Lamborghini Murcielago RGT

On the occasion of the next Motor Show in Frankfurt Lamborghini will show for the first time a race version of its highly acclaimed super sports car, the Lamborghini Murciélago.

Named Murciélago R-GT, Lamborghini is developing the competition car jointly with race experts Reiter Engineering and mother company Audi's sports division, Audi Sport.

The new Murciélago R-GT will offer Lamborghini clients a highly competitive car to participate in professional motorsport events on an international level.

The House of the raging bull is responding with its newest race model to the rising customer demand to introduce a full blown race car at a reasonable price.

This is Lamborghini's first step in the field of international motorsport after its engagement in Formula 1 in the late 80's and early 90's. The newly founded Lamborghini Customer Sports Programme takes care not only of the sale of the race cars but will also offer trackside assistance.

With the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT clients can compete in national and international race events such as the European FIA GT Championship or the American LeMans Series in the United States.

Vehicles for customers will be available by 2004.

Reiter Engineering will enter a Murciélago R-GT in the FIA GT races at Estoril, 5 October and at Monza on October 19, 2003.

Honda Insight

Introduction

Honda was one of the first manufacturers to enter the market with a hybrid model - the original Insight. The Japanese car maker is keen to be seen at the forefront of technology, as is their image of engineering excellence. Insight Mk1 was rather compromised due to the infancy of the hybrid technology and the relatively small overall package size. The new car is a spacious family hatchback boasting the latest hybrid technologies.

What are its rivals?

In the purest sense the hybrid Toyota Prius represents the main competition. However, non-hybrids also have to be considered to be potential purchases and that places the Insight at the heart of the throngs of the hatchback market against the Ford Focus et al.

How does it drive?

At first rather differently to a normal car. Several things are alien: the CVT transmission is something of a rarity in today's market place and so the continuous speed of the engine at changing road speeds can feel a little strange. Secondly, the dash and its myriad of functions needs a little acclimatisation. Finally, the Insight requires a modification to your driving style to get the best from it.

A light on the dashboard, placed prominently atop the instrument cluster, indicates how efficiently you are driving and it doesn't take long to be drawn into the game of keeping it in the right colour for as long as possible. However, this equates to quite a laid back driving style and in some instances, just to keep with the flow of traffic or pull out into a stream, one needs to be that little bit unfriendly to the environment to avoid coming a cropper.

What's impressive?

Honda's seamless integration of the hybrid package makes it almost unnoticeable - the motor cutting in and out as required with the minimum of fuss, only occasionally can it be felt. Equally the switching between assisting, charging and regenerating is only really discernible via the outputs of the gauges and display on the dash.

Obviously, in the right conditions and driven in the correct manner, the Insight can eke out some excellent mileage figures from a gallon of fuel. The best figure we saw during our time with the car was almost 70mpg, achieved at a cruise on level A-roads at speeds around 50mph - i.e. almost ideal conditions.

Technology aside, the space within the Insight is noticeably better than that of its predecessor and the overall package is a much more viable daily driver. The benefit to the owner in terms of annual taxation and exemption from the congestion charge are also seriously appealing for the prospective buyer.

What's not?

It's a given that most Insight owners buy in to the necessary compromises in terms of driving style - they're more likely to be more interested in environmental impact, minimal running costs and low taxation than driving thrills, but the Insight's performance isn't strong and if worked hard the fuel consumption increases rapidly. In many cases the hybrid technology doesn't offer more efficiency than a modern turbodiesel. However, those don't enjoy all the same tax breaks at present.

Should I buy one?

There are several groups of buyers for whom an Insight is a shoe-in. Those who live in London and visit the centre of the capital regularly can take advantage of the congestion charge breaks. In this case the Insight pays for itself very quickly. Others, keen to minimise their carbon footprint and damage to the environment they cause going about their daily business will take heart from the hybrid designation. However, for many, the Insight may not offer huge advantages over a regular diesel hatch

Vauxhall Insignia

, Vauxhall's styling department has garnered unanimous praise for its work on the Insignia - we've yet to hear anyone refer to its looks with anything other than gushing praise. However, we're seeing plenty of them on the road now, so the novelty of the styling is wearing off; it's time to look beyond the design and see if everything else is up to scratch.

What are its rivals?

It might have a new name, but the Insignia is really the latest Vectra (or the latest Cavalier, depending on how far you want to look back), which means it's GM's saloon for the masses. You'll probably know that Vauxhall dropped the Vectra name partly because the last car - while not being awful - was widely regarded as being duller than Jeremy Clarkson's wardrobe.

So the Insignia battles with the same cars the Vectra always did, most notably the Mondeo, the Mazda6, the Renault Laguna and the Peugeot 407. Basically, name any medium-sized three-bAnecdotallyox saloon made outside of Germany or a Lexus factory and it's a rival.

How does it drive?

Better than the Vectra did, that's for sure. At its launch the Insignia was trumpeted as being in every way the equal to the premium compact executives, and while that's not quite the case, it has a decent go. The most notable positive is the general driving position - Vauxhall has succeeded in creating a cosseting cockpit that's both comfortable and sporty. The car shrinks around you; on the move the steering is sharp and the chassis composed. It really does strike a great balance between providing a comfy, supple ride yet transmitting a bit of feel through the seat. It falls short of offering the outright steering response as, say, a BMW 3 Series, but it's precise all the same.

This is the second Insignia we've driven in quick succession - the last one being the 1.6-litre turbo petrol version - and at the time we thought the Insignia would benefit from a smoother, torqueier diesel. We were right: the CDTI 130 diesel engine, which has 128bhp and 221lb.ft, is much better suited to the car, providing ample pulling power for overtaking while never overwhelming the front wheels. It also returns a decent 48.7mpg on the combined cycle.

What's impressive?

As an overall package the Insignia dishes up an enticing blend of looks, performance and equipment in the 'SE Nav' spec of our test car. We weren't fans of its glossed wood dashboard trim, but apart from that everything is put together with style and flair.

The poise with which it drives is its main appeal. We're still not convinced it's better than the class leading Mondeo - which has both a degree more ride suppleness and cornering flair - but it's difficult to believe that the Insignia is the Vectra's successor. That much is clear from the very first time you turn the wheel. Little things like the red ambient lighting in the cabin, and the way the tachometer needles throw a red dot of light onto the silver dials, make the Insignia feel a cut above.

And on the motorway the Insignia feels right at home - which is as it should be if you think about its target audience - because it shuts out wind and road noise very effectively indeed, making it a relaxed car to cruise at 69mph in.

What's not?

The quality is still a little suspect, and the one major area that separates this premium pretender from the actual premium players. Despite the neat little touches in the cabin we've just described, some of the switchgear and lower level plastics are poor, frankly; just like the Insignia ST we tested recently, the dashboard button stack on this saloon creaked like the floorboards of a cartoon haunted house.

Work your way up the Insignia range and it's not actually that cheap either. There are a myriad of engines and specification levels to choose from, but with a price tag of around £23,000 our SE-spec test car was hardly a budget buy.

Should I buy one?

Why not? As we've said, they're getting more common now, but that doesn't seem to have watered down the visual impact the Insignia has on the road. We'd still urge you to try Ford's saloon first, but it's high praise indeed to say that this car runs the Mondeo close. It's not a revelation though, and we still think it's too expensive when the quality isn't any better than other mainstream rivals. Good, but not exceptional

Audi A8 Design Package

Equipped with the Audi comfort plus style package, the Audi A8 is finished in Night Blue, pearl effect and fitted with 19-inch forged aluminum wheels of 12-spoke design. The comfort seats are upholstered in silk beige Valcona leather; the full-leather trim for the center console, doors and dashboard is in silk beige Fine Nappa leather. The equipment package also includes heating for the front and rear seats, and front seats with seat ventilation and massage function. The “adaptive light” system with LED daytime running lights is another special feature. The Audi comfort plus style package costs between € 4,200 and €14,500, depending on engine version.

The Audi product program also includes the Audi sport plus style package with all-new Panther Black, crystal effect paint, which was developed exclusively for the A8. This package includes “adaptive light” with LED daytime running lights, sports seats in goa beige Valcona leather and heating for the front seats. The center console, doors and lower dashboard are trimmed in black Fine Nappa leather. 20-inch “S design” cast aluminum wheels in a dark steel finish round out the exterior of the new equipment version of the Audi A8.

The Audi sport plus style package costs between € 2,100 and € 9,600, depending on engine version.

Kleemann CLK 63 AMG Black Series

How do we optimize this car? This question has only one correct answer: With sophistication! The already fabulous CLK 63 AMG Black Series doesn’t leave much room for improvements, but the Kleemann engineers didn’t hesitate for a second, when they received this challenge. Somehow, AMG had just done a lot of the work that had previously been performed by Kleemann on the “normal” CLK’s, so the task wasn’t really that difficult.

The first thing you notice on a CLK Black is the racy styling – particularly the wide fenders, which house the 19″ AMG wheels. Now the car rolls on 20″ 3 piece Kleemann TS-6 wheels, 10″ wide with 255/30 tires on the front axle and 11″ wide with 305/25 tires on the rear axle. These wheels visually complete the exterior of the car and work in perfect harmony with the race inspired Black Series chassis for a much improved driving experience.

The next step of the Kleemann optimisation was a power increase for the 507 HP 6.2 litre AMG engine. This car is the first model fitted with the new Kleemann 63-K2 kit, consisting of a set of high flow exhaust manifolds with matching downpipes and 200-cell steel sport catalysts and a remapped engine ECU. This kit increases peak power to 545 HP and 675 Nm of torque and power is raised throughout the rev scale, retaining the everyday driveability of the stock engine and eliminating the need to modify the gearbox (The Kleemann 63-K2 kit can be fitted to all AMG 63 cars).

As the final touch to the magnificent car, the brand new Kleemann logo kit has replaced the MB letters on the boot lid. The elegant and minimalistic letters add a touch of exclusivity and mystique to the car, and set it apart from other “standard” Black Series cars (The new logo kit is available from January 2009).

The Kleemann philosophy Comfort Power represents the point that tuning isn’t just about raw power and radical styling. The main goal must always be power and driveability in perfect harmony and the Kleemann CLK 63K AMG Black Series is a perfect example of just that.

Startech Jaguar XK

The engineers and designers from STARTECH have developed subtle sporty body modifications, custom-tailored 21-inch forged wheels with corresponding ride-height lowering and eye-catching interior options.

Adding sporty emphasis to the elegant lines of the two-door with subtle components was a challenge the STARTECH styling team mastered with great success. The team developed spoiler flaps that attach to both sides of the production front apron. They upgrade the car’s appearance and reduce lift on the front axle. All STARTECH aerodynamic-enhancement components are made from carbon fiber. To make these components not only ultra-light but also extremely strong STARTECH uses the same ‘Prepreg’ production process in an autoclave used in motor racing and aerospace engineering.

The face of the Jaguar is further upgraded with daytime running lights. Using precise-fit design elements these lights are beautifully integrated into the stylized air vents on both sides of the bumper. The STARTECH carbon-fiber rear molding serves as the perfect backdrop for the two tailpipes of the exhaust system and gives the rear of the Jaguar even more character.

The exclusive STARTECH looks are further characterized by STARTECH forged wheels custom-tailored for the XK models. The three-piece Monostar J Diamond Edition wheels intersperse polished surfaces with brushed-look sections and are miles apart from the rest. The same is true for the wheel sizes, which were selected specifically for the sportiest Jaguar model. The front wheel houses are filled to the max by size 9Jx21 wheels with tires in size 255/30 ZR 21. In the rear tires in size 295/25 ZR 21 mounted on size 10.5Jx21 wheels strive to provide maximum traction.

STARTECH sport springs are specially calibrated to these tire/wheel combinations. They lower the ride height of both body styles by some 40 millimeters (1.6 inches). Exclusive interiors are a particular STARTECH specialty. The interior designers transformed trends from exclusive high-end living into the XK without overpowering the sports car’s British character.

The company upholstery shop has created a fully leather interior made from the finest, especially soft brandy-colored leather. A new combination of contrasting cords and double seams using an especially thick thread creates an entirely new and yet very English ambiance in the cockpit. The STARTECH interior program also offers countless other color combinations in leather and Alcantara. More than 100 different colors are always in stock, special requests such a leather color that matches a favorite lipstick or other item can also be fulfilled.

New bamboo wood trim elements replace the precious-wood and aluminum trim available from the factory. The wood color is specially matched to the brandy-colored leather. A special bleaching and staining process makes it possible to match the leather color exactly. This STARTECH innovation also gives customers a choice of open-pore, matte or high-gloss surface finishes. Genuine carbon-fiber trim sets with different structures and colors are yet another option for customizing the interior.

Further exclusive ideas for the interior are scuff plates with illuminated STARTECH logo and high-quality floor mats bordered with color-coordinated leather.

Honda Skydeck Concept

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show will mark the debut of the Honda Skydeck Concept, an innovative 6-seater hybrid MPV. This is still a design study, but is a great example of how Honda's IMA technology can be placed in a range of different cars for different needs. To give the Honda Skydeck Concept the practicality of a conventional MPV, many of the hybrid system components - including the high power battery - are housed in the car's centre tunnel (rather than behind the rear seats or under the floor, as with previous production hybrids). This allows for greater cabin space, and the room for three rows of two seats. It also gives a lower centre of gravity.