Maserati Coupe

The Maserati Coupe follows hard on the heels of the Spyder released in September 2001 at the Frankfurt Motorshow. The Coup้ is scheduled for release at the Detroit Motor Show on January 7, 2002 and it will mark the return of Maserati to the US market at this its world premier. Powered by the same all new 4.2 litre naturally aspirated V8 that powers the Spyder, the introduction of the Coupe formally brings to an end the turbo-engined Maserati introduced by de Tomaso with the Bi Turbo series. Although similar in appearance to the 3200GT, the new Coupe is a completely new car and, apart from the obvious styling difference, is basically identical in specification to the Spyder which preceded it. The new Coupe thus adopts the new Maserati 6-speed manual rear mounted transaxle type gear box and the new option - the Cambiocorsa gearbox introduced with the Spyder. The gearbox is hydraulically operated with electronic management by levers behind the steering wheel, there is no clutch. Whilst front and rear track are the same as the 3200GT, the wheel base is 220mm shorter and weight is down slightly relative to the Spyder. The closely related 3200GT styling has a number of subtle differences - and some not so. As can be seen from the rear view of the car the distinctive 'boomerang' rear light treatment has been abandoned, the power bulge on the bonnet is also more pronounced.

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher (pronounced /ˈmɪçaʔeːl ˈʃuːmaχɐ /, born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula One driver, and seven-time world champion. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". He is the first German to win the Formula One World championship and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany. In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver among Formula One fans.
After winning two championships with Benetton, Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. Schumacher is the first and only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes (2002). His driving sometimes created controversy: he was twice involved in collisions that determined the outcome of the world championship, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve. On September 10, 2006, Schumacher announced his retirement as a driver.Schumacher is currently assisting Scuderia Ferrari CEO Jean Todt for the 2007 Formula One Season.
Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life. He is the elder brother of current Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher.

Johny Herbert

Johnny Herbert's racing career began in 1974 at the tender age of 10. His parents, Bob and Jane, supported him from the start and spent all of their weekends at the kart races in the early days. Johnny's obvious speed and ability in a kart were evident right from the start to anyone who saw him race.
In his July 1998 column for F1 Racing magazine, Johnny looked back on his early years in karts with fond memories:
"Karting brings you out of yourself. I was very shy as a kid, and it brought me out of my shell. And you learn about racing and the behaviour necessary for a professional career at a much earlier age. It's essential experience.

"When I first went to Buckmore [Park (an outdoor kart circuit in Kent)], I went as a boy scout, because of course it's a scouting venue as well. I'd got hooked on karting on holiday and pestered Dad until we got one, then I started running at Tilbury and Buckmore. I remember when it was just a speedbowl, not the sophisticated set-up it is now. I was about nine at the time! Scouts would turn up with funny, self-built karts, and I'd bring along my racing kart, a Sprint, and thrash them.
"Then I started driving a thing called a Tarantella, and through that I got to meet a guy called Bill Sisley, because he was selling spares. Dad and I met him at Surbiton and he started helping us out. Bits and bobs to begin with, then maybe an engine or two. I started driving one of his Kestrel karts.
"Bill has built up Buckmore, and he's one of those people I always recall fondly. He did so much to further my career. He helped me to win British Championships and to compete in the junior World Championship in Luxembourg, and he gave me the opportunities that helped me to leap up two or three performance levels. I ran sixth that time, until the chain came off with two laps to go.
"And, I suppose, Bill helped me to grow up, because as soon as I left school I went to work for him in Swanley. I used to cycle 30 miles there and 30 back each day, from home in Romford. It was quite funny; as this shy kid, I used to sell kart parts to people such as Andrea de Cesaris and Eddie Cheever, who'd often drop in. Eventually, I'd drive the van, build the fun karts Bill was producing, and, of course, race. It was Bill who got me my first Formula Ford drive too, in a Royale RP26 via Terry Gray's dad, Vic."

In 1978, wider recognition of Johnny's talent followed when he became British junior karting champion. Progressing through the ranks, he was British senior 135cc karting champion in 1979 and 1982. Johnny was also classified 18th in the World Championships at Kalmar, Sweden, in 1982.
Johnny moved up to Formula Ford at the end of 1983, and he crowned two full years in the highly competitive series with a triumphant display at the 1985 Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, marking him out as one of Britain's fastest rising stars.

"And so, after starting his heat the day before from the back of the grid with a 10sec penalty, 20-year-old Johnny Herbert crossed the line to wild cheers. It was no more than [his team] deserved. Never the ones to make excuses, always sporting and down to earth, the small team had taken on the Van Diemen hordes and beaten them.
"It was an emotional moment and every one of the appreciative crowd knew it. Once more the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup had produced superb entertainment. Brands Hatch last Sunday was all about Quest Racing and Johnny Herbert."
After one victory during a season of FF2000 in 1986, Johnny then graduated to Formula 3.

History of Lotus Team

The Lotus Engineering company was founded by Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman on 1st January 1952, as a direct result of his success in building and racing trials cars. The company, based at Ketteringham Hall, Norfolk, has flourished over the years and is taking part in its 36th year of Grand Prix racing.

Although Team Lotus now competes solely in Formula One, there are few circuit formulae that the team has not dominated in past years. In the 1950s, Lotus sports cars dominated their class in the classic Le Mans 24-Hour race, while in the mid-1960s the USA's famous Indianapolis 500 race became another prize to fall to the team, along with three Grand Prix Constructor's World Championships. In the 1970s Team Lotus continued their winning ways, collecting another four Constructor's World Championships, the last with the revolutionary Type 79.

Colin Chapman had a profound influence in the design of the Grand Prix car in post war years, with Lotus initiating development programmes which led to innovative cars with features such as monocoque construction, four wheel drive, ground effect technology and Active Suspension. Lotus initiated the introduction of commercial sponsorship into Formula One in 1968 with its pioneering involvement wth Imperial Tobacco.

1958 Lotus entered first Grand Prix - Monaco
1960 First Formula One victory - Stirling Moss, Monaco
1961 2nd - World Manufacturer's ChampionshipFirst Team Lotus victory - Innes Ireland, US GP Watkins Glen
1962 2nd - World Manufacturer's Championship
1963 1st - World Driver's Championship - Jim Clark1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (first title)Jim Clark & Team Lotus came 2nd in the Indianapolis 500 at their first attempt in the race
1965 1st - World Driver's Championship - Jim Clark1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (second title)1st - Indianapolis 500 - Jim ClarkLotus Type 38 is first British car to win Indianapolis 500
1968 1st - World Driver's Championship - Graham Hill1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (third title)
1970 1st - World Driver's Championship - Jochen Rindt1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (fourth title)
1972 1st - World Driver's Championship - Emerson Fittipaldi1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (fifth title)
1973 1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (sixth title)
1978 1st - World Driver's Championship - Mario Andretti1st - World Manufacturer's Championship (seventh title)
1982 Tragic death of Colin Chapman coincides with Team Lotus' first test of its Active Suspension car. New management headed by Peter Warr takes over running of the team.
1983 Lotus races Active Suspension car.
1985 Ayrton Senna wins his first GP in Portugal, followed by a second win at Belgium.
1987 Lotus starts racing with the Active Suspension system and Senna wins two Grands Prix, in Monaco and the USA (the team's 79th GP victory).
1990 Peter Collins and Peter Wright take over the running of Team Lotus on 7th December. The team finish 9th in the FIA Constructors' World Championship.
1991 The reformed team uses a substantially modified version of the 1990 Type 102 - the Judd EV powered 102B. Debut of Mika Hakkinen, taking 5th place at San Marino.
1992 The team started the season with a new version of the Type 102B - the 102D with the Ford F1 V8 engine - in which Herbert and Hakkinen scored points early in the season.
The all new Type 107, designed by Chris Murphy, was announced in Spain and first raced at Imola. Lotus finished in a strong 5th place in the FIA Constructors' World Championship with 13 points.
1993 Johnny Herbert and Alessandro Zanardi took Team Lotus to 6th place in the FIA Constructors' World Championship, driving the Ford powered Type 107B. The injuries Alessandro sustained after his accident at Spa rendered him unable to compete in the last four Grands Prix, where he was replaced by Formula 3000 Championship runner-up, Portugal's Pedro Lamy.
1994 Johnny and Pedro start the season driving the Type 107C, which has been designed to incorporate the Mugen-Honda engine, prior to the debut of the Type 109. Alessandro Zanardi is retained as test and development driver.

Biography of August Horch

August Horch (October 12, 1868 - February 3, 1951) was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing firm that would become Audi.

He was born in Winningen, Moselle. He was educated in Mittweida.

He worked for Karl Benz from 1896 before founding A. Horch & Cie in November 1899 in Ehrenfeld, Cologne, Germany. The first Horch automobile was built in 1901. The company moved to Reichenbach in 1902 and Zwickau in 1904. Horch left the company in 1909 after a dispute and set up in competition in Zwickau. His new firm was initially called Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH, but following a legal dispute over the Horch name he was oblidged to change the company name. (The court decided that Horch was a registered trademark on behalf of August Horch's former partners and August Horch was not entitled to use it any more.) Consequently, Horch renamed his company to Audi Automobilwerke GmbH in 1910, Audi being the Latinization of Horch.

In August 1928 the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen of DKW acquired a majority holding in Audiwerke. In June 1932 Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged to form Auto Union AG, the new company's logo was four interlinked rings, one for each of the founder companies. Horch was on the supervisory board of Auto Union.

History of Audi (1920s)

With the Treaty of Versailles marking the end of World War I the automobile industry in Germany changed its focus from the production of military vehicles back to vehicles for the civilian population.

Despite post-war economic problems it was clear the car was here to stay - between 1924 and 1928 the number of cars in Germany grew from 420,000 to 1,200,000. As the car became more popular it became more accessible to more of society. The 1920's marked the first time a car was built and targeted at the 'man in the street'. Key brands in this growth - soon to become a strong alliance - made a major impact on the world:

A post-war rethink by Audi's Technical Director Hermann Lange led to a completely new design principle for the 'new Audi'. AUDI was one of few medium sized companies and despite the quality of the cars there simply weren't enough being produced.

In 1928 AUDI Werke AG was acquired by JS Rasmussen, the head of the DKW empire.
A decision was made that AUDI should develop cars of a simpler design which were cheaper to build and used less ambitious constructional features. Rasmussen gave a brief to designers to build a small car powered by a DKW motorcycle engine, with swing axle suspension, front wheel drive and a wooden body - to be developed in six weeks! Amazingly the brief was completed and the car went on to sell over 250,000 units, making it Germany's most popular car at the time.

Throughout this period AUDI was a leading light in the concept of aero-dynamic design and streamlined bodywork. Concepts developed in the 1920's are still valid today.

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