Ashburton Guardian | Guardian Motoring | February 14, 2020

Motoring February 14, 2020

Harley-Davidson celebrates an icon with the introduction of the Fat Boy 30th Anniversary Limited Edition DETAILS

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Farming Motoring

Friday, February 14, 2020

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Vantage goes topless

L

opping the top off a supercar is a sure-fire way to gather some more buyers in the supercar segment.

The added weight due to chassis reinforcement might be counterintuitive, but all that stuff doesn’t really matter, right?

British supercar manufacturer Aston Martin certainly doesn’t think so as it has just unveiled a drop-top version of the popular Vantage coupe, which is conveniently called the Vantage Roadster.

While the Volante badge has been dropped, the same AMG-sourced twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 sits under the hood, and pumps out a healthy 375kW and 685Nm of torque. This is either sent through an eight-speed auto, or a seven-speed manual.

As you’d expect, the roadster takes a little longer to make the 0-100km/h sprint than the coupe.

It does it in 3.7 seconds, compared to the coupe’s 3.5 seconds.

To minimise weight, a unique Z-Fold roof mechanism has been implemented. This adds just 60kg over the coupe and holds the record

for the fastest roof of any automatically folding convertible on the market.

Just 6.7 seconds is all it takes to fold down, and 6.8 to come back up again.

This can also be completed at speeds up to 50km/h, which is a while away from the reported top speed of 306km/h.

Like other roadsters, the Vantage gets additional under body bracing, but utilises the same suspension system from the coupe.

Torque vectoring, the electronic LSD, and three driving modes also carry over.

“Convertible sports cars are often seen as compromised when compared to their Coupe equivalents,” Matt Becker, Aston Martin Chief Engineer says. “But the Vantage Roadster remains absolutely dedicated true to its mission of delivering precise, agile and expressive handling dynamics combined with stonking straight-line performance.

“And of course, there’s the added dimension of driving a great-sounding sports car with the roof down.”

International deliveries are set to kick off in the third quarter of 2020, so we’d be expecting to see this car in New Zealand in late 2020.

Pure plug-in power for the Mini

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hink a pure-electric version of the fun/ fashion Mini hatch is a strange path for BMW to take … think again.

If we’re talking heritage – and we always are with Mini – then the new Mini electric is right on point.

The original Mini evolved into a premium machine, but 61 years ago it was purely an eco-conscious personal mobility solution, as fuel rationing during the Suez Crisis created a boom for baby cars.

Plug-in power isn’t new for the modern Mini anyway. Back in 2008, the company trialed 500 examples of the pure-electric Mini E as part of its development programme for the BMW i3.

In 2017, Mini also launched the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle version of the Countryman SUV. This model now accounts for 18 per cent of Countryman sales worldwide.

The new fully electric Mini Cooper SE marks a further charge into the mainstream. It’s a

series-production version of the quintessential Mini: the three-door hatch.

It’s essentially a conversion of the existing car, using the powertrain from the BMW i3.

It is a beautifully executed conversion, though.

Mini’s number one priority was to maintain 100 per cent of the base car’s interior and luggage space – possibly because there’s not a huge amount of either (the boot is just 211 litres).

That’s been achieved by redesigning the battery pack into a T shape, with the bulk under the rear seat and a spine down the centre of the car.

The battery and range are modest.

The 32.6kWh unit is good for 235-270km in the WLTP cycle and can be charged to 80 per cent in 35 minutes. Or you can plug in at home overnight.

Overall there’s little to surprise in the Mini electric… and that’s the idea. It’s supposed to be a Mini that just happens to be electric.

The Cooper SE is due in New Zealand in July.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

H

arley-Davidson® celebrates an icon with the introduction of the Fat Boy® 30th Anniversary Limited Edition motorcycle.

Cloaked in dark finishes with bronze highlights and powered by a blackedout Milwaukee-Eight® 114 engine, production of the 30th Anniversary Fat Boy will be limited to 2500 models, each serialised with a number plate affixed to the fuel tank console.

The Fat Boy was a perfectly outrageous name for a motorcycle that at its 1990 introduction was brilliantly bodacious.

“The Fat Boy took the look, proportions and silhouette of a 1949 Hydra-Glide motorcycle and completely modernised it for a new generation of riders,” explains Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Styling and Design.

“Those riders appreciated our post-war design DNA, but also found themselves drawn to the clean simplicity of contemporary industrial design.

“Each of these elements was captured in the new 2018 version of the Fat Boy model.

“For this 30th Anniversary Limited Edition model we wanted to create something very special, so we leaned into the popularity of darker finishes and a limited run/serialised strategy to make the bike truly unique and exclusive.”

The Fat Boy 30th Anniversary Limited Edition motorcycle celebrates the three-decade impact of the original model with a bold re-interpretation executed in dark finishes paired with a singlecolor option, Vivid Black.

The cast-aluminium Lakester wheels are finished in Satin Black with machined highlights.

The blacked-out Milwaukee-Eight 114 powertrain is finished with engine covers in gloss black and subtle bronze-tone lower rocker covers and timer cover script. The exhaust finished in a Black Onyx, a durable physical vapour deposition paint finish that reveals the underlying chrome in bright light.

Friday, February 14, 2020 A Vivid Black headlamp nacelle, handlebar and controls complete the over-all dark look that is distinctive from the regular production model.

A new bronze-tone waterslide Fat Boy tank logo complements the black finish and other bronze details that set the Limited-Edition Fat Boy apart from the regular-production model.

The entire Fat Boy front end is massive and topped with an LED headlamp in a newly shaped nacelle. The 160mm front tyre is balanced by a signature 240mm rear tyre that delivers a factory custom look.

The Softail frame and suspension combine to form a chassis that’s stiff and lightweight, for agility and performance that will exceed the expectations of the most-demanding cruiser riders.

The mono-shock rear suspension preserves the signature “hard tail” lines of the Softail chassis and places a single coil-over shock absorber below the seat at the optimal angle for a smooth ride and outstanding handling.

Remote hydraulic pre-load adjustment is accomplished by simply turning a knob located below the seat, making it easy to dial in the ride and handling for rider weight.

The Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin engine, the most-powerful Softail powertrain option, delivers inspiring performance and classic Harley-Davidson look-soundfeel.

The rigid-mounted powertrain further enhances chassis stiffness. Dual engine counter-balancers are tuned to reduce primary vibration at idle speed.

Base price for the Fat Boy 30th • Latest facelift Anniversary Limited Edition model is $35,995 • 15,000km AUD / $38,495 NZD* • 2.8L Turbo Diesel * Prices listed are the Manufacturer’s Ride Away pricing for base models.

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Farming Motoring

Friday, February 14, 2020

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Ollie’s flock of Fords Bernard Egan MOTORING

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n a recent editorial – well it seems recent but at the rate the days are speeding by it maybe more accurate to say relatively recent – our editor extolled the virtues of the wonderful part of the world in which we are fortunate to live.

Matt’s word were a reminder of both the great things which take place around here and the scenic attractions which surround us.

My motoring colleague Roger Hart and I, along with some others are fortunate to have the chance to motor in Mid Canterbury.

Since the start of the year, which only seems like yesterday – which leads one to think the days must surely be exceeding the speed limit – we’ve had three neat expeditions.

First a trip taking in Lake Hood and then on to Ashton Beach.

Next came a spur of the moment decision made on a particularly hot and windy day to take a picnic tea to Wakanui Beach.

It was nice down there, but the sandflies – or some other critters who are no doubt closely related – thought so too, hence we retreated to the cool and calm of the Ashburton Domain before heading home for dessert.

We felt we’d been on a progressive dinner, beginning with drinks and nibbles at Wakanui.

We had the drinks (strictly observing

responsibility) and the sandflies or their cousins had the nibbles!

Readers may be thinking there is a bit of a water theme going on here, but on the most recent trip, which happened last weekend, we headed inland.

This time there were six of us including Carolyn Whyte.

John and Heather Motz – friends from Canada – also came along.

To be fair we didn’t need much persuading.

But if we had, these drives, during which we saw the rugged beauty of our coastline and the splendour on the high country, confirmed Matt’s thoughts about our environment.

Much to the delight of many, Ollie Hurst has repeated something he did last year.

He again encouraged people to meet at Barrhill – a truly special place often described as a little bit of England on our doorstep – and enjoy looking at, having rides in and talking about classic cars in an historic setting.

And what better place could there be to do that?

The Hurst family have a long connection with Barrhill Village.

Ollie grew up there, and after starting work bought his first car – a Model T Ford for transport. That started Ollie’s ongoing interest in Fords, and six of the cars taken to Barrhill recently were from Ollie’s stable.

When he acquired them, all those Fords were to say at the least not drivable, but have now been restored from the ground up by Ollie.

When he decided to arrange a gathering last year Ollie though some people who had never had a ride in or driven an older car may like to do so.

He wasn’t wrong!

Since then people asked him to do it again, so he did.

Pieces of Eight

They call him Long John Silver because he’s got a chest full of pieces of eight.

Naturally there was a bit of nervousness amongst those who Ollie kindly let behind the wheel.

But in typical fashion Ollie’s response was “you can’t go far wrong out here; the worst you can do is hit an oak tree!”

Nobody did.

Now you don’t need me to tell you the owner of six cars can’t drive them all at the same time in convoy.

Newton’s law of physics probably says so!

Ollie called on others to drive them to Barrhill and herein lies a story which has already become legendary amongst local vintage motoring folk.

Trevor and Craig Begg took one of those cars to and from Barrhill.

For those who aren’t aware, Trevor and Craig are staunch General Motors men.

They really are!

L

ots of people in lots of clubs do lots of good things.

Chris Gulleford comes into that category.

Chris is the editor of a least two car club magazines, and they’re always great reads.

One is the Vintage Car Club’s Blowout.

The other is produced for the Morris Eight Tourer Club.

Chris and husband Alan are Morris 8 enthusiasts.

Alan is a life member of the club.

Many of us have had or have a Morris 8.

Our senior reporter Sue Newman recently wrote a story about councillor Stuart and Betty Wilson’s fascinating Morris 8.

Their car is a delightful and immaculate 1937 Morris 8 Sports.

The story brought back memories for our friend Tony Adams.

So getting them to motor a Ford is proof of Ollie’s persuasive skills.

Ollie even had both Trevor and Craig wearing Ford caps.

Secretly, Trevor and Craig enjoyed the experience, although you didn’t hear that from me, even if I heard it – or I’m sure I – did from them.

To be fair, the Beggs have an appreciation of all vehicles.

Getting back to John and Heather, our friends from Canada, it’s great to be able to say they think of Mid Canterbury as a special place, a bit like a second home, and they regularly make extended visits here.

The trips we’ve done, the places visited and Ollie’s Barrhill gathering are reminders of just how fortunate we are, as Matt said, to have all this on our doorstep.

And what’s more it’s great all year round.

Mid Canterbury is marvellous!

He being one and the same Tony Adams who as a member of the Lions Club has a part to play in organising the Motorhome Show, being staged on February 29 and 30.

Tony had a Morris 8 Sports a few – actually a fair few – years ago.

He often wondered what became of that car, which if memory serves one correctly was also owned by David Smallbone, a former Guardian employee.

Tony discovered the car’s fate at a swap meet, where some Morris 8 parts were offered for sale.

Much to his amazement, these included bits from his old car.

How did he know?

The parts included the front bumper bar with the number plate AK 6655 still attached.

This reminded us of a natty cartoon (left) Chris Gulleford sent us.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Friday, February 14, 2020

29

Porsche’s new Tesla-hunter W

hile Tesla may currently rule the roost when it comes to the electric vehicle revolution, iconic German brand Porsche plans to dethrone the American brand’s performance title with the Taycan.

First unveiled over in Germany near the end of last year, the first Taycan has finally hit New Zealand shores.

Both the Turbo and the Turbo S offer 460kW of power from their dual-motor powertrains.

However, things change when drivers play with the respective Overboost systems in each car.

When activated, the Turbo offers an increased 500kW of power and 1050Nm of torque, and the Turbo S offers 560kW (750hp) of power and 850Nm of torque.

The Turbo can hurtle from 0–100km/h in 3.2 seconds, while the Turbo S does the same feat in just 2.6 seconds – one tenth quicker than a Model S P100D. Getting to 200km/h takes 10.6 seconds and 9.8 seconds, respectively, with both specs top out at 260km/h.

Powering these figures is a 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack with 800V architecture making it eligible for the next generation in EV car chargers.

This theoretically means that the Taycan can be charged up to 80 per cent in just over 20 minutes when hooked to an advanced 270kW charger, according to Porsche.

And it can suck up almost 100km worth of charge in five minutes.

Porsche had their new Taycan on show at last week’s Leadfoot Festival.

What’s more, it’s proving to be an incredible seller around the world.

Globally, there have been 30,000 pre-orders of the Taycan, so the German premium carmaker has announced it will double

its first year’s production run to 40,000.

Porsche New Zealand says “our official Porsche centres are currently holding an unprecedented number of deposit paid ‘Expressions of Interest’ for the Taycan”.

“We anticipate these will start to translate into vehicle orders once detailed product information is available and customers are able to experience the Taycan first hand.”

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