Indice dei contenuti per August 2019 in Fast Car

Back in 1992, a Formula One designer by the name of Gordon Murray decided that the supercar designers of the era weren’t trying hard enough, and so he showed them how it was done. While the likes of the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 were squabbling over who could edge past 200mph, Murray’s radical design – the McLaren F1 – comprehensively blew them out of the water with its 240mph top speed. And this wasn’t just a toy designed for high speed runs; Murray placed the steering wheel in the middle to optimise weight distribution with the driver on board, and designed the car so that it could take a decent amount of luggage too. In 2019, it seems that Murray is once again despairing of the supercar genre. While…

Citroën celebrates its centenary this year, and to mark the occasion they’ve launched a promotion by the tag #BornAndre. To honour company founder André Citroën, they’re on the lookout for babies of the same name who were born on his birthday… although to give it a bit of leeway, they’re accepting entries from parents of babies named André, Andre, Andree, Andrée, Andrew or Andrea born between 1st-7th June this year. So if you’ve squeezed out a sprog that fits the bill, you might be able to swap it for a shiny new Citroën C3! (Not really. But you might win one, which you can then sell to pay for nappies – search #BornAndre to see…)…

A professional rivalry is always healthy in the workplace. This is true of any job – salesman vie for supremacy on the monthly targets chart, racing drivers need to earn more points than their teammates, politicians endeavour to accrue the largest and most spurious expense accounts, advertising execs battle it out to see who can have the longest lunches… and at Meguiar’s UK, the rivalry is rooted in who can build the coolest car. What’s that now? Don’t they clean them rather than build them? Ah, dear reader, these people are polymaths; they don’t just work in the job they do because they’re passionate about beading and foam concentrations (although that is of course also true). These are car guys through and through, born petrolheads, they just can’t help themselves.…

Honestly, we don’t know how those Players guys do it. Every year, without fail, the Players Classic at Goodwood is bathed in glorious sunshine. You might assume that’d be a gimme in June, although these days you can’t predict anything; add in the fact that it was slashing down with rain for the whole week leading up to the show, and it was looking distinctly iffy. But the sun always shines on the righteous, and of course the 2019 Players Classic was an absolute scorcher. How could it be anything else? We always say this, but only because it’s indisputably true – this is by far one of the best shows on the UK calendar. The ‘Classic’ name is a bit of a curveball, as it’s not exclusively a show…

We’ve all noticed this sort of tech in the latest modern motors. And we’ve all seen the flashy bastards on the automotive spectrum slink into their driver’s seat, smugly lob their phone on charge simply by popping it in the centre console pocket, and then drive around bobbing their heads like the bloke taking his kid to school in the VW Tiguan ad. But you know what? Anyone who can do that has every right to give it the Charlie Big Potatoes in our book. With all the top-end mobiles embracing the wireless charging revolution nowadays, we’d be wrong not to get all excited about it too. It’s clearly the future. Besides, fishing around for that charging cable is, like, soooo 2018, right? So, that’s where these swanky plug ‘n’…

We all know that Auto Finesse have become a force to be reckoned with over the past decade. The UK detailing experts have been mighty busy developing a huge product line that you’ll now find all over the place. I mean, you can get their gear in Halfords and everything! And that should tell you all you need to know about quality; the biggest suppliers simply don’t risk it when it comes to that sort of stuff. That said, this funky-looking item is their very first foray into the business of power polishers but, at that price, can it really be up to their usual standard? Let’s find out… IN THE BOX… I suppose, in a word the answer is yes, and I’ll tell you why… there’s a lot to…

Playground games have been the same for generations. You’ve got a bunch of kids rushing about the yard chasing after a football, another group getting in their way playing kiss-chase, a gang hanging out under the trees playing conkers (we’re showing our age here, conkers have probably been replaced by some sort of conker-based iPhone app, right?), and then in the corner you’ll find the boys and girls who will ultimately grow up to be petrolheads. They’re feverishly scanning through one another’s Top Trumps decks, ‘got, got, need’, to see who’s holding the Countach or Atlantique they’ve been hankering after, obsessively learning bhp figures, kerb weights and 0-60mph times, feeding the passion, making sure that their future direction can only take the one true (slightly oily) path. STICK OR TWIST…

So the Donington weekender challenges are all about handling. Bugger! Now obviously my first thought was ‘I guess I’ll be needing the doors on it for this one then,’ closely followed by the realisation: ‘handling? This Daihatsu corners like a chuffing cruise ship!’ Still, it wasn’t all bad news. As like before, our sponsors had come up trumps by supplying some key essentials, namely a set of spanking new BC coilovers for each car. I assumed these had to be one-off items just for this particular Daihatsu, but apparently not. Don’t ask me why, but these are actually a part that BC Racing already make! As if we needed any more proof that these guys have the craziest fitment list in the business. Anyway, there was still one major priority…

CHASSIS BILSTEIN B16 PSS10 height and 9-way adjustable coilovers, BILSTEIN drop links, Eibach anti-roll bars, GT3 top mounts, lower control arms, adjustable castor arms, upper control arms, toe adjustable control arms, Litespeed Racing 3-piece wheels, 10.5x19 and 14x19-inches, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres 265/35 front, 345/30 rear. STYLING Full GT3 carbon fibre aero kit by V.A.D, comprising front bumper with carbon splitter and canards, rear bumper and wide arches, aero fuel filler, rear wiper delete, Avery Gloss Carmine Red wrap with custom matt black and Nardo grey stripes. TUNING 3.6-litre flat-six, hybrid large billet turbos, Markski tuned ECU, Performance manifolds, titanium manifold studs, 1100cc injectors, NGK platinum plugs, 4-bar fuel pressure regulator, 4 bar maps sensor, GT3 82mm throttle body, do88 large plenum and intake pipes, BMC air filter, Forge…

Sorry Mum The office, his workshop, maybe even his own gaff - there’s lots of places Midge could have all his parcels delivered to. So, why does he always choose to make his long-suffering mother’s house look like the local sorting office? You would think this was after one of his monthly holidays too, but this was before he even left! That’s what you get for not using contraception in the ‘70s, like. Bald Spotted Of course, it’s not just the Ed to Ed build off that perfectly showcases our Jules’ video skills… or his bald spot for that matter. Some eagle-eyed readers have spotted the big man muscling in on the Auto Finesse Detailing Academy Video. Yes, you were right, that is our very own Slim Julie. He’s making…

When you go to test-drive a potential new car, it’s natural to bring someone along with you for a second opinion: a mate who knows about those particular cars, or a parent who’s good at handing out advice, or a mechanic to diagnose any weird noises it might make. But according to some recent research by cargurus.co.uk, a lot of people have been bypassing this logic in favour of bringing some rather odd stuff along for the ride. The car-buying website polled the nation’s dealers and discovered some pretty weird and wonderful stuff had turned up with customers, including a 12-foot snake, a mattress, a rifle, a ‘lucky egg’, and an accordion. One punter turned up in a pair of slippers, reasoning that they’re what she usually liked to drive…

It’s also the most expensive M car ever. There’s no denying that the M8 Competition is a looker, even if it is part of BMW’s new design conspiracy to fit every model with absolutely the biggest pair of kidney grilles possible, and the Bavarian marque is positioning it squarely in the luxury sector. Pricing starts at a bowel-loosening £123,435, for which you get a 625bhp 4.4-litre V8 (0-62mph in 3.2s!), all-wheel drive, 395mm brakes, plush leather seats with ‘perforated 3D quilting’, the ‘Hey BMW’ personal assistant system, and several thousand miles of wiring, probably. Is it a proper M car? Most definitely. But it does weigh almost two tonnes, so it’s not exactly a featherweight… still, at 123 bags, it’s not something we’ll ever have to worry about.…

Tuesday’s child, as the old nursery rhyme goes, is full of grace. That sounds about right, doesn’t it? The Ruby Red Impreza we’ve found lurking in the shadows in downtown Bangkok couldn’t be a Monday’s child – it’s more striking than it is ‘fair of face’. Scanning through the rest of the age-old rhyme, it’s not full of woe, and we wouldn’t say it has far to go… no, full of grace describes this lipstick-hued Scoob pretty smartly. It’s not a word often applied to modified cars, is it? Not with a straight face, anyway. Yes, there used to be lots of cars in the scene back in the ’90s proudly wearing stickers that said ‘Pace, grace, and serious bass’, but it always felt that the word had been chosen…

The interior is the most important part of your car. Well, sort of. Obviously it’s imperative to have oodles of power to play with – the more the better, really – and a cunningly tweaked chassis to cope with it, and the right rims and an on-point stance and exterior aesthetics to make other road users ooze with envy… but let’s face it, you’re physically inside the car and you need it to be nice in there. No matter how pretty or quick your ride may be, if it’s got a crap interior it’ll make you sad. There’s all sorts you can do to spruce up a lacklustre interior, the aftermarket can furnish you with endless options when it comes to seats, steering wheels, audio upgrades, carpets, rollcages, you name…

AUTOSTAR BLADE, £99 (EACH) Just how teeth-achingly sweet are these brand-new fifteens from AutoStar? There’s clearly no school like the old school… and that’s most likely the kind of cars you’ll find ‘em on this season. These super-fresh rims are only available in a 4x100PCD at the moment, which will only make a difference to your life if you’ve got a Polo, MX-5, Civic or the like, but there’s still no doubt that these swept-back six-spokers are one of the most stunning entry-level hoops we’ve seen in a good while. And all for under a ton per corner too. B-E-A-utiful. www.nuts4wheels.com Size: 8x15 PCD: 4x100 Offset: ET20 DRIVEN DT50 RACING OIL, £70 (5-LITRE) This stuff from the guys at Driven certainly isn’t your normal lube, it’s scientifically engineered to include…

PUMA X PIRELLI REPLICAT-X, £100 For the first time, PUMA and Pirelli have joined forces to bring some extra grippiness to the world of footwear. Combining Pirelli’s rather cool Cinturato Blue tyre (used at the top level of racing) with Puma, the new Replicat-X is apparently designed to “perform like a modern supercar, bringing the track to the street”. The Replicat-X sports an oversized full rubber outsole, with a comfortable moulded sock-liner. The shoe’s uppers feature a perforated Microfibre-suede on the vamp, with lateral mesh panels for breathability, whilst Pirelli’s unique Cinturato Blue tread pattern on the sole ensures maximum traction in the wet. Perfect for racing your way around the wet and sticky floors of your local on a Saturday night. Move over, coming through… www.puma.com HEEL TREAD SOCKS,…

Nothing completes your interior, or gives a proper race car feel, quite like an aftermarket steering wheel. Now obviously, we don’t have to tell you that there’s several billion different designs out there; this isn’t an exercise in brand whoring, or what’s the best wheel on the market. That you’ll have to decide for yourself. What we’re concerned with here is exactly how you get your spanky new wheel fitted to your car in a matter of minutes. Here’s how it’s done… DO IT! 1 POWER DOWN Get that battery disconnected and go and do something else for an hour, ideally overnight. It’s important that you don’t skip this stage with any car that has an airbag as you’ll need to make sure any residual charge in the system…

Nope. We’re not going to offer you half the trade price for your car, like those websites. Instead we want to give you the chance to be featured in the best modified car mag on the planet! So, if you own a cool-as-a-cucumber car you think is worthy of Fast Car, we’d love to see it. Please send a selection of good quality images and a spec to jules.truss@kelsey.co.uk, with ‘Feature Car’ as the subject. If we like it, we’ll get back to you to arrange a photoshoot. Simples.…

Challenge Two @ Japfest Donington The boys will be taking on Japfest’s brand spanking new feature, the Handling Course. Held on the Melbourne Loop section of the circuit, the course has been designed to test the car’s chassis and driver’s skills. Midge and Jules don’t possess such things. So, to spice things up, Paul Cowland of Discovery TV’s Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars, will be setting the times in both cars. The rules are simple: the fastest time wins. Challenge Three @ TRAX Donington If you thought we’d let the Editors off lightly on Saturday’s challenge, don’t worry as we’ve taken it up a notch for Sunday’s showdown. The boys will be following in the footsteps of some of the most legendary names in motorsport history. That’s right people, they’ll be…

They say it’s not the size but what you do with it that counts. I say bollocks, bigger is always better especially when it comes to headunits. And that’s just one of the many reasons why I jumped in my car, popped to Halfords and bought one of these pukka new JVC KW-M745DBT. Another is the simple fact that I’ve been using Waze on my iPhone as a satnav since I bought the car; it’s all well and good until your mum decides to call you just as you’re coming up to a junction… You either kill the call or get lost. Neither option is great to be honest. The KW-M745DBT has Apple CarPlay, which means I can sync a lot of my apps including Waze to the headunit. CarPlay…

It’s 9am on a sunny morning and I’m heading deep into the industrial heartlands of Birmingham to check out a very special car. It’s taken a while to get to this point. The owner Ibrahim (Iby to his friends) has had a few engine issues to deal with, but as I take a left into his industrial estate, it’s clear that it’s been more than worth the wait. Ahead of me sits one of the most imposing cars I’ve ever seen. Flanked by spiky metal fencing outside Iby’s Speedwells alloy wheel business, this ultra-wide, bright red Porsche looks totally out of place lurking in the shadows. Its number plate – F1 8OMB – further adds to the sense that this is a bit of a monster. The Porsche 997 Turbo…

Honda’s Type R sub-brand has always sat at the very core of tuner culture, with these honed and pared-back performance machines effectively being sold pre-modified from the factory. Ever since the early days of the EK9 Civic and NSX-R, that little red badge has signified the best possible versions of what these Hondas can be. And naturally the aftermarket has always embraced these cars with open arms, as they’re just so damned tuneable. The current-generation FK8 Civic Type R is an absolute lunatic straight from the forecourt – we’re talking 306bhp, 295lb.ft, 0-62 in 4.9s, and a near-unbelievable top speed of 169mph. To view this car as merely a starting point takes a special kind of crazy, but looking at the photos here you can see that craziness creates great…

Then: £18,895 Now: £5,500 Peugeot have just announced the second- generation 208, and you know what that means… the first-gen cars are going to get cheaper! The model’s been around since 2012, and because of that, the early GTI models are already very affordable – if you shop around, you can find 2013 GTIs for as little as £5,500 which, for a car that was essentially a current model until a few weeks ago, is pretty spectacular value. When this car was launched, the reviews were very keen to tout it as ‘the new 205 GTI’ – a welcome return after the astonishing crapness of the 207 GTI. And thankfully, it did turn out to have a lot of the charm of the retro classic; not just the pastiche C-pillar…

These wee monsters from the sonic scientists over at Kicker are so hot off the press, they haven’t even confirmed the UK prices yet! In fact, you can’t even get your hands on them right now, because they’re not actually landing here in Blighty until next month. Still, what’s most unusual is that these are genuine entry-level offerings… presumably to make sure that even us mere mortals will be able to afford a whole load of Kicker awesomeness in our cars. It makes sense, though, after all, Kicker are perhaps most associated with high-end works of auditory weaponry. So, there’s plenty of room on the market for more budget-conscious items. Speaking of cars too, the new CS-Series is pretty massive: it has no less than 12 different configurations of coaxial…

Tuned cars are never exactly what people expect them to be at first glance, especially to people who aren’t into modified cars. But this car, Scott Smith’s awesome E36 BMW coupé, takes the usual clichéd expression of ‘with a twist’ and seriously maxes it out, as almost nothing is like you’d expect. It’s a very fast E36, but is it an M3? Nope, it’s a diesel. So a 330d engine? Nope, it’s not even a BMW engine; it’s a Mercedes. So it’s got the famous OM606 6cyl engine? No, the 5cyl OM605. It can’t be that powerful though, can it, it’s a diesel!? It’s 450bhp! But diesel’s don’t rev. Well this one pulls hard all the way to 6500rpm thanks to a big BorgWarner S366SX turbo. So it’s laggy then…

So, we’re hitting the track again for the next challenge. And after the disaster in the first challenge where my wheels hit the arches and basically handed Midge the victory, I cannot afford a repeat performance. There’s no way I’m losing this battle and doing a forfeit of his choosing; he’ll have me jumping out of a plane or something. So first up, I decided to address that problem and get some metal arches bolted on. Now, before you laugh, it’s purely function over form here, but what I will say is, once the rest of the ‘styling’ is done they won’t look out of place. Did I hear someone say Bosozoku? Now to the handling bit! There’s only one way to go here, and that’s to stick a set…

With the attention this car is now getting on a global scale, it’s time to make it look as good as it goes… That’s right, it was finally time to rip off the old metal makeshift arches and fit something a bit more in keeping with the car’s build. These came in the form of some brand spanking new wide fenders from the guys over at EP Racing. First, we removed the old arches; this didn’t take long at all. Then it was time to break out the angle grinder and get cutting. We need as much room as possible under the arches to improve wheel clearance so that we can take advantage of lowes that come courtesy of PB coilovers. We also tubbed and coated the innards with Raptor…

The BILSTEIN B16 PSS10 package has been designed to allow enthusiast owners to get the maximum driving thrills from their car, while retaining OEM-levels of refinement and reliability. For a hard driven road-car like this 997 Turbo, it’s the perfect solution. Inverted monotube technology and threaded ride-height adjustability means that drivers can find their perfect set-up. The B16s can be tuned for both compression and rebound, with nine different damping force settings, which can be adjusted on the car. For more info head to www.bilstein.com/uk/en/en…

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is, in the words of Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal. Lord March’s annual garden party offers unparalleled diversity on a scale that you simply won’t find anywhere else, and the colossal majesty of it all is self-perpetuating: because it’s a world class event, it attracts world class cars and drivers – anyone who’s anyone wants to be there, manufacturers use the show for world-exclusive new model reveals (this year we saw the new Honda E, Ford GT MkII, and De Tomaso P72 make their global debuts), and the world’s greatest drivers and riders want to be a part of it. There are certain touchpoints that you know you’ll find at the FoS every year: there’s the Forest Rally stage up at the top…

Jules: “We only got back from Spain yesterday! You can’t be going away again, surely?” Midge: “Yeah, I’m in Mallorca, living the dream and don’t call me Shirley.” Jules: “Well, you’re too old for Shagaluf and too fat for Love Island, so what are you doing there?” Midge: “What the hell is that?” Jules: “My teeth whitening thing, mate.” Midge” “Sort your life out TOWIE, your mush looks like a shit ‘90s disco!”…