THREE GENERATIONS For the first time since its unveiling at Pebble Beach last August, the new Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 has taken to the public roads - in the company of its two predecessors.
Editorial - 26 January 2022
On its first outing on public roads, the new Countach LPI 800-4 was accompanied by its predecessors.
On its first outing on public roads, the new Countach LPI 800-4 was accompanied by its predecessors: the first Countach LP 400 and the last model 25° Anniversario.
The Lambo wedge called Countach in first (green), third (white) and second generation (silver) on the road on premiere drive.
The Countach LPI 800-4 boasts a maximum system output of 814 hp. It is equipped with a 6.5-liter V12 engine with an output of 780 hp and an electric motor with a further 25 kW (34 hp) combined with a supercapacitor.
Limited edition of only 112 copies The new model will be produced in a limited edition of just 112 units. However, all vehicles were already sold before the presentation.
The number of units refers to the abbreviation LP 112, the project name used internally during the development phase of the first version of the Countach. The LPI 800-4 will be delivered to customers around the world from the first quarter of 2022.
WHERE TO MEET After several years of intensive planning and construction, an exciting month of training and an ambitious trial run by the team, the Autohalle Andelfingen is now welcoming guests.
Editorial - January 25, 2022
The overall concept of the car hall is complemented by a hotel with 20 modern, air-conditioned double rooms
After an inspiring night in which the Autohalle team celebrated the opening with 200 guests, visitors are now being welcomed to the new classic mecca in Andelfingen, Zurich.
Since then, the restaurant is open from 7 am to 11 pm. Reservations are accepted via the website. The menus for Lucie's Finest and Lucie's Classics can also be viewed there. The centerpiece of the open kitchen is the wood-fired grill.
The overall concept of the Autohalle is complemented by a hotel with 20 modern, air-conditioned double rooms. Not only car enthusiasts will find overnight accommodation here, business travelers or families are also welcome.
In cooperation with the affiliated workshop company and offers the car hall various service modules
One hundred parking spaces for private cars But not only the gastronomy opens its doors. The classic car workshop has also started operations and 84 vehicles have already found their home in the car rack or will be brought in shortly.
In the car hall there are one hundred parking places with constant room temperature, electricity connection at each place and the most modern safety measures.
The workshop has, among other things, five vehicle lifts, brake tester and a mechanical workshop.
Maintenance, repair and reconditioning In cooperation with the affiliated workshop and the network of classic car brand specialists, the car showroom offers various service modules - such as maintenance, repair and preparation of the vehicles.
With a personal badge, the user of the parking space has access to his vehicle at all times. The valuables are in the best hands. And those who do not own a classic car can rent one for one or several days.
The new meeting place, the Autohalle Classics GmbH, can be found at Hostbachstrasse 4 in 8450 Andelfingen. This village is located in a beautiful landscape between Winterthur and Schaffhausen - in the idyllic Zürcher Weinland.
MOST WANTED OCCASIONS The online portal For-sale.co.uk has determined the most wanted used car makes and models. In the UK, BMW placed ahead of Ford and Audi. However, the most popular model was the Honda Civic.
Editorial - January 25, 2022
BMW and Porsche models are particularly buoyant among British used car buyers.
The market survey of used cars conducted by the online portal For-sale.co.uk distinguishes between brands and models and - considered separately - between sports cars and electric models. Due to the supply difficulties and the pandemic its Occasionen at present particularly popular, holds For Sale.
Tesla and BMW continue to lead the way Worldwide, Tesla, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Mini are the most sought-after brands, ahead of Mercedes and Volvo. In the UK, on the other hand, BMW, Ford and Audi occupy the podium of the most sought-after brands, followed by Mercedes, VW, Vauxhall, Toyota and Tesla.
In Switzerland, the picture looks a bit different: Here, Tesla leads ahead of BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Honda. When looking for a specific model, most prospective buyers in the UK asked for the Ford Fiesta, the VW Golf and the Ford Focus, while worldwide the Honda Civic, the Mini Cooper and the Peugeot 208 are the most sought-after models.
The triple winners are the Zuffenhausen-based In the sports car category, the Porsche 911, Boxster and Panamera models were the top performers in the UK, with a clear lead over the Porsche Cayman/718, Ford GT, Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari California.
And, of course, people are already asking about electric Occasions. In this category, the Nissan Leaf is placed ahead of the BMW i3 and the Hyundai Ioniq, the Tesla Model 3, the Renault Zoé and the Tesla Model X.
DONE DROUGH THE CRISIS The effort was worth it. Last year, the Volkswagen Group and its brands fell slightly short of the CO2 fleet target set by the EU for all new cars sold.
Editorial - January 24, 2022
The core Volkswagen brand came in at 113 grams of CO2 against a target of 119 grams.
According to the company, the average value was 118.5 grams per kilometer against a limit of 120 grams. This is mainly thanks to the increased proportion of electrified vehicles.
Individual assessment for Bentley and Lamborghini 17.2 percent of all Group models delivered were electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Bentley and Lamborghini, with their relatively high fuel consumption, are assessed individually and are therefore not included.
MEMORIES ARE WON Porsche Design, with locations in Zell am See, Berlin, Ludwigsburg, Los Angeles, and Shanghai, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As a birthday present, the designers put a special model on wheels.
Editorial - January 24, 2022
The anniversary models Porsche 911 Edition 50 Years of Porsche Design and the 911 S 2.4 Targa from 1972.
Actually, two special models were developed for Porsche Design's 50th birthday: the Porsche 911 Edition 50 Years of Porsche Design edition model and - as a historical counterpart - a 1972 911 S 2.4 Targa restored by Porsche Classic.
The unifying element is the color scheme, with black dominating both the exterior and interior. Accompanying this, Porsche Design is presenting the Chronograph 1 - 1972 Limited Edition, which has also been on display in the Porsche Museum's special exhibition since January 19.
Principles and spirit of the brand Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded the Porsche Design company in 1972 together with his brother Hans-Peter. The designer of the 911 model had a vision of a company that would carry Porsche's principles and spirit beyond the boundaries of the automobile. Today, Porsche Design is an internationally renowned lifestyle brand, known for products with purist aesthetics.
Between classic and modern The 911 50 Years of Porsche Design edition model is limited to 750 units. In addition to the exterior color black, the center panels of the seats upholstered in Sport-Tex in a classic check pattern and the red second hand of the subsecond clock of the standard Sport Chrono Package cite the past. The special model is based on the 911 Targa 4 GTS and can be ordered at a price starting at 234,300 Swiss francs. It will arrive at dealerships in April.
Once again, Swiss customers receive the extended warranty and the contents of the Swiss Package. Buyers of the anniversary model can also purchase a special version of the new edition of the Chronograph I.
With the signature of F.A. Porsche For the anniversary, a 911 S 2.4 Targa from the Porsche Design founding year of 1972 was also created. The experts at Porsche Classic fully converted the engine and chassis of the base vehicle to the S version. The model at the time delivered 190 hp at 6500 rpm from a displacement of 2341 cc.
The Porsche Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary with a special exhibition until July 11, 2022. One part of the exhibition provides information on the personality of F. A. Porsche and his design philosophy. Among other things, the P'8478 pilot's goggles, the Monobloc Actuator watch series, the P'3613 whistle and the P'9521 cell phone are also on display.
IT'S FURTHER UP Since the beginning of the year, the Rimac Group has been acting as the umbrella organization for the Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Technology companies. In addition to majority shareholder Rimac, Porsche also holds a 45 percent stake in Bugatti Rimac.
Editorial - 23 January 2022
Development and production capacities at Rimac will be significantly increased by 2023.
Under the umbrella of the Rimac Group, Rimac Technology, formerly Rimac Automobili, is a fully independent company. It will continue to be active in the areas of engineering, development and the production of batteries for super sports cars, electric drive components and control systems.
Rimac has been working with renowned car manufacturers such as Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, Pininfarina, Königsegg and Aston Martin for some time. Now, development and production capacity is to be significantly expanded by 2024.
Rolling chassis and small hybrid systems In addition to producing the new, all-electric Nevera hypercar, Rimac manufactures components for other manufacturers. The development program includes many products from small hybrid systems to rolling chassis.
While today around 1000 employees belong to the company, CEO Matte Rimac is planning a new headquarters, also near Zagreb. Up to 2500 employees could be employed there from 2023.
BIDIRECTIONAL CHARGING The V2X Suisse project group is researching how electric cars can help balance energy supply and demand. As part of a pioneering trial, Mobility is deploying 50 Honda e in Switzerland.
Editorial - 23 January 2022
Electricity flows into the car, as here in the Honda e test car, and back into the grid when needed.
Honda is entering into a partnership with the V2X Suisse project group. The common goal is to test and demonstrate battery-electric vehicles and bidirectional charging technology.
The group of seven partners is working on the implementation of the project, which will start in September 2022 and is scheduled to run until the end of 2023. The other members of the project group are Mobility, EVTEC, Sun2wheel, Tiko, Novatlantis and ETH Zurich, with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.
Feeding electricity back into the grid The bidirectional charging function of the Honda e is used in the test. This allows electricity to be fed back into the grid as soon as the vehicle is parked.
To put bidirectional charging into practice, Honda is also making 35 Power Manager units available. These offer Mobility the opportunity to use the vehicle-to-grid function at several urban and suburban locations.
intelligent exchange of energy The V2X Suisse test also includes the world's first large-scale deployment of the Combo CCS configuration with bidirectional function. The Honda e is the perfect electric vehicle for this.
The Power Manager is a bidirectional system that connects e-vehicles to a power grid and enables the distribution of electricity between these two systems. This makes it possible to realize an intelligent exchange of energy supply and demand.
Evaluate and regulate current flow Sun2wheel, another project partner, developed a cloud-to-cloud IT platform. This can manage the available power for each vehicle in 15-minute cycles via the Power Manager units to evaluate and regulate the power flow.
The project will enable Honda to verify the relationship between frequency of vehicle use and V2G operation and also the impact on customer comfort.
HYBRID-HYPERCAR The Peugeot 9x8 Hybrid super sports car designed by design chief Matthias Hossann was appropriately staged by German fashion and sports car photographer Agnieszka Doroszewicz before the start of the season.
Editorial - January 22, 2022
With a long tail section but no rear wing, the aerodynamic 9×8 Hybrid racing sports car is aiming for racing success.
The design team went to great lengths to develop the Peugeot 9×8 Hybrid Hypercar. The new model has been given all the modern aesthetic features typical of the brand: flowing lines enhanced by sporty dynamics, slim flanks and, of course, the brand's signature three-claw light signature.
Style and technique match The slim and elegant vehicle thus embodies enthusiasm and speed. For the hypercar Peugeot 9×8 Hybrid, engineers and designers worked closely together to achieve a match of style and technology and create a competitive vehicle. Probably the most striking of the design feature is the absence of a rear wing, which gives the car a unique shape.
Brand typical elements in design Another sign of Peugeot's expertise and style is the interior of the 9×8, which is based on the brand's signature i-cockpit. The entire cockpit is designed to offer maximum ergonomics and ease of use for the driver.
In its all-wheel-drive hybrid, the mid-engine car combines a 2.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine rated at 680 hp with a 200kW (270 hp) electric motor up front.
Le Mans as a highlight in the 2022 program As the photographer for the 9×8 series of images, Agnieszka Doroszewicz immediately recognized the potential of light signatures.
Agnieszka Doroszewicz: "We wanted to spread our shoot over a long day and extend it into the night. So I was already able to perfectly showcase the Le Mans 24-hour race in my photos this year. The atmosphere, the excitement and the tension are tangible, and of course you can feel the history of this race in every pore. You can't escape it."
The race is still a while away, by the way. The 24 hours will take place on the weekend of 11/12 June 2022
NEW LEASING OFFER Polestar has reached a sales target of 29,000 vehicles in 2021 - a growth of 185 percent over 2020. In addition, the merger with Gores Guggenheim Inc. is expected to be completed by mid-2022.
Editorial - January 22, 2022
Polestar has big plans for sales figures and for new models and materials.
After a successful 2021, Polestar is starting right away with an attractive promotion for new Polestar 2 models. With a 0.01-percent lease offered until March 31, the Swedes want to further support the sporty electric sedan.
Preconfigured new cars ready to drive are presented online for this purpose, with outputs ranging from 170 to 300 kW and at prices between 44,900 and 58,800 Swiss francs.
New markets are also to be opened up in the current year, with Polestar aiming to be active in at least 30 countries worldwide by the end of 2023. There will also be a corresponding model program, as Polestar plans to launch three new vehicles on the market in the next three years.
Biodegradable corn-based adhesive In October 2021, Polestar and artist Thijs Biersteker presented the interactive installation We Harvest Wind. This collaboration drew attention to the importance of renewable energy.
Thijs Biersteker: "A new, fully biodegradable, corn-based adhesive was developed as part of the project. When you create a piece of art that talks about environmental impact, the environment itself shouldn't be affected too much."
Power Ribs and Bio-based Polypropylene The We Harvest Wind project has spurred several initiatives within the Polestar team and underpinned some ongoing studies. Now Polestar hopes to use a bio-based solution with power ribs and bio-based polypropylene in future vehicle production.
Says Thijs Biersteker, "We made the sculpture's leaves from 3D-printed recycled PET, and the outer wings were made with a structure of flax and a new eco-friendly resin."
The sculpture is three meters in diameter and consists of a series of outer wings that rotate around a central spiral. Visitors can control the wind chime themselves by operating large fans, realizing that the power to effect change is in their own hands.
Thijs Biersteker's Woven Studio and Polestar's research and development team in the UK worked hand in hand to develop the piece.
Porsche Cup Suisse: Together through the desert adventure 🎥
JOINT EXPERIENCE For two years, they fought out the title in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse between themselves as rival support drivers. For the 24-hour race in Dubai, Alexander Fach and Dominik Fischli teamed up.
Editorial - January 22, 2022
Team boss Alex Fach with his five Swiss riders (back from left) Jan Klingelnberg, Marcel Wagner, Peter Hegglin, Alexander Fach and Dominik Fischli.
Alexander Fach and Dominik Fischli have been racing in the GT3 Cup as part of the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse for the past two years. There, the two Swiss drivers emphatically demonstrated their talent and, thanks to the support of the organizers and Porsche Schweiz AG, were given the tools for their future careers in motorsport.
At the end of 2021, the development program for Fach and Fischli will come to an end as planned, but because it was so successful from the point of view of everyone involved, the two juniors were given an unusual farewell present as a thank-you gift at the end of the program: a start in the 24-hour race in Dubai with an all-Swiss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the latest 992 model generation.
Never before at a 24-hour race Both 19-year-old Alexander and Dominik, who is a good six years older, entered new territory with the trip to the United Arab Emirates: Neither of them had previously competed in a race outside Europe or over such a long distance.
Their excitement before the endurance adventure in the Dubai desert was understandable: endurance competitions are very different from the 30-minute sprint races they both know from the GT3 Cup - there, it's mainly full throttle from start to finish, and each competitor can set up his own car the way he personally likes it best.
Dominik Fischli: "In the Cup, we were opponents for two years and pushed each other to an ever higher level. I was able to learn a lot from the fact that Alexander was sometimes a bit faster than me. Even when there was contact on the track."
Alexander Fach: "... but that's part of it. We always got along well in the paddock, too. I knew that Dominik is a hard worker and has a strong will. Because of him, I always had to give even more. When he beat me in a time sector, I always took a close look. We both benefited from this fair rivalry. Driving together with him now was a lot of fun."
A new experience In 24-hour races, it comes down to a willingness to compromise, teamwork, and strategy-especially since the two young drivers shared the cockpit of their 911 GT3 Cup with three other Swiss drivers: Peter Hegglin, Marcel Wagner, and Jan Klingelnberg are also among the fast people in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse.
Dominik Fischli: "Pit stops with driver changes were an exciting topic. We didn't know that before and practiced it in detail together with our three gentleman drivers."
An unfortunate start The Swiss quintet quickly became acquainted with the special features of the Dubai 24-hour race: 81 cars of different speeds provide plenty of spectacle with numerous incidents on a circuit just under 5.4 kilometers long.
Fach Auto Tech's Porsche was not spared either: Despite all the caution, it came into contact with a KTM X-Bow shortly after the start (see video below), which affected the front left radiator. The mechanics completed the necessary repair in barely more than 15 minutes.
Alexander Fach: "After that we started a super race to catch up and rolled up the field from behind. All five drivers were fast and the pit stops worked just as well as the strategy."
Too bad: Already at the start there was a collision with time-consuming consequences.
Stone in the radiator entails failure After eleven hours, the white-and-red 911 GT3 Cup had already fought its way back up from ninth place to fourth in its 992-AM class and shone with significantly better lap times than the cars ahead of it. Then, however, fate struck a second time: a whirled-up stone interfered with the function of the throttle valve, and acceleration was hardly possible.
Alexander Fach: "We tried several times in the pits to blow the stone away. After that, things were fine again for around five laps, but then the problem always returned - presumably because the throttle body itself had been damaged."
No matter how eagerly the mechanics tried to fix the defect: In the end, the team had no choice but to park the car at midnight, halfway through the race.
Fischli enters the GT World Challenge Europe The disappointment about the premature retirement is limited for the two young talents. For Dominik Fischli, it was the coolest race he had ever competed in.
He is now staying true to endurance racing: In the new season, the man from Remetschwil will be competing in the GT World Challenge Europe with a Porsche 911 GT3 R from Team Allied-Racing.
Fach wants to develop further in Germany Two-time Swiss GT3 Cup champion Fach is also leaving the nest and the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse to tackle the next stage of his motorsport career: The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland is on the cards for him in 2022.
Alexander Fach: "I hope that I can develop further there and get even closer to the pros. The Dubai 24 Hours will certainly not be my last endurance race. In terms of pace, we were in such a good position that second place in class was within reach despite the accident at the start. We can't just let that sit on our hands."
Now they are parting ways - but who knows if they won't do things together again in Dubai 2023... (Photos: Group C Photography).
