OTOF

Copyright 2001 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS
Sunday Express


July 15, 2001

SECTION: MOTORING; Pg. 25

LENGTH: 987 words

HEADLINE: FINANCIAL EXPRESS; CARS THE RACE STARS REALLY DRIVE

BYLINE: JAMES FOXALL

BODY:
Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi discussing the merits of the humble Fiat 500? It may be hard to imagine two of Formula One's finest having one of the world's slowest, least glamorous cars in common but they do. Just as David Coulthard potters about in a Mercedes that's as old as he is, and Eddie Irvine has a taste for Eighties exotica. Grand Prix drivers earn their crust piloting what many consider to be the cream of the planet's motors. That enthusiasm carries over to the road - with most opting for cars with a special attraction. With the British Grand Prix today, JAMES FOXALL looks away from the pit lane and into the car park - to discover what the superstars like to drive away from the track.

Eddie Irvine THE Irish Jaguar driver loves cars and, as soon as he had made enough money from racing in Japan, treated himself to his dream car - a Ferrari 288GTO. "I couldn't imagine selling it, " he says. "It has bags of character and is a really involving drive." He also owns a Porsche 959, virtually the German equivalent of the GTO. "If you want to sum up the difference between the Germans and Italians, just compare these two. The principle's the same but the approach is totally different. The Porsche is a real driver's car - and bloody quick - but it lacks the passion of the GTO."

Day to day, Eddie drives a Jaguar XKR cabrio. "I've got one in the UK and one in Italy, both soft-tops - for maximum posing-points. It's an enjoyable car to drive and you can cover huge distances without noticing."

Michael Schumacher AS YOU might expect from a driver whose salary is around GBP 25million a year, Michael's garage at home in Switzerland is crammed with exotica. There's his favourite driver's car, the Ferrari 550 Maranello, and a 360 Modena he was given for winning the F1 world championship last year for Ferrari. To take his wife and two kids shopping he uses a Fiat Multipla mini-MPV and for luxury cruising he can choose between a Mercedes-Benz S500 and a Mercedes-Benz T V12. Arguably, though, his favourite is a tiny Fiat 500. "It has real character, " he says. "It might not be the quickest car in the world but I learnt to drive on the road in one so it'll always be special to me."

Kimi Raikkonen RAIKKONEN has been a revelation, finishing in the top six three times in his first year of F1. The 21-year-old's Lexus IS200 road car might sound tame but it's one of 50 limitededition models modified for extra poke by Swiss tuner Emil Frey. "It has 180bhp and different ratios in the gearbox to make it sportier, " reveals Sauber's Kimi."At the moment it's fine but when I can afford it I'd love a Ferrari 360 Modena or Lamborghini Diablo." With Ferrari interested in buying his contract, that could be sooner rather than later.

Jean Alesi AT 37, Prost driver Alesi is the old man of F1 and he has some pretty aged cars as well. For starters there's a 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, complete with 7.0 litre engine and English tax disc. As you might expect from the Sicilianbred Frenchman, there are several Italian cars in his collection - including a Ferrari F40 he was given when he joined the Italian team in 1991, a 246 Dino, and a 550 Maranello, along with a Fiat 500. And that's just for starters. Other vehicles in the extensive Alesi ensemble include a Lancia Delta Integrale rally car, a Porsche 356, a Jaguar S-type and Mercedes AMG ML55 off-roader. "My favourite? I love them all but there are two special cars - the Rolls and Fiat. If I could only have two cars in the world it would be those two."

David Coulthard IT'S UNCANNY for DC that McLaren has a tie-in with Mercedes, because the German maker's machinery has always featured in his life. "When I was a kid my dad always used to buy Mercs, so I've grown up with them, " he reveals. Then a couple of years ago, I saw this 280 SL. It was built in the same year I was born, 1971, and I vaguely remember liking them when I was a kid. I had it restored by the factory in Stuttgart and I love it. It's one of the few sports cars that's as much fun to potter around in as to drive hard." To ensure that the SL remains in immaculate condition, the Scot has a Mercedes CL600, too.

Mika Hakkinen HAKKINEN relies on the McLaren team's engine supplier, Mercedes-Benz, for his road cars. "I've got a Mercedes E55 and an ML55 off-roader, " Mika explains. "The saloon is a classic high-performance car while the AMG ML55 has a big boot, which is useful for all the equipment we now have to carry around for my family. The trouble is, I live in Monaco and it's difficult to get the best out of both cars because the roads are so narrow. But I recently drove an M-Class at a promotional filming event, both on a track and offroad, and I was very impressed."

Jenson Button BRITISH boy Button is a bit of a car collector. The 21-year-old's stable includes one of the limited number of Renault Clio V6s in the country, a Ferrari F355, a 360 Modena, a Porsche 911 for when he's in Monaco and a Renault Espace. His father drives the BMW M5 left over from Jenson's Williams days. But the Clio is his current favourite: "When I heard they were making one with a V6 engine, I was intrigued as to how a small car like that would handle with a V6 inside it, " he says. "So I had to drive one just to see what it was all about. I like to have a road car that's a smooth drive, easy to handle and has fast acceleration. The Clio V6 has that - and some more!"

Other drivers Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW-Williams) . . . . . . . . .BMW M5 Ralf Schumacher (BMW-Williams) . . . . . . . . . . . .BMW M5 Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton-Renault) . .Renault Clio V6 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) . . . . . . . . . .Lexus RX300 Jos Verstappen (Arrows-Asiatech). . . . . . . . . . . .Audi RS4, Mercedes CLK, BMW X5 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Asiatech) . . . . . . . . . . .BMW Z3 Pedro de la Rosa (Jaguar) . . . . . .Jaguar XKR, Porsche 911

LOAD-DATE: July 15, 2001

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Search within these results:

This will only search up to 1,000 documents, even if your original search retrieved more.

General News;audi





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About LEXIS-NEXIS | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Support Identifier
Copyright © 2001 LEXIS-NEXIS, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Haywood Jablome

Thanks umbrella lady!

QuaTTrochick

There is an Audi RS4 driven by Jos Verstappen.

o2bnme

I think she prefers canon babe! ;-)

OTOF

That has a ring to it!!! ;-)

o2bnme

I figured it was worth a shot! ;-)