EN EZINE 1

April 2011 - Edition 1

...created by car lovers ...for car lovers

• Arrivederci Murcielago

• Ollie Hancock 2008 BARC Formula Renault Champion

• Stirling Moss The story of the 1955 Mille Miglia

• Ian Howe’s Fantasy Garage

• What is Biofuel?

• Mclaren F1

• Young‘n’dumb

2 EN EZINE

Paul Scotton - Graphic Designer

Ian Howe - Editor

Welcome to EN Ezine Firstly, why EN? Well, EN refers to Exhaust Note - ‘The sound of a car is as important as the look and the feel’...

I’ve been wanting to do this for years, and now with the help of my very good friend and talented graphic designer Paul Scotton, we’ve come up with the template for a regular web based ezine.

Those who know me will realise that I am a massive petrol head and love anything to do with cars, especially fast sexy super cars, and the good news is that I’m not alone in this. The goal of this ezine is to get friends, colleagues, and ultimately anyone who wishes to contribute to its content. We’ve put sections such as my first car, my fantasy garage to inspire ideas that could be show here.

Hopefully, what you will see when you explore our ezine, that its informative, and not too self-indulgent, but an exposure of cars and subjects close to my heart, cars that I have grown up with, and cars now reflect the world of cars which I enjoy so much.

Of course, I wanted to avoid being totally self-obsessed in the first issue, so I have omitted regaling too many personal stories, such as the story of the day I drove a Lamborghini Countach in San Francisco, or the time drag racing a 5.7 litre Cobra at Le Man’s during ‘Fabulous Friday’. I hope these will make it in the next issues, but more importantly, the next edition, is open to anyone who wants to contribute, so please feel free to send your stories and ideas so that we can build a petrolhead sharing community.

EN ezine has primarily got to be fun, offering a platform for like-minded people to share a passion for cars. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone, what we want is the possibility of igniting the petrol that might flowing in your veins, and ultimately put a smile on your face.

I hope you enjoy what we have created as the first edition, and that the next EN Ezine will include stories from you!

All the best

Self-confessed petrol head

...everything else is just waiting ...Steve McQueen movie Le Mans

Contact: ian@boutique-cars.com

Ian

EN EZINE 3

WHAT’S IN EN EZINE

EN Wow Factor Cars .................................... 4

EN Motorsport .............................................. 5

EN Car Heroes ............................................. 6

EN Fantasy Garage ...................................... 7

EN Green................................................. 8 - 9

EN Icon Car ......................................... 10 - 11

EN My Car... Young‘n’dumb ....................... 12

4 EN EZINE

I love this car, and everything it represents in terms of its style, power and sheer presence. Production of the amazing Murciélago ended on November 5th 2010, a sad day in history, with a total run of 4,099 cars. A successor, powered by a new V12 engine, is expected this year.

The Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001 for the 2002 model year, succeeding the Diablo supercar in Lamborghini’s lineup. This car was Lambo’s first new design in eleven years, as well as the first under the ownership of VW. It was actually styled by Peruvian-born Belgian (don’t hold that against him) Luc Donckerwolke, Lamborghini’s head of design from 1998 to 2005, nice work if you can get it I guess.

A roadster version of the car was introduced in 2004, followed by the awesome updated LP 640 coupé and roadster and LP 650-4 Roadster. The final variation to wear the Murciélago nameplate is the LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, again powered by the largest and final evolution of the historic Lamborghini V12 lump.

Lamborghini names their cars from the world of bullfighting, the Murciélago was named after a fighting bull that survived 28 sword strokes in an 1879 fight against Rafael “El Lagartijo” Molina Sanchez, at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Spain. Murciélago fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honour. The bull, which came from Joaquin del Val di Navarra’s farm, was later presented as a gift to Don Antonio Miura, a noted local breeder; thus began the famed Miura line of fighting bulls, which provided the name for one of Lamborghini’s first great cars. Murciélago is also the Spanish word for the bat. ...could be worse I suppose.

The king is dead, long live the king... can’t wait for the replacement.

EN Wow Factor Cars

In celebration of one of the best... arrivederci Murcielago

EN EZINE 5

I met Ollie in late 2009, and subsequently through 2010, and wanted to add his profile to the first EN edition as a terrific talent, and genuine all-round good guy, but also, I hope as a friend.

2008 BARC Formula Renault Champion, 2008 BRDC Rising Star.

Damon Hill OBE President BRDC and 1996 Formula One World Champion, says “Ollie Hancock has been selected by the British Racing Drivers’ Club from amongst the hundreds of young hopefuls who set their sights on becoming successful racing drivers every year. As one of the BRDC’s ’Rising Stars’ he has already set himself apart from the rest and has exhibited the kind of potential which can lead to the very top. In my view, he would be a good investment to any sponsor looking for the chance to get their name on the podium.”

Rather than karting, Ollie grew up riding motorbikes around the fields near his home in Hampshire, before finally beginning his driving career in 2003 competing in the Classic FF2000 championship. At just 16 years of age, driving a Van Diemen RF82, he enjoyed almost instant success, qualifying sixth on his debut and finishing on the podium in only his second race before going on to win the championship’s winter series at Brands Hatch.

A full season in the same championship followed in 2004, with Hancock securing four pole positions, one win and ten podiums on his way to second overall, missing out on the title by a single point.

Again competing in the Classic FF2000 championship, and preparing his own car, Ollie finished on the podium in every race, taking three wins and three pole positions, again missing out on the title by one point. Stand-out performances included qualifying fastest by over 2 seconds at Castle Combe and by over a second at the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy, but mechanical problems robbed him of victory.

EN MotorsportA profile of Ollie Hancock, Racing Driver

...watch out for Ollie

In 2007 Ollie made the progression into modern racing, signing with Mark Burdett Motorsport to contest a full season in the Formula Renault BARC championship. Having shown consistent pace and performance throughout the year, qualifying on the front row at Croft and Oulton Park and having secured numerous top five finishes, Ollie’s talent shone through in the double-header meeting at Silverstone where he qualified on pole for both races before driving to his maiden victory. Ollie finished the season 3rd overall in the BARC championship and as best-placed rookie.

During 2008, in Ollie’s 2nd year of “modern” racing, with limited testing before the year, he went on to score a record three Pole Positions, five Wins, three 2nd’s, one 3rd and six fastest laps to win the Formula Renault BARC series in dominant style, still with two races to go. As well as a one of race in the Silverstone Classic event, again in a Lola T212, he took the race win by over 1 minute from 2nd place as well as fastest lap, and lapped over 70% of the 30 odd car grid.

Ollie Hancock

6 EN EZINE

In 1955 Stirling Moss, navigated by the fearless Denis Jenkinson (‘Jenks’), drove their works entered Mercedes Benz 300SLR 722 to win 1,000 mile round Italy Mille Miglia in a sensational time of 10 hours 7mins 48secs, averaging no less than 97.90mph (157.65km/h). These figures have since been enshrined in motor racing history as the perpetual Mille Miglia race record.

Key to this British duo’s legendary performance in their German silver car race number #722 was the ingenious roller map of route notes compiled by Jenks during pre race reconnaissance. These pioneering ‘pace notes’ conceived in conjunction with American Mercedes Benz team driver John Fitch were hand written in pencil upon a lengthy paper roll.

They were housed within a unique custom built, hand-made waterproof aluminium box, topped by a Perspex window through which Jenks could read his notes as he hand wound the roll in pace with their progress.

After intercom experiments had all failed, Jenks and Moss devised a system of hand signals, Jenks advising Stirling both of hazards and of time saving possibilities, such as cutting corners.

Stirling continues to be a hero to old and new generations.

EN Car Heroes

Stirling Moss, and the Mercedes Benz 300SLR 722

The story of the 1955 Mille Miglia

Stirling Moss

EN EZINE 7

In no particular order, these are the cars that make me go all unnecessary…

EN Fantasy Garageby Ian Howe

Ferrari 288 GTOJust so beautiful, if there was a God,

he would drive a GTO

Porsche 917as used by Steve McQueen in the

movie Le Mans… simply iconic

Climax Sports RacerSuper sexy ...enough said!

Mclaren F1Zero compromise engineering and

design, beats the Veyron into a cock

Pagani ZondaOMG upstart Hypercar manufacturer

does it their way, and I love it

8 EN EZINE

EN Green

This is the section we dedicate to the Green Issue and the Big Debate that surrounds our need for cars, but the need to preserve our environment. Whether we like it or not, the way cars are developed to accommodate the lower emissions required by legislation will largely dictate what final direction will be prominent. In this issue, we will explore Biofuel.

What is biofuel?Broadly speaking, biofuel refers to any solid, liquid or gas fuel that has been derived from biomass. It can be produced from any carbon source that is easy to replenish - such as plants. One of the main challenges when producing biofuel is to develop energy that can be used specifically in liquid fuels for transportation. The most common strategies used to achieve this are:

Grow plants - Plants that naturally produce oils include oil palm, jatropha, soybean and algae. Grow sugar crops or starch - These include sugar cane, sugar beet, corn and maize which are then turned into ethanol through the process of yeast fermentation.

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What are the different typesof biofuel?

There are many different biofuels available in the UK. One of the most common worldwide is E10 fuel, which is actually a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% petroleum. This formula has been improved in recent years with the introduction of E15 fuel (15% ethanol, 85% petroleum); E20 fuel (20% ethanol, 80% petroleum); E85 fuel (85% ethanol, 15% petroleum); E95 fuel (95% ethanol, 5% petroleum) and E100 fuel which is ethanol with up to 4% water.

Where are biofuels used?Biodiesel can, in theory, be used in all diesel engines. However, due to the parts attached to the diesel engine, some manufacturers do not approve engines running on 100% biodiesel. Volkswagen, SEAT, Audi and Skoda all approved their cars built from 1996-2004 running on 100% RME biodiesel - that is biodiesel made from rapeseed.

What are the advantages of biofuels?The aim of all biofuels is to be carbon neutral. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional transport fuels.

In reality, biofuels are not carbon neutral simply because it requires energy to grow the crops and convert them into fuel. The amount of fuel used during this production (to power machinery, to transport crops, etc) does have a large impact on the overall savings achieved by biofuels. In fact, according to a technique called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) first generation biofuels can save up to 60% of carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels.

What are the disadvantagesof biofuels?

Biodiversity - A fear among environmentalists is that by adapting more land to produce crops for biofuels, more habitats will be lost for animals and wild plants. It is feared for example, that some Asian countries will sacrifice their rainforests to build more oil plantations.

The food Vs fuel debate - Another concern is that if biofuels become lucrative for farmers, they may grow crops for biofuel production instead of food production. Less food production will increase prices and cause a rise in inflation.

Carbon emissions - Most LCA investigations show that the burning of biofuels substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions when compared to petroleum and diesel. However, in 2007 a study was published by scientists from Britain, the USA, Germany and Austria which reported the burning of rapeseed or corn can contribute as much to nitrous oxide emissions than cooling through fossil fuel savings.

There are many ways to skin the same cat, and other than electric, there is biofuels, and hydrogen etc. My view is that there will be a place for them all, it is just the fact that each has its drawbacks and benefits, time will tell.

10 EN EZINE

EN - Icon Car Mclaren F1

Image source: www.thesupercars.org

Gordon Murray

This article is a review of the car I believe to be the ultimate, the Mclaren F1... I hope that you will forgive me for being so self-indulgent, but here we go... the story starts...

Talented South African designer Gordon Murray was pretty much given carte blanche to design the world’s best and fastest driver’s car. This McLaren would go head to head with Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini exotic street machines. Murray’s curriculum vitae already sported several championship winning F1 car’s, including the 1988 McLaren MP4/4. Murray first informed the world of McLaren’s plans in 1989 when he showed a design sketch of the upcoming Formula 1 inspired supercar. It would take another three years, before the aptly named McLaren F1 was shown to the public at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

EN EZINE 11

Generally speaking, supercars are ‘no compromise’ driving machines with performance as the main focus with little need for practicality and/or comfort. Never easily pleased, Murray wanted the tarmac-shredding performance but wouldn’t compromise on practicality and comfort. To ensure there was plenty of performance, he made the car as light as possible; engine power might overcome the weight in a straight line, but during braking and cornering every kilogram counted. This was achieved by using a host of exotic and composite materials, with carbon fibre the most prominent. Murray’s solution for making the McLaren F1 practical was to install three seats with an F1-inspired central driver seat mounted slightly ahead of the adjacent passenger seats.

Murray used his connections with BMW dating back from his Brabham days to broker a deal with the company’s engine specialist Paul Rosche to supply a bespoke V12 engine. In keeping with the F1’s design philosophy, the engine had to be both lightweight and powerful. BMW not only met the requirements, but with its 6.1 litre, 627 bhp V12 engine exceeded the 550 bhp set, although it was slightly heavier than asked for. The lightweight V12 engine was mounted amidships and mated to a McLaren-developed six speed manual gearbox. To better insulate the heat from the tight engine bay, the engine and exhaust covers were covered in gold, which is highly reflective.

In the months after the Monaco launch, five prototypes were constructed and tested extensively in every thinkable condition. One was destroyed in Namibia during these tests and another was sacrificed in a mandatory crash test. It was not until the spring of 1993 that the McLaren was ready for production. Not surprisingly the car was received to universal acclaim thanks to its benchmark performance, superb packaging and

immaculate fit and finish. A slight problem was the price of 540,000 Pounds (excluding taxes), which not only made it the fastest production car in the world, but also the most expensive. This was particularly troublesome as the market for classic and exotic machines had just collapsed after the ridiculous price surges of the late 1980s. Another reason why the McLaren F1 never became a top seller was that the company never had the car certified for the United States. This would have involved sacrificing several more cars for crash testing and the addition of more advanced safety items like airbags. Between 1993 and 1998 a total of just 64 McLaren F1 road cars were constructed.

Not surprisingly, there was an immediate interest in a racing version of the McLaren F1. There were no funds to enter GT racing with a Works team, but it was calculated that the development costs could be covered if five racing cars were sold to customers. The debut season of the F1 GTR was highlighted by a much coveted win in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Amazingly five of the seven cars entered lead the race at one point and at the end of the race McLaren also held the third, fourth, fifth and thirteenth position, I was there.

A few years later Murray helped McLaren and Mercedes-Benz design the rather bulky SLR, which does not come close in any respect to the fabled F1. He is now in the process of designing and producing a revolutionary lightweight (of course) city car. A true successor to the McLaren F1 will most likely never be produced.

Image source: www.theculturemind.com

12 EN EZINE

EN My Car... Young‘n’dumb

Mine was the Triumph GT6 ...a young man’s posing pouch…

Most memorable thing about this car was that it was so easy to work on, had to be as it was always breaking down, with the bonnet opened you could just sit on the wheel and work on the engine, generally tweaking the carbs... I think I fell in love with the noise the car made which was a glorious straight 6 burble but mostly because I thought I was so sophisticated owning what was known as the ‘poor man’s E-Type Jaguar’.

I bought the car which was to replace an equally flawed Fiat X19, from, what turned out to be a couple pykies in Burnham. Sadly I was sucked into the looks and sound, and consequently put my hand in my pocket and came up with the readies, which I think at the time 1985, was something like £900.

Should have known it was going to be a dog, as it broke down on the way home, whilst filling up at the pumps, sadly I was smitten with this fragile purchase… sold it after 5 months.

by Ian HoweRuled by the heart not the head…

cars you shouldn’t have bought, were flawed but, that you loved

Fiat X19

EN EZINE 13

Graphic design for all your marketing needs

This Ezine was created by

info@paulscottondesign.comwww. paulscottondesign.com

If you have enjoyed reading our Ezine and want to contribute, basically, what we are looking for is fun and informative experiences that involve cars and

driving, you might want to send through your fantasy garage, or your first car, for example, but primarily make it fun...

Please email your articles and pictures to

ian@boutique-cars.com

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