Happy NewYear 2012

We at Ilham Editorial Services would like to wish all readers of Sam Auto Scoop (SAS) a very happy  and prosperous New Year and we would also like to wish that the global automotive industry speedy recovery from the tsunami and terrible flooding in Thailand.

We are working on several exciting plans for SAS in order to give readers a more satisfying experience and the latest news as soon as it happens.

Please keep coming back to find out what new things you can expect from SAS in 2012

VIDEO: Conclusive proof that baggy pants are dangerous to your health

Software designer's Iswara is the latest Proton VIP Extreme Makeover candidate

That's RM50K worth of restoration work your car will be getting

It is a good year to be an owner of a Proton with a good story, to date two lucky owners have had their car rebuilt from the ground up by the talented boys at the carmaker's R3 division and now it is the turn of software engineer Norzamzarini Mohd Bajuri to hand over his car for an extreme makeover.

We spoke to Tengku Djan Ley, Malaysia's Drift King and head of engineering at R3 about the level of work that goes into these restorations and he said, it would be cheaper to get a new car than to restore.

This is very true and most classic car owners know that restoration is very time consuming and expensive and typically run a bill that would make a brand new Proton Inspira cheap.

Djan said that after the first restoration a customer actually called up to find out how much it would cost for R3 to do a full restoration and after tallying up parts, labour and everything else it was determined that they would have to charge around RM50,000 for the work.

LEAKED: 2013 Kia Forte sketches escapes to the wild

The Kia Forte turned the fortunes of the Korean carmaker, it gave buyers new confidence in the reinvigorated brand and now it is time for a follow-up act and KiaWorld.net has leaked this sketch which they claim is the replacement of the current model.

It is a good looking car that clearly develops on the current design theme, we cannot wait to see more of the car.

JJ Lehto to serve time for speedboat accident

Former F1 driver and twice Le Mans winner, JJ Lehto will find himself behind bars if his appeal against a conviction for a speedboat accident that caused the death of one of his friend isn't overturned.

A court in Finland found him guilty of driving the speedboat under intoxication when it struck a bridge support at high speed in a canal.

Lehto's defense is simple, he wasn't driving the boat the time of the accident but the court inclined to disagree with his version of events and has convicted him to two years and four months jail time.

JJ Lehto started his F1 career with the shortlived Onyx team before moving on to Sauber and Finally as Michael Schumacher's partner in Benetton in 1994.

He injured his neck in a testing accident before the start of the season and had to sit it out until the San Marino grand Prix, the one where Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna was killed.

Ratzenberger was his close friend and they had dinner the night before the accident and this affected Lehto's comeback state of mind.

Things got worse  for him during the weekend as Lehto's Benetton stalled at the start and was plowed by Pedro Lamy's Lotus.

He later made a name for himself in GT racing, winning the 1995 Le Mans in the Team Kokusai Kaihatsu McLaren F1with Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya.

He won the event again in 2005 in the the Team ADT Audi R8.

VIDEO: What happens when you pour a very large bucket of water on your car?

VIDEO: Lada Niva across England, entirely offroad

I didn't think it possible for me to want a Lana Niva but this Fifth Gear video has made me want one, I mean really want one.

Here is a tough, solid as nails 4x4 crossing England from west to east, entirely off-road.

Of course the Niva was on sale in Malaysia for a brief moment in the late 1980s and early 1990s but it didn't catch on, pity.

Video after the jump

VIDEO: Civic Air - Honda's first flying car

Steve McQueen's million-dollar racing suit

If you want to know what a million-dollar racing suit looks like, this is it. And it is not even a real racing suit, it is a suit that Steve McQueen wore when filming Le-Mans.

It seems that fictional racing suits are just as valuable as one that has seen the heat of battle on the body of a real race driver.

The price paid for this Gulf-Oil coloured suit at the Profiles in History auction was USD984,000.
The price went beyond the auctioneers estiamte of between USD200-300K. 

Hyundai snares BMW designer Chris Chapman

• Chapman responsible for X5, X3, Z4 and 1-series at BMW
• Expect accelerated design maturity at Hyundai as we have seen at KIA with their ex-Audi design guru, Peter Schreyer

Champan's first concept. Isuzu XU1
Tokyo Motor Show 1993

Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) announced that Christopher Chapman has been named chief designer of the Hyundai Design Center in Irvine, Calif. Chapman will be responsible for new vehicle and concept design for Hyundai.
"With over 22 years of experience in the industry working on esteemed automotive brands, Chris provides a level of talent that will help further our design portfolio," said SukGeun Oh, Head of Design, Senior Executive Vice President Hyundai Design Center.

Spyshot: BMW i8 Hybrid supercar out and about under camo

Brenda Priddy via Autoblog

Did Mini dump WRC for BMW's DTM assault?

Would you believe that the Mini WRC team did not have enough money to pay for a driver? We are talking about a factory supported works team not having money to sign up a driver here.

Apparently Mini WRC has released Chris Meeke from his three-year contract and the team has failed to meet the sign-up deadline for the 2012 World Rally Championship, simply unbelievable since the outfit is run by the most consummate of rally professionals, Prodrive.
It seems that BMW's decision to take on the DTM championship in Germany has meant they have very little left for the little car.

It is no secret that the DTM series is probably second only to Formula One in terms of the cost of running the season and BMW has been out of the game for a long time, leaving rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi to slug it out.

DTM is so expensive that only two German car companies can afford to field works teams.

Washington finally ends corn ethanol subsidy

Corn-based ethanol is a controversial form of biofuel because it competes with food production and yet for the last 30-years the American Congress listened to the corn lobby and continued to pay subsidy for it just to make sure that the vast farms of the midwest continues to be profitable.

Finally this year, Washington decided not to continue with the ethanol subsidy.

While this may seem like an inconsequential blip on the environmental radar of most people, it is a significant development as it helps to separate edible oils and food-based ethanol from the fuel industry and help to reduce price pressure on essential grains like corn.

Lotus Exige R-GT passes first rally shakedown

LOTUS MOTORSPORT HIT MAJOR MILESTONES

Success in Italy with the first IndyCar engine fire-up and Exige R-GT Rally shakedown


Whilst most sensible people prepare to wind down for the festive period, the hard working Lotus Motorsport team are busy celebrating the fruits of their labour over the past 12 months following the first successful engine fire up in the Lotus IndyCar chassis AND the first proper Exige R-GT rally car shakedown all within the space of 24 hours.

Honda starts scrapping flood-damaged cars

Via autoblog


Thailand's worst flood in 50 years claimed the lives of 610 people and caused billions in damage, but with the waters slowly receding, the extent of the damage is coming into focus.

Among the tens of thousands of businesses affected by the disaster, Honda hasn't been spared - its factory in the Ayutthaya province was hit hard, and in an effort to assure that damaged vehicles never make it to consumers, the Japanese automaker has begun to scrap over 1,000 vehicles damaged during the flood.

Honda workers have begun disposing of row upon row of Brio and City subcompacts submerged during the flooding using construction equipment and vehicle crushers to demolish the 1,055 vehicles. The tragic yet oddly beautiful gallery above chronicles the aftermath and resulting destruction.

KIA launches Optima K5 flagship

• Naza Kia confident of doubling sales in 2012
• At RM143,888, the Optima K5 closes price gap between Korean and Japanese D-Segment to nearly zero

Kia Optima K5 Launch: (From left to right) Mr Thomas Oh,
Senior Executive Vice President & COO of Kia Motors
Corporation, Mr SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, Joint Group
Executive Chairman of the Naza Group of Companies,
Mr S P Choi, President for Asian Operations for Kia 
Motors Corporation, and Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, 
COO of Naza Kia Malaysia at the launch 
of the all-new Optima K5.

2011 will be remembered by Naza Kia as a year of many achievements which saw them launch three key models that has brought the brand to within earshot of mainstream Japanese marques in terms of mindscape presence and value.

The all-new Kia Optima K5 was priced smack in the heart of Japanese D-Segment  territory, forcing motorists to consider the car in the same light as segment leaders, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Compared to the Camry, which is priced from RM144,990, the price differentiation with the Optima is 0.06 per cent and when compared with the Accord which is priced from RM142,800, the OPtima is actually RM1,088 (0.07 per cent) more pricey than the base model Japanese.

Naza Kia COO, Datuk Syed Hafiz Abu Bakar says it is not hard to sell the striking new Optima K5 at that price because the car is highly equipped and easily matches the Japanese in terms of the technical specifications.

"Our goal for this year is to reduce the price gap between Kia and Japanese models to between five and 10 per cent and from next year onwards we want to reduce the gap further to between zero and five per cent." he said.

The second step in Kia's move up the value chain has happened with the Optima K5 which is clearly selling on specifications rather than outright price advantage against the more established players in the segment.

European Honeymoon over for Hybrid and Electric cars?

The Europeans are considered the biggest fans of all things green and environmentally friendly and they supported the idea of biofuels, electric cars, hybrids and ultra high efficiency internal combustion engines.

With the European economies suffering the fallout of the American sub-prime ponzi scheme and facing the very real prospects of collapse of the Euro, many Governments are no longer keen to dish out subsidies on green technology.

For car companies, only ultra-efficient internal combustion engines - both petrol and diesel - are the only economically viable options and they can continue without any subsidies and this dramatic change in the subsidy landscape will have massive effect on the electric and hybrid car market in Europe.

FIRST OFFICIAL PICTURES: Proton Exora Bold and Prime

Two new variants for Exora Turbo

• 1.6 Standard MT   RM 59,998
• Bold 1.6 Executive MT RM 70,998
• Bold 1.6 Executive AT   RM 74,998
• Bold 1.6 Premium CVT  RM 79,998
• Prime 1.6 Premium  RM 88,998

After nearly a year of rumours and increasign frequency of leaked photographs and spottings on the road, the official photographs of the Proton Bold Premium and Exora Prime are finally here.

These to variants are specially packaged for the high performance Campro Charge Fuel Efficiency engine, which is a turbocharged 1.6-litre unit that will sort out any issues related to power or torque which may arise before.

Buyers can also opt for the standard trim if these new premium variants are not what they are looking for.

Why did Khazanah lie to Tun Dr Mahathir about DRB-Proton deal?

SM Nasaruddin and SM Faliq spotted at the lobby of Khazanah Nasional Berhad earlier today

Last week Proton adviser, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad surprised the market when he said that DRB’s proposal for purchasing Khazanah’s holding of the national carmaker’s equity was the best among the three that was submitted.

Apparently that was the briefing he received from Azman Mokhtar and co on the issue and the former Prime Minister told the Media what he was told.

My first thought was why Khazanah did not shed more light on the proposals they received because transparency is crucial in a deal involving such a huge national asset and the people should also be informed as to what factors helped sway Khazanah’s decision towards Tan  Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary’s DRB-Hicom.

The whole week was spent calling people here and there, snooping and trying to nose what is actually happening behind closed doors.

TDM’s statement needed close scrutiny because many people consider the former Prime Minister an inseparable part of Proton and any deals that would involve the company must get his blessings first.

His statement last week was seen by the market as the blessing that DRB-Hicom needed to move forward with the deal and since Tun is regarded as a statesman that considers his words carefully the market also thought that the briefing Khazanah gave him was a fair representation of the facts.

In fact sources close to TDM said that the former PM thought that Khazanah had given him a fair briefing on the subject and that was why he made the statement.

“You have to understand that Tun is also frustrated with Khazanah’s reluctance to invest further in Proton so that it can grow further and finding a new and more cooperative owner may not be such a bad thing," said our source.

Trouble is, the briefing by Khazanah is a sham, nothing more and nothing less.

How to use an Opel Corsa to tear down a large wall

There is really nothing to say here, just watch the video

World's most expensive crash?

A weekend outing turned bad after 12 supercars smashed into each other on Shimonoseki Highway, in Japan on Sunday.
A total of 14 cars were involved in this multiple pile-up.

Kimi returns to F1 in a Lotus Renault

Ice-man Kimi Raikkonen will be back in the building next year and he has chosen to sit in the Lotus Renault GP office.

The 2007 World Champion left F1 in 2009 to pursue his interests in rallying and now he is back to Formula One.

Lotus Renault has managed to snare quite a driver and this can only be good news for them.

With Mercedes Petronas having Michael Schumacher on their roster and Lotus calling on the talents of another world champion, the only thing missing for the Malaysian-linked efforts in Formula one is a champion or at least a few wins next year.

Press Release after the jump

VW Jetta is the perfect construction hauler

Remember this photo?

Did you guys think it was a fake photoshop or did you think the guy is a complete idiot?

Apparently this is all very true and very spossible.

Mythbusters ran a short test of the situation and proved that a VW jetta is a very plausible construction material hauler and 3,000 pounds on the roof will do it very little harm...

I think VW should turn this video into one of their Made in Germany ad.....

Video after the jump

Motorsports: Hot Sepang 1K race snuffed out favourite

Proton R3 lead pair of Faidzil Alang and James Veerapen bowed out half way with mechanical failure

After a hot race, in terms of ambient temperature and competitive temperament, the Proton R3 team had to be happy with a 4th place for Syafiq Ali and Syahrizal Jamaludin while their lead pair of Faidzil Alang and James Veerapen was sidelined after 4 hours 30 minutes with mechanical failure.

Proton had qualified first and third and started as race favourite but mechanical failure of their lead car put paid to their chances as the second pair could not keep pace with the race leader.


Commenting on the race, the Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood said,”We are happy with the 4th place result in what was a very challenging race. i would like to congratulate our R3 team for their tenacity and drive in their commitment to win and dedication for this race.”

“We are of course disappointed with the retirement of one of our cars, but racing is an unpredictable sport with many variables that can change the outcome of a race. Overall, we ran a good strong race and will take back with us plenty of new technical data to prepare for the race season in 2012."

"A strong 4th place finish in an endurance race such is still a great result, as just finishing the event is considered a victory for everyone." said John Chacko, Director of PROTON Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports.

"We were also very encouraged as more than half of the competitors were participating in Proton cars which is testament to not only the sporty nature but durability of our cars."


"We will be back in the national race series next year and will always be committed to winning all our races" he added.


ProtonPress

NEWS RELEASE


PROTON FINISHES GRUELLING SEPANG 1000KM RACE IN 4TH




TEAM R3 PROTON finishes 4th overall and 4th in Class 2 in the Sepang 1000km (S1K) with the pair of Syafiq Ali and Syahrizal Jamaludin with a time of 8 hours and 50 minutes.  This is the 3rd edition of the S1K with 28 competitors starting the race on a hot afternoon.  The S1K is an event specially catered for cars up to 1600cc(Class 2), and up to 1900cc(Class1).


Conditions were extremely hot as the drivers lined up on the grid for the start. There was no relief from the heat as the expected rain stayed away for the duration of the race.  


Not just a test of machinery, drivers not only had to battle with in-car temperatures hovering around 50 degress celcius but with other competitors as well. Although an endurance race, there were many pitched battles right from the start resembling a sprint race as drivers fought hard for track position.


It was an especially satisfying result for Syafiq and Syahrizal as brake problems early on in the race meant an extra long pitstop to fix the problem and seeing them drop down the order to 7th and 2 laps behind the leader.


For R3's other pair of Faidzil Alang and James Veerapen who started in pole position, luck was not on their side as they were forced into retirement with mechanical problems after 4 hours and 30 minutes of racing on lap 96. 


Fadizil Alang, the newly crowned Malaysian Super Series Champion was one of the favourites to win this event and was leading the race by 1 lap over its nearest rival before retiring.


The tough conditions during the race eventually saw more than a quarter of the competitors who started, retire during the course of the event.


Commenting on the race, the Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood said,”We are happy with the 4th place result in what was a very challenging race. i would like to congratulate our R3 team for their tenacity and drive in their commitment to win and dedication for this race.”


“We are of course disappointed with the retirement of one of our cars, but racing is an unpredictable sport with many variables that can change the outcome of a race. Overall, we ran a good strong race and will take back with us plenty of new technical data to prepare for the race season in 2012."


"A strong 4th place finish in an endurance race such is still a great result, as just finishing the event is considered a victory for everyone." said John Chacko, Director of PROTON Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports.


"We were also very encouraged as more than half of the competitors were participating in Proton cars which is testament to not only the sporty nature but durability of our cars."

"We will be back in the national race series next year and will always be committed to winning all our races" he added.