Inside Lane

“Ferrari KILLER...”

Issue 25 McLaren’s New Baby

Hello folks! Well it has been a very busy time in the motor industry these past couple of weeks. From some of the most anticipated car launches to preparation for the up and coming Geneva motor, its all been happening.

This issue we can finally reveal all on McLarenʼs new supercar and pitch it against a formidable foe, the Ferrari 458 Italia. Porsche also sprinkles a little bit eco-friendliness on the Panamera and much more.

Go on, turn the page... You known you want to!

Ferrari Bullied Into Changing F1 Car Name

Think of Ferrari… A

company full of prestige,

heritage, passion and a

never-ending hunger to

win. At the forefront of the

badge if the Ferrari racing

division and most

prominently within that

their Formula One team.

This team is the most

successful in the history of

the sport and one that is

admired the world over.

Naturally the red baron

has made a few enemies

over the years but none

more bitter than with Ford.

Now they are the very

reason Ferrari must

rename their 2011 F1 car.

Ferrari are poised with

their new F150 racer in

a bid to claim the

Formula One world

championship. The car

was named to celebrate

the 150th anniversary

of Italy’s union and

even sports the national

flag across its rear.

However Fords best

selling pick-up shares

this name and after

threatening legal action

Ferrari have changed

the nameplate to

F150th Italia. The bad

blood between these

two stems from when

Enzo Ferrari pulled out

of a deal that would

have seen Ford take

ownership of the Ferrari

road car division. The

sale was given to Fiat

instead after Mr Ferrari

found that the brand

would no longer be able

to race in competition,

and after all the sale

was only being offered

so Enzo could fund his

F1 team.

BMW Watch Your Step!

BMW and Mercedes are two of the closest

rivals in the industry. Each brand gunning

for the luxury sport market with each of

them mirroring a model to counter the

competition. Some clear examples of this

would be the BMW X5 and the Mercedes

ML, the 7 Series and the E-Class. However

Mercedes-Benz have yet to produces an

adequate combatant to rival the might of

BMW’s 3 Series. Ok, so in 4 door form

there is the C-Class but as a coupe? The

old CLK was something to avoid and so

BMW have enjoyed a period of peace for its

most prestigious model. But that is about to

change…

Introducing the new Mercedes-Benz C-

Class Coupe. The brand new car has

shares 0% of the previous cars traits and

the complete redesign really does show

this. The muscular sculpture and

curvaceous rear quarter means it certainly

has the looks to rival BMW’s white knight.

Prices start at £30,000 for the 152BHP 1.8

litre but engine capacity can rise further, if

you are willing to spend more of course, to

a 302BHP V6 block. A V8 AMG model

should make an appearance at some point

this year. The interior is the same as every

other C-Class in the range but that is no

bad thing as luxury with a hint of

performance characteristic is just what Dr

Benz ordered.

Can the C-CLass Coupe tango with the 3

Series? We shall just have to wait and see.

Green Machine

In a world where we are rapidly being herded towards “greener” forms of transportation, what

happens if you want to retain a performance car? Would you be shot at dawn? Forced to do 20

years manual labor? The answer is a combination of these as the highly taxed machines

attempt to choke the owners into submission. However all manufacturers these days must show

some form of greenery in order to exist, or else they will be pushed into the sea, and so we are

seeing the emergence of the eco-friendly supercar. Porsche are next to take the plunge.

The German company recently announced 3 all-electric Boxster test cars last week but anything

of that sort of caliber is at least a year or two away for the public. Today Porsche has launched

the Panamera Hybrid, a luxury performance machine that is enough to trick the boarder guards

to the road. Based on the Cayenne’s powertrain, the 3.0 litre V6 still produces 330BHP but it is

also mated to an electric motor meaning 44BHP of that grand some is clean. 0-62MPH arrives in

6 seconds and the top speed of 168MPH is more than enough to please those looking for a

tower of power yet maintaining some green credentials. £86,146 is what it will take to net a

Panamera S Hybrid.

“STEP BACK...”

“Or I’ll Eat Your Face!”

The muscle car clashes in America

were just as hotly contested as the

European hot-hatch wars of the 90’s.

Each attempt to outdo competitors

simply resulted in a cycle of ever

leaner, meaner incarnations. In the

US it was all about the Mustang, the

Challenger and the Camero. Power

was the ruling of the day and road-

racing was all the pedigree these

titans needed. With Ford cranking the

Mustang up to 12 lately Chevrolet

thought now was a good time to

retaliate by reintroducing one of their

most fabled nameplates… The ZL1.

The original car of 1969 was a successful racing car and only 69 were ever produced, so this

car has to further the ZL1 reputation or end up soiling the name forever. How does a 6.2 litre V8

with 550BHP and 550lb-ft of torque sound? Yeah, we got a bit excited too! Breaking the

stereotype this muscle car has been engineered not only for the quarter mile but also when the

road gets twisty. Brembo breaks and magnetic ride control may be technology of the 21st

century but just like its predecessor this ZL1 is all about putting its competition back in its place.

The new angry styling is an ample warning to all about the beast that lays beneath.

Bonjour, ca va? Vengeance? Oh oui! Be it in Peugeots mother tongue or just plain english the French

company are after just one thing this year… Revenge! Last year the team were set for a potential 1-2-3

finish at the legendary Le Mans 24 hour, but lady luck was not on their side. One by one the cars choked

to death from mechanical failure and by the morning Audi dominated the top step. This didn’t please the

French team one bit and so this year their all-new car is out to gain what should have been theirs last

year.

The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP may share the name of its predecessor but let it be known that it is for

nostalgic reasons and not because it is a modified remnant of last year. It has a new 3.7 litre V8 diesel as

well as revised aerodynamics but retains the same successful driver line-up as last year. Obviously

reliability has been worked upon and they hope this year the title of the most prestigious race will again

go to them.

French Connection

Recently the legendary Lancia Stratos

had new life breathed into it in the form

of a modern day incarnation. Originally a

concept but brought to life by a privateer

the new Stratos maintains the very same

ethos as its forefather. Ferrari power,

short wheelbase and performance to

match any other supercar is all standard;

and now the popularity of this one-off

has earned it a limited production run.

The car is based upon a Ferrari F430 but has been

modified to the point where it simply uses the Italian

supercar as a donor for parts. The 4.3 litre V8 packed

with 540 BHP will get this blast from the past from

0-62MPH in just 3.3 seconds. Many motoring journals

have credited the little car on just how well it handles with

even Ferrari’s Chairman expressing his admiration. More

than 40 customers have ben confirmed as interested in

purchasing an example and so the cars production

begins. The only real snag is that it will cost them just shy

of £500,000.

It Lives!

McLaren

MP4-12c

“First They Came To Break Records...

Now They Are Here To Break Ferrari”

It is easily one of the most anticipated cars of 2011. Every motoring journal is climbing over each

other to get the keys to McLaren’s first new road car for 18 years. The MP4-12c is set to do battle

with many supercars in the coming months but none more so than the Ferrari 458 Italia. The

McLaren/Ferrari battles of F1 will explode onto the road forming some very exciting comparisons.

We received the official technical data for the McLaren a few days ago but thanks to a very strict

embargo we could only tell you today. However it was worth the wait to hear some of these numbers.

McLaren MP4-12c Performance Data:

Engine: 592BHP V8 twin-turbo. 600Nm of torque.

Weight: 1301KG

Efficiency: 24.2 MPG

Speed: 205MPH

Acceleration: 0-62MPH 3.3 seconds (3.1 seconds with Corsa option)

1/4 Mile: 10.9 seconds

Breaking: 62MPH-0MPH= 100ft, 124MPH-0MPH= 403ft.

Transmission: 7 speed SSG with Pre-Cog

Body structure: Carbon fibre MonoCell with aluminum front and rear frame.

Active aerodynamics: McLaren Airbrake