Prepare for some high-speed action in the world of motorsports this month
Text Ted Macauley
Only Smart car has the answer
The wraps are off the new Smart car; the city slickers’ ally in the battle against traffic-jams, limited parking space and crippling petrol prices
The upgraded, updated, upmarket ForTwo is available in both coupe and convertible style, and makers Daimler-Chrysler promise: “It can do everything the old model can do – but even better.”
They reckon the new version of the car will be more agile and more comfortable. On the face of it the 2007 ForTwo looks little different from its offbeat and funky predecessor, which has notched worldwide sales of 915,000 since its launch in 1998. However, it is actually longer and wider and, as a result, there is more cabin space with extra boot capacity taking it to 220 litres, plenty enough for the weekend shopping.
Gone is the clunky six-speed gear change. It will be replaced with a smoother five-speed automatic manual with a shorter shift time to maximise on the performance of the three-cylinder engine, itself upped from 698cc to a full litre.
So, hopefully, it will be neat and nippy, while freshly-styled headlights will give it a more aggressive face-on stare. The dashboard has also been given a facelift, with typical Mercedes practicality and no more oddball curves. Finally, the hood on the convertible will be fully electric with a heated glass rear screen.
Prices haven’t yet been set, but the good news is that it is unlikely that the car will be any more expensive than the existing version. That means around €8,975 in Belgium and beyond on its European release in March.
Green or mean?
Hollywood stars, anxious to save the planet, are doing their bit to keep the world from overheating.
But they are being attacked as hypocrites by environmentalists who criticise them for abandoning gasguzzling cars and limos while still taking to the skies for long flights in private jets.
And they cite George Clooney, Leonard DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez as culprits in the big emission debate.
Clooney, who spends months at his Lake Como villa in northern Italy, owns an electric mini-car, a Tango, which travels 217km on a full battery, but he took a private plane to Tokyo, a 8,850km trip, that consumed 7,000 gallons of fuel.
His friend Brad Pitt points out that he drives a green-friendly Prius – as do Julia Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio – but then he did take his girlfriend Angelina Jolie on a private charter to Namibia that gobbled up around 11,000 gallons of fuel.
Says one angry protestor: “If these celebrity greens flew on regular airlines they might be forgiven, but forsaking limos and big petrol burners then flying private jets makes them look like idiots.”
Is Spa washed up?
Every Formula One driver’s favourite race circuit, the unfailingly spectacular Spa-Francorchamps venue, may be back on the calendar this season but its future is uncertain
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone demanded a complete rebuilding of Spa’s dilapidated pit and paddock facilities, and was satisfied enough with the reaction that he granted a mid-September date for a Grand Prix return after cancelling the 2006 programme.
But it will cost the Walloon region some €40 million to pay Bernie’s fee and cover the cost of the rebuild.
Spokesman Jean-Claude Marcourt says: “We will organise the Grand Prix in conjunction with a new company, Spa-GP, but without having to pay any compensation for the race that didn’t happen in 2006.
“The agreement with Bernie Ecclestone exempts us from previous debts, and makes it possible for us to attain a financial balance.”
Ecclestone told b.there! from his London HQ: “We all love Spa-Francorchamps, it has a fabulous history and reputation, but it was getting to look a bit tired and needed sprucing up to match the modern day amenities built into other circuits around the world.”
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