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Davison

Anticipating Tomorrow

December 24, 2018 • Davison

The clearest view of the new A7 Sportback’s flair, is from the back. Particularly, the full-width LED taillight that spans dramatically across the boot lid to complete the car’s crisp, clean impression.

Trust a brand who lives and breathes Vorsprung durch Technik to know a thing or two about developing cars that constantly redefine what it means to go quick with effortless cool.

Building upon the success of the first A7 Sportback which first appeared in 2010, the second iteration of the acclaimed grand turismo has Audi’s signature design ethos taking centre stage.

 

From the moment one meets the gaze of the new A7 Sportback, it’s hard to resist the allure in which the car combines the sleekness of a coupe body-style with five-door practicality. Sporting the same striking Singleframe front grille characteristic of modern Audis and matched by a pair of HD Matrix LED headlights that accentuate the car’s gaze, the new A7 Sportback doesn’t just look wider, lower and more athletic, it now exudes greater confidence and sophistication.

The ‘cool’ in the new A7 Sportback is achieved by preserving the elegant silhouette that has been its hallmark. Credit to the meticulous devotion to detail by Audi’s engineers, who impress with style lines that span the length of the car, an integrated spoiler that self-deploys at speeds in excess of 120km/h, and prominent wheel arches that hint at the car’s quattro all-wheel drive pedigree.

It’s hard to resist the allure in which the car combines the sleekness of a coupe body-style with five-door practicality.

But the clearest view of the new A7 Sportback’s flair, is from the back. Particularly, the full-width LED taillight that spans dramatically across the boot lid, completing the crisp, clean impression the car now makes.

Stylish without compromising practicality, the A7 Sportback’s large hatchback rear door offers owners a big loading aperture, making fitting large luggage less of a hassle in its 535-litre boot. Legroom too has been improved so four adults will find comfort in every ride.

Dual touch screens make convenience and control a state-of-the-art affair.

Sharing the same platform as the tech-heavy Audi A8 luxury limousine, the A7 Sportback boasts its own set of high tech innovations, with everything from dynamic all-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension and parking assist systems that will put any driver at ease.

Like the exterior, there’s a little more driver-focus with the latest infotainment system in a luxuriously well-appointed interior. MMI Touch Response, packing dual-screens angled towards the driver, and the design flourish of a buttress with the “quattro” logo now displays far more panache than a regular executive sedan could.

The new Audi A7 Sportback doesn’t just turn heads, it wins over hearts as well.

Looking dapper may help the A7 Sportback turn heads. But Audi has given the A7 Sportback a peach of an engine to win hearts. Paired with a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch autobox for silky-smooth gear shifts, the 3.0-litre V6 TFSI powerplant offers 340bhp with 500Nm of torque on tap. This enables it to make 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds before going on to a peak velocity of 250km/h (electronically limited).

But even with that much go, the new A7 Sportback still manages to show a very impressive 7.3L/100km fuel return, and a C1 grade on the VES (Vehicle Emissions Scheme).

Beautiful, yet fun, the new Audi A7 Sportback will appeal to anyone looking to add a dose of character and flair in their everyday commute.

Going fast, has now been made fashionable.

For more information about the new Audi A7 Sportback, visit http://audia7.sg or head on down to Audi Centre Singapore for a test drive.

Audi Centre Singapore, 281 Alexandra Road, Singapore 159938

Tel: 6836 2223

 

AUDI A7 SPORTBACK 3.0 TFSI QUATTRO S TRONIC

ENGINE: 2,995CC, V6, TURBOCHARGED

POWER: 340HP AT 5,000-6,400RPM

TORQUE: 500NM AT 1370-4500RPM

GEARBOX: 7-SPEED DUAL-CLUTCH

TOP SPEED: 250KM/H

0-100KM/H: 5.3 SECONDS

FUEL EFFICIENCY: 7.3L/100KM

Deus Ex Machina Audi

Cervelo’s Grand Ambitions

December 8, 2018 • Davison

Words by Teo Seet Heng

Photos by Cervelo and Gruber Images

Four years in the making, Cervelo finally unveils its latest flagship aerodynamic race bike – the S5 Disc. Evidently, the brand’s design and engineering team spared no details in their pursuit of peak performance, and this latest iteration of a favourite puts it back at the forefront in the world of ‘superbikes’.

With a new ride comes grand ambitions too as Cervelo announced alliance with Team Sunweb the same day the Cervelo S5 Disc was launched.

“We want to challenge at the highest level for the World’s most prestigious titles in pro cycling and Sunweb is the perfect partner to achieve that with” explains Cervelo Sports Marketing Director Richard Keeskamp.

“The launch of the new S5 heralds a new era for both the team and our company. Stunning advances in aero and engineering technology not yet seen before on the UCI WorldTour will soon be available to Sunweb athletes and we can’t wait to see how they turn them to their advantage” adds Keeskamp.

“The partnership will give us also excellent opportunities to develop other future products in close cooperation with the team benefiting from their feedback and experience.”

Redefined aerodynamics and superior stiffness have greatly upped the performance levels of of the new Cervelo S5 Disc.

V for Victory

The bicycle industry is no stranger to eccentric designs on aero road bikes, so even though the S5’s V-stem is unconventional, it doesn’t look too out of place. In fact, the execution of the concept has been seamless, even to the point of lovely.

From the side, the patent-pending CS28 V-stem does not interrupt the silhouette of a bike optimised for speed. The top-down view, however, reveals the V-shaped gap between the top tube and handlebar. This, according to Cervelo, is a feature that allows faster airflow when compared to the standard stem and handle bar setup. Aerodynamic gains aside, the V-stem also allows for easier internal cable routing for those who are more mechanically-inclined.

While it might seem like most of the improvements were focused at the front end of the new S5 Disc, Cervelo also managed to pack in impressive innovations in the less visible department – stiffness. Using a combination of materials, shape and carbon layup, the engineers at Cervelo have delivered a 13 per cent stiffer head tube that improves handling, as well as at the bottom bracket where it is 25 per cent stiffer over its predecessor, ensuring that no physical effort goes to waste when sprinting out of the saddle.

Combined all this with the stopping power of disc brakes, extended seat tube cut out, and a new seat post design – and we have a lean, mean, racing machine with a claimed 42g savings on drag over its predecessor. That works out to 5.5 watts equivalent in power. An impressive feat, considering that the previous S5 had made its mark in the superbike hall of fame when it was the bike of choice by former world champion Mark Cavendish.

The new Cervelo S5 Disc also boasts a redesigned geometry. In short, the bike is now longer and shorter for precise handling and greater stability. The stack has been reduced to provide more aggressive position for speed demons, with options to custom fit it for mere mortals with up to 32.5mm stem spacers, six stem lengths, four handlebar widths, and five degrees of rotation.

Also in the comfort department is the bike’s ability to accept 28mm tyres, and its proprietary carbon layup as well as shape of the rear stays that will soak up road vibrations for a smoother ride.

An Alliance with Team Sunweb

No doubt, Cervelo seeks to reign supreme in the coming season with the new S5 disc, especially since they have also confirmed that they will be partnering Team Sunweb for 2019 on the day of the bike launch.

Based in the Netherlands, Team Sunweb comprises of a Men’s and Women’s team, as well as a development program. With high-profile riders such as Tom Dumoulin who placed second in both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year, it is only fair to expect seeing a lot of the new S5 Disc on screens soon.

The Cervelo and Sunweb alliance is expected to make its debut at the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia in January 2019.

This means owners of the new Cervelo S5 will now have the opportunity to reap the aero advantage of this amazing machine before Dumo, Michael Matthews, and Leah Kirchmann do.

If you live for the exhilaration of going fast, you might want to check out the new Cervelo S5 Disc at Bikes n Bites, the brand’s exclusive distributor in Singapore.

Bikes n Bites is located at 100G Pasir Panjang Road, #01-11 Interlocal Centre, Singapore 118523.

For more information, visit their website here. 

Deus Ex Machina Uncategorized bikesnbites Cervelo Road Bikes

Scooter Therapy

December 7, 2018 • Davison

Words: Tim McIntyre

Photos: Piaggio

There’s very little not too like about the 946. You certainly don’t need to be predisposed to scooters. Even hardcore motorcyclists, the kind who regard scooters as a two-wheeled sub-species, find their biases swept away by the 946’s attention to detail and purity of form.

Created as a homage to the original Vespa, the MP6 prototype, the 946 is Vespa’s flagship scooter. Or let me rephrase that, its most expensive scooter. The 946 has been around in various guises since 2013 but unlike other Vespa scooters, it is typically produced in limited editions annually. The 2016 Emporio Armani Edition was a hugely popular previous edition. In 2017, this was followed by the fourth version in this series, the lovely red number known as the Vespa 946 Red.

This all-red siren is the result of a partnership between the Piaggio Group and non-profit organization (RED) (www.red.com) in 2017. (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. One thing that parent company Piaggio are extremely proud of is that the Vespa 946 is the only product in the automotive world to have been chosen by (RED).

The mechanics of the arrangement are straightforward. For each Vespa 946 RED sold, Piaggio will contribute US$150 to (RED). This amount is reportedly enough to guarantee over 500 days’ worth of life-saving medical treatments for HIV patients. Another way funds will be used is in helping prevent infected mothers from passing the virus onto their unborn children.

The affiliation with (RED) has given birth to a scooter with not-so-subtle applications of red everywhere – frame, wheels, seat, grips, and mirror stems get the scarlet treatment. If you are trying to remain low-key while out and about, this is not the scooter for you. Red, black or blue, Vespa 946s can’t help but call attention to themselves.

Beyond that sea of red, the Vespa 946 is no different from earlier 946s. The bodywork is steel flanked by aluminium fenders, seat, side and handlebar panels. The 157-kg scooter is powered by a 125cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine that makes just under 12hp. For those who may be worried about wheelspin, Vespa have equipped the 946 with traction control. Dual disc ABS brakes are standard as well. Top speed? You could probably get the scoot to nudge 100 km/h although effortless, fast, inner city gallivants are more its thing.

The Vespa 946 (Red) is available in Singapore at a cost of $20,779, excluding COE and insurance. More information at the authorised Vespa dealer, Mah Motor.

DID YOU KNOW? 

  • Founded in Genoa in 1884 by twenty-year-old Rinaldo Piaggio, the company was initially involved in outfitting luxury ships and later expanded to building rail carriages, luxury coaches and engines, trams and special truck bodies.
  • Before and during World War II, Piaggio was one of Italy’s top aircraft manufacturers. For this reason, its plants were important military targets and its factories in Genoa, Finale Ligure and Pontedera were irrevocably damaged during the war.
  • Enrico Piaggio, a son of Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to focus on personal mobility in the aftermath of WWII. Thanks to the extraordinary design work of the aeronautical engineer and inventor Corradino D’Ascanio (1891-1981), a prototype of the first Vespa, the MP6, was built in 1946.
  • On seeing the scooter, Enrico Piaggio is said to have exclaimed: “It looks like a wasp!” “Vespa” is Italian for wasp, and so the name was born.
  • The first Vespa – the Vespa 98 – went into production in 1946. It was powered by a 98cc engine that delivered 3.2 bhp at 4,500 rpm, and had a top speed of 60 km/h.

 

Deus Ex Machina Uncategorized piaggio vespa

An Interview with Andreas Bovensiepen

July 23, 2018 • Davison

Story by Tim McIntyre

Photos by Alpina

Alpina CEO Andreas Bovensiepen
Alpina CEO Andreas Bovensiepen

Alpina – a bigger, faster and badder BMW?

Our target is to build a dream car for everyday use. Not as sporty as a BMW M but still much more performance than most people can exploit.

Our goal has always been to get the best driving harmony. We are not the best in horsepower, maximum speed, or racetrack driving but we combine very good acceleration with very good high speed, and very good fuel consumption and ease of operation. Within the first two or three kilometres of driving an Alpina, you have to feel that, the car is nice, easy and forgiving to drive.

What about performance at the limit?

Our formula has always been to build stability at maximum speed, with as much comfort as we can. Because it’s not fun to drive with race suspension for any distance. Stiffer suspension does not necessarily mean faster. In the wet, or over bad surfaces, a car that is more pliant is easier to exploit. At very high speeds, say between 250 to 300km/h, we have engineered the steering to not be overly sensitive. If you lose concentration for a moment, the car is still easy to correct.

What about the design?

Our customers like understatement. They don’t find it important to be seen as someone who has a lot of money. So, we don’t get too aggressive here. The Alpina B5 looks like a standard 5 series with bigger wheels. Inside the car, you will see more classic leather and lacquer instead of aluminium and carbon fibre. Our production run is only 1,500 to 1,700 cars annually and this exclusivity is something our customers like as well.

Can you talk about the relationship with BMW?

The partnership gives BMW the possibility to add more exclusivity to the brand while giving customers a very refined driving machine. We have a combined production process where parts from Alpina are sent to the BMW factory to be installed on their production line.

What kind of parts?

We cast our own crankcases. This allows us to mount twin turbochargers while retaining all-wheel drive. We also use forged crankshafts versus a standard BMWs cast item.

Alpina have a different perspective on power

We optimise our engines for torque. That is our philosophy. We like max torque to come in near 3000rpm. On a race track, you may use 5,500 to 7500rpm but in everyday driving, you are often between 2500 and 4500rpm.

It’s also important that your cars are frugal

When you drive high mileage, between 50,000 to 100,000km a year, these things matter. For our customers, it means less fuel stops and of course, money saved. We like to think of an Alpina as a car where you smile when you accelerate and also when you refuel.

Have you had to make performance compromises as a result?

It is possible to use quality engineering, design and parts to get a low to moderate fuel consumption from a fast car. For example, with a torquey engine, the revs can average between 1,500 to 2,000rpm lower than a normal everyday car. Lower revs equal lower consumption.

We also design for zero lift and downforce. Downforce is important for racing cars but it creates drag. Many cars have wide front fenders and even wider tyres, creating even more drag. We prefer to cover the front wheels as best as we can. There are some of the many small but important areas where you can gain advantages in fuel consumption.

How do you test the cars?

We do a 24-hour test at Nardo. Then we run a 40,000km test on the dyno. It’s a demanding test and equal to about 200,000km on the road. And after that, we do another 40,000km test on the road. After all this, we can be quite optimistic about the reliability of the car.

Will we see an Alpina hybrid or electric?

With hybrids, the issue is that you need additional space and nearly 300kg more weight for the battery. That’s not good for handling. Range is another issue. An Alpina B4 has a range of about 600km while the diesel can go 800km. A hybrid’s range is only 400 km – significantly less than what the majority of our customers expect.

With an all-electric car, things are even more difficult. Electrics are great for city driving but not convincing for those who drive fast and far. Take a Tesla for example. At 160km/h, the car will drain its battery very quickly. This is what happened with Tesla owners in Germany. They drove fast initially then found themselves having to learn to drive conservatively and smoothly.

We are a couple of years away from where electric cars can be driven this way our customers want to drive. And have a range that customers can live with. But in a few years, I am convinced you will have an Alpina hybrid.

 

 

Deus Ex Machina BMW Alpina

Jaguar’s Baby Cub

June 16, 2018 • Davison

Story by Jonathan Lim

Photos: Jaguar

Jaguar's new E Pace SUV
This compact SUV may be Jag’s smallest model, and it’s possibly the niftiest of the brood.

Amongst the premium car manufacturers, Jaguar was one of the last to join the SUV fray, first in the mid-size, and now in the compact class too. Still, better late than never, and Jaguar has arrived in some style.

As its name suggests, the E-Pace is the smaller brother to the handsome F-Pace, pitched to do battle against rivals like the BMW X1 and new X2, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40. Unlike many other brands, the ‘E’ in its name does not refer to electric power; in Singapore, the E-Pace is petrol-powered only.

The E-Pace will be available in three versions: S, First Edition, and SE R-Dynamic, priced at $193,999, $225,999 and $232,999, all with Certificate of Entitlement.

The Jaguar E Pace is small, but its sporty, and stylish.

Depending on trim, the E-Pace is powered by one of two variants of the same 2.0-litre turbocharged Ingenium engine: the S and First Edition get the P250 spec engine with 249hp and 365Nm, while the R-Dynamic gets the P300 spec with 300hp and 400Nm. All come with all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and 0-100km/h acceleration figures are 7.0 and 6.4 seconds respectively.

Standard equipment across all trim levels include: lane departure warning with lane keep assist, cruise control, 360-degree parking sensors, automated park assist, LED headlights, hands-free tailgate, and a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation.

Step up to SE R-Dynamic, and you get a more aggressive bodykit, 19-inch wheels and sports seats in addition to blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, 14-way powered front seats and 11-speaker Meridian sound system. If you splash out for the First Edition (available for the first year of sales only), you also get a heads-up display, a panoramic roof, a waterproof Activity Key wristband (so you can lock your main key inside during outdoor activities), and 20-inch wheels.

As the smallest vehicle in the range, Jaguar makes some bold claims about the E-Pace, packing the design and performance of a sports car. We won’t know about the latter till we’ve driven it, but on the design front those claims are warranted. A number of design cues have made their way over from the F-Type sports car, including the “teardrop” shape of the side windows, the tapering of the roofline towards the rear and the shape and positioning of the headlights.

For most of the company’s history, Jaguar has been known as a purveyor of fine-handling cars, and despite having a high ride height, the E-Pace should continue that tradition, having spent some development time at the Nurburgring and at the high-speed Nardo test track in Italy.

It also features a system called Active Driveline AWD, which is able to actively distribute torque between the axles, with two clutches in the rear axle allowing up to 100 percent of torque to be apportioned to either wheel. During cornering, the software analyses yaw rate, throttle position, steering angle and lateral acceleration, and will pre-emptively distribute torque to the outside wheels for a more neutral handling balance. On low friction surfaces, Active Driveline even allows for power-on oversteer and controlled drifts.

The E-Pace is a handsome-looking proposition, and on paper at least seems to have its competitors licked on speed, but in price-sensitive Singapore, is hampered by the lack of a low-cost, low-powered engine option. Only time will tell if its combination of style and performance will be able to overcome this disadvantage.

 

Deus Ex Machina Jaguar SUV

Defying the Odds

November 27, 2017 • Davison

Words and photos by Dean Koh

Calvin Sim, or ‘Chi Chi’ as he’s known by friends in the local cycling community, helped to break Singapore’s 20-year cycling drought with a gold medal in the men’s omnium track racing event at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur in August 2017.

Enthusiasts who have been following the sport will have to stretch their memories to recall the last time a male cyclist from our Republic won a SEA Games gold medal. It was during the 1997 Jakarta Games that Bernard Wong won the men’s point race.

For an event that involves non-existent facilities in Singapore, the 28-year old invested time and money to train in the United States for the six weeks leading up to the SEA Games.

A seasoned road racer and regular on the mountain bike circuit, Calvin’s pursuit of purity in the sport of cycling saw him make the switch to track racing just three years ago. It may take place within the confines of a velodrome, but track cycling is the purest form of the sport, where having one gear, one speed and no brakes puts skills to the test, he said.

For those keen on a little context, omnium racing is not quite about being first over the line, but about being consistent. Comprising multiple sub-events scored on points, the eventual winner of the race would be the rider who accumulates the most digits over the course of flying time trials, pursuits, scratch races and short distance point races. You could imagine it to be all about cranking as hard as you can, but huge demands are placed on a rider’s fitness, endurance and tactical nous.

To gain experience in the discipline, Calvin spared no effort in getting the necessary training and exposure, participating in track cycling competitions overseas in countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Australia.

Having given all he had into the sport, Calvin had even considered leaving competitive cycling for good had he not achieved the desired results during the recent SEA Games. He might have been confident of a podium finish, but it was clear that gold was the coloured medal he coveted the most.

“No matter the circumstances, we can still succeed, even if we did not have a velodrome,” Calvin shared.

It was a tall order taken on blind faith, but taking time off a busy work and training schedule, Calvin candidly recollects his experiences before and after his feat.

Tell us about your preparation for the SEA Games.
As Singapore did not have a velodrome for the national team to train, the Singapore national team based ourselves in Colorado Springs for a six-week training camp under the guidance of coach Andy Sparks and his wife Sarah Hammer. Andy was a former Team USA Olympic head cycling coach and Sarah is a four-time Olympic medalist and won multiple world pursuit championships on the track.

With Andy and Sarah’s knowledge and experience on the track, we were able to fast forward our learning and hone our tactics on the track. Their advice and inputs were certainly what made the difference for us on achieve our eventual success of three medals from the track during the SEA Games.

What were some of the challenges faced and sacrifices that you endured in preparing for the Games?
One of the biggest challenges faced was to base ourselves near a velodrome and finding a good coach to bring my performance to next level. In addition, I needed to plan ahead and have enough funds for my training and related expenses as a lot of the preparatory races were self-funded. I had to make sure that I did not run out of money before the Games!
Eight months before the Games, I switched from working full-time to part-time at local bike fit studio Loue Bicycles so that I could dedicate more time to training and racing. It was tough and unsustainable in the long run but it was worth it.

What was the first thing that went through your mind when you knew you won the gold medal?
I was super happy – all the training, hard work and sacrifices made for the Games were worth it. I also wanted to thank my teammate in the race, Goh Choon Huat, for helping with the victory because it would be impossible to win without him.

What kept you motivated during the tough times in preparing for the Games?
One of my teammates got involved in a serious training accident which nearly took his life but fortunately he managed to pull through. I wanted to make him proud at the Games so that kept me going. I was also motivated by the many supporters back home in Singapore.

Which bike did you use during your omnium race and do you have a preferred set-up for your race bike?
I used a Cervélo T4 track bike with Mavic track IO wheels, together with Fizik bar tape and saddle. My race bike set-up usually varies on the type of event and the velodrome conditions but a 48-teeth crank and 14-teeth cog (48T x 14T) would be my preferred set up.

What are your hopes for competitive cycling at an international level for Singapore?
My hopes are that I can see a velodrome in Singapore during my lifetime. With this velodrome, it could be a doorway to discover more local cycling talents developed through talent identification programs (similar to British Cycling) at a school or grassroots level.
Singapore cycling can be competitive at regional and international levels and young talents will always emerge through such talent identification programs. More people can pick up cycling in Singapore and I believe that it is possible even for Singaporeans to be competitive on the world stage.

Aficionado Cervelo Cycling

In Tune with Thoroughbreds

October 25, 2017 • Davison

Threatened with bodily harm, Gregory Soh, founder of specialist automotive workshop Autostrasse will admit that he was in the Gifted Education Programme at Anglo Chinese School. He would later graduate with a BSc from London School of Economics and wind up as a service engineer at Bosch, the German engineering and electronics multinational.

It’s safe to assume that Greg was a clever kid. And clever kids tend to gravitate to certain jobs. They don’t start auto repair workshops. So what happened?

Well, the short story is that Greg decided to follow his passion. Or more specifically, he decided to put his talents into his passion. In the span of less than ten years, Gregory has built an automotive repair and restoration workshop with a reputation for meticulous, honest work. In doing so, he has also become the  go-to-guy here for all things Porsche.

We are gathered here for lunch at House at Dempsey on a Saturday afternoon, as part of a get-together Greg has organised for some of his customers. Casual get-togethers like these are always nice, the conversation flows effortlessly, revolving around three main topics – cars, more cars and automobiles. Someone mentions the food, once. He is ignored. Nobody is here to trade culinary tips. You have to love lunches like these.

“I know Greg to be a technical person. And meticulous,” says Shawn Peh, owner of an Audi S5 Sportback and a long-time customer of Autostrasse. “His pays attention to the details. He researches, finds the root cause of problems and gives you solutions.”

Porsche enthusiast Kannan, who owns a Porsche 997 Cabriolet 4S, and who likewise appreciates Greg’s expertise and experience with Porsches. “You won’t see him scratching his head trying to figure out a problem,” explains Kannan. “He takes one look and knows exactly what is at fault. You’re not going to get tall stories.”

A good majority of the company’s clientele is made up of Porsche owners although Autostrasse’s business is not confined to any one make. During the early years of the company, some of their best customers included car importers and distributors as well as other workshops. A lot of the business at the time, Greg explains, was business to business, mainly warranty work on high-end parallel imports -Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, and Bentleys. “The usual workshops often charged an arm and a leg, for relatively simple work” says Greg. “We could get things done quickly and affordably, so we got a lot of exposure to high end cars.”

One company that Greg had a lot of business dealings with was Flat Six, a business owned by Andy Tatlow, specialising in restoration of vintage Porsches. Flat Six was located on the third floor of Sin Ming Autocare, a floor above Greg’s workshop. “Andy was into restorations and farmed out a lot of work to me,” he adds. “We eventually went into business together with Flat Six focusing exclusively on Porsche and Autostrasse doing everything else.”

This demarcation, Greg acknowledges, was taken purely to preserve the Flat Six brand, and not insinuate that Porsches were profoundly different from other cars. “Cars are fundamentally the same so if you get the fundamentals right, you can work on all of them,” he clarifies.

Fundamental similarities at the macro level aside, no one would argue about the considerable differences at the micro level, even within the Porsche family. A Porsche made in 1990 would have virtually no interchangeable parts with a Porsche made in 2017. Getting the fundamentals right, at least for Autostrasse, has meant investing in technology, equipment and training. Greg is especially proud of the fact the company is equipped with the necessary diagnostic tools to work on Porsches from the 1990s onwards. No doubt his previous stint as a service engineer in Bosch’s automotive department helped.

“I used to fix the diagnostic machines, the ones used by companies such as Performance Motors and Mercedes-Benz, so I knew of the importance of proprietary diagnostic equipment very early on,” he says. “Bosch are the granddaddy of diagnostic machines and we’ve invested in Bosch diagnostic machines not just for Porsche but for Italian and British marques as well.”

While it’s all well and good having good computer diagnostics tools and skills, what about cars that pre-date the computer era? “His span of knowledge is from the 1970s to the present day,” says Andrew Yong, another long-time customer. When Andrew bought his Porsche 964 C4 14 years ago, it was running well although showing its age. With Greg looking after the mechanicals since, including a full rebuild, Andrew reveals that the car is now “running beautifully”.

“If you pick up old cars like what we do,” adds Martin Merten, who owns an Alfa Romeo GT1600 Junior and a Porsche 911 SC. “You need to have somebody who doesn’t believe in quick fixes. Someone who takes the time to find the root cause of issues. He’s the only guy I have found here willing to do this.”

Without undervaluing his technical competence, there are customers that appreciate his ability to understand what they need. And advise accordingly. “He takes the time to understand our lifestyle, our driving habits, and what we really need,” says Wun Hsiung, who owns a Porsche GT3, and which he uses on a daily basis. “He has tuned the car to suit my style and not to suit his preferences. He works with us and the cars are tuned exactly how we want them.”

Customer Feedback

Name: Shawn Peh
Car: Audi S5 Sportback
Likes: It is stable, has a quality interior and more than enough power. And it’s really practical – with the seats folded down, I can carry a lot of stuff.
Dislikes: Quattro steering does not give as much feel as a Porsche or BMW. It feels vague. But it ticks all the other boxes so it’s a fair trade-off.
Reliability: It has been largely reliable. There were a few factory faults – the transmission is a weak link. But I let Greg handle the fixes.

Name: Wun Hsiung
Car: Porsche 997 GT3
Likes: It’s raw. There’ no sound deadening material so you feel and hear the whole car. But it puts a smile on my face to and from work.
Dislikes: No back seats so I can’t share the experience with the kids. On long drives, it’s a bone-shaker.
Reliabilty: Yes. No problems at all.

Name: Kannan
Car: Porsche 997 Cabriolet 4S
Likes: The 911 is the only supercar that you can drive everyday. So every evening, no matter how bad the day has been, you pop the top down and get to drive home with a smile.
Dislikes: Wish I had it when I was younger and thinner. Also wish the backseats were a little roomier.
Reliability: 911s regularly top the reliability ratings. This is a car that will drive well beyond its 20th year.

Name: Andrew Yong
Car: Porsche 964 C4
Likes: The noise and the good vibes
Dislikes: The airconditioning. It’s pretty much non-existent.
Reliability: The car is 28-years-old and Greg rebuilt my engine a while back so its running beautifully.

In the next issue, we’ll be running a one-on-one interview where Greg shares some auto maintenance tips and tricks and talks at length about the cars he loves, the cars he loathes, the ones he would buy with his own money, and the ones that would have him running for cover.

Aficionado Automotive Design Classic Car Rally Motor Racing Motorsports Porsche Supercars in Singapore

Aboard the Ferretti 850

June 22, 2017 • Davison

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Million-Dollar Magic

May 11, 2017 • Davison

Everyone always asks, so I’m going to start with the price. It’s $888,999, but that’s without COE, so you’ll have to budge around 950 grand for your Honda NSX. Not quite a million dollars, in spite of our headline, but near enough to see it from there.

But then, the new NSX was built to run in fairly exalted circles. And it can.

The original NSX did, after all. Its lasting legacy is clearly seen in the current supercar brigade — it’s the reason all Ferraris are made of aluminium now, and are drivable on a daily basis.

So this time around, the question for Honda is a simple one: will the new NSX have anything to teach the world?

To understand the car, you’d have to first get to grips with torque vectoring.

We all do it to some extent. Say, you’re walking in a straight line and you want to turn right. You can slow down your right leg, or speed up your left leg. Doing either will put you on a rightward trajectory. The NSX can do the same, and that is its defining trick.

The standard supercar recipe is there as a base—lightweight body made of unconventional materials, powerful mid-mounted engine—but the NSX adds exotic ingredients to pull off the torque vectoring.

There’s a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 worth 507hp alone, with a 48hp electric motor to add spice. That’s for the rear axle; the front is driven by a pair of motors, each one producing 37hp.

You can’t just add all the horsepower figures since the V6 and motors all peak at different rpms, but the system total is 581hp. That’s a smidgen more than the 570hp offered by the Ferrari 458 Italia, which was one of the cars Honda benchmarked the NSX against.

All that hybrid tech makes it sound like the BMW i8, except that it’s different.

For starters, the Honda is way more powerful than the BMW, but its battery is one-seventh the size of the i8’s — just 1kWh, good for 2 or 3km of electric drive. It’s no plug-in, eco-centric hybrid, obviously. The i8 is pitched as an eco-sportscar, but the NSX is a smart supercar instead.

The “smart” part is apparent on the track. The first corner you take in anger reveals an astonishingly sorted car. It’s all there: mighty brakes, pin-sharp steering and a roll-free way of making quick direction changes. But much of the Honda’s behaviour is down to the car’s electronics.

Here’s the torque vectoring part: Those front motors can brake or add drive to individual wheels, so the NSX pivots into bends like a rebellion against Isaac Newton and his laws of physics.

In the car’s baseline “Sport” mode, the NSX feels painted to the road, but crank things up to the “Sport +” setting and it sharpens up still. The active dampers become firmer to tighten up the suspension, the steering drops its assistance a notch, and all those motors and cylinders swing their fists harder.

But it’s the torque vectoring that makes the NSX really feel unique. Slow down, turn in, accelerate… and there’s a complete and utter absence of understeer. If anything, you can feel the Honda pulling itself into a bend just where other cars would be running wide instead.

It means three things: you can take aim with the steering and nail your chosen line, every time. You can get off the left pedal much later, braking improbably deep into corners. And you can stomp on the accelerator a lot earlier than in your average supercar.

It feels weird at first, then wonderful, and makes the NSX a completely different experience. If you could somehow drive different supercars with your eyes and ears blocked off, you would always know when you were in the Honda.

That’s the “smart” bit. The “supercar” part pertains to some textbook stuff: Front/rear weight distribution is 48/52, and the car has a low centre-of-gravity (the lowest in its class, says Honda). That means it’s inherently balanced and stable, giving the number crunchers a solid base to work their active trickery off.

And boy, does it go like a supercar. Honda hasn’t published 0 to 100km/h times, but an engineer told us they think it’s a bit quicker than the Porsche 911 Turbo. Measured by buttocks, it’ll hit 100km/h in 3 seconds flat, and the acceleration doesn’t just come in a violent burst, but in a long, sustained rush.

The nine-speed transmission helps, certainly. The ratios are closely stacked, meaning the revs never drop much with each gear change. And there’s a bit of trickery with the launch control that any geek would admire.

In spite of all that electronic trickery, however, the NSX feels entirely natural. The tech works in the background, never calling attention to itself. That’s a huge achievement, really. Just imagine, you press the accelerator and the car not only has to figure out how much power you want, but how to divvy up the drive from the three motors and the V6 seamlessly.

In any case, there’s a Track mode available that alters the settings in a way that makes the NSX more of a handful. It dials some of the assistance down, allowing small tailslides if you tromp on the accelerator a little too much, too soon as you exit a corner.

There’s also the option of disabling the car’s stability control system altogether, and pull off some enormous, tyre-shredding drifts should you have that in you, which is a great way to drive home the fact that the NSX can still be driven like an old-school, analogue supercar.

Of course, no one’s ownership of a supercar consists entirely of hammering it around a track. As an everyday prospect, however, the NSX looks pretty promising. The controls are minimalist and easy to use, the seating position is pretty much perfect and the seats themselves are excellent: firm in the right places and soft where they should be.

In some ways, Honda actually seems to feel that comfort enhances performance. Engineers pressure-mapped different palm sizes to make the steering wheel feel just right, for instance. And they invented a new way of strengthening steel, just to shave 35mm off the A-pillars. Why? So it would be easier to see out of the cockpit.

In refinement terms the NSX is a 365-days-a-year car, no problems. There’s a Quiet mode designed to let you creep down the street without annoying the neighbours, but it’s great for your own comfort, too. It gives you light steering, soft suspension, and a quieter exhaust — 25dB quieter than in Track mode, as a matter of fact.

To a limited extent, the NSX can waft along silently on pure electric power, but it’s actually nicer when the engine is running. Honda put a pipe in the cabin connected to the engine’s air intake that lets you hear the hiss of induction, along with the odd whoosh from the turbo — a nice, playful touch.

If you already have a Ferrari in the garage, the NSX would make a nice addition. It’s the one you would wish to be in, driving home from a stressful board meeting.


But you could also make a case for the NSX above a Lamborghini Huracan (Lambo has no sporting pedigree) or an Audi R8 V10 (great, but technologically passe compared to the Honda) or a McLaren 570S (not nearly as fascinating).

In all honesty, it’s probably for someone like Alexander the Great. To quote Hans Gruber (the bad guy from Die Hard, who in turn was misquoting Plutarch), “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no worlds left to conquer.”

There aren’t that many people like that around, so the NSX will probably be simultaneously blessed and cursed by exclusivity. If nothing else, it will stay rare enough that bystanders will raise their camera phones in salute when they come across one, especially since its styling is more striking in the flesh than in pictures.

And if you’re going to drop that kind of money on a car, it might as well be one that looks like a million bucks.

Honda NSX

Engine: 3,493cc, twin-turbo V6
Power: 507hp
Torque: 550Nm
Motor (rear): 48hp at 3000rpm, 147Nm from 500 to 2000rpm
Motor (front): 2 x 37hp at 4000rpm, 2 x 73Nm from 0 to 2000rpm
System output: 581hp
System torque: 646Nm
Gearbox: 9-speed twin-clutch automatic
Top Speed: 308km/h
0-100km/h: 3.0 seconds (estimated)
Fuel efficiency: 10km/L
CO2: 228g/km
Price: $888,999 without COE
Availability: September 2017

Automotive Design Deus Ex Machina

Electric Dream

February 23, 2017 • Davison

E-Voluzione 2

The proliferation of green-centric products can be considered a highly intriguing affair. The spike in interest to reduce carbon emissions has undoubtedly spawned the growth of a competitive sphere, with companies on a relentless pursuit to inch ahead of the game. The e-bike industry is no exception, but we believe that we have found a product that could very well represent the pinnacle of e-bike technology and design.

E-Voluzione is the first electric bike born from the collaboration between Pininfarina and Diavelo. It comes as no surprise that E-Voluzione is engineered with a heavy emphasis on aerodynamics, given that Pininfarina played a leading role in its design. Pininfarina’s wealth of experience in wind tunnel technology in the automotive industry was effectively channelled to E-Voluzione.

E-Voluzione 1

For E-Voluzione to be well sorted dynamically, the components need to undergo a high level of integration. The battery, mid-engine, cockpit, handlebar and stem, along with cables and lighting systems are cleverly arranged to yield a clean-cut, yet functional output. Traditionally, the motor and transmission of e-bikes take up an unsightly portion of its silhouette. But engineers of E-Voluzione have managed to fully integrate the high torque German Brose mid motor with the frame.

On first impressions, it might look just like a regular bicycle, but dig deeper and its innovative solutions become evident. Weight distribution is kept at an optimal balance to ensure that E-Voluzione can be flogged hard from corner to corner. It is also supplied with the finesse to discover a fluid rhythm on the road, primarily due to its featherweight stature. The lightness of its frame is attributed to the generous application of autoclave carbon, and the resulting weight of 16kg is a stunning engineering achievement.

We stand by Paolo Pininfarina’s observation, that E-voluzione represents a perfect synthesis of Pininfarina’s spirit. E-Voluzione is a depiction of Pinanfarina’s stroke of genius, and certainly a strong contender for one of the best designs conceived by the coachbuilder.

E-Voluzione 3

For more information, visit Pininfarina.it

Cycling Deus Ex Machina Electric Vehicles Limited Production

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