Author: Baraza JM

Baraza JM

1st July 2020

I am sure everybody and their security guard has heard about the Ineos Grenadier by now. If you haven’t, here is a quick rundown:

It is a Land Rover Defender lookalike, but it is NOT a Land Rover Defender clone – and no, we do not mean the new Defender with its polarizing looks, we mean the currently extinct aluminium box that was the epitome of evocation.

We have a few detail s on what the Grenadier looks like which we will show you shortly – if, again, somehow, you still haven’t heard of the vehicle yet, and you really should have – but what we don’t have are pictures of the interior. Now, we are not sure if we are supposed to say this but those of us who attended the reveal party of the Ineos Grenadier were sworn to secrecy of some kind or other. We even signed papers. We’re not even sure if we are meant to reveal what we are revealing now, but the secret is already out so I may as well just roll with it.

While we have photos of the exterior (yaaay!) but don’t have photos of the interior (naaaw!), we know a few other things about the vehicle. It is most obviously a full-on 4WD vehicle with all the gubbins that come with it. Despite the Defender-esque phenotype, it is designed and built ground up from scratch, it is not a modified Land Rover. There was no mention of hybrid or electric power, but there was mention of six-cylinder internal combustion from a large manufacturer who lately seems to be sharing their six-cylinder internal combustion with a lot of other people. Let’ see if you can figure out who that is using those few clues (Hint: it’s BMW)

We can also deduce that the Grenadier is coming to Africa, otherwise why else would they invite me to attend the reveal party? And this is what stood out for me: Ineos is a new player in the industry and comes off as a boutique manufacturer… something along the lines of Bowler or Spyker or Glickenhaus… that kind of thing. They may have a “global” market but they rarely concentrate any of their efforts on the continent.

Not Ineos. The list they presented of manufacturers in their sights features marques with a heavy African presence. Their target market covers the gamut from consummate professionals in demanding fields all the way to weekend enthusiasts with unlimited budgets for rig construction. In other words, everybody and anybody who wants or needs a 4×4 and was sad to see the old Defender bow out. If we know anything, it is that the old Defender was a very popular model in this end of the world. Smart business move, Ineos. Also forgive me for the endless Defender references but I just cannot unsee it.

What the rest of you can see are the official pictures of the Grenadier by Ineos Automotive. We even have a video, by Ineos of course. Come early 2022, Covid-19 allowing, we may go as far having a review, not by Ineos but by us… of the Grenadier. By Ineos.

And of course in the Age of The Millenial, no online post would be complete without a video, so have one…

Yes, you read that right. Nissan is celebrating that fact by sending out press releases to motoring press agencies and independent auto journos the world over.

Now, usually we’d just copy-paste whatever PR blurb is contained in that communique but today we won’t. We just want you to mull over the fact that Nissan has built one million Jukes (and counting, we must add)

Nissan…

has built…

A million…

Of these…

Things.

Wow!!

 

[For clarity and professionalism we must clarify that this millionth Juke was built in Sunderland]

Stop what you are doing and look at this…

 

Yea, it prolly needs a soundtrack, but please focus. So much want!!

 

 

South Africa, 24 June 2018: Female racing driver Aseel Al Hamad celebrated the end of the ban on women drivers with a lap of honour in a Jaguar F-TYPE.

Aseel, the first female board member of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, had never driven on a track in her home country before.

Aseel joined Jaguar in a call for June 24th to be known as World Driving Day – a day when finally, the whole world can enjoy the thrill of being behind the wheel of a car. On World Driving Day Jaguar invites people to share a memory of their best driving moment (image or anecdote) using the #worlddrivingday.

 

 

 

Aseel said:
“Having loved cars since I was a child, today is highly emotional for me. This is the best driving moment of my life. What better way to kick off World Driving Day than a lap of honour in my home country in a Jaguar F-TYPE – the ultimate car to roar around the track. I hope people around the world will share in our joy today by sharing their most memorable driving story using #worlddrivingday.”

By creating World Driving Day, Jaguar urges people to remember this historic day and what it means to women, to Saudi Arabia and to world progress in general. As part of its ongoing work with over 40 Universities and Academic institutions globally on future mobility solutions, the company will also be partnering with University in Saudi Arabia to join this global network. The partnership, to be announced later this year, will be a unique exchange to tap into the brightest young minds in Saudi Arabia to shape the company’s future innovations as it moves to ACES (an Autonomous, Connected, Electrified and Shared future).

Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson, Fiona Pargeter, Customer Experience Director comments:
“It’s easy to forget and take for granted the enjoyment of driving and just what a privilege it is to get behind the wheel of a car. World Driving Day is a commitment from Jaguar to celebrate this key moment annually for both men and women. This year, we’re really excited to collaborate with the brilliant students from Saudi Arabia to shape the future of mobility for people around the world.”

EDITORS’ NOTES:

About Aseel Al Hamad
Aseel Al Hamad is a true pioneer with a huge passion for motorsports as the first female board member of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation. She also serves as the Saudi Arabian representative at Women in Motorsport Commission for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Aseel has driven all over the world. She loves fast cars and the thrill of the race track. She holds a degree in interior design engineering from Prince Sultan University and followed additional courses at the University of the Arts in London.

About Jaguar
Jaguar’s heritage of elegant design and breathtaking performance has excited and delighted the world for 80 years. Today’s world-class Jaguar family embodies the Art of Performance, with the remarkable, much admired and award-winning XE, XF and XJ sedans, the dramatic F-TYPE sports car, the F-PACE performance crossover – the fastest-selling Jaguar ever, the new E-PACE compact performance SUV and now I-PACE, the all-electric performance SUV that puts Jaguar at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution.

GTR news is the best news

 

****

NISMO ambassador Marc Gené drove the Nissan GT-R R35, GT-R Track Edition and GT-R NISMO at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology

 

MADRID (June 8, 2018) – NISMO ambassador Marc Gené recently set a new track record at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Torrejón de Ardoz in Madrid.

 

Gené is one of the most successful motorsport drivers in Spain. After triumphing in the 1998 Open by Nissan, the Sabadell-born racer jumped to Formula 1 the following season. He debuted with the Minardi team, reaping solid results that led him to become a Williams test driver. After driving for the British team, Gené landed the same role with Scuderia Ferrari. Following Formula 1, Gené crowned his career with triumph at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2009, becoming the first Spaniard to win the legendary race. Gené has been linked to Nissan as NISMO ambassador since 2005.

With a driver of this level – and the entire GT-R range at Gené’s disposal – Nissan was determined to beat the record at the challenging 1,756-meter INTA circuit.

Gené had three models: GT-R R35, GT-R Track Edition and GT-R NISMO. He drove and set a better time with each. With GT-R NISMO, he recorded a new circuit record of 1:05.83 – improving on the 1:06.39 achieved with the GT-R Track Edition and the 1:06.93 time in the GT-R R35. All were the three fastest laps ever timed at the INTA.

“When they proposed this challenge to me, at the beginning I took it with caution, since it was a test track that I had never raced before,” said Gené. “But once I made the first turns of the track to the right of Juan Ignacio Eguiara of Automóvil and took the wheel of the Nissan GT-R R35, I noticed that this was very well suited to its technical track design. In this way, we made the first attempt with this version and then we broke the record, which was a pleasant surprise.”

 

 

“We tested the Nissan GT-R Track Edition, and the difference in balance, power and weight with respect to the GT-R R35 was what allowed us to shave another six tenths of a second off the old record,” said Gené. “At that time, I was already enjoying driving the GT-R at INTA, a track with super-fast corners that demand the maximum of driver and car.

“The icing on the cake was the fast lap with the Nissan GT-R NISMO. It is a real racing car that you can drive on a daily basis. It has a spectacular suspension. When you test it on the circuit, you can truly tell it has the Motorsport in its DNA. With all the controls disconnected, since I like to drive like this, I managed to go even quicker and break the record again.

“In the end, it was an incredible day with noticeable progress in the times that confirm the differences between the versions. I am very proud to have been able to achieve the track record with the three Nissan GT-Rs I tested, which proves the potential of this super sports car in the most demanding environment.”

GT-R R35

The Nissan GT-R R35 boasts all the innovations that were introduced in the new flagship model of the firm in 2017. Updated with a spectacular new interior and exterior design, and also with different improvements in several key sections that affect driving and performance. Among them, a reinforced chassis and an increase of power in the 24-valve 3.8-litre V6 engine with double turbocharger are included. The GT-R R35 is more comfortable than ever and offers a level of elegance and urbanity almost impossible to find in a high-performance sports car of this nature.

GT-R Track Edition

While the Nissan GT-R Track Edition features equipment that includes RAYS® wheels with 6 ultra-light arms in exclusive forged aluminium exclusive for NISMO, front spoiler and a carbon fibre rear spoiler. In addition, the Bilstein® Damp Tronic suspension system has been tuned by NISMO with its 3 modes selectable by the driver. This version has improved rigidity of the specific chassis for intensive track usage. Also available as an option are the carbon V-SPEC Recaro® buckets that provide a weight reduction of 16.6 kg and the tailgate made from carbon with the aim of improving performance on the track. It is a vehicle for lovers of top-end sports cars craving high performance circuit combined with a more elegant appearance.

GT-R NISMO

We testedThe Nissan GT-R NISMO, with which the INTA track record was established, is the pinnacle of the GT-R range, a high-performance racing car for everyday use that takes the best of the legendary heritage of the super Japanese sports cars, improving its iconic design and cutting-edge technology more than ever. The power comes from a 3.8-litre Twin Turbo V6 engine that delivers 600 hp. The engine incorporates two high-performance turbochargers, the same as the NISMO GT3 racing version, and the power is delivered to all four wheels through a sixspeed dual-clutch gearbox with paddles on the steering wheel.

 

“The Nissan GT-R has once again demonstrated its Motorsport DNA,” said Francesc Corberó, communications director at Nissan Iberia. “In the hands of Marc Gené, one of the best Spanish drivers in history, the result could not be other than the new record at the INTA track. Despite the meandering nature of its layout, Gené and the GT-R NISMO felt soon at ease so that they could get the most out of it and record a time beyond the reach of many. The history of Nissan NISMO is full of records and this adds to its long list of successes, which is an immense honor for Nissan Iberia.”

_______________

 

I wish I was Gené….