Going on a diet has its benefits. |
Racing does improve the breed. Though there is a limit to what one can do to enhance performance by tweaking engines to produce ridiculous amounts of horsepower, the solution has been to go light. The new Ferrari F430 Scuderia and the new Bentley Continental GT Speed are proof of this fact. |
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It all began in the early 1970s when Porsche took an ordinary 911, reduced the weight by 100 kg by using thin gauge steel and lighter glass, tweaked power from 190 bhp to 210 and badged it the RS or Rennsport. |
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It was developed for people who liked going circuit racing on weekends in their 911s, but wanted a more focused sports car. It didn't die down as a one-off concept, with Porsche rekindling it once again at the fag end of the 1990s with the GT3, and then the GT2. |
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These cars followed (and still follow) the same principles, except that now they use carbon fibre, perspex glass and a rollcage to get the same results. Airconditioning? Stereo? Don't even ask. The concept caught the fancy of the likes of Ferrari who developed the 360 Challenge Stradale, while Lamborghini couldn't resist lightening up the Gallardo and upping the power, and badging it the Superleggera. Forget lithe Italian sports cars, even bulky British beef has joined the party. |
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The Ferrari F430 Scuderia is a second generation Challenge Stradale based on the standard F430 coupe. Power here has been upped from 483 bhp to 510, while over a 100 kg has been shaved off. |
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More carbon fibre bits, lighter wheels and engine components, a flatter underbody to improve downforce and a better engine management software that reduces gearshifts to just 60 milliseconds could be part of the package, though the whole picture will emerge once it is launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. |
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Losing flab has been somewhat of a problem for the Bentley Continental GT. With more than 2.3 tonnes to haul around, the 552 bhp is good, but not enough for hardcore drivers. |
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Enter the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Producing 600 bhp and 15 per cent more torque, it has lost only 35 kg by the use of more aluminium and exotic materials. Still, the 0-100 kph mark is down by 0.2 seconds to 4.3 seconds while top speed is now 326 kph "� up from the 318 kph top speed of its er, heavier cousin. |
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Of course, none of these cars come cheap, with a 10 to 30 per cent premium over standard models and a limited run of a couple of hundred cars. For a few more bhp and lesser creature comforts, these cars might be too much of a compromise for some. Though its compromises like these that make them such a blast to drive around a track. |
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