Inside Lane

“iRobot has nothing on this...”

Issue 31 BMW i8

It’s that time again... Welcome to issue 31 of the magazine where we have news from every corner of the motoring world. Mercedes-Benz unleash their weapon of mass destruction, Jaguar has set a record as did Ferrari, and BMW present the future of their brand. All exciting stuff!

Why are you still on this page? Get on with it!

What is the best convertible on sale

today? Gallardo Spyder? SLS Roadster?

Well, maybe if you have a chunk of

change to spend on a sports car but the

peoples choice will always be the Mazda

MX-5. The plucky little car is tremendous

fun to drive and very well priced. Thanks

to its success in Britcar, Mazda today

unveiled a new special edition.

The MX-5 Black, yes we know its green,

is inspired by the 275BHP GT that was

entered in the 2011 event. Quite rightly

so as the MX-5 racer punched well

above its weight taking on the likes of

Ferrari. The Black gets those snazzy 17

inch rims, a unique interior and a

contrasting roof colour. Only 500 units

will be produced and each will cost you a

very reasonable £22,995.

Back in

Black...

“Sort of”

Man Eater!Everything has boundaries and

limitations. Rules that are not to be

broken, lines that are not to be

crossed. Yet within a deep dark

corner in the AMG division of

Mercedes-Benz are a group of

engineers that take only look at these

warnings and then set them on fire.

These men are responsible for the

end result of their “play time” and the

product is labelled Black Series. Play

time is now over and all that remains

is the beast with a dark name.

This is the Mercedes-Benz CL63 Black Series. A 509BHP, 6.3 litre,

machine of mass destruction. It takes no prisoners meaning the BMW

M3 would do well to watch its back. The hard-core coupe gets a wider

track and swollen wheel arches to match, not to mention two dirty

bonnet nostrils. Rear seats are even an option extra on this

performance focused Merc equipped with one of the fastest 7 speed

dual clutch gearboxes in existence.

Are you going to hand over your £100,000 or is the Black Series going

to have to make you?

“Fantastico”The prancing horse is the most globally recognised logo and the

world associates it with just one thing… Ferrari. The Italian

stallion that was born on track and tamed for the road is ever

growing in popularity and with a strong model range today the

road division is doing better than ever. In fact it has hit new

records in the first half of this year.

Ordering a Ferrari is a very special process but what isn’t is the

potential waiting that must be done in order to take your stallion

for its first ride. However, Ferrari are combating this as best they

can and as of the 27th of July they had produced a record number

of cars. 3,577 cars have left the factory in the past six months, up

11.8% on last year. This is due to increased production and the

worlds thirst for Italy’s latest offering, the FF. The 458 Challenge

racer has also contributed 176 units to the count, making it a very

successful period for Ferrari.

50 years on and still looking good...

The majesty of the Jaguar E-Type is

almost unparalleled as the 50 year

old legend still has all the appeal as

when it was new. It has often been

described as “the worlds most

beautiful car” and we would have to

agree. Jaguar are just as proud of

their creation as the rest of the

world and so organized a birthday

bash for its icon.

Over 1,000 E-Types attended the

event at Silverstone breaking the

record for most E-Types on track at

once. It is an astonishing sight to

see these fabled machines in such

vast quantities! There was also a

race later in the day that consisted

of 52 of these Jags gunning it for

glory. As a piece of British

engineering the E-Type is an

amazing testimony to the rest of the

world, despite being 50 years old it

can still cause quite the reaction.

2012 IS WHEN IT ALL CHANGES

BMW i3

Today manufacturers are clearly

pushing towards a more

environmentally friendly way of

conveying us about the planet.

Hybrids kicked off the motion

promising greener motoring. Then all-

electric cars started to flourish

replacing combustion with voltage

and batteries. Despite these steps

forwards no manufacturer has

produced a car with the clear

incentive of being a ground-up

revelation. Even the Nissan Leaf still

looks like a car of today as opposed

to a car of tomorrow. BMW’s

impending i3 will change all that.

BMW’s new “i” range begins a

chapter of efficient eco cars for the

German brand. They will launch the

i3 next year to commence their

longterm plans. The i3 is a city car

that runs entirely on electricity and

uses new carbon fibre technologies

to increase strength and decrease

weight. This innovation continues

within its design language providing

the world with a unique and very

original look. Seating four, this

170BHP car will be capable of

80-100 miles on one charge.

“Being Environmentally Friendly Just Got Sexy...”

BMW i8

We are not against the “greening” of the automotive

industry. We all know that oil will eventually run out and

we must look to alternatives. However, if you want us to

drive any form of eco-car it must, as a minimum

requirement, meet all our expectations of a conventional

car. It has to impress and if manufactures want us to

praise more environmentally friendly cars there can be no

compromises. BMW has got the message and are due to

provide the world with something that could get us

addicted to saving the planet.

It’s called the i8 and we have seen it in a

much rawer concept form a few years back.

Now BMW has been developing the car in

the real world readying it for 2013. Powered

by an electric motor and the front wheels in

all-electric mode, it will do 20 miles. Hit the

fun button and power is swapped to the rear

and provided by a 1.5 litre turbo petrol

engine. Made vastly out of carbon fibre and

with 50/50 weight distribution the i8 is a

sports saloon that promises performance,

some of the most striking looks to ever

befall a car, and when both motors combine

a car that more than pleases the green

party.

Give us the keys BMW and we will save the

environment all-day-long.

The Oncoming Storm

The world in its current state is full of

people and companies attempting to

save as much money as possible.

With a general lack of global cash

flow it is understandable that

changes have to be made, however,

you wouldn’t get rid of your prized

possession just to raise a few pounds

when you have plenty of other junk to

get rid of first. Today the BBC has

made one of the worst decisions in

its history.

“Formula One has come home” is

what they said when the sport made

a triumphant return to the BBC a few

years ago. Coverage was better than

ever and the show brought them

record viewing figures, not just for

F1, but for any program they

produce. So why has the BBC given

up their exclusive rights to Formula

One from next year? Sky shall now

cover every race but the BBC will

only broadcast live on 50% of them.

It is all in a bid to save money in the

house of the British Broadcasting

Company. This may smooth out the

balance seats but why get rid of your

crown jewel when you could ditch a

whole horde of other crap to achieve

the same outcome.

Shame on you BBC as the British

public now has no other alternative

than to pay for Sky Sports! It is

legalized extortion that will cost

hardcore fans what little money they

have and cost the sport many

viewers.