So, at last the silhouette of the soft top matches that of the coupe, and Porsche have achieved this without resorting to one of those silly folding hard-top devices which double the weight of the car.

The Cabriolet’s new roof mechanism features an innovative, intelligent lightweight design to reduce weight (I do wish the Germans would stop using the word ‘intelligent’ in their product titles, as if implying that other car makers aren’t), including the use of magnesium in the hood frame.

There are no details as yet on the weight penalty, but usually Porsche manage to keep the Cabriolet within 40-50 kg of its sibling, with a lower centre of gravity due to most of that weight being added when strengthening the body frame. As is the case with the Coupe model, the new 911 Cabriolet is significantly lighter overall than its predecessor.

Combined with lower weight, the new 911 Cabriolet models share the longer wheelbase, wider front track and the new electro-mechanical power steering of their Coupe siblings, ensuring the open-roofed models offer the same sporting driving characteristics, greater precision and agility compared to the previous 997 variant.

Likewise, front and rear overhangs are shorter, maintaining the compact footprint that has been a longstanding 911 attribute. In addition, there are further standard or optional active control systems available that further enhance the driving dynamics.

The same charismatic line-up of rear-mounted, flat-six engines are on offer in the Cabriolet as were introduced in the Coupe a few months ago. The entry-level Carrera Cabriolet features a 3.4-litre engine generating 345 bhp, driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual transmission.

The Carrera S Cabriolet offers a 3.8-litre engine developing 394 bhp, also coupled to a seven-speed manual transmission as standard. The 991′s outstanding fuel efficiency is carried forwards into the Cabriolet, with both models returning over 28.0 mpg (combined).

Porsche’s seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch transmission is available as an option, delivering even lower fuel consumption and shorter acceleration times.

The 911 Carrera Cabriolet models go on sale in the UK on March 3 2012, priced from £79,947 for the base 3.4-litre model and from £89,740 for the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet.

Gallery

The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is the main battleground of GT racing and as the 2011 series reached its conclusion, the highest placed RSR of Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long was only in 4th place, more than 50 points behind the championship winning M3 GT.

Unsurprisingly, Porsche have felt the need to do something about this state of affairs, hence the new, wider and more expensive 2012 GT3 RSR.

Most striking at first glance are the changes to the body: the width of the new GT3 RSR has grown by 48 millimetres. Built to conform to the A.C.O. “LM” GTE regulations, the 911 represents the crowning pinnacle of a range of successful customer sport race cars that are based on the 997 type 911 GT3 RS street road car.

Powering the new 911 GT3 RSR is a more efficient 4.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine with a mandatory air-restrictor, generating 453 bhp (338 kW) and putting its power down through 310 mm wide rear wheels. The diameter of the front wheels has increased by 30 mm and the Porsche sequential six-speed gearbox is operated via paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

The nose and rear panels are adapted to the flared front and rear wheel arches, as are the door sill and the wheel arch coverings. The aerodynamic concept is complemented by a new ducting of the intake air. There are openings in the rear side sections, similar to those used in the 911 turbo and 911 GT2 RS, which replace the air scoop on the engine hood.

The new 911 GT3 RSR can be raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series as well as the International GT Open and in other series and races around the world.

“Our customer teams can expect a technically mature, high performance race car with which they will be highly competitive at international long distance races,” assures Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “Our test programme on various international race tracks is currently running at full speed. We are very pleased with the car’s performance and driveability.”

They say that if you have to ask the price then you probably can’t afford it, so perhaps we shouldn’t tell you that a 2012 911 GT3 RSR will set you back no less than 498,000 Euros (plus VAT). If that fails to dissuade you, then you’ll be pleased to hear that deliveries to customer race teams will begin in January 2012.

Gallery

You would do exactly what I did a few months ago – get your skinny behind into the nearest bucket seat and start evaluating as many car/tyre combos as you could fit into the day.

We were spoilt for choice. Literally.

The track; Circuit Estoril in Portugal. Our hosts; Michelin. The tyres; Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup, Pilot Super Sports, PS2 and Pilot racing slicks.

And the cars? How about, every major Porsche 997 variant, Audi’s V8 and V10 R8, Audi TTRS, BMW M3, Ferrari’s 458 Italia, KTM X-Bow, Nissan GT-R, Gumpert Apollo.. You get the picture.

From track to street

Back-to-back testing provided the opportunity to evaluate the different characteristics of the tyres and how the technologies developed for the track have been passed on to the road.

Our main focus of the day was to learn about the relationship between Michelin’s race tyres and those which you or I can buy for our road cars.

I’ve been a customer for many years and yet I hadn’t realised just how seriously Michelin takes its racing. Rather than being a platform to show off their brand, racing is at the core of the company’s research and development programme, working closely with partners such as Porsche, Audi, Citroen and BMW.

Michelin treat all racing teams in a fair and equal way, collecting data, mixing it together and then advising teams on the most appropriate tyre choice, without actually sharing any identifiable data from a specific team.

But it’s not just global car manufacturers that Michelin works closely with, the tuning industry provides an important source of insight, blurring the boundary between road tyres and those best suited for the latest Nurburgring lap record.

We’re told that Michelin are the biggest spender within their industry on R&D, committing over 500 million Euros to the task of keeping their tyres at the very top.

So committed to the purpose of racing as their primary means of R&D, that the company says it has no plans to compete against Pirelli to supply tyres to Formula 1. Competing against other tyre makers is at the core of Michelin’s philosophy, and it believes that achieving high-performance over distance with consistent performance is better earned through competition.

Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport

Before travelling down to Estoril, we asked what you’d like to know more about and in fact during the day I was in constant contact with you via Twitter.

The most common question concerned Michelin’s latest high-performance tyre, the Pilot Super Sport, which will eventually supersede the well-respected PS2, which we got to compare it against out on track.

If you’re familiar with Michelin’s established track-day tyre, the Pilot Sport Cup+, then you’ll be aware of its benefits but also some of its disadvantages.

Cup tyres behave in a pseudo-slick-tyre way, benefiting from some heat-cycling before hard use and providing chewing-gum levels of grip and consistency at the limit.

Inside the 458 Italia during a fast lap of Estoril circuit. You can see how well suited the Pilot Super Sport is to such treatment.

The downside is, they don’t last very long – not if you’re used to the lifespan of a typical high-performance road tyre – and they’re ultra-tricky to drive on in the wet or when temperatures drop below 7 degrees C.

I’ve worn through a set of new £1,000+ Pilot Sport Cups in just a single weekend, which can bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened track-day junkie.

Swap a set of Cup tyres for the more conventional PS2s and on track you’ll wonder where all the fun has gone. At the limit, the PS2s squeal like pig, give up their grip more abruptly and are more likely to lock-up under braking for slower corners.

As road tyres go, they’re one of the best, but out on track it was quickly evident how ill-suited they are to the task of consistent high-speed lapping.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on a similarly fast lap of Estoril circuit. This time the GT3 Cup is wearing a set of Pilot Slicks.

The new Pilot Super Sports represent a ‘step change’ in the capabilities of road-based performance tyres – equivalent to the alchemist’s trick of turning lead into gold. They’re a road tyre, but not as we have previously defined the breed.

On track they behave similarly to the Cup tyres, plenty of grip and consistency and none of the squealing so evident in the PS2s, whilst on the road they feel docile, reassuring and a fitting replacement for the PS2.

Whilst they’re not quite as quick on track as the Cups, they offer the same consistency which enables you to concentrate on trimming your lines and carrying more speed, without concerning yourself with the performance drop-off of an overheating road tyre.

The Super Sports are more stable under heavy braking, with less understeer a more positive steering response and a wonderfully wide slip-angle to play within on the limit.

Ferrari 458 Italia on Michelin Pilot Super Sports. These tyres were tortured for ‘research purposes’ shortly after this photograph..

If it’s credentials weren’t already solid enough, Pilot Super Sports last ‘twice’ as long as PS2s out on track, with around the same lifespan on the road.

When fitted to our Porsche 911 and Audi R8 test mules, the differences out on track were immediately apparent. Whilst nothing can match the purity, grip and response of Michelin’s racing slicks, we all agreed that the tyre we would choose to smuggle into our hand luggage for the return flight home, would be the Super Sport.

The two-wheel drive MTM Audi R8, awaiting a fresh set of rubber.

If there’s a downside of such a tyre innovation, it’s the question of whether owners are able to fit them to their latest purchase. Although Michelin has worked with manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW M and Ferrari in developing the Pilot Super Sport, Porsche in particular must put the tyre through their own homologation processes before approving the tyre for fitment to their range of cars.

This N-rated classification, which you will find on the sidewalls of all Porsche approved tyres, is the result of their independent testing for dry handling and braking, wet handling, hydroplaning, rolling circumference, high-speed running, wear, rolling resistance, noise and comfort – all of which is then optimised to deliver the desired levels of Porsche-ness.

Whilst the Pilot Super Sports felt ideally suited to the 997′s we drove around the dry Estoril track, they must also suit other road conditions and the abilities of a wide range of drivers, so frustrating as it might seem, the Pilot Super Sports are unlikely to be homologated for Porsche cars until late Summer 2012 at the earliest.

Porsche’s 911 and Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport – a marriage made in heaven. But unfortunately you can’t chose them on your Porsche yet, until they are officially homologated. Big shame.

The consequence of fitting a non N-rated tyre to your Porsche is purely one of insurance, both when claiming on Porsche’s warranty and if the worst happens and you’re involved in a road accident. It’s a grey-ish area and one which I have frequently crossed with the Porsche’s I’ve owned myself, but it’s a risk you should be aware of should you decide to take the plunge early.

Fear not though, if you really must wear the latest and greatest footwear on your Porsche, then we’re reliably informed Porsche’s new 991 model will be available with them as an OEM fitment when shipments begin.

Interestingly, we learned from our time with Michelin that even though the Pilot Super Sport is normally quicker than PS2 and Cup+ is generally quicker than both on track, this is not always the situation for every car.

For instance, the Michelin PS3 is a better tyre on the KTM X-Bow than the Super Sport, and Michelin often advise a less sporty tyre for its tuner customers, depending on the unique dynamics and balance of their cars.

So, bear that in mind the next time you go tyre shopping – the widest and stickiest aren’t necessarily the fastest – and with very few exceptions, you can’t go far wrong with Michelin’s latest Pilot Super Sport.

BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt, was at the unveiling of the M3 DTM and commented, “The car’s aerodynamics were developed in close collaboration with the engineers from series production. The BMW Group boasts impressive resources in this field and the wind tunnels are ultra-modern. This – and the Title Partner BMW M Performance Accessories – shows that the entire company is behind the 2012 DTM project and is working hard towards it.”

“Old-school DTM fans will recognise from the typical BMW M stripes that the appearance is based on the original BMW M3 cars from the ‘old DTM’. We are very proud of this design. It is both traditional and modern in equal measures. It shows our roots, but in a contemporary style,”

BMW’s have entered three DTM works teams for 2012 – BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG. Factory drivers Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx have already been confirmed for the series, with Jörg Müller and Dirk Werner likely to join them. Young drivers René Rast, Jean-Karl Vernay and Richie Stanaway joined testing at the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz recently, hoping to earn themselves a place on the squad.

BMW’s 2012 M3 DTM testing at EuroSpeedway Lausitz.

Mercedes and Audi will joining BMW this weekend, performing demonstration laps of the Hockenheimring with their new 2012 cars.

Gallery

The “Maria”, in this case, is not, needless to say, a guitar-toting, child-mentoring, folk-singing nun, but rather, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997), as used globally by Porsche in the Carrera Cup and F1-supporting Supercup.

For the last few months, I’ve toiled with this subject. Even now, in the full flow of final composition, I find myself questioning the validity, even the existence of the argument, yet the proof is there for us all to see. To understand the issue, you have to understand the psyche.

You see, just as Maria is the embodiment of human virtue, so the 997 represents such levels of Teutonic perfection that as a one-make race car, within the framework of current regulations, it has become fundamentally flawed.

To give Porsche the credit they deserve, they work relentlessly at their motorsport programmes and can now boast 20 stand-alone championships worldwide, and over 2,200 911 GT3 Cup units sold since 1998. And of course, if you hadn’t noticed, they continue to do rather well in multi-marque racing as well. To emphasize this point, I attended the latest VLN meeting at the Nurburgring where, from a 168-car entry, 14 of the top 20 finishers were Porsche 911s.

So where’s the problem?

Precision engineering

Put very simply, Porsche have engineered a car to such precision that it has become ballistically sterile. Add to this an infusion of performance debilitating regulations and both the Carrera Cup and Supercup now, often, and at best, create a visual spectacle more congenial than enlivened. From the cockpit, the experience is, of course, very, different.

Drivers work hard to push through the inevitable understeer, using all their might to manage weight-transfer and gain traction but whereas previously, skill would be rewarded and errors punished, now, the wider track, grippier rubber and more effective aero all combine to compensate and deliver a car that forgives all but the wildest of moments.

The irony is, the 997 is a beautiful car to drive and a sensational car to race, but it’s the contradictory nature of the beast that, in amongst a pack of other 997s, makes it almost flaccid. Why Porsche have allowed this to happen, I can only speculate on, but what is for certain is that it is not an accident of birth.

The first of my concerns came with the re-design. Clearly there is more power but there’s also far greater stability and less “edge”. To me, this is more akin to perfecting a track day car than a thoroughbred one-make racer, and I can’t help but suspect that this is a fundamental aim from the manufacturer.

After all, even with almost 200 race units per annum being sold, programmes of the nature that Porsche deliver require sustainable funding and this can only be achieved by building sales volumes from road and track users.

Influx of the refugees

Next, there’s the influence of regulations, and in particular, the reduction in the minimum weight (car plus driver). For 2011, the Carrera Cup car is 20kg heavier than its predecessor yet the minimum weight allowance has been reduced by 10kg. This is an obvious benefit to the more diminutive ex-single seater drivers, but reduces the competitiveness of some of the older stalwarts (think Tim Harvey and Michael Caine).

Additionally, the continued constraints on adjustments to both suspension and aero components removes the potential for experienced teams and drivers to push the handling limits and so gain the traditional advantage that longevity often brings.

Finally, it’s also worth looking at the way Porsche support and promote their racing. Again, it’s to their credit that they invest heavily in format, paddock presence and prize structure, but however well intentioned this might appear, the emphasis of the last few years appears to combine with other factors to be aimed squarely at encouraging refugees from Formula Series’, rather than the more traditional “gentlemen drivers”.

In the hazy light of this October day, I can see the merit in Porsche’s plan. The globalisation of Formula One has widened the gene pool and the harsh reality for many talented young chargers is that even with an increase in seat numbers, it is nationality and market appeal that counts.

By offering a car that can make an effective transition from one seat to two; racing on nationally and internationally recognised packages; with opportunities for both progression and careers; racing against your peers in one of the Carrera Cups looks like a wise choice.

For Porsche the brand, it introduces them to a wealth of potential owners across trans-continental markets who see the cars taking to the track with a new generation of racers; not just the same old class of yesteryear.

The annihilation of risk

So returning to “understanding the psyche”, we have to understand that in their mind, only by offering the perfect car within controlled environments can Porsche roll-out their strategy. Risk is not a word that warrants mention.

Cars must appear brutish, yet reliable; sophisticated, yet manageable. And this is exactly what they are. And with a host of meritorious young drivers such as Mike Meadows, James Sutton, Nick Tandy, Sam Edwards, Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelly, all now challenging for domestic and international honours, and full grids across both hemispheres, it looks like the plan is working.

Cast your mind back only a couple of years and Carrera Cup GB was finding it difficult to maintain double-figure entries. That was with a car that was light and edgy and needed a level of understanding that only time and experience could give. And the Supercup was so inimical that even the best of our emerging drivers would struggle for presence – remember those fierce battles between Richard Westbrook and Barry Horne?

So which do we prefer? As spectators, we obviously want to see close racing with plenty of overtaking but not at the expense of depleted grids and an exclusion of incoming talent.

The issue is not unique. F1 went through the same only a few years ago but this isn’t a call for DRS. It is, however, a call for Porsche to consider what they will compromise to allow cars to be individually more competitive.

Ultimately, the answer may actually lie in a change of platform to the 991, but this is unlikely to happen until at least 2014 and so for the time being, other solutions need to be sought. A reduction in the size of the rear wing, combined with greater scope for adjustment might be one consideration? Or a change in rear tyre size / compound?

All I ask is that having rebuilt their championships, Porsche now open into dialogue with teams and drivers to best understand how they can maintain standards yet improve the spectacle before competitors and fans around the world start to sing “so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen and goodbye”.

He’s a rising star, and one of Germany’s finest young drivers alongside that other well-known 24-year old, who’s likely to retain the Formula One crown this weekend in Suzuka.

BMW, realising the enormity of the challenge to compete against Mercedes and Audi in Germany’s DTM series next year, has chosen to test out some young talent alongside their seasoned factory drivers, Augusto Farfus, Andy Priaulx, Jörg Müller and Dirk Werner.

BMW Motorsport will continue its preparations for the 2012 DTM season with three more test days at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, following successful tests at the Lausitzring and Hungaroring during September.

Joining the test session at the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, drivers René Rast, Jean-Karl Vernay (FR) and Richie Stanaway (NZ) will be aiming to earn themselves a place in one of BMW’s DTM works teams for 2012 – BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG.

“We are delighted to be able to offer a selection of talented, young drivers like René Rast, Jean-Karl Vernay and Richie Stanaway, the opportunity to test our BMW M3 DTM”, says BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “They have already proven their ability in various racing series and we are now looking forward to seeing them in our DTM car. At the same time, the focus at the Lausitzring test will once again be to gather important information and data on the BMW M3 DTM, as we continue to prepare for the 2012 season.”

All three works teams will each run two cars in the 2012 DTM series, however so far, BMW has only secured the services of Priaulx and Farfus for the coming season, so in theory there are still 4 seats up for grabs.

The video campaign ‘Jump for JOY’ was BMW’s attempt to highlight the character and fun-loving nature of their customers, but couldn’t resist having a poke at boring stuffy Audi in an extended version of the video (below).

The “Jump for Joy” commercial spawned an ‘extended’ version where an Audi A4 owner tries to copy his BMW-owning neighbours – unfortunately he botches the attempt and ends up crushing his privates in the process. Click through to 1:13 to watch the painful moment..

So, with Audi’s current promotion of the R8 GT they’ve obviously decided to return the favour. Produced by Tonic International of Dubai, the message is simple, “..forget all this marketing fluff from BMW, with the R8 GT Joy finally has meaning”.

Audi’s £144,000+ R8 GT is the car maker’s fastest and most expensive model, using a 552 bhp V10 FSI powerplant it can accelerate from zero to 62mph in 3.8 seconds and to reach a top speed of 197mph. And rarity will be one of the reasons for joy if you’ve bought an R8 GT, with a worldwide production of just 333 units they will be a special sight on our roads.

BMW have been slow to respond to the R8 since it arrived on the scene 4 years ago, with nothing even remotely close within its range, so it’s no surprise to see Audi making hay in their latest ads.

Download a copy for your own use by clicking on the links below:

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]]> http://skiddmark.com/2011/10/iotd-audi-r8-gt-jooooy-finally-has-meaning-wdownloads/feed/ 0 http://skiddmark.com/2011/09/aston-martin-recaptures-uks-coolest-brand-title-but-so-what/ http://skiddmark.com/2011/09/aston-martin-recaptures-uks-coolest-brand-title-but-so-what/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:54:57 +0000 Steve Davies http://www.skiddmark.com/?p=25221 News that Aston Martin has been voted the UK’s Coolest Brand for the fifth time in six years got me thinking – What does it mean? How did they get there? And how can other brands get in on the action?

Firstly we need to start with a rudimentary definition of what it means to be a ‘cool brand’, since, as I will explain, ‘cool’ doesn’t necessarily mean successful.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Expert Council, says “Cool is subjective and personal. But being identified as a Cool Brand by the British public and a panel of influential opinion formers implies it is a brand that most Brits wish to own.”

A brand is essentially an identity which reflects the qualities and values of its owner, one that used to be defined by the brand itself, but in this era of digital and social media is largely a product of public perception. If a brand really is cool, then the evidence should be visible for all of us to see.

So, a working definition of ‘cool’ will most likely include;

• a brand which people aspire to own,
• which people then feel proud to openly display within their peer groups,
• are happy to associate themselves with the other brand owners,
• and which conveys upon them the same distinctive qualities that they associate with the brand they like.

Or to put it another way, a cool brand must inspire admiration, aspiration, a willingness to associate and a mutual sense of identity.

American clothing brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, used to be cool; many of us admired the quality and style of their items, felt comfortable being identified as an A & F customer but then once everybody was wearing them, we felt less happy being associated with the brand.

I was reading an article this morning by Colin Morrison about ‘Five reasons why Facebook may be doomed’, and one of the reasons he cited is that Facebook is losing its cool because it’s simply too popular – too common.

What began as a community of students sharing their pictures and news, has now become an essential tool for parents keeping track of their kids. What may have been cool (in a geeky sort of way) has now become a metaphor for weirdness. Would you want to be like Facebook? Probably not.

Just as it would be hard to deny how successful Facebook has become (it’s on target for more than $1bn profit in 2011), the same cannot be said for phone maker RIM (producer of Blackberry devices), whose shares have plummeted 50 per cent in the past few months with calls for its joint-CEOs to step down. Despite the financial turmoil and loss of demand for its smartphone and tablet devices, the CoolBrands survey found that while 47% of women voted Apple their favourite tech brand, some 44% voted for Blackberry.

This news is unlikely to appease RIM’s current shareholder revolt, but shows that being cool (or not) doesn’t necessarily translate into the bottom line.

So how did Aston Martin become a cool brand?

Cheliotis commented; “Smooth, sexy and sophisticated; British built, high quality and hand finished, let’s be honest, young or old, male or female, opinion former or British public, who wouldn’t aspire to own what is truly the coolest car on the road. Number one in five of the last six years, this British icon is truly the coolest of the cool.”

From Aston’s continued association with the 007 Bond films, their passion and success in motorsport and the bold innovativeness of the One-77 supercar, Aston Martin as a brand, represents the kind of person we’d all like to be – confident, successful, well-liked and courageous, yet subtle and classy.

The brand as a tool for self-identity is strong in this most British of car makers – Aston Martin is like the guy at school which all the girls want to be with, whilst all the other guys just want to copy.

So how have the other brands being doing?

How other brands can get in on the action?

The one question we haven’t answered so far is, “what difference does it make if a brand is perceived to be cool?” As an accolade, this latest award bestowed on Aston Martin is generating thousands of news articles and millions of views – it’s called ‘earned media’ and you just can’t buy this kind of positive messaging for your brand.

People who read about a ‘cool brand’ will reflect on what it could mean for their own image and perception by in their peer group, so whilst being perceived as cool won’t automatically translate into a bottom-line revenue improvement, it’s certainly a very valuable asset – one that saves a huge amount of marketing spend and which should lead to increased profitability, providing, as was unfortunately lacking with RIM, that you continue to provide products which people want to buy.

So the takeaway message from Aston Martin’s success is two-fold; build a brand identity and personality that customers would like to adopt as their own, but make sure you then build the products that such an affiliation would normally lead them to buy. A cool brand without neat products is something of a hollow achievement.

But Aston Martin is not the only cool brand, and whilst this latest CoolBrands survey is notable for the iconic brands surveyed, it’s not entirely comprehensive or indeed conclusive. Nor is coolness the preserve of luxury brands.

Lexus is the top-selling hybrid car maker in 2011 and for many buyers the epitome of cool, when choosing to express their environmentally conscious values. MINI continues to be a cool brand for many, despite their ubiquity, whilst Citroen has made great progress in rebuilding ‘affordable chic’ back into its brand with cars such as the DS3 and now DS4.

Even Volvo shows signs of venturing cool-wards with its latest S60/V60 and XC60 models. The one thing they all have in common is a distinctive personality and attributes which make them stand out on our crowded roads.

Of the Top 20 CoolBrands, only Ferrari (8th) and Maserati (20th) were in the fight with Aston. Morgan were also in the Top 66 brands in the survey. The remaining automotive brands on the list were unclassified and included – Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce.

So Aston Martin is yet again the coolest of the cool, but rather than dismiss it as a meaningless trinklet, it might be worth taking a closer look at how Aston have achieved this position.

Alex Vaidya, Head of Digital at Porsche Cars GB tweeted this morning, “Being voted the coolest instantly makes you uncool!” – well in that case I’m sure Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO, must be cursing the brand’s latest trophy and wishing he’d kept a lower profile.

Perhaps not.

Until today Maserati has been producing saloons, coupes and two- or four-seat convertibles. Whether they were named Quattroporte, GranTurismo or GranCabrio – or, before them, Ghibli, Mistral, Bora or Indy – their common denominator rested in two words: sportiness and luxury.

Times have changed: sportiness and luxury today don’t have just one definition and Maserati believe they can also take the form of a dynamic looking and high performing sport luxury SUV.

They go on to say, “..For some reason SUVs today never seem to offer the kind of uplifting driving pleasure and luxury atmosphere that are two givens of today’s high-end sports and luxury cars.” Really? What about BMW’s X5/X6, Porsche’s Cayenne and Merc’s ML range?

See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil…

Maserati would have us believe they are inventing a whole new segment, rather than playing catch-up after underestimating the sustained appetite for SUVs, particularly in developing countries.

Maserati’s press release goes on to say, “..the idea of a sport luxury SUV is not totally new to Maserati. Many will remember the Kubang concept that was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. At a time in which few other brands were going in the direction of a sport luxury SUV, Maserati was already thinking to build one.”

Again conveniently forgetting that BMW’s X5 had been launched 2 years earlier, with Porsche’s Cayenne following shortly thereafter.

To further shoot down their credibility, Maserati go on to say that synergies with their sister brand Jeep were the catalyst for Maserati’s own interpretation of a sport luxury SUV. Thankfully they quickly confirm that all major system components of the Kubang will unmistakably be Maserati: style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all be 100% Maserati in continuity with the brand’s core values of sportiness, style, elegance, luxury, performance and craftsmanship.

A new-generation of high-tech Maserati proprietary engines will be designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli and will be produced in Maranello by Ferrari, whilst an 8 speed automatic transmission with specific performance settings to suit the configuration of suspension, brakes and steering, will be exclusively developed in Modena by the Maserati Product Development Department.

Gallery

As teasers go, it’s distinctly underwhelming, but it got me thinking about the location of the film shoot and what this tells us about Jaguar’s new 911 rival.

The twisty, challenging roads deep within the Graian Alps, Italy.

The route, in case you’d like to retrace the C-X16′s steps for yourself, is around the north west part of the Graian Alps at the border between Switzerland, France and Italy. From what we can see, those exquisitely twisty roads are around Lago Agnel, Gran Paradiso in Piedmont, just 50 or so kilometres south of Chamonix Mont Blanc.

Lago Agnel, Gran Paradiso, Piedmont, Italy.

Having driven these roads many times, I remember there being plenty of tight un-sighted corners that suit an agile chassis and a car with strong brakes. Undeniably the kind of roads that fit Porsche’s 911 like a glove.

Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar Cars recently commented: “Great Jaguars have always been beautiful, innovative and have looked firmly to the future. The finished C-X16 concept has the potential to do these things while retaining the ability to surprise, to excite and invigorate.”

Filming for the Jaguar C-X16 teaser video.

Rumour has it that the C-X16 will be powered by two front-engined rear-wheel drive V6 variants – 275 bhp and 350 bhp with supercharger – fitted within a lightweight aluminium platform. It’s likely that hotter models will follow, but for the time being Jaguar are focusing on performance through lightness and agility.

The Graian Alps, Italy.

Exact details of the oily bits will be revealed in just a few days from now – on Wednesday (7 September) – together with that all-important body design which (surprisingly) has remained a total secret until now.

A sketch drawing of the Jaguar C-X16.