When Gumball Comes To Town

This Sunday, the Gumball 3000 rally returns to Edinburgh, the third stop on its extraordinary trek from Dublin to Bucharest. Running from April 30th - May 7th, the competitors will tear up tarmac across Europe, with 13 stops at cities and racetracks along the way to party hard and drive fast.

Regent Street will play host to a display of cars from world's foremost manufacturers of hyperbole, and events and festivities will take place leading up to the arrival of the 2016 rally before the cars line up to depart for Manchester, the next stop on their 3000+ mile journey.

This isn't the first time Scotland's capital has been brought to a hault by this hyper-rally, which sounds like the stuff of comic book legend. Back in 2014, The Mound became the most expensive car park in Scotland, and thousands of people flocked to Edinburgh City Centre to see the Gumballers off on the next leg of their Miami to Ibiza run.

Despite the drizzle, people flocked to see the supercars parked up.
Not exactly Monaco, but it has it's own charm.

The cobbles of Rutland Street were entirely fenced off on the evening of 7th June, to provide a holding pen for an advance guard of mega-metal that had roared into town earlier that day.

Whilst the drivers unwound in nearby bars and hotels, their cars were swamped with spectators and spotters alike, phones out, fixated with the extraordinary machines that sat in the street that night. Security guards stood diligently in the rain, breaking their watch only to join passersby in sharing awe and ruminations on the cars, and imagine what it could be like for those involved.

The mix was eclectic; a Defender and a Shelby Cobra replica
were two motors dangling off either edge of the scale.

The warm and heady air of an Edinburgh June was tinged with excitement that night. The arrival of the cars was in many ways shrouded in mystery, and even the paddock of supercars already in situ couldn't have prepared for what was to come the next day.

Gumball regulars Team Wolfpack are one of the teams
set to return this year.

Rising fairly early, I dawdled along to Princes Street in the mid-morning sun; mercifully, the heavens were spent and the roof tops of the New and the Old Town were aglow in bright sunlight. Crowds had already begun to gather at Rutland Street, where windows shook to the sound of many cylinders being warmed up in their respective engines, and an impromptu t-shirt cannon dispatched memorabilia into the growing throngs.

Above: Covers are lifted, final polishes completed and engines idle thunderously
ahead of the UK leg of the Gumball 3000 2014.
Below: An orange Ferrari California was one of the first
to lead the pack from Rutland Street.

Pressing on towards The Mound, I took my place between families enjoying a summers day out and people going about their regular Sunday, whose curiosity peaked at the sheer numbers of car fans lining the street. Waiting ensued. Social media accounts of drivers were consulted.

And then, spilling round past the old Bank of Scotland building came wave after wave of extraordinary exotica. Familiar faces from the night before sat proudly in their machines, leading the cavalcade of cars from the airport directly into the centre of attention.

Attention leapt to a black Nissan Skyline, near the head of the parade, rumoured to contain one David Hasslehoff, sadly sans KITT-style scrolling LEDs. In it's wake came big name after big name; Mclaren P1, Bugatti Veyron, Ford GT, Lamborghinis big and small... the list goes on and reads like the single greatest GT racing grid ever put together, and in a lot of ways that's exactly what the Gumball 3000 is.

"Michal, my scanners show large crowds blocking the way.
Would you like me to turbo boost over them?"
"No, KITT, they're the reason we're here."

A cacophony of V6, V8, V10, and V12 engines sang, howled and rasped in symphony as splitters narrowly missed Edinburgh's ancient cobbles. The constant 'ca-click' of digital camera shutters was all but completely drowned out, and though marshals tried valiantly to part the crowds, the ebb and flow of sheer people power meant cars were often at a standstill, allowing for plenty of door-lifting, photo-ops and back-and-forth with between drivers and their adoring fans.

On a grid where social media stars like Schmee150 mingle with the likes of Deadmau5, and racing drivers from various series take stints in the rally, ostentatious showing off is inevitable. Two Brabus-tuned Mercedes-Benz 6x6s, one decked out in flags and flashing lights, charged over The Mound. A Union-Jack wrapped Jaguar F-Type sat in the same jam as a Rolls-Royce completely covered in velvet - the latter driven by a Scottish team. A McLaren P1 paused to erupt it's sonorus V8 howl, before silently traversing the rest of the way down to the paddock on electric drive.

Bringing a black Veyron amongst so many other supercars, most adorned
in bright wraps, could almost be called being discrete on a day like this.

The cars parked briefly at the foot of the hill, enough time for another quick flash-and-dash photo-op, before engines ignited once more. Outrageous car after outrageous car merged amongst the buses and taxis that typically trundle along Princes Street, before roaring off towards Manchester, London and then the continent beyond, bound for Ibiza.

Not your typical Sunday afternoon Princes Street black cab.

This year, the weather has not been as kind. An Arctic wind has brought plumetting temperatures, and despite the fact that it's May Day weekend, snow could potentially be on the cards.

Might be a tad chilly for doors up on Princes Street this year, Jon.

And yet, the Gumballers shall roll on. Come what may weather-wise, this circus of horsepower will pass through Auld Reekie on Sunday to delight and enthuse the city, before heading south on the next leg of their very-grand-indeed-tour.

Hopefully this week's December weather will give way to May sun by Sunday.

McMotors will be in Edinburgh this weekend,  soaking up the sights, sounds, and atmosphere that comes with the Gumball 3000. Follow us on Twitter @Jack_McMotors for updates.

Spring Clean Motoring Part 3: The Future's Bright With Tesla Lighting The Way

It’s not long to go until the EVOLUTION Motor Show charges once more to Ingliston, whisking countless delighted patrons around the Royal Highland Centre’s on-site test track in all manner of eco-themed vehicles. One of this year’s most exciting cars on display comes from a company that, up until 8 years ago, didn’t even build cars.

Tesla have just taken over 325,000 pre-orders for their newest offering, even though right now it’s little more than a concept. The Model 3 aims to bring technology from Tesla’s current lineup of uber-futuristic swish-mobiles, which includes the Model S and the soon-to-hit-UK-roads Model X SUV, and deliver on a platform closer in size to a BMW 3-series.

The Model 3 brings high-end leccy-tech to a wider market

That’s dangerous territory. The 3-series has been the undisputed king of its segment for 41 years, pretty much carving the template for all mid-size sports saloons since. Buoyed along by the public’s near-absolute trust of German build quality and virtually unwavering brand loyalty, how will the Tesla fare when put up against the distilled and refined Ultimate Driving Machine?

To get a feel for where the company was at just before it’s biggest launch to date, I dropped in to Tesla’s new showroom on Multrees Walk in Edinburgh. Appearing right at home nestled amongst the fashion boutiques and single-brand jewellery stores either side of it, Tesla have shirked the traditional car dealership model of out-of-town industrial estates, instead opting for eyes-on visibility, building a brand in a similar way to Apple, where product exposure is everything.

New approach: Tesla's dealership looks like it might sell shoes

Taking pride of place in the showroom is a bare-bones chassis from the Model S, showing off the innovative, twin-motor drivetrain and battery packs, all very low to the floor. With Elon Musk having declared Tesla’s technology free to the world to use and learn from, secrecy is not an issue here. Also on display are the car’s mighty adaptive air suspension arms,, which help maintain a level ride and pitch the car into corners, or lift the nose – not quite west coast rapper style – to clear bumps.

Seated behind the wheel (of a fully dressed car) the Model S feels like it was designed from the ground-up as a product seated firmly for the 21^st century – and I suppose it was. From little details like the door handles doubling as a pocket for your mobile phone, to the giant, iPad-dwarfing central control screen, incorporating clever sat-nav to help you navigate the car's useful 250 mile range between charges on longer journeys, the interface for which mimics the ease of use of modern smartphones. This car has the future in its sights – and that's all besides the sheer connectivity of the thing.  

 

Tesla have nothing to hide, flaunting their twin-motor setup

Another feature shared by the Model S and today’s raft of super-sleek smartphones is the ability to receive updates and fixes over the air. Using it’s own internet connection, the car feeds data back to Tesla HQ in California, where information from cars all round the world is compiled to see how the various systems, including the car’s auto-pilot mega-brain – more on that later - are coping in real world conditions. From here, system updates can be released, which the car will download and install entirely by itself.

On the road, the mighty tesla feels ethereal.  I’ve felt smoothness in big, executive Jags, Mercs, Audis and BMWs before, but nothing comes close to the way the Tesla glides from place to place. The self-levelling suspension adds an air of floating, untroubled by ancient constructs like the ground. In fact, the only thing that demonstrated the limits of the air suspension’s capabilities on my passenger run in a full-fat P90D was the car’s incredible surge of power, as the combined 762bhp output from the twin-motor set up silently bullys the horizon closer.

It’s not so much the power itself that surprises, rather the delivery – the way it erupts all of a sudden, without noise or any of that calamity. It simply goes. One minute you’re quietly cruising along, the next you’re bending physics. 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds surprises in a car that makes next to no noise at all. You could buy a P90D and offer a sideline as a chiropractor, using the G-forces this car develops off the mark to realign your passengers spine.

 

Sleek lines hint at the Model S's sporting prowess

Power is split between the front and rear electric motors – the front 259bhp for efficiency through the front wheels, with the 503bhp rear motor focused more towards high performance. This gives a rear power bias, the two motors working together to give the Model S astounding levels of grip whilst still handling in a sporty manner.

By no stretch of the imagination is the Model S a stripped-out sports car. Its weight is masked well by the suspension trickery, but it still tips the scales at 2,200kg. Most of this weight is down to the battery pack, an issue faced by all electric cars. Tesla do well to pack the batteries into the floor, keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible, but all that weight is still there, and centrifugal force is a harsh mistress.

Another two tricks up the Tesla's sleeve are it's hidden extra row
of seats in the boot - passengers' noses will take a bashing

That being said, you’d be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive car package than a well-specced Model S P90D. All at once it manages to be, a supercar, a sports saloon, a comfortable limousine, a tablet computer, a fashion item, a 7-seat people mover, a twin-booted grand tourer, a personal chauffeur - all whilst still saving the world, one charge at a time.

With the lack of any kind of noise, it would be easy to rest ones foot on the throttle and not register the car gently accelerating until you arrive at a traffic light doing 155mph, but that’s where features like Tesla’s auto-pilot system come in. This combines radar-guided cruise control with lane recognition technology, aided by a whole host of sensors and processors, to effectively allow the car to drive itself. The driver becomes accessory as the computers take over to gently guide you to your destination.

The Model S's giant centre screen serves all manner of purposes

Initial doubts about trusting the system fall by the wayside when you actually try it, as if the sensors latch on to a manual car, the system is so precise that you can feel every little gear change from the leading driver. Of course, the option is always there to take the helm and breeze along some B-roads, but for everyday trips and the tedium of creeping through traffic, the Tesla can pick up the slack.

  

The Model S is the only model Tesla currently sell in the UK, with the Model X joining it later this year. Tesla are bringing it along to the Royal Highland Centre this weekend, where car fans will be able to get up close with this high-end embodiment of what an electric car can be. It’s fascinating to think that, if Tesla sticks to it’s current trajectory, within the decade we could be seeing similar levels of connectivity and electric drivetrain technology in B- and C-segment cars.

The Model 3 is nothing if not a clear statement of intent from Tesla to make this technology more and more available in mass-produced cars. Whilst BMW won't quite be shaking in it's boots yet, Tesla have definitely given them something to think seriously about over the next few years.

It's popularity proves, as Elon Musk elucidates here, that Tesla's business model is working and it's only a matter of time before we're all quietly swooshing around, being excellently productive as our dashboard butlers find and navigate the best route through rush hour traffic, all whilst producing no emissions whatsoever. Come and discover the future of electric car tech at the Evolution motor show, on Saturday 16^th April at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston.

The Model S - showing there can be a bright, green future
in electric motoring that doesn't have to mean comprimise

TAPS AFF For Less This Summer

Mercedes-Benz's new SLC roadster hits showrooms next month. As the German marque's compact sports car, it's almost certain to be a fixture on UK roads when (or if) summer arrives this year. But with prices starting at £30,495 is it the best option for taps-aff countryside fun?

Let's first look at what you get for your money. £30k plus 2 years of pocket money is enough for the bottom-of-the range SLC200, a 2-litre petrol pocket rocket with 184bhp reaching the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual 'box, plus more than a pocket's full of standard equipment - including DAB radio, LED running lamps, 17" alloys and it's trademark folding metal roof, which should add to refinement when the weather isn't so nice.

At the other end of the range is the SLC 43 AMG, with Merc's new 3.0 V6. This seems a very attractive proposition with 367bhp and a quoted 0-60 of 4.7 seconds, but is all that really necessary in a sports car this size? Plus, once specced up, the little car with the bigger engine will be pushing £50k, which seems a lot when realistically there's only going to be 2 days in June per year you can get it out with the top down.

A typical example of the outgoing SLK in the wild

If you're in the market for a compact, 2-seat sports car but are repelled by the baby Merc's pricetags, fear not; there is another way...

Mazda's new MX-5 may not have anything like the aluminium origami of the swish SLC, but what it lacks in prestige it makes up for in peppy performance. The 2-litre MX-5 may only produce 158bhp, but that still gives a 0-60 time of 7.3 seconds, keeping close to the Mercedes' 7 seconds flat.

In the corners, the Japanese car should have the edge. Mazda's engineers have continued the weight-saving mentality they're so renowned for, which results in their roadster weighing almost half a ton less than the equivalent SLC. It's old-school fabric roof should help in keeping the centre of gravity nice and low, and the high tensile steel body manages to be both lighter and more rigid than the previous model.

The interior might not quite have the same premium feel as the entry spec Merc, but the 2l SE MX-5 comes with a 7" touch screen with app connectivity, and DAB radio and Garmin sat-nav are speccable options, not that you'll be able to hear them over the wind noise when you're making the most of the miles and miles of sky that come as standard.

A new MX-5 (thanks Michael R Perry of Flickr)

I've sadly not had a chance to test drive either of the current models of these cars, but I do have experience with previous iterations of each in their base specs. Whilst the SLK I drove felt sturdy and direct on the road, the 6-speed box in that car let it down and the whole thing felt a bit too lumbering for a sports car. The MX-5, on the other hand, felt nimble and effortless, it's lack of bulk more than making up for it's slightly lower power output.

So far as I can see, there's only one major difference between the two. If you can put up with having slightly less badge then you could save yourself a pretty penny. A base spec 2-litre MX-5 on the road will cost just £20,755, almost ten grand less than the Merc. With that difference, you could afford a decent set of waterproof clothes for you and your passenger, so you can enjoy top-down driving all year round - with a whole lot of change left over for petrol and 'oh, let's just stop at this country pub for a spot of lunch' motoring.