by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
The third season of the Ferrari Challenge UK came to a close with the fifth round of the Prancing Horse national series, held this weekend at Oulton Park.
It was an exciting year that saw James Swift’s (Dick Lovett Swindon) Trofeo Pirelli and Graham de Zille’s (Meridien Modena) Coppa Shell titles go to the wire, with an intense and hard-fought finale that saw Swift and de Zille win their respective categories in Race 1. In Race 2, H.Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) and de Zille took the wins in their classes.
Trofeo Pirelli. With 5 race wins out of only 8 races he competed in, Swift got the better of Lucky Khera (Graypaul Birmingham), who fought Swift for the title until the very end.
After missing the opening round at Brands Hatch, Swift has gradually improved his feeling for the 488 Challenge Evo to the point where he has been unstoppable with 5 consecutive victories that allowed him to close a 19 point deficit on reigning champion Khera and overtake him in the standings at the final round at Oulton Park. The driver from Birmingham has made the consistency of his performance his strong point, but 8 podiums including 2 wins were not enough to repel the assault of his rival Swift. Third place went to Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) who, after being crowned World Champion of the Trofeo Pirelli Am at the 2020 World Finals held in Misano, climbed onto the podium on several occasions during the season, taking victory in the opening race at Brands Hatch and the season finale at Oulton Park.
Coppa Shell. Graham de Zille dominated the category, with 8 wins, 8 pole positions and 8 fastest laps, ending the season with 165 points. The domination of the experienced driver from Lyndhurst was interrupted on only a few occasions by Paul Simmerson (Graypaul Birmingham) and Laurent de Meeus (H.R. Owen London) who each achieved one win at Snetterton and Silverstone respectively.
Team. In the special dealer ranking Graypaul Birmingham took the title by 8 lengths ahead of H. R. Owen London, with Meridien Modena finishing third at 160.
Balance sheet. In its first year of competitive use on British soil, the 488 Challenge Evo proved to be well adapted to the demanding British tracks and, above all, to be well received by the drivers who benefited from the great improvements introduced by the Evo kit and the new Pirelli tyres, developed specifically for these cars. There was no lack of spectacle on the track, thanks to duels and overtaking, made possible also thanks to the great respect between the drivers, also visible in the paddock at the end of the races.
- The Oulton Park circuit will host the opening round of the 2022 season, which will once again consist of 5 stages. After the debut on 6 and 7 May, the protagonists of the British series will compete on the Snetterton track, before moving on to the three most famous circuits in England: Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Silverstone, all the scene of Formula 1 world championship races.
2022 Calendar:
06-07 May | Oulton Park
28-29 May | Snetterton
25-26 June | Donington
03-04 September | Brands Hatch
16-18 September | Silverstone
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
Legendary automotive Brand Hispano Suiza and Power Electronics, world leader in sustainable energy, signed today an alliance that will be officially presented at the next Intersolar Europe fair, which will take place in Munich (Germany) from October 6 to 8.
Visitors to the Exhibition will be able to appreciate the ultimate in electric mobility, the Hispano Suiza Carmen, an authentic work of art delivering 1,019 CV of power, zero emissions and a design that leaves no one indifferent: the hypercar will be on display on the stand of the Valencian multinational.
Hispano Suiza is a historic Spanish car brand that has been part of the Suqué Mateu family for four generations. Hispano Suiza was founded in Barcelona in 1904 by Damián Mateu, with the help of technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, also a partner in the company. Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines. Its headquarters, technical centre and manufacturing plant are located in Barcelona (Spain).
In March 2019, Miguel Suqué Mateu relaunched the brand at the Geneva Motor Show, unveiling a truly impressive, fully electric vehicle: the Carmen. This elegant and exclusive 1,019 CV model has been designed, developed and built entirely in Spain. Its most radical version, the Carmen Boulogne, joined the family in 2020. The Carmen Boulogne delivers 1,114 CV and its name pays tribute to the competition in which André Dubonnet won his first race with Hispano Suiza. Only 19 Carmen and 5 Carmen Boulogne will be made. Each vehicle is completely tailor-made: they take an average of 7 months to build.
Sergio Martinez Campos, CEO of Hispano Suiza comments “This agreement with Power Electronics is strategically very important for Hispano Suiza because we complement the technological cycle of charging our electric hypercars to offer our customers state-of-the-art, reliable and safe chargers, thus contributing to sustainable mobility ”.
Javier Rodriguez, Commercial Director of Power Electronics Electric Mobility Division has highlighted the importance of this collaboration between the two companies where Power Electronics fast-charge chargers are complemented with the Carmen Boulogn 750V Battery Pack and where the two companies lead the way to decarbonisation in the Spanish automotive scene.
In addition to being leaders in energy storage, Power Electronics are also firmly committed to the development of electric mobility, thanks to their own engineering department from which numerous resources are allocated to research and develop solutions for charging electric vehicles. Currently they design, manufacture and distribute charging stations and poles that supply power to all types of electric vehicles. Their durability, reliability, safety and ease of maintenance make them the best option on the market.
The Intersolar Europe Exhibition is the perfect setting to present this partnership, since it represents the most important meeting point within the sustainable energy industry to showcase their products, innovations and new developments. Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers will meet at this fair, consolidated as one of the most important events and with the greatest capacity to generate new business.
About Power Electronics
Power Electronics is the world’s number one manufacturer of energy conversion systems for energy storage and a leading manufacturer of solar inverters for photovoltaic plants in the US, LATAM, Australia, the UK and Spain. Its products are present in nearly 1,300 plants distributed over 35 countries around the world. The company closed 2020 with a figure of 40GW of installed AC power, which has made it possible to avoid the discharge of more than 56.3 million tons of CO2 into the environment.
Sobre Hispano Suiza
Hispano Suiza is a historic Spanish car brand owned by the Suqué Mateu family for four generations. Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóvil S.A. was founded in Barcelona in 1904 by Damián Mateu, with the help of the technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, also a partner in the company.
Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines. Its headquarters, technical centre and manufacturing plant are in Barcelona (Spain). Hispano Suiza embodies a spirit that combines the pride of being a Spanish brand with a strong family legacy.
Since its foundation, four generations of the Suqué Mateu family have preserved the family brand, providing momentum and dynamism to maintain its significant heritage. Upon taking control of the company Miguel Mateu, the founder´s son, continued to produce luxury high-end vehicles.
In March 2019 Miguel Suqué Mateu, relaunched the brand at the Geneva Motor Show where he unveiled a fully electric, truly breath-taking vehicle: the Carmen. This elegant and exclusive 1,019 hp model has been designed, developed, and built entirely in Spain. Its exterior is inspired by the classic Dubonnet Xenia and shares the values that turned Hispano Suiza into one of the greatest exponents of the luxury automotive industry, with timeless design, meticulous craftsmanship and scrupulous attention to detail. In 2020, Hispano Suiza presented the Carmen Boulogne, an evolution of the Carmen focused on sportiness and tailor-made to reflect the brand’s racing heritage. It boasts 820 kW (1,114 hp), a top speed of 290 km/h and a 0 to 100 km/h time of less than 2.6 s. Thanks to the recently launched Unique Tailormade programme, based on the brand´s DNA values – Heritage, Sport and Elegance – clients can choose from 1,904 ways to personalise their dream car, choosing interior and exterior details that make their hypercar truly unique. Hispano Suiza will only produce 19 units of the Carmen and 5 Carmen Boulogne. On average, building time for each vehicle is approximately seven months.
Hispano Suiza is part of the Peralada Group, which represents the pinnacle of luxury in gastronomy and entertainment through its global portfolio of casinos, restaurants, hotels, golf courses, vineyards, music festivals and marinas.
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- Hispano Suiza will be present at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, which will be held from October 1st to 3rd on the shores of Lake Como, in Italy
- The Spanish brand will exhibit its most extreme electric hypercar, the Carmen Boulogne, which will be included in the prototype category
Hispano Suiza continues to attract attention and admirers during its European tour thanks to the Carmen and Carmen Boulogne, the fully electric hypercars with which the brand has come back to life and elevates the concept of luxury and high performance to its maximum power.
After taking part in the iconic Salon Privé in the UK, the IAA Mobility in Germany and the St. Moritz International Automobile Week & Motorsport Rendezvous in Switzerland over the past few weeks, Hispano Suiza is now heading to Italy to participate in the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este.
For one weekend a year, this time from October 1st to the 3rd , the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este becomes the centre of attention in the world of luxury cars. Located in an idyllic setting on the shores of Lake Como and surrounded by mountains, Villa d’Este has been the chosen scenario of Concorso d’Eleganza since 1929, an event that brings together all kinds of vehicles with the concept of luxury and elegance as a common nexus.
Hispano Suiza will take part in the concours with its striking Carmen Boulogne. Designed, developed and manufactured in Barcelona, the Carmen Boulogne is the maximum representation of exclusivity. With a design characterised by sportiness and timeless elegance, the Carmen Boulogne integrates the exclusive legacy of the brand in an ultra- modern, fully electric vehicle delivering no less than 1,114 HP of power. Its name pays tribute to the victories of Hispano Suiza in the Georges Boillot Cup race, held near the French town of Boulogne, and its carbon fibre exterior finish combined with its cutting-edge technology make it a true work of art on wheels.
The Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne will be part of the prototype category of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and is set to become one of the great attractions of the show, which is usually held in May and that, due to COVID-19, has been delayed until today.
Francesc Arenas, Design Director of Hispano Suiza said: “We are delighted to participate in such an iconic event as the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este with our Carmen Boulogne. Design has always been a differentiating element for Hispano Suiza, and it continues to be so today in the new models of the brand. When designing the Carmen and the Boulogne, we tried to combine the worlds of luxury and high performance, just as it happened with our historic models. The exterior of Carmen, in fact, is inspired by the late 1930s Xenia Dubonnet. In its most radical version, the Carmen Boulogne, the extensive use of carbon fibre pays tribute to Hispano Suiza motorsport heritage. We are sure that it will not leave anyone indifferent! ”
About Hispano Suiza
Hispano Suiza is a historic Spanish car brand owned by the Suqué Mateu family for four generations. Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóvil S.A. was founded in Barcelona in 1904 by Damián Mateu, with the help of the technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, also a partner in the company.
Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines. Its headquarters, technical centre and manufacturing plant are in Barcelona (Spain). Hispano Suiza embodies a spirit that combines the pride of being a Spanish brand with a strong family legacy.
Since its foundation, four generations of the Suqué Mateu family have preserved the family brand, providing momentum and dynamism to maintain its significant heritage. Upon taking control of the company Miguel Mateu, the founder´s son, continued to produce luxury high-end vehicles.
In March 2019 Miguel Suqué Mateu, relaunched the brand at the Geneva Motor Show where he unveiled a fully electric, truly breath-taking vehicle: the Carmen. This elegant and exclusive 1,019 hp model has been designed, developed, and built entirely in Spain. Its exterior is inspired by the classic Dubonnet Xenia and shares the values that turned Hispano Suiza into one of the greatest exponents of the luxury automotive industry, with timeless design, meticulous craftsmanship and scrupulous attention to detail. In 2020, Hispano Suiza presented the Carmen Boulogne, an evolution of the Carmen focused on sportiness and tailor-made to reflect the brand’s racing heritage. It boasts 820 kW (1,114 hp), a top speed of 290 km/h and a 0 to 100 km/h time of less than 2.6 s. Thanks to the recently launched Unique Tailormade programme, based on the brand´s DNA values – Heritage, Sport and Elegance – clients can choose from 1,904 ways to personalise their dream car, choosing interior and exterior details that make their hypercar truly unique. Hispano Suiza will only produce 19 units of the Carmen and 5 Carmen Boulogne. On average, building time for each vehicle is approximately seven months.
Hispano Suiza is part of the Peralada Group, which represents the pinnacle of luxury in gastronomy and entertainment through its global portfolio of casinos, restaurants, hotels, golf courses, vineyards, music festivals and marinas.
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- Unique coachbuilt ‘Boat Tail’ makes its first-ever public appearance at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 2 & 3 October 2021
- Boat Tail on view to guests and media for two days only on the Mosaic Lawn within the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy
- Exhibited four years after the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, Sweptail, was launched at the same event in 2017
“It is a wonderful privilege to reveal this unique Rolls-Royce to the world for the very first time. Although images have been widely shared, the car itself has not been displayed in public before. The Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza is the perfect occasion, bringing together leading international media alongside knowledgeable motoring experts and discerning luxury aficionados, on the glamorous shores of Lake Como. There is also a pleasing symmetry in that we launched the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, Sweptail, at the 2017 event.
“It is a truly historic moment for the marque. We are leading a modern coachbuilding movement that takes the wider luxury industry into an entirely different space, where hyper-personalisation and contemporary patronage provide essentially limitless possibilities.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce’s coachbuilt masterpiece Boat Tail makes its global public debut at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 2 October 2021.
The car will be unveiled at 11.30 local time on the Mosaic Lawn by Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It will then be available for guests and journalists to view for two days only, before returning to the privacy and seclusion that have surrounded it since it was formally revealed in May 2021.
Images of the car have been shared and admired around the world; however, this is the first time Boat Tail itself has been displayed in public. It is a unique opportunity for guests and journalists to examine the car’s remarkable coachbuilt construction and extraordinary Bespoke detailing, which were designed and hand-built at the Home of Rolls-Royce in a highly demanding technical and creative project lasting almost four years.
Boat Tail marks a seminal moment in the annals of Rolls-Royce, demonstrating the marque’s commitment to coachbuilding as a central part of its future direction and portfolio. It continues and accelerates a contemporary coachbuilding movement that began with Sweptail, the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, which also made its first public appearance at Villa d’Este back in 2017.
Boat Tail represents a pivotal moment for the wider luxury goods sector. As a truly hand-built, one-of-a-kind creation, in which both the bodywork and interior are designed and produced to the client’s specification, Rolls-Royce Coachbuild redraws the boundaries of luxury and opens vast new possibilities for patrons of contemporary design and fine craftsmanship.
First staged in 1929 on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the most important and glamorous occasions on the international lifestyle calendar. Normally held in May, the 2021 event takes place from 1-3 October 2021, with Boat Tail presented to the world, for the first time, on 2 & 3 October only.
