Frankfurt Motor Show 2009: The Marussia B1 Hybrid Supercar Set for World Debut

The Frankfurt Auto Show is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and well-stocked auto shows of the decade. Apparently the people of our planet had conflicting New Year’s resolutions a few years ago. Half of the planet promised to build highly fuel-efficient cars, that save the planet, cheap to maintain, practical, and make us all feel like we’re saving the planet without having to actually make out with a tree. The other half got drunk, played 18 hours of Forza 2, and decided it would make the most expensive, opulent, beautiful, and fastest cars the world has ever (and perhaps, will ever) see.

Cars are so fast now that 200mph is no longer the summit of speed, but a Base Camp from which to set out from. A few years ago cars like the SLR and Ferrari Enzo made big waves with engines producing over 600hp. Tomorrow there will be a handful of “normal” exotics with engines producing almost that much power. Lamborghini’s small “daily” supercar makes 560. There will also be cars draped in fine leather, cashmere, and the rarest woods. Koenigsegg even found a way to put tiny pieces of diamonds in their paint, to make the car more reflective in the sunlight. Not exactly a Civic Hybrid…

So the world has gone mad apparently, but to car fans everywhere go the spoils. The 2009 Frankfurt Auto show has too many exciting cars to list, but you can expect a flood of coverage from us over the next two weeks. A hot hatch from Audi, 4-door Lamborghinis, the too-good-to-be-true Fisker Karma, etc. So many great cars are being unveiled, and all the exciting ones fall into one of those two parties; examples of progress in the quest for lean and green, and cars that seem to defy the laws of physics.

But there’s one car showing up that doesn’t seem to have a home, or at least I can’t figure out which category it belongs to; the Marussia B1. What’s a Marussia B1 you ask? No it’s not an old war plane from the 1930s, or a new type of Bingo call. It’s a supercar…sort of.

Details on the B1 are still hard to find, but the components of the concept left me a little confused. Looking at the car, it seems to be going after the growing hypercar market. The design was done by the Nikolai Fomenko, former Le Mans driver and host of Top Gear: Russia. Looking at the pictures it seems to have taken design cues from the Pagani Zonda, but almost with an industrial twist. It’s angular panels reminded me of the Ferrari Enzo. The triangular headlights are a little Murcielago-esque, yet the back is fairly unique. I wouldn’t call it beautiful by any means, but the look conveys a purpose and that is worth something. The Enzo is not the prettiest thing to come out of Italy, but when you look at it you know you can skip the question, “Is it fast?” So ok Zack, maybe it’s a new hyper-car contender out of Russia. Well, not quite. Open the door to look inside and the dash looks more appropriate for a car from iRobot 2. The dash display is completely electronic, it has a built in 350GB hard drive, wireless internet (useable under 120kph), and even a plasma TV. “Sooo that Scuderia has no stereo at all to save weight, but this car enough electronics to keep a Geek Squad employee happy. I’m confused.”

And then we look at the engine choice, the Marussia B1 is going to have a 3.5 Liter, V-6 Hybrid engine. I think hybrid engines have enormous performance potential. The Fisker Karma is the first car to try and “have it’s cake and eat it too” and it’s already achieving impressive performance. But right now, do we know enough about hybrids to make power at the super-car level? I think we’re heading there, but still have a ways to go. And no offense to Russia or Mr. Fomenko, but a hybrid-powered super-car with a Best Buy warehouse in the dash is ambitious. The B1 is shaping up to a serious under-dog, but should be an interesting project to watch this year. And hey, if I can buy a car that looks like an industrial strength Pagani Zonda, and has the capability to surf the internet or watch movies (while parked, of course) I would save a lot of money on rent, because the B1 would have everything you need.

We are all pumped to see what is unveiled in Frankfurt, and to see what amazing cars will be offered to the world in the near future. It looks like both camps will get more than they could ask for. If you want a 4 door car that will go 212mph and get 10 MPG, your wish is granted. If you want a sleek hybrid that has solar panels on the roof and get’s 67MPG, done. To those of us who think the term “automotive enthusiast” is about 9 notches too low on the volume-knob to describe our love of cars, this event may be more exciting than a Halloween-themed New Year’s Eve party at Hugh Heffner’s lovely homestead. Car companies seem more in tune with their audience than ever, and the selection of cool, exciting, and smart cars is growing every day. The only problem now is deciding on what to get...

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Frankfurt Motor Show 2009: E-Wolf e1 & e2 Electric Sports Cars - The RC Car Grows Up

Electricity has always been fun. As a kid, a simple flashlight could be anything from a light saber (classic) to a magic pen that could write in space. Then you get a little older and graduate to slot cars. Of course with the advancement of technology, high-tech RC cars captivated the minds of children and adults alike. These cars cost hundreds of dollars, and you could change out all of the components you wanted until you were a 12 year old driving a 6 pound car at 40 miles an hour down your street. And then you hit 16, and electricity was suddenly boring. Because at 16 you discovered gasoline, and all the magic powers that come with the internal combustion engine.

I still appreciate all the things electricity gave to me. I love electricity, from the complicated television, to the simple act of flipping a switch to light my room. But my light switch couldn’t do a burnout. No matter how many candlepower that new flashlight has, or how many apps they make for the iPhone, the visceral feeling that cars and horsepower give us is something unique. If you have ever driven a Prius you understand. I am impressed by the technology and the results provided, but it is one of the most boring vehicles on the planet. But very soon, there may be a car at your local track day that runs on some pumped up AA batteries, and is able to silently blow by you in turn 4: the eWolf e1. This electric supercar is making it's debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The e1 started life as an engineering exercise between E-Wolf, the Saxony Lightweight Center and the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Polymer Technology at the Technical University of Dresden. UT Dresden is one of the largest universities in Germany, with over 34,000 students. What sets this school apart from your average SEC University is its focus on nano-technologies, metallurgy, transport design and cutting edge materials research. The school sits on an area commonly referred to as “Silicone Saxony”, and their budget last year was more than $700,000,000. Basically, if you want to build something that uses cutting edge technology, space-age materials, weighs next-to-nothing, and uses electricity, this is the place to do it.

And that’s how the e1 began. It started as a way to show the world the weight savings that are possible when lightweight materials, like Carbon Fiber, are used extensively on a vehicle (even the wheels). The project was doing so well that eWolf wanted to see if a production vehicle was possible. So they went to Li-Tec, the makers of breakthrough battery technology, to have them build a battery for them. So eWolf, Li-Tec and UT Dresden all agreed to move forward to create a production-level vehicle. And the results are impressive.

Visually, the car looks all business. It reminds me of a soap box car, the shell just large enough to accommodate a person’s body. If you want wind protection, you better bring it yourself. It reminds me of a KTM X-bow, with an industrial design that is clearly aimed at function. I will say that function looks pretty cool wearing a white suit and carbon fiber shoes, though. The fighter-pilot cockpit gives the car an aggressive Formula 1 look, especially with the peaked scoop behind the driver’s head (although instead of being an air intake, it’s likely for engine cooling). Somehow all this experimentation with lightweight materials turned out a car that just looks fun. It sits low to the ground, and the exposed wheels should make hitting apexes about as easy as falling onto the ground.

Since the goal from step 1 was to save weight, let’s give you an idea of how they did: 990lbs. That’s lighter than the current featherweight champ, the Ariel Atom. And it was no easy feat getting the weight this low; the battery pack alone weighs 594 pounds. This means the body, suspension, frame, brakes, seats, wheels, and ashtray (if it has one?) only come out to 390 pounds. That light weight is indicative of the successes that eWolf has had with this “exercise”. If this car were a boxer, it would have to make a few trips to a casino buffet before the Featherweight weigh-ins. Even after a few weeks of a Kirstie Alley diet it would be a close call to make the minimum weight.

The e1 has no problems in the “go” department. It runs a single 110kW engine, which produces 147hp and 185 ft lbs of torque. Hit the…spark pedal (?) and it will go from 0-60 in just under 5 seconds. Hold that pedal down and the e1 will scream, er, hum, its way to 147mph. And you won’t have a problem running out of juice in 20 minutes like my old Tiger Trax RC car did as the e1 has a range of 300km. Handling figures aren’t available yet, but the math adds up well. Carbon fiber wheels + racecar design cues + driver in the middle = good. Just ask Gordon Murray how that recipe works out. There is only one, er, interesting note about its performance. They were all achieved with a driver that weighs 150 lbs. Not only that, e1 is saying that the car cannot be driven by someone who is heavier than 150. We’re not sure why drivers that weigh more cannot drive the car. Perhaps the car can’t handle the extra force a larger driver might create. Either way, I’m going to keep eating carbs until I get a formal invitation for a test drive.

So it weighs next to nothing, has no carbon emissions, and you can charge it in your garage between joyrides. Well there’s one catch I see and that is the price. It’s not cheap. In fact, I don’t think I would even call it “expensive”. A 60-inch plasma is expensive. A full Klipsch surround sound system is expensive. Heck, even a new iBook is expensive. But this grown-up RC car’s price is, unfortunately, proportional to its size. It costs $220,000. Make no mistake; this car is a great achievement in the world of “green” vehicles. It provides exceptional performance, and the fun factor is probably up there with plenty of its “dinosaur water” powered rivals. But is the world ready to spend $220,000 on a one seater car that forces you to say “No thanks” to your own birthday cake, for fear of weighing 151 lbs the next morning? I guess we will see. EWolf is going ahead with production, but with a very low numbers.

However, if it goes well, they have another idea they’re tossing around. It’s called the e2, a 2-seater car powered by 4 100kW motors, with each wheel powered by its own motor. 400kw is equal to 536 horsepower. It would be hard to say yes to a 1 seater car that makes Civic-like power for the money of a new SL65 AMG. But if eWolf can build a car that makes AMG-level power, that might be a fighter worth betting on.

SUB5ZERO Best Custom Exotic Award - La Dolce Vita Automobili 2009

This past Friday marked the first annual La Dolce Vita Automobili event at Black Horse Golf Course, held during Monterey Car Week, as an exhibition of fine Italian exotics and classic automobiles. Sub5zero was honored to present this year's award for Best Custom Exotic. The 2009 recipient was none other than a 2003 Lamborghini Murcielago owned by Kevin Cornwell, of Cats Exotics, a dealership from Seattle, WA that specializes in exotic car sales.



Kevin purchased the car from Alex Shen, who owns and operates the tuning mecca SP Engineering of City Of Industry, CA. It's Alex's job to make cars stand out, go faster, stop better, and look good doing it. Since Alex owns a performance shop, this car was probably stock for as long as it took to unlock the car. A catless exhaust from MS Racing was installed, adding mid-range and top-end punch, along with a sound that can only be described as soul-shattering. Revving his car on the lawn seemed to stop the wind, and everyone looked around to find the source.



A big brake kit from Brembo was installed as well. The brakes were too big for the stock wheels, so of course it made for an easy excuse to put on some new wheels. The two-tone finish on the wheels fits with the overall color scheme of the car, and they are stunning. A 1/2" suspension drop makes the car not only look mean, but improves the handing. Kevin bought the car from Alex the way we see it today. He has had countless people make offers on it, and one customer wanted it so bad he had Cats Exotics build him a copy.



The car comes from the factory in a slick Blue Nova suit. Only 4 cars were ever made in this color with the 6 speed manual. The dash was done in dark blue leather, and the rest of the leather is a bright cream. The contrast looks great. Carbon Fiber was added to select interior pieces, and the result is a subtle hint at the performance this car posseses.

Some people say, "You can never have too much carbon fiber". But I think that there is a grey area between tasteful and full carbon that can look out of place. This car remains opulent and luxurious inside, with small reminders of what it can do. The carbon-fiber air vents are an espeically cool touch. An Alcantara steering wheel with blue piping keeps the driver in control.

On the outside carbon fiber eyelids were laid over the headlights, and a carbon fiber exhaust housing keeps the heat out of the engine bay. To finish off the look of the car Alex put on a pair of STM wheels, which have since been discontinued. Tinted windows are a must, and blacking out the rear taillights and center-piece makes the back of the car look clean and mean.

This car is not just fast, but a complete original. It's exclusivity starts with the color, and then only escalated with every great change that's made. The color scheme looks incredible, and is displayed throughout the car. The exhaust and brakes tell you it's not just a trailer queen, and it has the odometer to prove it. Rather, this is a daily driver that just happens to be good enough to win trophies. Kevin has put 22,000 miles on the car, and continues to drive guys with big bank accounts crazy. "I'm going to keep it until I die." And anyone that sees this custom Lamborghini Murcielago can understand why.

Alex Shen's Gallardo TT, taking all challengers.

This week’s featured car is brought to you by the letter, C. I’m sure you’re thinking, “What are you talking about Zack?” Well, the letter “C” is used to spell words like coincidence, credibility, comprehensive, conquer, crazy, and of course, cool. All these words can be used to describe Alex Shen’s 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. We will have a full story on Alex soon, but until then here’s the Cliffs Notes on him:

He opened his tuning shop, SP Engineering, in City of Industry, CA in 1996. When it began it was 4,500 sq. ft and had 4 employees, including Alex. Now it is 13,000 sq ft. with 21 employees helping to run it’s tuning, service, retail, wholesale, warehouse, and website. His customers’ cars, and his own, have been featured in; Turbo & High Performance, European Car, Sport Compact Car, and Import Tuner. Alex started out tuning Japanese cars, and quickly built a reputation for powerful cars that had something special, reliability. For example, his personal R34 Skyline is “conservatively tuned for daily driving” at 790WHP. After conquering the Japanese car market, Alex began playing with cars from Europe. He is the founder of Lambo-Power.com, the biggest Lamborghini forum on the internet today. The car that won our “Best Modified Exotic” Award at La Dolce Vita was built, and owned, by Alex.

It was only a matter of time before the raging-bull bug bit him again, and of course evolution always progresses forward, so this wasn’t going to be a car with just some tint and exhaust. No this was going to be something special. The first step was which car to pick as a canvas. Alex picked the unforgiving, focused, stripped down Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. This car was built for lightweight fights against it’s opponent named “Scuderia.” If you want to cruise Rodeo Dr buy corpulent Bentley. Lighter, lower, and faster than a standard Gallardo it carries a mean 523hp that screams forward with a howl. It steps into the ring weighing 220lbs less than a standard Gallardo, but that was probably just a nice way to get weight-saving out of the way so Alex could focus on the fun parts. It was immediately shipped to Heffner Performance, in Sarasota, FL. If you aren’t sure who Heffner is, click our link in the tuning section. The short version is Heffner will ship you a performance package that will give your Viper 1250hp. If you happen to own a Gallardo instead, “there’s an app for that,” 850 or 1150hp packages are available. Heffner installed the latter package, and sent the car back to Alex.

Being the master-tuner he is, the car arrived un-tuned. Alex threw it on the dyno, and in short time it was putting down 600WHP on pump gas. Before you chime in with, “My Mustang/Corvette/Nova has that much power!” this is 600 AWHP, and with race gas Alex is aiming for a Veyron-trouncing 900+AWHP.

To put that power to the ground, Alex put on a pair of formidable looking 20” Volks Racing G2s, 9 inches in the front, and a sticky 11 inches out back. Made of a single piece of forged aluminum these wheels not only look incredible, but lower the rotational weight, because clearly 600awhp would feel like a school bus without light-weight wheels, right?

Keeping the car planted in the corners, and adding to the sinister look of the car, Alex dropped the car 1.5” on a set of Swift Springs. The springs are incredibly light, sitting at just about 2 pounds each.

The combination of a lowered stance, the dark metal/green color and black 6 spokes tell anyone around it this car is all business. Instead of yelling at everyone with a Lime Green paint job, this car just lets it’s performance do the talking. If I walked outside and said the words, “Twin Turbo Superlegerra.” Jeremy Clarkson would stop mid-sentence and say, “Did you hear something?” Even the Prius-loving Al Gore would want to go for a ride in this car.

And Alex isn’t finished yet, he has more planned for this car. I witnessed firsthand the artistic and comprehensive vision, and execution, this man has for building fast cars with his Blue Murcielago. I can’t imagine where his vision will take him with this car, but I’m sure it will be stunning.

-Zack

Ohio breeds Super-Godzillas, 800hp GTR

Ohio. It’s where political careers are made or broken. The state animal is the white-tailed deer, the state bug (whose job was it to decide on that?) is the ladybug. Aw. It should be replaced with, “Godzilla.” It’s only fitting that Ohio’s biggest export is transportation equipment, because the guys at Ohio-based Switzer Performance are sending an army of well-tuned, fire-breathing GTRs out into the world to wreak havoc.

Up until the GTR, Switzer has been known for tweaking and tuning Porsches until they leave Ferrari Enzos in their wake. But I think their work on the new Nissan GTR will give Switzer some serious nods of approval from all sides. Anyone whose base package is good for 700HP on pump gas is a friend of mine. And that’s just what Switzer does. For just under $17,000 Switzer will install their “P700” package and give your car back with 700 emissions compliant horsepower.

They accomplish this by raising the boost, installing their own custom-made “Monster” Intercooler, piping, bigger MAF, and of course bigger turbos. Stronger wastegates keep the air going where it needs to, and a COBB AccessPort is used to make sure all the pieces work in harmony. “P” stands for pump-gas, as Switzer wanted to build a car for people who drive these cars TO the track and AT the track. It’s also not bad if you have 5 minutes to drop off a DVD before the late fees kick in, and the store is in the next county.

But for some people 700HP is just a good start. There were those who wanted to see what the Nissan GTR was capable of on pump gas, not just what was good enough to recede your hairline via WOT. So Switzer came up with their “P800” Package. It’s everything in the P700, but with off-road only (riiiiight) cat-less test pipes and a more aggressive tune. The great part is, for the extra 100hp it will only cost you another $1,900. To me, that’s like Megan Fox saying she will go home with me if I can juggle for 20 seconds straight BUT if I can do it for 21.6 seconds, her friend Scarlett will join us. It’s a no-brainer.

It’s not just the numbers the car puts down that wowed me, it was how quickly the power came on. It makes over 300ft. lbs of torque under 4000 RPMs, and from the video below, it almost seems lower than that. And once the power hits, it never stops. There isn’t any turbo lag once it’s in motion, so the acceleration just continues to throw you down the tarmac relentlessly. This is exactly what Switzer wanted, a car that would work in any situation. They didn’t set out to build ¼ mile cars, they were building cars for road course enthusiasts. It just so happens they ended up with a car that runs mid 10s. Not a bad bonus.

To see what the Switzer Performance P800 Package for the Nissan GT-R can do, check out the videos below of the first customer to take delivery. As a lifelong fan of Audi RS6s, it was a little sad to watch. But the reason I love those cars is their everyday practicality. 4 adults with their luggage can go bombing down the Autobahn in comfort at 200mph. But the GTR accomplishes the same, and if both cars went to the ‘Ring, it would make sashimi out of its German competitors. Switzer has built a car that was intended to curl the tarmac on a road course, and I have no doubt it would. Whether you like drag strips or road courses, having your GTR built by Switzer will have you cruising by Ferrari club lunches. As if Godzilla wasn’t already powerful enough…

-Zack

P800 GTR Dyno Pull:

1/4 mile vs Evotech RS6 and MTM RS6

Twin Turbo Murcielago from HEFFNER PEROFRMANCE

In the supercar world, everyone wants the newest thing. The world of supercars is like the schoolyard at recess; the newest toy is the fad of the week. “Oh loooook, little Timmy Kesler has a cute little Ferrari F430! Too bad he didn’t wait for the Scuderia model like I did! Does your F430 have space in the trunk for a My Little Pony? See this Timmy? That’s where the laser guns mount on the Scuderia. It’s ok though, maybe you can pick up a used one in a few weeks.” Supercar models stay for a little while, at best, and then they are sent out to pasture to make way for the latest technology-laden street beast. Whatever comes next will always have more power, more leather, more carbon fiber…more cowbell.

But sometimes the newest kid on the block isn’t the fastest. Sometimes there’s a car that had been over-shadowed by a new younger brother named LP560-4. And this new younger brother is really fast, and friendly, and everyone seems to like him soooo much. But Murcielago, by name, is not a car to go out easy. It was named for a fighting bull that lived through 24 sword strikes. It was so strong and fought with so much soul and determination that the bullfight was stopped and the bull was allowed to live. It seems there is quite a bit in a name, because the older brother isn’t going out without a fight. And he’s been in the basement hitting the weights. Hard.

The car of course is the Lamborghini Murcielago. Lamborghini recently released its LP670 SV this year, which indicates they are retiring the Murcielago it is based on. And while the next offering by Lamborghini will no doubt be a little faster, lighter, and hopefully prettier, than the outgoing car, Jason Heffner at HEFFNER PERFORMANCE thinks there’s still some life in the old bull. In fact, after he puts your Murcielago through a “training session”, few cars will even step into the ring without soiling their own belly pans.

Introducing the HEFFNER PERFORMANCE Lamborghini Murcielago Twin-Turbo package. The race is over, the work is done (almost), and the results are insane. Let’s skip to the number you all want, 1100. Yes that’s the horsepower output that resulted from months of R&D. Oh geez I almost forgot--- that’s 1100hp to the wheels. That’s right, this engine is able to achieve power normally reserved for Supras with a turbo the size of a patio table, or maybe a 454 with a supercharger and blue bottle in the trunk. At 1 bar (14.5 psi.) of boost, on a 100-degree day, the car put down 1114 WHP. Here are the words from HEFFNER on the performance:

“In 90 degree heat the car pulled off a 5.10 second 60-130 at around 950 RWHP. For reference a stock 580 horsepower Murcielago takes around 9.5 seconds to make the leap from 60 to 130. With a little more boost it will dip into the 4 second range for sure.”

For comparison; a Bugatti Veyron makes that jump in 5.6 seconds, a Saleen S7 TT takes 6.1, and Ferrari’s beloved Enzo takes a yawn-worthy 7.3. The capability of this car is absolutely incredible. Judging from the in-car video it runs from 5-155mph in 11 seconds. I’m sure that time would drop slightly with an E-Gear equipped car-- not to mention that this is with 200 less horsepower than the car's max. Lamborghinis have always been about speed, sound, emotion, wild designs, and a wild (good or bad) ride. This is like Lamborghini squared. This package not only gives you one of the fastest cars on the planet, but your Murcielago Twin Turbo is not in any danger of being passed up by the supercar of the week.

Results and performance figures aside, the finished product is a beautiful work of craftsmanship. HEFFNER must spend as much time thinking about how their products will look as they do how they will perform, because the resulting twin turbo piping is stunning. It looks like an OEM piece with the artistic touch Italian cars are known for. It doesn’t look like someone built that kit for the car; it looks like it was built with the car. Your eye can’t help but appreciate how the curved and polished turbo piping sweeps back into the engine bay. I found myself looking at the engine bay pictures over and over. Engine bays rarely look this good while providing that much power. The combination of the two has stuck this Murcielago TT to my own personal “cool wall” with superglue.

We will have more details on the Murcielago TT kit as we receive them, but keep your eyes here because HEFFNER is also putting the finishing touches on it’s twin-turbo kit for the LP560-4. As if everyone didn’t like that car enough.

-Zack

Dyno Pull:

5-150+mph Pull: