Video of the Week: Sauber Mercedes C11 hot lap at Le Mans

Continuing our "Silver Arrow" theme:

The C11 is, to my mind, one of the cleanest, most purposeful-looking sports racing prototypes of its time.  And boy was it ever fast! Let's watch as a very skilled and brave driver laps Le Mans in the now-vintage C11 in 2010.  His bold passing maneuver at 1:30 might take your breath away for a moment...

Winged Wunderwagens from Mercedes-Benz

My buddy Syed over at the IEDEI blog made mention of the Mercedes C111-3 prototype, and noted its similarity to the Silver Arrows of the 1930s. In particular, I was struck by the commonalities between the winged version of the C111 (above) and the Mercedes T-80 (below).  Few people know that the T-80 was actually engineered by Ferdinand Porsche -- despite designing grand prix cars for Auto Union, he was also secretly working closely with driver Hans Stuck and the highest echelons of the German government on this Mercedes record-breaker.  In the end, this 2-engined behemoth was never run in anger. 

There was no straight road large enough in Germany to handle the T-80's intended speeds, and German officials realized that a trip to the Bonneville salt flats was a tricky proposition given the political climate of the time (there had been anti-Nazi protests when the German cars showed up for the Vanderbilt Cup, but Bernd Rosemeyer won it anyway).  Add to all this the fact that John Cobb's Railton Special broke the 350 mph barrier in late 1938 during the construction of the T-80, surpassing all the targeted specifications of the Mercedes.  Finally, as they scrambled to redesign the car to break Cobb's record, the outbreak of the War sealed its fate.  The much smaller C111 (above) was created in the more peaceful 1970s, and was never aimed at the outright Land Speed Record, but it did break several records for Diesel powered vehicles.

Citation: Mercedes T-80

Perhaps the sky isn't falling?

Given the animated discussion on the previous thread, I thought Car and Driver's chart below might put some of this in perspective.  It is true that Alfa is closer than ever to re-entering the US market, and it's a verifiable fact that the FIAT 500 was at the New York Auto Show and most certainly will soon be available here.  However, given the history of promises that Alfa's return is imminent, perhaps once again it's just a matter of blowing smoke...

via Car and Driver

Dear FIAT-CHRYSLER - Please sell Alfa Romeo to VW Group NOW!

The past few days, the internets have been swimming with stories I have found deeply disturbing.  First there are the confirmed rumors of an US Market Alfa Romeo SUV based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee.  Then yesterday, the Dodge Viper-based Alfa TZ3 Stradale was announced.  "The Heart of a Viper and Soul of an Alfa" was the tagline in the press release.  Excuse me?  What?  Since when is it ok to drop a body onto another manufacturer's chassis and call it an Alfa? Sure it's not an ugly car, but neither is it an Alfa!

To see this steroid-addled monstrosity next to the original 4-cylinder Tubolare Zagatos is especially humiliating to Alfa Romeo, which has always prided itself on its proprietary engines as well as unique chassis dynamics.  Even the least attractive, lowest end Alfa will drive and sound like magic.  That is the core ethos of the brand. And if this Viper TZ3 is any indicator of the way the wind is blowing, I think we'll soon see the end of Alfa Romeo as a truly special car company with any pride, authenticity, or soul.It doesn't have to be this way.  Alfa has been making some stellar road cars for years now, with excellent looks, quality, and driving dynamics. But Sergio Marchionne and the FIAT management are about to sink Alfa into yet another Italo-American platform-sharing morass not seen since Chrysler's TC by Maserati.  It irks me even further to hear so many long-suffering American Alfisti get so excited about Alfa's return to our shores! Sure that is great in theory, but forcing Alfa to compete in North America's volume-driven marketplace may ultimately undermine everything about the company that made it special to begin with.  Furthermore, there is much hand-wringing among certain Alfa fans about the idea of VW Group buying the brand away from FIAT and complaints that Alfa will "no longer be Italian."  Get your head out of the sand, friends! Alfa's about to become nothing but a phony "made in Italy" fashion label on a cheap shirt, and sale to VW is actually the only way to save it from some very bad decision making at FIAT-Chrysler that could damage the brand irreparably.  If VW Group were to purchase Alfa, chances are that Walter De Silva, who was the design director during the Italian marque's most recent heyday, and currently overseeing all VW Group Design, will be one of the guiding lights managing the company.  Alfa needs to be in the hands of a true believer like De Silva. Not in the hands of a soulless businessman like Marchionne who treats a venerable brand as a commodity.  It's disgusting, and it's time that American Alfisti stop drinking the kool-aid. FIAT needs to sell Alfa to VW Group before it's too late.

Have they failed to learn the lessons of the past?

St. Mark's Caddy

The evening light was just perfect on that long, sculpted bodyside.Spotted on St. Mark's Place in the East Village.