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LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN
DR I V E N
F E AT U R E S
058
052
052
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 45 AMG
024
FIAT AVVENTURA
v TOYOTA ETIOS CROSS
030
MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO K10
The smallest AMG-engined SUV
is a hoot to drive, but is it better
than the CLA 45 AMG?
058
KOENIGSEGG ONE:1
091
OFFBEAT DRIVING
DESTINATIONS
Christian von Koenigsegg
called it the world’s first
‘megacar’. It’s the fastest road
car evo has ever tested
034
AUDI A3 PETROL
036
VW VENTO v SKODA RAPID
Bob Rupani takes us off the
beaten path to some unusual
destinations
070
LAMBORGHINI
HURACÁN
The Gallardo replacement is
here. Has the Huracan traded its
edginess at the altar of ultimate
performance?
107
FOOD TRAIL
078
THE SUMMIT DRIVE
We go with Mahindra Adventure on a once-in-a-lifetime drive
through Nepal and Tibet to the 5,200m Everest base camp
evo India | November 2014
Scouring the back lanes of
Mumbai and Pune to ease the
seafood cravings of a hard-toplease foodie
ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
R E GU L A R S
148
010
NEWS
Showcasing cars from
the Paris Motor Show.
Tramontana’s XTR coming
to India (evo exclusive), selfdriven rentals, and more
112
SCORPIO v SAFARI
STORME v DUSTER
AWD
Just how good is the new
Scorpio. We pit it against
the Duster AWD and Safari
Storme
121
RAID DE HIMALAYA
The coming-of-age rite of
passage, aka the Raid
132
HYDERABAD
BENTLEYS
Own one Bentley, you want
one more, and one more...
152
042
COLUMNS
R I DDE N
152
INDIAN SCOUT
157
TRIUMPH
THUNDERBIRD LT
157
Gautam dwells on what ails
Indian motorsport, Bijoy
laments the disorganised
used car trade in India, Bob
wishes for better organised
car rallies, and Gaurav talks
of the intense rivalries and
stormy relationships in
motorsport
162
MOTORSPORT
The final rounds of the one
make series, MRF national
racing championship and the
4th round of JK go-karting
050
LETTERS
Readers shower us with wishes
and greetings on our first
anniversary
164
LONG-TERM
TESTS
We bid the Octy and Polaris
ATV adieu. The Honda City
arrives
168
EVO KNOWLEDGE
The joys and anguish of
owning a Bentley, an action
cam on the top of the world
and the latest games and
peripherals
186
ART OF SPEED
The dihedral synchro-helix
actuation doors that are a
Koenigsegg signature
November 2014 |
evo India
9
Radar
PAREEK MOVES TO TATA
Snippets
Mayank Pareek, a 29 year veteran of Maruti Suzuki
and its former head of sales and marketing,
has moved to Tata Motors as President of their
passenger vehicles unit. Ranjit Yadav, meanwhile,
will head International Business for Passenger and
Commercial vehicles.
News, new metal, investigations, interviews, technology and more…
S I L E NCE
OF
THE
L A M BOS
Up close
Under the skin of a future star car
This hybrid Lamborghini supercar
can summon 897bhp – or travel in
all-electric silence Words: Sam Sheehan
10
evo India | November 2014
LAMBORGHINI PULLED
the wraps off a stunning
plug-in hybrid supercar
at the Paris Motor Show.
Described as ‘production-ready’ but
not yet confirmed for production, the
Asterion LPI 910-4 packs a naturally
aspirated 5.2-litre V10 and three
electric motors for a combined power
output of 897bhp (910PS).
That gives the Asterion enough
shove to race to 100kmph in just 3sec
and on to a top speed of 320kmph,
placing it just behind the V12
Aventador for outright straight-line
pace. And yet, in tests, it can achieve
CO2 emissions as low as 98g/km.
The mid-mounted FSI V10 has been
borrowed directly from the Huracán
– producing the same 602bhp and
560Nm of torque – with the remaining
grunt coming from the trio of electric
motors. The first plays the role of
starter motor and generator and
L
EXCL
USI V E
Tandem supercar Tramontana
case the R version wasn’t nutty enough, the
XTR coming to India InSpanish
F1 supplier has you covered
Words: Shami Kalra
WELCOME TO
Tramontana, an
extreme sports car
company you may not
have heard of yet, but one which could
potentially make a name for itself
among the hardcore.
This isn’t a boutique firm borne
of marketing, however. Based in
an industrial complex just north of
Barcelona in Spain, there’s a factory
brimming with engineers who have for
years made parts for Formula 1 and
other motorsport categories.
Since 2005, they’ve been working
on a car that’s heavily based on their
motorsport involvement, designing
and placing parts carefully on to a
carbon fibre chassis. However, unlike
a parts-bin special or hopped-up
production model, this is a groundup, bespoke sportscar. Starting with
the 2009 Tramontana R, a tandem
jet fighter cockpit with wheels, the
company is now working on the even
more insane XTR, in case somebody
accused them of being subtle.
Responsible for this concept is
unassuming Albert Foncillas. An
analytical and modest man, whose
one aim is to use his motorsport
design and engineering knowledge
and translate it into the best driving
road-legal sportscar car that you
could drive comfortably in the city
at 50kmph, or drive to a track and
achieve a little more than that.
However, to be fair, to drive the XTR
at 50kmph in the city, you’d need to
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be about as camera-shy
as a Kardashian.
Each car is made to the customer’s
specifications, and the customisation
goes well beyond interior trim and
body embellishments. Prefer a little
more downforce because you have
great roads, or perhaps a little more
ground clearance up front? Maybe
you’d like a different style of rear wing?
If you do decide on a balls-out
bespoke sportscar, Tramontana will
ask you to visit the factory to take
your measurements for components
such as seats, steering wheel reach
and even to choose the aperture of
the windscreen. There are 23 different
styles of wheels on offer. It’s a bit like
going to the Savile Row of motor cars.
We haven’t even got to the best
bit yet: the engines. There are two
options on offer: an Audi-sourced
5.2-litre V10 (also used by Lamborghini
) producing 600bhp or a Mercedes V12
Twin Turbo producing 888bhp. This,
on a vehicle weighing approximately
1200kg (depending on final specs).
Both power plants are crackers in their
stock guise but Tramontana makes
their own tweaks as well.
We had the opportunity to discuss
the car with ex-F1 driver employed by
Tramontana, Dani Clos. He’s the nicest
of guys and will discuss things such
as the set-up of the car, or if you need
any pointers with how to drive it. Then
it hits you that he retired as a
racecar driver at the age
of 25, while you’re
about to pretend to be one.
It gets better. Tramontana are
coming to India. With the passion of
Virendra Mittal, they are looking to
open a showroom in Mumbai, backed
by a full service centre able to look
after what can only be described as
a unique work of automotive art. At
present, they are working to get type
approval from the Indian government,
but since this has been done in the
world's most stringent markets
already, this is just a matter of time.
There’ll be just a handful of cars a
year with price tags well north of `3
crore before duties and taxes. If you
want one, register soon! L
Above: Visit the factory for
measurements such as seats, steering
wheel reach and even to choose the
aperture of the windscreen
Test location: Lavasa, Pune
Twin test:
VW Vento TDI AT v Skoda Rapid TDI AT
Torn between two siblings, does one let basic instinct decide?
WORDS by T U S H A R B U R M A N
P H O T O G R A P H Y by V I K R A N T DAT E
36
evo India | November 2014