engine a stressed member.
The V12, 7,3-litre engine churns out nearly 10 000 revs per minute and produces 800 horsepower.
But beyond that 800 hp, the new Enzo will feature a Formula 1-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that adds a battery pack and electric motor to the drive train.
So when that 800 hp just isn’t enough, the KERS components will kick in to provide an additional burst of 120 hp.
If you want one when it goes on sale early in 2013, don’t expect to spend anything less than US$1 million.
Next in line is the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C.  Unveiled in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, the 4C is built around a carbon-fiber centre tub with front and rear aluminum crash structures bolted to it.
And it’s small — think Fiat 500 minus eight inches of height — so it should weigh just under 2 000 pounds when it enters production.
Power for the 4C comes from a 1,8-litre turbocharged-4 making around 230 hp. It will be backed by a dual-clutch automated manual transmission.
The light curb weight means performance should be more scintillating than the engine’s modest output suggests. Our guess is that it will hit 0-100 in just under five seconds.
Production of this gorgeous twerp will be limited. And with prices starting about US$50 000, the 4C won’t be cheap.
But you know how it is in Zimbabwe with the duties and other taxes. . . so it may be a little too high.
Then to my personal favourite, the 2014 Jaguar F-Type. Jaguar makes a play to save its own soul with the introduction of the all-new 2014 F-Type roadster.
It is a pure two-seat sports roadster powered by a new supercharged V6 (if history matters we are guessing a 3,8-litre displacement) that should produce about 380 hp.
With its compact size, eight-speed ZF transmission and open cockpit, it is philosophically closer to a Porsche 911 than to a high-end exotic. So to fork out about US$150 000!
Mercedes will weigh in with the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The most Mercedes of all Mercedes, the S-Class, is going all-aluminum.
The new range will, as usual, be vast, starting with diesel V6-powered lopers used as livery service vehicles in Berlin and rising to AMG-tuned, twin-turbo V12 wonderwagens.
But all versions — even the inevitable hybrid — will benefit from a new aluminum structure that knocks weight off the still-big sedan without compromising structure or safety.
The most interesting S-Class variant may well be a rumoured “Pullman” model that will take over for the failed Maybach models that are being euthanised.
Riding on a wheelbase stretched out beyond even the long-wheelbase S-Class, the Pullman may be the car to buy if you are looking for a good Christmas gift for the Pope.
Will see what Daphne Ritson and her team at Zimoco will have on display for us.
Toyota Zimbabwe will have the 2014 Subaru BRZ STI. What Subaru enthusiasts really want is a blown Subaru STI with 300 or more hp and that might just be what they will get.
That is what we have been getting from the rumour mill but don’t necessarily expect it to be a turbocharger.
There are some whispers out there that say a belt-driven supercharger will take up residence atop the flat-4. You know a blower, like on a Top Fuel dragster.
Lastly there is the 2014 BMW M3 and/or M4. The BMW M3 is the fulcrum upon which the speed-crazed world rocks.
And big changes are coming for 2014. First, two-door versions of the 3 Series may become the 4 Series.
And if it is going to be called 4 Series, don’t be surprised if the M-version is called M4.
The sedan can still be the M3. Second, the high-revving 4,0-litre V8 of the current M3 is dead, dead, dead.
In its place will be the first M3/M4 featuring a turbocharged power plant — two blowers heaving into a straight-6.
The best guess at displacement is 3.0 litres and, thanks to the miracles of direct injection and variable valve timing, an output of about 450 hp.
Read on and enjoy. Till next week . . .be safe.

Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected] or Torque with Fact Jeke on Facebook.