Author Archives: driveeuropenews

Porsche hints about Geneva reveal. GT3 or Targa?

McLaren, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce all reveal major new cars at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.

What will be on Porsche’s stand?

UPDATE: It goes without saying of course that Porsche launched the GT3…

The Geneva Motor Show opens to the public next Thursday. But it kicks off on Tuesday with the first press day. The evening before, Porsche has promised to reveal an 'extremely exciting' new 911 model. What will it be?

The Geneva Motor Show opens to the public next Thursday but it kicks off on Tuesday for the press. At 7pm the evening before, Porsche will reveal an ‘extremely exciting’ new 911 model. What will it be?

The McLaren P1, Ferrari ‘F150 Project’, Rolls-Royce Wraith fastback coupe, Alfa Romeo 4C – and not least the Toyota FT86 convertible – all get well flagged debuts at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.

Porsche however is playing its cards close to its chest. We know the new 911 GT3 Cup race car will be on the stand. Since GT3 road cars have been papped virtually undisguised recently it’s natural to expect that will be Porsche’s mystery car.

But an intriguing exchange with Porsche GB today has us thinking maybe it won’t be…

On March 1, Porsche GB tweeted, ‘Geneva Motor Show next week, and Porsche will be showing not only the 911 GT3 Cup race car, but also an extremely exciting new 911 model…’

We asked if that meant the Targa? This morning a spokesman for the company replied, ‘I’m afraid I can’t possibly tell you… yet. All will be revealed here on Monday around 7pm!’

Driveeurope hasn't had the pleasure of a 911 Targa yet, but tours of Denmark (pictured), Sweden, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia - and all the countries in between - convince us the Targa is the one to have

DriveEurope hasn’t had the pleasure of a 911 Targa yet. But tours of Denmark (pictured), Sweden, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia in a humble Carrera 2 convince us the Targa is the one to have.

It may be a terminal case of wishful thinking on our part. The Targa is DriveEurope’s official ‘European Touring Car Champion’, the ideal car to take on holiday.

Grace, space, pace, noise and the wind in your hair!

With standard four wheel drive the 911 Targa is the ultimate go anywhere, do anything car.

Where the latest car lost out because of a too-close association with the convertible, the new one harks back to a time when the word Targa was as much part of the 911 myth as Carrera, Turbo and GT3 are today.

If the spy photos are to be believed, instead of a sliding glass roof the new model reverts to the classic stainless steel rollover hoop and a removable – proper targa – roof panel.

That worries us a bit. Where does the roof go? Will it impinge on the 911’s legendary practicality?

We’ll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Monday evening sees DriveEurope elsewhere. We’ve already accepted an invitation to preview the new Cayman at our local Porsche dealer. It starts at 7pm. How are we going to cope?

For more on the Geneva Motor show see www.salon-auto.ch.

To tune into Porsche’s 911 Twitter reveal see @PorscheGB_PR.

Hajduk and Dinamo fans protest new Serb signs

Rival football fans in joint protest against Cyrillic signs in Vukovar

The sea view Poljud Stadium, home of Hadjuk Split football team, southern Croatia.

The sea-view Poljud Stadium, Split, home of Hajduk Split football team.

Split, 27.02.13: Rival football supporters joined in a protest mid-way through the first half, the latest stage in a campaign to stop Serb Cyrillic signs being introduced in Vukovar.

Large banners reading ‘Croatian Vukovar not Cyrillic’ were unfurled above the heads of Torcida and Bad Blue Boys, fans of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split respectively, as the teams played the latest instalment of ‘the Eternal Derby’ on Wednesday evening. Dinamo eventually won 2-1.

The Croatian government announced in December it would include Serbian Cyrillic translations on all official signs, including road signs, in areas where Serbs make up more than a third of the population.

Serbs number around 35% in Vukovar, a town in east Croatia, on the border with Serbia. It was devastated in a brutal siege in 1991 by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army.

The Croatian government is obliged to observe minority rights laws as it joins the EU in July. It was yesterday accused of a ‘cowardly silence’ on the issue. The new signs are due to be rolled out any day.

A group of Vukovar Croat war veterans has already vowed to resist the move ‘by any means necessary’, including force.

On top of a 20,000 strong local march in early February, the group is organising a much bigger event in capital Zagreb on March 5.

See also: Croatia joining the EU could be bad news for Bosnia.

Les Flics play mind games with motorists

The complete low down on France’s new secret speeding police. 

Channel dashes and Le Mans surprising omissions.

French police have developed a variety of techniques to catch motorists unawares.

French police have developed a variety of techniques for catching motorists unawares.

With dash mounted cameras and radar devices behind their number plates, a fleet of otherwise unassuming family saloons will take to French roads this month. They will be on a mission to prevent ‘excess’ speeding.

From March 15, a batch of twenty unmarked Renault Meganes – manned by two uniformed police – will patrol eighteen of the 96 Departments around the country.

A prominent transport lawyer denounced the high profile move as, ‘giving the false impression that speeds will be monitored all the time and everywhere.’

Because of the positioning of the radar detector, the police will only be able to detect speeding cars in front. From the summer that will also include cars in oncoming lanes.

Police say the move is aimed at drivers going excessively fast. There will still be a decent margin for error. Prosecutions are unlikely below 143kph (89mph). Remember, that’s a real 89mph, not 89mph as indicated on your speedo…

From later this month, the humble Renault Megane will be the most eagerly spotted on French roads.

From later this month, the humble Renault Megane will be the most eagerly spotted car on French roads.

According to The Connexion, the English language French newspaper, the Meganes will be deployed in eighteen Departments (The Local France says it’s twenty, without giving any details).

Our forensic analysis (below) is a good geography lesson and reveals at least two surprising gaps – Nord Pas de Calais, i.e. the last stretch to the ferry/ tunnel, and the A28 to Le Mans.

But this first batch of twenty cars will be joined by another 80 vehicles this year, and another two hundred in the next three years. Expect any gaps to be temporary.

The authorities say these mobile cameras save money over the traditional fixed type. Overall, police say speed cameras have reduced road deaths in France from 8,000 in 2002 to 3,645 in 2012.

Conclusion: if you spot a Megane with two burly figures in the front seats slow down. It isn’t too late until you go past.

Learn to recognise the Renault Megane from every angle.

Learn to recognise the Renault Megane from every angle.

According to The Connexion, unmarked police cars will patrol the following Departments:

Northern France
Nord (Dunkirk-Lille) and Somme (Amiens).

Around Paris
Île de France (Paris) and Oise (north of Paris); Essonne (south of Paris); Loir et Cher and Loiret (around Orleans).

West
Calvados (Caen); Loire Atlantique (Nantes) and Ille et Vilaine (Rennes).

South West
Gironde (Bordeaux); Haute Garonne (Toulouse) and Pyrénées-Orientales (Perpignan).

South East
Alpes-Maritime (Nice); Bouches du Rhône (Marseilles/ Aix) and Vaucluse (Avignon).

East
Rhônes (Lyon) and Moselle (Metz).

For an explanatory video (in French) click here. For the official source (in French) click here.

Daily Briefing 1 March 2013

Good Morning! White Rabbits, kick and a punch for the first of the month.

Welcome to our daily briefing for Friday 1 March 2013.

* Dangerous Rain in coastal Spain.

For breaking news please see our Twitter feed @DriveEurope.

The Gotthard Pass, 1957 - It's strange the way it happens but yesterday we had cause to ponder, separately, bubble cars and micro-caravans. Suddenly, we come across a picture of both together. This BMW Isetta 600, with tandem seating, tows its tiny caravan up the Gotthard Pass at Andermatt, central Switzerland. Post war austerity was on the wane by 1957. Tastes were turning back to 'proper' cars. The bottom dropped out of the market literally overnight though, thanks to the energy crisis following Suez, the concept staggered on until the early 1960s. Picture taken from The BMW Story by Horst Mönnich.

The Gotthard Pass, 1957 – It’s strange the way it happens but yesterday we had cause to ponder, separately, bubble cars and micro-caravans. Suddenly, we come across a picture of both together. This BMW Isetta 600, with tandem seating, tows its tiny caravan up the Gotthard Pass at Andermatt, central Switzerland. Post war austerity was on the wane by 1957. Tastes were turning back to ‘proper’ cars. The bottom dropped out of the market literally overnight though, thanks to the energy crisis following Suez, the concept staggered on until the early 1960s. Picture taken from The BMW Story by Horst Mönnich.

WEATHER

Dangerous Rain, Spain

Castellón & Tarragona, the coastal regions south of Barcelona, set for torrential rain and potential flooding , click here for latest.

Potentially dangerous weather – snow/ ice, high winds, rain, storms – in many other parts of south and east Spain, though less intense than yesterday.

Also Sardinia and Sicily, high winds and storms.

For the latest click here. For the weather-where-you-are click here.

Winter sports – for the latest BBC forecast click here: essentially conditions set to get milder from this weekend.

looks like a rather nice place to spend time

GENEVA – Stop fighting over who gets to drive. Retire, defeated, to the back seat and console yourself in luxury. Sports limousines are a growth market for sure. Along with the Porsche Panamera, BMW 6 series Grand Coupe, Aston Martin Rapide S – even the Audi A7 Sportback and mini-me Mercedes CLA saloon – it’s all about comfort, speed and style, for four people. Porsche and Maserati supply fitted luggage – four matching suitcases – to make the most of the boot space. The new Maserati Quattroporte V8, pictured, takes its bow at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

CURRENCY

Figures from end of play Thursday 28 February. Indicative ‘travel money’ rates from BBC. Guide only.

£1 buys €1.1280 – €1 is 88.7p – €5 is £4.43.

This rate is unchanged since yesterday. For other currencies click here.

Porsche GB's Photo of the Week, from the launch of the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S in the Black Mountains, Wales (so that's why they call them the Black Mountains).

Porsche GB’s Photo of the Week, from the launch of the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S in the Black Mountains, Wales (so that’s why they call them the Black Mountains).

CROSSING THE CHANNEL

As of 07:30 GMT, most services running well. For the latest BBC Ferry Travel News click here.

* Passengers on TransEuropa Ferries Ramsgate-Ostend should phone 01843 595522 for a sailing update. A technical problem has been affecting services.

* Travelling to the Channel ports? See @Burger_Ferry for the latest at Dover. See @TravelNewsSouth for the latest on the roads.

For the latest updates by operator click links below:

P&O – Condor Ferries – Brittany Ferries – Transeuropa Ferries – Eurotunnel – Stena Line

DFDS – Dover Strait – Western Channel – North Sea

TRAFFIC

For live traffic information in the following countries click the links below:

Austria – Belgium – France – Germany – Netherlands – Switzerland

The Automobile Club of Luxembourg provides a run down of planned major traffic events here (French only).

Google Maps includes live traffic information on all western European countries.

Daily Briefing 28 Feb 2013

Good Morning. Welcome to our daily briefing for Thursday 28 February 2013.

* Dangerous Weather Warnings in Spain.

For breaking news please see our Twitter feed @DriveEurope.

SPA FRANCORCHAMPS: It should have been the trip of a life time... an all expenses paid trip to the Belgian Grand Prix as VIP guests of world champion team Red Bull. But instead of indelible memories, it ended in an Advertising Standards Authority judgement. The competition winners, two brothers, missed the small print which said they were responsible for their own transfers between airports, hotel and circuit. They didn’t miss the bit which said their hotel would have a spa though. Lugging suitcases for the two day trip, the brothers were forced to leave the race before the chequered flag in order to make their flight home from Brussels (having flown into Cologne). Leaving aside the principle of never complaining because you don’t get treated like a VIP, even if advertised, why fly to a motor race in a neighbouring country? Spa Francorchamps race circuit is 200 miles from Calais. The ASA held up the brothers complaint and delivered a hefty slap on the wrist to Red Bull. Read the judgement here http://bit.ly/15Q18Jj Photo, snowy Eau Rouge ‘It could have been worse’. © Twitter/ Jenson Button 9.2.13

SPA FRANCORCHAMPS: It should have been the trip of a life time… an all expenses paid trip to the Belgian Grand Prix as VIP guests of world champion team Red Bull. But instead of indelible memories, it ended in an Advertising Standards Authority judgement.
The competition winners, two brothers, missed the small print which said they were responsible for their own transfers between airports, hotel and circuit. They didn’t miss the bit which said their hotel would have a spa though.
Lugging suitcases for the two day trip, the brothers were forced to leave the race before the chequered flag in order to make their flight home from Brussels (having flown into Cologne).
Leaving aside the principle of never complaining because you don’t get treated like a VIP – even if advertised – or that they flew to a m-o-t-o-r r-a-c-e in Belgium (Spa is 200 miles from Calais), you do wonder how they’d get on at The British Grand Prix, even on a good day.
The ASA held up the brothers complaint and dealt Red Bull a hefty slap on the wrist. Read the judgement here http://bit.ly/15Q18Jj
Photo, Sneau Rouge ‘It could have been worse’. © Twitter/ Jenson Button 9.2.13

WEATHER

Dangerous Weather, Spain

Castellón & Teruel regions in east/ coastal Spain, ice and snow, click here for latest.

Potentially dangerous weather – snow/ ice, high winds, rain, storms – in many other parts of south and east Spain.

Journalists at the F1 test in Barcelona – north of Castellón/ Teruel – report heavy overnight rain, and rain this morning.

For the latest click here. For the weather-where-you-are click here.

Winter sports – for the latest BBC forecast click here.

Electric racing car exposed. Quimera Responsible Racing's all-electric AEGT sits in the pits at the company's own Circuit de Terramar near Barcelona yesterday. Photo © Twitter/ @QuimeraRR

Electric racing car exposed. Quimera Responsible Racing’s all-electric AEGT sits in the pits at the company’s own Circuit de Terramar near Barcelona yesterday. Photo © Twitter/ @QuimeraRR

CURRENCY

Figures from end of play Wednesday 27 February. Indicative ‘travel money’ rates from BBC. Guide only.

£1 buys €1.1280 – €1 is 88.7p – €5 is £4.43.

For other currencies click here.

Stockholm. Yesterday. © Twitter/ @thelocalsweden

Stockholm. Yesterday. © Twitter/ @thelocalsweden

CROSSING THE CHANNEL

As of 07:30 GMT, most services running well. For the latest BBC Ferry Travel News click here.

* Passengers on TransEuropa Ferries Ramsgate-Ostend should phone 01843 595522 for a sailing update. A technical problem has been affecting services.

* Travelling to the Channel ports? See @Burger_Ferry for the latest at Dover. See @TravelNewsSouth for the latest on the roads.

For the latest updates by operator click links below:

P&O – Condor Ferries – Brittany Ferries – Transeuropa Ferries – Eurotunnel – Stena Line

DFDS – Dover Strait – Western Channel – North Sea

TRAFFIC

For live traffic information in the following countries click the links below:

Austria – Belgium – France – Germany – Netherlands – Switzerland

The Automobile Club of Luxembourg provides a run down of planned major traffic events here (French only).

Google Maps includes live traffic information on all western European countries.

Diamonds are a driver’s best friend

The yellow diamond sign means you are King of the Road

FRANCE - approaching La Tour du Pin, south east France, between Chambéry and Lyon on Route Nationale 6, September 2011.

FRANCE – approaching La Tour du Pin, south east France, between Chambéry and Lyon on Route Nationale 6, September 2011.

Counterintuitive

It’s commonly assumed the Priority to the Right rule is dying out. But as our photos show, all taken in the past couple of years, all around the Continent, Priority to the Right is very much alive and kicking.

It’s counterintuitive for the British, that even cars on gravel side tracks have – at least in theory – priority over traffic speeding down a main road.

The idea is that drivers don’t have to wait interminably at side junctions.

HUNGARY - on Route 82, the main road from Györ to Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Riviera, September 2011.

HUNGARY – on Route 82, from Györ to Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Riviera, September 2011.

Apply all over

Priority from the Right applies in France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Croatia, etc, etc.

The only countries we are – fairly – confident it definitely doesn’t apply in are Spain and Portugal.

Wherever you are, be aware that the driver you can see approaching from a side road may pull out.

CROATIA - the centre of Split in southern Croatia, May 2012.

CROATIA – the centre of Split in southern Croatia, May 2012.

Tell tale signs

The only junctions where you can be sure Priority from the Right does not apply are the ones preceded by a yellow diamond sign (or other obvious priority sign).

A yellow diamond means you are on a priority road.

In France, the priority lasts until you see another yellow diamond sign, this time crossed with a black line.

In other countries, the priority applies only to the next junction.

SLOVAKIA - driving into Bratislava, May 2012.

SLOVAKIA – driving into Bratislava, May 2012.

Pulling out

It’s irritating that cars from side roads have priority until, of course, it’s you that’s wanting to pull out.

In practice though, most side road junctions are peppered with red-bordered white triangle signs meaning Give Way (Cedez le Passage, for instance, in France).

If your junction isn’t, and doesn’t have a hatched white line either, or – particularly – a row of ‘shark’s teeth’ (little white triangles) then it means you have priority. Go for it.

Caution: just because it’s your priority, it doesn’t mean you have carte blanche to pull out no matter what. Common sense still applies.

Daily Briefing 27 Feb 2013

Good Morning! Welcome to our daily briefing for Wednesday 27 February 2013.

* No Dangerous Weather Warnings today.

* Potentially Dangerous weather Spain/ Portugal and Norway.

For breaking news please see our Twitter feed @DriveEurope.

OUR MAN IN ISTANBUL: ‘Ferry (and road) trips evocative… more sense of travel, geography and people than flying,’ tweeted Leigh Turner yesterday.The Consul-General at the British Embassy in Istanbul was off to Ìzmìr, for meetings about Expo 2020. The first part of the journey is by ferry across the Sea of Marmara to Yalova on an IDO ship. IDO is part-owned by Stagecoach, the Scottish public transport operator. The crossing takes 1h15 from Yenikapi on the European side, or one hour from Pendik on the Asian side. One way for two+car costs about £15. The IDO website - www.ido.com.tr - is also in English. With 53 ships and 35 terminals, IDO describes itself as one of the largest ferry companies in the world. Istanbul is 1,550 miles from London. Photo © Twitter/ Leigh Turner - @LeighTurnerFCO

OUR MAN IN ISTANBUL, Part One: ‘Ferry (and road) trips evocative… more sense of travel, geography and people than flying,’ tweeted Leigh Turner yesterday. The Consul-General at the British Embassy in Istanbul was off to Ìzmìr, for meetings about the Expo 2020 World Fair.
The first part of the journey is across the Sea of Marmara to Yalova on an IDO ferry. IDO is part-owned by Stagecoach, the Scottish public transport operator.
The crossing takes 1h15 from Yenikapi on the European side, or one hour from Pendik on the Asian side. One way for two+car costs about £15.
The IDO website – http://www.ido.com.tr – is also in English. With 53 ships and 35 terminals, IDO describes itself as one of the largest ferry companies in the world. Istanbul is 1,550 miles from London. Photo © Twitter/ Leigh Turner – @LeighTurnerFCO

WEATHER

Potentially Dangerous Weather

North east Portugal across border into Spain – low temperatures, ice/ snow.

Lleida, north east Spain, Pyrenees foothills, extreme low temperatures this morning.

Avalanche warning in Nordland, central Norway, plus high winds and heavy rain.

For the latest click here. For the weather-where-you-are click here.

Winter sports – for the latest BBC forecast click here.

ÌZMÌR - The second leg of the trip from Istanbul is a 5h30m, 250 mile cross country road trip. Only 20 miles is on motorway.Previously known as Smyrna, Turkey’s third city sits at the head of the Gulf of Ìzmìr on the Mediterranean ‘the most western part of the east’. It has an 8,500 year history. Ìzmìr is one of two European candidates for the Expo 2020 World Fair (the other being Yekaterinburg, Russia). It would be Turkey’s first time hosting Expo. Ìzmìr’s theme is health. As we write it’s a cloudy 13°C. Photo © Twitter/ Leigh Turner - @LeighTurnerFCO

ÌZMÌR, Part Two: The second leg of the trip from Istanbul is a 5h30m, 250 mile cross country road trip. Only 20 miles is on motorway.
Previously known as Smyrna, Turkey’s third city sits at the head of the Gulf of Ìzmìr on the Mediterranean, ‘the most western part of the east’. It has an 8,500 year history.
Ìzmìr is one of two European candidates for the Expo 2020 World Fair (the other being Yekaterinburg, Russia). It would be Turkey’s first time hosting Expo. Ìzmìr’s theme is health. As we write it’s a cloudy 13°C. Photo © Twitter/ Leigh Turner – @LeighTurnerFCO

CURRENCY

Figures from end of play Monday 25 February. Indicative ‘travel money’ rates from BBC. Guide only.

£1 buys €1.1190 – €1 is 89.4p – €5 is £4.47.

For other currencies click here.

MURMANSK-ST PETERSBURG - ‘Ergens langs weg uit Moermansk (somewhere along the road from Murmansk),’ tweeted Erik van Dijk yesterday.The Dutch traffic and transport engineer - and DriveEurope twitter follower - from near Utrecht, is on his way to St Petersburg. As we write it’s a relatively mild -7°C in Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle. It’s quite a journey, 845 miles on the M18, only 15 miles is motorway. M18 is part of European route E105, from Kirkenes, Norway, ultimately to Yalta, Ukraine. On this stretch the landscape runs from treeless half-tundra to birch forest. From Murmansk, the M18 runs south along the White Sea, an inlet of the Barent’s Sea, then cuts down between Europe’s two biggest lakes, Ladoga and Onega, before approaching St Petersburg from the east. St Petersburg is 1,700 land miles from London. Photo: © Twitter/ Erik van Dijk - @EDijk_nl

MURMANSK-ST PETERSBURG – ‘Ergens langs weg uit Moermansk (somewhere along the road from Murmansk),’ tweeted Erik van Dijk yesterday. The Dutch traffic and transport engineer – and DriveEurope twitter follower – from near Utrecht, is on his way to St Petersburg. As we write it’s a relatively mild -7°C in Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.
It’s quite a journey, 845 miles on the M18, only 15 miles is motorway. M18 is part of European route E105, from Kirkenes, Norway, ultimately to Yalta, Ukraine. On this stretch the landscape runs from treeless half-tundra to birch forest, running south along the White Sea, an inlet of the Barent’s Sea, then cutting down between Europe’s two biggest lakes, Ladoga and Onega. It approaches St Petersburg from the east. St Petersburg is 1,700 land miles from London. Photo: © Twitter/ Erik van Dijk – @EDijk_nl

CROSSING THE CHANNEL

As of 07:30 GMT, most services running well. For the latest BBC Ferry Travel News click here.

* Passengers on TransEuropa Ferries Ramsgate-Ostend should phone 01843 595522 for a sailing update. A technical problem has been affecting services.

* Travelling to the Channel ports? See @Burger_Ferry for the latest at Dover. See @TravelNewsSouth for the latest on the roads.

For the latest updates by operator click links below:

P&O – Condor Ferries – Brittany Ferries – Transeuropa Ferries – Eurotunnel – Stena Line

DFDS – Dover Strait – Western Channel – North Sea

TRAFFIC

For live traffic information in the following countries click the links below:

Austria – Belgium – France – Germany – Netherlands – Switzerland

The Automobile Club of Luxembourg provides a run down of planned major traffic events here (French only).

Google Maps includes live traffic information on all western European countries.

McLaren P1: what will you do with yours?

Barely disguised racing car or refined road rocket? The P1 is both says McLaren.

p1 top

It’s not unimaginable that the lucky owners of McLaren’s imminent P1 will take their cars on continental driving trips.

Thanks to active aerodynamics the P1 can generate a track-busting 600kg of downforce. But features like glass roof panels mean owners can enjoy the P1’s performance in some luxury.

inside p1a

As McLaren Automotive md Antony Sheriff puts it, ‘The P1 is designed to be driven to a racing circuit with great levels of comfort and refinement, and then to be used on the racing circuit where it will offer an experience matched only by purpose-built racing cars.’

That ‘driven to a racing circuit’ conjures up some possibilities, especially since the P1 is left hand drive only.

body cross b

With a total power output of 903bhp from its 3.8 litre V8 and combined electric motor – emissions under 200g/km and a kerb weight of 1400kg – the P1 accelerates from 0-62mph in under 3 seconds; 0-124mph in under 7 seconds and 0-186mph in ‘no more than 17 seconds’ (five seconds quicker than the McLaren F1).

Top speed is electronically limited to just over 217mph.

p1 wheels

Along with the bespoke Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, the P1 has a new type of carbon ceramic brake disc, never seen before on a road car.

Made by Japanese firm Akebono – the McLaren F1 team’s brake supplier – the new compound shaves ‘significant’ weight off previous systems and, thanks to a special ceramic coating, the discs have a very flashy mirrored finish.

p1dark

Costing from £866,000, and limited to 375 examples, the P1 will be revealed in final form at the Geneva Motor Show next Tuesday (5 March 2013), available to order shortly afterwards.

The only options are racy custom parts from McLaren Special Operations – and fitted luggage. There’s no word on where the bags go, how big the space is or whether the P1 will have the ferry lift recently offered as an option on the 12C…

Unfortunately, customers won’t be able to get their hands on the P1 for this summer. First deliveries are scheduled for the end of the year.

Daily Briefing 26 Feb 2013

Good Morning! Welcome to our daily briefing for Tuesday 26 February 2013.

* No Dangerous Weather Warnings today.

* Potentially Dangerous weather Spain, France and Balkans/ Greece.

* Freezing fog south east Belgium.

For breaking news please see our Twitter feed @DriveEurope.

Stockholm. Yesterday. © Twitter/ @TheLocalSweden, news in English.

Stockholm. Yesterday. © Twitter/ @TheLocalSweden, news in English.

WEATHER

Potentially Dangerous Weather

Spain’s north coast and along border with France (Pyrenees) – snow and low temperatures.

Eastern Austria – snow or, in the most eastern parts, heavy rain and flooding.

Storms, heavy rain and potential floods in central Balkans and north east Greece.

For the latest click here. For the weather-where-you-are click here.

Winter sports – for the latest BBC forecast click here.

CURRENCY

Figures from end of play Monday 25 February. Indicative ‘travel money’ rates from BBC. Guide only.

£1 buys €1.1190 – €1 is 89.4p – €5 is £4.47.

You get fewer Euros per Pound than yesterday. For other currencies click here.

Brand new Porsche Caymans lined up for the press pack at Portimão circuit on the Algarve, southern Portugal. © Twitter/ @PorscheGB_PR

Brand new Porsche Caymans lined up for the press pack at Portimão circuit on the Algarve, southern Portugal. © Twitter/ @PorscheGB_PR

CROSSING THE CHANNEL

As of 08:30 GMT, services running well. For the latest BBC Ferry Travel News click here.

* A technical issue affected DFDS Dover – Calais & Dunkerque yesterday evening. See below for updates.

* Passengers on TransEuropa Ferries Ramsgate-Ostend should phone 01843 595522 for a sailing update. A technical problem has been affecting services.

* Travelling to the Channel ports? See @Burger_Ferry for the latest at Dover. See @TravelNewsSouth for the latest on the roads.

For the latest updates by operator click links below:

P&O – Condor Ferries – Brittany Ferries – Transeuropa Ferries – Eurotunnel – Stena Line

DFDS – Dover Strait – Western Channel – North Sea

TRAFFIC

For live traffic information in the following countries click the links below:

Austria – Belgium – France – Germany – Netherlands – Switzerland

The Automobile Club of Luxembourg provides a run down of planned major traffic events here (French only).

Google Maps includes live traffic information on all western European countries.

Electric racing cars: the sound of the 21st century?

If the Tesla Model S, BMW i3 and McLaren P1 aren‘t enough, then maybe the 2014 Le Mans car announced by Nissan will finally make electric cars cool.

The Nismo Nissan Leaf all electric racing concept car at Goodwood 2012.

The Nismo Nissan Leaf all electric racing concept car at Goodwood 2012.

The motor sport community is in thrilled shock at Nissan’s announcement. In fact it was perfectly predictable. We predicted it (sort of…). Both Nissan and its partner Renault have bet the house on electric cars. Nissan demonstrated bold thinking last year with the Le Mans DeltaWing project, and ran a Nismo Leaf electric racer at Goodwood last year.

The Formula E racing car at the launch of the Rome race, coming in 2014.

The Formula E racing car at the launch of the Rome race, coming in 2014.

Meanwhile the wider electric racing car industry has been gaining momentum. Also starting in 2014 will be the Formula E electric racing car series, sanctioned by the FIA, with the power train supplied by McLaren. Ten races in ten cities, including Rome and Rio de Janeiro. Drivers will have two cars each, switching at a pit stop to complete the race distance.

Lord Drayson's B12 has impressed in testing but his team will run single seaters in Formula E in 2014.

Lord Drayson’s B12 has impressed in testing but his team will run single seaters in Formula E in 2014.

If Formula E fudges the range issue, then the lack of an ear-splitting scream from a highly tuned racing engine is said to be less of a disadvantage. Lord Drayson, whose company has been developing an electric sports car of its own, calls them ‘the sound of the 21st century’. See and hear the car in action here. Drayson Racing has also entered a team in Formula E.

Quimera RR's all electric 700bhp racing prototype

Quimera RR’s all electric 700bhp racing prototype AEGT

Most intriguing of all though is Quimera Responsible Racing. The Barcelona based company has several alternative fuel racing cars under development, from pure electric to hydrogen. It was them tweeting (@QuimeraRR) pictures of the DeltaWing last week – with hints about the car’s ‘exciting future’ – which alerted us to the possibility that Nissan could unveil an electric racer.

Even better, Quimera spent this weekend at the McLaren factory. What could that have been about?