2001 Frankfurt Show Preview II

2001 Frankfurt Auto Show Index

As Europe’s biggest auto show, the biennial frenzy that is Frankfurt approaches, more manufacturers are lifting the veil on what they will be showing this year. Here’s our second preview of what’s going to be there.

 

Porsche’s new Targa

Porsche added a new word to the automotive vocabulary in 1967 when it introduced its first Targa semi-convertible to the 911 range. The lift-off center section, with a fixed rear screen rather than a folding rear window, brought open air to what was, to all intents and purposes, a coupe when the ‘lid’ was in place. The original Targa avoided the problems of cracks and milkiness that came with the flexible plastic rear screens that were the only answer for convertibles in those days. Things have changed, and Porsche’s new 2002 911 Convertible, that goes on sale in September, is the first such Porsche to feature a glass rear screen that folds with the top. The Targa has progressed too, and Frankfurt will see the arrival of a new Targa, which features a sliding glass roof in place of the lift-off panel of the original. The electrically operated roof slides back to give that open-air feeling, and from pictures issued by Porsche ahead of the launch, it looks great too.

 

Spanish tango

Spain’s SEAT is part of the vast VW empire, and it is the company that has the task of bringing some Hispanic emotion into the German conglomerate’s range. Production SEATs are still reminiscent of their VW genealogy, but the company’s designers are working to change that. We have to wait for a mass-market car that moves to the rhythms of the bullfight and the flamenco, but the company has come up with some handsome concept cars that give the impression that the wait will be worthwhile. The teaser at Frankfurt will be the Tango, a sexy little (145 in long, 67.5 in wide and 46.5 in high) open two-seater that’s built on the basis of the tough tubular chassis construction used for SEAT’s rally cars. A 180-hp four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels, and following a trend that’s appeared in other concepts, the driver’s seat is fixed, while the steering wheel, column and pedals all move to provide a perfect fit. Xenon lamps are linked to turn with the front wheels, which is a good idea until you get on to opposite lock – well that’s what happened when Citroen tried it in the 1960s!

 

Skoda Moves on Up

Another member of the VW group is Skoda, the Czech manufacturer whose history goes back to the early days of the industry. Skoda’s image suffered from its Iron Curtain links in the days when there was an Iron Curtain, but now that it’s in the Wolfsburg clan that image is changing, as the skilled Czech workforce turns out cars that, like those of SEAT, are based on VW designs. The result is that Skoda is earning a reputation for VW quality at East European prices. Now the company is ready to move upmarket, and Frankfurt will mark the launch of the Superb, a car that has a 110-inch wheelbase and is 189 inches long. That’s well into the upper reaches of the European family sedan market. Emphasising Skoda’s heritage, the name Superb is taken from a sedan the company first made back in 1934.

 

GM Ditches the Stick-shift

Could it be the central gearshift is about to become a thing of the past? BMW’s new 7-Series, one of the major new cars to be launched in Frankfurt, has done away with the central gear-shift lever and transferred it to a slim stalk behind the steering wheel. GM’s Signum II concept, a forward-thinking blend of station wagon and coupe, also features a large free space on the floor between the driver and the passenger. The Signum’s power unit, a new 4.3-liter V-8 from GM Powertrain in the U.S., drives through a five-speed auto box that has no need of a centrally mounted stick shift. In fact, few modern gearboxes, even manuals, really need a four (or five, or six) on the floor. But are Europe’s macho drivers ready to give it up? We’ll see.