Last year, Porsche returned to Le Mans prototype racing with much fanfare and expectation. The company has a long pedigree of winning at the most gruelling and famous endurance race in the world and, after a 16-year absence, they were ready to re-energize the world.
Sadly, Le Mans is a place built to break machinery and spirits, and Porsche only just managed to claim completion at last year’s race. The Audi juggernaut steamed onward, crushing the opposition yet again.
This year, however, Porsche absolutely blazed back onto the track, taking pole position in qualifying and setting record laps while doing so. They then proceeded to keep that pace for most of the race, finishing with a dominating first and second win.
There were other stories at Le Mans too, with Patrick Dempsey coming second in class in his 911 RSR racer and a Corvette taking first-in-class in the GTE pro class. But as far as the 2015 Le Mans was concerned, this year belonged to Porsche. Having broken Audi’s streak, next year’s race promises to be even better.
Ford GT returns to Le Mans
And here’s one car that ensures next year is going to be even nuttier — Ford’s going back to Le Mans and they’re bringing the big guns. When the Ford GT was first unveiled, a racing version was broadly hinted at. However, we’d all seen that movie before: while the previous-gen GT looked a bit like the original, legendary GT40, it was just a retro-inspired supercar. A marvellous machine, yes, but not one built for the circuit.
However, the new, Canadian-built Ford GT was obviously meant to take to the racetrack, and Ford has just announced that they intend to take on their rivals in the GTE class.
A red, white and blue liveried car was just revealed with special aerodynamic tweaks including a huge rear air-diffuser.
The GTE class is one of the more interesting to watch in Le Mans racing because the cars actually look like cars (the LMP1 class is basically a spaceship-dogfight). Get ready to see the pride of Dearborn take on Ferrari all over again, as well as Porsche, Aston-Martin, and current-champion Corvette.
Rumour: Honda planning Cayman competitor
Rumourmills always throw up all kinds of nonsense, especially where sportscars are concerned. I mean, how many times have you been told there’s a new mid-engined Corvette coming? I’ll believe it when I see it.
But here’s something that might have a thread of truth to it. Sources placed close to Honda indicate the company is planning a small sportscar to compete with the Cayman.
Details are slim and prone to conjecture, but the idea would be something like the Toyota MR2, reborn as a Honda flagship. Here’s why this might actually happen. The NSX is going to be hugely expensive and, with a 500+ horsepower twin-turbo V-6, far more of an aggressive machine than the last one. In their arsenal, Honda has a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine that can be found in the ferocious Civic Type R, and they also have a tiny little mid-engined sports machine in the Japan-only S660. They’ve got a compact nine-speed dual-clutch gearbox to work with, experience developing mid-engined handling, years of research and development on torque-vectoring clutches and stability control systems, and a desire to give Honda the halo car it might need.
The Civic Type R is going to be an amazing machine, but quite expensive for a front-driver. A true Honda sportscar, something that carries the banner of the brand like the S2000 once did — if in a totally different way — might just be more than a rumour.
Lamborghini and Land Rover launch heritage restoration divisions
One of the major problems faced by any car company is how to preserve heritage while still embracing future technologies. Lamborghini, for instance, will struggle to meet emissions requirements without turning to turbocharging and hybridization, both things they’re resistant to embracing. Land Rover’s in the same boat, having killed off the iconic Defender lately and with no replacement in sight.
It makes sense, then, that both companies have decided to cater to those clients who prefer their greatest hits albums to the new electronica. Lamborghini now has Polo Storico, a dedicated facility focussed on preserving not just significant models but capturing the techniques used in their construction. Land Rover likewise has their Heritage division, located in Warwickshire, U.K.
While the Lamborghini facility is more of a museum and archive, providing extremely skilled technicians with the information they need to accurately put together a period-correct Jalpa (or what-have-you), the Land Rover version’s a bit more hands-on. If you’d like, you can sign out a historic Landie and take it for a romp across a 200-acre test facility. Mud, after all, is part of the heritage.
Subaru lifts JDM-only Exiga wagon
Why should you care about strange Japan-only Subaru wagons? Short answer: you shouldn’t. Long answer: unless they happen to show up here sometime soon.
Say hello to the Exiga wagon, a seven-seater Subie that looks a lot like a larger Outback. Aha, that got your attention, active and outdoorsy families! What are you supposed to do if you need a third row occasionally, but are a fan of Subaru’s all-wheel-drive ruggedness?
With the death of the Tribeca, Subaru has three crossovers but none with three rows. While the Exiga isn’t bound for our shores any time soon, you can look at it and extrapolate what a new Tribeca might be like.
Subaru reports that the North American spec three-rower will be significantly larger than this current car, but where the Tribeca went wrong was trying to aim for a polished finish like every other crossover/SUV.
If the new Tribeca is to succeed, it’ll be like the Exiga, a blend of offroad looks and practicality over all else.
@brendan_mcaleer
