Another day, another new car reveal and this time it’s from Porsche and it’s in the shape of a new 911, now, I’ll be honest, just like a lot of people e I’m not really into 9’11’s, they’re fantastic cars and I’d love to experience one but I’d never consider myself a 911 enthusiast and for the life of me, I just can’t fathom the 911 lineup so please bear with me while I go through this new one. So the new 911 is the 8th generation of the legendary sports car and is the replacement to the outgoing 991.2 911 and thus is a evolution of the outgoing car, design wise it looks very similar to the old one with a few subtle changes to it to differentiate the two, in saying that however, what I can personally see different is a new front bumper design, a new rear end with a LED strip bar going right across the rear of the car connecting the lamps together & a new set of really lovely wheels to set off a rather handsome little thing, also introduced on this new model is a staggered wheel setup which means, in Carrera S trim, it’s got 21″s in the rear & 20’s in the back which really sets this car off, on top of that, other design cues introduce a new hood which is very reminiscent of 911’s of old, enlarged front air intakes, new wing mirrors, twin oval exhaust tips & a slatted engine cover, overall it looks like a very smart, sleek & classy car as well as relatively muscly & sporty which is just so typically Porsche these days.  The new 911 isn’t just a fancy frock however, the front track has been improved by 40mm which’ll mean it’ll be wider than 911’s of old & due to this it’ll be very reminiscent of the GTS, the body itself is made of aluminium like all modern 911’s but this has way more than ever before which drops the weight significantly, unfortunately the weight hasn’t been released but by the sounds of it it’s not going to be a heavy old thing. Performance wise, it has a 3.0 turbocharged flat six mounted right at the back of the car just like all 911’s and even though this is in some form or another the same engine as the outgoing model, it’s been reworked to be cleaner & ultimately more powerful than the outgoing model, power is upped by 30bhp over the outgoing model by reworking the intake system, it now has piezo injection, an exhaust system with a particulate system, the intercooler has been repositioned, the turbo housings have also been revised and more, unfortunately this does mean the raspiness of the N/A unit will be gone which is a shame but as mentioned, by doing all of that, their is a 30bhp jump in power, this means a power output of 444bhp & a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph for a AWD model or 191 for a 2WD model which makes it as powerful and as quick as the 997 Turbo which is no mean feat. To put that power onto the road, there is a new 8 speed DCT PDK gearbox available from launch, Manuals haven’t been confirmed just yet but they are expected in the near future, when hooked up to the Carrera 4S, 0-60 is 3.6 seconds and if that still isn’t quick enough, if you decide to opt for the Chronic Sport Package it goes down by yet another two tenths which is plentiful enough, now remember, these are just for the normal versions, the oncoming GT Products and RS cars will be even quicker than that and way more powerful which makes me wonder what they’ll be like when they eventually get released. Interior wise, it is pretty much the same as the outgoing version, however just like the outside, there are some changes, these include two thin frameless dials either side of the central rev counter, an enlarged 10.9″ centre screen & overall, the buttons and layout feel very similar to the likes of the new Cayenne or Panamera, Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find Porsches well designed cup holders coming from the glovebox area which is a shame as they were well loved but on the flip side, on the drive mode switch there is now a “Wet” mode for wet weather driving and believe it or not, it has night vision & thermal imaging too!  Costs start from £93,110 for a Carrera S with PDK while 4S prices start at £98,418, expect to pay well over £100K for a well specced one, Porsche are now taking orders for them as we speak so if you fancy one right now you can order one which I love, there is no date on when it’ll be launched over here in the UK but expect it to be soon.  Personally, if it was my money and I wanted a new 992 911, I’d hold off a few months until they start to bring out new faster, better performing, better handling versions and then go from there, being Porsche, they always wind up adding tons of options & trims on the 911 range, no doubt there will be a cabriolet, a Turbo model as well as GT models and then eventually RS models so to hold off for a few months isn’t actually that bad an idea. So what is my overall verdict? Well even though I’m not a 911 enthusiast per say, this new one sounds like it’s gonna be a hit and the more I look at the pictures of it, the more it appeals to me, I love the way it looks and even though it looks similar to the old one, with the revisions they’ve done inside, outside & mechanically, I’m starting to like it a lot which is a lot coming from a non Porsche guy. I’d personally love to see how it compares to the likes of the new Vantage or a McLaren or even the new TVR which also hasn’t long been introduced, it’d be great to see how they compare to each other in regards to performance, liveability & also price point, 911’s in the past have been known for being the best all rounder for many years now but with the competition getting stiffer & stiffer, the margins will surely be a lot more smaller.     Hope You Enjoy! By Alex Jebson

So after a good few months without a proper family car due to unfortunate circumstances, we’ve finally bought ourselves another car to replace our sorely missed Saab 9-5 Aero Dame Wagon Auto (Known to us as Wasaabi), before getting onto our new car however, I’ll fill you guys in on what happened to Wasaabi and how we got into it’s replacement.

So for those who don’t know, we used to own a late 2007 Saab 9-5 HOT Aero Dame Wagon which was known by us as Wasaabi – it was given this nickname thanks to no end to it’s ferocious power plant, powered by a 2.3T HPT 4 cylinder Engine producing 260bhp & 320nm Torque, it was certainly a powerhouse and as a replacement to our previous Subaru Legacy MK4 Wagon it was certainly an upgrade in the right direction and everything was going fantastic with it – it was plenty powerful, had enough space for everything we ever needed, really comfortable and most importantly it was fairly reliable with easy to get parts and good parts prices etc. We had that car for about 6 months and we loved it dearly – that was until it was drastically cut short!

unfortunately for us, the Saab blew up with turbo issues, intercooler issues & exhaust issues due to too much oil in it, this meant that it had to get scrapped and my parents had to get a Mitsubishi as a stop gap, it done us well for the time we had it but it wasn’t in a good state bodywork wise & to sort it out properly would’ve cost way too much to fix so we had to get a new car.

I actually really liked the Saab, it was our first ever Saab and it was truly fantastic and the power was truly immense, even in the winter it was perfect, it was such a shame it went bang as it was never given the chance to properly shine, unfortunately, I tried to talk my parents into another Saab but they weren’t having none of it which was rather confusing and a right shame.

The Mitsubishi was actually fairly reliable but due to the bodywork issues, it was a right embarrassment to be in and the seats in it were unbelievably uncomfortable even though they were leather, after a few months of ownership enough was enough and it had to go!

however due to the Saab breaking in such a quick way and a lack of funds we had to get another car as the Mitsubishi – even though not too bad was looking worse for wear, this is where the new car comes in!

After my mum getting a new Job as a Live In Carer, we were finally able to splash out on a fairly expensive car instead of the cheapish run arounds we were used to so that’s exactly what we’ve done – Say Hello To Our 2006 Lexus RX400h!!!!!

Yes, as this title reads, we have finally got ourselves a big classy Lexus, we decided to get a Lexus RX400h due to the fact they’re Full Time AWD which is perfect for the upcoming winter months, it has enough space for 5 people, a massive boot plus Toyota/Lexus’ well known Bulletproof reliability and due to it having a Hybrid system similar to a LS600h, a GS450h & even down to the simple Prius, it provides decent MPG figures from it’s rather large engine, also the Hybrid system in it also brings in other great features like free Congestion Charge for going through London, lower tax price & lower insurance costs which is great considering it’s large sized Engine.

Which brings me onto that, Engine wise, it has a 3.3l V6 mated to two electric motors & a massive battery pack, combined it puts out 280bhp & a mighty 751nm Torque, this Lean, Mean, Green Machine has more torque than a V10 Touareg and isn’t far off a G63 AMG and they’re big thirsty V8’s & V10’s with double the litres.

Size wise, this sits window to window to a Land Rover Discovery 4 and isn’t far off the size of a 2nd Generation M Class Mercedes, It absolutely towers over my own C70 which isn’t exactly small and it makes my stepdads Leon look like a bloody Smart Car which is rather humorous to be honest.

Based on the MK2 RX Body shape, it is a rather handsome beast if I’m honest with chiseled good looks with some curves added into the mix as well, the rear lights are clear in colour which is reminiscent of Lexus lamps of prior years, on the door mouldings their is Hybrid badging attached to let everyone know it’s the low emissions model, It sits on 18″ multi-spoke alloy wheels, in the front, it has a different grille design to it’s RX300 & RX350 counterpart, different rounded fog lamp units, Xenon Headlamps & a slightly different front bumper, in the black it certainly looks the part and really looks classy.

Inside, ours is cream leather and really compliments the black on the exterior, on top of that it has everything & more than we could ever ask for or need, some of these include sat-nav, bluetooth for mobile phones, heated seats, electric memory seats, cupholders, 6 disc changer, dual zone climate control, tinted windows, Auto headlamps which swivel when you turn the wheel, Auto wipers, electric mirrors, electrically operated foldable mirrors, electric windows all round, a tilt/sliding sunroof, electric memory steering column, a power tailgate which actually lifts fully like on more prestige 4×4’s & SUV’s and last but not least, my favourite feature by far, it has a built in DVD Player with two rear screens & bluetooth headphones so you can watch films – add in the sliding & reclining rear seats & you can really get comfortable while on a long journey.

This has to have the best interior I’ve ever been in & that’s saying something – in fact I’d say this has as much if not more equipment & luxury as a similarly specced ML320 or Discovery & because it’s a Lexus and has Toyota underpinnings, it’s all going to work & won’t ever hardly go wrong and is so easy to work as soon as you get used to it!

Comfort wise it is unfathomably good, the seats are unbelievably comfortable, you have tons of adjustment in all the seats, the steering column also moves electrically and is memory so can be saved to whoever is driving it, all the controls for the centre console are within easy reach and still feel solid after 12 years of use, the centre box in between the seats slides back & forth to either aid rear seat legroom or front compartment space depending on what you want it for – this is definitely where this car shines!

Transmission wise it uses a CVT gearbox which isn’t exactly great mechanically speaking as they can go wrong but so far so good, there are no issues to report regarding that, also due to the gearbox used, it’s not the quickest getting up to speed as it does hinder performance quite a bit compared to a conventional automatic but that isn’t really the point of this Luxury Family Bus, however the power is definitely there as it can get up to speed without a care in the world & can easily overtake anything in it’s path, It’s no Saab Aero but it’s actually not as bad as I’d first thought.

Also with no issues to report is with the Battery pack under the rear seats, Toyota tend to change them every 10 years or so but ours is now a solid 12 year old car and doesn’t seem to have any paperwork to show that it has a new battery pack installed, so far it’s working fine but I’m dreading the time that it needs replaced as it’s £3000 odds for a replacement pack from Toyota/Lexus, time will tell with that to see if it needs a new one or not.

Driving wise it’s nigh on perfect, already it’s had new tyres which have made it so much quieter at speed and less jarring on rough roads, it’s a bit eerie when you start it up as it starts & runs on the electric motors up until 40mph when it seaminglessly changes to it’s silky smooth petrol engine, I’ll still need to get used to starting it as I’m used to hearing a conventional engine spring into life instead of a slight hum from electric motors, I’m also going to need to get used to the foot operated emergency brake as I’m too used to a manual gearbox which of course has 3 pedals instead of two.

I honestly can’t find any faults with this car and because it’s a Lexus, I can’t see us having any major issues with it bar a replacement battery pack which may or may not get replaced just yet, It’s so good that I’ve even been looking at a Lexus for myself due to how good this one of ours is, I’m not a big fan of Japanese cars if I’m completely honest due to bad experiences in the past with asian cars we’ve previously owned but with this, it’s changed for the better, I’m not a Japanese car convert but I definitely have a bigger acceptance to a Lexus than anything else which can only be a good thing. I’m hoping this car stays for a long time as it’s too good a car to get rid of – It’s a Hybrid you’ll be absolutely thrilled to own!!!

I’ll keep you guys in the loop a bit better than I did with the Saab and I’ll try and bring a whole lot more updates regarding it & our time with it so expect more to come from our wonderful RX in the near future. I’m hoping it brings a lot of people into Hybrid car ownership and takes the worries out of Hybrid car ownership that a lot of people still tend to have issues with these days!!

 

 

 

Hope You Enjoy!!

From Alex Jebson

 

 

In the world of Supercars these days it’s always about who has the most expensive or flashiest supercar, now while that is great and all not everyone can afford to buy such an item and unfortunately they are only a dream to us mere paupers in our ‘ordinary’ cars, well that is no more as I’m about to show you – here are the top ten cheap Supercars of 2018!

1. Lotus Esprit V8

Ah, the good old Lotus Esprit!, as British as a pint of Bitter and the star of many Spy films throughout the 70’s & 80’s the Esprit has been the car of choice for Mr Bond on more than one occasion, now while those were the 4 cylinder models (with some having Turbo’s on them) none of them have had that glorious 3.5 Lotus built V8 powering it.

Pushing 350 bhp & 295 ibs/ft Torque with help from two Garrett T25/60 Turbochargers and a top speed of over 170mph this Esprit was no slouch whatsoever and could finally keep up with the Supercar Elite from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz & Aston Martin and due to it being a Lotus it only weighed in at 1338kg in GT or SE trims and even less in Esprit 350 trim, this meant it couldn’t just out handle the likes of the Ferrari’s or Astons on a back road or track but was also quicker 0-60 and 0-100 respectively making it a real force to reckon with and a real fly in the oitment for all the other manufacturers, However after 8 years of production run (for the V8’s) sales plummeted as the other manufacturers were able to pour out more money into their cars to make them better, faster, comfier and easier to live with compared to the old Esprit.

That wasn’t the only issue with the Esprit neither, Engines for the V8’s were detuned from a possible 500bhp to 350bhp due to gearbox issues, while Lotus could build their own engines, unfortunately for the Esprit there wasn’t a Gearbox which could handle that amount of power, throughout the Esprits life they all used gearboxes from Renault’s & Citroens – Citroen Gearboxes in earlier models & Renault Gearboxes in later models, these gearboxes were perfect in the Turbo models or the 4 pot models but unfortunately in V8 form they could only just put the power down without breaking everything so with 500bhp in original tune the gearbox wouldn’t cope and because this was the late 90’s to early ’00’s it wasn’t as if Lotus could shop around and either find another which could possibly fit or even build their own as they didn’t have the funds so with that the Esprit was hindered with an amazing Engine, a sublime chassis but a weak transmission and with other manufacturers upping their game the Lotus shortly fell behind and in February 2004 after a final redesign, the plug was pulled after 28 years of production.

So why am I bringing up the Lotus Esprit as such a good buy if has such a weak gearbox? well due to that prices have dropped and for a decent Esprit V8 these days you can pick one up for £30,000 to £40,000 for a low mileage unmodified SE or GT example with full Lotus history and a clean bill of health which makes it an absolute bargain of a buy, especially considering a brand new 68 plate BMW 3 series or C Class for instance is a similar price and nowhere as good to drive as the big beefy V8 Esprit. Also the Esprit’s are starting to become rare cars these days so prices are slowly but surely on the up with no signs of losing anymore value which means that if you buy one now, in a few years time you wouldn’t have really lost anything value wise. Gearbox wise you don’t really need to worry as there are kits available to make the gearbox strong enough to handle more than the factory 350bhp which makes it perfect for tuning if that is your thing.

Issues to look out for?

Esprit’s aren’t too shabby on the whole reliability front, just make sure you find a good example with a good gearbox, also check all the electrics are fine as trying to fix them can be difficult as they’re a majority of little wires which go to different things and can be tricky to retrace if lost.

gearboxes can still be found but as they aren’t being made anymore so trying to find a good one can be a little trickier than one might expect.

If you ever fancy modifying one, I’d suggest getting the gearbox rebuilt to handle more power otherwise you’ll run into more issues if you don’t and it can be expensive.

2. Audi R8 4.2 FSI MK1

A cheap supercar list wouldn’t be a thing if it wasn’t for the Audi R8 4.2 V8 FSI, released in 2006 it was Audi’s first proper entry into the Supercar market after building Super Saloons & Wagons for years prior, first released with the 4.2 V8 from the Audi B7 RS4 it was a phenomenal engine in a fantastic package – Mid Engined, a Quattro 4WD system that Audi have been renowned for, big enough for two passengers yet small enough to drive easily and because it was an Audi and a part of Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) it wasn’t just more reliable but parts were also cheaper than all of it’s rivals while still providing the build quality anyone expects from Audi’s.

On top of that, power was up there with the best of the bunch – 414bhp & 317 ibs/ft Torque respectively it could easily out drag a Porsche 911 or Aston V8 Vantage with relative ease, top speed for the V8 was 187 mph making it one of the fastest Supercars around at the time. Original pricing was £111,955 OTR for the Manual and £117,155 for the R-Tronic models

A majority of the design was taken from the 2003 Le Mans Concept car but altered slightly for production making it rather close to the concept car everyone loved with 3 years prior. Carbon Fibre was also used on the R8 to keep as much weight down to counteract the heavy 4WD system.

Now a few years after the V8 got released, Audi AG planted the 5.2 V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 into the engine bay to give it 525bhp & 391 ibs/ft Torque respectively and this boosted top speed to a staggering 196 mph – this was a lowish end Audi Supercar taking on the big boys from Italy and making it look easy, The V10 from the Lamborghini really worked well in Audi’s favour as many Supercar owners went to the R8 first before going to the Gallardo as they saw it as a easier way to get into a top end Supercar without paying over the odds for a Lamborghini which was very similar underneath or a Ferrari which was even more.

Now the main reason I’m bringing up the 4.2 V8 instead of the 5.2 V10 is because the early V8’s are unbelievable value for money, due to the fact it was Audi’s first supercar and they’d never built one before, they never really held their money too good compared to their rivals so what does this mean exactly? Well you can pick up a well specced 4.2 V8 Manual for a measly £35,000 with Full Audi History and and low mileage of 40K – 50K which isn’t really much for these compared to rivals, for an R-Tronic Semi Auto model expect to pay anywhere from £37,500 for a similar specced one with similar mileage which is in one way or another the same price as a Golf R or Audi S3 and none of those (while amazing cars) can quite fill the feeling you get when driving an exotic.

Issues to look out for? 

The real main issues really with the Audi R8 4.2 is only two things. first of all the early R-Tronics aren’t really the smoothest of Gearboxes as they have been refined endlessly throughout the R8’s life so don’t expect seemingless changes with the early cars as you’d be quite surprised, me personally I’d save a bit of money and buy the 6 speed gated manual instead as it’s known to be a right pleasure to use, only issue really is trying to find one in budget as there’s tons out there at similar prices and it’s quite easy to go over budget trying to find a well looked after example which brings me onto the second issue with the R8 – whether you are looking at an R-Tronic or the Manual prices are so similar it’s easy to be spoilt for choice and while that’s a good thing for your wallet, it can be quite difficult trying to find one which fits the bill exactly as you’d want it.

Whichever one you go for however is completely up to you and they’re faultless in terms of reliability and are known to be really easy to drive for a Supercar and regardless of price, spec, mileage or gearbox they are a very easy to get into the Supercar market and even after 12 years they still look, drive and go like a supercar should when pushed.

3. Nissan GT-R (R35) 

Yes I know, I know, a pretty Typical Choice as a cheap supercar but hear me out on this, I am in no way a Japanese Car fan but even I have to acknowledge the GT-R R35, it is so good it just can’t be dismissed from the list. First, a quick overview of the R35 GTR

The R35 was the fifth incarnation of Nissan’s Skyline GT-R line up, over the years,  GT-R Skylines have been renown for bringing in massive amounts of power, a ton of groundbreaking tech and an amazing chassis into the mix and the R35 is no different, released in 2007 it completely dropped the ‘Skyline’ name (as that was used on Japanese Market Infiniti’s), it’s computer screen in the dash was developed by Polyphony Digital – the creators of the ‘Gran Turismo’ games, these showed many things like boost gauge, sat nav, G Force readout, oil temperature amongst many other things, just like the R8 above it had AWD, it had over 478 bhp (with some sources claiming it to be near 500bhp), but instead of a V8 like the Lotus & the R8, the GT-R had a 3.8 Twin Turbo V6 with that immense power also came unbelievable Torque at 434 ibs/ft respectively.

Numbers aside however this was not a car to be sniffed at, in fact the technology was the best part of the car to be frankly honest, out was the famed ‘Hicas’ system from the Skylines and in came an all new computing system which was able to balance everything with ease, the tyres, suspension & brakes were also the best they could possibly be with the wheels themselves having grooves in them to stop the tyres popping off when thrashing it round a track.

The Launch Control system was also known for literally flinging the car forward and for the time it was the best L/C system the world had ever seen as it could easily fend off an R8, Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche with absolute ease and unlike the higher end machinery which could only really use their L/C systems a few times before breaking a major expensive component, the Nissan could do it all day long without breaking a sweat making it a robust, reliable system which really puts into perspective how well Nissan engineer their cars.

All technology & performance aside, the GT-R was still a fully fledged 2 door, 4 seater coupé with a big boot making it an unlikely rival to a mid-engined Ferrari or Lamborghini, in many ways it could be easily mistaken for a GT car due to it being front engined too!

Which brings me onto something else too, GT-R’s are really good tourers if that’s your thing, they don’t break as near as much as a Ferrari would and could easily be used day in day out if needed be and due to their alliance with tuners can easily be modded in all different types of ways to suit the owners.

Issues to look out for?

While GT-R’s are known to be pretty reliable & bulletproof you still need to do your homework, for a start, make sure all the technology works as it should as it’s a very complex system and if it breaks it can be expensive, also check tyres & brakes – GT-R’s are very capable track cars and a lot of them have been thrashed in doing so so make sure they are all in good condition otherwise it can be quite a hefty bill to fix them.

Try to also get one with a Full Nissan History as these show that they’ve been looked after really well and have been babied throughout their life and always had the best thrown at them.

Apart from that the GT-R’s are bulletproof and can be had at a very cheap price considering the performance & reliability, expect to pay upwards of £32,000 for an early example all the way £76,000 upwards for a new 18 plate GT-R, in regards to price, these are really becoming a lot of peoples entry into getting a supercar, even though a lot of cars have become quicker and their gearboxes have become sharper which makes the GT-R slip down the supercar hierarchy a little bit, the GT-R is still a bonafide Supercar slayer and for the price you really can’t go wrong whatsoever.

4. Porsche 911 ‘997’ Turbo 

Just like the Audi R8 mentioned above, this list wouldn’t be complete without a Porsche 911, for this however I’m going to concentrate on the ‘997’ Turbo as these are more a supercar than out & out sports cars, built to take on Ferrari’s F430, the Turbo originally came with a 3.6 litre flat six engine with variable vane Turbo’s meaning it had the responsiveness of a small light pressure turbo but had the out and out power of a high pressure turbo

Power for the early 3.6’s was rated at 473bhp & 457 ibs/ft Torque respectively with a 0-60 sprint being done in 3.4s and a top speed of 194 mph which certainly made it a contender in a game of Supercar Top Trumps, just like the GT-R & R8, the Porsche was also AWD with it being a very similar system used in the then Cayenne SUV, this made it quicker off the line if a bit heavy however it was still capable of being blisteringly quick

In 2010 the ‘997’ Turbo – known now as the 997.2 Turbo got a bit of a mid life facelift which included distinctive styling updates over the original and these included; Front LED Parking, Driving & Indicator lights and clearer looking rear lamps, mechanically speaking there was a big change, firstly the cubic capacity was now 3.8 litres instead of 3.6, for PDK models, flappy paddles were added in to make shifts faster & easier and it also had a bump in power to 486bhp which is a jump in 20bhp over the original.

Issues to look out for?

The ‘997’ Turbo in both 3.6 & 3.8 guise can go on forever so reliability shouldn’t ever be an issue, the only real issue I can see is body styles, the ‘997’ Turbo came in two body styles, a Coupé & a Convertible, Convertibles are rather flimsy when the roof is taken away so manufacturers normally put strengthening beams in place to make it stiff thus making the car heavier and not as sharp to drive, now while the 997 Convertible isn’t a pig to drive, if you want an out & out performance car, the Coupé is the better bet as it’s more taught, not as heavy and is far and away the better drivers car whereas the Convertible would be more suited to cruising

If you are in the market for a Convertible 911 Turbo, check that the roof isn’t ripped or teared as these can be expensive to replace, also check mats and carpet too as rain could possible get in and ruin them too and while they aren’t too expensive compared to the roof, they are a faff to do and can be timely to fix.

Overall the Porsche 911 Turbo is a very useable, quick and an easy owning car the world over loves and is certainly on the way up in regards to value with prices starting at £45,000 for a 3.6 Coupé & £50,000 for a 3.6 Convertible while prices for the later 3.8 models start from £65,000 for a Coupé & £72,000 for a Convertible.

5. Honda NSX MK1

Oh how different & better the Nineties were, Unlike todays Honda NSX which is a Hybrid with a V6 in the mix, the original NSX from the early 90’s was a completely different animal, first of all it had a 3.0 V6 which was midship mounted just like a Ferrari 348, it was a Honda which meant it was gonna be Reliable as Honda’s always are and of course it had Honda’s fabled VTEC system which made it a completely different car when in the higher RPM’s.

Engine wise it had a 3.0 V6 which produced 271 bhp & 209 ibs/ft respectively, now while that doesn’t sound like much these days, the car itself was made of an all aluminium body making it really light – 1370kg in fact, in many ways it’s just like the Esprit above where it’s a decently powerful engine in a very light body & Chassis, just like the R8, the NSX was Honda’s first ever supercar and due to that it had to be special to stay ahead of the competition and boy was it special.

See, the late great Ayrton Senna actually helped Honda develop the NSX prior to his death which meant it was engineered to perfection and tie that in to Honda’s brilliant engineering regarding their Engines, with Ayrton working on the development of it the car was bound to be a success and boy it was.

It soon won the hearts of petrol heads all over the world with it’s balanced chassis, relatively powerful engine & lightweight body making it the Honda to have soon after it’s release, top speed was 165mph which might not seem much by todays standards but back in the 90’s Supercars were not far off hitting 180mph so it was definitely a contender.

The best part about the NSX by far though is it’s Pop-Up headlamps, this gave it a look which no other NSX has been able to pull off since, with them down it looks sleek and ready for purpose and when they’re up it looks like it’s attentive to what’s going on around it, Pop-Ups on a car really do look good, especially on the NSX.

Prices start at £38,000 for a well used ’93 Manual going all the way up to £80,000 for a late ’01 3.2 V6 Targa with only 11k on the clock.

Issues to look out for? 

The Honda is very reliable like all Honda’s so that’s not an issue, however every car has it’s flaws and the NSX isn’t any different, I’d personally steer away from the Automatic as it doesn’t suit the NSX whatsoever, I’d go for the 5 speed manual instead and save a bit of money and enjoy that Engine in all it’s glory, also if you are in the market for a later model Targa, check that the Roof seals are in good nick as these are likely to perish with age just like any older car.

If you can, try and find a Type-R model NSX as these are well sought after and are only gonna shoot up in value, on top of that they’re great fun to drive as they are lighter too so even more fun to drive, finding one isn’t easy but if you ever do, hold onto it – you won’t regret it!

Check for any dents or undulations in the bodywork, as these have an all aluminium body it’s quite easy to dent and can be a tad expensive to fix as aluminium is a soft metal which is rather thin compared to conventional steel.

6. Ferrari 360 Modena ‘F1’  

‘Oh che bella automobile’ as the Italians would say, we have to have a Ferrari on this list as it won’t be the same without a Prancing Horse here and what a Prancing horse we have;

Released in 1999, the Ferrari 360 Modena was the replacement for the F355 and was a completely different car than the car before it, gone was the sharp straight lines for a more conventional curvy nature, gone also were the pop up headlamps in favour for clear lenses and also gone was the GTS model with the removal hard top roof.

The Ferrari 360 was powered by a 3.6 V8 with 400bhp & 275 ibs/ft and could hit a top speed of 183mph, it sent it’s power through either a a six speed gated manual gearbox or the aptly named ‘F1’ Electrohydrualic Manual – in other words a Flappy Paddle Gearbox.

The reason why the ‘F1’ Gearbox is mentioned in here is due to one of two things, first of all the F1 gearbox in the 360’s was technology carried over from Ferrari’s F1 team when Michael Schumacher raced for the team and got them back to the top of the championship, it was one of the first modern Ferrari’s to use this new system with plenty following afterwards and was the Gearbox to have if you wanted your Ferrari to be about out & out performance & lap times however over the last few years the times have changed for the 360.

What is that change exactly? Well over these last few years a lot of people looking at 360’s for either their collection, their first Ferrari or even for a liveable supercar, they’ve all been going for the Manual’s instead of the F1’s meaning the Manuals have started to go up in value leaving the F1 derivatives to stay put as people say the Manuals while not the fastest way of out & out driving, it’s more relaxing and more involved compared to the F1 box.

What does this mean for the F1 Gearbox cars? Well even though values have fairly remained the same over these last few years, they are now considerably cheaper than the manual derivatives meaning they’re a little more within reach for a potential Ferrari Owner.

Prices for a F1 Gearbox car starts from £53,000 for an early Coupé & £60,000 for the Spyder, while these aren’t the cheapest out there, compared to a Manual they’re significantly cheaper.

Issues to look out for?

First of all and this is the most important, check that the car has been serviced all it’s life by either a Ferrari specialist or even better a Ferrari dealer, this can separate the good cars from the bad ones, in regards to value, stay away from an Insurance write off as these can plummet the value by quite a bit.

Check that all the electrics are working and aren’t playing up as Ferrari’s of this age can become a little pain if not driven regularly, also check that the Gearbox oil has been regularly changed as it can make a good gearbox rather sloppy and horrible to use.

If you are wanting the wind in your hair and fancy the Spyder, just like the 911 Turbo, check that the roof doesn’t have any rips or tears in it and check the carpets & mats for any dampness as these can be expensive to replace.

7. Lamborghini Gallardo 5.0 V10 

Released in 2003, the Lamborghini Gallardo was the first ever small Supercar Lamborghini had made since Audi bought them back in the early noughties, it was the younger son of the Murcielago and thus had a smaller engine compared to the big V12 Lambo.

Powering the Gallardo was a 5.0 V10 producing 493bhp & 376 ibs/ft, with a top speed of 197mph the Gallardo was in no way a slouch, all that power went through either the ‘E’ Gear Gearbox which just like the Ferrari was a flappy paddle setup, it was also available with a gated 6 speed manual gearbox, which ever gearbox you chose it sent the power to it’s 4WD system which made it slightly heavier at 1430kg but benefitted it in lots of ways.

First of all, it could get off the line quickly, safely and with no drama whatsoever whereas the likes of the 360 would probably be left scrabbling for grip, it also helped in cornering too as it wasn’t too crazy like the Lamborghini’s of old which was a bit of a double edged sword.

See, some people loved the new way Lamborghini were going as they were now seen as proper performance cars whereas old school Lambo people saw it as too soft and not scary enough to deserve the badge, whatever way people saw it however, it was still a stormer and a real competitor to the likes of the F430 or the Aston Martin DB9.

The best bit about the Gallardo though was the V10’s glorious noise, it was truly gorgeous to listen to and the cherry on top of the cake for many an owner.

Issues to look out for?

Now mainly the Gallardo and Lamborghini being now owned and ran by Audi they are relatively reliable & bulletproof, there was a recall for all 2004-2006 models for a potential fire risk due to power steering fluid leaking so make sure the car you’re looking at has had this recall done.

Make sure the car has full Lamborghini history so it separates the good from the bad, make sure to also stay away from an Insurance write off as they are pretty low in value.

Check the roofs, mats and carpets on Spyders for leaks as they can be expensive, check to make sure the nose lift works as it should as the Gallardo is quite low and can catch it’s front end on a kerb or incline if not careful, check the front bumper for any scrapes as this could be an indication that it’s on it’s way out.

Overall, the Gallardo is a great car and isn’t too bad on the whole reliability front due to being owned by Audi, prices are high but not over the top compared to it’s rivals which makes it perfect for sports car owners coming out of the likes of a Cayman S into their first supercar.

Expect to pay upwards of £60,000 for a Coupé & £75,000 for a Spyder, as mentioned, these aren’t the cheapest but compared to a new Hurucan which can be upwards of £200k they certainly are a great buy.

8. Aston Martin DBS V12

Yes, yes, I know, this is more of a GT Car than an actual supercar but hear me out here please, the DBS V12 is very similar to the GT-R mentioned earlier, while it may not be a tech fest like the Nissan, it is a powerful 2 door 4 seater Front Engined ‘GT’ car with performance to match a Supercar, based on the DB9 and taking many an influence from the DBR9 race car, the DBS has numbers to match a bonafide Mid Engined Ferrari or McLaren.

the DBS was fitted with a 6.0 V12 from the old DB9 but this time it had 510bhp & 420 ibs/ft Torque and with a top speed of 191 mph it is certainly in the Supercar league, not bad for a GT Car at all.

The DBS also has history and an affinity with Mr James Bond and films like Casino Royale & Quantum Of Solace making it the only car here to actually be in a well franchised film series.

Gearbox wise, they had a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed ‘Touchtronic’ system which unfortunately was a Single Clutch affair, this means it’s not the smoothest or quickest of gear changes, the Touchtronic systems have been upgraded over the years so it’s not as bad as say the ones in the early DB9’s, Vantage’s or Vanquish’s but it’s no Twin Clutch that’s for certain.

Best bit about the DBS and any V12 Aston really is the noise, it honestly sounds like the London Philharmonic Orchestra are playing the Intro Song to a Bond Film through it’s exhaust pipes,  its honestly like a symphony and is an Engine loved the world over just for that and that only.

Issues to look out for?

The DBS isn’t actually as unreliable as everyone makes them out to be if I’m honest, however, many an Aston – DBS Included are handmade which means two things, one good, one bad, the good point is that they feel like no other car on the road, something a mass produced car could never bring to the table, however as they aren’t mass produced like it’s rivals, the build quality may not be up to scratch compared to an Audi or Porsche and it may need a few more parts and work done compared to it’s rivals.

Also check for Aston History and if possible, try and get one where Aston Martin Works have serviced it all it’s life as those are the holy grails in the Aston World, The Works dealer and technicians down in Newport Pagnell are downright wizards to Astons & their owners and just for that part alone they are worth a lot more than a DBS or DB9 getting serviced at a standalone dealer.

Expect to pay for quite a lot of fuel as those 6.0 V12’s aren’t the most economic of units, expect 17.3 combined MPG for one on a decent run and low teens if on a bit of a back road hoon.

Expect to pay upwards of £73,000 for a Coupé & upwards of £85,000 for a later Volante, now while these sound expensive, it’s either a DBS like these or a Mid to high spec new model Audi RS5 Coupé which certainly puts into perspective how much car you are getting with the DBS.

9. Dodge Viper SRT-10

Well well well, what do we have here, a cheap supercar from America? surely not I all hear you scream but here we have one and believe it or not it’s probably one of the best American cars out there, the Dodge Viper!

Now a lot of people may say that the Viper is a sports car and that may well be true but with the SRT-10 it started to stray away from being a sports car and started to become a bonafide supercar, with a almighty 8.3 V10 under it’s nose, it produces a whopping 500bhp & 534 is/ft Torque which in no way or other makes it a contender for this list and with a top speed of 189mph it’s certainly left it’s sports car past behind it.

Power went through a 6 speed manual gearbox and from there sent it all to the rear wheels just like Vipers of old and while on the subject of Vipers of old, this also reminded people of Vipers of old as it wasn’t easy to drive and could easily snap if not driven properly, if driven properly and with respect however it was known to be an amazing drivers car and that shows as people love the SRT-10 worldwide.

Issues to look out for? 

First of all make sure you can find a garage or specialist who can fix a Viper like these up, we never got the Viper in the UK officially so trying to find a garage can be difficult, also expect parts to be expensive as they’ll have to be imported from America through specialist units.

Also for the life of you, take it easy when driving this car as they can easily snap and be a handful if not driven properly, also check to make sure all the running gear is in good working order, many of these cars are imports and there is a chance they could’ve been thrashed by their previous US Owners.

Also look out for Coupés as they aren’t as good as the convertibles as they are slightly heavier due to the fixed roof, weird to say I know as it’s normally the other way round.

These SRT-10’s can be amazing cars as long as a specialist can be found and parts can be accessed too. Prices start at upwards of £50,000 for a SRT-10 convertible and about £45,000 or more for a Coupé if one can be found.

10. Audi R8 V10 Plus 2nd Gen 

So, here we are, we are finally at number 10 on this list and what a way to finish this article off with the Brand New – yes I said Brand New Audi R8 V10 Plus!, Remember what I said about the original Audi R8 4.2 V8 above? well this new one has the exact same formula as the old one, the new R8 has cemented itself as the new budget supercar, this car has as much performance as a car double the price of it which is just outstanding.

Just like the original R8, these also have a 5.2 V10 FSI from a Lamborghini, this time however the engine is lifted from the Hurucan and not the Gallardo like the old car, this time it generates 602 bhp & 413 ibs/ft Torque, that’s more than the new 911 Turbo, more than the new DB11 and as much if not more than the Lamborghini it shares it’s parts with but instead of being about the same price as the shouty Italian it’s 100K less – that’s unbelievable value for money, especially for a brand new factory fresh car.

Top Speed is 205 mph which makes it the fastest car on this list and can also compete with it’s rivals rather well, and because it’s an Audi, it also has Quattro 4WD making it a perfect usable supercar which isn’t something you can really say with todays new low, long and wide supercars.

Issues to look out for?

Well there is two issues I can see with the new R8 and that is this, first of all the depreciation isn’t the best and that shows as some are now dipping into below £100K belt, and unfortunately just like the old R8, everyone seems to go for one over the Hurucan making them rather popular and a crowded market on the second hand market.

Reliability is faultless and is typical Audi so no worries there, Parts aren’t that expensive neither, especially compared to rivals so just like the original it’s easy to look after and run on a nigh on daily basis.

Prices start from £88,000 for a coupé & £120,000 for a Spyder which makes it unbelievable value for money and a perfect way into brand new supercar ownership.

Summary:

So here we have it, you can indeed get a supercar on the cheap and just because someone has the most expensive one out there doesn’t mean that us normal people can’t have one because we can! As this list shows, if you shop around a little bit you can indeed go from whatever you have, whether it’s a Hatchback, a Saloon, A Coupé, a Convertible or even an SUV into the Supercar elite, now some of these cars are forgotten about a little bit, some are typical and some are just downright left field which is something great, especially in the car community!

What is your go to Cheap supercar and why?, also add into the comments if you have any suggestions that I may have missed and I’ll look into them, I found it gobsmacking that you can get the likes of a Viper for only £50,000, I’ve always expected them to be more so to find out they’re not is educating, it’s not just the Viper though, some of these cars are unbelievable value for money these days which can only be a good thing.

If you seriously are looking into buying a Supercar on the cheap, look into the one you’re after, check them out thoroughly, keep your options open and also check out cars you may not have considered before as sometimes these can be the some of the best hidden deals ever!

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson

 

So for anyone who keeps up with my Social Media pages, you will have noticed quite a rather large and intricate job getting done to “ProjectC70”, my Volvo C70 Coupé over these last few weeks and that is a new front bumper getting fitted to it. Now this wasn’t entirely a planned job as you’ll find out, never the less, it was a job I’ve never done before so I was excited to do it.

So Why Did I Change The Front Bumper?

As mentioned above the Front Bumper replacement was never on my lists of jobs to do as it was in a pretty decent state, it of course did have a few scratches and a little bit of paint peel due to rock chips but was on the most part structurally sound, that was the case until unfortunately I had a lil accident with the car which meant it had to be changed. Before the accident happened I was gonna get the original bumper sprayed when I eventually got the funds together to get the whole car resprayed as it’d of looked like new and would’ve went well with the rest of the paintwork.

How Did The Bumper Get Damaged?

Unfortunately for me, I had a bit of a freak accident involving ProjectC70 one day, Me and my Stepdad went out to the car to do some errands and while he went into the house to get my Wallet I went to start the car from the passenger seat to warm it up, what I didn’t realise is that in this occasion my stepdad decided to leave my car in gear.

now before anyone says that I should’ve checked if it was in gear before starting, my stepdad has a habit of playing Russian Roulette regarding that so I presumed it was in Neutral (I wouldn’t of started it if I knew it was in Gear).

Now of course looking back I should’ve checked but as this only happens on random occasions I honestly thought it was in Neutral.

Anyways, as a lot of you who are reading this may have presumed, as soon as I started it, it shot off in gear and because I was in the passenger seat I had no control of the pedals whatsoever so I couldn’t take it out of gear, unfortunately for me, the only way I had to stop the car was to hit it into our neighbours wall.

Due to that happening the cars bumper had an almighty scuff on the front right corner of the bumper, on top of that, due to the speed the car was going, when it hit the wall it was enough to smash the glass of the RHS Fog Lamp, that meant not just did I need to Replace the front bumper but also remove most of the front end to get to the Fog Lamps.

There is one almighty silver lining to this story though, Even though on the outside it looked like a serious shunt, underneath all that it was still all straight, no chassis damage to the car whatsoever which meant not only was it cosmetic but it wasn’t gonna be a hell of a job to do, plus I’d be saving some money too while at it.

The Strip Down:

First of all, I put the car onto our ramps and unplugged the old Fog Lamps from the power ready for removal, really easy as they just twist off and disconnect, The Drivers side (RHS) was a little bit more difficult as the Windscreen Washer Bottle was in the way but after a bit of fiddling it was finally disconnected.

With that done, I removed the 6 T25 Screws from the Front Wheel Arch Liners as I had to remove them to get the bumper off, these were a pain in the backside as I had to fight rusty chewed screws which weren’t wanting to come off, but with a bit of persuasion, we finally removed them.

With them removed, it was time to strip down most of the front end, this included the Headlamps, Indicator Units, & Headlamp wipers. The headlamps were super easy to undo as they’re held in with 3 10mm bolts and two electrical connections each unit, the Indicators came out next and they just clip in so it was just a simple thing of unclipping them, removing the electrical connection and they were out, next were the headlamp wipers and wiper arms, for the wipers themselves it was just clips and with the arms it was two 8mm bolts and they were out as well, when all that was removed it started looking less and less like a car but I wasn’t finished yet as I still had to remove the bumper.

The bumper itself is held in with two 14mm Bolts as well as the 6x T25 screws in the wheel arch liners, now while the screws eventually came out, the bolts on the other hand were difficult to say the least to remove, due to where they are placed and the age of the car itself the bolts were really hard to remove as they’d never been removed before in the cars nearly 18 year life, my 450nm Buzz gun wasn’t doing anything and neither were conventional ratchets & sockets neither so what I had to do was get smart and grab an old Trampoline pole which was laying around to use as leverage and hey presto, slowly but surely, they came undone and the bumper was free.

This is the difficult part coming up next, now with nearly everything I do on the car, If I’ve never done it before I’ll pop onto the internet and find a guidance video on how to fix it/ remove items etc.

And with this it was no exception, I personally watched RobertDIY’s video on how to remove the bumper skin and followed similar steps and to a certain extent he was correct, however, on a C70 the whole Bumper comes undone instead of the outer skin which means it has mounting brackets attached to it, clips, an assortment of screws and a rather large Steel Crash bar fitted to it which meant it’s heavier than the video explained.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I’d suggest doing what we done and using a pasting table to put the bumper onto so you can strip it down as it makes it far easier to do and you don’t need to lift it far neither.

Once it was on our Pasting Table it was so much easier to strip down, with everything at waist height it was a doddle to remove everything, first of all to come off was a multitude of clips, when they were removed we removed the brackets for the fog lamps making sure the bolts stayed with the brackets so we didn’t lose them.

After all that was done we moved the bumper and table to outside our front door so we could strip down the main parts of the Bumper without getting in the way of people walking up & down the street.

Over the next few days we removed the main components from the old bumper ready for the new bumper, these included the grille for the intercooler, the Bumper bar, the Bumper bar cover and a rain guard as well as plastic inserts for the wheel arch liner screws. Once they were out and the Bumper turned up, we were ready for refit time!

While waiting for the new bumper to arrive, we put all the screws and bolts into a container with WD40 in it to clean them up and make them easier to refit etc.

Also while that was also going on, I removed the Bumper Brackets, grinded off the old paint, got rid of the rust which was plaguing it and then primed it and resprayed it ready for Refit! Two 17mm bolts held them in place to the car.

Rebuilding The New Bumper:

When the new bumper finally turned up we slowly but surely built the new bumper back up, while most of it was the reverse of the removal due to the time it took, we had to go by pictures so we could work out where everything went and how it got put back together, it was a really mellow job and something which didn’t really felt the need to rush.

Using the hot weather to our advantage we were able to refit all the parts within a week or so and that was including washing the Crash bar, the two front wheels and painting the bumper brackets.

With the Bumper finally rebuilt and the brackets finally dried out and ready for refit, it was time to wrap this job up good and proper, we bought the table & Bumper back down to the car and within a few hours it was fully attached to the car.

We started by refitting the brackets which a piece of cake as only 17mm bolts held them each side, once that was done, we carefully refitted the full bumper unit back on to the car being extra careful not to drop it.

Once the Bumper was lined up, we refitted the Air Bag sensors, refitted the 6x T25 Screws for the Arch Liners and then refitted the two 14mm bolts for the bumper itself, as soon as we were happy it was refitted and bolted down, we triple checked everything to make sure it was safe and nothing was missing we finally put the two front wheels back on and tightened them up and that was the bumper refitted back to the car, however it wasn’t exactly finished just yet as we still had to fit the accessories.

Refitting The Accessories:

As Soon as the Bumper was refitted, we got round to refitting the Headlamps, Indicator units and the Wipers, this was the icing on the cake really as it started to look more and more like a car the more we done and it was finally starting to get it’s face back, we started off with the Headlamps and they were easy as they were 3x 10mm bolts each sides + Electrical connections, then the indicator units slid in and connected back up and then the final cherry on the cake was the wipers, two 8mm nuts and they were back into place!

we decided to wait until the new RHS Fog Lamp turned up at the dealership so we could fit them back up together instead of fitting one then the other as it’d look slightly odd, a few weeks went by and while I was at the V60 UK Launch a few weeks ago I picked up the new Fog Lamp unit ready for refit.

With the Fog Lamps ready for refitting we decided to get to work and refit them, The passenger side was relatively easy as there was hardly nothing in the way but the Drivers side (RHS) was not however, the way the C70 is designed, the screen wash bottle is in the way and it makes access terrible to fit the lamp in with it in place so there was only one thing for it – remove the washer bottle, fit the fog lamp and then refit the bottle, so that’s what we done.

When removing the bottle we realised we had to undo 4 bolts all in differing hard to reach places but after finding them all it came out easily enough and the new fog lamp fitted in no problem whatsoever, unfortunately however the washer bottle pump broke while refitting it which means I need to get another one.

Even though that broke, I was still over the moon the fog lamps were in and wired up as that was one of the big pieces of the puzzle to be fit together.

There is still some more stuff I need to refit but these are only small in comparison to what has already been done, I still need to refit the Number Plate as that got removed when the bumper got disassembled, new Wiper blades for the Headlamps as the current ones are perished and the washer bottle pump, I could also be doing with tyres as a hefty chunk got taken out of them when the car hit the wall as well as new wheel weights as they also shot off when the car hit the wall.

Once these are done the car should be relatively road worthy and should be drivable once again which is something I can’t wait for.

In Summary:

Over these last few weeks I’ve learnt how to do something I’ve never thought I’d be able to do as I’ve never really played around with body panels before, Admittedly, I did take my time quite a bit and that was only due to me wanting to be careful and not mess it up.

This also teaches me to check to see if the car is in gear or not as I don’t want it happening ever again, overall even though it wasn’t something I originally intended to do, it was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing and I learnt a lot from it.

I’ve witnessed first hand how strong Volvo’s really are, How waterproof they are as well (No Rust on the 17 year old Crash Bar) which was definitely an improvement on the first crash bar I’d ever seen on a MK2 Toyota Yaris which was so rusty it wouldn’t even set off the airbags if involved in a crash (Quite a bad feat for a car ten years younger than the Volvo).

I’ve also learnt how to use a grinder for the first time and also how to rejuvenate metalwork by getting rid of rust and spraying the brackets with Primer & spray paint.

And last but not least, I’ve also first hand witnessed Volvo’s build quality and engineering and have to admit for a premium car from a premium brand, it was so easy to do and so stress free it was weird to think it would be possible.

When I get more money, I’ll get the remaining parts and fit them into place and get it back on he road for it’s first proper shakedown session since I started working on it all those years ago.

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson

Yes, as the title of this article reads, I am in fact running a car group for Scotland & the Borders, now unfortunately this isn’t a whole new group but in essence a division group of an already existing car group called Retro + Post Millennia Motor Club 365 (RPM 365 for short), originally based in Stoke, it wasn’t easy for northern members like myself to get to one f their weekly meets, that was until now.

 

First of all, a little introduction to RPM 365:

The group got started by a couple of guys, one of which goes by the name of Daily Driver (No Joke) and is as mentioned above largely based in Stoke On Trent, England, the group has been going for around about 2 years now at a push and is absolutely wonderful to be a part of, all the members are really helpful, there is little to no bullying and regardless of what you’re into, you are always welcomed regardless of anything really. Plus with quizzes, challenges and all other fun things being brought in, it makes for a brilliant group to be a part of and unlike any other Classic Car group out there, what makes the group ever so slightly different to other Classic Car groups is vehicle age range, now a majority of classic car groups only let a car in from say pre ’95 etc. however with RPM365, they allow anything 15+ years old which means people like myself who either can’t afford a classic, can’t find a decent classic or even can’t have a Classic due to living situations can now finally have their cars allowed in.

 

So where do I come into this exactly?:

Well I joined last year and have been an active member ever since posting about the C70’s progress, finding car videos, pictures, sharing events amongst many other things and it’s been the only classic car group I’ve been in which has welcomed both myself and the C70 in without an issue (most of the others i’m in don’t allow the C70 due to it’s age). The only issue however was that because the main group was based in S-O-T & I stay in Scotland, I was never able to make it to a meet or a get together to show the fellow members the progress on the Volvo which was a shame as pictures only tell/show half the story, However I persevered and bided my time until where I am now and this is how it all happened.

 

How Did The New Group Start?

Well, I got wind that there wasn’t any Scottish divisions for RPM365 going so I decided to get in contact with Daily to see if it was possible to run a division group to run alongside and he agreed nigh on straight away and is even helping me run the group and get it started and up and running so it becomes a group to hopefully run alongside RPM365, I was happy to help as there is quite a large Classic car Community in Scotland which needs showing off to the rest of the world and as I’m talking to you now, not even 24hrs into the group being set up and ran, it already has a steady flow of members joining & posting, ranging from Subaru owners to Ford people & even BMW owners, regardless of cars or favourite manufacture, they are slowly but surely joining and getting involved which is always good!

 

What’s the name of the new group & where can it be found?

The new group is called Retro, Pre + Post Millennia 365 Motor Club “AKA” RPPM 365 Scotland/Borders and it can be found by either clicking the link above or by searching the name into Facebook’s Search bar, it’s only a small group at the moment with just over 22 members already joined but that number is going up bit by bit as mentioned above, Also, due to being one of the Admin/founding Member of the new group, I’ll involve the group into some of my already existing content on here and will hopefully try and set up some meets when I get the chance to, any events that I go to outside of meets I’ll be posting onto the group as long as it’s relevant etc. I seriously Can’t wait to get this off the ground and to be able to meet new people along the way who share the same passion will just be brilliant.

 

What’s the rules for the new Group?

Well the rules are pretty simple, behave yourself like you would in real life, don’t put anyone down for their choice of car or choice of modifications and don’t be spamming the page with modern cars out of the age restrictions, as long as the vehicles in question are 15+ years old they’re allowed, so regardless of what you own whether it be a motorcycle, a car, a Bus or even Heavy Machinery like a Tractor or HGV they are all allowed in, this makes the group more involving as different people like different things so it attracts more of a welcome audience which is what both RPM365 & RPPM365 are all about.

 

In Conclusion:

If you are interested in joining the group and you live in Scotland or Northern England (or even Outside those areas) and you have a car over 15+ years old, come check out both RPPM 365 & RPM 365 as you’ll be welcomed with open arms, as mentioned above, I can’t wait to get it up and running properly as a group to the point where meets can be setup & People can be met and cars can be shown off as intended. I would like to especially thank Daily Driver for letting me set it up and for letting me branch out his truly wonderful group into Scotland & North England and to the people who are already joining and spreading the word! without them, the group would be down before it even got started. As mentioned, if you wanna join, either click the link above or search for the name in the FB Search Bar and you’ll find it.

 

Hope You Enjoy!

Alex Jebson

 

Ever since I saw the release of the new Volvo V60 Wagon way back in February of this year, I’ve been pining to see one ever since and with thanks to Volvo UK’s VIP Launch Event last night, I finally got to see one up close!

The V60 is Volvo’s medium size estate to rival the likes of Audi’s A4 Avant, BMW’s 3 Series Estate & Mercedes Benz’ C Class Estate for those who don’t know. The previous generation of V60 (2010-2018) was a rather good looking car but lacked in drivability, bad resale values & was rather poor on interior space which is not very Volvo like at all, that was until the new V60 came onto the scene, in terms of size, think of this as a shrunken V90 and you get an idea of it’s proportions, it shares it’s platform with the new S/V90 as well as the new XC60 and will probably have the same chassis as the newly released S60 saloon which means drivability should be improved significantly over the previous generation model, interior space is also improved throughout with excellent rear legroom, decent shoulder room & plenty of headroom throughout – This is now a Swede which can take on the Germans!

 

Lets talk engines shall we?!, now for the last few years, Volvo have chose to stick with 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engines with different BHP & Torque ratings to differentiate between engine levels (D4 being diesel, T6 being a Petrol etc.) and the same is here in the new V60, from Launch there is three engines you can pick from, a low power D3 Diesel, a higher powered 190 bhp D4 Diesel and a petrol 250bhp T5 model, as of yet there is no T8 or T6 models being launched in the UK as I can see which is unfortunate as they deliver stonking performance while also delivering decent fuel economy as well, also unfortunately while there is Polestar add ons available for it as well as other Volvo models, there is no V60 Polestar available as of yet which is a crying shame as it was very reminiscent of the old fast Volvo wagons like the 850 T5-R, 850R & V70R’s, hopefully they do something to bring some petrolheads into Volvo ownership but time will tell.

 

Next up is Trim Levels, in the new V60 there is 6 trim levels and they go thusly; Momentum which is base trim, Momentum Pro which adds a few options, Inscription which is the Luxury trim, a Pro variant of that too and also finally last but not least, the R-Design which is the sporty trim, if that’s not sporty enough however, there is as guessed a Pro variant of that too! really easy to get to know once you figure it all out, Pro variants also get certain goodies that the normal variants don’t get like Pilot Assist, upgraded 19″ alloy wheels, electric tailgate and much much more. on display at the Launch event I went to was a D4 190bhp V60 Momentum finished in Fusion Red with the optional 19″ Alloy wheels, rear tints, Electric tailgate and much much more, in fact on first glance it looked like an Inscription, it was only until I asked what trim it was that I then actually found out, inside it had black leather all over it and really went well with the red exterior, it truly was gorgeous!

 

Prices for it start from £31K to just under £53K for a top spec model, now £53k does sound quite a tad expensive for a Volvo, especially considering there is optional extra’s to add into the mix as well but as far as mid size estates go, it is far better built than any new BMW, Mercedes or Audi and is far better equipped straight out the box compared to the 3 Germans, also, while the Germans look similar to one another in their designs, the Volvo truly a breath of fresh air, the exterior is just stunning and the interior is a wonderful place to be and is just so comfortable to sit in and get the perfect driving position.

 

Inside the new V60 is a rather plush place to be, even in Momentum trim, with Inscription models coming in as well, they’ll raise the bar in terms of luxury & equipment compared to it’s rivals, in the centre of the dash is a centre touch screen which is also shared with many other Volvo’s and it is really easy to use and very smooth to use as well, it’s not too fast but yet not too slow, it’s also not too difficult to reach neither, it is rather spot on for a centre screen and with the Bowers & Wilkins stereo upgrade which is a £2000 optional extra you can also mimic the speakers to make it sound as if you’re in a Gothenburg Orchestral theatre which is a very cool touch, if you don’t want to use the screen, you also have controls on the steering wheel to go through the different options too, while on the subjects of different options, there is also a a drive mode selector as well just below the gear knob near the handbrake which changes the suspension settings & gearbox changes to make it either more sportier or more relaxed depending on mood, moving into the back seats there is plenty of room as mentioned earlier and with the leather seats it’s really comfortable too, in the centre seat is a fold down armrest and also a 12v socket at the back of the centre console, one thing i’d consider however is a light coloured interior as it can become quite dark in the back, especially if the boot is full of stuff like the Launch car was. Boot space is remarkable with it easily being allowed to fit 4 large suitcases in with ease, with the seats folded flat, you could possibly fit an Ikea store in the boot which makes it perfect for families and the likes – Finally a Volvo Wagon which lives up to it’s reputation as a load lugger!

 

Lastly, We’ll talk about Options, for the new V60, options are plentiful, you get items like the brilliant Bowers & Wilkins Stereo System, rear tints, Upgraded 19″ Wheels wrapped in Continental Premium Contact 6 Tyres, electric boot release, air suspension is also an option on higher trim levels like Inscription models, Pilot Assist, Electric Memory seats, xenon lights, parking sensors etc. etc., the list goes on & on, you can easily make the new V60 personal to you and like none on the road with the options on offer, also, you can either have the new V60 with FWD or AWD too which also makes it a good buy, especially if like me, you live in the countryside and need a safe comfortable AWD vehicle to go through years of wintery abuse.

 

In Summary, the new V60 has plentiful of options, a decent amount of Engine choices, a wonderful interior full of equipment, plentiful of interior space as well as a massive boot, add in the gorgeous exterior and this is a Swede which won’t just be able to take on the Germans but also possibly steal some German Rivals Customers from right under their noses, now of course there are some issues & niggles like the lack of T6, T8 or Polestar engine options available, the high buying prices with higher trimmed models like Inscription & R-Design & Pro Models & Availability issues starting to already come into question, regardless of all those though, it’s a brilliant car and when they are finally available I can see them selling really well and being a very good alternative to the German Rivals.

 

A special thanks goes out to Volvo Parks Ayr, Parks Motor Group, all the staff their & of course Volvo Cars UK for launching yet another fantastic event! Every time I go to one the atmosphere is brilliant and i’m always made felt welcome even though I’m not there to buy a car.

 

Hope You Enjoy!

Alex Jebson

 

 

 

Now as an Automotive Journalist, one of the things I have never done is go to a Press Event, now of course I’ve went and set up events to see cars before – like the time with the DB2/4 but I’ve never ever went to a Launch Event – that had to change!!

 

For my first Press Event, I didn’t want to go too big as I would certainly both look out of place & be way over my head, so what I decided to do was to head over to the Volvo XC40 UK Launch Event, the reason why I Picked Volvo was because of a few reasons, First of all, I’d never really been up on the XC40 so wanted to get some info on it, second of all, I had been informed by a close friend of mine that it was happening all over the UK and all I had to do was sign up for it and everything else would be sorted out (so really simple to sign up for), on top of that, being a Volvo owner myself, I would have a better idea of what was going on, how they’d evolved as a company and wouldn’t look too out of place.

So lets get onto the car shall we, this event was to basically launch the recently released Volvo XC40 into the UK Market, the particular XC40 on show was an XC40 2.0 D4 First Edition AWD Auto, with a 190bhp Diesel engine, it is the only Diesel engine available as of launch to be available to the XC40, you can of course go for a Petrol and that would be the 2.0 T5 Petrol with a stonking 247bhp, Trim Levels are plentiful on the XC40 too with Momentum (Base Model), Inscription (Luxury Model) & R-Design (Sporty model), on top of that their is both Pro version models of all the above, but the top model by far as of now is the First Edition, this is essentially a R-Design Pro but with nearly every single option ticked, these include a Leather interior, a lovely set of 20″ 5 double spoke Alloy Wheels with a mix of Diamond Cut & Matte Black added in for good measure, R-Design Bodykit, Full LED Active High Beam headlamps, Pilot Assist, an iPad like infotainment system and an optional boot divider which normally comes in the Convenience Pack amongst many others.

Interior wise, it was actually rather smart for a small SUV, it had more than enough space, plenty of comfort and everything was so easy to use and so intuitive, when inside you could tell straight away the quality of all the materials used was up there with it’s big brothers the XC60 & XC90, In fact, it uses a lot of tech with it’s bigger brothers as well meaning that it feels like a Volvo should, In terms of cubby space and equipment, there was pilot assist, a removal bin in the centre console, a mobile phone charging system, electric memory seats, heated seats all round, Start/Stop technology, keyless entry, push button start, a gorgeously wrapped leather steering wheel with multi functions for both the infotainment system and pilot assist functions.

In the rear It had a rather smart set of air vents which both felt great to use and also looked nice as well and underneath them, slightly hidden away was a set of heated seat switches and a output for charging what looked like either a phone or iPad, our press car had the half leather, half alcantara seats which were really comfortable, In between the two outer seats there was an arm rest imbedded into the middle seat, In the boot was the divider I mentioned earlier which had hooks you could hang stuff on, it had electrically operated rear seats, simply push the two buttons and the seats fold down, it also had a 12v socket for the likes of a cool-box and a electric tailgate with a lockable option once closed.

Price wise, the XC40 starts at just under £28,000 and goes up to around about £40,000+ for a fully specced T5 First Edition, in the coming weeks and months their will be more engines available with rumours of a 3 cylinder unit coming in soon enough as well as more diesels.

The Atmosphere at the Showroom was very good, all the staff were very welcoming and down to chat and to talk through the car, and even though most people their were potentially there to buy a car, as soon as I pointed out my C70 which was outside, I got a rewarding smile back which made me feel welcome, overall the dealership knocked it out the park!

A Special Thank you goes to Volvo Parks Ayr for their fantastic hospitality, Volvo Cars & Volvo Cars UK for putting on the Launch nationwide and to Callum Laird – the legend who let me know it was happening in the first place, without him, I’d never of been able to go.  Hopefully this isn’t the only press event I get to go to as I’d like to do more, for my first however, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it!

 

 

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson

In the World of Supercars, for many years the Ferrari 458 Speciale has dominated all, it has been raved about for having the most pure driving experience of any car,  on top of that, with a brilliant chassis, handling was absolutely sublime, the only issue with the 458 these days however is it’s age, it’s nearly 5 years old and with the new age of Supercars coming out, it is slowly but surely losing the crown of the best driving supercar so Ferrari have decided to up the anté by releasing the 488 Pista.

Introduction:

The 488 Pista is the latest lightweight track focused Ferrari carrying on from the 458 Speciale, the F430 Scuderia & the 360 Challenge Stradale.

Ferrari states that the Pista takes a significant step forward over it’s predecessors & just like the car it replaces, there is tons of motorsport derived technology which is implemented into it, even it’s name is Italian for Track – in case you never knew!

It’s the first Lightweight Ferrari to be Turbocharged instead of naturally aspirated with the Engine straight from the normal 488 of course, that means it’s a 3,9 TT V8 which powers it, on top of the engine being re-done with brand new performance parts, the Pista is 90kg lighter than the normal 488 which means it has a kerb weight of 1,280kg before fluids which should make it an absolute hoot around the twists or a racetrack.

Performance:

As mentioned above, it shares the same 3.9 TT V8 engine as the normal 488 but instead of 661 bhp, power has been increased to a whopping 711bhp which is a power hike of nearly 50bhp, may not sound like much but if you compare it to the old 458 Speciale, it has a power hike of 114bhp, to get the power increase, many new improvements have been made which includes a new Inconel exhaust system which is the same material Jag use in the F-Type SVR which means it should sound as good as it looks as well as making the car lighter, on top of that, many handling upgrades have been made too.

Many of the Aerodynamics have also been tweaked too to make it more slippery in the air – many of which have been incorporated from the 488 GTE race car, these include similarly borrowed designed front & rear diffusers which gives a 20% hike in downforce which means it can do without a huge rear wing like the 911 GT3 RS which makes it easier on the eye as well as being just as capable on track

Ferrari’s Side-Slip Angle Control system also is incorporated into the new Pista with it being in it’s sixth generation – what is that you may ask? well in it’s simplest form, it allows you to manage and maintain perfect oversteer, essentially turning you into a perfect drifter, it is already in the 488 GTB so should be even better in the Pista.

0-60 comes up in 2.85 seconds while 0-124mph comes up in 7.6 seconds and with a top speed of more than 211 mph it’s certainly not hanging around at all.

Styling:

Now of course, being the lightweight track version of the already existing 488 GTB, the styling has been changed drastically, just like the transformation from the normal 458 to the Speciale, the Pista has squared off angles, subtle but noticeable aggression and of course optional racing stripes, the Pista is finished off with a beautiful set of 20in Carbon wheels which is a first for Ferrari, all these lovely little extras make it a lovely car on the eye, unlike the 458 Speciale which personally looked like a bulldog chewing a wasp from the front, the new car is a whole lot sleeker but still as aggressive, personally, I prefer it over the Speciale but that’s my opinion.

Inside you’ll find an interior just like the old Speciale, it has 4 point racing harness set onto a beautiful set of Alcantara bucket seats with a red stripe running through the middle & red stitching, exposed Carbon Fibre, Yellow Dials with a TFT Display, an alcantara & Carbon Fibre dashboard with a red stripe running along the whole length of it and a 488 Pista badge imbedded just above the glovebox, in the centre console you have the buttons for the chassis settings & active exhaust and last but not least a rather lovely flat bottomed steering wheel with matching red stitching, however to keep weight down there is no Mats to speak of, now of course you can make it a little bit more luxurious but that’s kinda missing the point of a lightweight track focused Ferrari

Expect Prices and full specs to be revealed later this year at the Geneva Motor Show where both this and the new 911 GT3 RS 991.2 will be released, Ferrari are unfortunately keeping Prices & specs quiet for the time being but I expect it to be near £300k at best. It’s either a Pista or a 911 GT3 RS, Saying that both are released at the same show, it’d be good to see which one is better.

 

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now as a lot of you may know, a few months ago we decided to swap our 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.0 R Wagon Auto for a 2007 (57) Saab 9-5 Hot Aero Wagon Auto, this was a big step for us as we’d never owned a Saab before and we had never had a performance car before so it was a huge risk, well 3 months on from ownership and I’m glad to announce it has been absolutely wonderful.

 

First of all, a bit of a back story!

We used to own a 2006 Subaru Legacy Wagon which on the most part was a brilliant car, but after maybe a few months it started to run into running problems which were later found to be really expensive to fix and because normal code readers couldn’t really tell us the problem we had no choice but to go to Subaru themselves to get it fixed, due to our limited budget however we could never get it fixed up to the way we’d like so after just over a year of ownership, we decided to jump ship from Subaru ownership and plunge into Saab ownership.

Reason being was that not just could they picked up for second hand Fiesta or Corsa money, there was ten a penny & for what you could get in the price it looked as if you could get a good deal one without digging through the classifieds, add on to the fact most of them in that budget were GM based it meant that overall parts & labour prices were surprisingly cheap for what is technically classed as an executive car.

After looking online at different websites I found what was eventually going to be our new replacement on AutoTrader, a black 2007 Saab 9-5 HOT Aero Auto Wagon with 118k on the clock in immaculate condition for a measly £1500, that’s right – an immaculate condition 260bhp Performance Wagon for Corsa money, however there was only one issue – the car was in Luton!

Both me & my mum decided to go down and check this car out to make sure it was everything we’d been looking for and on the most part it was perfect – of course it’s impossible to get a perfect car for such little coin but this wasn’t far off.

After spending a weekend down in England getting the car we bought it back home and instantly fell in love with it, not just was it uber comfortable but it was stonking when the right pedal was prodded – a serious wolf in sheep clothing!

 

What Happened Next?

After getting it home and getting everything sorted paperwork wise it was time to get involved with a Saab specialist to fix it’s little issues, and to both my parents surprise it cost the same to fix the whole car than it was to fix one bit on the Subaru which made them really happy – the most expensive was an alternator replacement and the only reason for that was because of access & how much of a fiddle it was to get right.

 

In those last 3 months, it’s had brand new tyres all round, brand new brake pads, a handful of rubber bushings, a new battery, an engine mount, a new tensioner and a new cam belt fitted as well as the alternator and since then it’s not went wrong once, for all that to be done it’s cost a third of what Subaru would charge for the Legacy!

Since ownership it has been used day in day out in all weathers and it’s been perfect, it has to be the only car we have had for ages which hasn’t cost an absolute fortune to run or maintain, if driven sensibly its easy to be doing 35mpg overall and unlike other performance cars with similar performance it doesn’t have a habit of drinking oil or chewing through it’s tyres which means that as a family wagon it doesn’t cost the earth to run.

 

What’s It Like to Live With?

Now with any performance car, they can be expensive to look after, have to have the best of everything and as an owner you always have to be careful of big bills but in the Saab it is fine, a Service including labour, codes checked, a full valet & a road test comes in at £300 – £400 all in by Saab themselves, when you consider that Subaru charge over a £600 for a Service for a Legacy and Volvo charge £300 odds just for the parts for the C70, it’s unbelievable value for money!

Also, there is plenty of Saab Dealers still around the UK which means finding one isn’t too difficult and all the workers have been there for years and know exactly what they’re doing which makes ownership a breeze.

On the inside there is plenty of kit on offer with Heated seats, A/C, Dual Zone Climate Control, Electric Drivers seat, Electric mirrors, Electric Windows all round, a CD Player with built in AUX, Alarm, Immobiliser, Central Locking & a multi functioning steering wheel to name a few,

if found there can be some Aero’s with Memory seats, heated seats all round, Folding mirrors, built in Nav, multichanger in the boot & a Sunroof too which means that if found you really are spoiled for choice.

Onto interior fit & finish now, and this is where it’s not as good, don’t get me wrong, everything works & it is laid out really well – with the driver getting a very jet fighter esque vibe!, but unfortunately it’s not as plush as first expected which is a shame really as you get all the creature comforts of an executive express but the dash & interior quality of another GM Product like a Vauxhall or Opel, it’s not bad but yet it’s not great – if you want a quality feeling interior then I’d possibly go for something like a Mercedes or BMW for that.

however, with every bad part there is a good bit, practicality is very good, top class in fact!, the boot is massive with movable anchor points & multiple cubbies, the seats fold down two ways, Either top half down or you can lift the seat base up and then fold down the top half, the roof is reasonably square which means it can hold more than enough goods for any family, Leg room & headroom is also very good due to big floor space and that boxy roof, cubby spaces are plentiful and where they should be, in the back you get an arm rest with two cup holders, a cigarette lighter and if a top spec motor you also get heated seats in the back too, in the back of the front seats are huge pockets where you can hide tons of different things too which makes it a brilliant road tripper, the journey back from Luton to Scotland was superb, it swallowed everything we had with us with ease!

 

What’s it Like to Drive?

Now this is where it starts to really come into it’s stride, now with a lot of powerful performance FWD cars of the time you can easily get tons of Torque Steer or Wheelspin due to the high power on tap but with the Saab, it handles it’s power really well, ours has TC and while it is relatively basic in the way it works it is able to keep it’s power under control which can’t be said for many FWD performance cars these days.

Here is the best bit however, Being the HOT Aero model (HOT being short for High Output Turbo), it is of course the cream of the crop for outright performance, with Turbocharged cars there is always going to be turbo lag present but with the Saab the turbo is like a switch – either it’s on or it’s off, there is hardly any lag present and once on boost it turns into an absolute animal!, 0-60 comes up in 8.4 seconds (6s if a manual) and the way it just picks up it unreal, it can go from a sedate comfortable cruiser into a Autobahn stormer in a matter of milliseconds which makes it a perfect family sleeper.

Now if 260bhp & 350NM Torque just isn’t enough for you, there is a lot of tuning companies who can easily get you into the 300bhp club & over without doing too much work getting done to them, both Abbott Racing & Hirsch are the top guys to go for if you want more out of an Aero.

 

What is it like in the winter weather?

Now surely with our 9-5 being an Aero and it also being FWD you’d expect it to be an absolute handful in the snow and the winter weather compared to the Legacy and to be honest you’d be right but it’s not as bad as first expected.

Now of course it is never going to compare to the Subaru when it comes to Snow, the Subaru would eat that for breakfast, lunch & dinner if given the chance, with it’s famous AWD system there is no way the Saab could compete with it but you’d be surprised.

Even though the Saab is FWD and it has all that power under the right pedal ready to go, in the snow it is surprisingly good in it, now of course it is going to struggle if driven out with it’s limits but if driven with care it is just like the Legacy and there is a few reasons for this.

 

1.

Unlike the Subaru, the Saab has both Traction Control and a low range gear in the gearbox and as long as the TC is on & it’s in Low Range and you drive with care it’ll be able to outperform a lot of small SUV’s and other cars, where some cars & SUV’s were getting stuck, our little Saab was still running errands like it was a normal day.

 

2.

Just like the other well known Swedish car Company, the Saab is of course Swedish which means that just like Volvo they are more than capable with the UK’s snow and wintery weather, in fact the Swedes when testing new cars put more testing into Winter driving than any other car company due to the sever weather they get over their, this makes for a normal family estate like a 9-5 a pretty capable car in the snow.

 

Now I am not going to say that the Saab trumps the Leggy when it comes to the snow, it’s now where near as good but apart from the lack of AWD it certainly is as capable as long as it’s driven to the conditions. 

 

 

Decision time!, should you buy one or not?

So, you’ve decided to get one for yourself, should you really plunge into Aero ownership or go for something else with maybe AWD?

Now, yes there are a lot of better cars out their if you look hard enough, some will be cheaper to run, some will be more powerful and others will be a better all rounder but if you are looking for a good looking car with dollops of performance with a great badge and an even better community behind it, it’d make sense to go for a 9-5 Aero but be warned, the car isn’t perfect.

Tax yearly is £520, Tyres for it aren’t the cheapest and if driven quickly the fuel consumption will go from about 35mpg to early twenties at best, also because this isn’t entirely Vauxhall based you won’t be able to just swap Vauxhall parts over for cheapness of parts, also early models do tend to suffer from Oil starvation issues (this was fixed in the facelifted ‘Dame’ Model), if you go for a pre facelift version you can get kits to stop that from happening but unfortunately it’s not permanent so be careful when looking around.

All in all, the 9-5 Aero is a very good car for the price and is definitely a left field option than any of it’s rivals, if a good one is found, you won’t really need to spend too much to get it up to scratch to the way it should be, if you want to mod them then as posted above there’s plenty of places around to do that for you if needed which makes it one of the better cars to get into performance motoring on a shoe string

 

 

So, in conclusion, if you want an all round Performance car with enough room for a family, a dog and a boot full of shopping while being insanely quick but yet capable in any types of weather, the Saab 9-5 Aero is definitely for you, take it from me, go and check one out – you won’t be disappointed!

 

 

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson

 

So for those of you who like me live in the UK, you may of heard of the Classic Car Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, for those who don’t know, it is a huge annual motor show in the UK which hosts a lot of classic cars and classic car memorabilia amongst other things.

Now every year Silverstone Auctions auction off cars at the show, for the last few years they have became synonymous with having bids well into the hundreds of thousands on cars which have never really hit those targets before, this year is no different.

I’ll  start off with this rather lovely fully restored 1968 Jensen Interceptor MKI which was owned by none other than the late great Eric Morecambe from Morecambe & Wise

It went under the hammer for a staggering £95,625 earlier on today (11/11/17), for the money, the new owner has got themselves into a beautifully kept Interceptor, it is absolutely immaculate and a great addition to any collection!

 

Next up on the list is a Restored 1982 Land Rover Sandringham 6×6 Defender, it is one of 12 in the world and it sold for a pretty reasonable £14,625 which isn’t actually too bad for a Defender these days, especially considering the rarity of this one!

Next up is where things go a little bit crazy and why Silverstone Auctions have got a name for themselves regarding crazy prices – yes that’s right, it’s time for some Fast Fords to go under the hammer.

 

I’ll start off with this 1983 Fiesta MK1 XR2, it’s possibly one of the cleanest XR2’s on the market both inside & out with not a single blemish in the paintwork or anything

 

It eventually went under the hammer for £22,500 – that’s nearly the same price as a modern day Fiesta ST200!

 

Up next is this immaculte 1980 MK2 Escort RS2000 which was reading a measly 900 miles from new, this is where the Fast Ford Prices go crazy!

It went for an eye watering £97,875 which was £17K over lower estimate, an absolutely crazy price for a MK2 Escort.

 

The madness doesn’t stop there however as a 1996 ‘P’ Escort RS Cosworth takes centre stage, just like the Escort above, this is also reading a measly 837 miles on the clock – and just like the Escort above, this one goes for a gobsmacking £91,125 proving that Fast Fords are still the kings of the Classic Car Scene!

When you think it’s about to settle down and get reasonable again, a white 1988 Sierra Cosworth RS500 comes up for auction, now in the past, these are the cars which have made Silverstone Auctions an absolute ton of publicity and this one doesn’t disappoint whatsoever as it sells for a truly unbelievable £112,500 – That’s Audi R8 V10 Plus money right there!

Now here is where things get a little awkward and weird, alongside the Escorts and the Sierra was a 2011 MK2 Focus RS which read just 18 miles on the clock, now this is still a relatively newish car with hardly no racing history whatsoever and with no Historical presence neither it looked bleak for the little RS, however it somehow sold for a biblical £43,875 which is not just double of what you’d normally pay for a MK2 RS but is on par with the brand new Focus RS, a car which will run rings around it’s predecessor.

Also you could easily go out and buy a Volvo C30 T5 (which is essentially the same chassis as the RS), spend some money on modifying it and you could be able to get a car which is just as capable for a 4th of the price of the RS.

 

Personally, I don’t think the prices are gonna die down any time soon due to the Fast Ford Movement which in the UK is absolutely huge!. If the prices are like this now, what will the prices be like in the near future?

 

Hope You Enjoy!

By Alex Jebson