Fast Car – July 2019

UP FRONT

UP FRONT News • VW ID R •M2• Appreciating Depreciation • What’s On• Angry Man

VOLTS

FROM THE

GREEN

The Fiesta ST is a sort of automotive superhero

• it’s just ridiculously good at everything. As well as
  being a practical and well-equipped little hatchback,
  it’s also got a hugely entertaining engine, peachy
  transmission and fabulous little chassis, and of
  course, it’s supremely tunable. No wonder the Mk
  ST won pretty much every automotive award going,
  and the new Mk8 ST is starting to follow the trend.
  But don’t go thinking Ford’s going to have its
  own way here. Vauxhall have stepped up to the
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  underwhelming Corsa VXR, to turn it into a proper
  contender. The new VXR is reportedly a whole
  108kg lighter than the outgoing model, as well as
  being markedly stiffer, with all-aluminium engines
  and assorted aluminium body panels contributing
  to the weight loss. It’s due to go into production
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  of what it looks like before too long – but given the
  generous spec lists of previous VXRs, we can expect
  it to be pretty special.
  And over at Fiat, the 500 lineup has been
  freshened up for 2019, with the 70th anniversary 595
  Competizione sitting at the top of the tree. It comes

as standard with a mechanical LSD, Record Monza

exhaust system, Sabelt bucket seats and Brembo

brakes. There’s also a 595 Esseesse variant, which

gets an Akrapovic exhaust, carbon-shelled seats,

BMC induction and Koni FSD suspension –

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a warranty! So perhaps Ford had better not get

too complacent.

HOT SUPERMINIS GUNNING FOR THE FIESTA ST

defining car culture 007

Volkswagen’s mould-breaking ID R racer has

already achieved a number of incredible things: the

all-electric weapon debuted at the 2018 Pikes Peak

hillclimb, whereupon it immediately smashed the

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behind the wheel. In fact, it knocked a full minute

of the previous electric record and inadvertently

managed to break the overall outright record as well!

Then, at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Dumas again managed to drive up the hill faster than

any other car over the weekend. He also pulled off an

epic save, losing it in front of the house and bouncing

across the grass before somehow missing the barriers,

regaining control and powering back up the tarmac.

And now Volkswagen have shipped Dumas and

the ID R to the Nürburgring, intent on beating the

Nordschleife record for electric vehicles. The existing

record of 6:45.9 was set by the also-incredible NIO

EP9, China’s surprising electric hypercar, and VW’s

engineers have had to muck about with the ID R a bit

to alter its Pikes Peak-winning specs: given the higher

average speeds, the car has had to be made more

aerodynamic, part of which is a new F1-style DRS

spoiler. After hundreds of hours of simulator testing,

Volkswagen Motorsport have begun testing the car

at the ’Ring for real – the record attempt will happen

within the next few weeks.

Beating the record is pretty much a foregone

conclusion, but by how much remains to be seen.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see a time so quick that

it’ll remain unbreakable for years. Could they even

beat the ridiculous 5:19.55 lap set by the Porsche 919

Evo last year?