-McClarenDesign's-
Very Serious SLS AMG Review of the Car of the Week N Stuff
"I'm fine, but I'm going to need to change my shorts when this race is over" -Greg Moore
Week 21: 2004 Oullim Motors Spirra 4.6 V8
It isn't often that things to work these days. We've become an interconnected society, dependent on pixels displayed on screens to convey feelings and emotions. Many would rather speak to one another via text messages or email, some communicating en masse in something that has absolutely no resemblance to the "forums" of old. Some would argue that this inter-connectivity has brought us giant leaps forward into the future, but what they fail to see are the side effects listed on the warning labels.
It was only a decade ago that error messages started becoming a daily fact of life. There were no DVRs spitting out generic messages about why your show "might not" have recorded, there was just your retarded spouse. Of course.. she fights back... but at least you had someone to yell at, rather than a black or grey piece of plastic. If you had a computer virus, it was likely because you gave it to yourself, or picked it up on Prodigy or AOL.
Think about it, when was the last time your Walkman gave you an error message? Worst case scenario, you re-rolled the tape, and the problem was solved. You may have lost a few minutes, but it wasn't on the phone with someone that barely speaks your language, and asks you stupid questions like "did you plug it in?" Before iPads and cellphones, things actually worked, because you demanded it.
I was reminded of this problem on the way to the office. Somehow my car had become a Bluetooth black hole, sucking up anything with a signal but connecting to nothing. Instead of actually driving, I was busy trying to figure out what went wrong, and how to reset the language on the display to English. Rubbish.
I'm greeted at the office by our producer, who looks like he's just seen a ghost. When I inquire further, my questions are deflected in a manner that would instill confidence, but his eyes betray him. Something has spooked this man more than I've ever seen, and I haven't the faintest idea why. Who knows, maybe his wife is pregnant. Behind him sits Korea's first attempt at a supercar.
This ought to be interesting. Korean cars haven't exactly been around for very long, and usually companies start with sports cars. As it turns out, our car happens to be the prototype, an early sample to create desire. After all, as any reasonable and reputable drug dealer will tell you, the first taste is free. What we want to know is if we'll keep coming back for more, or will we simply die from an overdose?
According to Polyphony Digital via Translator-san:
Translator-san
Introduced at the Seoul Motor Show in 2002, the Spirra Prototype was an attractive, midship sports car developed by Proto Motors, a Korean research and development company established in 1997 that is best known for creating stretched limousines and electric vehicle prototypes, for major Korean auto manufacturers including Daewoo and Hyundai.
Korean auto manufacturers are known for their practical sedans and efficient compact cars, but this could soon change as a result of the Proto Motors Spirra Prototype.
With an overall length, width, and height of 170.0 inches, 75.9 inches, and 46.2 inches, respectively, the Spirra's sharply-pressed bodylines rests atop an aluminum space frame/carbon-fiber chassis.
It's looks immediately brings to mind high performance, and includes unique design elements in their use of curves around the headlights. The doors are gull winged and open towards the front.
Actually, those are scissor doors, similar to those found on Lamborghinis. Gullwing doors are like those found on the Mercedes 300 SL, or even the
very serious SLS AMG. You see, they're called "gullwings" because when they're viewed from the...
Translator-san
...The engine compartment behind the front seats is spacious enough to accommodate just about any engine, and allowed the choice of a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, a 3.0-liter V-6 and a 4.6-liter V-8. The most powerful V-8 produced 320 HP, giving it the ability to go head to head with leading Japanese and European sports models, and it came equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission.
This is a very rare car in the extremely competitive sports car market that proudly claims "Made in Korea."
Proto Motors has since changed their name to Oullim Motors.
In the mid-1990s, Han-chul Kim dreamed of building a supercar, and seemed to be in the perfect position to do so. However, working for Ssangyong Motors wasn't exactly panning out as he'd hoped, so rather than continue to design bland sedans for bland people, he kindly advised his employer to take his position within the company, and insert it rectally.
Freed from his dull confines, he began Proto Motors with his wife, a researcher working at another automotive company. Cobbling bits and pieces from anyone that would listen, he crafted a prototype designed to compete with the big boys of Ferrari and Lamborghini. The original design, code named PS-II, included the SVT Cobra Mustang engine, an engine capable of 12 second quarter-mile times with very little modification.
Compared with cars today, the styling still remains relevant. Yes, it does get lost next to cars from Noble, Lamborghini, Bugatti and the like, but I believe that's the point. There's plenty on the market to choose from, but the fact that this car is still in production means that on some level it must be a little profitable. By that measure, I'd call this a success.
Performance as Purchased: January 26, 2011, Pearl Black (
Black)
Displacement: 4,601 cc
Max. Power:
317 hp @ 6,200 rpm
Max. Torque:
311 ft-lbs. @ 4,000 rpm
Drivetrain: MR
Length: 4,318 mm Height: 1,175 mm Weight: 1205 kg
Tires: Sports (Hard)
Performance Points:
482
Mileage: 21,651.2 mi.
As with each of our reviews, we contacted Oullim to see if they'd be interested our testing, and thankfully they agreed to send out a representative to aid us.
Alex is a member of the Shanghai marketing staff, and the crew he's brought are Oullim's finest engineers. If anything is wrong with our Korean beauty, these gentlemen will be the ones to right it. Now all we needed was a driver.
Each week we're promised something better than delivered, and much like getting the wrong pizza, we're hugely disappointed. This week we've been promised a seasoned track professional, but instead have been rewarded with a 17-year-old, pimple-faced autocrosser. Imagine being promised Mario Andretti, only to find out that it's actually some kid that just earned his license, and "happens" to have the same name. This kid's name is Travis, and already I hate him.
Travis- 17-year-old punk that doesn't know (expletive) about (expletive), and pull up your pants. Image Source
Once Alex and his men had finished, we found ourselves with an extra
13 hp,
13 ft-lb. of torque, and
7 more Performance Points, all from a simple oil change. With over 21,000 miles on the odometer, we were relieved to see that no major body work was needed, nor a vast and expensive overhaul of the engine. Alex tells us that of all the SN95 Mustang engines, this is the one to have... and that if you blow out all of your Performance Points on the first try, you'll get your wish.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: Max. Power: 271 hp, Max. Torque: 268 ft-lb., Max. Performance Points: 431 PP
Travis soon climbed into the cockpit, strapping the seat belt tight enough to cut off his circulation... or nearly. With clocks and guns ready, our producer gave the young man the green light, and sent him on his way. In a puff of smoke, he was away, blasting the quarter-mile time in
0:13.086 and up to 60 mph in just
0:04.702. However, his lack of experience soon became apparent, plowing the car into the wall upon turning around.
Our first casualty.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: 0-1 mi.: 0:31.910, 0-100 mph: 0:10.274, Max. G-Force: 0.83G, Top Speed: 184.7 mph
The next day, we received our backup car, and a lovely bill for the damages from the previous day. Apparently keeping a trained medical staff on the premises isn't cheap. Despite the time delay, we arranged to have our replacement delivered straight to the track, where I'd be behind the wheel for our first test at a track called Grand Valley.
Having never been here before, my first few laps were tentative and cautious. Alex had assured us that this car had been completely worked over, and found free of any mechanical faults whatsoever. Having said that, I'm pretty sure Alex has never actually been in this car, or at least remained conscious for an entire lap. If a Lamborghini will get you where you want to go with your head on fire, this car wants to skip the fire and chop it right off.
As I picked up the pace, the back end began to slide. When I'd sorted that, the front end decided that it didn't want to work. Driving the car faster was similar to managing two siblings, each determined to "get" the other whilst you aren't looking. Inevitably, this distraction leads to dire consequences. After just ten laps, I'd recorded a
2:05.726 as my best lap, and another Spirra casualty.
Don't worry,
I'm okay.
Another day, another replacement, and plenty of Ibuprofen. Despite my meet-and-greet with the wall the day before, we managed to track down the last remaining example of this Spirra, albeit with a vast insurance policy that our accountants are sure to question upon our return. Thanks to Alex, our Spirra met us ready and waiting at Tsukuba, home of our final test.
As I began my warmup laps around the track, I began to replay the events that lead to my sore body. As the pace quickened, I again found myself catching the car before, during, and after the corners, sawing away at the wheel like a pirate ship captain. At the rate I was going, we were about to end up with another Spirra corpse, and we'd be testing next week's car via the unemployment line.
When I slowed down, my times began to drop in rather large chunks, and I had an epiphany. "Stable" became the buzzword, along with "micro-management" and "traction". Rather than correct the mechanical children after they misbehaved, I found myself delegating their tasks and guiding them towards teamwork. This wasn't easy, much like getting Republicans and Democrats to agree on
anything, but with the proper time management the dividends were endless.
After 10 laps, I'd walked away 10 seconds faster than when I'd started, with a best lap of
1:01.296. I'd also come away with a perfectly intact car, something the owner seemed amazed about. However, I also walked away with a greater appreciation for the words "research and development". Clearly, both were needed here.
You see, this car is proof that no driver can drive at 100%, 100% of the time. It simply isn't possible, because in this car, 100% is 90% too fast. Rather than the finished product, this is the test of the theory; will it work and what is it like? You never actually know until you do it, and this Spirra example is definitely a work in progress.
The problem is one of harmony. The Cobra 4.6 puts out gobs of torque, but the front and rear end start fighting one another like gladiators, wasting all of that torque
and the tires in the process. When you can sort out what each of the tires is doing... individually, because like children they never want to work together... the steering turns into Helen Keller. Then, when that's done, the brakes become touchy and the tires start to melt.
In order to drive this car, you must be able to sort out all of those things, prioritize them, address their needs, and manage their application in a timely manner. And that timely manner doesn't always mean the fastest, as you frequently have to slow down beyond what seems reasonable. Because it's cobbled together from various bits and pieces, the reaction of the whole reflects the interactions of the individual parts... all of them children.
Instead, it's a bit of technology designed to make your life easier, except it doesn't. It will do phenomenal things, so long as you're prepared to do the actual work. And because you'll be constantly in the hospital, no one will want to ride with you, disconnecting you even more.
It's like the internet all over again. Full of everything, none of it of any use, and none of it actually works.
Week 1: 2001 Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V
Week 2: 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Duetto
Week 3: 2000 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (S. Shigeno Ver.)
Week 4: 2007 Audi TT Coupe 3.2 Quattro
Week 5: 1983 Nissan Silvia 240RS (S110) and 1985 Nissan 240RS Rally Car
Week 6: 1973 BMW 2002 Turbo
Week 7: 2004 DMC DeLorean S2
Week 8: 1971 Nissan Fairlady 240ZG (HS30) and 1971 Nissan 240ZG (HS30)
Week 9: 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car
Week 10: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5- 16 Evolution II and 1992 AMG Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5- 16 Evolution II Touring Car
Week 11: 1999 Lotus Motor Sport Elise and 1996 Lotus Elise and 1998 Lotus Elise Sport 190
Week 12: 2001 Audi RS4
Week 13: 1968 Isuzu 117 Coupe
Week 14: 1969 Camaro Z28 and 1969 Camaro Z28 RM and 1969 Camaro SS
Week 15: The Shelby Cars
Week 16: 1979 Honda Civic 1500 3door CX
Week 17: 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7
Week 18: 1967 Prince Skyline 2000GT-B
Week 19: 1967 Toyota 2000GT
Week 20: 2002 Audi S3
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Ed Note- Best wishes and speedy recovery to Maria de Villota. Get well soon!
