Indice dei contenuti per March 2021 in Fast Car

UK drift supremo Steven ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni and his group of in-house tuning gurus at SB Motorsport have built and competed in some pretty out-there motors in their time, including the UK’s first Nissan R35 GT-R powered by a turbocharged V8! But he’s not stopping there… We reckon lockdown must have messed up his mind, because his latest creation, that’s in the build process as we speak, has got to be his most insane yet! The build, dubbed the Navara-R, is, as you might have guessed, based on a Nissan Navara pick-up truck, but this one will be powered by a VR38 twin turbo engine from its GT-R stablemate. “This project has always been on the cards for SB Motorsport, ever since our initial GT-R project. With racing currently on hold…

The world has turned greyscale, there’s no denying that. Look out of the window at your neighbours’ cars and you’ll see – grey, black, grey, grey, white, silver, grey… the average street today looks like a panda doing a crossword on a zebra crossing. Thankfully though, there are still some manufacturers who have a sense of fun; who know how to inject a bit of verve and vigour into the colour palette. Renault’s Liquid Yellow, Mercedes’ Green Hell Magno, Mazda’s Soul Red, these are shades with a proper show car vibe. And the manufacturer with perhaps more vim and vivacity than most is BMW: over the years we’ve seen Misano Red, Dakar Yellow, Avus Blue, Mugello Red, Daytona Violet, Estoril Blue, Laguna Seca Blue, Sepang Bronze and a few others…

1 WHAT IS AN INDUCTION KIT AND WHAT DOES IT DO? An induction kit usually refers to the components used to replace the standard air box and cold air feed to the engine. Pipercross specialises in performance intakes of which the main function is to improve a vehicles performance, by improving its ability to feed cold fresh air to where the car needs it most. 2 ARE THEY ALL THE SAME? There are many different types of aftermarket performance air intake systems available. Whilst the aim of all the intake systems should be the same (to increase the air flow the engine), the designs and final results can be very different. 3 WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF? The two main components of an induction system are the airbox and air…

With loads of events each month all over the country (Covid permitting) finding a trackday to suit won’t be an issue, but here are a few things to consider before booking: NOISE LIMITS: This is set by the local council and will be strictly enforced. If you’ve got a loud aftermarket exhaust, get the dB levels checked. If your car is too loud, you won’t be allowed on track. FORMAT: You have two main choices: ‘session’ or ‘open pitlane’. The former groups drivers of similar ability into 20-30 minute sessions – this is probably the best bet for newbies. Open pitlane days offer as little or as much track time as you want (as long as the maximum number of cars on track isn’t exceeded), but usually cost more, as…

LIBERTY WALK T-SHIRT You’ve seen the wild machines that come out of the mind of Liberty Walk’s bossman, but now you can get a slice of the style that has shot Japanese body kit master Wataru Kato to automotive superstardom with this sweet black T-shirt with cool aqua Liberty Walk branding. Available is sizes ranging from medium to extra large, this top cotton tee talks the talk and walks the walk! Price: £15.00 Contact: www.libertywalk-eu.com HOONIGAN KILL ALL TYRES T-SHIRT Even if you can’t live out your Ken Block Gymkhana fantasies on the road, you can sure stick some of that hooning goodness on your back with this cool T-shirt.This high-quality short sleeved tee is made from 100% cotton with the Hoonigan Logo on the front and Kill All Tires…

Modifying cars is great. There’s the thrill of the research as you dig into magazine articles to learn about the modifications you need to improve your car’s performance. Then there’s the anticipation of your shiny new parts arriving in the post after your late night binge that left your credit card still smoking. If you’re lucky, you can bask in the glow from the new car parts when you unwrap them, proudly showing off your new purchases before finally getting to fit them. If you’re not so lucky of course, you may have to hide them from your missus and pretend the huge boxes that were delivered are in fact for next door… But whichever path you need to tread, upgrades are always a welcome addition to any car nut.…

If you’ve never experienced a car equipped with a bush upgrade then it would be easy to underestimate the potential these little jelly-looking additions bring. I’ve driven many vehicles with polyurethane bushes, but this is the first time I’ve experienced the before and after transformation. Now, after all the trackdays I’ve done, I wish I’d got them installed sooner! With a little research it’s a clear to see that rubber OEM vehicle bushes can be an absolute nightmare to remove, so this isn’t a job I’d recommend you try and do on your driveway. With this in mind, I got Matt Roberts at Midlands-based VAG specialist Dub Unit on the case. With the knowledge, spanner skills and essential equipment – such as a hydraulic press and a vehicle ramp –…

A Toyota GR Supra executing a perfectly controlled drift is nothing new, but seeing the car achieve the feat with no one at the wheel is an extraordinary spectacle. But it’s not just for shits and giggles, as this is a serious scientific experiment to help keep people safe. Hold on… by allowing cars to drift themselves? Sounds dodgy to us… Obviously, the guys in white coats don’t see it that way, as it is the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) that has engineered the self-driving coupe in collaboration with Stanford University’s Dynamic Design Laboratory. The idea being to explore new systems that could replicate the instinctive reflexes of a professional racing driver and provide the calculated foresight of a supercomputer to avoid a crash. Clever stuff! By allowing the car’s…

It’s often the case that one sole decision is enough to set off the domino effect that transforms a simple project into a really complicated one. For Phil Jones, it was the age-old AE86 question: Levin or Trueno? There are other considerations, naturally – three-door hatchback or two-door coupe; original ‘zenki’ or ‘kouki’ facelift – but the face is all-important… the Levin had fixed headlights, the Trueno had pop-ups. So you make your choice between lightweight simplicity or oh-so-eighties style. The decision made here was to swap this Corolla’s factory-original Trueno nose for a Levin setup – something which, as you can see, didn’t happen. There are, of course, many checkpoints along the timeline between that point and this – suffice it to say that Phil has gone all-in. We’ll…

There’s a lot more to these builds than just pretty colours – lift their bonnets and you’ll find all sorts of mischief. The 123d has been fancied up with a Mosselman remap, Sprint Booster, K&N panel filter, and centre and rear box delete to give the torquey derv a playful 200bhp. And the M3 has gone all-in, with its K&N induction kit and carbon intake, 100-cell sport cats, and Agency Power rear box with Euro-style tips; it also boasts a Mosselman remap and Sprint Booster. What’s more, the SMG trans has been reflashed with superior CSL software, including rev-matching and launch control. Tasty!…

Wheel fitment is an artform these days. With cutting- edge air ride systems that allow millimetre precision to the ride height and wheel manufacturers realising that they need to offer a wide range of offsets so customers can get their wheels just right in the arches, it’s never been easier to get arch and wheel lip to live side by side in perfect harmony. But while the poke and flush looks are indeed popular, they are not the only elements of the fitment equation, as there are a host of different schools of thought of what equates to the perfect wheel and arch relationship. In mainland Europe, where the rules around modifying your car away from the specifications that the factory intended are much stricter than what we get away…

The Mazda MX-5, the Eunos Roadster, the Miata; you say tomato, I say tomato. It’s the plucky little roadster that everyone loves. Your dad’s mate has one that reminds him of his MGB without the swearing at carburettors every Sunday. His is standard, except maybe for some chrome roll hoops and a luggage rack. You’ll see them at trackdays with Safety Devices rollcages and cut slicks. Stancey-bois on Instagram with insanely-dished BBS RS wheels; tinkerers with turbo kits or engine swaps from rotaries to LS lumps; and drift kids with welded diffs and riveted ducktail spoilers stepping them sideways out of any given Maccy’s car park. The MX-5 is great. It’s universally loved and one of the few models that straddles most of the automotive subcultures. But as adored as…

It’s easy to forget that tuning is about more than simply bolting on flashy new power adders and chasing the associated dyno figures for extra bragging rights at the local boozer. Yes, we all love strapping on a new turbo, exhaust system or induction kit and seeing our hard work and depleted bank balance result in power figures that are skyrocketing, but by chasing these automotive highs without considering the supporting mods that give your motor the strength to attain the inflated figures with reliability, our efforts could, quite literally, go up in smoke. This is because, while not as sexy or visible as some modifications, or directly responsible for creating any additional power, it’s your engine’s supporting mods that are essential if you want to ensure the longevity of…

Rockin’ massive aero, chunky slick tyres and an in-your- face attitude, there ain’t nothing shy about this truly unique FastR Bentley Continental GT3. Who in their right mind would take an already bonkers-fast race car and think, “Yeah, it’s already faster than 99.9% of the stuff on four wheels... but I think we need to tune it.”? Step right up Luke Clayton, the man behind FastR and the owner of a pretty serious speed addiction. He’s currently overseeing his own revolution in motorsport, with the FastR race team creating new opportunities for people to get behind the wheel. They’re producing everything from automotive clothing to media, and they want you to get involved! The website is packed with written features and videos on all manner of weird and wonderful cars.…

The FIA ensures GT3 races are fair and exciting through a Balance of Performance system. This is a bit like a power-to-weight classification and means that a variety of makes and models of car can effectively race together. The unusual thing is there’s no maximum power or minimum weight limit. Instead, heavy cars are allowed lots of power and lighter ones are allowed less. Manufacturers and race teams pick their preferred end of the scale, race officials then monitor relative performance of the cars. They also monitor the electronics on every car. If they think one model has a clear and obvious advantage at a specific circuit, they can literally turn down the power remotely. A bit like the fun police, really. Not that Luke has to worry about that.…

At the track you’ll get a short briefing that covers the format and rules for the day and the flag signals. The main rules cover how and when you can overtake and that you must NOT race! Track marshals positioned around the circuit monitor this closely and anyone breaking this important rule will be immediately pulled in to explain themselves. On your first few laps, you probably won’t be familiar with the track and your tyres will be cold. Do not be tempted to go for it straight away as this is probably the time you are mostly likely to have an off! Start slow and build up speed as your confidence grows and tyres warm up. Throwing the car around might be fun, but if you overdo it, you…

Patience. Tolerance. Perspective. Three things I struggle with, and three things you really need if you own a Mk1 Audi TT. Really, I need to keep reminding myself that this car is actually 19-years old – if it were a person, it’d be more than old enough to drive itself (er, that made more sense in my head), and a lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge since 2002. It’s only reasonable to assume that a complicated piece of machinery that’s been living outdoors will suffer the occasional malady. Owning a car of this age is an exercise in chasing your tail, keeping up with all the failing bits and stuff that needs renewing as well as modding and upgrading to make it better. I’ve learnt that lesson…

The Renault 5 was a cult classic back in the 90s, with the ballistic R5 turbo proving that a fragile, small capacity turbocharged engine and a boxy shell, that weighed about as much as a crisp packet (with about the same crash protection too), was the perfect combination for a hilarious hot hatch. The line of ever-more powerful RenaultSport Clios that followed have all received their plaudits, but nothing has enjoyed the same gloriously Gallic charm as the 5. And it looks like the R5 is set to return, only this time Renault is opting for a more electrifying flavour. The Renault 5 Prototype is a charming, compact, city car which takes strong features from one of Renault’s timeless successes but develops it for the future with a modern, 100…

Like much of the rest of Europe, Ireland has been through Lockdown, Lockdown 2: Locked Down Harder, and are now in Lockdown With A Vengeance. This currently means that no one is allowed to travel further than 5km from their home, and all non-essential work is pretty much on hold. However, there was a brief amount of time between the second and third lockdowns, which provided a single, responsible opportunity for petrolheads to get their high-octane fix before the end of the year. Unsurprisingly, it involved a particular model of car that even a global pandemic can’t kill: the venerable Toyota AE86. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out why the annual 86FEST, organised by Ireland’s own Corolla specialists AE86 World, was taking place in deepest, darkest December, but…

Proper big brake kits are often a good indication of just how serious a build is. If it looks like a track terrorist, but has puny standard stoppers, it’s a strong bet that it’s all show and no go. But spot a brutal big brake kit behind the spokes and you know it means business. Lasse’s Golf has double the kudos, as it features huge 390mm discs with Audi RS6 six-piston calipers at the front and 356mm discs with Audi R8 four-piston calipers at the rear. Stellar stopping power!…

Cyberpunk is a science fiction subgenre set in a futuristic setting that tends to feature high technology against the backdrop of a lawless or broken society. The origins of the movement are rooted in 1960s and 1970s New Wave science fiction where the melting pot of drug culture, the sexual revolution and artificial intelligence inspired comics such as Judge Dredd in the late ‘70s. By the early ‘80s, the Japanese take on the genre pulled on punk rock, computer hacking and underground societal misfits and was influential on the rise of Manga and Anime. The game Cyberpunk 2077 cranks it up to eleven and melds industrial, Bosozoku, outlaw and high-end race technology for the vehicles. As for the characters, think ‘90s Prodigy/crusties with a Hollywood makeover and robot arms. Got…

VP Racing Q16 fuel is powerful stuff. It’s leaded fuel with its own oxygen content, so when you start injecting it your car will actually run leaner. Sounds weird but if you add more fuel than normal, you start seeing huge gains. The additional oxygen content literally turbocharges the combustion process. It’s yellow too, so you can’t get it mixed up with the stuff you buy at the petrol pump. Regular Unleaded is 95 Octane, Super Unleaded typically 98 Octane. This stuff runs at 120 Octane, so it’s great for combating detonation too. In short, Q16 allows Luke to turn up the boost for mega power while also protecting the engine.…

Race circuits are the perfect place to push your driving skills to the max, but you must ensure your car is ready for the stress. Following this simple guide before you go will enhance your enjoyment and take a lot of the fear out of it. It should also help you bring your pride and joy home in one piece! PREPPING THE CAR Assuming your car is in good general condition (a recent service is advantageous), here are the most important things to check. FLUIDS Ensure that your oil and coolant are up to their maximum marks – take extra with you so you can top up during the day if required. High cornering speeds on track make the oil in your sump move around much more than on the…

EVENTURI MERCEDES A35 INDUCTION KIT Mercedes aren’t always the first names that spring to mind when you think of hot hatches, but with their A35 and blistering A45 models, they’re certainly more than capable of troubling the usual suspects on the scene. Intake specialists Eventuri know all about the potency of Mercedes’ A35 AMG and have developed a carbon intake kit to provide the turbo with a less restrictive flow path whilst maintaining low inlet temperatures. When it comes to designing an intake for turbocharged engines, reducing heat soak and increasing internal volume are the main considerations. In the A35, the intake system is in close proximity to the exhaust manifold which rapidly heat soaks the engine bay. High temperatures are detrimental for engine performance, as the turbo would have…

Name: Tom Clarke Job Role: Marketer who oversees the UK marketing office, advert placement and key account marketing fulfilment The Amazon took a trip to Forge Motorsport this month for some very sexy metal work to be fabricated, and they haven’t disappointed! Luke at Forge has created an absolute masterpiece – in my eyes anyway! So what has he done exactly? Well, he started by constructing a custom-built radiator with built-in header tank and a water feed for the turbo – clever stuff, eh? He then custom made the intercooler and connected it up with all bespoke pipework and silicone hoses to suit. He also installed a new Forge external wastegate, fuel pressure regulator and the trick IPC valve. What’s an IPC valve? I hear you cry. An IPC (or…