О КОМПАНИИ:

AUTOEXPRESS

Нет мнения

AUTOCAR

Нет мнения

CAR:

Если бы фирма была музыкантом: Status Quo (уже несколько десятилетий, как они выживают за счет все одного и того же хита)
Продажи в 2008 году: 251 (рост на 5%)
Рейтинг надежности: Нет в списке
Гарантия: 1 год, 12 тысяч миль.

TOPGEAR

Общее описание: Caterham находится в Суррее и выпускает спортивные машины для экстремалов. Все их автомобили основаны на шасси Lotus Seven, а идеология проста – снижение веса улучшает скоростные характеристики.
Рейтинг надежности: Не участвует.
Награды: Награда от Rentokill (производитель инсектицидов) за предоставление водителям возможности убивать мух зубами на лету. Ну или что-то в этом роде.

WHATCAR

Нет мнения

Classic

AUTOCAR

Наше мнение: Автомобильное счастье в самой его чистой форме
Результаты тестов: Отлично

AUTOEXPRESS

Наш выбор: Нет мнения
Позиция в рейтинге : Не участвует

CAR

О модели: Нет мнения

TOPGEAR

О модели: Нет мнения

WHATCAR

За: Нет мнения

Roadsport

AUTOCAR

Наше мнение: Автомобильное счастье в самой его чистой форме
Результаты тестов: Отлично

AUTOEXPRESS

Наш выбор: Нет мнения
Позиция в рейтинге : Не участвует

CAR

О модели: Нет мнения

TOPGEAR

О модели: Нет мнения

WHATCAR

За: Нет мнения

Superlight

AUTOCAR

Наше мнение: Автомобильное счастье в самой его чистой форме
Результаты тестов: Отлично

AUTOEXPRESS

Наш выбор: Нет мнения
Позиция в рейтинге : Не участвует

CAR

О модели: Нет мнения

TOPGEAR

О модели: Хоть эта машина и основана на том самом базовом, простом и без каких-либо наворотов полугоночном Lotus Seven (выпущенном, кстати, аж в 1959 году!), Caterham постоянно улучшал ее и превратил раритет начала шестидесятых в серьезного конкурента Porsche (R500).
Позиция в рейтинге : нет в списке
Наш выбор: R500
Не обманывайся насчет: защиты от дождя. Ее нет.
Конкуренты: KTM X-Bow, Lotus Elise, Vauxhall (Opel) VX220, Ariel Atom, или бобслей на следующих зимних олимпийских играх

WHATCAR

За: Нет мнения

CSR

AUTOCAR

Наше мнение: Улучшенная супер-драйверская машина
Результаты тестов: Отлично

AUTOEXPRESS

Наш выбор: Нет мнения
Позиция в рейтинге : Не участвует

CAR

О модели: Управиться с этой машиной не так уж и легко, особенно когда ведешь ее на пределе. Залезть в нее тоже, кстати, предприятие не из легких. Эта машина доказывает, что супермощный двигатель абсолютно не нужен для хулиганских выходок на гоночной трассе.
Наш выбор: Superlight 150
Секрет фирмы: Не уверен,что это то, что тебе надо? А ты знаешь, что Caterham позволяет арендовать у них эту машину на пару дней?
Вердикт: Офигенная штука.
Конкуренты: Ariel Atom (“лестница на колесах”)
Результаты тестов : Хорошо
Одним словом: Хорошо

TOPGEAR

О модели: Сумасшедший результат эволюции примитивного Seven, основанный на более широком шасси SV. Рычит, трещит, тормозит и разгоняется так же, как большинство суперкаров. И еще там что-то улучшили.
Позиция в рейтинге : нет в списке
Наш выбор: он всего один
Не обманывайся насчет: уверений маркетологов, что CSR более дружелюбный. С дружелюбностью у него так же, как у известного медведа. Чуть зазевался, и превед.
Конкуренты: Ariel Atom, Lotus Exige, внутривенное вливание кофе эспрессо.

WHATCAR

За: Нет мнения

По материалам AutoCar, Car и TopGear. Фотографии утянуты с официального сайта.

2009 caterham superlight r300 c 1280×805 picture picture of 2009 caterham superlight r300 c 1280×805
to view full size click2009 Caterham Superlight R300 C 1280X805 picture ( 2009 Caterham Superlight R300 C 1280X805 picture )

A fabricante de esportivos ultraleves Caterham trabalha em uma importante novidade. A marca prepara um veículo ecologicamente correto, com alto desempenho, para apresentar ainda este ano. Trata-se de uma amostra do que deve ser lançado nos próximos anos.

Pelo que se especula, o novo modelo terá a base do esportivo Seven, com um inédito motor elétrico. Ele seria alimentado por baterias de íons de lítio. A novidade deve ser apresentada antes do fim do ano, antecipando um modelo de produção dosi anos antes de sua comercialização.

Infelizmente, ele não deverá chegar ao Brasil.

http://www.justgiving.com/MEGAChase09/

Last November, my husband and I went to a charity party in Parsons Green, organised by friends of friends, in aid of Kids Company. We didn’t really know anyone but surprisingly had a fabulous night, my husband came away having won a Caterham for the weekend in the auction (which we went all the way down the Champagne region and back in – woo hoo!).

Somehow this year I have been roped (very willingly) into helping organise it this year. It has been running for four years and was set up initially by a lovely guy called Jonathan Silver. This year’s event is being held on 14 November at the Alpha Romeo Showrooms in Parsons Green. Money raised will go to Chase Children’s Hospice, a charity for terminally ill children.

It’s great fun being on the organising committee, a group of eight eclectic individuals from all walks of life, all volunteering their time. My job: trying to get local food and drink suppliers on board, whom we completely rely on so 100% of the money raised can go to the charity. That’s the “easy” part, the nerve-wracking bit is hoping guests will come. There were 200 last year, we’re hoping ito double that this year – not that we’re aiming high or anything… but we want to raise £50,000 (double what was raised last year). There’ll be a comedian, awesome band, auction etc.

I don’t do marathons or 10k runs for charities, so this is my bit for a very worthy cause. It’s going to be an amazing event.

http://www.justgiving.com/MEGAChase09/

A crise derrubou a venda de carros de superluxo nos mercados desenvolvidos e o Brasil, visto como um dos menos afetados no cenário internacional, está sendo o refúgio de várias marcas que ensaiavam sua entrada no País há vários anos. Elas vão disputar um nicho de mercado que não supera 200 unidades anuais. O volume parece insignificante diante de vendas projetadas de 3 milhões de novos veículos neste ano, mas é muito atrativo, já que os modelos chegam a custar mais de R$ 1 milhão.

Hoje, será aberta em São Paulo a primeira loja oficial da Lamborghini no País, pela Via Itália, grupo que já importa as também italianas Ferrari e Maserati. O diretor de relações internacionais da empresa, Jaroslav Sussland, conta que estarão expostos apenas três dos cinco modelos previstos para a inauguração, pois dois já foram vendidos.

A previsão da marca é de comercializar 10 a 12 unidades neste ano e 20 no próximo. Os preços dos modelos Gallardo LP 560-4 cupê e conversível são, respectivamente, de R$ 1,5 milhão e R$ 1,7 milhão – dinheiro suficiente para a compra de 70 carros populares.

Sussland calcula que o segmento de carros esportivos de luxo não venda mais do que 100 unidades anuais no Brasil. Somando modelos de alto luxo de outras categorias, o volume não chega no máximo a 200 unidades, afirma Sérgio Habib, ex-presidente da Citroën do Brasil, representante no País da Jaguar e, a partir de fevereiro, da Aston Martin.

Foram quase três anos de negociação para obter a licença da marca inglesa, que vai investir US$ 4 milhões para o lançamento da marca, incluindo a loja. Para o evento, ele negocia a vinda ao País do ator Daniel Craig, que interpreta no cinema o agente 007 – que dirige um Aston Martin.

O executivo espera vender 30 unidades ao ano de cinco versões do Aston Martin, com preços entre R$ 650 mil e R$ 1,5 milhão. “As empresas estão percebendo que o Brasil, como parte do Bric (grupo de emergentes que inclui também Rússia, Índia e China) é um mercado que ficar cada vez maior”, diz Habib.

Ferrari, Maseratti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin e Bentley vendem, em média, 6 mil unidades por ano no mundo todo. Já marcas como Pagani e Spyker não vendem mais do que 100 unidades. Com a queda das vendas em mercados como EUA e Europa, os emergentes têm sido alternativas para novos negócios.

A próxima marca a chegar ao País é a Bentley, que será importada pelo grupo Rodobens. O grupo Platinuss, que no ano passado trouxe as duas primeiras unidades do Pagani Zonda, também passou a representar a Spyker – com preço mínimo de R$ 1,1 milhão – e em breve iniciará a importação da marca inglesa Caterham. Dos dois modelos Zonda trazidos até agora, e oferecidos por R$ 4 milhões e R$ 4,5 milhões, só o mais caro foi vendido, a um consumidor da Espanha.

Motocilcetas

O setor de motocicletas premium é outro que se destaca no País. Paulo Izzo, do Grupo Izzo, importador de 10 marcas, diz que o Brasil, antes visto com um “lixão” para modelos que encalhavam lá fora, agora atrai investidores. “No passado, as marcas ofereciam para a gente produtos que sobravam lá fora; agora estão preocupadas em desenvolver produtos com design atraentes ao mercado nacional e investindo na montagem em Manaus.”

O Grupo Izzo representa marcas como Harley Davidson, Buell, Malaguti, MV Agusta e Ducati, com preços que variam de R$ 14 mil a R$ 270 mil. No ano passado, vendeu 7,5 mil motos e registra, desde 2004, crescimento anual de 75%. Em outubro, o grupo inaugura quatro lojas exclusivas da Ducati – considerada a Ferrari das motocicletas – e cinco da Triumph.

Fonte: O Estado de S. Paulo/Cleide Silva | www.estadao.com.br

TGS Caterham 2009 reunion: Collegio Astori, sabato 19 settembre 2009.

Grande raduno del gruppo TGS Caterham 2009 lo scorso 19 settembre alla sede TGS presso il Collegio Astori di Mogliano! Da tutto il Veneto hanno risposto con entusiasmo all’appello dei loro leader una buona parte del gruppo di 36 studenti che hanno trascorso assieme l’esperienza in Inghilterra (alcuni impossibilitati ad intervenire a causa della distanza o di impegni familiari… non preoccupatevi, ci saranno altre occasioni!).

L’appuntamento era per le ore 16.00 e subito sono iniziati i giochi e le attività in puro stile oratorio salesiano, proposti con tutto l’entusiasmo di cui sono capaci i fantastici leader Mariachiara, Alessia, Chiara e Tommaso!

Alle 18.30 i genitori dei ragazzi si sono uniti al gruppo per visionare assieme il video con i momenti più belli dell’esperienza estiva (in gara per il Videoconcorso TGS Eurogroup e presto sarà pubblicato su questo blog!).

E poi alle ore 19.00 tutti in pizzeria: studenti, genitori e leader. E dopo cena, i saluti e i ringraziamenti per la bella giornata trascorsa assieme… c’è chi non se ne voleva più andare, come sempre (e alle 21.30 ancora alcuni genitori lottavano per portarli a casa), ma non preoccupatevi: ci saranno altre occasioni per rivedersi!

Tutte le foto dell’incontro come sempre su Donboscoland.

Igino

Many people have tried to answer this. But, here lies the answer. It is normally an opinion, but seeing as my opinion is the only one that matters, I must be right in having the answer.

First, how do you define what makes a car cool. Firstly, any aspirations to being a playboy or drug dealer rule the car out. So thats Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati’s out, as well as all the luxury SUV’s. Anything that requires you to explain your car to a member of the opposite sex also rules it out; so there go Porsches, Nobles and Caterhams. Anything with a date on it, or making it “Retro” kills it. No Mini’s, Beetles or Jaguars.
A car should not embarrass you in any way. Either by getting you wet, like in a Morgan, stuck, like an Alfa, or causing you to lose your dignity, like climbing out of a Lamborghini. Finally, a car should not make you a character of any sort. No Aston Martin bond cars, Mini Italian job style, Mustang “Bullet” hero’s or muscle cars from any 1970’s TV shows.

This has narrowed down the list somewhat. We are left with cars which are practical, have a small amount of heritage, are not stupid in any way and, because I decided, must hold at least 4 of your friends, with all body parts in the car. So, Fiat? Nope. Too unreliable. Toyota is too soulless, and Ford just harks after its mustang heritage. Audi’s are now owned by the cocks who used to drive BMW’s. Peugots are just daft. Renault is for boring people who like safe things, same story with Volvo. All Korean cars are out, because they are just divisions of their parent companies.

Which leads me to the only brand left with both soul and practicality. This brand has the one thing that almost every other brand lacks. The only other car on the entire planet which comes close to this car is the Mazda MX-5. This brand is honest. It has a clear mission and it shows through in its cars. This can only be one brand. Honda. Their mission statement sums up the entire principle: “Maintaining a global viewpoint, we are dedicated to supplying products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price for worldwide customer satisfaction.” Basically, they want to make high technology cars at reasonable prices. How simple is that?
Look at the Civic Type-R, S2000 and the old NSX. All super clever cars. So simple. How often have you met an uncool person in a Honda? Hardly ever. Look at their boring cars even. The Accord is a brilliant brilliant car in every way. If you want a 4 door saloon that does everything, and you buy something else, you are mental. The Jazz is the same for little cars. Brilliant!

So I hope you agree with this. If you don’t, you are wrong and need to change your mind to suit the facts, which are connected with my mindset.

Matt

Buona Festa dell’Assunzione a tutti!
Un paio di settimane fa si sono conclusi i corsi estivi di lingua inglese in Gran Bretagna TGS Eurogroup, edizione 2009… un abbraccio collettivo a tutti i 114 studenti e 18 leader, i protagonisti dell’Estate TGS 2009, qui radunati in una rara foto di gruppo!

Piccadilly Circus, London - Saturday, 18 July 2009 (courtesy of MaryKay)

Igino

At some point, every family takes a summer vacation in the mountains. It’s inevitable, as was the case with my family. This past June, we loaded up our brand-new Lincoln MKX rental (review to follow) and made for Rocky Mountain National Park and the nearby town of Estes Park, Colorado.

After spending a week at 9,000 feet, we decided to ease ourselves back to sea-level by staying in Denver for a couple days, at a modest 5,000 feet. Out of sheer luck, our hotel ended up being only ten minutes from the Caterham USA base-of-operations.

If you’re not familiar with these cars, they’re basically the result of years spent perfecting Lotus’ 7-series roadster. In the early ‘70s Caterham purchased the production rights to the super light-weight Seven from Lotus when they decided to discontinue their own line. Not much has changed in the original design. Today most models weigh in at a little over half a ton, but pack more than enough power to tear up a track while at the same time a maintain a statement in minimalist design. This pushes the car market to an extreme where there is as little as possible to get between the driver and the experience of driving.

I just had to see if I could visit, so I picked up the phone and called. I spoke with Ben, part of the father-son team that manages both Caterham’s US operations and Rocky Mountain Sportscars. He said they really didn’t have what you would call a showroom, but something much better…

I entered their sales office and continued through an open door into a seemingly ordinary garage, the closest thing to a Caterham Mecca this side of the Atlantic: Inside there was a new Caterham in various stages of assembly, a pre-owned Roadsport SV, a stripped-down Lotus 7 body, and a Lotus Type 61. As I walked in Ben was finishing up work on one of the cars. For the next hour we talked as I made my boyish obsession with the cars more than obvious.

Following is one of the more interesting bits of our conversation:

CARBUFF: Whenever I see the price of a new Caterham, it says without an engine…

Ben: Because it’s a kit, you can’t bring it in with an engine, because of the EPA regulations. If it has an engine with it, and it’s disassembled, it’s considered a vehicle and has to pass all the EPA and NHTSA requirements. So then we have to have six airbags, we have to have five mile-per-hour bumpers, we have to have full emissions certification. Whereas these pass an emissions tail-pipe test, they don’t have the certification, which is pretty expensive to get. So, we sell them as kits and then you can buy the engine from your Ford dealers. They’re about $3,000 brand-new, or you can get one used for $600 or $700. We sell everything but the engine, so all the parts that are on this engine, all the covers, nuts and bolts, tensioners and belts, everything all from the kit. You just need to buy the aluminum engine from Ford and then put the Caterham parts on, and it’s ready to go. And it doesn’t include the transmission. It’s just the Caterham six-speed or the five-speed, which you can find from all different sources. Five-speeds are around $1,100. Six-speeds, with the exchange rate right now, there probably around $3,400.

CB: I remember there was this one Top Gear episode where they tried to assemble…

Ben: Where they built one before the Stig got there, yeah. My buddy, who’s the sales technician, he does car delivery, inspections, all the press cars, he said that chassis had to go back to the fabricator to be re-skinned, those guys messed it up so bad.

CB: They did!

Ben: They just trashed it, yeah. They said that car had to go back to the guys who built the steel space-frame. So they took all the aluminum off, re-blasted it, re-powdered it, re-skinned it, and started over…

CB: Because, I remember, Clarkson kept on taking the washers and hiding them so that James May couldn’t put it together the right way, which would take more time. I thought it was hilarious.

Ben: Yeah, those guys are pretty, pretty goofy. I think the sales office wasn’t too pleased with that one.

As I later found out, the new Caterham I saw as I walked in wasn’t some run-of-the-mill model. In fact, it was the first US-spec R500, the fastest Caterham yet, which can accelerate to 60 mph in less than three seconds, leaving other supercars in its dust. In fact, Caterham is giving all other supercar manufacturers a run for their money. The average price for a new Caterham is $50,000, and since the number of new ones that get sold in the US each year number in the tens the rarity is above and beyond a Lamborghini or Ferrari.

But what really seals the deal here is the level of exclusivity. While driving one in Britain will undeservedly single you out as a kit-box gear-head, driving down an American street will have two different effects: Admiring car buffs will know what you’re in while the clueless will gawk out of amazement.

Spec summary:

Caterham R500
2.0 L 4-cylinder RWD
263 bhp, 177 lb-ft
150 mph top speed (governed), 0-60 mph in 2.9 s
MSRP £37,995*

* When the first US-spec R500 goes up for sale, expect it to fetch about $80,000

Pojazdy z Polski. Nie chodzi mi o ciekawe, urocze pojazdy z ery czerwonego sztandaru, czy montowane w Polsce samochody wieloseryjne. Wiadomo, mamy Leoparda. Piękny, dwuosobowy roadster nie jest osamotniony. Do grona sportowych aut znad Wisły dołączyć może Marotti.

Niewielki pojazd mający trzy koła wyglądem nawiązuje do naprawdę szybkich pojazdów jakimi są myśliwce. Marotti napędzane jest silnikiem motocyklowym od Hondy i dysponuje setką  koni mechanicznych. Moc ta w połączeniu z niewielką masą 440 kilogramów pozwala szaleć i może nawet nastraszyć Caterhama. Jak każdy, szanujący się pojazd sportowy posiada napęd na tylną oś, przepraszam koło. Czekając na wersję produkcyjną trzeba trochę zacisnąć pasa. Wszak około 25 tysięcy Euro nie chodzi piechotą…

caterham-r500

For those really serious about their driving, the famous supercar-slaying R500 moniker is back with the arrival of the all-new Caterham Seven Superlight R500.

The latest model from the British sportscar manufacturer takes the minimalist, lightweight Seven philosophy to a new level with more power, sharper handling and for those venturing on track the option of launch control and the Caterham Motorsport engineered sequential gearbox.

Weighing just 506kg and producing 263bhp, Caterham R500 is the most potent race-tuned production Seven yet.

The Series 3 chassis flagship model blasts out 520bhp-per-tonne and is capable of propelling itself from 0-60mph in 2.88 seconds, delivering a pure adrenalin fix for those committed enough to strap themselves into the Kevlar race seats.

The original Caterham R500 was legendary, with the old Rover K-series powered machine rewriting performance records for 0-60mph and 0-100-0mph times. This new variant has been equipped to supersede its predecessor by embracing the very latest in lightweight engineering techniques and technology.

Lurking under the lightened bonnet is the all-alloy 2.0 litre Ford Duratec engine. Fed by its roller barrel throttle bodies, the normally aspirated, four-cylinder mill is tuned by Caterham Powertrain (CPT) to unleash a monster; 263bhp with a heaving 177 lb-ft of torque transmitted to the rear wheels. The relentless acceleration is transmitted through each ratio by either the standard 6-speed gearbox or the optional Caterham Motorsport engineered sequential transmission.

To help reign in such extreme performance are race-developed Avon CR500 tyres and a suspension set-up that includes weight saving aero wishbones and fully adjustable dampers. Bringing things ferociously to a halt are four-piston calipers clamping on vented discs at the front and lightweight twin piston rear calipers.

Performance upgrades for the Caterham R500 aimed squarely at the track day market include a sequential transmission, launch control, a gulping Carbon Induction Airbox and Eibach Springs and dampers derived from the Caterham C400 race series.

The Caterham R500 isn’t just about big performance statistics though; refinements and Seven firsts feature throughout and help distinguish it from its stablemates.

In true Colin Chapman spirit, engineers sought to add lightness to the chassis in order to improve the overall performance.

To shed a massive 9kg from the already featherlight chassis utilised by the R400, Caterham left no bolt unscrewed – more carbon and Kevlar feature than previously, thinner body panels have been utilised right through to aluminium rear light housings.

Discreet exterior styling tweaks carried over from the flagship CSR models offer both form and function – the carbon winglets increasing downforce and the cat’s tongue grill aiding cooling and aerodynamics. A carbon leather boot cover and clear rear lights are also new.

Housed within the revised chassis is keyless ignition, a quick-release Momo steering wheel with integrated indicator switches and an innovative dashboard featuring flush fitted switchgear, ACES sequential gear change lights and a new Stack display with scrolling text. The carbon dash is also finished with a detailed engraved plaque to show each car’s number.

Heres a few snaps from when we attended Caterhams Party in the Park

Caterham has announced an increase in production – and staff – to cope with the added demand placed by mounting backorders for its popular Seven model.

The firm recently received pan-European homologation for the Seven, which granted it permission to sell the car in several new European markets, and as such production will grow by around 10 per cent (to some 420 units a year).

“When we saw the first signs of sales activity stalling last year, we cut our cloth accordingly in terms of resource and costs,” said Ansar Ali, managing director, Caterham Cars. “I?ve always worked on the basis that I?d rather face the problem of how to build more cars, than the problem of how to sell them, so it?s gratifying to now be manning back up to cope with the extra demand.”

International sales have been helped by favourable exchange rates and Caterham is now firmly established in France, Italy, Germany and Japan.

The firm?s order-book is currently full until mid-October.

Peugeot RCZ confirmed for Australia