Wearnes Automotive climate-controlled car gallery for rare cars

Wearnes Automotive officially opened its new Automotive Centre yesterday. The $30-million, eight-storey facility has 200,000 sq ft of floor space, doubling Wearnes’ capacity to serve customers.

The first-of-its-kind complex offers Singapore’s first climate-controlled car gallery to store rare cars owned by high-net-worth individuals. It incorporates workshops, boutique car displays, conference facilities, and an exclusive club lounge overlooking the car gallery. The lounge boasts a bar, private dining and a cigar bar.

In all, there are five boutique car displays (housing rarities such as the Rimac C Two and Pininfarina Battista) and 60 additional work bays in a workshop that is electric vehicle-ready. There are designated areas for EV charging, storage and repairs.

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New VW Golf has the longest zero emission distance among plug-in hybrids

Volkswagen has unveiled the eighth-generation Golf, a car which is digitalised, connected and intuitive to operate. It comes with five hybrid variants and offers semi-autonomous driving at speeds of up to 210kmh.

It is the first Volkswagen to use swarm intelligence from traffic via car-to-everything communication, allowing it to warn against hazards of up to 800m ahead. It boasts a 48-volt “mild hybrid” system and is up to 10 per cent more fuel-efficient than its predecessor.

The Golf is available in three output versions initially: 110hp, 130hp and 150hp. There are two plug-in hybrid variants – a 204hp and a 245hp. Both versions will launch with a new 13kWh lithium-ion battery on board and can cover about 60km on pure electric power – the longest zero emission distance among plug-in hybrids. The new Golf should arrive next year.

Volkswagen Golf
New VW Golf has longest zero emission distance among plug-in hybrids. Photo credit: Volkswagen

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A better Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo

The new Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo has made its debut – three years after the presentation of the 488 Challenge. Wearing a kit which increases the car’s overall performance and consistency, the Evo has a comprehensively redesigned front which increases aerodynamic efficiency by 30 per cent compared with the 488 Challenge.

The length of the front overhang has been altered to boost overall downforce and optimise the balance. The profiles of the radiator grille intakes have been lengthened and at the centre of the bumper, a U-shaped intake feeds the front brakes. In the lower part of the bumper, a large splitter with turning vanes at the ends improves the control and direction of the airflow from the side vents.

The sides of the bumper have been re-proportioned by reducing the surface volume to allow the adoption of a second side flick, improving the quality of airflow. The car has 50 per cent more downforce than the current 488 Challenge.

Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo
A better Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, Photo credit: Ferrari

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Featured image: Wearnes Automotive

 

A version of this article was originally published in The Straits Times.