Concours 2009

Concours d'Elegance 2009 was held in the usual place at Ellerslie Racecourse. We turned up a little after the required time, and because of this we had a "special mention" announcing our arrival over the loudspeaker system as we drove through the event to get to our alloted space.

The cars generated a decent amount of interest throughout the day, while we variously went and admired the other cars, or sat around eating lunch, drinking coffee and having a bit of a natter.

It was good to take a look at vehicles that we as a club don't usually see at the displays that we generally partake in.



Those attending were Paul and Delia with their Prefect, Dennis with his Prefect, Chris and Mel, and Ant and Karen with Chris's Y and Martin's Y.

Lamborghini Insecta Concept

It’s a Lambo with extra bite! Meet the Lamborghini Insecta Concept, the brainchild of Romanian design student Iulian Bumbu. The Milan-based designer claims the car is a fusion of the Italian carmaker's current design language and the exoskeletons, or body armour, found on insects.

Insects to be the inspiration for future Lamborghini’s? That’s what one industrial design enthusiast was thinking about when he turned up this design study of what a future Lamborghini might look like. This supercar is still the concept car and is cleverly dubbed the Lamborghini Insecta and is structurally made of carbon fiber.Rumours said,this supercar, is to be powered by the same V10 powerplant that powers the Gallardo though we’re hoping it’ll feature more power, after all, insects are capable of some pretty amazing things.

And the two-seater mid-engined supercar certainly has a bug-like quality to it – with it’s tightly-wrapped carbon-fibre bodywork, wide-set eyes and winged scissor doors.Iulian Bumbu, the industrial design enthusiast of Romania explains in pure designer language, “The idea was to create an extreme race-oriented supercar with a style that introduces softer and more organic lines and integrate them into the geometrical style of Lamborghini.”Apparently the exoskeletons of insects gave Bumbu the idea for the external structure of the car. According to him, he tried ot to deviate too much from Lambo’s new design language but what will really be interesting is the response from Lamborghini Brand and Design Director, Manfred Fitzgerald.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.
The Corvette Z06 is the fastest, most powerful car ever offered by Chevrolet and General Motors. It is comprised of an unprecedented level of capability and technology, making it one of the greatest performance values on the market.Chevrolet introduced the Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show.
The Corvette Z06’s powertrain and drivetrain systems are matched to the LS7’s performance capability. The light, four-into-one headers discharge in to new, close-coupled catalytic converters and through to new “bi-modal” mufflers. The mufflers each feature a vacuum-actuated outlet valve, which controls exhaust noise during low-load operation but opens for maximum power.
With 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, The ZO6 is the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced by Chevrolet and GM. The LS7 is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

The aerodynamics of the Corvette Z06’s exterior were shaped by the experiences of the Corvette racing program, where high-speed stability and cornering capability are paramount. And while the racecars use large rear wings, the Z06’s elevated spoiler provides sufficient downforce to balance the road-worthy front splitter without adversely affecting aerodynamic drag. The Z06’s Cd is 0.31.
For all its race-inspired functionality, the Corvette Z06 is designed to be a daily drivable high-performance vehicle. To that end, comfort and convenience are held to a very high standard. HID lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and Head-Up Display (HUD) with track mode and g-meter are standard.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.
The Corvette Z06 is the fastest, most powerful car ever offered by Chevrolet and General Motors. It is comprised of an unprecedented level of capability and technology, making it one of the greatest performance values on the market.Chevrolet introduced the Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show.
The Corvette Z06’s powertrain and drivetrain systems are matched to the LS7’s performance capability. The light, four-into-one headers discharge in to new, close-coupled catalytic converters and through to new “bi-modal” mufflers. The mufflers each feature a vacuum-actuated outlet valve, which controls exhaust noise during low-load operation but opens for maximum power.
With 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, The ZO6 is the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced by Chevrolet and GM. The LS7 is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

The aerodynamics of the Corvette Z06’s exterior were shaped by the experiences of the Corvette racing program, where high-speed stability and cornering capability are paramount. And while the racecars use large rear wings, the Z06’s elevated spoiler provides sufficient downforce to balance the road-worthy front splitter without adversely affecting aerodynamic drag. The Z06’s Cd is 0.31.
For all its race-inspired functionality, the Corvette Z06 is designed to be a daily drivable high-performance vehicle. To that end, comfort and convenience are held to a very high standard. HID lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and Head-Up Display (HUD) with track mode and g-meter are standard.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.
The Corvette Z06 is the fastest, most powerful car ever offered by Chevrolet and General Motors. It is comprised of an unprecedented level of capability and technology, making it one of the greatest performance values on the market.Chevrolet introduced the Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show.
The Corvette Z06’s powertrain and drivetrain systems are matched to the LS7’s performance capability. The light, four-into-one headers discharge in to new, close-coupled catalytic converters and through to new “bi-modal” mufflers. The mufflers each feature a vacuum-actuated outlet valve, which controls exhaust noise during low-load operation but opens for maximum power.
With 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, The ZO6 is the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced by Chevrolet and GM. The LS7 is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

The aerodynamics of the Corvette Z06’s exterior were shaped by the experiences of the Corvette racing program, where high-speed stability and cornering capability are paramount. And while the racecars use large rear wings, the Z06’s elevated spoiler provides sufficient downforce to balance the road-worthy front splitter without adversely affecting aerodynamic drag. The Z06’s Cd is 0.31.
For all its race-inspired functionality, the Corvette Z06 is designed to be a daily drivable high-performance vehicle. To that end, comfort and convenience are held to a very high standard. HID lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and Head-Up Display (HUD) with track mode and g-meter are standard.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette The most powerful passenger car engine.
The Corvette Z06 is the fastest, most powerful car ever offered by Chevrolet and General Motors. It is comprised of an unprecedented level of capability and technology, making it one of the greatest performance values on the market.Chevrolet introduced the Corvette Z06 at the North American International Auto Show.
The Corvette Z06’s powertrain and drivetrain systems are matched to the LS7’s performance capability. The light, four-into-one headers discharge in to new, close-coupled catalytic converters and through to new “bi-modal” mufflers. The mufflers each feature a vacuum-actuated outlet valve, which controls exhaust noise during low-load operation but opens for maximum power.
With 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, The ZO6 is the most powerful passenger car engine ever produced by Chevrolet and GM. The LS7 is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering.

ZO6 Chevrolet Corvette

The aerodynamics of the Corvette Z06’s exterior were shaped by the experiences of the Corvette racing program, where high-speed stability and cornering capability are paramount. And while the racecars use large rear wings, the Z06’s elevated spoiler provides sufficient downforce to balance the road-worthy front splitter without adversely affecting aerodynamic drag. The Z06’s Cd is 0.31.
For all its race-inspired functionality, the Corvette Z06 is designed to be a daily drivable high-performance vehicle. To that end, comfort and convenience are held to a very high standard. HID lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and Head-Up Display (HUD) with track mode and g-meter are standard.

Audi TT RS

A supercar manufactured by Audi,the Audi TT RS is to be officially revealed at next month’s Geneva Motor Show but the power of the internet again prevails as we now have official shots and an audio clip of the TT RS.This supercar will be powered by a 2.5-liter five cylinder turbocharged powerplant. Officially Ingolstadt’s hottest ever TT model, it is also a tribute to the spirit of the original Quattro model of the 80’s.

The new addition to the RS line up is good for some very impressive numbers - 340hp and a max torque of 450Nm, 0-100 in under five seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. All that power is channel to all four wheels - or Quattro all wheel drive system in Audi lingo - through a six speed manual gearbox.

On the outside, the TT RS gets a rather subtle treatment over the 272HP TT S model that includes slightly larger front air vents, a distinctive rear diffuser, a fixed boot spoiler and twin-spoke alloy wheels. Inside, there’s a leather multifunction sports steering wheel and sports seats in a combination of Alcantara and leather. Check out the gallery below, more details on this next week.