Articles by Paul Gover

Yes, it comes in yellow. It might be called the Black Series, but the Gullwing Benz with all the belter bits looks absolutely stunning in hi-viz yellow.Not just that, but the SLS 63 AMG looks even better when you're hotdogging around Phillip Island -- in a car that would normally cost $639,000 to park in the driveway.This is a very special day in a very special car. Only 10 copies of the latest Black Series hero car from the AMG hothouse in Germany are allocated to Australia. Eight are already sold, with two available for the cashed-up contenders jockeying for the final slots. But this car is not a customer car, it's the AMG demonstrator that's been air-freighted in to star at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. Because Australia has the largest per-capita appetite for AMG cars in the world, the SLS is on a whistle-stop tour that includes a handful of laps with the Carsguide crew in the relative safety of the Island circuit that's home to MotoGP and also hosts the V8 Supercar crowd.Measured against that standard, the SLS Black comes up surprisingly well. In fact, it's the only road car where I've backed out before the car gave up. Unless you count the Bugatti Veyron at Sandown Park a few years ago, but the Veyron is more of a science experiment than any sort of road car.The SLS Black looks like a racer, sounds like a real racer, and also has racer responses, but you can register it. It's not a car I would like to dribble through the traffic to the office, and I'm certain it is way too harsh for on-road enjoyment, but it's just the sort of weapon you need to carve out some special time at Phillip Island.AMG has a history with Black Series cars that runs back to a hotrod SLK and now includes the fantastic C63 Coupe and the silly-fast twin-turbo V12 SL65. This time, though, it's different. The SLS is the first complete car developed by AMG and not modified from a Benz original.The Black Series package obviously includes a giant rear wing, aero 'flicks' ahead of the front wheels, and bigger forged alloy rims, but the development work goes a lot deeper. The car is 70 kilos lighter than a cooking gullwing and the engine makes 464 kiloWatts and 635 Newton-metres, so more power but less torque. And it revs all the way to 8000, with a seven-speed gearbox that's been tweaked for much quicker shifts.Digging into the detail, the engine sits lower, there is carbon fibre strengthening and a carbon fibre torque tube to the transaxle gearbox, an electronic limited-slip differential, and the front end has different steering knuckles and far less rubber.What does that all mean?Well, apart from the stratospheric price and Mick Doohan's demonstration laps on Sunday at the AGP meeting, it's a damn fast car. As I slide into the driver's seat - on the left-hand side, since the car is not staying in Australia - I can sense that it's a special occasion.The seat is a hip-hugger race bucket with no electric adjustment and there is a race driver - Dave Russell - already installed on the passenger side as my ‘coach’. Normally these blokes are a handbrake but he is a ripper guy who just wants me to go fast and enjoy the car.Then I turn the key. And I do. A regular SLS gullwing sounds chubby, but this one has the harsh brassy edge of greatness. It's a V8 that's born to run. As I roll down the pit lane, I can feel that the suspension is much more taut than a regular SLS - or something as humble as an HSV Holden - with all the bumps feeding straight back through the steering.Then I stomp on the gas and …. whoa, this thing is seriously seriously fast. Phillip Island is a fast track that demands respect, and so does the Black in yellow, but I'm rapidly approaching the sort of speeds and grip levels that are normally reserved for race cars.Compared with a ‘cooking’ SLS, this stove-hot rocket has much better ceramic brakes, turns like a soldier on parade, and has more power than I can use. I need to stop and think and download Dangerous Dave's eager coaching. While I wait, I soak up the details of a car that takes AMG and Benz into a world that's normally reserved for Ferrari and Lamborghini. Yes, it's that fast. For my second sprint, I quickly lift the pace and relax to enjoy the ride. Except...Except the car is so, so good that I'm struggling to stay ahead of the action. The back is a little unsettled in a couple of places, particularly into the left-hander at Siberia Corner, and the brakes are grabbing me down from more than 200km/h at three places on the track. I'm enjoying, but I am working hard. The car? I'm sure it has plenty in reserve.So I park and smile and laugh and hit the rewind button in my head to enjoy a very, very rare treat in a very rare car. The Black Series SLS is as focussed as anything I've driven at Phillip Island, and that includes a V8 Supercar and a Nissan GT-R, and as brutally fast as you could want or hope. It's silly money, and it would be stupid as a commuter car, but for one special day I'm living a dream.

...expected to go public at the Frankfurt motor show in September.Carparazzi says the newcomer is both wider and longer than the car it will replace, starting as a five-door hatch.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

Inside, there are two giant LCD displays, one for the instruments and the other for the infotainment system.The S-Class looks classy and we'll have a first drive report from Europe in July. 

Felix Baumgartner and Hungry Heidi were the surprise stars during the early running at Albert Park yesterday. How's that? Well, triple world champion Sebastian Vettel is wearing a helmet for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend that is a carbon copy of the crazy Red Bull skydiver's safety gear. And his car is called Hungry Heidi. In early practice, it was Vettel - with the Baumgartner helmet and Heidi beneath him - who shaded the Ferrari pair of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso through the early laps at Albert Park. The top five drivers all lapped closely in the 1 minute 27 second bracket to confirm the even field predicted after pre-season testing in Europe. Australia's Mark Webber was right in the mix, driving Red Bull RB9 identical to Vettel's but without a crazy nickname. "It's not really surprising," said Remi Taffin, the head of track support for Renault Support, which supplied the engines in five of the 10 fastest cars. "It's no big deal. They're just setting up things." But Vettel's speed matched his Gen-Y superstar status, and his reputation as a man who pushes every angle. Just as multiple world champion Valentino Rossi changes helmets almost as often as he changes gears, Vettel has created a pattern where he has different paint jobs on his helmets for most races. Once he wins with a helmet, it is retired. On the car front, Vettel likes to nickname his cars - and the job is usually done at a rowdy pre-season dinner with his mates. So Hungry Heidi follows Abbey, which carried him to last year's world title. Before he uncorked Abbey, he drove cars called Kate, Kate's Dirty Sister, Luscious Liz, Randy Mandy and Kinky Kylie.  

Those are the promises from the man who provides the racing rubber for Formula One as teams complete final preparations for the 2013 season opener at Albert Park. "It's always good in sport when there is uncertainty," the motorsport supremo at Pirelli, Paul Hembrey, tells News Limited ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. "If we hadn't made some changes, there was the risk of starting the year with some very boring races. At the end of last year the teams were starting to be too conservative." So the Italian tyre company has changed the compounding and construction of its racing number for his year, technical tweaks that will translate directly into races with more variables for drivers and teams. Hembrey said the 2013 Pirelli tyres will mean more pitstops, and the potential for wildly differing race strategies, which both play to a better show for fans. The changes even mean the tyres are two kilograms heavier for each set - 300 grams for a front tyre, 700 for a rear - which means something else which means teams will have to tweak their cars. Looking to Sunday afternoon at Albert Park, Hembrey predicts more pitstops and split strategies - with front-running teams changing tyres three times and midfield runners only stopping twice for fresh Pirellis. That means the race could build to a climax with a fast driver on a three-stop plan trying to run down a slower two-stop runner in the dying laps. "Yes, that is definitely possible," he said. Looking at the overall pictures, Hembrey said teams will likely have to make one stop more than 2012. "Last year was 1-2 stops. This year will be 2-3," he said. He predicts the front-runners will all qualifying and start on Pirelli's latest super-soft tyre, before switching to the medium compound also available to teams. "Wear is not really an issue. It's about thermal degradation - when the tyre overheats and they lose lap times." Each driver has 11 sets of slick tyres for the AGP weekend, six in medium compound and five in super-soft. There are also wet-weather tyres in case Melbourne is hit by a downpour. "Albert Park is really a traction circuit. It's all about braking and traction. In the past we thought we couldn't bring the super-soft tyre, but we were a bit conservative." He also believes the new-generation Pirelli tyres will close the field, as even teams - like Caterham and Marussia at the back end of the grid - will have enough downforce to get the rubber working well. And there is less need to warm them carefully before going flat-out.  

But we've beaten him to the prize - a sinister gunmetal grey Benz belter. The SL63 AMG is idling with intent as I arrive in the pit lane that will be the home of Formula One this weekend as the 2013 grand prix season kicks into gear.The final touches are being applied to the course but the SL has already been polished and preened for an early preview of the action. It is strong and eager as I ease onto the main straight and - very, very briefly - uncork its turbocharged V8 power.There is a strict 40km/h speed limit for me, but Doohan will be let completely off the leash when he compete in the Ultimate Speed Comparison this weekend. He is up against his racing mates David Coulthard and Casey Stoner in a contest that's intended to highlight the difference between a regular road car, a V8 Supercar and a full-on F1 car.Stoner is wheeling the V8 this time and Coulthard, a grand prix winner in Australia with McLaren, is sliding into one of last year's Red Bull rockets. "It's a bit of fun," Doohan tells me. "You're never going to beat a Formula One car, even in an AMG Mercedes."I know exactly what he means because I had two years as the road-car rabbit at Albert Park, running BMW M cars against the grand prix greyhounds. I will never forget the first time that Christian Klien blasted his BMW F1 car past me down the front straight, running more than 100km/h quicker in an explosion of noise and violence.I had always though that an M car was fast, but as I applied the brakes for Turn One at around 210km/h he calmly shifted into top gear and zipped in ahead of me trailing a huge wash of dirt and debris from the unused side of the track. It took me a while to get my breath after that one.This time, I know the SL63 and I know Albert Park, and I know the enjoyment that Doohan will be having. He might have won his five world titles on two wheels, but the 500cc tyro loves fast cars and has been an AMG ambassador for more than 10 years.What's he like as a driver? He's fast for sure, as I have seen from the passenger seat, but he's never going to score maximum style points. "The SL63 is a fantastic car.To romp it around the racetrack should be a bit of fun," Doohan says."It's not too serious, but it is still a race. I know Mercedes-Benz wants to win, and so does Red Bull Racing, and Casey. The idea is to have all three cars cross the finish line at exactly the same time. "But you don't want to put the car in the wall."This car is specially built for Doohan's drive, and weighs in with a $409,575 pricetag. When you catch your breath, that means a base price of $381,500 boosted by metallic grey paint that looks like it was peeled off a jet fighter, an AMG performance package that unleashes extra turbo torque, a panoramic sunroof and matt-black alloys that are 19 inches on the nose and 20 inches on the tail.But the most striking difference is Doohan's name on the side windows. And that's what has people staring as Carsguide noses out into ordinary Melbourne traffic in the F1 racer.I have driven the SL63 before, and absolutely loved an early-morning blast last year in southern Spain, but its a revelation on the pockmarked bitumen. It is obviously fast and firm, but also surprisingly cosseting and enjoyable. And even the seven-speed auto can slur for minimal intrusion.For me, it's a better everyday car than the Benz SLS, because it rides smoother and you can also drop the top for sunshine fun. It has more than enough performance with 395 kiloWatts and 800 Newton-metres, even though the SLS is more brutal again with 420kW, and you save big against a gullwing that is priced from at least $468,320.As we head around Albert Park and dodge the workers who are putting the final touches to the course, Doohan's words come back to me. "The only time things get a bit iffy in a road car is if the track is wet. Then you're working," he tells me.This is a bit of a surprise from a bloke who had so much brilliance on a bike. He might have ended his career in an ambulance, but Mighty Mick always rode like he was racing with the devil on his tail. And, even today, he does not play well with others.He has channeled his efforts into a booming aircraft business in jet charters, owns nightclubs and property, and has a matt-black helicopter parked in the shed at his Gold Coast spread.When he pulls on his famous helmet this weekend, he says he is looking to have some fun and a bit of a speed."You can't just stooge or dawdle around. I remember the time that Pedro de la Rosa disappeared under the rear wing of Jaffa, that CLK63 Black Series, as we were coming onto the straight. I just didn't see him," Doohan says."But my job is to be consistent every day. We want to show people the difference in speed between the three types of cars. "It should be good with DC and Casey. We'll be looking across at each other and having a bit of a laugh."This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

The French brand is beginning with its latest Clio and the Captur crossover. It has already set the direction with show cars and is now translating them into production models, while also focussing on a new SUV direction and its Alpine sports brand.Kia has proven that design can provide significant showroom bait in the 21st century, winning with its Optima and new Rio range, and Renault's design chief Laurens van den Acker is focussed on bringing people back to the French carmaker."The goal is to make people fall in love again with the Renault brand," says van den Acker. "Renault is a very human brand, so we must let our cars be emotional, be French."He admits it's a tough challenge, but believes he has the design team and management backing to win. "If it was easy, everybody would do it. You should try hard things, because then you separate yourselves from the rest."Van den Acker arrived at Renault after 15 years in the USA and Japan, including time at Mazda, and has a smart way of describing the latest French lineup. "The Clio is like a university student, young and full of ideas," he says."The Megane is a student that has just started working, in the first three years. He is looking up and wants to become his boss. The Laguna is the managing director. The car needs to have status and seriousness."But van den Acker - who is known throughout the car world for his collection of crazy shoes - sees an opening for Renault. "While we are getting more Latin … and emotional … I see a lot of brands becoming more Germanic. I think we can find a more open space."We're closer in spirit to the old Ferraris of the 1960s." He says Renault is developing an iconic 'face', something all brands now want, as well as translating his design direction into SUVs."I think a good identity is an identity you can recognise without a badge. That's the sign of a good face." Van den Acker has visited Australia many times and knows Renault needs to leverage some of its upscale European appeal."Australia plays a lot more on the Renault Sport image. It gives us credibility. It gives us the link with Formula One, which is considered premium worldwide." He also knows that, in a showroom scene where Audi sets the cabin standard and even Holden is following with its VF upgrade, Renault is playing catch-up."I would still rate us as OK. We've become more fun in the interior, especially with Clio. But I think we still have a long way to go in perceived quality. It wasn't our first priority. We first had to get ourselves in the showrooms with a good looking car."For van den Acker, there is a surprising parallel between good design and romance, right up to the Alpine sports car currently being developed at Renault. "A concept car is like a one-night stand. Then you need to create a good marriage for a production car. The exterior needs to seduce and the interior is where you live. You want it to be a good quality life."What, then about Alpine?"It's a quickie," he laughs. The bottom line for Renault design is an all-new line, starting with a couple of show cars that will break cover later this year. "You will see some fun show cars from us this year. I look at concept cars to sell the direction. The design is going to make a difference."There is a sense of revolution at present. What I like, coming to Renault, is you can do anything you want. And find an intellectual reason to get away with it. I think anybody could use a bit of craziness. And god knows Renault can use it." 

China is set to provide the power for the large-scale introduction of electric cars as it accelerates towards two million sales a year by 2020. Australians have bought a relative handful of plug-in cars since the start of local sales, despite the quality of the Nissan Leaf and Holden Volt, as government at all levels ignores calls for the sort of subsidies and tax breaks that have provided a vital spark in Europe and the USA. Renault Australia was forced to pull the plug on its Fluence ZE, a battery-swap electric car, because of the lack of infrastructure and problems for its energy partner, Better Place. But China could change the game as it forces carmakers to adopt electric and plug-in hybrid technology to cut its reliance on imported oil and reduce pollution in the overcrowded cities where more than half of its population is concentrated. "I think the breakthrough will come from China. I think the solution is going to be there," says Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault-Nissan. "China is moving very aggressively. All the problems are lining up to make China the biggest electric car and plug-hybrid market in the world." His company is leading the world in production of electric cars, including the Nissan Leaf and impressive new Renault Zoe, although he admits sales have been slow with just 70,000 deliveries worldwide over the past five years. "Four or five year ago, when we decided to go with electric cars, people were considering electric cars like a golf cart.  But we came with the leaf and now the Zoe, which is a very good car. The 70,000 people today who are driving electric cars are very happy with the product," Ghosn says. But he also recognises the challenges. "The main obstacles to electric cars are mainly linked to infrastructure and range, because they are connected. If you can do only 100 or 150 kilometres, well, you worry about range. But if there is infrastructure everywhere you don't worry about the range. If you can charge at the mall or work." He says the other barrier is cost, even though the Zoe will be the equivalent of $14,000 in Europe - plus a monthly battery rental - thanks to large-scale government subsidies. "People want environmentally friendly cars but they don't want to pay for them. They just want an even price," Ghosn says. "The solution is going to be there. We must continue to reduce the price of the car, through continuous improvement, and continue to lobby and work with cities and governments in order to have the infrastructure." But he says the big push is coming from China, where carmakers are being forced into electric-car partnerships. "The Chinese have already taken very hard decisions and they have said two million electric cars in 2020. You cannot have any investment decision agreed by the government in China if you do not have what they call a 'new-energy' car. A 'new energy' car is an electric car or a plug-in hybrid. If you don't have them don't ask to increase capacity, even of normal gasoline cars." But Ghosn says China is not the only country accelerating its electric drive. "On top of this, France is moving aggressively, the US is moving aggressively and some cities are moving aggressively," he says. "The mayor of London has told us already he would like to have all the taxis in London as zero emission. We are negotiating with the mayor of Rio in preparation for the Olympics. "We have seen a lot of initiative coming. We need to be patient. We need to continue to develop the technology, develop the product, cut the costs and make the cars better. "When it takes off, we will be ready." This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover  

There is a little touch of Godzilla about the new Renault Clio RS. Just like the Japanese juggernaut, the new French funster has a turbocharged engine with an entertaining soundtrack and is capable of punching above its weight.But take a close look in the cabin and you find exactly the same gearshift paddles as the ones used in the GT-R, snitched for double duty thanks to family ties through the Renault-Nissan alliance.The classy alloy paddles are no surprise in a new RS that's had a massive makeover as part of the Clio 4 conversion. The fourth-generation French baby now comes with five doors, a six-speed double-clutch gearbox, and even brakes taken from the V6-engined Laguna.Australian buyers will get the sharper Cup chassis settings and standard RS equipment includes red-stitched leather sports seats, as well as the R-Link system that allows data logging and lap times for owners who want to hit the track on weekends."The Clio range is incredibly important to us. It's the return of an icon and the Renault Sport model is the halo over the range. It's the hero," the managing director of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, tells Carsguide.The pocket rocket goes up against a wide spread of rivals in Australia including the Mini Cooper S, Opel Corsa OPC and Volkswagen's Polo GTi, but is not coming for another year because of the slow ramp-up of production at Renault Sport in France.When the RS does arrive, following the regular Clio in September, it is promised with a value price tag that will undercut the current $36,490 sticker.I'm not exactly sure how it will perform down under, because the press preview drive in Spain put me into a Sports chassis for the majority of the driving. It's nice, and nicely compliant and mature, but misses the edginess I expect from a Clio RS. Track time in the Cup car promises the answers, but rain ruins it. I know it is a nicer car than Clio 3, but the course is flooded and it's like driving on ice, so the RS Cup cannot give its best. I'm convinced that it's a very good car, but I don't know if it will be great in Australia.VALUERenault is doing a Toyota with the RS, committing to a price cut even though the car is not coming until 2014."It certainly won't be more than the outgoing car. That's $36,490," Hocevar reveals."And we've got capped price servicing at $299 with one service a year, so we have a good story for the customer. What does a Corolla cost to service? There are two a year, for a start."Renault Australia has only sold 500 Clio RSs since the car returned to the range in 2007 and it could easily top that number in the first full year with Clio 4.It's banking on the appeal of the five-door body, which boosts flexibility and includes a roomy boot - without any sort of spare - as well as plenty of standard equipment.The RS gets the usual stuff including power steering, aircon and electric windows, but it's things like the body kit bits, bigger alloys, sports suspension and bigger brakes that boost the bottom line. There is a built-in bonus to the six-speed double clutch gearbox, which functions like an auto until you take manual control.The Clio RS is not as cheap as a Skoda Fabia RS, or even the Polo GTi that sits in the same size line, but it is edgier and more exclusive.TECHNOLOGYClio 4 is a much better base for the Renault Sport engineers, from the bigger footprint of the chassis to a smoother body and suspension that's better in coping with 147 kiloWatts and 240 Newton-metres of torque.Some RS owners and fans will question the decision to switch to turbo power and bin the manual gearbox, but the turbo and EDC - efficient dual clutch - six-speed gearbox are typical of the moves across the performance car landscape. We've already seen it in cars up to the BMW M5.There is lots of impressive stuff in the car, from an electronic launch control and hydraulic bump stops in the dampers to an electronic differential, as well as the R-Link infotainment system with data logging for track work. It also does well in engine efficiency, using just 6.3 litres/100 kilometres with CO2 of just 144 grams/kilometres.Importantly, the Cup chassis is the choice for Australia to satisfy the proven customer preference. It sits three millimetres lower and gets springs that are more than 20 per cent stiffer, as well as special damper settings."We think the Cup chassis is what Australians will gravitate towards. That's been the experience with the Megane. Early in life of Clio there was Sport and Cup, but then we just started doing the Cup chassis," Hocevar says.On the electronic side, there is a three-position system that runs from Normal to Sport and Race, sharpening throttle response, adding more heft to the steering, cutting electronic intervention and making for quicker shifts with full manual control of the gearbox.Hold the left-hand paddle and it even makes multiple downshifts, something previously only seen in the Ferrari 458 and McLaren MP4-12C.DESIGNThe Clio RS is cute more than crazy. It looks sharp with twin exhausts and 17-inch alloys - 18s are optional - as well as red stitching on the seats and colour highlights in other areas of the cabin.The basic work on Clio 4 means the back seat is pretty roomy, the boot space is useful and it's a quiet car. There are sports bucket seats in the RS, and alloy pedals, as well as those shift paddles and a dashboard that integrates the R-Link system very well.SAFETYThe regular Clio is a five-star car that actually topped its class in European crash tests, which is good news also for the RS.Predictably, there is a full suite of airbags and electronic stability and braking controls, although - no surprise at the size and price - no sign of radar cruise control or automatic braking systems.The R-Link system is expected to be standard for Australia, which brings a rear camera in addition to parking radar.DRIVINGI have driven a bunch of Renault Sport cars and I came to the new Clio with baggage. I expected it to be a rorty little roller skate with an over-sharp focus on WRX-style thrills.But the Clio is sensible and refined, surprisingly mature but also plenty quick with a 0-100km/h below seven seconds. It also cranks up plenty of aural action, helped by the twin-pipe exhaust and a tube that feeds inlet sounds into the cabin.I'm immediately impressed by the comfort and cabin quality, even though there is a lot of hard plastic and some switches are tucked away, and when I ease into the traffic in Spain the car is quiet and compliant.I'm surprised by the punch from an engine with only 1.6 litres, but not by the slick and quick shifts from the EDC gearbox. It works fine as an auto and is great for manual changes, although the paddles are a better choice than the long-throw lever and the pedals are too close for comfortable left-foot braking.But … here it comes … I'm driving the Clio Sport and not the Cup car we'll get in Australia. That means it lacks the track-tautness of other Renault Sport models, although the brakes are good, it grips very well in turns, and there is plenty of performance.So I'm looking forward to track time in a Cup car on a tight-and-twisty course. Until it rains. The track is like ice and, even though the Clio RS is great fun, I want more. I want to know how it rides, if it's too noisy, if it delivers the thrills I expect from an all-out Renault Sport rocket.The surface dries a little and my second run shows there is great compliance and no crash-bang nasties over kerbs, as well as a great response from the engine and genuine enjoyment from the double-clutch six speed. But it's still too damp to really, really know.So, as I slide back into a Sport model for the run back to the airport, I'm happy and impressed. But I still have too many questions to give you all the answers.VERDICTEverything points to a Renault Sport winner that is going to make the new Clio a cult hero.Renault Clio RSPrice: less than $36,490Warranty: 3 years/unlimited kmService Interval: 12 months/15,000kmSafety: 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, EBA, TCCrash rating: 5 starsEngine: 1.6-litre turbo petrol, 147kW/240NmTransmission: 6-speed dual-clutch; FWDThirst: 6.3L/100km, 144g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.09m (L), 1.73m (W), 1.43m (H)Weight: 1204kgSpare: none

...at least in sales, in Australia. The ix35 is the South Korean company's SUV spearhead and is most in need of a modernised cabin to compete with the latest Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover