adminFact Jeke Behind the Wheel
In about four months time 2013 will give way to 2014 which will see car manufacturers unveiling their latest offerings. Already some of the top car manufacturers have disclosed snippets of what to expect from them at several car shows that have been held so far this year. This week I want to heighten your expectation on future offerings by looking at what is likely to come out from top brands.
I am going to look at sports cars and all the other cars that you might think of. For those adrenalin junkies who are mad about speed, there is the 2014 Ferrari Enzo.
It’s unlikely the 2014 version of the supercar will be called Enzo, but this is a Ferrari built to succeed it as it is now a decade-old legend.
As with the Enzo, its structure will be carbon fibre, with the mid-mounted V12 engine a stressed member.
But that V12 should displace about 7,3 litres of fuel, do nearly 10 000 revs per minute and churn out about 800 horsepower.
But beyond that 800 hp, the new Enzo will feature a Formula 1-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System 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 that is if you really need 920 hp.
Next in line is the 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C. Think of the mid engine, rear-drive 4C as the four-cylinder Ferrari, it doesn’t build and you have got a solid bead on what Alfa is trying to accomplish.
Shown in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, the 4C is built around a carbon-fibre centre tub with front and rear aluminium crash structures bolted to it.
It’s small — like a Fiat 500 minus 8 inches of height — so it should weigh in at 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 a 0-100 time in less than five seconds.
Production of this gorgeous car will be limited. And with prices starting about US$50 000, the 4C won’t be cheap.
My personal favourite will be 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’s a pure two-seat sports roadster powered by a new supercharged V6 (if history matters we’re guessing a 3.8-litre displacement) whose output should be around 380 hp.
With its compact size, eight-speed ZF transmission and open cockpit, it’s philosophically closer to a Porsche 911 than to a high-end exotic. So expect it to be priced like the 911, with prices starting in the US$150 000 range.
Daimler Chrysler is set to introduce the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The crème de la crème of all Mercedes is going all-aluminium.
The new range will, as usual, be vast, starting with diesel V6-powered loppers 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 aluminium 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 phased out.
Riding on a wheelbase stretching out beyond even the long-wheelbase S-Class, the Pullman may be the car for executives. Will see what Daphne Ritson and her team at Zimoco will have on display for us.
For the speed junkies, 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.
Rumours are that this is what Toyota is coming up with, but don’t necessarily expect it to be a turbocharger doing the heaving 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 from the Bayerische Motoren Werke AG team. 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’s 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-liter V8 of the current M3 has been retired.
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, it will have an output of about 450 hp.
Till next week . . . be safe.
Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast. She can be contacted via email on [email protected] or Torque with Fact Jeke on Facebook.
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