3sdcsdc

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

STUNNING 3.0 CSL HOMMAGE R JUST BUILD IT!

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

McLAREN v PORSCHE

Sensational 675LT takes on brilliant 911 GT3 RS INSIDE ICON DRIVING MAZDA'S SCREAMING 787B HOT HATCH SHOOT OUT HOW GOOD IS HONDA'S TYPE R? TWIN TEST FERRARI CALIFORNIA v ASTON VANTAGE

The exhilarating Audi SQ5.

It’s OK to stare. This is a rare chance to absorb the striking, aerodynamic body of the eye-catching Audi SQ5. Beyond its sophisticated yet sporty design, its breakthrough bi-turbo diesel engine exerts an astonishing 230kW of power, channelled to the road through quattroŽ permanent all-wheel drive and sports suspension.

Visit your preferred Audi Dealer or audi d .c com m.au to find ou ut mor re.

Overseas model shown.

THINK M PURE THOUGHTS. THE BMW M5 PURE.

Meet the BMW M5 built for the ultimate M purist. The BMW M5 Pure offers an unbeatable level of performance per dollar for the M enthusiast who wants to experience the pure adrenaline of a V8 powered masterpiece. The high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology delivers 412 kW, hurtling the M5 from 0 to 100 km in just 4.3 seconds. What sets the M5 Pure apart is the 20” M Double spoke alloy wheels, BMW ConnectedDrive Freedom package,* Frozen Paintwork and sport seats – all as standard. If only the pure thrill of the power of M will do – the BMW M5 Pure is for you. Contact your preferred dealer today.

BMW M

*BMW ConnectedDrive Terms and Conditions apply. Please refer to bmw.com.au/ConnectedDrive or contact your preferred BMW dealer for further information.

ALL THRILLER. NO FILLER.

THE NEW MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS. The new MINI John Cooper Works was born under extreme conditions and bred for nothing but thrills.

And thanks to the latest generation 2.0L TwinPower Turbo engine delivering 170 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque, we’ve just unleashed the most powerful MINI ever – with the angry growl of a free flowing sports exhaust to prove it. To get this beast to play nice, you’ll also get big Brembo brakes, sports suspension, the latest performance driving technologies as well as the exclusive JCW aerodynamics bodykit and lightweight alloy rims. When you’re ready for an action-packed drive on the wilder side, visit your local MINI garage and arrange a test-drive. And don’t say we didn’t warn you.

TOYOTA 86.

BEST SERVED RAW.

toyota.com.au

The Toyota 86 was created for one reason only: Raw Driving.® The goose-bumps begin as soon as you step on the accelerator, unleashing 147kW of power from a lively 2.0L boxer D-4S engine, bred from our enviable racing heritage.

Of course power needs control, which is why the 86 is engineered to sit low, hugging the road with sports suspension and 17inch wheels on the GTS. With the 86, there’s something for all your senses, so feast your eyes on the performance-styled cockpit, with added extras like Bluetooth®*capabilities, cruise control and a 6.1inch touch-screen audio system. The only thing left to add is you.

To fall in love with Raw Driving® again, head to your Toyota Dealer today. *The Bluetooth® word mark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Not all devices are compatible and functionality varies depending on the device.

CONTENTS ISSUE 027 SEPTEMBER 2015

Try as I might, the ground-sucking snout of the LT remains a permanent fixture in the rear-view mirror ON T H E C OV E R 020 BMW 3.0 CSL HOMMAGE R BMW uses Pebble Beach to reveal its stunning coupe concept. But will it make the production line?

062 675LT v 911 GT3 RS It’s Woking’s latest supercar against Stuttgart’s in a thrilling (and rather orange) twin test

500

METRES BENEATH THE SURFACE

Pelagos is the fruit of more than 60 years’ experience in undersea adventure coupled with TUDOR’s peerless technical development. The ultimate tool watch, it encases the first movement developed and produced by TUDOR, beginning a new era in the brand’s history.

PELAGOS Self-winding mechanical Manufacture TUDOR MT5612 movement, officially certified chronometer, non-magnetic silicon spring, approx. 70 hour power reserve. Waterproof to 500 m, 42 mm titanium and steel case. Visit tudorwatch.com and explore more.

TUDOR WATCHES ARE AVAILABLE AT: SYDNEY Gregory Jewellers Bondi Junction 02 9389 8822, Gregory Jewellers Castle Hill 02 8850 7080, Gregory Jewellers Chatswood 02 9884 8900 Gregory Jewellers Parramatta 02 9633 5500, J Farren Price 02 9231 3299, LK Boutique 02 9518 9499, Swiss Concept 02 9221 6288, The Hour Glass 02 9221 2288 Watches of Switzerland 02 9251 0088 | MELBOURNE Grima 03 9663 3303, JR/Watch Co. 03 8416 8189, LK Boutique 03 9686 7900, The Hour Glass 03 9650 6988 BRISBANE Langfords Jewellers 07 3210 0614, The Hour Glass 07 3221 9133 | CAIRNS Watches of Switzerland 07 4031 5766 | ADELAIDE J Farren-Price 08 8223 2787 PERTH Smales Jewellers 08 9382 3222, Watches of Switzerland 08 9322 8800.

CONTENTS

The Honda Civic Type R draws you into chasing it ever harder down a road

076

110

F E AT U R E S

R E GU L A R S

076 TYPE R GROUP TEST

020 NEWS

'Ring-taming Civic faces the other hot hatches of the moment

Australia's first GT Academy winner, Croatia's electric hypercar and the Type R's aero, explained

090 MAZDA MX-5 It may be the world's top-selling sports car, but is the formula still effective?

090

Please Honda, less chintz and more elegance. Might be time to ditch that wing

100 MAZDA 787B

Meaden mulls the future of Top Gear, while Franchitti makes a case for mods

104 F-TYPE PROJECT 7 Jethro Bovingdon sheds some rubber in Jaguar's bespoke F-type

128 LONG-TERM TESTS 104

It's old-school versus new-school as the V12 Vantage S takes on the Cali T

050 Volvo XC90

Trott somehow manages to procure a 996 GT2. We're not jealous at all...

054 Mercedes-AMG C63 S 057 Alpina B6 Edition 50

138 EVO KNOWLEDGE

114 INTERVIEW: MR XX

Pages and pages of glorious facts and figures. Car nerd nirvana

One man decides who gets a race-ready Ferrari, and his name is Enrico Galliera

146 ART OF SPEED

120 ICON: IMPREZA WRX We get reacquainted with the very first Rex – the MY93 WRX Type RA

046 Mercedes-AMG GT S

036 COLUMNS

Meaden gets behind the wheel of the legendary screaming Group C racer

110 ASTON V FERRARI

034 LETTERS

DR I V E N

120

Muscle-car quirks don’t come better than Pontiac’s hoodmounted tacho

058 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe

Renault CLIO R.S. CUP

FORMULA 1 DNA renault.com.au

Ed Speak The Australian launch of the new Mazda MX-5 served up one of my most memorable drives in nearly twenty years in this job.

Y

YOU'D BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING THAT EVERY new-car launch resets the benchmark for great drives, but the reality is that they are becoming more and more sanitised – especially those conducted in Australia.

Generally, international launches offer better access to cars, and the roads are often in far-flung locations away from the public and police. Only once or twice has an international launch failed to deliver a drive programme that provided an adequate opportunity to properly test the new car. One example that sticks in my mind was a launch in Budapest where the drive loop was shutdown by a presidential parade. That wasn’t the fault of the PR team, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating for us and them to be stuck in traffic for three hours.

The single worst international launch I’ve endured, however, was a trip to France that included just 46km of driving – a figure that was shared between pairs of journos. To some, a few days in France might sound like a terrific perk of the job (and it is), but when you’re there to bring back pages of content, it’s also incredibly frustrating. Especially so when you’d pencilled in the car as your cover star for the month and allocated 12 pages in your next issue.

Unfortunately, Australian launches are offering increasingly brief drive programmes. At a recent event, I was behind the wheel of the new model for just 11km. In certain circumstances (a handful of laps around a racetrack, for example) you can form a solid opinion about a car in a very short space of time, but mostly, such short exposure is like a wine reviewer espousing about a new vintage of Grange after only admiring the label. The car in question had myriad suspension and drive modes, most of which were not explored in such a brief drive. Needless to say, I’ve not committed any opinion to print on this vehicle as it would be unfair to the car, to my reputation and, most importantly, to you.

For these reasons, evo’s most important judgements are always reserved until we test a car on our terms and on the roads of our choosing.

Bucking the trend to brevity, the MX-5 drive programme wriggled and jiggled its way from Noosa to Brisbane with multiple crossings of the Great Dividing Range. After several hundred kilometres on varied roads, I’m confident I know the little roadster like an old friend.

ISSUE 027 SEPTEMBER 2015

Subscriptions Telephone 136 116 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au/evo

Australia Editorial Email contact@evomag.com.au Website www.evomag.com.au PO Box 1110 Darlinghurst 1300 NSW, Australia Editor Jesse Taylor Art director Chris Andrew Content producer Belinda Jepsen

It wouldn’t have been possible without Anthony Harris, Patricia O’Malley

UK Editorial Editor Managing editor Art director Features editor Website editor Road test editor Production editor Film-maker Designer Staff photographer Staff writer Staff writer Subeditor Contributing editor Contributing editor Contributing editor Contributing photographer Technical correspondent Columnist Columnist

Nick Trott Stuart Gallagher Rob Gould Henry Catchpole Hunter Skipworth Dan Prosser Ian Eveleigh Sam Riley Will Beaumont Aston Parrott Sam Sheehan Antony Ingram Richard Lane Jethro Bovingdon Richard Meaden David Vivian Dean Smith Michael Whiteley Richard Porter Dario Franchitti

Contributors (words) Simon de Burton, Simon George, Matthew Hayward, Peter Tomalin, David Yu Contributors (pictures) Drew Gibson, Pete Gibson, Gus Gregory, Matt Howell, Olgun Kordal, Andy Morgan, Chris Rutter, Amy Shore It wouldn’t have been possible without Bedford Autodrome, Brynteg Holiday Park, James Cameron, Brett Fraser, Adam Gould, Hamish McAllister, Adam Shorrock, Tyres Northampton, Andy Wallace, Richard Usher and Blyton Park

Advertising & Marketing Telephone 0419 901 863 email advertising@evomag.com.au

Motor Media Network Pty Ltd Director Matthew O’Malley omalley@evomag.com.au www.mmnetwork.com.au

Jesse Taylor Editor

evo Worldwide EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Argentina Pablo Perez Companc Bulgaria Georgi Ivanov England Nick Trott France Stéphane Schlesinger Singapore Sheldon Trollope Slovenia Matjaž Korošak

018

www.evomag.com.au

Croatia Branimir Tomurad Czech Republic Petr Ehrlich Egypt Omar Khalifa Italy Maurizio Mozzali Malaysia Chris Wee Middle East Bassam Kronfli Thailand Chettha Songthaveepol Turkey Burak Ertam Ukraine Igor Kravtsov

evo Australia is published by Motor Media Network under license from and with the permission of Dennis Publishing. All rights in the material and the title and trademark of this magazine belong to Motor Media Network Pty Ltd and Dennis Publishing Limited absolutely and may not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without their prior written consent.

Except as expressly and otherwise indicated in any specific material or editorial content, this magazine is published under license from Dennis Publishing Limited. All rights in the material, title and trademark of this magazine belong to Dennis Publishing Limited absolutely and may not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without its prior written consent.

Motor Media Network Pty Ltd. ABN: 75 161 489 872.

Distributed by Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd. Subscriptions fulfilment by Network Services.

Opinions expressed in evo Australia are not necessarily those of the publisher. The claims made by its advertisers do not imply that the services or products are endorsed by Motor Media Network Pty Ltd. While the publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct, it is not responsible for any errors or omissions.

NEWS

•

TECHNOLOGY

•

WATCHES

Ambition

NISMO ACADEMY

T

3.0 CSL Hommage R BMW reveals two stunning concepts at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

he original E9-generation BMW 3.0 CSL is revered in BMW circles not just for its styling, but its success on the world’s racing circuits following its introduction in 1972.

Among the best known is the widearched IMSA car that took victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1975 – the same year BMW founded BMW of North America. The team took further victories that season, winning the manufacturers’ championship in the process.

To celebrate forty years of both BM W ’s official A merican sales channel and that first v ictor y stateside, BM W has presented

Concept

811kW RIMAC its latest take on the CSL Hommage concept unveiled earlier this year at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

While the original concept was displayed in a striking yellow, echoing one of the road-going colour schemes of the period, the latest concept – dubbed the 3.0 CSL Hommage R – wears white paintwork and BMW Motorsport stripes, echoing that IMSA car of 1975.

Outwardly similar to the yellow H o m m a g e c o n c e p t , t h e c a r ’s transformation is mainly graphical – and all the better for it.

It ’s inside where t he biggest changes have occurred. Already a nod to the CSL road car, a wood-like

B M WF ICROSNTC LE OP OT KS

by STUART GALLAGHER

Tech

TYPE R AERO panel encircles the dashboard, but here displays the track layout and other data on its surface.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design, says the car ‘‘represents the heartbeat of BMW… we’re aiming to show how much closer the driver and car can grow in the future.’’

Publically, BMW is firm that the Hommage R is a design exercise and that production in its current guise isn’t likely. Privately, however, senior BMW staff hint that the CSL Hommage represents an early interpretation of a future generation of the 6 Series Coupe. Please just build it as is.

BMW M4 GTS H a r d c o r e C o n c e p t d u e f o r 2016 p r o d u c t i o n

2

3

1

B a sed on the current M4 coupe, the GTS follows in the t y re track s of the company ’s previous special edition M models, which s tar ted with the M3 Evolution in 1988 and more recently brought us the ver y orange M3 GTS and the s tealth -looking CRT. The new M4 GTS is a light weight, trackfocused road c ar, with a produc tion version scheduled to go on s ale in 2016.

The concept showc a se s new technolog y including water injec tion, w hich wa s f irs t seen on the M4 Moto GP S afet y C ar. This alone ha s led to an eight per cent increa se in power and torque, with the GTS’s 3.0 -litre t win -turbo s traight-six expec ted to produce over 340kW and nearly 600Nm .

The water injec tion s ys tem work s by injec ting a f ine spray into the plenum chambers, then w hen the water vaporise s the intake air is cooled. A s a re sult, the final compression temperature in the combus tion chamber is reduced, allowing for a higher boos t level.

Fur ther s till, to insure optimal operating temperature s acros s the board, BMW M ha s also developed a more ef fec tive cooling s ys tem for the turbocharged six.

Comprising of a main radiator there is now also additional radiators for the engine’s high - and low-temperature circuits, transmission and turbocharger in order to maintain consis tent temperature s.

IN DETAIL

1

AERO

The carbonfibre front splitter and rear wing are manually adjustable to aid aerodynamic balance, and the bonnet is made from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic to reduce the standard M4’s 1595kg kerb weight.

2

O L E D TA I L L I G H T S

The GTS debuts OLED (organic lightemitting diodes) rear lights. The tech works by emitting a ‘‘full surface and homogenous illumination’’, as opposed to the single point of light you get with regular LEDs.

3

ROLLING STOCK

The retro 19 x 9.5-inch front and 20 x 10.5-inch rear forged alloy wheels wear super-sticky, track-focused Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (265/35 front and 285/30 rear). www.evomag.com.au www.evomag com au

021

Virtual reality B r i s b a n e g a m e r M a t t S i m m o n s i s A u s t r a l i a’s f i r s t G T Ac a d e m y I n te r n a t i o n a l C h a m p i o n

M

Above: Simmons will now enter the Nissan Driver Development Program.

022

www.evomag.com.au

“The last 12 months have been a long time for me,” admitted Matt. “I was aware that I wasn’t good enough. I knew that I had to go back to the drawing board, look at every aspect of this competition and what being a racing driver demands. I put all my life into it.”

After a week of driving challenges, Matt went into the final at the Silverstone circuit with quiet confidence, but the finale was drama-packed.

“Before the car started overheating, I thought I was in a strong position and I could actually bring the fight to Turkey (defending champions). When the car started to get hot, Turkey got past and I thought my dreams had disappeared.

“All I wanted to do was try to bring the car home in the best possible position (third). At that point, I didn’t think I was going to win. When we pulled into the pits they stopped us away from the podium and had us waiting, sitting in the cars for a fair while.

“On the podium with (head judge) Rob Barff, he announced that it was between myself and Turkey. When he announced it, I couldn’t believe it. To be crowned the winner, it’s just crazy.

“This whole week has been an unbelievable experience. We have access to the best mentors and instructors so that we can develop our skills so quickly and apply them straight away. They know what they want to get out of us and really understand where we are as gamers and how quickly they want us to transition to be real race car drivers.

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to drive at the Dubai 24 hour with the other graduates. Then I’ll try to mould my new career as a racing driver and make my dream come true.”

THE GRADUATE S Mat t Simmons now hope s to follow in More than 7 1 million copie s of Gran Turismo have been sold since the franchise debuted in 1997

the foots teps of previous GT Ac ademy competitors w ho have moved on to the international motorspor t s ta ge.

Spain’s Luc a s Ordóñez (2008 winner) raced at the Le Mans 24 Hour in June, w hile la s t year’s winners, Ric ardo S anchez (International champion) and Gaëtan Paletou (European

5

MILLION

Y OLDER BROTHER introduced me to car games.

A week after I started, I started beating him, so he never played again. I progressed from there and now he’s my number one supporter.”

That was the beginning of Brisbanebased Matt Simmon’s journey, via his job as an Australia Post courier driver, to becoming the 2015 GT Academy International Champion.

Matt will now move to Europe by midSeptember and spend the remainder of the year completing the Nissan Driver Development Program, qualify for an international licence and race as a Nismo Athlete in 2016, with a baptism of fire at the Dubai 24 Hours in January.

“I don’t think the guys at work will believe me when I tell them I’m resigning to become a professional racing driver.

They just saw me as a guy that could drive a van pretty quickly. To think I was delivering parcels a week ago, and now I’m going to be racing cars in Europe.”

This was Matt’s second attempt at the Nissan GT Academy after he failed to make the International stage of the global competition in 2014.

Since the GT Ac ademy's inception in 2008, 5m people have entered the competition

champion), are currently racing in the Blancpain Endurance Serie s. Perhaps the mos t famous Nismo Athlete is Jann Mardenborough (2011 UK winner) w ho ha s raced in the World Endurance Serie s, GT3 and GP3. In Februar y this year, Japane se driver Katsuma sa Chiyo par tnered with Wolfgang Reip (2012 GT Ac ademy Europe winner) and Florian Straus s (2013 GT Ac ademy Germany) to win the Bathurs t 12 Hour driving a Nissan GT- R Nismo GT3.

L

1st This year’s Bathurs t 12 Hour rank s a s the highe s t profile win for GT Ac ademy drivers

Above: GT Academy alumni Strauss, Chiyo and Reip won the 2015 B athurs t 12 Hour .

AMBITION

by JESSE TAYLOR

FIRST LOOK

by HENRY CATCHPOLE

Rimac Concept One N e w 8 11 k W e l e c t r i c s u p e r c a r c l a i m s 0 -10 0 k m / h i n 2 . 8 s e c a n d a 3 0 0 -5 0 0 k m r a n g e

W

HY SHOULD YOU TAKE this car seriously? It’s unlikely you’ve heard of it before and the numbers are huge, verging on the preposterous. Well, if you look at the power distribution unit on a Koenigsegg Regera, you will see the name Rimac – the same name that is on the nose of this car.

You’re probably not familiar with the name, and to be honest, neither were we until recently. However, Christian von Koenigsegg isn’t a man who treats the engineering of his cars lightly, so when we received a call from Rimac inviting us to see its 811kW electric supercar,

the Concept One, we were intrigued.

Founded in 2009, R imac Automobili is a Croatian company based near the capital, Zagreb. It’s now growing quickly. Last year there were just 20 employees but that figure is now up to 100, the average age being just 29.

Although the overall shape is relatively conventional, with a classic front-engine, rear-drive stance, the roofline is stunningly low, giving the car a very sleek look that draws a lot of admiring glances. Some of the fit and finish is what you would expect on a prototype, but you can’t help but be impressed by things such as the

soft-close doors, the big, iPad-sized touchscreen and all the beautifully wrought aluminium controls. All these are all designed and developed

by Rimac. In fact pretty much the whole car, apart from the wheels, tyres (Michelin Pilot Super Sports) and brakes (Brembo carbonceramics), is made in-house.

The heart – or rather hearts – of the Concept One lie in the four permanent-magnet synchronous motors. On each axle two motors are combined in a common housing, although each acts independently, with its own inverter and reduction gearbox to drive an individual wheel.

IN DEPTH EPTH 1

DRIVE

The individual motors for each of the wheels are Rimac’s own high-speed, permanent-magnet, oilcooled units. The front two produce 400kW and the rears 300kW.

024

2

CHASSIS

Under the Rimac’s carbon body is an aluminium spaceframe chassis featuring double wishbones with fully adjustable, pushrod-operated suspension at both ends.

www.evomag.com.au

3

B AT T E R Y PA C K

The liquid-cooled battery pack is housed in milled and sheet aluminium. It has a capacity of 82kWh and gives the car a claimed 300km range. Charging is at 22kWh via an onboard unit.

1

ECUs then control the delivery of the power to all four corners and each wheel can accelerate or decelerate independently. In theory this means the car could turn on the spot like a tank if you wanted it to, but in reality the RAWTV allows Rimac to set up the car to handle in an almost infinitely variable way. Want a car that will drift like a WRC car? Just tap the screen. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, a large part of the Concept One’s purpose is as a showcase for what Rimac can do, and just eight will be built. But the young company is aiming for its next car (Concept Two?) to run to 500 units. We’ll be watching.

24TH LE MANS VICTORY FOR

MICHELIN.

EVERY TIME MICHELIN TYRES WIN ON TRACK, YOU WIN TOO! VISIT WWW.MICHELIN.COM.AU After being tested in the extreme conditions of a race track, innovations that help our race partners are transferred into our passenger car tyres including the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2.

At the same time, MICHELIN Total Performance brings you all the performance related qualities in a single tyre.

T E C H N I C A L LY S P E A K I N G

by MICHAEL WHITELEY

FOCUS

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R AERO

T

H E A E RODY NA M IC ISTS at Honda had a gargantuan task in producing overall downforce for the new Civic Type R. This is because the car, in its standard form, is inherently lift-inducing. Look at a regular Civic in profile and you’ll see the principles of how aircraft stay in the sky. The steady upper curve of the car’s silhouette means that air passing over the top travels farther and thus faster than air travelling along the flat underbody. A law of physics called Bernoulli’s Principle states that the air travelling faster has a lower pressure. This creates a pressure differential, with lower pressure above the car and greater pressure underneath. This is where the dreaded lift comes from.

With this in mind, the aero team at Honda was tasked with reducing the car’s lift coefficient to the extent that it became negative. The new Civic Type R is therefore adorned with aggressive spoilers, splitters and diffusers that – according to the company – produce downforce.

But how much of this is mere styling and how much of it has a functional benefit?

There is no better place to start than with that rear wing. This must create a (metaphorical) tonne of downforce, right? It’s not that straightforward. There is no doubt that a rear wing does create some downforce. However, a fine balance has to be made. Too much rear wing without a compensating amount

TECH GAME-CHANGERS ADAPTIVE DAMPERS First application: BMW M3 (BOGE adaptive damping system) When: 1986

026

www.evomag.com.au

ASK MIKE

Airflow

Your tech questions answered

Pressure (Pa)

-500

-300

-100

How much of the Civic Type R’s aero is mere styling and how much of it has functional benefit? of downforce on the front axle can ruin a car’s handling. To this end, the angle of attack of the rear wing is very shallow on the Type R. We used computational fluid dynamics to show a basic, 2D cross-sectional estimation of the wing. It’s clear that the wing creates downforce – there is higher pressure above the wing than below. However, a high-pressure region is also created at the leading edge of the wing, causing drag. To offset this, other aero additions are used to reduce drag, such as the

Unlike ac tive suspension s ys tems , w h ich c an af fec t both ride height and damping , adaptive suspension changes only the damping force. This means a sof t ‘bump and rebound’ c an be had for bumpy roads, then, at the push

0

100

300

500

spats under the rear lights. These cause the airflow along the sides of the car to separate from the body early. This reduces drag and can even increase stability due to the cleaner flow separation.

Other aero features on the Type R are a little dubious. The large frontwheelarch vents that could be used to cool brakes and reduce high pressures under the wheelarches are mostly blanked. So too are the bonnet vents, which could help draw hot air from the engine bay.

Overall, it’s great to see aeroinspired attachments make their way onto the new Civic Type R – even if some are not used to their full potential.

of a but ton, s tif fer damping c an be had for more a g gre s sive driving.

One of the simple s t ways to achieve this is to change the aper ture of the opening in the pis ton head that travels up and down inside the damper body.

A conventional damper ha s a f ixed aper ture, through w hich oil or ga s f lows when the pis ton head is depre s sed. An ada ptive s ys tem c an var y the size of this hole, which in turn varie s the damping force.

Sophistic ated

Q A

Why is turbocharging so much more popular than supercharging?

– Malcolm Travis

Turbos are more common because in isolation they are more adiabatically efficient, which means that they compress air with a lower output temperature than superchargers. Additionally, superchargers are a parasitic loss on engine power as they require a mechanical link to the crankshaft to operate.

However, superchargers are often used on large engines as the load generated is far greater than the loss. In an ideal world, cars would be twincharged – as Lancia’s Delta S4 was – with a supercharger for low-rev response and a turbocharger for high-rev boost.

Send your question to contact@evomag.com.au

s ys tems use elec troma gnets to var y the viscosit y of the oil in the damper. This is possible thanks to ma gnetorheologic al f luids, which contain iron par ticle s that s tif fen w hen a ma gnetic f ield is applied.

This bring s other possibilitie s. The dam ping s ys tem in the new Ferrari 488 GTB is so ad vanced, for example, it c an even sense if the c ar is unders teering and change the damping force at all four corners of the c ar to counter that unders teer.

www.evo.co.uk

027

WATCH TECH Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer

THIS MONTH TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Alarm

Tudor North Flag

Struthers for Morgan II Aero 8 Edition

From: 1800 809 915

From: tudorwatch.com

From: struthers-london.co.uk

Price: $1800

Price: $4250 (leather); $4350 (steel)

The incredibly successful Formula 1 series has recently expanded to include automatic pieces, but for nearly three decades it was famously quartz-only.

That tradition continues with this new watch, which, as well as being more affordable, benefits from near-perfect precision via a crystal that vibrates 32,768 times per second. The design for the watch is both sophisticated and sporty, courtesy of a black opalin dial and polished-steel fixed bezel with thick, black numerals. The case spans 41mm and is water resistant to depths of up to 200 metres.

The North Flag chrono represents somewhat of a turning point for Tudor.

As well as housing the first movement to be produced entirely in-house by the brand, it's also the first to obtain certification from the all-important Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute. The calibre in question, the TUDOR MT5621, operates at a frequency of 28,800 beats/hour and boasts a 70-hour power reserve with indicator. The 40mm case is a unique hybrid of steel and ceramic, designed to reduce weight while retaining optimum strength and durability.

Price: c$48,500

After the wraps were pulled off Morgan’s new-generation Aero 8 at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, Birmingham-based husband-and-wife watchmaking team Craig and Rebecca Struthers announced the creation of a limited run of ‘Struthers London’ watches designed to complement the car. A mere eight examples of the watch will be made (compared with an anticipated run of 300-350 cars), each featuring white gold cases, reworked vintage Omega movements and a 1950s ‘streamlined’ look incorporating teardrop strap lugs.

ROLEX DAYTONA (AND MORE…)

As worn by Mark Higgins, rally champion and James Bond stunt driver.

“I became interested in watches about 15 years ago, when the rally car I was driving was sponsored by Sector, which supplied me with a watch. But the one I wear most of the time these days is a TAG Heuer Carrera.

“I also have the Omega Seamaster limited-edition

028

www.evomag.com.au

watches from the two previous Bond films I’ve worked on – Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. I think I’ll probably buy the Spectre watch, too.

“I have a couple of Rolex Daytonas [pictured], too – one with a white dial, the other black. I guess I have

around ten decent watches in total, but I still regret missing out on winning a Breitling for the fastest run at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power four years ago. I was in a Subaru Cosworth STI CS400, but I came second to a guy in a Lamborghini.”

Last issue, we brought you news of Audemars Piguet’s new Laptimer chronograph, the result of a long-term project embarked upon more than five years ago with Michael Schumacher. This month we thought we’d throw some light on just how clever it is.

Imagine you want to record the lap times of a car travelling around a circuit. Press the top-right button to start the AP’s chronograph and the central seconds hand will start to sweep around the dial. So far, so like a regular chronograph.

However, as the car passes the start/ finish line, press the button on the lefthand side of the case and you’ll discover there were actually two seconds hands – one directly beneath the other. One of them will now freeze, so you can note the lap time, while the other will fly back to zero and start timing the next lap.

When that lap (and every subsequent lap) ends, press the same button again and the moving hand will stop – allowing you to see the new lap time – while the stationary hand will return to zero and start timing the next lap. Genius!

WAT CHE S edited by SIMON DE BURTON

Breitling for Bentley Bentley and Breitling, i c o n i c b r a n d s l i n ke d n o t only by kindred winged-B logos, but by an indelible 13 - y e a r p a r t n e r s h i p b u i l t upon a shared passion for performance

W

a t c h e s a n d c a r s . Tw o seemingly divergent passions united in the minds of so many. Whether sparked by an afďŹ nity for luxury, an aspiration for prestige or a simple appreciation of expertly crafted mechanics, these two possessions create a satiating symbiosis of emotion and function like little else.

Few have united these twin passions

as successfully as Swiss watchmaker Breitling and British car company Bentley. At the centre of this alliance is the Breitling for Bentley chronograph range – a successful brand in its own right, yet one proudly underscored by the eminent traditions of its parents.

The association between the two iconic brands was forged back in 2002 when the men and women at

www.evomag.com.au

029

Crewe crafted what was, at the time, the fastest, most powerful road car in Bentley’s history, the Continental GT. More than any Bentley that came before it, the 412kW W12 Conti was the car that cemented the British brand’s status as a major player in the luxury automotive scene. Working alongside the Bentley crew on this landmark grand tourer were experts from Breitling, whom the carmaker had called upon to assist with design of the technical instruments and to craft the on-board clock. This was the first time that Bentley had entrusted a watchmaker with such a task. And so the grand art of British automobile manufacturing collided with the illustrious tradition of Swiss watchmaking, and a partnership was born.

The first wristwatch to come from this new alliance followed in 2003 in celebration of Bentley’s triumphant return to endurance racing. The carmaker had a rich history at Le Mans, of course, having won the second-ever running of the race in 1924 with the Bentley 3 Litre, then repeating the feat again in 1927 and 1928. It was a sparkling era for the brand, characterised by the legendary and charismatic Bentley Boys (think Tim Birkin, Glen Kidston and Babe Barnarto) who then piloted the Speed Six racer to two more Le Mans victories in 1929 and 1930.

More than seven decades later, Bentley revived this glorious saga with a stunning 1-2 victory at Circuit de la Sarthe courtesy of the 350km/h Speed 8 LMPGT. In honour of the successful comeback, Breitling, which went along for the ride as the team’s principal sponsor, crafted a gorgeous limited-edition chronograph dubbed the “Bentley Le Mans”.

Since then, the Breitling for Bentley range has produced dozens of quality timepieces, all driven by powerful mechanical movements that have

030

www.evomag.com.au

Above: Legendary ‘Bentley Boy’ Tim Birkin behind the wheel of the Speed Six at the 1929 Le Mans race. Left: Bentley’s Breitlingbacked Speed 8 racer achieved a 1-2 win at Le Mans in 2003.

The Breitling for Bentley range is proudly underscored by the traditions of its parents

been exclusively designed and manufactured at the Breitling Chronométrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Much like a Bentley’s engine, the movement at the heart of each Breitling for Bentley chronograph is a highly sophisticated, finely wrought product of tradition and innovation, of man and machine.

Meticulously crafted to ensure optimum accuracy and functionality, these intricate ‘engines’ have a unique structure that features a column wheel, vertical coupling-clutch and a 70-hour power reserve. Each one undergoes 15 days and 15 nights of merciless testing in order to attain certification by the Swiss Official Chronometre Testing Institute (COSC), the global authority on chronometer precision and reliability. Needless to say, it’s a badge that every chronometre in the range has proudly attained.

This passion for precision has driven several

WAT CHE S

B04 Midnight Carbon

B04 S

Breitling for Bentley B04 Midnight Carbon and B04 S From: (02) 9221 7177 Price: $19,670 Midnight Carbon, $15,340 B04 S A heady blend of performance, luxury and style, the B04 GMT Light Body is a watch without compromise. While other sporting timepieces may boast lightweight execution, the new B04 Midnight Carbon and B04 S can do the same without sacrificing on specification. At the heart of this principle, of course, is the watches’ movement: a precise, self-winding Calibre B04. As well as being capable of 28,800 vibrations per hour, this COSC-certified movement offers a power reserve in excess of 70 hours.

Designed for those who like to hit the road, this pair of globetrotting mechanical chronographs are more user-friendly than

ever before. Adjusting to local time, for example, is done solely via movement of the hour hand, which usefully maintains minute precision. There’s also a world-time scale on the inner rotating pinion bezel that allows ata-glance readings for 24 major cities around the world.

Both pieces fuse the B04 series’ hallmarks, like the asymmetrical lugs, streamlined push-pieces and black rubber GMT strap, with their own unique aesthetic.

For the B04 Midnight Carbon, that’s a touch of stealth via a highly durable black carbonbased coating, while the B04S sports a classic 45mm titanium case.

www.evomag.com.au

031

Breitling for Bentley B06 S From: (02) 9221 7177 Price: $13,870 (stainless steel); $44,440 (gold) The new B06 S is a piece for those who appreciate fine mechanics. Driving this unique machine is a powerful, bespoke engine known as a 30-second chronograph.

Developed entirely in-house at the Breitling Chronométrie workshops, the ingenious system was inspired by a patent filed by Gaston Breitling back in 1926, and first featured on the original Bentley Motors, Bentley GMT and Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon models. The principle is based upon a central hand that completes a revolution in just half a minute for maximum legibility of measured times and oneeighth-of-a-second accuracy.

The other world-exclusive feature of this timepiece, and most Breitling for Bentley chronographs in fact, is the variable tachometre with a rotating bezel. While most are limited to observing periods of up to 60 seconds, Breitling’s system allows the wearer to calculate average speed, no matter the time elapsed, the distance covered or the speed reached.

The B06’s new 44mm case is encircled by the distinctive Breitling for Bentley knurled bezel, a hommage to the car’s radiator grille design. This is also echoed in the lattice motif stamped upon the black or silver face.

032

www.evomag.com.au

WAT CHE S

game-changing innovations that can be found in Breitling for Bentley timepieces, the foremost of which is the variable tachometer. While conventional tachometers are limited to observing periods of up to 60 seconds, this exclusive feature is based on a circular slide rule that allows the wearer to calculate their average speed regardless of the time elapsed, the distance covered or the maximum speed reached. Another distinctive signature of the Breitling for Bentley range is what’s known as the 30-second chronograph. This ingenious concept was inspired by a patent filed

by Gaston Breitling in 1926, and features a central hand that sweeps around the watch’s face in just half a minute, rather than making a conventional 60-second revolution. This improves accuracy of measured times to within just one eighth of a second. Clearly, the Breitling for Bentley range is built for great accomplishments.

While Bentley is famous for performance, the other hallmark of a Crewe-built vehicle is luxury.

The expert craftsmen at La Chaux-de-Fonds share this passion for elegance. Driven in their pursuit of perfection, they fastidiously and artfully fashion the various components of the timepiece to yield that distinctive Breitling aesthetic. Be it handpolishing a case, carving an hour marker from mother-of-pearl or stitching a piece of soft, supple leather, no detail is too small to warrant their time and attention.

This understated Swiss elegance is imbued with a unique and distinctly British flair in the Breitling for Bentley range. To achieve this, the watches’ designers have drawn inspiration from Bentley’s wealthy catalogue of sophisticated signature elements, including the famous honeycomb grille, the typeface on the instruments, the colour palette available for the bodywork and even the richly coloured woods used for Mulliner veneers.

Above left: The original Continental was a game-changer for Bentley, and the beginning of the Breitling-Bentley alliance. Above and left: Bentley created an exclusive series of Continental GT Speed cars in honour of the Breitling Jet Team.

Understated Swiss elegance is imbued with British flair in the Breilting for Bentley range

But the partnership goes both ways, of course.

Just last month, Bentley handed over the keys to seven bespoke Bentley Continental GT Speeds as part of the highly exclusive, limited-edition Breitling Jet Team Series. Each featured special livery and interior décor to echo Breitling’s seven Jet Team Aero L-39 C Albatros aircraft, including a striking Hallmark and Onyx colour scheme accented with touches of Breitling Yellow.

Naturally, the owners were also rewarded with a matching timepiece – one of 500 specially crafted Breitling Chronomat 44 Jet Team American Tour chronographs featuring a 44mm black steel case and a chronometer-certified Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01 movement.

Feats such as this can only happen when two brands share a mutual appreciation for performance and prestige, for substance and style and for heritage and innovation. Only then can the exceptional become the rule. L www.evomag.com.au

033

contact@evomag.com.au

f www.facebook.com/evoaustralia

evo, PO BOX 1110, Darlinghurst, 1300, NSW, Australia

Inbox

What’s lowered your speed limit this month?

In control

Letter of the Month

Subtler Civic I read your Civic Type R review (evo Australia 026) with interest. I agree with Dan Prosser that many will find the new Type R’s styling ‘‘too boisterous to be in good taste’’ – I'm one of them. Perhaps Honda should consider a ‘low wing’ option alongside the current design. Those with long memories will recall Ford offered a ‘whale tail’ delete option on the Escort Cosworth (like hens’ teeth, apparently) and Honda itself sold the Accord Type R with both high and low rear spoilers.

I realise this wouldn’t be the work of a moment, but it would be worth it, complementing the standard car well. I’ll have one like that in black, please.

And if Honda is tempted to get out the spanners again, could I suggest separate chassis and powertrain modes, or at least a ‘bumpy road’ button (like Ferrari). Sadly, Australian back roads aren’t quite as smooth as German racetracks.

Mike Spencer

The Letter of the Month wins a leather cleaning kit from Mothers 034

www.evomag.com.au

In issue 23, editor Taylor asked how often and why we readers switch off stability control on public roads. I own a Toyota 86 GT, and I have only turned off stability control a couple of times during my entire ownership of the car.

The reason for this is not so much the aversion to risking bent metal, but because the car feels totally different with it turned off – and not in a good way. It feels much less of a whole, less tight and cohesive, if you will. More like riding a skateboard, or perhaps more like going out on a date with a girl drunk as opposed going out that same night sober. I much prefer driving the car with both the traction and stability systems in place – it just feels better and also protects my beloved diff.

Also, great magazine as always.

Looking forward to reading the full review on the new McLaren (page 62).

David Michelson

already has! And in fact a long time ago. Both the 1962 and ’63 Oldsmobile Starfire used what Oldsmobile called ‘Turbo-Rocket Fluid’ to cool the intake charge of the turbocharged, 10.25:1 compression-ratio aluminium 215 CID engine. This Turbo-Rocket Fluid was made up of distilled water and methyl alcohol.

Back in the late-’70s/early-’80s, high-octane gasoline quality was so bad here in the US that I had to add water injection to my 1965 Corvair Corsa Turbo to stop the early detonation. I purchased a kit from Spearco, and after fiddling with the various nozzles and pump speeds I finally got it correct and was able to drive my Corvair to all of its potential.

In the winter I used windshield washer fluid, which worked fine.

Walter Gomez, USA

Projectile vomit

Regarding whether the M4 MotoGP’s water injection technology (Technically Speaking, evo Australia 025) will ever make it to road cars – it

Sorry to rant, but Jethro Bovingdon’s web review of the Project 7 was just way too… nice.

I mean, come on, just look at it! It looks like the motoring equivalent of a Kardashian vajazzle shot– there are flaps, wings and stripes everywhere, and God knows what that rollover hoop represents in this analogy…

I had massive hopes for Jaguar and its new SVO division, but on this evidence it seems to be doing little other than milking the people who know a little about cars and a lot about Louis Vuitton handbags.

Anyway, man up, all of you! You lot need to call Jaguar out for charging a $94k premium over the F-type R for some stickers, a silly hoop and a 19kW power increase. Jaguar needs to do something serious if it wants to contend with AMG and the M division.

Daniel Seal

Above: Neil McDonald thinks Alfa’s Giulia needs input from Aston Martin’s new hire.

Above: Daniel Seal isn’t enamoured with Jaguar SVO’s F-type Project 7.

The answer evo Australia 026, page 20, the new Alfa Romeo Giulia: the angst, the concern that yet another beautiful Alfa won’t have the handling and driving pleasure to match the visuals.

Perhaps there’s an answer: exLotus handling guru Matt Becker. I’m sure there’s a lot of work to be done by him in his new gig with Aston Martin, but wouldn’t it be great if he had a few weekends away in Italy to help another icon? Now that would be an industry collaboration to be applauded.

Neil McDonald

H2Old technology

Outside Line

by RICHARD MEADEN

Cars and television aren’t always a successful blend, but Top Gear proved that there’s a big audience for this kind of thing, says Meaden SO TOP GEAR IS NO MORE, AT LEAST IN its present guise. It seems astonishing to me that the sorry saga of an angry man deprived of his dinner has gripped an entire nation and sent shockwaves through a worldwide community of car fans. That said, there’s something deeply gratifying, not to say reassuring, that a show dedicated to the four-wheeled exploits of three puerile middle-aged blokes is bigger than Kim Kardashian’s gargantuan buttocks.

The lefties within the BBC might have hated Top Gear and JC’s knack of lurching from one controversy to the next, but they sure as hell loved the money it made, so with a bazillion pounds of revenue stream at stake it’s no wonder the Beeb wasted no time in announcing that the show will go on. With broadcasting’s king of reinvention, Chris Evans, at the helm and several farm’s-worth of auditions to wade through, you just know the resulting product will be Top Gear, but not as we know it.

Whether you’re a diehard fan, an occasional viewer or one of those vociferous haters who say it’s not been the same since Chris Goffey hung up his cashmere pullovers (but secretly tune into every show), it’ll be fascinating to see what Evans and Co come up with to counter the three amigos' forthcoming web series with Amazon.

Aside from the possibly rather defeatist belief that whatever the BBC does next it’ll never match the extraordinary success – or money-making potential – of the now deceased format, the question that keeps going through my mind is, ‘Does the world actually need a Top Gear-style car show?’ Thanks to YouTube there’s never been a greater abundance of good, readily accessible car content, be that an endless supply of evocative old archive footage, documentaries, motorsport or just straightforward car reviews. And by and large, the vast majority of it is free to view.

Even though it’s not free to produce. But that’s another column.

Of course, if you’re an evo reader then I’d hope our videos are staples of your automotive playlist, so I won’t spend the next few paragraphs blowing smoke up our own tailpipes, but like you, I love the variety and diversity of what’s out there. Former evo contributor (and good mate) Chris Harris was a pioneering presence in front of the camera and has become a brand in his own right thanks to his handy driving, provocative views and an irritating ease in front of the camera. Elsewhere, if you want a fix of plain and simple track testing, Car & Driver magazine’s Lightning Lap videos are strangely addictive. And if you want to add a twist of Japanese genius then there’s no finer way to waste a morning (or an entire weekend) than trawling through the huge back-catalogue of Best Motoring races and battles.

S

If you’re amused by the individual characters as much as the cars they’re driving then you’ve got plenty of choice. Jay Leno is an obvious leader, and there’s certainly no denying his credentials as a bona fide car nut, but for a man who made his fortune hosting one of the world’s biggest TV shows he seems really rather awkward in front of the camera. A more left-field choice is Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, in which, well, JS takes a fellow comedian for a drive in something cool, stops for coffee and has a chat. It shouldn’t work, but it does, most likely because although the car is the hook, the meat of the content is anything and everything but.

If you want to see fellow evo columnist and Top Gear script editor Richard Porter go puce with rage, then suggest TG isn’t, or rather wasn’t, a car show but an entertainment show. Personally I think the truth – and the nub of its success – is that it existed on a

There has never been a greater abundance of good car content

036

www.evomag.com.au

knife-edge somewhere between the two. It didn’t always hit the spot – nothing ever does – but there’s no question that at its best Top Gear delivered some of the most memorable car content on television. Okay, so it sometimes plumbed the depths, but it also raised the bar in terms of production values and demonstrated a truly remarkable ambition and scale, best exemplified in the most successful of its epic one-hour specials.

If you’re a thirty- or forty-something car enthusiast, Top Gear has always been there to scratch your petrol-fuelled itch. Other car shows have come and gone, success eluding them because they can’t seem to find the mass appeal that lurks somewhere between overly worthy reviews and forced irreverence. Quite how you follow Top Gear is beyond me. Perhaps I’m too close to the subject matter to take the required step back. What I do know is that Top Gear championed cars to an audience of unimaginable size, amusing and enraging opposing factions in equal measure.

As car lovers, I think we’re all looking forward to what Team Clarkson and Team Evans come up with, but a bit of me is clinging to the hope that the next big thing will instead come from the blindside, free from baggage or excessive expectation.

Whatever happens, we’re about to be spoilt for choice. L

t @DickieMeaden Richard is a contributing editor to evo and one of the magazine’s founding team

The 2015 Nissan GT-R. 0-100 in 2.7 seconds.

Petrolhead

by RICHARD PORTER

Porter paints the picture of a scene many of us know oh-so very well, but might at first struggle to recognise A SHIRTLESS MAN IS WALKING IN FRONT of me. To complement his lack of shirt he has also dispensed with his shoes and, though the surface is uncomfortably gravelly, he walks with a simian strut befitting of a bloke who thinks it’s perfectly okay to whip his top off in public places. In between where his shirt was and where his shoes used to be, he is sporting a merciful pair of small shorts, thereby sparing everyone the sight of his arse whilst simultaneously preventing him from noticing his own genitals and immediately rutting a wheelie bin.

The shirtless man spots a trio of other shirtless men slouched on the ground against a wall and acknowledges them with a guttural grunting noise that gives no clue as to his nationality, or indeed if he can form words at all. The other shirtless men respond with a range of sounds usually heard on a farm. Do they even know the first shirtless man or is this some kind of shirtless man code by which shirtless strangers acknowledge each other and salute their shared devotion to letting the world see how sweaty and sunburnt their back has become?

The whole thing is weirdly fascinating. Mind you, this is not the only display of rampant mannishness in the area today. Gangs of lads roam the village wearing matching shirts with nicknames on the back, each one amusing only to another person wearing the same sort of shirt, and followed around by a miasma of lager-fuelled laughter which is the main spluttering by-product of what crashing bores like to call ‘banter’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely down with this sort of boorish male bonding. I was once in a group of mates that climbed up the Black Mountains constantly repeating lines from Team America: World Police. It was like a wolf pack call-and-response to make sure everyone in the group was still alive, except instead of howling you’d approach a thick bank of fog and hear from within it someone shouting, ‘‘Act, Gary. Act.’’ Watching this sort of blokey interaction happening in front of you is interesting, but it’s not the only thing to see here because, shock horror, there are women too. Tattooed rock chicks mingle with pint-chugging geezer birds as case-dragging glamour pusses totter past on their way to promote gearbox lubricant. Also much in evidence is the conspicuously bored girlfriend ruing the moment she thought this sounded like a nice weekend away, little knowing she’d be deafened and downbeat by the end of it, having spent much of the time trying to get a drink at a temporary bar while standing next to a noisy berk from Barnsley with ‘‘PUSSY HUNTER’’ written on his back.

As if trying to placate this particular subset, someone has laid

A

on a women’s pavilion that the official bumf claims will include ‘‘a lounge where women can continue talking while enjoying a cocktail or read the feminine press’’. Yet despite eye-watering condescension so dense the list of activities might as well have included ‘sewing’, there’s a queue out of the door, presumably from women hoping for a just a few moment’s escape from the humid clouds of testosterone that hang in the air. Also, maybe they’re a bit behind on the ‘‘feminine press’’.

Elsewhere, the menfolk run free. As night falls I see a group of them capering about wearing eerily realistic animal heads, giving onlookers a reasonable idea of what it would be like to become caught in an acid flashback. In another spot, a cluster of more-than-middle-aged men in matching tour shirts bearing a date more than a decade past attempt to recreate happy times with palpable glee and make merry for as long as their aching

Gangs of lads roam the village wearing matching shirts with nicknames on

038

www.evomag.com.au

knees will allow. A tall man staggers past dressed as a saucy 1970s female police officer, complete with a balloon-stuffed bra.

Maybe he’s part of a stag do and that grand, strange tradition of celebrating a big day in a friend’s life by attempting to humiliate them. Perhaps he just likes the outfit.

It all just adds to the rich, varied atmosphere. Young children gambol about, high on stolen sips of sugary drinks and the heady thrill of being allowed to stay up late. Gaggles of partisan fans drift by, stating their allegiances and the depth of that passion with the number of branded items covering their person.

Couples and clubs and committed loners cling to fences or walk the dusty miles to find themselves a better viewpoint. An old lady holding a small dog smiles benignly at the passing crowd as you wonder who had the idea to buy a ticket for this, her or the mutt?

It doesn’t really matter. They’re here for some reason, probably the same reason as most; not just a shared passion but a mutual love of a unique atmosphere and a truly special event, one that offers a wealth of things to do, not least the simple pleasure of people watching.

I love Le Mans. And, as an added bonus, it even contains a car race. L

t @sniffpetrol Richard is evo’s longest-serving columnist and is the keyboard behind sniffpetrol.com

SUPERSEVENS! For those who enjoy a pure driving experience, the new Caterham Seven 275 now offers the ultimate ‘value to fun’ ratio.

A worthy stable mate to the ultra-high performance Seven 485, the new Seven 275 is based on the same product philosophy, which has provided race car handing in a road legal performance car.

For more information, please contact us: Overseas left hand drive model shown. Please see website for Australian specifications.

THE ORIGINAL AND STILL THE BEST Caterham Cars Australia, Level 1, ZAGAME building, 362 Swan Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 P: 03 9329 0344 E: chris@caterhamcars.com.au

Champ b y DA R I O F R A NC H I T T I

Now more than ever, classic car owners have to tread a fine line between maintaining originality and enhancing performance, says Dario S O M E O N E R E C E N T LY A S K E D I F I rued the performance shortfall of my classic cars in comparison to more modern machinery. Whether, they very pertinently said, driving road-legal racers such as the latest Porsche GT3 and the 918 Spyder – cars genuinely capable of inducing vertigo – leaves me just a wee bit disillusioned when I climb back into my beloved F40 or similarly elderly 930 Turbo.

The short answer – the only answer, for that matter – is of course ‘no’. Anyone firing up a machine three decades old is chasing a different encouter to the person who habitually buys the very latest metal simply because objectively it’s the best thing yet.

Clunky gearboxes, the aroma of fuel and oil, mediocre visibility, horrendous turbo-lag and fragile electronics all need to be managed, but as the classic car crowd knows, that’s all part of the fun. If you really want to iron out all a car’s imperfections, you may as well buy a new one. It would almost certainly be cheaper!

Even so, the question got me thinking about the compromises we make with older cars and the logic behind those decisions. Where, for instance, do you draw the line between gently stoking a car’s dynamic ability while augmenting the qualities you love and desecrating originality and character? I adore what Singer does, but are those cars classic 911s?

Not at all. Likewise, is an original 3.0-litre 911 SC as rewarding to drive as it could be? Probably not. And the increasingly popular idea of cars as investments only complicates matters.

My F40 is a case in point. Values have gone through the roof and there’s nothing to suggest that speculators will get an abrupt wakeup call anytime soon, so the sensible thing would be to tricklecharge it in a warm garage in perpetuum. And let’s not forget it’s an era-defining supercar, so many people would argue that it’s of paramount importance to respect history and stay unwaveringly true to what Ferrari achieved late in the ’80s.

Now I’m pretty sympathetic to that notion, but my cars are for driving, and so I try to strike a balance between the Singer and the 3.0-litre SC. So, I’ve made personal improvements, if you like, starting with an Alcantara steering wheel from a Ferrari 360 GT car (which my dear brother Marino actually earned as part-payment for a drive). It feels thicker and just a little better than the standard F40 part, but I’ve kept the original just in case the car ever goes to concours (which, frankly, is unlikely ever to happen) or gets sold.

It’s the ideal classic car modification – small, hassle-free and easily reversible, yet it still makes a meaningful difference to the driving experience. In a similar vein I’ve thought about fitting a redesigned

S

rear window with subtly different slats. It would mean I’d finally be able to see through it properly, but even though Nick Mason – a man of impeccable taste – has gone down this route, I’ve decided not to. Why? Because it’s not easily reversible.

Things get more serious when it comes to modifying chassis components, so – surprise, surprise – I feel the best thing to do is keep it simple. In handling terms the thing that got to me on the back-roads of Scotland was the F40’s suspension, which had real trouble keeping up with the performance of the car. In the end I went for Quantum’s two-way adjustable dampers just so the car wasn’t airborne quite so much of the time, which was really all we were trying achieve! It’s a functional change that improves

The one thing I don’t muck about with is servicing. My record between services is 30km driveability without impinging on the car’s character. And I’ve still got the original kit on a shelf in the garage – I’ve probably enough hardware lurking about to fabricate an entire car.

Most of my cars have a new exhaust, but who’s going to hold it against someone for freeing up the engine note a little (okay, a lot, in the case of my Carrera GT)? Tyres are also something to keep on top of, and I reshoe cars every two years regardless of mileage.

That gets bloody expensive, but it’s worth it.

The one thing I don’t muck about with is servicing, even though the intervals are easy to forget since it’s all done on time not mileage. My record between services is 30km, purely because I was in the US racing the whole year. That’s 30km and a brace of $4000 services, but for me the peace of mind and satisfaction that comes from knowing your car is in its finest fettle – that it has been properly looked after – means it’s money well spent, despite the admittedly eye-watering cost.

The exception to all this is my ’73 911 hot-rod, which doesn’t boast many original components at all. In fact its creation has probably been in some ways cathartic, helping me stay fastidious with the other cars. I shudder to think where a similar approach would lead with something as potent as a Ferrari F40… L

t @dariofranchitti Dario is a three-time Indy 500 winner and four-time IndyCar champ

In the new Morgan 3 Wheeler When last did you drive a three-wheeled car?

Or one with a V-Twin air cooled engine?

Or one with no doors?

Or a timeless collectable new classic, built exactly the way you want it?

1PG VJKPI KU HQT UWTG KV KU JCTF VQ Æ‚PF C OQTG GZJKNCTCVKPI YC[ QH FTKXKPI 6Q Æ‚PF QWV OQTG RNGCUG XKUKV QWT YGDUKVG QT UGPF WU CP GOCKN

Morgan Cars Australia, Level 1, ZAGAME building, 362 Swan Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 2 ' EJTKU"OQTICPECTU EQO CW 2NGCUG XKUKV QWT YGDUKVG HQT OQTG KPHQTOCVKQP YYY OQTICPECTU EQO CW

It’s our race car. Off-duty.

The Volvo S60 Polestar. With a 257kW, 3.0-litre turbocharged engine, 500+Nm of torque, Öhlins suspension, AWD and launch control.

MAKE YOUR VOLVO DEBUT VOLVOCARS.COM.AU

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

Subscribe now!

Only

$6.25 per issue

Get EVO delivered to your door every month. evo is devoted exclusively to the world’s most exciting drivers’ cars, from affordable hot hatches to 300km/h supercars. Experience first drives of the latest arrivals and the most important performance cars on the market tested to the limit on both road and track. If you love cars and the thrill of driving, subscribe to evo today

Order online: www.bit.ly/evosubs Call now on: 136 116

Quote promo code M1401EVO

By mail: Fill in the coupon below SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

My Details

I would like to subscribe to evo Australia for: 1 year (12 issues for $75.00, SAVE $44.40) 2 years (24 issues for $139.00, SAVE $99.80)

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Name Address

State

Enclosed is a cheque/money order for AUD$ Magshop

Postcode

Ph (H)

Email

Visa

MasterCard

American Express

payable to Diners Club

Gift Recipient Details (if buying a gift subscription) 1MFBTF BMTP mMM JO ZPVS EFUBJMT BCPWF XIFO HJWJOH B HJGU TVCTDSJQUJPO Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Name

Signature

Address

Card expiry date: State Ph (H)

Postcode Email

/

1MFBTF UJDL UIJT CPY JG ZPV EP OPU XJTI UP SFDFJWF BOZ NBSLFUJOH NBUFSJBM GSPN .PUPSJOH .FEJB /FUXPSL PS UIJSE QBSUJFT

Send your completed coupon to: Magshop GPO Box 5252 Sydney NSW 2001 TERMS & CONDITIONS All credit card payments will be charged in $AUD and will appear on your statement as Bauer Media Group. You may cancel your subscription at any time and we will refund monies for all remaining issues.

Mercedes-AMG GT S AMG’s gorgeous flagship has finally landed. We welcome her with a drive on one of Australia’s most iconic roads

046

www.evomag.com.au

YES, THIS THING again. We’ve followed the GT S’ journey pretty closely here at evo, from the fanfare of the reveal in Affalterbach to Taylor’s first drive at Laguna Seca and his second at Mount Panorama, plus the tests conducted by our distinguished colleagues over in the UK. Well, after all that, it’s finally on Australian

Y

roads, and today, the Great Ocean Road, specifically. This local media launch is our first chance to sample the $300K flagship in something approaching ordinary conditions.

Having been tossed a set of keys at lunch, we wander out to the carpark and scan the awaiting AMGs for the corresponding number plate.

Our match is the sole Edition 1 spec on test, all-black complete with

gloss rims, front flics and a fixed rear wing. They’ve decided to delete the carbonfibre roof in this case, though.

Too much, perhaps?

Slotting into the seat (bum first, then legs and head), my shoulders submerged below the windowsill, I’m immediately hypnotised by the long scalloped nose. The GT S is not a huge car (at 4546mm, it’s 140mm shorter than a C-Class), but

Every new evo car that matters, rated.

This month MERCEDES-AMG GT S p46 p After taking on Mount Panorama last month, we unleash the GT S on Australia’s most iconic road

VOLVO XC90

p500

MERCEDES-AMG C63 S

p54

ALPINA B6 EDITION 50

p577

It’s Volvo’s most important car, but can the all-new XC90 rock the German SUV establishment?

Subtle wagon body married to AMG's 375kW twinturbocharged 4.0-litre V8

The 330km/h 6 Series that outguns BMW’s M6 Competition Package

MERCEDES-AMG GLE 63 S COUPE

p588

BMW X6 M too brash? Meet Mercedes’ 430kW alternative

The team This month, we asked the evo road test team to get a grip and name the best all-wheel-drive car they’ve driven.

NICK TROTT

UK editor Not driven the SV yet, so the Aventador Roadster will have to do for now…

JESSE TAYLOR

Australia editor It’s the forgotten hypercar these days, but the Bugatti Veyron really was something special. Quite fast, too

HENRY CATCHPOLE

Features editor Tarmac-spec 2005 Ford Focus WRC car. Last of the active-diff generation and freakish in its agility

DAN PROSSER

Road test editor Nissan GT-R – exactly how I want an all-wheel-drive system to behave

JETHRO BOVINGDON that long snout combined with the rear-set cabin makes it feel larger and a little more intimidating than you might think. The driving position is classic sports coupe, of course: low hip-point, high beltline, seat tucked back toward the rear axle. It’s a strangely satisfying position to find yourself in, enough alone to bring a tingling sense of anticipation about the journey ahead.

Of course, knowing what lies beneath the GT S’ taut skin is the main reason to get excited. Shoved right back against the GT S’ firewall, not far from my shins, is a mighty V8, hand-built by the fine folk at Affalterbach. Classic AMG... except that it isn’t. See, unlike the 6.2-litre naturally aspirated AMG units of yore, M178 has just 4.0-litres and a pair of turbochargers nestled

Above: GT S does wild better than most of its competitors, but also matches them on docility.

Contributing editor Mitsubishi Evo with Active Yaw Control.

Doesn’t try to ape rear-drive but instead creates a uniquely aggressive experience

RICHARD MEADEN

Contributing editor Hard to beat 991 Turbo S for explosive all-wheel-drive traction. Totally mindbending in all respects

DAVID VIVIAN

Contributing editor If for no other reason than its rocketsled take-off, the Tesla S P85D

www.evomag.com.au

047

Left: Concaved door panels make the interior feel quite spacious.

Right: Red calipers denote standard brakes. Our test car was fitted with the optional carbon ceramics, which have gold calipers.

inside the valley of the vee. As well as being more compact, this setup is designed to minimise exhaust gas emissions and improve engine response times.

As they have with the C63, the Australian branch of Benz has decided to forgo the entry-level version, and is only offering the S-specced car. This manages peaks of 375kW from 6250rpm and 650Nm from a lowly 1750rpm through to 4750rpm. The speedo registers triple figures in 3.8sec and continues on to a top speed of 310km/h. With those extraordinary figures cycling through our minds, we begin.

A push of the start button and the GT S makes her presence known, snarling confidently from the twin performance exhaust. The noise is never going to match the theatre of the atmo unit from the SLS, but its cultured growl is proof enough that turbos need not dampen the acoustics. In fact, the deliciously anti-social active exhaust button will be thoroughly smudged with fingerprints by the end of the day.

From the very first corners out of our Torquay base, it’s the speed and lightness of the hydraulic steering that surprises. It feels quite strange at first, but as the suburbs thin and we delve into the meat of our drive

048

www.evomag.com.au

route, I realise that the character of that beautifully tactile Dinamica performance wheel makes perfect sense for this car. It responds quickly to inputs yet does so in a reassuringly calm manner, with a level of feedback that serves as a welcome antidote to the anaesthetic electric systems we’ve had of late. It’s a variable ratio setup, of course, so responds accordingly to speed, drive mode and lateral acceleration, but the nice part for us is the way it fizzes between your hands with tiny reactive twitches. It’s a rare and beautiful thing, and instils the GT’s helm with such precision and texture that the lengthy front end seems to shrink to a much less daunting size.

That reactive-yet-composed temperament seems to be imbued throughout the GT’s dynamic DNA. The ride quality, for example, is quite firm, but never restless or brittle, even in the tauter Sport and Sport Plus modes offered by the AMG Drive Select system. The setup is comprised of aluminium double wishbones and coil springs that afford the GT S’ 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels an astounding sense of composure over bumps and imperfections, as the continuously variable dampers work to sand down the harshest edges.

The GT’s reactive-yetcomposed temperament is imbued throughout its dynamic DNA

Factor this in with the lightweight, predominantly aluminium chassis and 47:53 weight distribution, and you have a car with phenomenal balance and poise. The lack of lateral movement through corners is simply astounding. As we squeeze around the corrugated cliff faces, I look to the horizon of the GT S’ nose as a makeshift spirit level, and in all but the tightest bends it stays beautifully flat. And even then, any slight lean is a perfectly appropriate indication that the car is working hard.

That reassuring composure translates through to corner exit, where the 295/30 ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sports cleanly transmit the wallop of low-end torque to the road surface. Despite the GT

Mercedes-AMG GT S

S’ transaxle layout, and abundant Newton metres, it seems as if it would take a deliberate and obvious effort to explore the lateral potential lying in its rear end, such is the level of composure here. Of course, with convoys of caravans and tourist buses sharing the road (along with Merc’s PR team), I figure it best not to tempt fate.

For the same reason – and the whole speed limit thing – we don’t get to explore the upper reaches of the V8 or to get too much heat

in the $17,500 optional carbon ceramic brakes. Taylor did a better job of that at Bathurst last month (see issue 26). But I can certainly tell that the potential is there. The brake pedal, though a little lacking in feel, travels smoothly, finding bite in the 402mm front discs without disrupting their steady progression.

The throttle, meanwhile, is much more reactive and easy to finesse, making exploration of the engine’s beautiful mid-range a complete cinch. Hunting between 50 and

100km/h, there’s an ease to its operation that is beautifully in sync with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It crisply climbs and falls through its ratios, either of its own accord or with a tweak the short-travel paddles. The only issue here is a slight restlessness at low revs, which can create the odd surge when creeping. That aside, this box is among the best and most alert we’ve tried lately.

We’ll have to get some alone time with the GT S to become

properly acquainted with its wild side, but we’re prepared to believe claims that it’s wilder than most. The wheel and pedals are superbly reactive, the engine’s figures prodigious and the chassis exploitable. Neither mellow nor manic, it seems to operate on a sliding scale somewhere in between, like a child that plays nice in proper company but will gleefully break the rules when dared. We’re game. L Belinda Jepsen

Specification Engine

Power

Torque

Weight

Consumption

0-100km/h

Top speed

Basic price

3982cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo

375kW @ 6000-6500rpm

650Nm @ 1750-5000rpm

1570kg (239kW/tonne)

9.4L/100km

3.8sec (claimed)

310km/h (limited)

$294,610

+ Poised yet playful, highly responsive - Too many caravans on our test route

evo rating

;;;;;

www.evomag.com.au

049

Volvo XC90 Hailed as one of the most important cars in Volvo’s 88-year history, the sizeable Swede aims to close the gap on the Germans

VOLVO TENDS TO HAVE a reputation for playing it safe; advanced in many ways (safety and comfort), but lagging in others (tech and design). The new XC90 is the car that attempts to change all that.

With the entire Volvo range due to be replaced by 2018, the seven-seat SUV is the first in the brand’s forward-thinking catalogue.

Based on new scalable product architecture and housing a trio of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engines, the sizeable Swede is larger, lighter, more powerful and more economical than before. Keep that and the lush new interior in mind as you digest the fact that the XC90 has been slugged

V

050

www.evomag.com.au

with a $20,000 price increase over the previous model. The D5 diesel now begins at $89,950 and the T5 petrol at $93,950. This aligns the car more squarely with the Germans, particularly the BMW X5 – $89,200 for the 168kW 25d and $107,510 for the 225kW 35i. Mercedes-Benz has rivals in the form of the 150kW GLE 250d and 245kW GLE 400, which command $86,900 and $109,900, respectively.

As mentioned, Volvo’s renewed assault on the market begins with the XC90 D5, a common rail twinturbo diesel with peaks of 165kW and 470Nm. Following on from that is the 235kW, 400Nm turbocharged and supercharged petrol T6. Both are available now, with a top-spec T8 Twin Engine hybrid due to follow early next year. That car will pair the T6’s unit with a 65kW, 240Nm electric motor, the result of which is a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 5.6 seconds – almost a full second quicker than the T6 and over two quicker than the D5. All boast a new Haldex all-wheel-drive system

linked to an in-house eight-speed automatic transmission.

There are two new trim levels available from launch: the base-level Momentum pack and mid-spec Inscription, which adds features including 20-inch wheels, rearcollision warning and cross-traffic alert. The more athletic-looking R-Design spec is set to arrive in Australia by the end of 2015, bringing drive-mode selection, gear-shift paddles and contour sports seats.

This will be the only trim option for the T8 Twin Engine model.

Regardless of spec, there’s one persistent theme in commentary around this car: the new interior. Our first up-close look reveals why. With porous wood, supple leather and earthen tones enveloping a 9-inch digital command centre, the design is elegant, simple and functional in an unmistakably Scandinavian way. It’s like one of those beautiful, Swedish furniture stores in which a single cushion costs half a (motoring journalist’s) weekly wage. Quite frankly, it leaves its rivals for dead.

Volvo XC90

Even the seats are beautiful.

Constructed around a core that follows the contour of the human spine, they are comfortable and supportive, with electronically adjustable lumbar support and cushion extension in the front row. The driving position is spot on, too – low hip-point, relaxed leg extension, excellent visibility – and makes it easy to forget that there is a seriously sizeable car around you.

The view from the spacious third row, however, will soon remind you of the XC90’s near five-metre length.

So how does such a hulking great car suit its small engines? Well, is the short answer. With maximum kilowatts coming in at 4250rpm and torque from a lowly 1750-2500rpm,

052

www.evomag.com.au

the D5 is pleasingly strong and devoid of that intrusive diesel clatter.

Early impressions are overwhelmingly positive, until a request for an extra 20km/h on the approach to a 100 zone is answered with a pause that you could drive an XC90 through. A roll of the gorgeous, knurled Drive Mode toggle, however, places the engine and transmission in Dynamic mode, which goes a fair way toward eliminating that bothersome delay in kickdown. It’s an optional feature, and one worth the small $160 outlay if you’re opting for the oil-burning XC90. On the T6, though, the improvements aren’t particularly substantial. We mean that in a good way – it’s just a better match for the Geartronic auto, which

neatly negotiates its ratios in both directions.

Though never particularly urgent, the T6 embarks on its quest for km/h in a confident and linear fashion that makes the car feel substantially lighter than its near-two-tonne kerb weight. We’re prepared to believe the 6.5sec 0-100km/h claim. The left-hand pedal also tracks smoothly and steadily, producing only minimal dive when its 345mm front and 320mm rear ventilated discs squeeze hard.

The body also remains nicely stable during cornering, although it’s still no match for its balanced BMW-badged foes in that regard.

The first sign of trouble is with the steering. I know we tend to

whinge – perhaps unfairly at times – about the anaesthetic nature of electronic systems, but in this case it’s more warranted than most. The lack of communication and weight through the wheel is disconcerting as we negotiate the first ribbon of bends, particularly as a slight tendency toward understeer reveals itself through the quicker sweepers.

This sense of detachment takes some getting used to, but once you do, you will find that the heft is appropriately light for low-speed, suburban situations and it does place the wheels accurately. Just be prepared for a wrestle when you flick on the lane-keep-assist function – it’s one of the most eager and insistent we’ve sampled. Of course,

Volvo XC90

Left: Tiered theatre-like rows and slightly centred rear seats improve forward visibility for passengers. Below left: Intuitive tablet-like touch screen controls everything from the air con to media and navigation.

The XC90 is the most complete and compelling Volvo in quite some time

neither of those foibles are likely to be too problematic for the average XC90 buyer, but we’d certainly be surprised if those cross-shopping with the German competition didn’t notice the difference.

It’s much the same case when it comes to ride quality on the optional 20-inch wheels. The standard suspension system (doublewishbone front and transverse leaf spring at the rear) has been developed in-house by Volvo and is disappointingly unsympathetic

over B-road bitumen, sending shudders through the chassis and jarring sharply over potholes. It’s not unbearable, and would surely be even less so on the standard 19-inch rims, but the lack of composure and refinement simply feels out of synch with the otherwise-polished package. The optional air suspension with electronic damping does manage to blunt the harshest of blows, although we’d need more time with it to decide if it’s a $3760 improvement.

Despite the overwhelming gains that the XC90 has brought Volvo over the last 12 years (it was their most popular model between 2004 and 2009), the brand has still never made a particularly large dent in the Australian market. The XC90, though, has to be the most complete and compelling package to have come out of Gothenburg in quite some time, and bodes well for Volvo’s ledger. We’re keen to see what happens next. L Belinda Jepsen

Specification Engine

Power

Torque

Weight

Consumption

0-100km/h

Top speed

Basic price

1969cc 4-cylinder, 16v, dohc, super- and turbocharged

235kW @ 5700rpm

400Nm @ 2200-5400rpm

1965kg (120kW/tonne)

8.5L/100km

6.5sec

230km/h

$93,950

+ Elegant interior, spritely petrol engine, improved performance - Price increase, ride quality on 20-inch wheels, numb steering

evo rating ;;;;2 www.evomag.com.au

053

Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate Boastful new AMG wagon offers style and practicality, with brutal performance to boot

054

www.evomag.com.au

Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate

THERE’S SOMETHING seriously cool about a hot wagon, particularly one as hot as the AMG C63 S. Perhaps it’s the sheer absurdity of a 1785kg five-seater managing the 100km/h sprint as quickly as a 911 Carrera GTS. Or perhaps it just seems like a marginally more ‘pure’ alternative to the ubiquitous hot SUVs claiming a stronghold on the practical performance market. Regardless, this particular fast wagon has serious appeal.

As the regular C63 isn’t available in Australia, it’s up to the more powerful C63 S Estate to cap off the W205 C-Class range. And it’s certainly not shy about playing the top dog. Under the power-domed bonnet lies a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine closely related to that in the flagship AMG GT S (page 46), but minus dry-sump lubrication and plus 50Nm. Yes, that means that the mid-size wagon boasts a stonking 700Nm from 1750-4500rpm and manages to match the GT S’ 375kW power peak between 5500-6250rpm. These substantial figures are delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed multi-clutch transmission with paddle shift.

As we discovered on the international launch of the car in Portugal earlier this year (issue 22), only the most stubborn atmo

T

Only the most stubborn atmo fans could fail to be impressed by the new twinturbo engine fans could fail to be impressed by the new twin-turbo engine. When properly unleashed, it bellows with a deep, meaty roar and spits angrily on the overrun, with the creamy swell of torque metered out by just the slightest pressure on the throttle.

There should be no qualms about that end of the performance scale.

Where carry-over customers will notice the difference is around town; it’s not nearly as antisocial as the old 6.2-litre unit at low revs, nor does it feel as impatient. In fact, sidling through the suburbs, it’s quite easy to forget what this thing is capable of: 0-100km/h in 4.1sec and an electronically limited top speed of 280km/h. More sophisticated styling aside, there’s no question that this is a more refined, polished car thanks to the new engine. Whether that’s cause for celebration or lamentation comes down to individual tastes.

If you’re floating between the

two camps, a quick push of the performance exhaust button ought to help you decide. Hearing the raucous revelry blasting out of those quad tailpipes, we were pretty happy to ride the changing tide.

The button is, thankfully, standard fit on Australian-delivered cars, which actually boast an impressively long spec list. The C63 S’ $157,010 minimum outlay will afford you a features list including a 13-speaker Burmester surround-sound system, digital TV tuner, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree parking camera and heated leather performance seats for the front row.

The S models have also earned a Drexler electronic locking differential as standard, compared to the mechanical one in the regular C63. And boy, does it work nicely.

Burrowing into a deep cliff-side bend, with a rather late turn of the wheel and a soggy, rain-slicked surface, the Estate’s nose digs in and the rear end takes the slightest slip sideways before neatly pulling itself back into line, all in one fluid flourish. Beautiful stuff. Of course, there’s always the new Race mode if you enjoy a little more slip than grip in your AMG. As well as relaxing the ESC, that setting also sharpens the engine response, increases idling speed from 600 to 800rpm, optimises shift times, and defaults the steering, exhaust and suspension to Sport Plus mode.

Beware of the latter if you’re on a www.evomag.com.au

055

pockmarked surface, lest you enjoy a good skull rattling – the 63 S is very tautly suspended in its more sporting modes. Of course, the four-link front, five-link rear setup has been altered from the standard C-Class in order to handle the larger, more potent engine, and it’s a dramatically different beast. Changes include a wider front track, increased rear camber, stiffer springs, stiffer antiroll bars and electronic three-stage adjustable dampers. The result is noticeably less fussy than the old car, particularly at low-speed, and communicates reasonably well about the surface passing beneath the 245/35R19 front and 265/35R19 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

It should be noted, though, that most of the feel from the suspension is delivered through the chassis to the base of the seat, rather than through the steering wheel. A fully electronic set-up, it’s not humming with feedback like the sensational hydraulic rack in the AMG GT, but it is beautifully weighted and boasts pin-point accuracy that place it among the best EPAS systems on the market. We also love that gorgeous

flat-bottom AMG steering wheel – it properly fills the hands without being overly chubby, and the Dinamica fabric allows for the optimum balance of comfort and grip.

Tucked neatly behind it are the paddles for the seven-speed MCT. The default response here is to be irked by the fact that AMG overlooked its excellent, rapid-fire dual-clutch unit. But this wetclutch-pack setup is perfectly quick and responsive, particularly on the

Above: C63 S’ turbochargers are tucked inside the vee, which shortens inlet tracts and helps to minimise lag.

upshift, and even includes a double de-clutch function on downshifts.

Paired with this engine, we couldn’t find any cause for disappointment.

But even more so than that of the legendary W204 generation that has now been consigned to history, the chassis is one of the true highlights of the W205 C63. With the inclusion of the new active engine mounts, handling is a stable, fluid affair that encourages later, deeper braking and earlier power application out of corners. Our winding test route fails to upset the wagon, which loads up the appropriate wheel with a barely noticeable lateral shift in the cabin. It also exhibits incredible stability and composure when the excellent 360mm rear and 390mm front ventilated discs are squeezed with intent. In fact, the added volume of the wagon has no perceptible impact on dynamics, thanks to the identical wheelbase and track widths. Just another reason why we have absolutely no hesitation in loudly singing this car’s praises.

Now, about our Fast Fleet... L Belinda Jepsen

Specification Engine

Power

Torque

Weight

Consumption

0-100km/h

Top speed

Basic price

3982cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo

375kW @ 5500-6250rpm

700Nm @ 1750-4500rpm

1785kg (210kW/tonne)

8.7L/100km

4.1 seconds (claimed)

280km/h (limited)

$157,010

+ Winning chassis, blistering performance, interior, short options list

056

www.evomag.com.au

- Suspension a tad firm, styling a little soft

evo rating ;;;;4

Alpina B6 Edition 50 Celebratory 6 Series gets M6-beating power and torque outputs, and a 330km/h top speed. Now, where’s the nearest autobahn?

ALPINA’S ‘EDITION 50’ models are 50th anniversary specials, offered as a limited run of B5s (sedan or Touring) and B6s (coupe or convertible). They’re part-homage to the company’s first limited-edition models, the B7 S Turbo sedan and coupe of the early ’80s (based on the E12 5 Series and E24 6 Series respectively), and also a way of signing off the F10/F13 era with 100 vicious, tearing, cacophonous heavyweights, capable, in the B6 Coupe’s case, of punching a hole through the air at 330km/h. Yes, I did say 330km/h.

Based on the 397kW B6 Biturbo, the B6 Biturbo Edition 50 receives a number of modifications to elevate it to anniversary specification.

Chief amongst these is the power increase, courtesy of new turbine wheels within the standard turbocharger housings of the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8, plus a largerdiameter and optimised air intake system, increased fuel pressure and a slight increase in boost. The result is a hefty 441kW and an enormous 800Nm, figures which comfortably

A

eclipses the 423kW generated by BMW’s M6 Competition Package (standard in Australia), while thoroughly trumping its torque by a whopping 120Nm. Then there are the wider, forged, 20-inch wheels, which ape the classic Alpina multi-spoke design.

They’re inspired by those fitted to the Alpina B6 GT3 racer and save a total unsprung mass of 15.6kg per car. Perhaps fortunately, there is also now the option of specifying giant 395mm Brembo front discs to nestle behind the delicate spokes of those alloys. An Akrapovic titanium exhaust saves another 17kg.

Alpina’s creations tend to combine luxury and performance with a less aggressive character than BMW’s M-cars, and while the Edition 50 is not short on drama, it also has a demure aspect to its personality. There’s a natural, sinister gurgle from the V8 at idle and low crank revolutions, but it’s certainly no hooligan. Only when the car is placed in Sport mode does the exhaust allow the V8 to sing, overlaid with a devilish crackle on the overrun. In Comfort the steering

feels light to the touch and the dampers allow a surprising amount of gentle body movement. This is a low-effort sort of car.

Alpina’s horsepower is of the meticulously homologated German variety, or in other words, during normal ambient temperatures those imposing numbers are a minimum. Under full throttle this B6 stampedes through second gear and deep into third with a fury that has the rear axle fidgeting under sufferance. The 150km/h mark is swatted aside with disdain, 250km/h is tantalisingly accessible, and 300km/h is almost absurdly attainable on the autobahn until I’m forced to lift for rapidly approaching traffic. Ultimate velocity has always been an important asset to Alpina, which engineer its cars to ‘go as

fast as they can go’, devoid of any limitation.

Away from the autobahn, it’s effortlessly easy to unstick the rear tyres with a brush of throttle mid-corner, although while this is entertaining, it does make you wonder how effective the car might be on a cold, wet, cambered and rutted B-road. Unlike the M6, the Edition 50 never really accomplishes the trick of shrinking the big 6 Series body around you, and hence there’s not the same incentive to drive it hard. It feels happier notched back a few tenths from the maximum, then periodically unleashed with a sudden frenzied lunge up to very high speed.

That’s either a flaw, or by design, but it doesn’t make this car particularly captivating at saner velocities.

This is a supremely capable longdistance GT, but much of the M6’s remote personality remains.

Not that Australian buyers will get to experience its qualities, however. Shame. Instead, it’ll be up to the Europeans to fight over the 50 examples of the special B6 being produced. L Adam Towler (@AdamTowler)

Specification Engine

Power

Torque

Weight

Consumption

0-100km/h

Top speed

Basic price

4395cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo

441kW @ 6000rpm

800Nm @ 3500-4500rpm

1870kg (236kW/tonne)

9.4L/100km

4.2sec (claimed)

330km/h (claimed)

N/A in Australia

+ Monstrous performance, refinement, quality - Still a touch aloof to drive

evo rating ;;;32 www.evomag.com.au

057

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Mercedes has joined the coupe-SUV club with its new GLE, and the range-topping, V8-powered 63 S model is aiming to steal sales from BMW’s successful X6 M ANYONE WHO STILL thinks coupe into SUV doesn’t go may want to take a peek at BMW’s calculator.

So far 300,000 X6s have been sold, which isn’t bad going for a car that looks as if it’s strayed from the back lot of a children’s sci-fi movie.

That’s a little unkind. There’s no denying the big Beemer’s bombastic styling has tons of presence, especially as the now pretty handy second-gen X6 M (in evo Australia 26), but the arrival of Mercedes’s GLE Coupe, and particularly the AMG 63 S range-topper driven here in the Austrian Alps, suggests that if you really do want a monster 4x4 with a swoopy roof, a little subtlety goes a long way. The photos don’t do it justice. It has X6 levels of swagger without the cartoonish exaggeration.

That Mercedes has taken the opportunity, with the refresh and renaming of its stalwart ML-class SUV, to gatecrash BMW’s party is clearly a strategically savvy move.

A

The deadly German rivals love a bit of carpet tugging. Why GLE? Why indeed. If it doesn’t remind you of a mid-’80s mainstream sedan with velour upholstery, you’re probably not as old as I am. Merc’s reasoning is that ‘G’ should be the root letter for all its off-roaders and not just the current G-Class, thus forging a solid link with the iconic Geländewagen of yesteryear. ‘E’ means its size roughly equates to that of an E-class sedan.

‘L’? That’s anyone’s guess.

It’s still no excuse for giving a car a name as long as the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic Coupe’s. The good news is the thing thunders from rest to 100km/h in about the same time it takes to say it, which seems about right considering that its biturbo 5.5-litre V8 pumps out 430kW and 760Nm in its marginally hotter ‘S’ form. With the assistance of 4Matic four-wheel drive and the massively shod optional 22-inch alloys, this GLE emphatically denies its kerb weight much say in the matter.

Like the big-capacity twinturbo V8s that power the X6 M

and Cayenne Turbo S, the Merc’s is a thing of wonder, rendering ‘effortless’ an inadequate descriptor of the way the car performs the everyday tasks of merely moving quickly and overtaking. Burbling deeply and surging serenely, it elevates the idea of ‘making progress’ to another, altogether less stressful level. It seems to have so much in reserve, checking what’s left is more an act of curiosity than necessity. Even then, when you put your toe down, it’s hard to credit just how savagely the horizon rushes up.

Thing is, when the big V8 opens its lungs, its previously muffled sonority hardens to a proper quasi-race-car yell – complete with ballistic crackles on the overrun if you select the sport

modes for engine or transmission – and that’s plain addictive.

The chassis copes well considering the GLE Coupe’s bulk and lofty stance. Mercedes has thrown in just about everything it knows to keep the big car on the island at speed while retaining a decent slice of comfort and refinement. The springs automatically lower the ride height when you’re going fast and, as well as adaptive dampers, there are adaptive anti-roll bars to resist body roll. The almost comically wide 325/35-section tyres at the rear have a big say in the way the 63 S handles on the limit. In tighter turns, and there are plenty of those in the Austrian hills, it’s the front end that inevitably lets go first, and quite suddenly. On longer curves, though, grip seems almost limitless.

No, the Merc doesn’t feel quite as precise and fluent as the X6 M or Cayenne Turbo S, but it manages its mass extremely well and is good fun if you’re in the mood. L David Vivian (@davidjvivian)

Specification Engine

Power

Torque

Weight

Consumption

0-100km/h

Top speed

Basic price

5461cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo

430kW @ 5500rpm

760Nm @ 1750-5250rpm

2275kg (189kW/tonne)

11.9L/100km

4.2sec (claimed)

250km/h (limited)

TBC

+ Subtler than an X6 M; performance; comfort - More force than finesse

058

www.evomag.com.au

evo rating ;;;32

NEW EXIGE S. AUTOMATICALLY QUICKER. /RWXV LV UHQRZQHG IRU QR FRPSURPLVH SHUIRUPDQFH 6R LWǢV QR VXUSULVH WKH ȌUVW HYHU ([LJH 6 WR RIIHU RXU QHZ VSHHG DXWRPDWLF JHDUER[ FRXSOHG ZLWK RXU +3 VXSHUFKDUJHG 9 HQJLQH LV DFWXDOO\ VHFRQGV TXLFNHU WKDQ LWǢV PDQXDO EURWKHU ,WǢV DV IDVW DURXQG WKH WUDFN DQG HYHQ PRUH VRSKLVWLFDWHG DURXQG WRZQ ([LJH 6 $XWRPDWLF LV DYDLODEOH LQ ERWK WKH FRXSH RU URDGVWHU PRGHOV DQG FRPHV ZLWK '\QDPLF 3HUIRUPDQFH 0DQDJHPHQW VHWWLQJV '30 WKDW DGMXVW WKURWWOH UHVSRQVH DQG H[KDXVW QRWH 7KH VWDQGDUG 5DFH VHWWLQJ IXUWKHU H[SORLWV WKH HQJLQHHULQJ EULOOLDQFH RI WKH VWLII H[WUXGHG DOOR\ FKDVVLV 1P RI WRUTXH WKUXVWLQJ \RX WR LQWR WKH EDFN RI WKH VHDW KDV QHYHU EHHQ PRUH UHZDUGLQJ \HW HDVLHU WR WDPH $XWRFDU 8. ZKHQ DVNHG ǡ:KDWǢV LW OLNH"Ǣ VDLG ǤLQ WZR ZRUGV GDPQHG IDVW ǥ DQG VXPPLVHG Ǥ,Ib\RX WUXO\ GHVLUH H[FHSWLRQDO SHUIRUPDQFH ZLWK URDGKROGLQJ LW SUREDEO\ ORRNV D ELW RI D VWHDO ǥ

THE EXIGE S, 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC. AVAILABLE NOW IN COUPE AND ROADSTER.

SYDNEY

MELBOURNE

BRISBANE

ADELAIDE

PERTH

LOTUSCARS.COM.AU

M c L A R E N 675 LT

062 www.evomag.com.au

LIGHTER HARDER b y DAV I D V I V I A N

FA S T E R PHOTOGR A PH Y by DE A N SMITH

BETTER? This is it. The hard-edged, more focused and first attempt at an extreme Super Series car. This is the McLaren 675LT

M c L A R E N 675 LT

A S T - T R A C K evolut ion seem s to be McLaren’s thing.

Applying the same adapt- c o m p e t e t e c h n iq u e s manded in Formula 1, Automotive division’s etic re-engineering of the 2C, via the current 650S, e new 675LT seems no g and remarkable than a ood A-lister buffing up for a clingy Spandex superhero role. And in essence it boils down to much the same thing: more muscle, less fat and an extra dose of aero. Read 497kW and a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 374kW per tonne.

It helps, of course, that McLaren found the time to erect a ‘hyper’ benchmark with the P1 and trickle down certain elements for the betterment of the 675LT’s road and track performance.

Well, it could be something more than that.

Intriguingly, McLaren describes the LT as ‘‘the most track-focused, yet road-legal, McLaren series production model to date’’. And to make sure the statement sticks, I’m booked in for six laps of Silverstone’s International Circuit at 9am.

But first, and doubtless of some importance to the 500 customers who’ve committed $616,250 to owning McLaren’s latest, instantly sold-out supercar, there’s the appearance. It’s hard to overstate this. Trim and overly prim has given way to pumped and seriously purposeful.

Finally, the shape that launched more than a few embarrassed yawns around evo Towers four years ago has become a borderline jaw-dropper – purely through functional necessity, according to McLaren. In short, the 675LT looks like a proper supercar should. Even the 650S GT3 racer seems only marginally more butch. As one interested bystander will ask while we refuel the LT at our regular Betws-y-Coed petrol station, ‘‘Is that a P1?’’ No, but future owners will be glad you asked.

As ever, it’s the additions and subtractions that make all the difference. True to its name, the LT (Longtail) is longer than a 650S, but by just 34mm of extra pop-up airbrake and not the vast, tapering tracts of rear-end bodywork needed to keep racing F1 GTRs competitive when the GT rules changed in 1997. Owners and fans shouldn’t feel too cheated, though. The remodelled, fullwidth active airbrake is 50 per cent larger than the one fitted to the 650S, fractionally lighter and, together with the 80 per cent larger front splitter and the rear diffuser, makes a telling contribution to the 40 per cent increase in overall downforce (measured at 300km/h, incidentally). Below the wing, twin-exit and emphatically circular

064

www.evomag.com.au

tailpipes are part of a new forged titanium crossover exhaust system that saves another 1.1kg in the meticulously executed dive to minus-100kg overall. The only additions here, unsurprisingly, are raw, skinned-back decibels.

The dialled-up aero package isn’t just about pressing the LT more firmly to the blacktop.

Turbulent air generated by the car’s front arches is cleaned up as it passes along new side skirts before being channelled into the 675LT’s gulping engine air intakes, feeding twin radiators that have been angled forward four degrees for more efficient cooling, in turn necessitating slightly eased out flank panels – all to the aesthetic good.

To help evacuate hot air from the engine bay, McLaren has left the rear deck exposed and added ventilation slats to the polycarbonate engine cover. Again, it looks properly exotic, shaves off a further 1.7kg and, along with the escaping hot air, has the added benefit of liberating a harderedged mechanical note to the slipstream where it can blend with the guttural blare of the exhaust.

More function dictating form is evident at ground level. While the tailoring of the chassis to cope with hardcore track work is most obviously reflected in the lower ride height and 20mm wider track, it’s the stuff you can’t see that makes it count. Springs that are stiffer by 27 per cent at the front and 63 per cent at the rear work with the more direct steering – quicker even than the P1’s – to sharpen response at the helm, while the optional Ultra-Lightweight ten-spoke alloys and super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres are the lightest wheel/tyre set ever offered by McLaren.

Like all models in the Super Series – McLaren’s marketing category for the 675LT and 650S, with the P1 and P1 GTR occupying the Ultimate slot above and the forthcoming 570S and 540C models the Sports Series entry level below – the 675LT has Normal, Sport and Track modes that can be set independently for powertrain and chassis. This means you can have the most extreme powertrain configuration with the least aggressive suspension setup if you want, or vice versa, or any combo in between. Or, as I suspect will be the case come track time, both rotary knobs on the floating centre console wound right around to T. For the 675LT, as McLaren’s chief test driver, Chris Goodwin, explains, this ProActive Chassis Control system (first seen on the 12C) has been recalibrated across the board but, for the benefit of track-day supercar users, with extreme prejudice in Track mode: ‘‘We’ve improved roll stiffness, damping and pitching and it is slightly edgier, more raw and slightly more harsh. That’s intended.’’ Engineering director Carlo Della Casa goes further, emphasising the value of having

Right: a weight of 1328kg – 100kg lighter than the 650S – gives the 675LT absurd agility. Below right: titanium roll-cage part of the Club Sport Pack; it weighs just half what a steel cage would. Bottom right: engine bay is a carbonfibre feast; rear window is polycarbonate.

www.evomag.com.au

065

M c L A R E N 675 LT

066

www.evomag.com.au

uprights and wishbones derived from the P1’s: ‘‘We wanted to replicate some of the dynamic drama of the P1. The uprights, hubs, castor, kingpin angles and toe-in/toe-out all contribute to a more extreme, driver-focused geometry. In many ways this feels like a track car, and has been engineered with a track mindset.’’

As with the 12C, all this is possible because the dampers are connected hydraulically and linked to a gas-filled accumulator, providing adaptive responses depending on road conditions and the mode settings. The system virtually

Left: airbrake is 50 per cent larger; it helps increase downforce by 40 per cent and gives the 675 its longtail credentials – by an extra 34mm.

eliminates body roll in corners, while decoupling the suspension in a straight line for better wheel articulation and compliance. It doesn’t have or need conventional mechanical anti-roll bars, saving weight and improving ride comfort, especially at low speeds.

I haven’t mentioned carbonfibre yet. To be honest, it would be easier to list the parts that aren’t. But as McLaren’s head of vehicle design and engineering, Dan Parry-Williams, says, carbon is an integral component of the 675LT’s ‘‘technical sculpture’’. As well as the famed carbon MonoCell tub, the front bumper and splitter with its F1-style endplates, front underbody, side skirts, side air intakes, lower rear flanks, rear bumper, rear deck, rear diffuser and airbrake are all made from the material, saving some 35kg over the same parts made in aluminium. In three of the four paintjobs bespoke to the 675LT (Silica White, Delta Red and the distinctly Lamborghini-esque Napier Green), the exposed carbon splitter, side scoops and skirts have a striking graphic emphasis. In the fourth colour, Chicane Grey, the carbon merges less contrastingly into a vaguely militaristic whole.

Some customers, however, have gone for full-on menace and ordered the Club Sport Professional Pack’s unique Storm Grey hue, which really is as dark as thunder and presages the driver’s intent with acres of extra exposed carbon (front wing endplates, sill-level side air intakes, rear bumper centre section, wheelarches, wing mirrors and, best of all, airbrake wing) to contrast with the Bruce McLaren-orange brake calipers and detailing. The Pro pack also gets the regular Club Sport Pack’s lightweight titanium roll-hoop with four-point harness plus fire extinguisher and, to finish off the Armageddon-approaching

look, stealth-finished Ultra-Lightweight 10-spoke forged alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres. Spectacular.

But back to the serious stuff: the figures. The 675LT weighs just 1328kg, which is 100kg less than the already almost absurdly rapid 650S. Its twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 develops 497kW at 7100rpm, 19kW more than the 650S and 5kW more than the heavier Ferrari 488 GTB’s twinturbo 3.9-litre V8. Torque outputs are similar – 700Nm at 5500-6500rpm for the McLaren, 760Nm at 3000rpm for the Ferrari.

Straight-line performance figures initially appear little fiercer than those of the 650S: 0-100km/h is 0.1sec down at 2.9sec and top speed is a claimed 330km/h (actually 3km/h less than the 675LT’s less aerodynamically clamped down sibling). But once rolling, the LT is a different and more brutal proposition. It accelerates to 200km/h in 7.9sec – half a second quicker than the 650S and four tenths faster than the 488 GTB. Breathtaking stats all, but bragging rights owned.

The McLaren’s comprehensively uprated engine features new, more efficient turbos, detail design changes to cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds, new camshafts and lightweight connecting rods, and a more powerful fuel-pump and delivery system. In fact, some 50 per cent of the engine components are new, justifying its newly minted designation – M838TL. The SSG seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is carried over from the 650S but with optimised calibration and F1-style ignition cut tech to halve shift times (now an eyewatering 40 milliseconds and with the promised reward of an accompanying aural ballistic ‘crack’ to ricochet around grandstand or hillside).

9AM. FAST CARS DON’T ALWAYS FEEL that fast on proper, big-boy race circuits. The 675LT does. It frankly makes mincemeat of Silverstone’s Hangar Straight, pulls back speed with the kind of conviction that constantly forces you to reassess braking points, and changes direction at speeds that hardly seem credible, especially into the heart-stopper that is Stowe. And it just does this, the double-clutch transmission’s phenomenal prescience in auto mode nailing the shift points so precisely it’s genuinely scary and makes the paddles effectively redundant. No sweat, either figuratively (the car) or literally (the driver).

At the end I feel elated but strangely calm. Has it been a life-enhancing 10 minutes? Absolutely.

Was it, as Vinnie Jones might say, emotional?

Not really. Am I dazed and confused by the widethroated gulp of shattering pace without much discernable skill-related consequence? A little. Is the Porsche 911 GT3 RS about to be overwhelmed by a car that, as Chris Goodwin has admitted, ‘‘is a lot closer to the P1 than it should be’’? I honestly don’t know. But I’m about to find out. www.evomag.com.au 067

M c L A R E N 675 LT v P O R S C H E 9 1 1 GT 3 RS

WA S T H E for that old TV ad with white horses ‘‘Good things come to those who… wait.’’ Yeah, tick follows tock and all that. But however much the serene interior of Porsche GB’s Reading HQ conspires to soothe the passage of time, too much caffeine and a fastspooling imagination have got me pacing the floor like an expectant dad. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to snatch a set of car keys from someone’s grasp before, but when the PR bod finally rolls up from the backlot (probably delayed by the application of a final coat of grime-repelling wax that we’ll thank him for later) I might do just that.

Actually, I don’t. I’m a little too rooted to the spot. It isn’t just the Lava Orange paintwork (admittedly, some retinal adjustment required) or the gruff clatter of the drivetrain – a sound that evokes memories of the previous-generation Rennsport GT3’s race-derived Mezger engine. No, it’s because, in the metal, the 991 GT3 RS looks so unbelievably ‘track’. It’s as if the guys from Weissach signed it off without ever venturing beyond the proving ground’s perimeter. That lofted rear wing, almost the width of the widebodied shell’s distended and vented haunches, is a fixture no one should misunderstand. It doesn’t have the kinetic fascination of a multi-element active airbrake. It doesn’t need it. The same goes for the shallower, re-sculpted carbon bonnet and the deep-set jawline with its leading edge splitter and huge, rectangular, meshed air ducts.

But mostly it’s the primal motorsport stance.

Finding a way to fit the enormous wheels and tyres from the 918 Spyder hypercar apparently kept Porsche’s engineers awake at night. The result looks impossible. The 21-inchers at the rear sit so snugly in the arches there isn’t even room to poke a little finger between the 325/30 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and the bodywork. The 265/35s on 20-inch rims at the front can be glimpsed topside through the slatted gashes in the bodywork above the arches. These are essentially the same as those found on the GT3 Cup racer and are claimed to reduce lift by 30 per cent at the nose, thus helping the splitter do its 110kg thing on the way to an overall downforce tally of 345kg at 200km/h. That’s a punchy 80 per cent as much as the Cup car. In light of which, and a host of other weight- and lap-time-saving measures, the 7min 20sec it took the GT3 RS, driven by Timo Kluck, to circulate the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife on just his third lap – and by which time the track had

068

www.evomag.com.au

IN THE CLUB? When it comes to the thrill of driving, few cars surpass the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The latest model is a phenomenal machine, and a benchmark against which to measure the new McLaren’s ability to astound and excite‌

M c L A R E N 675 LT v P O RSC H E 9 1 1 GT 3 RS

WHAT A DRIVE LIES AHEAD. THE FINEST ROADS IN NORTH WALES ARE OUR PLAYGROUND

already begun to dampen – doesn’t seem quite so freakish. Just think, nearly nine seconds quicker than the Carrera GT could manage in the dry.

How do I know this stuff? I’ve spent the last hour and a quarter reading about it between visits to the coffee machine. The next four and a half will tick by at distinctly sub-light speed via the satnav’s ‘fastest’ route to Beaumaris on Anglesey, where the plan is to meet up with managing editor Stuart Gallagher and designer Will Beaumont – plotting their way from Woking in the 657LT – for a late evening pint at the bar of the Bulkeley Hotel, though no one’s betting against snapper Dean Smith’s legendary thirst, transported by Range Rover Sport, getting there first. I know that this part of the journey is destined for the cutting room floor and that, with 368kW at 8250rpm itching for release, it will inevitably be a journey shot through with frustration. But they say the best sort of gratification is deferred. Besides, despite the frequent bouts of cacophonous tyre roar, the resolutely firm (but fair) ride and the lumbarsupport-lite, ready-to-race driving position prescribed by bucket seats pinched from the 918 Spyder, there are plenty of warm reminders I’m in a Rennsport 911 and, however long the drive and abraded the senses, that’s always a good feeling.

HERE’S A (PERHAPS NOT SO) STRANGE thing. The mild stir I’d caused when I parked up the previous evening is completely eclipsed by the attention the McLaren is receiving 12 hours later.

It’s as if the Porsche, admittedly tucked away in a corner by the hotel’s dining room, has donned Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. Not too many 911 aficionados taking the morning air, then. But, then again, why should children licking their ice cream cone breakfasts care when there’s an orange-andcarbon riot of slinky curves and peer-down ducts barely taller than they are to run into and scream at? And never underestimate the pulling power of scissor doors. Even the parents seem to get a kick out of their majestic arc skywards.

My turn to attempt an effortlessly graceful limbdump into the 675LT’s carbon-and-Alcantaraswathed cabin. Fortunately, I had some practice at Silverstone, and although my bum doesn’t exactly glide towards the pit of the P1-cloned bucket seat on the far side of the broad sill, I feign a kind of Simon Cowell-esque half-smile and insincere wave to disguise the less than pillowy landing. But, oh my, if feels good to be back in the taut embrace of the Macca’s immaculately precise driving environment – surely one of the best thoughtout ever. Although the 911’s easier-to-enter cabin has been licked into shape over the years with all the idiosyncrasies carved and buffed away, the advantages of a clean-sheet approach were immediately evident with the 12C and seem just as sublimely sussed now in the 675LT. The cabin

is lean and functional, with forward sight lines and control relationships that simply seem more compatible with the human form than most other supercar architectures and instantly feel more natural and efficient.

Door down and we’re away with a crowdpleasing bark of revs and… ah, a little trouble here. There are some tight-ish turns needed to exit the car park, turns the 911 swings through with metres to spare and the Range Rover breezes. The McLaren doesn’t or, rather, can’t. There’s no easy way to put this: it has a truly lousy turning circle.

For the further entertainment of the now slightly quieter and more confused onlookers, I thumb the ‘R’ button down on the console between the seats, back up, reassess my trajectory and, exhaust gargling gently, roll sheepishly out of the car park.

Not even Cowell can save me now.

What a drive lies ahead. The finest roads in north Wales are our playground, the source – depending on cloud cover – of Dean’s delight and despair and, ultimately, a silent witness to who makes the greater track-massaged supercar for the road. On paper, it looks like an ask too far for the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six Porsche, which gives away 129kW and 240Nm to a car that costs $228,950 more. Both in acceleration and top speed it’s on the back foot, trailing the McLaren’s 2.9sec 0-100km/h time by 0.4sec, its 7.9sec 0-200km/h time by three seconds and its 330km/h top speed by 19km/h. For straightline thrust, Ferrari’s 488 is a closer match for the McLaren, lagging by mere fractions all the way through to an identical top speed. And Porsche’s own 911 Turbo S, with all-wheel drive and 412kW, is more than capable of giving the Macca a bloody nose at the lights.

But even McLaren will admit that, as a pure expression of motorsport philosophy for the road, against-the-clock performance metrics aren’t what defines the 675LT. It knows the only comparison that really matters is Porsche’s A-game on truly testing roads such as those that soar and swoop through the hills and valleys between Bala, Llanberis and Ffestiniog. The violently coloured melange of wing and CinemaScope derrière filling the McLaren’s screen as we stop ‘n’ slow through roadworks on the outskirts of Beaumaris is precisely that car. You know where we’re heading.

We’re not there yet. This morning’s first impressions reveal the McLaren’s slow-traffic chops to be softer and more benign than anything I experienced in the GT3 RS on the way up. With the powertrain portion of the ProActive Chassis Control system dialled back to Normal, initial throttle response is slugged to the point where the 675LT feels almost sleepy, the seven-speed double-clutch transmission extreme short-shifting to the resonant drone of the McLaren’s lightweight titanium exhaust system behaving like a rapidly www.evomag.com.au

071

M c L A R E N 675 LT v P O R S C H E 9 1 1 GT 3 RS

stepped tone-generator heading for the basement.

There’s enough low-down torque to indulge the software’s laid-back approach and you know all 497kW is waiting at the end of the throttle travel should you need it, but the built-in torpidity feels a little contrived all the same.

That said, the McLaren really can do passive and painless to a degree that belies its true intent. Over breakfast, Will confessed to falling asleep in the passenger seat on the slog over from Woking. Not a great advertising slogan for McLaren’s second most focused road and track weapon, maybe, but a telling demonstration of its dual personality and potential as a long-distance cruiser.

As the morning commuters reach their destinations and intrepid tourists meander towards tea shop adventures, the roads open up and so does Stu in the RS. For a few moments I hang back, click the centre console rotaries around to Sport to wake things up and just look at the thing go. Maybe because the McLaren’s lightweight windscreen is 1mm thinner, I can hear it, too, and it sounds properly stoked and mighty. Pretty sure Stu’s giving it everything.

But, and this isn’t entirely unexpected, in the 675LT I don’t have to. On the first decent straight the shrinking orange blob is comfortably hauled back to widescreen with no more than 80 per cent throttle. Extraordinary. The engine doesn’t feel turbocharged at all, just stupefyingly energetic with a superbike-like appetite for revs sliced up by those 40-millisecond ignition-cut gearshifts.

Truth is, and I’m beginning to think that 497kW claim is distinctly conservative, the LT feels a whole layer of manic quicker than a 650S and more like a 99th percentile P1. A little quieter with a more linear delivery and not so much blowoff valve pissshhh and flutter. But from memory on these very roads, there can’t be much in it. If anything, the LT’s performance, if not easier to access, is easier to exploit. Whichever way you want to slice it – and even if, as seems to be the case, the RS wings it for sheer cornering and braking power –the German car simply doesn’t have enough power to hurt the McLaren.

Stu returns the favour when we switch cars and head for our favourite stretch of Bala blacktop. No doubt about it, with a spectacular road winding out to the far horizon and a plan to waste not a single metre of it on part-throttle out of respect to what might be the greatest race-honed road car on the planet, the last thing you want behind you is a McLaren 675LT. Even if its driver isn’t channelling Fangio, it will be a haunting experience. Stu isn’t Fangio, or even channelling him, but try as I might to exert every last track-tautened sinew of the RS, the ground-sucking snout of the LT remains a permanent fixture in the rear-view mirror.

It shouldn’t matter, but brand egos are at stake here and at least one score has been settled early.

072

www.evomag.com.au

Right: 675LT feels closer to the P1 than the 650S on the roads of north Wales.

That said, so focused is the Porsche that it develops 80 per cent of the downforce of the GT3 racer. Game on…

THE 675LT REMAINS A PERMANENT FIXTURE IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR

074

www.evomag.com.au

M c L A R E N 675 LT v P O RSC H E 9 1 1 GT 3 RS

The McLaren is the faster car across the ground. If that was the only thing we were here to establish, it would be game over for the RS. Fortunately for the Porsche, the more exhilarating and memorable flipside of speed is sensation and engagement, and here there’s still everything to play for. After experiencing the mind-bending feats of the McLaren, Stu’s initial doubts have been blown away. ‘‘It’s so addictive and fast that the only gamble is how fast you dare to go,’’ he says, but, intriguingly, it’s the GT3 RS we both feel we want to know better, and over the following hours, as surely as tick follows tock, the Porsche’s moments start to come thick and fast.

Like a supercomputer taking on a grandmaster at chess, the McLaren seems to have an answer to any move the Porsche cares to make. But, if you could, it’s the human thoughts you’d want to read. And that’s how it is with the RS. It isn’t that the McLaren’s pursuit of sector-humbling pace is an end in itself – by now I’m in no doubt the 675LT is hugely more malleable and less prescriptive than the original 12C – but in the RS it’s the very process of acquiring speed, what it does with it and how it makes you feel that sets it apart. Every strand of its being fizzes and bristles with tactile and aural information, from the tiniest nuance of steering feel to the final malevolent twist of its searing engine note as it soars towards 8800rpm.

For all that the 675LT doesn’t feel turbocharged, it can’t quite emulate the fine throttle modulation gifted the RS by its un-blown flat-six. It adds to the feeling that the 911 possesses extra precision, clarity and detail where it matters. Despite a level of chassis electronics similar to the McLaren’s, it feels more naturally mechanical and more physically connected.

In margin-scrawled detail, it shows every last scrap of the method as well as providing the answer.

Stu sums it up nicely. ‘‘Forty years of RS philosophy distilled in a 21st century package. It’s the first of the 991s that feels like an old-school 911. There isn’t a single area that dominates, the whole car works as one. The steering is easier to read than the McLaren’s,

McLAREN 675LT Engine 3799cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Power 497kW @ 7100rpm Torque 700Nm @ 5500-6500rpm Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive, Brake Steer Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, roll control Rear suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, roll control Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, 394mm front, 380mm rear, ABS, EBD Wheels 19 x 8.5-inch front, 20 x 11.0-inch rear Tyres 235/35 ZR19 front, 305/30 ZR20 rear Weight 1328kg Power-to-weight 374kW/tonne 0-100km/h 2.9sec (claimed) Top speed 330km/h (claimed) Basic price $616,250

evo rating: ;;;;3

the detail more accurate and when you need to make adjustments mid-corner there are no surprises. It changes direction better than any other 991, too, and you can feel the front tyres grab a solid purchase on the road the moment you turn in. Even better, you can turn in on the brakes and it doesn’t become unsettled, just remains poised and connected at each corner.’’

The McLaren’s behaviour on the Llanberis Pass exposes telling contrasts. If a chassis can have good posture, the 675LT’s definitely does. It scythes through the series of smooth, high-speed bends with staggering elan and composure. The suspension and damping make it feel as if the road’s sharp edges are smothered with a cushioning layer of silicon that draws the sting, pulls the punch of what would be harsh single-wheel inputs. The 911 is more nuggety and resolute and has steering – a revelation by previous 991 standards – that relays how the road and front wheels are interacting without getting too excited. The LT’s is less disciplined and feels like it’s trying too hard to deliver masses of feedback.

As Stu remarks as we break for another breather while Dean composes his final setup, it’s very busy around the centre and the tyres have a bad habit of sniffing out cambers, forcing you to make constant small corrections, especially under braking. Yes, you can lean on the front and it responds faithfully and cleanly to your inputs, but ultimately you can’t feel precisely what’s going on and you need a dose of faith that the car is as good as you think.

It is, of course. For me, it’s the best McLaren since the F1 and asks questions of the P1 that McLaren probably didn’t intend. It asks questions of the GT3 RS, too. Objectively, the McLaren is the better car.

It’s faster, more comfortable and has a wider span of talents. Given its price and power, that shouldn’t come as a great shock. But that it matches the latest GT3 RS punch for punch in the pursuit of driving fast on a great road with a richness of feedback that nails all your senses and a pulse-quickening intensity does.

Welcome to the road-racer club, McLaren. L

PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS Engine 3996cc flat-six, dohc, 24v Power 368kW @ 8250rpm Torque 460Nm @ 6250rpm Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential, PTV Front suspension MacPherson struts, coil springs, PASM dampers, anti-roll bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, PASM dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs (option), 410mm front, 390mm rear, ABS, EBD Wheels 20 x 9.5-inch front, 21 x 12.5-inch rear Tyres 265/35 ZR20 front, 325/30 ZR21 rear Weight 1420kg Power-to-weight 259kW/tonne 0-100km/h 3.3sec (claimed) Top speed 311km/h (claimed) Basic price $387,300

evo rating: ;;;;3

NEW WORLD ORDER? The new, turbocharged Honda Civic Type R has arrived in the UK, so we’ve arranged the toughest and most thorough test for it that you’ll find. Can it outperform the very best rivals from SEAT, BMW, VW and Renaultsport, both on road and on track? Only evo has the answer

by DA N P RO S S E R & R I C H A R D M E A D E N P H O T O G R A P H Y by D E A N S M I T H W

www.evomag.com.au

077

C I V I C T Y P E R G R O U P T ES T

On road

by DA N PROSSER

THERE’S A BUMP JUST BEFORE THE APEX. Hit it quickly enough and it’ll flick the inside wheels an inch or two into the air, leaving the outer tyres to dig in and negotiate the car around the bend. It makes for a dramatic cornering photograph, but it’s a spectacle that’s even more impressive to witness in person.

I’m standing on the outside of the corner, and as Jethro Bovingdon approaches the third-gear left-hander he hardly seems to slow down.

He turns in, hits the bump and, just as planned, the car rides up on two wheels. The weight settles on the right-hand Michelin Cup 2 tyres, which smear themselves into the abrasive surface leaving a thick, black stain running for six feet or so at mid-corner. I’ve never before watched a hot hatch corner with such force that it leaves its tag on the road.

Up until this point the most noteworthy thing about the SEAT’s 19-inch wheels was their sunbed orange hue, but it now seems rather more significant that they’re wrapped in what is essentially the same tyre that Porsche deemed worthy of its 918 Spyder hypercar. That’s a pretty emphatic comment on the sheer intent and purpose of the modern high-performance hot hatch, and it isn’t only true of the Leon Cupra 280 Sub8 – the Renaultsport Mégane 275 Trophy we have here is wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s as well.

Unlike other sectors of the market, the hot hatch genre has diverted its arms race away from sheer power output and instead towards the kind of sophisticated chassis engineering that was the preserve of bespoke sports cars just a few years ago; think trick suspension components and super-sticky tyres. A consensus seems to have been reached on 225kW (give or take) being the correct output for a hot hatch in 2015 and if you need much more than that just to keep up, you’re not doing it right.

It all means the hot hatch marketplace is a pretty difficult arena to enter after a long leave of absence, but the new Honda Civic Type R arrives with some promising hardware and a fistful of bold claims.

The high-revving, normally aspirated engines of previous models have been junked in favour of a turbocharged four-cylinder. You’d need six cylinders and three litres to deliver competitive hot hatch power from an atmospheric engine these days, say the engineers, and a unit that size would sit far too much weight over the front axle.

The Type R’s headline numbers are on point: 228kW at 6500rpm and 400Nm from 2500rpm. The claimed figures are 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds, 270km/h flat out and 7min 50.6sec around a patch of the Eifel mountains that you may have heard of. That’s a frontwheel-drive production car record.

The Honda’s vast rear spoiler, assorted aero spats and odd little vents will draw derisory comments throughout the test, but alongside the Mégane’s flashy decals and the Leon’s (optional) orange highlights, the Civic’s go-faster bits don’t look quite so jarring as in isolation. Honda actually claims this is the first hot hatch to produce real downforce, which is another indicator of the progress made in this sector in recent years.

The Renault and the SEAT between them set the dynamic benchmark for the more unhinged of hot hatch challengers, but Honda will also want to draw buyers from the Volkswagen Golf R and BMW M135i. These cars do approach the issue of propelling a hatchback down a road at great speed in a much more discerning

T

078

www.evomag.com.au

I’ve never before watched a hot hatch corner with such force that it leaves its tag on the road

Above: Sub8 pack on the Leon Cupra 280 brings 30mm-larger front brake discs with Brembo calipers, plus a different design of wheel to fit around them; Cup 2 tyres (left) are super sticky.

The cars

BMW M135i

HONDA Civic Type R

Engine In-line 6-cyl, 2979cc, turbo Power 240kW @ 5800-6000rpm Torque 450Nm @ 1300-4500rpm Weight 1445kg Power-to-weight 166kW/tonne 0-100km/h 4.9sec (claimed) Top speed 250km/h (limited) Basic price $64,930

Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1996cc, turbo Power 228kW @ 6500rpm Torque 400Nm @ 2500-4500rpm Weight 1378kg Power-to-weight 165kW/tonne 0-100km/h 5.7sec (claimed) Top speed 270km/h (claimed) Basic price c$50,000

RENAULTSPORT MÉGANE 275 TROPHY

SEAT LEON CUPRA 280 SUB8

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R

Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo Power 202kW @ 5500rpm Torque 360Nm @ 3000-5000rpm Weight 1376kg Power-to-weight 147kW/ tonne 0-100km/h 5.8sec (claimed) Top speed 255km/h (claimed) Basic price $52,990

Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo Power 206kW @ 5600rpm Torque 350Nm @ 1750-5300rpm Weight 1346kg Power-to-weight 153kW/tonne 0-100km/h 5.7sec (claimed) Top speed 250km/h (limited) Basic price n/a

Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo Power 206kW @ 5500-6200rpm Torque 380Nm @ 1800-5500rpm Weight 1476kg Power-to-weight 140kW/tonne 0-100km/h 5.1sec (claimed) Top speed 250km/h (limited) Basic price $52,740

www.evomag.com.au

079

C I V I C T Y P E R G R O U P T ES T

way, but costing from $52,740 and $64,930 respectively to the Civic’s expected $50,000, they occupy much the same space.

The Honda is on its way to meet us from a sunrise rendezvous, so we’ve got an hour or so and the best roads in north Wales with which to make a start on the action photography. The Leon does its twowheeler thing, the Golf gets impressively crossed up in my rear-view mirror and the M135i skims a layer off its rear boots. When the Civic eventually steams over a crest in the middle distance it looks mean and low, a no-nonsense road racer tearing up the sort of terrain it was built for. It’s only when it pulls up in the lay-by that the clumsiness of some of the details hits home. It’s such a busy aesthetic and I’m not sure it navigates the precipitous divide between motorsporthoned purpose and Fast and Furious set prop without stumbling.

My colleagues, it’s fair to say, are less charitable; Jethro reckons it looks like a cupcake that’s been dunked in a box of Lego, while Adam Towler will claim that he has to fight the urge to put a brown paper bag over his head every time he gets into it.

Its cabin is no more orderly but the seat is supportive and the

080

www.evomag.com.au

driving position is very good. The first impressions the Civic makes over these roads are also mostly positive, for it feels supple over bumps but tautly controlled and it responds with agility and immediacy to steering inputs. The engine returns plenty of performance, too, but it seems to do so a heartbeat or two after you first call for it. At least the gearshift action is slick and tight in the best Type R tradition.

Before exploring the Civic any further I pass its keys to Richard Meaden and settle into the most powerful car of the group, the 240kW M135i. With two more cylinders than its rivals and another 1000cc of displacement, the BMW’s turbocharged engine does things the four-pots can’t. Low-down response is very sharp indeed and the mid range is broad, but it’s the willing top end and baleful howl that really distinguish this engine. It’s a pleasure to work it hard and although the standard six-speed manual (much improved since the car’s facelift earlier this year) would add a layer of involvement, the ZF eight-speed automatic we have here is at least very slick and clean in the way it shifts cogs.

Judged in isolation the M135i is a very easy car to fall for, not only for its engine but also for the balance of its chassis. But in the context of the world’s best hot hatches, it falls short. Approach the BMW with the same maximum-attack mindset that you would the Mégane or Leon and you wonder if some rogue has stuck an M135i badge and silver mirror caps onto a cooking 118i. Where its front-wheeldrive rivals just get sharper and better controlled the more you ask of them, the BMW begins to roll heavily, the brakes run out of stamina and the suspension starts to lose control of the masses. More fundamentally, you don’t get the traditional benefits of rear-wheel drive – notably crisp steering feel and precise throttle adjustability – with the M135i, so it ultimately isn’t as much fun to thrash along a moorland road.

Perhaps it’s a little unfair to heap too much criticism at BMW’s door for the M135i not being at its best on a charge, but the second of the seemingly more grown-up cars in this test manages that trick quite brilliantly. In fact, the Golf R actually gets better the harder you push it, rising up onto its toes and coming alive just at the point where

The Civic Type R looks mean and low, a no-nonsense road racer tearing up the sort of terrain it was built for Above left: Civic Type R and Golf R approach the 225kW hatch thing from very different angles. Top: like the Golf, the M135i is very road-biased.

www.evomag.com.au

081

C I V I C T Y P E R G R O U P T ES T

The Golf R is playful – it’ll take on some attitude if you back it into a corner on the brakes

previous generations would fall to pieces. There’s a crispness and a purity to the steering, a sense of lightness and agility to the way it darts in towards an apex and, by virtue of its all-wheel-drive system, none of the tugging at the wheel under full load that you get in the front-wheel-drive cars here.

Whereas earlier R and R32 Golfs felt dumpy and lethargic, this latest version is altogether more alive. Rather than labouring its way through corners, it responds with precision and immediacy.

The body is tautly controlled in direction changes and over crests, but there’s a fair amount of dive and roll, which gives you a clear impression of how hard the chassis is being worked. The Bridgestone Potenza tyres don’t return the same faultless grip as the Michelin Cup 2s of the Leon and Mégane, but they bite plenty hard enough and you can feel them scrubbing just a little as you lean on the chassis, which is deeply satisfying.

The Golf R is playful, too, for it’ll take on some attitude if you back it into a corner on the brakes. Do so hard enough and it’ll even begin to rotate about itself rather than simply plough on, which is probably the biggest point of dynamic difference between this Golf R and those that have come before it. In simple terms it’s an enormous amount of fun.

The 206kW engine is second only to the BMW’s unit for response and top end, but the gearshift action is something of a let-down.

The throw can be a touch notchy and the weird delay in the clutch pedal returning to its raised position makes a smooth upchange a very tricky thing to do. (DSG is available as a $2500 option.) Like the M135i, the Golf R looks like a more sober sort of hot hatch, particularly in five-door form, but it’s transcendent in the way it responds to a deliberate driving style. Without Cup tyres and an uncompromising chassis setup it lacks the outright pace of the bewinged, stickered-up cars here, but it’s no less enjoyable.

There’s something about the Leon’s slim glasshouse and threedoor body that make it seem as though it belongs to a class below the VW. Yet in the UK a basic Sub8 costs about the same as an unoptioned three-door Golf R. It shares the Golf’s platform and

Top: Civic’s interior styling is a match for the exterior; driving position is good.

Above left: auto ’box in the BMW is slick, but we’d have the manual. Above: the Golf’s manual shift can be notchy. Left: Alcantara wheel suits the Renault.

base engine, albeit with front-wheel drive only. The Sub8 gets vast 380mm front brakes and is available with those Michelin tyres. It isn’t quite the Ultimate model that set a 7min 58.4sec lap at the Ring and is distinguished by a handful of modest weight-saving measures, but equipped with the DSG gearbox, this test car is very nearly the Leon Cupra 280 at its most potent.

Out on the road, it feels as rapid as any hot hatch ever needs to be.

The grip those Cup 2 tyres find is simply staggering. You don’t brake for a corner because you need to shed speed, but because you run out of nerve. You can just keep throwing entry speed at the car and every time it finds its way through, completely unimpressed by your caution. With a strong engine and quick-firing gearbox, the Sub8 gets along a road at a barely believable pace. www.evomag.com.au

083

Drive the Mégane just a few hundred metres and you’ll sense the quality of the engineering and the singularity of focus

The Leon doesn’t traverse a road with complete class, however, because over ridges and potholes it crashes and rattles the structure where the Mégane, for instance, smothers the intrusion. It really is worth diving into the slightly clunky menu system to set the Individual driving mode parameters – choose the heavier steering because it adds some much needed directness to the loose, slack default setting and wind the dampers down from Cupra to Sport.

Even so, the Leon always majors on outright performance rather than delicacy of touch. It settles into its comfort zone just as you are beginning to stray out of yours, which some among our test team find fun and charming, while I think it speaks of a narrow and sometimes inaccessible operating window.

To back up my position I present to you the Mégane 275 Trophy, a car that all but matches the Leon for cross-country pace, that is more than happy to be spanked along but also feels special and enjoyable well back from the limit. Drive it just a few hundred metres and you’ll sense the quality of the engineering and the singularity of focus.

To deal with the few disappointments first, the 202kW engine is much more clearly turbocharged than the VW Group unit – it needs

084

www.evomag.com.au

another 500rpm or so before the boost arrives and, similarly, it feels like it needs another 500rpm at the top end to give the engine more reach – and the blast furnace exhaust note gets wearisome, but otherwise all else is exemplary. The adjustable Öhlins dampers are a standout feature. The car is always very tautly controlled, but it rides bumps fluidly and it lands into compressions with such composure.

Whereas the SEAT seems to deal with big compressions with just the last few millimetres of its damper travel, the Renault dissipates the energy throughout the entire stroke.

The Mégane’s steering is precise and very natural in the way it loads up. The limited-slip differential gives good traction, and grip on those optional Michelins is enormous, but there’s still an element of off-throttle adjustability built into the chassis. At speed there is a touch of nervousness in the chassis – dab the brakes in long corners and the car will wobble slightly – but that’s just a corollary of its underlying agility. In overall terms the Trophy is a masterclass of front-wheel-drive performance car engineering.

It’s one heck of a benchmark for the Civic to aspire to. I drop into its firmly stuffed seat and point it at exactly the same stretch of road.

C I V I C T Y P E R G RO U P T EST

Left: this is our first group test for the 275 Trophy, and its case here is strengthened by optional Öhlins dampers and Michelin Cup 2 tyres lifted from the even-morehardcore Trophy-R.

The Honda’s engine is no better than the Renault’s, for it needs to be spinning at more than 3000rpm before it offers any meaningful thrust – the BMW, VW and SEAT get going below 2000rpm – and throttle response is dull. In fact, floor the throttle and even in the mid range there’s an appreciable delay before the power is delivered to the front wheels. With the redline set at 7500rpm there is more reach to this engine than most of the others, but it feels and sounds coarse up there, not willing and joyful.

Once the power does arrive, the LSD distributes it cleanly and without too much corruption at the steering wheel. The brake pedal is firm and stopping power is good, which helps to build your confidence in the car. The grip levels are very strong, too, and although the Continental SportContact 6s lack the sheer bite of the Michelin Cup 2s, you do always feels as though the Civic will stick.

There’s a lovely cohesiveness to the way the chassis responds without hesitation to steering inputs, rolling a little but changing direction keenly and precisely. But whereas the Mégane gets into a corner fluidly and calmly, the Civic does so in a slightly neurotic

way. At higher speeds there’s so much agility in the chassis that you seem to be able to flick the steering wheel in the direction of a corner and return to centre, rather than holding the lock on through the bend. At low and medium speeds that super-agility feels like edginess, almost instability.

Although the brake pedal itself is very good, the spacing between it and the throttle pedal is so wide that blipping on downshifts requires a really deliberate and quite unnatural rotation of the ankle. Given that a slightly reshaped throttle pedal would solve the issue, that’s quite a disappointing oversight.

The ‘R’ mode, meanwhile, ramps the dampers up so aggressively that it’s basically unusable on British back-roads, but since the throttle response remains dull in that setting it’s no great issue. Like the Mégane, the Civic deals with compressions very effectively, but it lacks the Renault’s pliancy over bumps and ridges. Combined with its degree of edginess, that can make the Type R feel unsettled and short on composure on uneven surfaces.

On smoother roads, though, the Civic is at its best, and in the manner of all great hot hatches it draws you into chasing it ever harder and harder down a road. You can adjust its balance by trailbraking into corners or by lifting sharply mid-turn, which makes it involving and playful. It is a great deal of fun, then, but its chassis isn’t touched by genius in the way the Mégane’s is.

Over the course of the test it becomes clear that the Type R is a peaks and troughs sort of car. In many ways it’s very good indeed and at times you completely fall for the way it hauls itself down a road, but at other times it comes up short against the very accomplished opposition. Given that Honda invested so much time and effort into the way it performed around the Nürburgring, perhaps the Type R will win us all over at Anglesey Circuit. www.evomag.com.au

085

On track

T

by RICHARD MEADEN

Anglesey Coastal

The Banking

Peel

Corkscrew

Turn 1

Church Rocket School

Direction: Clockwise Distance: 2.5km Location: Aberffraw, Anglesey, UK

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’VE HAD THE opportunity to pit the most potent hot hatches of the moment against the clock. It’s an intriguing proposition, for not only are we desperate to discover how they compare against one another, but we’ll also learn how they compare with some of the more exotic and expensive metal we’ve lapped. Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets…

We start with the more mainstream VW and BMW. For a car that feels so poised, balanced and within itself on the road, it’s a surprise just how quickly you push through the Golf R’s polish on a circuit.

The tyres are the major issue – they just can’t support the corner speed, direction changes and traction demands you make on track, so understeer is the order of the day. You never sense the all-wheel drive shifting the torque split. And because you’re working beyond the engine’s meaty mid-range it never feels that strong.

The BMW makes a slightly better fist of things, with an inherently more neutral balance and greater on-throttle adjustability thanks to its rear-wheel drive, but it’s aloof and hard to read. The lack of a limited-slip diff means wheelspin flares and fades unpredictably.

Like the Golf, its brake pedal goes soft and the tyres give up all too readily. Despite this, both post respectably rapid times for a pair of road-focused cars, but they’re like fish out of water on track.

Next up is the Mégane. As you begin to attack, it immediately

The Civic feels the most race car-like. It’s terrific fun to go in search of those final few tenths

C I V I C T Y P E R G RO U P T EST

feels an infinitely sharper, more urgent, more agile and more demanding car. This car is a true package: Pilot Cup 2 tyres, Öhlins dampers, mechanical limited-slip diff, Brembo brakes and a punchy engine combining to deliver a precise, exploitable, feelsome and enjoyable string of laps. Traction is strong, but needs managing out of the tightest corners, but the balance is neutral to understeery, so you can commit to the quickest turns without fear of a sting in the tail. The brakes are strong, but they do begin to wilt under extreme use, which suggests Renaultsport’s big brake kit would be worthwhile for serious trackday goers. A far more convincing car on track, the Trophy simply doesn’t give up until you’ve pushed hard enough to find its limits. A best of 1:19.6 is pretty special, just a few tenths shy of a BMW M4 here.

And so to the SEAT. I struggled to warm to the 280 on the road, but it’s a far more likeable car on track. It’s got terrific traction.

You can really feel it trying to tighten its line and not push wide out of the tighter corners, and the spread of power and torque is more impressive than the Golf’s. There’s massive grip to lean on, with poise and balance, too, so not only do you have the luxury of confidently carrying big speed through the quickest corners, but you can also place it precisely. There’s fractionally greater agility than the Mégane, so you can make fine adjustments to your line.

It just feels like it has greater reserves of grip to draw from. The brakes are the best of the bunch so far – a consistently firm pedal delivering impressive stopping power into the scary-quick uphill braking zone at Rocket and the awkward downhill approach to the Corkscrew. The only weakness is the DSG transmission. Not because its shifts aren’t super-quick, but because the shifters themselves don’t have a positive enough feel. A large gear indicator would also be helpful. Still, there’s no arguing with a best time of 1:19.1, which beats the Mégane by a full half-second, and matches our best time in an Aston Martin Vantage N430!

That’s a tough benchmark for the Honda, but if any hot hatch stands a chance of doing so it’s the Type R. Initial impressions are closer to those in the Renault than the SEAT, for this car has an urgency and sharpness that’s always simmering in the background. Go for a time and it feels up for the fight, with plenty of front-end bite and brilliant brakes (with by far the best judged ABS of the quintet) supported by a superbly quick gearshift and an engine that loves to rev. Like the Mégane and Leon, you need to be disciplined to get the best time from the CTR. Push too aggressively on turn-in and you’ll sail beyond the optimum grip zone, but there’s more than enough feedback to dial yourself into the limits of the rubber and walk the line. Of the three track-honed cars in the test, the Civic feels the most race car-like. It’s terrific fun to go in search of those final few tenths, to try and tease a fraction more speed as you steel yourself at the turn-in point for Church and to absolutely nail your braking into Rocket and Corkscrew.

So the Civic Type R is the most addictive and enjoyable at Anglesey Circuit, but it’s not the fastest – the Vbox data revealing the Honda pips the Renault by a scant 0.1sec, but remains 0.4sec shy of the super-quick SEAT. So now we know.

Results Leon Cupra 280 Sub8 Civic Type R Mégane Trophy 275 M135i Golf R

1:19.1 1:19.5 1:19.6 1:20.4 1:21.6

Left: Civic is a natural on track, as are the Mégane (right) and Leon (top right); the more road-biased M135i (above right) and Golf (left, background) feel far less at home.

www.evomag.com.au

087

Conclusion

by DA N PROSSER

THE FINAL ORDER WAS DECIDED ON A judges’ vote, and all four of us placed the BMW last.

While it’s fair to say the M135i is a more grown-up sort of hot hatch and not directly pitched at the likes of the Renaultsport Mégane, the Golf R’s performance shows that a more mature approach needn’t extinguish a car’s sense of fun. ‘‘Funnily enough, I enjoyed the BMW a lot on the way home,’’ says Jethro. ‘‘It’s maybe the most enticing when you’re at six or seven tenths because of that engine and the rear-wheel-drive balance. It’s just a shame it starts to unravel when really pushed.’’

In fourth position is, perhaps surprisingly, the Civic Type R. It isn’t the result Honda will have hoped for, but the car’s performance in this test was better than the outcome might suggest. It lacked the Mégane’s dynamic polish, the engine was disappointing and we all took issue with the questionable taste of that extrovert styling, but we all had fun in it, too. ‘‘I find the Honda completely fascinating,’’ comments Adam. ‘‘Parts of it are great, others much less so. I have to say that during the afternoon I had one of the best drives I’ve had in a while, but across the moor earlier in the day it felt scrappy, reluctant, lacking in guts and wooden.’’

The Leon Cupra 280 Sub8 comes home in third position. ‘‘The Leon and the Golf were so close for me,’’ says Jethro, ‘‘but in the context of this test the Leon gets my nod. On those mega roads and on track it just has more edge, more aggression. The quicker you go, the better it gets. The grip is just phenomenal and it uses all four tyres so evenly. The way SEAT has set the car up is just lovely.’’

The runner-up spot goes to the Golf R, which we all agree is the car that combines B-road fun and everyday usability the most deftly. ‘‘I really fell for the Golf,’’ says Dickie. ‘‘Yes, it was a squealing pig on track, but I kind of like that if it means the R can be such a blindingly great road car.’’

All four judges commented on how tightly stacked the Civic, Leon and Golf were in their final reckonings. But today, on these roads and this track, the outcome between those three cars is clear, and all of us are agreed on the winner. ‘‘The Mégane 275 Trophy is just a class act,’’ says Jethro. ‘‘It is getting on and in performance terms it’s the slowest car here, but in every other way it’s timeless. The damping is of such quality, the steering is really nice and at higher speeds it’s just so exciting.’’

Dickie, who runs this car as his daily driver on our Fast Fleet, was full of praise: ‘‘It’s no secret I love the Mégane. Having played about with the Öhlins dampers I’ve come to appreciate the range of its ability, and while it’s not as simple as pressing a button on the dash, the way you can tailor the suspension to your precise needs is brilliantly effective – and geeky!’’ ‘‘The Mégane is sublime,’’ adds Adam. ‘‘There’s more than a little predictability about saying that, and putting it in first place, too, but it’s the one car here that oozes the kind of well-rounded but aching desirability that Porsche Motorsport cars always seem to possess. It’s a polished product, clearly developed over a number of years, and by a team that get exactly what this magazine, and its readers, value.’’

In the end, the Renaultsport Mégane 275 Trophy scores a unanimous victory. It truly is one of the great performance motoring icons, at this price point or any other. It leads the way for the modern hot hatch, which in recent years has become one of the most impressive and beguiling sectors in our little corner of the motoring world. This really is a golden age for the hot hatch.

T

088

www.evomag.com.au

The Mégane is one of the great performance motoring icons, at this price point or any other The scores D

Re enaullt

1

a

2

s n

S AT Ho

M J

h

a

BMW W

h

AT T

tss p o s

t

1sst

0

3d

2n

1

nd

d

111

d

0

4 h

r

d

h

4h

5t

h

thh

5th

t

evo ratings Renaultsport Mégane Trophy 275 Volkswagen Golf R SEAT Leon Cupra 280 Sub8 Honda Civic Type R BMW M135i

;;;;; ;;;;; ;;;;4 ;;;;4 ;;;;4

N E W M A Z DA M X- 5

SIMPLY Lighter than the car it replaces, and retaining a naturally aspirated engine, the fourth-gen Mazda MX-5 bucks the trend of increasingly podgy sports cars with compensatory power increases.

But does the formula still work?

by DA N P RO S S E R P H O T O G R A P H Y by G U S G R E G O RY

090 www.evomag.com.au

www.evomag.com.au

091

M MORE THAN MOST CARS THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED IN 2015, the Mazda MX-5 needs to be understood before it is driven.

I first sampled the little roadster on a one-day launch event in the south of France, and on such occasions the temptation is to leap in the car, give it death from the very moment you’re out of sight of the PR team and cover as much ground as you can in the couple of hours you have with it. But if you approach this MX-5 like that you’ll come away feeling a little confused, trying to piece together the unusual dynamic traits and wondering if it isn’t just a bit… soft.

I know this only because that’s exactly what I did.

The arrival of a brand new MX-5 is an event worth paying attention to. This is only the fourth all-new version since the original debuted way back in 1989, and since the MX-5 is the world’s best selling sports car (the millionth will roll off the production line late in 2016), this is in some ways the year’s most significant new arrival in the performance motoring sector.

Naturally enough, this new model swerves from the fundamental tenets set out by the original version about as much as Max Mosley would swerve for a jaywalking Ron Dennis. It’s still a two-seater roadster, still rear-wheel drive with a longitudinal four-pot up front, still suspended by double wishbones at the front and a multilink layout at the rear and still lightweight. In fact, by employing a ‘gram strategy’ and trimming out unnecessary flab from every single component – think pencil-thin seat adjuster levers and drilled suspension crossmembers – this is the lightest MX-5 since the 1989 original. It weighs just 1009kg in entry-level 1.5-litre form (down from 1075kg for the outgoing 1.8) and 1033kg with the 2.0-litre engine (down from 1098kg for the old 2.0).

This new model is shorter, lower and wider than the version it replaces. The styling is more aggressive, too, particularly at the front end. The headlight graphic is very small, which actually helps to minimise the front overhang because the lamp unit itself is compact. In fact, every panel has been shrink-wrapped around the mechanical components to reduce size and weight, and to give an impression of visual tension.

As mentioned, there are two engine options, both four-cylinder petrol units. The 1.5-litre returns 96kW at 7000rpm and 150Nm at 4800rpm, while the 2.0-litre is good for 118kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4600rpm (the previous 2.0 had 118kW and 188Nm).

Those are not big numbers, but neither is $31,990, the cost of the base model. The version tested here is the $39,550 2.0 GT. It gets a limited-slip differential, Bilstein dampers and a front strut brace. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on all models.

092

www.evomag.com.au

N E W M A Z DA M X- 5

THIS IS THE LIGHTEST MX-5 SINCE THE 1989 ORIGINAL

IT’S YOUR JOB TO DRIVE WELL AND GET THE MOST OUT OF THE MACHINE

N E W M A Z DA M X- 5

Clockwise from right: cockpit is cosy, in the traditional MX-5 fashion; engine – still naturally aspirated – is mounted lower and farther back than before; 280mm ventilated discs have a relatively easy job given the 2.0-litre MX-5’s modest 1033kg kerb weight.

In an age of ever-corruptive driver aids and soulless powertrain technologies, there’s a refreshing simplicity to the MX-5’s mechanical make-up. The engineering approach is honest and proven, and it places driving fun right at the top of the list. To a performance driving enthusiast that sounds just right, but let’s remind ourselves of the MX-5’s proud boast of being the world’s bestselling sports car. The little Mazda has always had a broad appeal, yet the more mass appeal that music, film, television or literature has, the less likely it is to gratify that small band of knowledgeable enthusiasts, and the same could be true here. Having driven the MX-5 for a couple of hours over the Col de Vence, I wonder if the very keenest of drivers have been overlooked. Perhaps the new MX-5 is the Fifty Shades of Grey of the sports car world. ‘‘Jinba ittai’’ is an ancient Japanese term that means ‘‘person and horse as one’’. Mazda has updated the definition to ‘‘person and car as one’’, and rather than being some meaningless tripe spewed forth by a marketing exec between over-long lunches, it’s actually a fundamental engineering principle. In fact, it completely determines the way the new MX-5 drives.

Jinba ittai is the reason that the car is so small and light, the reason the driver now sits 20mm lower in the chassis and 15mm closer to the centre of the car, the reason the engine is mounted 15mm farther back in the chassis and 13mm lower down. ‘‘We wanted to emulate the characteristics of the first-generation MX-5 in terms of mechanical performance,’’ says Mazda’s chassis dynamics chief, Hitoshi Takamatsu, ‘‘but in a more emotional way.

This is what we call jinba ittai. ‘‘In order to achieve this we made the car move more than what you think it is. We modulate this movement so that it is smooth. When the car rolls [in cornering], it rolls very

smoothly, not with a sudden jerk or drop. It’s a gradual movement. ‘‘The driver feels G-forces mostly in his neck. When a car drops suddenly in cornering there is so much lateral force on the neck, and a human being cannot respond to that very quickly. This roll gives the driver a cue for what’s coming next.’’

Takamatsu’s team has tried to make the MX-5 move around during cornering in total sympathy with the forces the driver will feel. The result, he explains, is that the driver feels innately in tune with the car. Oneness between driver and machine. Jinba ittai.

Takamatsu also describes his preferred version of the new MX-5, which gives some insight into the values held by the people who designed this car. His favourite model is only available in Japan and it does without a rear anti-roll bar. It uses the 1.5-litre engine and doesn’t have an LSD. He likes it because it places the onus firmly on the driver to operate the car skilfully. Apply too much throttle at corner exit, for example, and the inside rear wheel will spin wastefully. There’s no locking differential to flatter your clumsy input. It’s your job to drive well and to get the most out of the machine. ‘‘That gives me really good driving pleasure,’’ he says.

It might have been useful to have understood that philosophy before I drove the car myself, but on reflection I’d only have reached the same conclusion. Despite the seat now being mounted that much lower, it still feels just an inch or so too high. The steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, so it too feels just a little stretch away from your chest. Those impressions soon fade, though, and the conclusion you’ll reach on the MX-5’s seating position is that it’s not quite perfect, which hardly seems like a criticism. The cabin is, of course, quite cramped, particularly for tall passengers, who’ll wish they could stretch their legs further, but it otherwise accommodates two well enough. www.evomag.com.au

095

N E W M A Z DA M X- 5

It’s clear to see where costs have been cut within the cabin, but that’s not at all unreasonable in such an affordable sports car.

Things can be improved by upgrading to GT spec (a $5060 step up from the entry-level 2.0), which brings heated leather seats and a Bose stereo. The latter features additional speakers in the headrests that improve the clarity of the system during top-down motoring.

Rather than directing the sound towards you from behind, they instead throw it forward to the centre of the cabin, which gives a rich, surround-sound effect. The technical explanation for this is pretty baffling, but it’s only when you press your ear to the headrest that you hear where the sound is coming from. Top-of-the-line models will come fitted with Mazda’s new infotainment system, which works very much like BMW’s iDrive.

While on the subject of the cabin, it is worth noting that the righthand side of the transmission tunnel kicks out a great deal of heat when the car is worked hard. The catalytic converter sits just a layer of carpet, a metal skin and a heat shield away from your leg, which has the potential to become uncomfortable.

On the move the car rides with the low-speed sharpness that you’d expect of a sports car, but at higher speeds it settles and the ride becomes very fluid. In fact, the new MX-5 is pretty soft over bumps, but because it’s so light the dampers do regain control of the body in a single stroke after a big vertical input, such as when hitting a compression.

What really stands out is the amount of body roll in cornering.

This thing lists like a torpedoed warship, and does so across the front axle more than the rear. This means the car leans extremely hard on its outside front tyre and, as Takamatsu said it would, the body rolls gradually and progressively. So you turn the car in and rather than responding with flat-bodied immediacy and darting for the apex, it leans languidly, loads the outside front and finds its way into the corner with decent grip. Did I feel more in tune with the car as a result? Not really. I kind of just wished it rolled less.

096

www.evomag.com.au

Beyond that, the chassis feels really sweetly balanced, although it doesn’t quite give the impression of pivoting about the gearlever.

The electrically assisted steering is plenty accurate and the weighting is very natural, but as with so many of these systems there isn’t a great deal of feel and it doesn’t load up in cornering.

By design the grip levels are good but not unimpeachable and breakaway is very progressive. There isn’t the raw power to unstick the rear boots with throttle alone, but if you over-commit to a corner and stand on the throttle early, the back end will step out a little, which allows you to enjoy the rear-wheel-drive chassis balance without worrying that it’ll launch you into a ditch.

The 2.0-litre engine gives up all it has to offer by around 6500rpm, so it’s no rev-happy screamer in the mould of a Honda Type R engine of times gone by. It will spin around to its redline willingly enough, though, which is just as well as you’ll need to keep it there or thereabouts to achieve any meaningful pace. The gearshift action is, thankfully, very crisp and direct, which makes dropping down to second gear no chore whatsoever.

So there is fun to be had driving this MX-5 and it doesn’t exactly fall apart if you really do fling it down a road. But as Takamatsu confirms, it’s a car that works best just a couple of notches back from maximum attack. This is a keen chassis, but after a few kilometres I just wanted more response from the front axle, tauter body control, less roll and more immediacy and intensity from the whole experience. If you really enjoy finding a car’s limits and holding it there, I’ve no doubt you’ll be left feeling the same way.

What the likes of you and I think is a little redundant, though, because this latest MX-5 does what the MX-5 has always done – it brings an authentic sports car experience to the masses. For that reason alone it’ll continue to be the world’s best selling sports car for a long time yet, and in that respect it’s more or less beyond criticism. But if you’re looking for an intense and exhilarating driving experience, you’d be better served by a hot hatch. L

MAZDA MX-5 2.0 GT Engine 1998cc in-line four-cyl, dohc, 16v Power 118kW @ 6000rpm Torque 200Nm @ 4600rpm Transmission Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, dampers, anti-roll bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Ventilated 280mm discs front, solid 280mm discs rear, ABS Wheels 17 x 7.0-inch front and rear Tyres 205/45 R17 front and rear Weight 1033kg Power-to-weight 114kW/tonne 0-100km/h 7.3sec (claimed) Top speed 214km/h (claimed) Basic price $39,550 On sale Now

evo rating: ;;;;2

SOFT SERVE The new MX-5 is surprisingly soft for a sports car but use that trait to your advantage and the fourth-generation Mazda roadster entertains

by J E S S E TAY L O R

098

www.evomag.com.au

A SK A N YON E AT M A ZDA A BOU T HOW T H E fourth-generation MX-5 compares to the Toyota 86 (and Subaru BRZ) and you’ll receive one of two responses. The first is a quizzically raised eyebrow followed by the assertion that only one of the two cars is a roadster and, therefore, they cannot be considered rivals. The second is a few moments of stony silence followed by the assertion that only one of the two cars is a roadster and, therefore, they cannot be considered rivals.

To be fair to the Mazda execs and engineers, I would expect the same response from their opposite numbers at Toyota.

So, I get that one is a roadster and one isn’t – although Toyota did parade an open-topped 86 concept through various international motor shows before vowing it wouldn’t see production. But this morning, when I drove to the airport in our Fast Fleet 86 GTS, its key attributes seemed to marry well with those of the fourth-gen MX-5 for which I’ve flown to Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Both cars shun the industry-wide movement towards turbocharging and, instead, feature modestly powerful naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines. The 86/BRZ uses a 147kW, 205Nm, 2.0-litre flat-four, while the MX-5 is available with a choice of 1.5- or 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engines. The 118kW, 200Nm (tested previous feature) arrives in Australia later this year, so our first local taste comes at the wheel of the 96kW, 150Nm 1.5-litre version. Both cars send their modest outputs to the rear wheels via standard six-speed manual gearboxes or optional six-speed torque-converter autos, and both use relatively low-grip tyres to entertaining effect.

But beyond the spec sheets, both the 86 and MX-5 promise

N E W M A Z DA M X- 5

Right: 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder isn’t a powerhouse, but the 1009kg MX-5 makes good use of the 96kW and 150Nm. Below: 1.5-litre models run 16 x 6.5-inch alloys with 195/50 Yokohama rubber. It’s easy to overwhelm the grip with roll oversteer.

aren’t quite the match for the tactile responses good, honest driving fun for the masses for MAZDA of the Toyota. But the biggest shock is the minimal outlay. In fact, perhaps it’s the new MX-5 1.5 ROADSTER softness of the chassis and the accompanying MX-5’s dramatically reduced price that belies body roll. Unlike the Toyota, which sits flat as Mazda’s assertions that the two cars are not Engine 1496cc in-line 4-cyl, dohc, 16v it darts towards an apex, the MX-5 lists hard rivals. Starting at $31,990 for the 1.5 Roadster, Power 96kW @ 7000rpm onto its outside tyres – both front and rear. In the new MX-5 is right in the hunt against the Torque 150Nm @ 4800rpm addition, the softness is also revealed under 86 ($29,990 for the manual GT and $35,990 Weight 1009kg braking and acceleration with pronounced dive for the GTS). The higher-spec MX-5 Roadster Power-to-weight 95kW/tonne and pitch.

GT manual is $37,990 and auto is a $2K option 0-100km/h 9.0sec (estimated) Top speed 200km/h (estimated) At first, I was shocked by this pillowy softness, on both trim levels. The 2.0-litre Roadster will Basic price $31,990 as it seems dramatically at odds with my idea start at $34,490 with the 2.0 GT at $39,550. of a modern sports car. And while I ultimately Again, auto will add $2K to either variant. prefer the direct responses of a tauter chassis Within 500 metres, it’s obvious that the evo rating: ;;;;6 (like that of 86), there’s fun to be had at the MX-5’s in-line four-cylinder engine is sweeter wheel of the new MX-5. To get the most from the to rev than the rubber-dub-dub flat-four in the chassis, you need to relax into the roll and use the weight transfer 86 and BRZ. The small-capacity four is coupled to a sickly sweet to your advantage. Brake hard into a corner (especially a downhill gearshift that’s lighter and faster than the notchy and physical one) and it’s easy to provoke a huge amount of roll oversteer. If shift of the 86. Throw in the easier-to-modulate clutch pedal the spike of oversteer is too large, ESC triggers and puts out the and the Mazda is a cinch to drive in traffic, where the Toyota’s engine’s modest fire. Keep on top of the oversteer and keep the sharper clutch uptake and crisper throttle response requires more angle shallow and you can immediately jump back on the power concentration in order not to make abrupt progress. and drive out in a modest four-wheel drift without upsetting the Despite the capacity and output deficits, on the road the 1.5-litre electronics. Even with ESC off, it’s better to limit the roll oversteer Mazda doesn’t give away much to the brawnier Toyota. Again, it’s on the way into a corner as the engine lacks the torque to bonfire the slickness of the gearshift that keeps it in the hunt, as you can the rear tyres and maintain the slip angle. rush through shifts as fast as your left hand can move and little Overdrive the MX-5 and it can flop around and get ragged. precious momentum is lost. Low-speed acceleration is further Drive too timidly and it’ll feel soft and pointless. Tread the line aided by the short first gear (5.087) and incredibly slim 1009kg. between the two points and the little Mazda shines. L At both low- and high-speed, the MX-5’s steering and brake feel www.evomag.com.au

099

M A Z DA 787 B

‘Legend’ is a clichéd label, but if everr a m chi hine n des eserr es then h it’s ’ the he Le M s-wi w nning no. 55 Mazda d 787 87B. Tweentyfour fo u yearss af wit ss g it take the chequered fl ur flag at La S rthe, evo’s Richa R ha ha d Meaden n slides lides es behi beh ehin ind d it its ts wh h l y

om.au

I

ARD MEAD

a dire r d Ma s ns win r. His

n ďŹ nam s, to

ot am Le e in oo e

r . 55 Mazda , ns. nt locat

ith rotar he company’s t ears (pa e at this would iroshi o ular car

a

ed to my r or t

M A Z DA 787 B

of shut-eye, it would wake me with monotonous regularity. The three-and-a-half minutes or so it took to complete each lap was just enough for me to teeter on the edge of sleep, only to be slapped awake by the otherworldly wail of its quad-rotor engine.

If I’m honest, I headed to La Sarthe to support the Jaguars, as did half of the UK population, or at least that’s how it seemed.

Yet whenever the dazzling dayglo green and orange Mazda was within view or earshot (most of the lap, then), it commanded your attention by waging war on your senses. It simply refused to be ignored, so I took the fact that Brit Johnny Herbert was one of its three drivers as tacit permission to root for it. Then when it became clear Mazda’s strategy was to absolutely drive the wheels off the thing from flag-to-flag, it somehow added an even more manic edge to its furious soundtrack.

The rest, as they say, is history. The flying Peugeot 905s (built to the new 3.5-litre ‘F1’ rules) both faded early in the race, and when one-by-one the dominant trio of Sauber-Mercedes cars faltered under pressure from the relentlessly pursuing Mazda, victory for the initially unfancied 787B was assured. Johnny

I TAKE MY HAND OFF THE WHEEL TO GO FOR AN UPSHIFT AND THE NOSE VIOLENTLY DIVES FOR THE GRASS Herbert had driven his heart out in a marathon final stint that left him a dessicated husk so in need of first aid and emergency rehydration that he never made it to the podium. It was, by all accounts, an epic and hugely popular win.

Fast-forward to Goodwood in 2015 and it’s clear that the no. 55 787B has lost none of its seductive powers. Parked at the foot of Gerry Judah’s sensational sculpture – together with all the other rotary-powered racers assembled by Mazda for the event – it’s the absolute star of the show. That famous colour-scheme, now faded by 24 summers of sunshine, is somehow even more evocative, while the rear-set wing screams ‘low-drag’ in a way only cars conceived to race at Le Mans do.

This being Goodwood there’s a surreal informality about things.

Thanks to the vagaries of accidents and breakdowns on the hill, there’s also a rather, er, fluid timetable. All of which means instead of an endless briefing from the team, as befits a precious car of this significance and potency, I’m stuffed into the seat and told to fire-up the engine, inflicting what is almost certainly permanent hearing damage on the crowd that has gathered to witness one of Mazda’s daily ‘Rotary Moments’. As an ice-breaking introduction to this most iconic of Japanese race cars, it takes some beating.

Ah yes, the 787B’s engine. Rotaries are largely regarded as internal combustion voodoo, and with good reason, for in this, surely the ultimate state of tune, they function, sound and respond like no other engine you’ve ever experienced. This was the culmination of all Mazda’s hard-won knowledge – the 787B featured a new ‘R26B’ version of the four-rotor power unit. The main additions were a constantly variable intake system and three spark plugs per rotor, compared to the two in the previous iteration of the engine. Mazda claims the engine was good for 670kW at

102

www.evomag.com.au

10,500rpm, though it ran at closer to 520kW with a 9000rpm limit for Le Mans. Given capacity equivalency rates the R26B motor at 2616cc, either figure is pretty remarkable!

Like all Group C racers of the era, the cockpit is very straightforward, with a simple LCD dash pod supplemented by a bank of fuses. The view out is about as special as it gets, the big goldfish-bowl windscreen offering glimpses of the orange and green bodywork and a panoramic view of the road ahead.

The seating position is spot-on and although the steering wheel is surprisingly large in diameter, it feels just right. The starting procedure couldn’t be easier: twist the big red ignition cut-off switch and press the black starter button.

From the moment it sparks into life the R26B engine is allconsuming. It spits and crackles and pulses impatiently at idle, then yelps and whoops with every twitch of your right foot, emitting a gunshot-like report from port and starboard side-exit exhausts the instant the throttle snaps shut. Prior to the crazy days of 20,000rpm F1 engines, there was surely nothing quite like this.

Nerves of an entirely crippling magnitude threaten to grip you as you sit on the Goodwood Festival of Speed start line. It’s the most public arena in which to demonstrate a car. In a car loud enough to trip Bedford Autodrome’s noise meters from 100 kays away, that means any hesitancy, missed gears or other hamfistedness will be plain for all to hear.

Fortunately the 787B is easy to get off the line, so despite my initial deference to its drivetrain from a standing start, once rolling that instantaneous rotary power effortlessly lights up the rears with an exuberant whooop-whooop-whooop before I tentatively push the gearstick forwards and across to the right in search of second. Relief at finding it is soon overtaken by the need for third as we zip by Goodwood House and the main grandstands. I’d been warned the 787B is lively over the bumps and cambers, but when I take my right hand off the wheel to go for the next upshift the nose makes a violent dive for the grass. I’m sure it all looked pretty tame from the outside, but from where I was sitting things felt a bit frantic, which is my excuse for finding fifth instead of third. Then fourth. And then, finally, the sanctuary of second for more crowdpleasing noise. Just a few cars back, the demise of the similarly liveried 767B confirms I’m happy to settle for a few missed gears.

Once safely in the holding area at the top of the hill, I’m feeling a bit crestfallen at what ranks as some of the scruffiest mile-anda-bit’s driving I’ve ever done. Then, as the adrenalin kicks-in and my heart thumps its approval, I concede it really doesn’t matter, for I’ve just driven a racer that’s been right at the pointy end of my own personal bucket list for many years. Judging by the looks on everyone’s face as I whooop-whooop-whooop my way back to the paddock, just seeing and hearing this car has made everyone else’s day, too. When Valentino Rossi drives ‘my’ no. 55 Mazda on Sunday, the whole experience becomes even more surreal.

To this day the 787B remains the only Japanese car to win Le Mans outright. This despite numerous money-no-object efforts

by Nissan and Toyota before and since. It’s also the only car to win using a non-piston-engined motor, which is remarkable given the challenges that had to be overcome. To Mazda’s rivals, persisting with such apparently oddball technology must have seemed like madness, right up until they had their asses kicked.

Mazda’s victory spoils were bitter-sweet. A ban on rotary engines the following season halted a remarkable engineering adventure (at least in Europe), but the heroic win bestowed immortality on the brand and in particular the number 55 787B. Seeing it win at Le Mans was special. Driving it at Goodwood was a dream come true. L

Clockwise from above: a nervous Meaden settles into his noisy home for the 90-second run up the hill; deep-dish alloys in silver and gold, naturally; functional cabin features an unusually large steering wheel; five-speed manual ’box sourced from Porsche takes some familiarisation; Japan’s only Le Mans winner is a cult hero

among racing fans; quad-rotor Wankel capable of 670kW and ear-splitting sounds; the trio that brought no. 55 home in first place during the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours; in-board Bilstein dampers are mated to double wishbones – the Mazda is notoriously frisky over bumps; vents behind the front wheels cool the side-exit exhausts.

b y J E T H RO B OV I N G D O N

Forget the questionable historical references, there’s only one thing we want to know about Jaguar’s Project 7: just how involving is the most potent F-type money can buy, and is it good enough for the class of 2015?

P R O J E

104

www.evomag.com.au

J AG UA R F -T Y P E P ROJ ECT 7

C T I L E

I

Above: driver’s rollover hoop is elegantly integrated into the D-type-inspired ‘aero haunch’. Opposite page: lightweight Sabelt bucket is mounted 3cm lower than the driver’s seat in the regular F-type.

106

www.evomag.com.au

’ M A S S U M I N G YOU ’ V E A L L H E A R D O F Jaguar Land Rover’s relatively new Special Vehicle Operations – or ‘SVO’ – division? Not least because one of evo’s founders, a certain Harry Metcalfe, now acts as a consultant for SVO. But I bet you don’t know the scale of this ‘skunkworks’ outfit. You see, it’s not some afterhours club made up of half a dozen engineers cramming V8s into everything they can find. In fact it’s part of another, larger group, confusingly called Special Operations, which consists of a 500-strong team headed up by former chief technical officer of Williams Advanced Engineering, Paul Newsome.

Special Ops has a number of subdivisions, of which Heritage and SVO are the most exciting. The former supplies parts, servicing and restoration for older models, while SVO is set to be a kind of AMG-meets-Mulliner, offering high performance and ultra luxury. So far SVO’s work has delivered the Range Rover Sport SVR (this isn’t confusing at all, is it?) and the Range Rover SV Autobiography (still there?), and there are rumours of an extreme off-road sub-brand called ‘SVX’ in the near future.

If all this sounds rather complicated for us simple folk used to a clear proposition like BMW’s M division, then just think of SVO as the people who take JLR products and make them faster, sexier and more extreme, or simply drown them in luxurious fittings.

Oh, one more thing. They’ll also do limited-run models that will be the ultimate expression of SVO’s vision. Or should that be ‘visions’? Anyway, this is finally where the F-type Project 7 comes in. Phew. Just 250 will be produced, 10 of which have been snapped up by Australian buyers at $339,610 apiece. It’s the first halo product to demonstrate the skills and resources of SVO in one bespoke package. And here it is, in the cool, crisp morning air of Pamplona in northern Spain.

Now, in theory the idea of chucking a few D-type styling references at an F-type, giving it a name to celebrate Jaguar’s distant seven Le Mans victories, slapping some ‘evocative’ stripes on it and massaging a few extra kilowatts from its existing powertrain sounds, well, a bit cringey. Surely Jaguar is past all the ‘Hey look, we used to build the E-type and D-type, y’know?

And don’t forget Stirling Moss drove for us. Disc brakes! Yep, we did that.’ Right? Seems not… But somehow today it’s not so bad.

Jaguar is building proper cars that are genuinely competitive, exciting and desirable, so the celebration of the past isn’t a crutch for an ailing range any more. Rather it feels like a deserved pride in past glories, and who can blame them for sprinkling a bit of racing fairy dust on the F-type? Of course, a GT3 race programme might do an even more credible job of that…

Okay, so I still have a few reservations, but despite myself I can’t help thinking that the Project 7 looks pretty special. The faux D-type stuff might not be to everyone’s taste but there’s certainly a drama and aggression to this car over and above a standard F-type. Crucially, the Project 7 is much more than just a cosmetic makeover, too. With a unique drivetrain calibration, new suspension components and revised spring and damper settings, plus a lighter kerb weight, it promises a considerably sharper, more aggressive, locked-down driving experience. Of course, the F-type R Convertible is a hoot, but there are times when you do crave more precision, less wheelspin and greater feedback. The Project 7 should address all of those issues.

The first few kilometres roll quietly under the Project 7’s wheels and it all feels very, very familiar. The lightweight seats pinch a bit tighter, there’s more swirling air whipping around thanks to the cut-down windscreen and the V8 crackles, booms and roars more vehemently than ever. But the fluid ride isn’t edgier at all,

J AG UA R F -T Y P E P ROJ ECT 7

THE PROJECT 7 IS AN EXUBERANT THING TO DRIVE QUICKLY, ALWAYS TEETERING ON THE EDGE OF OVERSTEER

THE FRONT END IS SO SHARP THAT IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE HARD TO CARVE CLEANLY AROUND SWEEPERS

Top and left: lack of roof (there’s a basic one for emergency use), contributes to an 80kg weight saving compared with the F-type R Convertible. Glacier White is one of five colour options; the others are Ultra Blue, Ultimate Black, Caldera Red and, of course, British Racing Green. Above: carbon-ceramic brakes are standard.

J AG UA R F -T Y P E P ROJ ECT 7

of oversteer and the tyres only ever another millimetre of throttle the steering is super-direct but still lacks gritty feedback, and I have away from melting into wheelspin. There’s just not the mechanical to admit that I’m a bit taken aback that it doesn’t feel completely grip of, say, a Mercedes-AMG GT S, nor quite the control and sense different. The front spring rate is up 80 per cent, there are unique that the car really wants to carry speed and pick apart the road suspension knuckles to create 1.5 degrees of negative camber ahead. It’s a big, all-enveloping experience that bombards you with instead of regular F-type’s 0.5 degrees, and there are also new noise and keeps you busy behind the wheel, but I arrive at Navarra and much more uncompromising Continental ContiForceContact still to be convinced that the Project 7 goes far enough to really tyres… So where’s the added focus and aggression? set it apart from the F-type R and match the breathless speed and One thing that isn’t in doubt is that the Project 7 is a seriously accuracy of the AMG or creamy poise of an Aston V12 Vantage S. rapid car. The drivetrain is similar to the F-type R’s, but with more The circuit layout we’re using today starts with a fearsomely fast boost pressure the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 is good for 423kW at right then flows into a much tighter right-hand complex that forces 6500rpm (up 19kW) and 680Nm from 2500 to 5500rpm (the same you to trail-brake. The Project 7 tackles it with assurance, blending peak figure, but spread over a wider range). That makes the Project 7 into the fast turn with real stability in fifth and then allowing you to the most powerful road-going Jaguar ever and it’s claimed to be get on the brakes and turn ever harder right as the next, third-gear good for 300km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds. It’s also riotously turn approaches. The rear tyres do eventually slip wide as the car noisy, reporting sharp explosions on the overrun and emitting a loud is slowing and turning, but they don’t snap into crack every time the eight-speed ‘Quickshift’ ZF terminal oversteer. With a calm correction it’s automatic gearbox delivers a punchy upshift. possible to still hit the apex and then rocket out The ’box has been reprogrammed to be faster JAGUAR F-TYPE PROJECT 7 onto the following straight. and more aggressive, and although it still has SVO is keen to talk about the Project 7’s aero impeccable manners, for the most part there’s a Engine 5000cc V8, dohc, 32v, supercharged efficiency and it’s easy to imagine the new definite edge of physicality to the shift quality.

Power 423kW @ 6500rpm front splitter, rear venturi tunnel and fixed To find a match in the chassis for that new Torque 680Nm @ 2500-5500rpm rear spoiler are helping here. Drag is slightly edge to the drivetrain you need to select Transmission Eight-speed automatic lower than on a regular F-type Convertible Dynamic mode, where the Project 7 takes a gearbox, rear-wheel drive, e-diff with the roof stowed, but now there’s some real new strategy. Throttle mapping, damping, Front suspension Double wishbones, downforce, too. This isn’t a GT3 RS so I’m not steering weight and ESC settings are all still coil springs, adaptive dampers, ARB going to pretend I can feel it squeezing into the affected, but now the distinction between Rear suspension Double wishbones, the surprisingly laid-back Normal mode and tarmac through fast turns, but the Project 7 does coil springs, adaptive dampers, ARB deliver good high-speed stability and breeds Dynamic is wider. Newsome says the Project 7 Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, 398mm confidence. The rest of the track is slower and actually rides with more compliance than the front, 380mm rear, ABS, EBD Wheels 20in front and rear tighter, and although the carbon-ceramics offer F-type in its default setting but then ramps-up Tyres 255/35 ZR20 front, superb feel and no discernible fade in our fivebody control and accuracy in Dynamic mode 295/30 ZR20 rear lap stints, the car’s weight does start to tell. much more aggressively. On smooth Spanish Weight 1585kg Into the tightest corners the front tyres start roads the difference isn’t night and day, but you Power-to-weight 267kW/tonne to push wide and keeping exit oversteer to the do sense a new tension in Dynamic.

0-100km/h 3.9sec (claimed) neat-and-fast variety is very difficult indeed.

We’re heading to the Navarra circuit and Top speed 300km/h (limited) Sticky as those tyres might be, the sheer the roads en route are typically empty. They Basic price $339,610 enormity of the torque available always seems sweep in broad strokes before bunching up to defeat traction. SVO has made the rear of and winding along a valley and then up into evo ratingng: ;;;;4 the car softer in relation to the front to keep the the hills. On the faster stretches the Project 7 inside rear wheel on the ground and driving starts to assert its new character. The front hard, but the electronically controlled limited-slip differential still end is so sharp that it’s actually quite hard to carve cleanly around struggles to turn torque into forward motion. And once the tyres are gentle sweepers in one perfect arc, but once you acclimatise to its hot, some of the tension dissipates from the chassis and you’re left responsiveness there’s clearly more mid-corner grip to lean against with a car that’s happy oversteering like mad but can’t replicate the and a greater sense of the tyres really biting the road. The turn-in sheer excitement of the best cars at this price. agility also goes some way to hiding the Project 7’s mass, but at a In the end, the Project 7 presents something of a conundrum. I claimed 1585kg it’s still a chunky sports car. won’t pretend I didn’t enjoy the sheer exuberance of the experience, As the road bunches up, that added agility and grip crystallises thenoise,performanceandadjustability.AndIwasn’tunrealistically into something tangibly different. The Project 7 gets into corners a expecting a searingly accurate GT3-humbling road and track car. little more accurately, but more noticeable is that the tyres hang on But somehow it just didn’t quite give the bite and clarity of feedback for longer instead of falling into oversteer as soon as you touch the I’d hoped to feel. It takes the F-type experience to a new level and I throttle. Part of this is because the throttle is more progressive, but suspect that the edge I’d hoped for might be more evident on ragged there’s undoubtedly more stability and traction, too. That doesn’t Australian roads, but here it just doesn’t quite deliver the substance mean that the car has sacrificed adjustability in the name of grip, to fully back up the style. Of course, the Project 7 is sold out and though. In fact, you can steer the car more accurately with throttle so it doesn’t need to ‘compete’ with, say, the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, inputs now, not just bonfiring the tyres but gently tweaking its line. but that limited build was an opportunity to unleash a new sort of With the F-type R you tend to jump way over the limit almost by F-type rather than polish its already fine attributes – to channel the accident, but the Project 7 allows you to define that limit and hover D-type properly with a raw, exciting car that makes compromises close to it more consistently. without apology in order to deliver something unique. The Project 7 Even so, the DNA of the F-type is clear and the Project 7 is still is a whole lot of fun, but it isn’t quite that car. L an exuberant thing to drive quickly, always teetering on the edge www.evomag.com.au

109

THE GENERATION GAME PHOTOGR A PH Y by DE A N SMITH

F E R R A R I C A L I F O R N I A T v A STO N V 1 2 VA N TAG E S R OA DST E R

Looking for an alternative to Jaguar’s Project 7? The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster and Ferrari California T both fit the same drop-top GT bill. But with their approaches a generation apart, which offers more substance to match the style?

IF YOU WEREN’T ONE OF THE LUCKY 250 asked to hand over $339,610 to Jaguar in return for a Project 7, worry not. Both Aston Martin and Ferrari will help fulfil your desire for something exotic and open-roofed with a minimum of 412kW and rear-wheel drive. And if you get really carried away with the options list, you could arrive at a car that’s as unique as Jaguar’s SVO-developed F-type.

Ferrari’s original California struggled to find favour at evo when it arrived in 2008. The naturally aspirated V8 was characterful and punchy, but it was wrapped up in a shell that was all a bit soft and uninvolving for our liking. The bodywork wasn’t the most striking to have exited through the famous Maranello gates, either, and it was a little too far removed from the rest of the Ferrari range.

In 2014 Ferrari delivered the Mk2 California with an all-new turbocharged V8, an optimised sevenspeed gearbox with a torque-limiting function, a new steering rack that’s 10 per cent quicker, stiffer springs and new magnetorheological damping.

The new car also reduced drag while focusing on improved airflow and increased engine and brake

cooling. Finally, the interior underwent a makeover.

Externally the California T has a much stronger visual appeal than its predecessor and a closer link to the rest of the range.

Then again, with Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage S Roadster, the Cali T has a fight on its hands in the aesthetics stakes. It may boast a familiar design (read ‘old’), but the Aston is still a neck-snapper when it rumbles by. Perhaps its familiarity is the cause for the generally enthusiastic response it generates when people hear its V12, or maybe it’s the association with an expensively attired civil servant who has a licence to kill. Perhaps both. Either way, the Roadster is delightful to look at.

While age has been kind to the Aston’s exterior, its interior is looking past its best. The airbagged steering wheel is unnecessarily large by today’s standards, the tiny buttons on the centre-stack are frustratingly small and the satnav is laugh-outloud awful. ‘‘Old-school charm’’ is the politest way of describing the Aston’s cabin. The California’s cockpit is more up-to-date in terms of design and functionality, but some plastics are beneath what you might expect of a $409,880 car.

Is there a better sound than the churn of a starter motor as it cranks 12 cylinders and the best part of six litres into life? Perhaps only when they all fire and settle into the smoothest of tickovers. Cubic inches and cylinder count: nothing comes close. There’s very little to criticise the Aston’s V12 for, and while it may have been around for some time it’s still one of the finest motors in production. And it’s brutally strong. At 1000rpm it is already delivering 510Nm, the remaining 110 arriving by 5500rpm. Before then the revs will have picked up cleanly and swiftly, and

the inherent muscle of the V12 will have hauled you to the vanishing point at serious speed. Yet, as the revs reach their limit and all 421kW have been delivered, you do wish the tacho needle had another thousand rpm to run, because just as the engine hits its sweet spot you need a higher gear, which means interacting with the seven-speed automated manual gearbox…

In today’s company the Aston’s ’box feels from a past generation. The upshifts are painfully slow in auto mode and if you use the paddles the only way to execute a smooth shift is to lift out of the throttle, pull the paddle to select the required gear and wait to get back on the power once the gear’s decided that it’s time to slot home.

It’s slow and cumbersome and highlights just how far the latest units, such as ZF’s eight-speed piece, have come in a relatively short space of time. And, of course, there’s none of the control and involvement a manual offers. It’s a shame that the ZF auto doesn’t fit and that the six-speed manual isn’t offered, because the transmission is the biggest blot in the Aston’s copybook.

The Aston’s second-biggest blot is the lack of structural rigidity exhibited by the open-topped body. You’re constantly aware of movement in the rear-view mirror and deflections in the steering column. Unfortunately, these faults

112

www.evomag.com.au

are more noticeably when just cruising in the Aston or at around-town speeds, which means you’ll experience them every time you drive the Vantage. The newer, stiffer Ferrari doesn’t suffer from having its lid folded and with the alloy roof up, there’s very little to distinguish the California from a fixed-roof coupe. Again, the Ferrari is a full generation newer in this regard.

Despite the wobbles, the Brit’s chassis is nicely balanced and offers reassuring levels of control that allow you to push to the car’s limits. It’s all very fluid through bends, the dampers working as one as the weight transfers to the outer corner in one flowing movement. The rear always feels settled and the steering stays locked on line once you’ve committed. It may be the old stager here, but the V12 Vantage S Roadster still puts in an encouraging performance.

The Aston is a very natural car to drive quickly, despite responding best to an old-school approach of slow in, fast out. The steering is both nicely weighted and full of detail, and when you do take the car by the scruff it engages with you wholeheartedly. There’s very little body roll and only when you go to peak over the chassis’ edge do you begin to reach its limit. On poorly surfaced roads the rear tyres can fight for traction if you’re greedy with the throttle, and

The Ferrari’s V8 is up there with the very best of its kind, with razorsharp throttle response and seemingly neverending torque

F E R RA R I CA L I F O R N I A T v A STO N V 1 2 VA N TAG E S R OA DST E R Left: Ferrari differentiated the California T from its predecessor with turbochargers and a noticeably tighter design.

Below: Vantage S Roadster’s 421kW V12 is a dinosaur but still holds almost limitless appeal to evo-minded drivers.

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE S Engine 5935cc V12, dohc, 48v Power 421kW @ 6750rpm Torque 620Nm @ 5500rpm Transmission Seven-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive, LSD Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Rear suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, 398mm front, 360mm rear, ABS, EBD Wheels 19 x 9.0-inch front, 19 x 11.0-inch rear Tyres 255/35 ZR19 front, 295/30 ZR19 rear Weight 1745kg Power-to-weight 253kW/tonne 0-100km/h 4.1sec (claimed) Top speed 330km/h (claimed) Basic price $389,300

evo rating: ;;;;4

FERRARI CALIFORNIA T Engine 3855cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Power 412kW @ 7500rpm Torque 755Nm @ 4750rpm Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch, RWD, e-diff Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Carbon-ceramic discs, 390mm front, 360mm rear, ABS, EBD Wheels 20 x 8.5-inch front, 20 x 11.0-inch rear Tyres 245/35 ZR20 front, 285/35 ZR20 rear Weight 1729kg Power-to-weight 238kW/tonne 0-100km/h 3.6sec (claimed) Top speed 315km/h (claimed) Basic price $409,880

evo rating: ;;;;;

the chassis is not immune to being knocked from your chosen line. But on the right road the Vantage S Roadster is a delight.

This means the newer, fresher, lighter (by 16kg) Ferrari has a tough challenge laid at its loafers. Yet it’s a challenge you consider the California T to be up to the moment you experience its twin-turbocharged V8. This engine is up there with the very best of its kind, with razor-sharp throttle response and seemingly never-ending thrust. The lower torque limit in the first six gears allows you to use full throttle whenever suitable, which only adds to the sensation of sustained acceleration. However, for a twinturbocharged V8 it lacks the low-down shove you might expect, and considering it has the potential to deliver 755Nm, this comes as a bit of a surprise. Similarly twin-turbocharged V8 rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG and Bentley Continental GT deliver thumping shove from the get go. However, and especially in the case of the Bentley, they cannot match the linearity of the Ferrari’s extraordinarily crisp engine.

And the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is a revelation after the Aston. Its shifts are quicker (although considering an iceberg

drifts faster than the Aston shifts gear, this is no great surprise), they engage more cleanly and you never find yourself in the wrong gear for the situation. It’s a masterful powertrain.

The Ferrari’s chassis is sharp, too, masking its bulk. At no point do you feel you’re trying to wrestle with the mass of a metal folding roof and associated electrical motors hung high out back. The steering is also much quicker than the Aston’s, but for some this won’t necessarily be a good thing. With 2.3 turns lock-to-lock, the Cali turns in crisply and cleanly and oozes precision, but the speed of the rack might surprise some given the GT-nature of the car. For us, however, after the hyper-fast front ends introduced by the current Ferrari range (and departing 458), the Cali feels natural and calm.

Despite the Aston’s age, wobbly chassis and ordinary gearbox this isn’t a push over for the new-gen Ferrari. The Vantage’s engine is full of character and there’s fun to be had with the chassis. Then there are the looks. The Prancing Horse badge has the edge for cache but some will buy the Aston just because it’s not a Ferrari. For us, however, the California has come of age and is an exciting and worthy member of the Ferrari range. L www.evomag.com.au

113

MR XX

Enrico Galliera is the man tasked with presenting a picture-perfect image of Ferrari to the public and orchestrating the human element of Maranello’s Corse Clienti programme. evo finds out how he decides who gets to buy an FXX K

by H E N RY C AT C H P O L E P H O T O G R A P H Y by DR EW GIBSON

114

www.evomag.com.au

E N R I CO GA L L I E R A

E

ven at the bastion of access that is the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Ferrari is keeping people slightly at arm’s length.

Lord March’s Sussex house party is a place where you can frequently find yourself mingling with your heroes.

Whether it’s rubbing shoulders with Hannu Mikkola or skinning your shins on any number of iconic splitters, you feel incredibly close to – if not actually a part of – the action.

The velvet rope count has inevitably increased a little over the 22 years the event has been going, but they are still a pretty rare sight. If you want to get close enough to feel the heat emanating from a recently worked brake, you can. If you want to do your hearing some euphoric damage nuzzling between the exhausts of a revving race V8 you can generally find a way to do that too, such is the proximity of the machinery.

Wander into the newly relocated Supercar Paddock and you’ll find people flocking to press a nose against the side window of a Koenigsegg or even sit in a Cayman GT4.

There is a constant crowd around a new Ferrari 488 GTB, too. But next to that are a handful of Ferraris from which the public is kept back at a respectful distance. With the XX cars it’s very much a case of ‘look but don’t touch’.

I’m currently standing in the shade on the expensive and exclusive side of the rope. I look rather out of place as I seem to be the only one not wearing some sort of red official Ferrari kit. Then there is a parting of the masses and another man, also unadorned by any prancing horse uniform, joins me inside the ropes. He is immaculately turned out in a lightweight navy blue suit, the quality of which is matched in the tie, shirt and particularly the shoes. The only giveaway that he is with Ferrari is the Hublot watch.

This is Enrico Galliera, senior vice president, commercial and marketing director for the world’s most famous car brand. He is also the man in charge of Corse Clienti (or ‘client racing’) and therefore the XX programme – he is Mr XX. Approaching 50 but looking rather younger, he is all smiles and enthusiasm as he enters the red-floored sanctum and introductions are made. His English is extremely good and has that fantastic Italian musicality to the way he pronounces words and constructs sentences.

Like Valentino Rossi but more fluent. Although he looks as though he could have been with Ferrari all his life, rising up through the ranks having learnt at Luca’s knee, he has in fact only been with the company since 2010.

Instead, after leaving university in Parma in 1989, just

RIDING IN THE FERRARI FXX K

by H U N T E R SK I P WORT H A few key moments at evo have completely redefined my concept of strong acceleration: launch control in a 911 Turbo S springs to mind, so too the savagery of a Ferrari 458 Speciale.

But nothing could prepare me for how the FXX K’s 772kW feels off the line at Goodwood.

All that power is generated almost instantly thanks to the car’s complex hybrid powertrain.

It gives a near limitless feeling of acceleration, as if the Ferrari could just keep pulling at the same rate, running out of gears before it ever lets up accelerating.

Then there’s the noise, which is utterly barbaric, screaming through the bare carbonfibre cabin with only your helmet to protect your ears. And what a cabin. The beautiful race seats wrap around you, leaving you with little choice but to stare forwards out of the car’s LMP1like windscreen.

In your peripheral vision you can make out the blinking green light for the KERS system, letting you know all is safe and sound

If you look at our performances in the road business and in racing, there is not a strict correlation

Left: Galliera at the carbonfibre-clad wheel of the XX programme’s latest creation – the LaFerrari-based FXX K.

after Enzo’s death a year earlier, he joined an institution arguably even more Italian than Ferrari: the Barilla pasta company, where he stayed for 20 years. When I ask him if he has always liked cars there is no doubting the answer: ‘‘Yes, yes! I’m Italian,’’ he says, as though it is an obvious prerequisite of his nationality. ‘‘I am 50 years old, so I was young at the age of Niki Lauda driving Ferrari.’’

Ferrari has famously always shunned advertising and instead used racing for its marketing. I ask if the recent slump in the F1 team’s fortunes has affected sales at all. ‘‘Frankly speaking, if you look at our performances in the road business and the performances in the racing there is not a strict correlation,’’ says Galliera. ‘‘This is probably because the image the company was able to build in the last 20 years is so strong that it’s not connected in the short term to the results in racing.’’

Something that no doubt also helps Ferrari is its strict assertion that supply should never outstrip demand.

Galliera has suggested in the past that annual sales would never exceed 7000 cars a year, and although that barrier has been breached, there is nonetheless certainly no sense that the floodgates have opened; there are still far more potential customers than there are cars. This leaves Ferrari, and Galliera as head of sales, in a very interesting position. And the XX programme is like a fascinating microcosm of the larger business.

There will be 40 LaFerrari-based FXX K track cars once

and that full power is at your disposal.

We’re yet to get behind the wheel of the FXX K, but this brief blast up past Lord March’s impressive residence evidences nothing to suggest that it isn’t the fastest, most technologically advanced Ferrari car ever to be offered to the (admittedly meticulously vetted) public. You’ll not be too surprised to hear that it feels almost insanely fast – on a level above and beyond what I had expected. Owners can consider themselves incredibly lucky indeed.

www.evomag.com.au

117

E N R I CO GA L L I E R A

they are all produced, up from 30 each of the Enzo-based FXX and the later 599XX. It seems incredible really. When the FXX was announced in 2005, plenty scoffed at the idea of paying $2million for a car that the owners couldn’t race and couldn’t drive on the road. Surely it was a folly? If not for Ferrari, then certainly for the owners. But it seems that a mixture of exclusivity and what are in fact incredibly cool cars is a very heady commercial cocktail. Entry to the FXX K club costs 2.5million euros (c$3.7million). ‘‘We have now delivered 11 FXX K to final customers,’’ says Galliera, ‘‘and the first five, they came to Mugello three weeks ago for the first day of driving. I joined them on Friday after their first session in the morning and it was like meeting young kids! Smiley…’’

I ask what sort of background these customers have. ‘‘They have to be long-lasting clients,’’ explains Galliera. ‘‘So money is not enough, and they have to be in a way already a part of the programme – XX programme or Corse Clienti programme – so that we know that they will not buy the car just to collect it. ‘‘We want this car to be on the track. Within the price, we offer them participation in the programme for two years, so if they want, everything is paid in order to participate.

They can come to seven events all around the world. Then if they want we can organise something for them; renting a track, bring in the car. All the cars, all the FXX that we sell are kept in our factory, so we store for the customer.’’

This is a slight surprise because I thought Ferrari had denied this, so I ask if the owners can take them home. ‘‘I would say that we prefer them to remain in our factory, then after a while if they want to keep it outside they can do it. But most of the customers leave the car over there [at Maranello] because just after we test drive we bring it back, we check everything, we keep it perfect and we ship it with our mechanics to the event.’’

It still seems rather restrictive, but equally it’s not hard to see why some would want to join. ‘‘When we deliver this car, clients come to Fiorano so we can make the delivery ceremony like for any other Ferrari, but then we have our test driver teach them how to drive and we have the shakedown on Fiorano. It’s something

118

www.evomag.com.au

that they really love. In the middle of Fiorano is the old house of Enzo Ferrari, where they can sleep. It has been refurnished as a guest house so it’s really an experience. If you love cars it’s the maximum you can dream. ‘‘This limited number of people become like members of an elite club. They become friends, they enjoy driving together without racing. They meet in Hockenheim or in Brands Hatch or wherever, and they spend three days driving together and enjoying also the rest of the day and the evening. So, now we are experiencing that there are a lot of people that want to become part of this group of people because they have fun. ‘‘The FXX K is sold out, so the way to enter now is to try to buy one of the 599XX, because many of the guys that are buying FXX K, they also own a 599XX. So if one customer is interested, we try to put them in contact to see if another customer is willing to sell. Normally they’re not so keen, but sometimes it happens because they cannot drive two cars. So that’s the way to enter the programme.

It’s like when you want to buy a new Ferrari and normally you enter via a pre-owned one. It’s more or less the same.

You enter, you become part of the family, you can test and then if you like you try to enter in the limited numbers for the new one. That’s the way it works, basically.’’

It strikes me that that the XX programme should perhaps adopt the motto of Brooklands: the right crowd and no crowding. I ask if many of the XX customers race. ‘‘Errr, not many, I think,’’ says Galliera. ‘‘Quite a few run in GT3 with our 458. I would say four or five of them are also having some races [elsewhere].’’

It seems fair to say that most don’t race and purely do it as a sort of ultimate trackday experience without the pressure of competition (and potentially looking rather slow). However, Ferrari is keen to point out that the cars are like a proving ground for future technology. ‘‘The 599XX was the starting point for the 599 GTO,’’ says Galliera. ‘‘Many of the solutions went on that car. So it’s really a laboratory.’’

I’m intrigued as to how critical the owners are, imagining that one cross word could see them blackballed from the club. ‘‘Most of them are very critical. So we have some of them that like to drive, like to enjoy and they have fun.

Then we have others that are almost like official drivers.

They are really as fast as our official drivers and so their comments are very, very to the point, which is interesting.

So we always listen. ‘‘And of course, if they want to go one step further they could always buy an old F1 car. We don’t have many available now, so what we do again, we are in contact with the customer that owns an F1 car and if we receive a specific request, say, for a 2007 car, we know where it is. We get in contact with the client, we check if he wants to sell it and if he does we put him in contact with the customer. So we try to keep control of the cars because we know they have to be managed properly.’’

As I watch him having his photo taken it strikes me that Galliera is a consummate professional, a marketing man par excellence. Many of the answers he has given have steered a shrewd and politically canny course that sometimes doesn’t quite answer my original question but

OTHER X-RATED PROGRAMMES

Some of our XX drivers are as fast as our official drivers and their comments are very, very to the point. So we always listen

by A N T O N Y I N G R A M

McLaren P1 GTR For some McLaren customers, as for their Ferrari counterparts, the firm’s fastest-ever hypercar isn’t quite enough. The GTR answers that demand with 735kW (up from 673kW). You can take your GTR home, though despite tractability that should match the P1 road car, it s a vehicle neither intended nor it’s legal for the road.

Aston Martin Vulcan Just 24 Vulcans will be made, each a tribute to the firm’s long history at the Le Mans 24 Hours. At 322km/h it produces 1300kg of downforce, while the dramatically styled swoops of carbonfibre envelop a 596kW, 7.0-litre V12 and six-speed Xtrac sequential transmission.

Racin ulcan’s track-only intentions.

Above: the 2009 599XX laid the foundations for the road-legal 599 GTO. Below: the FXX arrived four years earlier and was an ultra-lightweight Enzo with 603kW.

always paints Ferrari in a positive light. I get the feeling that he is always preciously, even slightly anxiously, guarding Ferrari’s image in the same way that the ropes are there to discreetly keep grubby public fingerprints from appearing on the paintwork of the XX cars. Nothing must besmirch the ideal.

As he says, there is a special atmosphere about Ferrari.

It goes beyond the cars; something intangible that you can feel not only when you visit Maranello but also when you see the crowds at events such as this. Whether those people are devoted, reverential or just slightly jealous, there is a magnetism about Ferrari that draws them in like moths around a lamp.

But I wonder what it must be like to work for a company that has that effect, to live with it. The impression I get is that it’s as though Il Commendatore, Enzo himself, is still watching over them all and no one wants to upset him for fear of the wrath that would ensue. ‘‘Does it feel like a lot of pressure working for Ferrari?’’

I ask Galliera, almost quietly, just before he leaves. He pauses for a few moments and then gives the straightest answer possible. ‘‘Yes.’’ He pauses again and there’s a real sincerity in his voice. ‘‘Particularly because I am Italian. For Italians you have your mama… and you have Ferrari.’’

We shake hands and he is ushered away to the far side of the velvet ropes. L

Pagani Zonda R With 551kW, the 2009 Zonda R now seems undernourished alongside the latest track-only specials.

Its styling, however, is anything but feeble. Long-tailed and exquisitely detailed inside and out, it’s also light, the all-carbonfibre construction tipping the scales at 1104kg. The subsequent Zonda 760RS made the R’s lunacy roadpower. legal – with even more power

Lotus Type 125 “All the thrills of an F1 car, minus the pain” is how Lotus pitched the Type 125. Revealed in 2010, it packs a Cosworth 3.8-litre V8 under its rear cowl. Its 11,000rpm limit is less frenetic than a contemporary F1 car’s, but 477kW and a 590kg dry weight mean over 800kW/tonne.

www.evomag.com.au

119

THIS IS THE GROUND FLOOR. THE FIRST edition. The Macintosh 128k. The Boeing 747100. This is the beginning of an icon (and I think you’ll allow me to use the word). This is the very first Impreza WRX. To be precise, this car is a Japanese domestic market (JDM) Subaru Impreza MY93 WRX Type RA; not only the first WRX ever produced, but at 1170kg, also the very lightest WRX ever produced.

Standing, gazing at a ‘GC8’ Impreza on a blustery and bright B660, the unchanged scene of so many evo and Performance Car tests over the years, it feels a little like I’ve stepped back in time.

The Impreza was launched in November 1992 and while in rallying terms it was the replacement for the venerable Legacy (Liberty in Australia), on the road it was a slightly more direct replacement for the more similarly sized Leone (there was some overlap, with the Leone continuing to be produced until 1994). The badge on the nose of this car is obviously not the familiar six-star oval, but what was at the time a new ‘i’ for Impreza badge.

With a shorter, more agile wheelbase than the Legacy, an Impreza WRX was a much better starting point for Prodrive to build a Group A

World Rally car around, but Subaru knew that the Impreza would be doing valiant service in lower categories of rallying too, and it was for Group N homologation purposes that the Type RA was produced. Some people say that RA stands for Race Altered or Rally Applicant or Rally A (as in Group A), but in actual fact RA originally stood for Record Attempt. Subaru attempted and achieved a world speed endurance record in 1989 and the Legacy RS Type RA was the upshot.

People also tend to assume that RAs were painted, if not exclusively then predominantly, in Feather White like this car, but in reality 80 per cent of these first RAs saw daylight with Vivienne Red bodywork (none of them were blue and gold…). As on the new Porsche GT3 RS, white certainly does look the most motorsport of all colours, making bodywork appear stark, stripped back and bare – indicative of a lightweight philosophy. The weight-saving measures on this RA might not be quite as high-tech as on Porsche’s latest RS, but they were very effective, shedding 30kg from the kerb weight.

This car belongs to Dan Leach, who bought it about a year ago (with a spare gearbox). It’s only had three owners, but it has done more than

by H E N RY C AT C H P O L E P H O T O G R A P H Y by A S T O N PA R RO T T

STOP. REWIND. Hot Subaru sedans seem to have lost their way in recent years, so perhaps now’s the time to hunt down an early example. evo gets the ball rolling with the Type RA, the first – and lightest – Subaru Impreza WRX sold to the public

120 www.evomag.com.au

S U BA R U I M P R EZ A W RX T Y P E RA

S U BA R U I M P R E Z A W RX T Y P E RA 341,000km and is Dan’s cherished but daily driver.

Normally at evo we like to get the most original, unmolested examples of cars for these features, so initially I’m slightly worried when he begins telling me about the few changes made to his car. My heart sinks a little further with every modification mentioned, like a dingy being weighed down in the water with each additional item. But then Dan says something that buoys me. ‘‘The trouble is that people on forums will often complain about this or that not being original, but Subaru made these cars to be modified. For example, you cannot tell me that the engineers in Japan honestly thought a two-pot sliding caliper setup for the front brakes was adequate.

They merely put the most basic items on because they knew that everyone going rallying would change them.’’

This hugely sensible outlook brings me up short and makes me look at the car afresh. Dan really hasn’t done anything that Subaru wouldn’t have expected and it is still very much a stripped-out MY93 Type RA. The lack of side skirts gives it a very clean look and Dan is hoping to find an original unadorned, undrilled boot, as even the low-level wing you can see here is a later addition.

You might think that the front grille with its blanked-off fog lights is as basic as it comes, but this first RA actually rolled out of the factory with two totally impractical gaping holes where owners were expected to put their own fogs.

Pull the black door handle, marvel at the frameless window and then settle into the driver’s

seat. The first Impreza WRXs got truly rubbish seats with about as much support as a broken flip flop, but the JDM WRXs got buckets from the outset and they are ace. For me, the best seats cradle you gently at the bottom of the rib cage, locating rather than restricting, just like these. The dark material that covers the seats has a curiously rough weave that looks like a modern interpretation of Harris Tweed. However, your eyes are more likely to be distracted by the gloriously naff ‘red tiger’ panels that are situated on the side bolsters, below the headrests and in nightclubs all over the world.

The rest of the interior is pretty sparse, as you’d expect of an RA, although this car has got manual air conditioning, which was a dealer option. The original (optional) carpet mat set in this car is also worth a mention as it has the sort of lustrously deep pile that you could lose small Dachshunds in. Something I hadn’t expected to see is a button marked ‘I/C Water Spray’, as I’d thought this only arrived in much later Imprezas, but there it is to the left of the steering wheel. The wheel itself is a tasteful three-spoke OMP item. Dan has the original three-spoke Nardi in his garage at home, but says it has become noticeably flexy with age.

Being of a similar stature to me (i.e. lanky in the leg), he’s also added a boss behind the wheel to get himself more comfortable.

Twist the small all-metal key, blip the immobiliser, turn the key to its stop and the engine gives a couple of familiar dry rasps before catching and settling. The distinctive burble of the flat-four at idle is a wonderfully comforting sound. Pulling

Clockwise from above: redundant fog light switch; VIN plate; tiger print – it’s red, honestly; water spray can be used to keep intercooler temperatures down on trackdays and rally stages.

122

www.evomag.com.au

SUBARU PUT THE MOST BASIC ITEMS ON THE TYPE RA BECAUSE IT KNEW EVERYONE WOULD CHANGE THEM

hard at high revs in a forest, we know it has a guttural purpose (particularly when helped with a bit of antilag), but at idle its deep, mellow vibrato is the aural equivalent of a favourite soft woolly jumper.

The 1994cc EJ20 engine has, as you might expect, a few interesting peculiarities. The main difference compared to the export cars is that this is a ‘closeddeck’ as opposed to an ‘open-deck’ engine. Closeddeck engines have more metal connecting the cylinder walls to the outer wall of the block, making for a stiffer block and better sealing of the head gasket. This, of course, means they are slightly more robust and therefore suitable for tuning. Also with tuning in mind, the Type RA has a slightly larger Mitsubishi TD05H turbo. Although the smaller TD04 turbo spins up more sweetly, it’s only good for about 200kW, whereas the TD05H is good for around 240kW. Perhaps the most fascinating detail is the inclusion of a non-working fifth injector on the inlet manifold, which was almost certainly included for homologation purposes.

As standard, this RA already has an impressive 177kW and combined with the short gearing it instantly feels quicker than expected as I head off onto some of England’s finest roads. Very soon, however, I discover just how short that gearing is.

With a 4.111:1 final drive and fifth (top) gear being 0.972:1, we’re talking Jacques Villeneuve short.

The B660 is not a road that I’ve ever likened to a motorway, but very quickly it begins to feel too big and fast for the RA’s ratios. At 100km/h the engine is pulling 3600rpm in fifth gear. At 120 it is over 4000, the turbo is fully lit and your left hand is impulsively twitching to go searching for another gear.

This is a proper tarmac rally stage ’box, one that would be perfectly at home on the Col de Turini or on Irish lanes so narrow that the mirrors are brushing the banks on both sides. Instinctively I go in search of tighter tarmac, where the RA makes more sense.

With the corners coming thick and fast you are constantly busy, your left hand barely back on the wheel before it’s called back into action, syncing with your constantly dipping left leg. The noise of the boxer rises rapidly with each rush of acceleration before the sound of waves crashing on a shingle beach signals the release of boost as you back off the throttle and go for another gear.

A tiny gearlever sits atop the large pyramid of the rubber gaiter and the shift is satisfyingly mechanical without being outstandingly precise. On a long journey this setup would undoubtedly be wearing if you tried to settle at a half-decent cruising speed, but on small B-roads it’s huge fun being so busy – and all at legal speeds. In this age of emissions and economy, the idea of a manufacturer producing something so preposterously short-geared seems crazy, but in terms of driver involvement it is just brilliant.

The handling is typical early Impreza, but compared to an RB5 (arguably the best of the UK-only editions) it feels even lighter on its feet and sharper than I’d expected. Clearly the lack of mass is a boon, but JDM cars also have alloy lower suspension arms where the export cars had steel.

124

www.evomag.com.au

THIS IS A PROPER TARMAC RALLY STAGE ’BOX, ONE THAT WOULD BE PERFECTLY AT HOME ON THE COL DE TURINI

S U BA R U I M P R EZ A W RX T Y P E RA

www.evo.co.uk

125

S U BA R U I M P R E Z A W RX T Y P E RA Turn-in is encouraging and more eager, helped by the slightly larger anti-roll bars fitted to this car. The springs and dampers are the originalspec items, however, and they give the Type RA a wonderful fluidity. Turn in hard to a mediumspeed corner and the front tyres will initially grip then gradually bleed away their hold on the road as the car reaches maximum lean. As you drive through and out of the corner, the rear of the car will swing gradually through. It all happens in one continuous motion, with momentum rather than power the catalyst when you oversteer, and it’s such a smooth motion that you feel like you have oodles of time to enjoy the sensation.

On really bumpy stretches it feels like the rebound damping doesn’t quite keep up, but overall the sensations are an absolute joy, with really lovely textural feedback through the steering.

The original wheels were tiny 15-inch items, but 16-inch rims were an option and Dan has fitted a set of very apt Speedlines. When he bought the car it was wearing rather track-biased Toyo rubber, but he wanted something with slightly less grip that was going to give the car more authentic and enjoyable grip levels on the road. The Goodyear EfficientGrips that he finally settled on seem to do a very good job of matching progression with sensible lateral limits. The brakes are good too; upgraded to four-pot items, they have plenty of

126 www.evomag.com.au

power, but the servo is lighter than on later cars so you’ve got a lovely firm pedal underfoot.

Combine it all and you have a car that positively encourages you to grab it by the scruff of the neck and dance it down the road, waltzing through corners with a lift here and a provocative early turn-in there. Given a closed stage you could easily imagine Scandi-flicking it on the entry to hairpins and living out every 555 fantasy you’ve ever had.

Of course, at the time that this first GC8 car was produced, no one knew the stardom and cultish following that the Impreza would go on to gain thanks to its exploits in the hands of Sainz, McRae, Burns and Solberg, amongst others. Some must have hoped, and I’m sure Prodrive predicted it, but plenty of cars are born with great expectations that are never fulfilled. There were numerous future Type RAs down the years and divining the correct specs of each one is tricky to say the least (although type-ra.com is a very good resource).

To complicate matters, there are also various STi Type RAs as well as the WRX Type RAs, and then there are the Type Rs, the Limiteds and V-Limiteds, plus the various special editions both for the home market and abroad. It is a minefield. But the GC8A47D (G for Impreza, C for Sedan, 8 for Turbocharged, A for MY93, 4 for four doors, and 7D for Type RA) definitely remains the earliest, the lightest and one of the best I’ve ever driven. L

SUBARU IMPREZA WRX TYPE RA Engine 1994cc flat-four, dohc, 16v, turbo Power 177kW @ 6000rpm Torque 304Nm @ 5000rpm 0-100km/h 5.7sec (est) Top speed 180km/h (limited) Weight 1170kg Power-to-weight 152kW/tonne

evo rating: ;;;;;

Image: Craig Jeffries

WHITE LINE LINE UP AT AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER MOTORSPORT PARK

GET ON TRACK. YOUR CAR OR OURS. WWW.SYDNEYMOTORSPORTPARK.COM.AU

NEW ARRIVAL

From JCW to GT2, evo’s Fast Fleet is the biggest and most comprehensive long-term section in the business. This month…

MINI JCW

by Ian Eveleigh Production editor

BMW M4 NEW

by Dan Prosser Road test editor

CATERHAM 420R

by Hunter Skipworth Website editor

OUT

PORSCHE 996 GT2

by Nick Trott UK editor

NEW

It’s another Mini for Eveleigh.

It’s got 70kW more than he wanted, but we’re sure he’ll quickly get over it

Prosser looks back on the mixed emotions that came ith spending di seven months th with with an M4

It’s the moment of truth. Can the evo team succeed in their mission to build a Seven in just five days?

Not content with owning just one 911, Trott now has a noughties rarity to sit alongside his ’80s SC

TOYOTA CELICA

RANGE ROVER SPORT

MERCEDES SLK 250

RENAULT MÉGANE 275

by Matthew Hayward Contributor

by Nick Trott UK editor

by Jesse Taylor Australia editor

OUT

by Richard Meaden Contributing editor

the GT-F got Hayward questioning if he should keep it

It’s service time for our fleet’s hardest-working car. And it seems that it’s wearing its miles particularly well

Life on the Fast Fleet isn’t always glamorous, but the SLK 250 stoo e ri s with . It will be missed

Meaden’s taken the Mégane on another big trip, this time with mountainous Switzerland as destination

SKODA OCTAVIA vRS

MAZDA MX-5 Mk1

FORD RD FIESTA ST

TOYOTA 86 GTS

Big kays heading into the wilds of Snowdonia reveal small but important snippets of life with Skoda’s practical hatchback

A trip to see the ever-helpful folks at Tyres Northampton gets Ingram’s Eunos a step closer to perfection

Catchpole is starting to get a taste for the finer things in motoring life. Such as heated seats, DAB and cruise control

Okay, it’s not a roadster, but Taylor thinks plenty will crossshop the 86 with Mazda’s fourth gen MX 5

Should it stay or should it go?

by Dean Smith Photographer

by Antony Ingram Staff writer

FERRARI 458 ITALIA

by Simon George Contributor

by Jesse Taylor Australia editor

Also on the evo fleet: Skoda Octavia vRS, Subaru WRX STI, McLaren 12C Spider, Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M, Lamborghini Murciélago, Peugeot 106 Rallye, BMW 2002, Nissan GT-R, Lancia Delta Integrale, Renaultsport Clio 182

The 458 behaves itself in queuing traffic, and it appears that people behave themselves in its presence, too

contact@evomag.com.au

128

by Henry Catchpole Features editor

www.evomag.com.au

f www.facebook.com/evoaustralia

Mini John Cooper Works The most powerful production Mini ever takes its place on the evo fleet

Mini John Cooper Works

FOR SOME TIME NOW I’ve had a hankering to run a basic Mini Cooper as a long-termer. I’ve always found the entry-level sporting Mini to be surprisingly good fun – good enough to want to spend six months or more behind the wheel of one, in fact.

The last time I mentioned this I had just taken delivery of a secondgen GP – a Mini about as far away from a simple Cooper as you can get, bar perhaps a Countryman WRC. The GP was enormous fun, of course, and ranks as a favourite amongst all the long-termers I’ve run, but I still wanted to scratch that Cooper itch.

So now the R56 Mini has given way to the F56, I find myself running… a 170kW John Cooper Works. Oh well.

Third time lucky, maybe.

Not that I’m complaining about the opportunity to spend some

F

serious time with the most powerful production Mini ever, nor the most highly specced Mini evo has ever run: the auto JCW may cost $49,950 basic, but the car you see here came in more than $10k above that. Options responsible for the eye-widening leap in price include the sport automatic transmission ($3500), adaptive LED headlights ($400), nav system upgrade ($1500) and the almost-obligatory Chili Pack ($5000 and including 18-inch alloys, Harman/Kardon hi-fi upgrade, black leather and Alcantara trim, plus seat heating). We also had the boxes ticked for variable damper control and a head-up display, which are optional here in the UK but standard fit for you folks in Australia.

In evo’s defence, we didn’t spec this particular car (you probably guessed that from the auto ’box),

but I’m sure it’ll be fun to try out all those gadgets and gizmos and see which are worth splashing out on.

You won’t find me arguing with the chosen colour combo, either: White Silver metallic ($500) with a red roof and mirrors, and no fussy stripes or graphics. Backed up by those fabulous two-tone wheels, which look a lot like a five-spoke version of the last GP’s four-spokes, it makes for the best-looking new JCW we’ve seen yet. It’s a definite improvement on the Rebel Green with red example we had for last month’s group test, which just reminded me of the Rover 200 BRM. (Sorry, Mini.)

But enough about the visuals.

What about those all-important early driving impressions? Instantly getting the thumbs up are the pace (0-100km/h in 6.1sec is claimed with this transmission), the supportive

sports seats and the taut damping.

I’m less sure about the Pirelli P7 Cinturato tyres and the automatic gearbox. The former, as we found last month, just don’t seem sticky enough for this car, but I’m going to give them a fair shot and see if their less-than-ultimate grip grows on me. That auto ’box, meanwhile, just seems odd in a Mini. But I’m not someone who is totally blinkered when it comes to paddleshifts. I’ve been won around by them in two previous long-termers: a 370Z and a Leon Cupra 280. Will it happen a third time? We’ll see… L Ian Eveleigh Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

Instantly getting the thumbs up are the pace, the seats and the damping

May 2015 3210 1641 $0 9.5

END OF TERM

BMW M4 Now it has returned to BMW, Prosser has come to a conclusion about his M4 – although it may not apply to all M4s…

AT THE GENEVA MOTOR show in March this year, I interviewed Carsten Pries, the boss of product for BMW’s M division. Expecting he would nod along in begrudging agreement, I suggested that the reception for the new M3 and M4 had been somewhat mixed. Instead, he flashed an enormous smile and said that he

A

could not have been happier with the way the models had been received.

Given that we at evo, and several others, had given it a shoeing on more than one occasion, that was a little hard to swallow. But divided opinions were a theme of my seven months in the M4.

Long before a new car arrives on the Fast Fleet, one of our team

of road testers will drive it on the international launch, another will try it on a regional event, then the whole team will have a go when we borrow a car for a week or so. So when we take delivery of a new long-termer, we’ve usually long since reached solid, shared conclusions about that particular car’s dynamic credentials.

The objective of a long-term test

Caterham Seven 420R So, can a bunch of journalists turn a pile of bits into a working car in just five days?

Time to find out THINKING BACK ON OUR Caterham build, I should’ve known it was going to be troublesome when I turned up on day one and there weren’t any instructions.

A rather disgruntled-looking Dan Prosser was pacing about in front

T

130

www.evomag.com.au

BMW M4

is to further scrutinise the car’s reliability, its suitability for everyday use, its build quality and so on. This one was different.

The M4 has been one of very few cars to have really divided us during my time at evo. Various members of the team had such different experiences in those early days that there was no real consensus between us. Some thought it the consummate modern performance coupe, others reckoned it was the most disappointing M-car they’d ever driven.

It all came to a head at evo Car of the Year 2014. I don’t think any of the judges got out of that M3 (the four-door version is more or less interchangeable with the two-door M4), without feeling as though we’d aged by a year or two, particularly on the wetter days. We voted it into ninth place out of ten cars.

Our long-termer arrived in October last year. We didn’t get to spec it ourselves. Instead, it was plucked out of BMW’s press fleet, having covered almost 5000km doing the rounds between various motoring titles.

Aside from the telltale odometer, there was no real clue that it hadn’t just rolled off the production line, and I doubt I could have bettered the spec – the Mineral Grey paint perfectly picked out the sharp styling creases that streak across the

bonnet and flanks, and the Sakhir Orange leather offset the paintwork and stopped the car from looking in any way dour. I was glad it had the optional M Carbon Ceramic Brakes ($15,000) because I intended to drive it on track at every opportunity, but I reckon I’d have chosen the (no-cost) optional six-speed manual transmission rather than the standard seven-speed DCT. And so, over the following seven months, the team and I set about trying to reach a satisfactory verdict on the way the thing drove. It must be said we didn’t reach a unanimous conclusion in all that time – the M4 remains a divisive car – but after the better part of 25,000km behind the wheel I am satisfied with my own verdict. I reckon it just had a narrow operating window in outright performance terms. On a dry and relatively flat road, the chassis was superb. When that road was anything less than Saharan in its dryness, though, the chassis couldn’t contain that lump of torque (550Nm from 1850 to 5500rpm) and it became a handful. There also wasn’t enough body control over vertical inputs, such as crests and undulations, to give you confidence that it would stick. Ultimately, it was a difficult car to really hustle along a road unless the conditions were on its side.

The M4 remains a divisive car, but I reckon it just had a narrow operating window in outright performance terms

Date acquired Duration of test Total test km Overall L/100km Costs Purchase price Trade-in value Depreciation

October 2014 7 months 23,632 11.4 $3010(see text) $149,900 c$135,000 c$15,000

Others had criticisms that I could understand, but could equally let go of. Yes, the 317kW twin-turbo straight-six didn’t have the character of the old V8, but the straight-line performance was on another level.

And yes, it didn’t feel like a $150K, Porsche 911-baiting performance car within the cabin, but the quality was generally very good. Short of the absolute dynamic limit, I found the M4 to be a fast, comfortable and seriously good-looking car, which is a pretty compelling package.

It went on track at every opportunity and it never missed a beat. The only costs were $2800 for a set of tyres after 9600km (that’ll be the track work) and a repair to a minor car park ding ($210).

A week after the M4 went back to BMW, an M3 arrived for last month’s C63 S twin-test. It arrived with 1600km beneath its wheels and it was, by a long shot, the best M3 or M4 I’ve ever driven. BMW is coy about any chassis changes it might have made since those first cars arrived, but it does confess to employing a strategy of continuous improvement during a model’s life-cycle, so I’m in no doubt that the chassis settings have been revised in recent months. My time with the M4 is now over, but the saga looks likely to roll on. L Dan Prosser (@TheDanProsser

Caterham Seven 420R of a vast pile of boxes, each daubed with a Caterham logo and each containing parts more alien to me than the last.

The Mission Motorsport guys (who were kindly hosting our build in their garage) had neatly arranged everything we needed to put our 420R together before we arrived. It probably took less than a minute for Prosser and me to make a mess of this as we gradually got more and more overexcited at the sight of all the bits that would soon bring our Caterham to life. Or so we thought.

The first issue arose when we realised we didn’t actually know how to build a car. This meant that our first day was largely spent doing things wrong and waiting for the Mission boys to fix them for us. Still,

a day in and we had the basis of the car’s front end completed.

Day two was a lot more productive. We’d now got some instructions from Caterham, so subeditor Richard Lane joined me to tackle the suspension. By the end of the day we had the Bilstein dampers fitted and the brakes done, too. But a word of warning: don’t ever try to build headlights. Ever.

More members of the evo team arrived on day three, but they found things difficult from the offset.

I had warned them about the instructions, which were unclear at the best of times, but I don’t think they were truly prepared for just how vague they were (’woeful’ is how editor Trott described them).

As we tried to make sense of what

they were saying, the process of putting the car together slowed to a crawl. Still, fitting the gearbox and engine was enjoyable, even if space was a bit tight – clearances in the front end of a 420R are basically non-existent.

Access also proved an issue for the rest of the build. This just wasn’t an easy car to work on, with nuts and bolts that needed tightening becoming largely inaccessible once other parts had been fitted.

Ultimately, though, it was missing parts that brought our build to an untimely end. The lack of a gearbox mount meant our car was left with its ’box supported by a jack. As such, due to time constraints, we had to reluctantly hand the remnants of the build over to Caterham.

Enjoyable though it was, building a 420R is not something you can do in a week. Not with our level of spanner skills and car-building experience, anyway. Factor in time for missing bits and unclear instructions and you’re looking at a month.

Still, none of this changes the fact that we can’t wait to drive the 420R, and now, with Caterham having put right what we did wrong, the car is finally finished. L Hunter Skipworth (@HunterSkipworth) Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

August 2015 n/a n/a $0 n/a

www.evomag.com.au

131

Porsche 996 GT2

Left and below: very original and very tidy, this first-gen 996 GT2 on sale at RPM Technik proved irresistible to Trott when Porsche hunting.

NEW ARRIVAL

Porsche 996 GT2 What do you do if you can’t find the Porsche GT3 of your dreams?

Buy a GT2, of course

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE year I started the search for a Porsche 996.1 GT3. It’s a car I’ve always loved, and a little financial reshaping (i.e. man maths) meant that I could finally afford something a bit tasty.

By February it was clear that most were selling before they were advertised; by March it seemed that the remaining UK cars had disappeared. I got a sniff of two GT3s (one up north and one in London) and offered good money for both, but the owner of one decided to keep it at the last minute and I was beaten to the other by just a few hours.

The search then went overseas, with help from a few Twitter buddies, plus Jeten Chetty from the Porsche Centre Johannesburg and the excellent people at ShipMyCar. A plot was hatched to import a GT3 from South Africa, so I waited for the right car to pop up, and waited, and waited…

During the wait, I started to

A

132

www.evomag.com.au

consider other options. I looked at a Ferrari F430 manual and a Ferrari F355, but the servicing costs terrified me. No, I told myself, stick with plan A and continue the hunt for a GT3. Stay on target…

Then at the end of May, feeling rather exasperated, RPM Technik (the people who sold me, and look after, my 911 SC) called and asked if I might be interested in a 996 GT2.

The price was over my budget, and it wasn’t a GT3, but I asked to see some pictures.

God it looked good. Polar Silver.

Yellow calipers. That incredible wing with the subtle intakes in the uprights. And, of course, the specs.

Even today, 340kW and 1440kg is impressive, as is 0-100km/h in 4.1sec and a 315km/h top speed – and we know both the acceleration and top speed claims to be conservative.

Add to this the fact that the GT2’s engine is effectively the same as the one used in Porsche’s Le Manswinning GT1, that this was the last of the turbocharged Porsches without driver aids, and that we’re unlikely to see another GT2 for a long, long time, and I was on my way down the path of inevitability…

RPM Technik delivered a full technical inspection of the car, and everything checked out. One of the benefits of the race-derived Mezger engine is that you can interrogate the ECU for over-revving – and nothing significant was showing on the RPM computer. A full suspension check was also carried out, with all parts stamped the date they left the factory, indicating no significant damage. The roll-cage and carbonbacked seats were fitted after the

The GT2’s Mezger engine is effectively the same one used in Porsche’s Le Manswinning GT1 car left the factory (but both are OE), and the wheels, ceramic brakes (the first to be fitted to a road car) and clutch all checked out. It was a two-owner car, with services carried out at 8k, 14k, 19k, 25k and 40k kilometres. It had new radiators, new brake pads and a brake fluid change, and RPM Technik offered a further major service before delivery.

At $188,275, even the little things (like two keys and the Porsche leather bookpacks) were big things to me, but all were present and correct. So, with a deep breath…

I bought it over the phone (while

trying to forget that the last time I did this resulted in an Impreza Turbo that blew up within 24 hours).

It never occurred to me that one day I could buy a GT2 – after all, they retailed for $399,000 back in 2002 – but chasing numbers around on a piece of paper showed that I’d only spend a little more on this GT2 than I was prepared to pay for a GT3, and the GT2 is rarer, faster and more intriguing. Crikey.

As I write this, I’ve only driven the car once – a memorable experience (more next time) – and I’ve had a bit of a shock with the insurance.

It’s early days, and I still can’t quite believe I’ve bought a GT2, but boy am I happy! Just please don’t inform my wife of the GT2’s nickname. She has no idea, okay? L Nick Trott (@evoNickTrott) Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

June 2015 41,867 8 $188,275 n/a

Range Rover Sport SDV8

I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE ‘service’ is the appropriate term any more. To me, a service should be a grubby affair involving mechanics thoroughly checking big mechanical objects with a hammer and an inspection torch, then replacing the majority of the car before finally handing it back with a big bill and a smile.

Today, as I’m sure the majority of you are aware, a service – especially one early in a car’s life – is mostly a visual inspection and computer interrogation.

The Range Rover Sport has had its first ‘service’ this month. Looking at the schedule, this amounted to mostly checking (tyre condition, drive belts, wipers, lamps) and resetting (oil level and service indicator). Of the grubby stuff, the, erm, pollen filter was replaced, as were the engine oil and filter.

A road test was also carried out, which included a low-to-high-range gearbox test – the first time the car has ever been in low range…

The car has tipped over 30,000 kays (all covered in just six months) and I have to admit that I was

I

Range Rover Sport SDV8 Our hard-working Range Rover gets its first service – and a clean bill of health

expecting the discs and pads would need replacing. Not so. According to our mechanic, there’s another year in them, and the same goes for the 275/40 R20 tyres. Impressive, given that this car is driven pretty hard.

An annual inspection related to the six-year anti-perforation warranty was also carried out, which hunted for damage to the underbody sealer, sills, wheelarches, lower body and doors, flanged hinges, suspension mounts and fuel tank fixings. It’s a thoroughly ‘Land Rover’ inspection – and rather comforting despite the fact that the closest my car has got to going off-road was a jaunt across a local farmer’s paddock. I really must address that.

The next service is due in a year or at 52,000km. I have a feeling that the Fast Fleet’s hardest working car will reach the latter first. L Nick Trott (@evoNickTrott) Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

December 2014 30,212 3586 $0 9.4

Toyota Celica GT-Four WRC

Toyota Celica GT-Four WRC Hayward’s rally refugee might be on the receiving end of a reluctant garage cull after languishing unused IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE my last Fast Fleet report, and I’m not proud to say the Celica hasn’t moved from its cosy workshop space in over six months. Sound familiar? This is exactly what happened last year, albeit for slightly different reasons.

One of the main causes for this year’s lack of action comes from the car’s awkward MOT expiry date.

December is not usually the best time to be laying out cash on a car that’s likely not going to be used on the salt-ridden winter roads, so I hatched a plan to simply leave it until spring. Then spring came and went, and the Celica is still sitting around with no tax or MOT… The other issue is that I’m easily

I

distracted, and with the Celica out of sight I’ve been focusing a little bit too much time and effort on my other cars. Between keeping on top of a money-hungry Citroën Xantia Activa and a 1980s BX 16-valve that’s quickly turning into a full restoration job, the reliable and trouble-free Toyota has hardly been given the attention it deserves.

I know it might not make sense, but for the first time I’m actually considering selling the trusty GT-Four. In real terms it owes me very little money, but with it getting such little use, what’s the point in having it?

We’ll see how the next few months go. I plan to sort out a few of the nagging jobs I’ve been putting

Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

August 2013 76,378 0 $0 n/a

off, such as refurbing (or maybe even replacing) the wheels, getting it fully detailed and just maybe fitting a slightly more sociable exhaust.

A new set of dampers wouldn’t go amiss either. Who knows, I might just fall in love with it again… L Matthew Hayward (@evoMatthew) www.evomag.com.au

133

Mercedes-Benz SLK 250

END OF TERM

Mercedes-Benz SLK 250 Taylor farewells our hard-working SLK 250 after more than a year on the Fast Fleet

THE LIFE OF A FAST Fleeter is rarely as glamorous as that of the cars that pass through evo’s garage on a weekly basis. Cars that are here for a week are often the latest and greatest so we lavish attention on them with dedicated photoshoots in well-thought-out locations. Meanwhile, the poor old long-termer often tags along for the ride as a camera car or offering some other form of sundry support. If it’s lucky, the longtermer might sneak into frame for a few quick snaps.

Our Mercedes-Benz SLK 250 arrived as winter 2014 was baring its teeth – hardly the ideal time to take possession of a convertible.

The diminutive Benz roadster (if you’ve not seen one for a while, it really is smaller then you’d think) was immediately pressed into service chasing a Porsche 911 Turbo S and Aston Martin V12 Vantage S (issue 015).

T

134

www.evomag.com.au

With 150kW and 310Nm from its 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, the Benz worked hard to keep the 400kW-plus monsters in frame, but the SLK revealed a faithful chassis, fast and light steering and plenty of grip. Driven on the ragged edge, the SLK was seriously amusing. It’s a shame that the accompanying soundtrack was flat and drony and didn’t marry with the effort the car and driver were putting in.

Without a big V8 over the nose like its SLK55 brother, the 250 always responded with a more delicate touch. Rather than tumble into and crash through imperfections like the firmly suspended AMG variant can, the 250 floats and skips down a typical backroad with real poise. Sure, it’s never going to be a true competitor to Porsche’s sublime Boxster, but nor is it without dynamic merit.

But the SLK 250 really starred at the mundane jobs that often trip up so many cars. Light steering, easy-

to-modulate brakes and a super smooth seven-speed automatic mean the SLK is a pain-free companion on those boring trips we’re all forced to do.

More than two-thirds of the SLK’s kilometres with us rolled under its alloys within the Sydney metropolitan area. Most were short hops within the shadows of the CBD, but there were longer trips out to Sydney Motorsport Park, where the poor Fast Fleet Mercedes sat behind the pits while other evo cars hotlapped the circuit. These short trips didn’t do the SLK’s overall economy any favours, but it still managed to average 9.6L/100km for our loan. L Jesse Taylor Above middle: Job number one for the SLK was to give chase during an Aston versus Porsche comparison. Above: Cosy interior is feeling its age compared to that of new-gen Mercedes models.

Date acquired Duration of test Total test km Overall L/100km Costs Purchase price Trade-in value Depreciation

June 2014 14 months 9286 9.6 $0 $96,500 c$75,000 c$20,000

Renaultsport Mégane 275 Trophy

Renaultsport Mégane 275 Trophy A trip to Spa puts the 275’s suitability for daily duties in the spotlight FIRST THE BAD NEWS. Despite assurances in my last Fast Fleet update, I failed to make it to the first evo track evening of 2015. This means I still haven’t had a proper play with the myriad settings on the Mégane’s Öhlins dampers, which is a shame as I’ve been looking forward to exploring their range of performance and compliance. The good news is that the idea has grown into something bigger, which you’ll be able to read about soon.

Missing the evening at Bedford Autodrome was a disappointment, but a trip to the Spa Classic historic race meeting offered ample compensation. My steeds for the weekend were a Lotus Cortina, an

F

Elan 26R and a rather fine Rover V8, but the Mégane was my travelling companion for the familiar journey to the Ardennes.

I made the same trip in the R8 last year, and while the Renault couldn’t quite match the Audi’s sense of occasion, it did a pretty convincing job in the role of GT car, even though it’s a hardcore hatchback that lives for scratching along B-roads. It was great to be able to dump all my kit in the boot, too, and while I cherish the Trophy like it’s my own, it wasn’t quite so worrying leaving it parked outside my hotel.

Averaging just under 9.5L/100km meant I could get within spitting distance of Spa without stopping for fuel, and I could complete my return journey to the UK without having to stop again. Result. The satnav made some great calls to avoid the usual Belgian traffic jams, even guiding me successfully through the centre of Brussels early on a Thursday evening, which is normally the last route you’d want to take. Even the Recaro seats, more optimised for the Nürburgring than the Brussels ring road, proved extremely comfortable.

The biggest disappointment

Above: Mégane’s Recaro bucket seats were surprisingly comfortable during the journey to Spa.

Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

November 2014 12,991 3597 $0 10.1

was the stereo, which gets a bit flabby and distorted at the volume it needs to play at to overcome the road noise on Belgium’s lumpy and often concrete-surfaced autoroutes. That’s a minor gripe, but perhaps one that illustrates why the Mégane’s near-relentless focus on driving dynamics, rather than the peripheral aspects of everyday motoring, means it’s not a car for everyone. Fortunately, it’s proving to be the perfect car for me. L Richard Meaden (@DickieMeaden)

Skoda Octavis vRS

Skoda Octavia vRS Mystery irritation resolved, Smith’s Skoda reminds him of its worst facet just before leaving the Fast Fleet OUR PETROL OCTAVIA vRS is back, replacing the diesel Octavia vRS courtesy car that I reported on last month.

Our long-termer was away because of a squeaking noise emanating from the sunroof. The squeak only happened at low speeds and when the bodyshell twisted, for example when exiting a steep drive at an angle. The vRS had already been back to Skoda within the first few weeks of my custodianship because of the same issue. The first time around it was remedied by replacing a plastic control box that had been squashed, meaning one of the edges was rubbing. This time, though, the control box was fine.

O

Steve, the Skoda technician who worked on our car, found that everything was as it should be, other than the seals being a little dry.

Lubing them proved to be the cure for the squeak. Why the seals were so dry Skoda can’t explain; it could be something as trivial as air being forced onto them by my bike rack.

Certainly no other vRS I’ve driven with a sunroof has squeaked.

Skoda also very kindly fitted Pirelli P Zero summer tyres while the car was with them, replacing the Goodyear UltraGrip 8 winters. These have transformed grip and traction levels tenfold but, unfortunately, the tyres came with the car’s original 19-inch wheels, rather than the 18s

Above: those fablooking 19s are back; pity about what they do to the ride, says Smith.

Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

September 2014 25,746 4736 $1132.69 (four tyres) 7.5

it’s been running of late. So while I do have superior traction and grip, I can barely see the road through the windscreen because my eyeballs are rattling around in their sockets.

Though the 19s completely ruin the ride, they will be staying, because the vRS is due to go back to Skoda very soon. L Dean Smith (@evoDeanSmith) www.evomag.com.au

135

Mazda MX-5 Mk1

Mazda MX-5 Mk1 Two fixes in one month make big improvements to Ingram’s imported MX-5 YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT sitting on your washerdryer with a desk fan pointing at your face as you read this, but if you were, you’d have some idea of the vibrations and wind roar that until recently accompanied ownership of my Eunos.

The former was the result of the mismatched tyres and sub-optimal wheel balancing present on the car when I bought it. The offside rear in particular was looking quite unhealthy, with a series of worrying splits in the sidewall and even a few chunks missing. The nearside rear

Y

had its own problems, namely that it was the lone Yokohama among Firestones, and was beginning to resemble a racing slick.

A trip to Tyres Northampton to fit the set of Dunlop Sport BluResponse rubber mentioned last month has fixed all that. Not only do I now have a quartet of tyres consistent in both tread pattern and circumference, but careful balancing has also eliminated many of the buzzes and rattles I previously endured.

I’m yet to thoroughly test the new set, but initial impressions are positive. Turn-in is sharper, grip is

more consistent and the firm ride has marginally improved.

Some of that is also down to the full alignment Tyres Northampton carried out, though a seized trackrod-end ball joint meant the front offside toe couldn’t be adjusted, despite the technician’s heat- and mallet-assisted efforts. It appears to be alone in causing concern, though – offered a peek under the car, I found the Eunos to be remarkably rust-free. I’ll be back to have the alignment finished once I get hold of the requisite parts.

And the cause of the desk-fan

wind roar? An ill-fitting seal at the leading edge of the hard-top roof. Or it was ill-fitting, until it fixed itself.

The best explanation I can offer is that the seal has expanded in the warmer weather. The subtext is that the car is still wearing its hard-top. I promise I’ll remove it soon. L Antony Ingram (@evoAntony) Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month

February 2015 146,611 560 $210 alignment $125 tyre fitting L/100km this month 7.4

Ford Fiesta ST

Ford Fiesta ST It’s not only the driving experience that makes the ST an evo favourite THE ST CONTINUES TO be a daily delight. With summer here in the UK its 17-inch wheels had another tyre change, leaving the winter Pirellis behind and donning Bridgestone RE050s (which were the original fitment). These have improved the ride quality, and while they’re not as grippy as the ContiSportContact 5s I opted for in the autumn, they are predictable and good fun.

Although I originally questioned the need for the fully loaded ‘ST-3’

T

136

www.evomag.com.au

trim level, I’ve certainly got used to having all the toys. As Viscount Tonypandy once said when asked how he found living in relative luxury after growing up a miner’s son in darkest Wales, it’s very easy to adjust upwards! Even the little extras make you feel good, such as opening the door at night and seeing the illuminated door sills (not available on Australian cars) glow welcomingly like an electric fire in a cold cottage. I’ve also been amazed at the number of times I’ve found myself driving vastly dearer cars and gone looking for something that I’m used to having in the Fiesta only to search in vain. A heated seat missing here, a heated windscreen absent there, a spot of cruise control lacking hither, a dab of DAB omitted thither.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why there seem to be so many STs on the UK’s roads. Like Minions, they

seem to get everywhere. And despite the number of them out there and the deals to be done on new ones, the second-hand prices also seem to be holding strong, with $20K about the lowest they’ve gone. I really do think that the ST is the small hatch of the moment, in the same way that the equally good-value VW Golf R is

the large hatch of the hour. L Henry Catchpole (@HenryCatchpole) Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

July 2014 28,675 1450 $729.78 tyres 7.4

Toyota 86 GTS

Toyota 86 GTS Taylor’s Toyota 86 has gone, but has he found a ready-made replacement?

IT’S GONE! FULL WRAP next month, but the 86 has left the garage. I knew we were on borrowed time and I had managed to extend our six-month loan out to nearly eight, but now that the 86 has gone, it’s missed more than I thought was possible.

Unfortunately, I feel like I failed both you and the 86 in it’s last weeks with us. I had promised myself (and committed it to print) that my remaining time with the 86 was to be filled with glorious drives along empty and epic roads. I was going to revel in the Toyota’s fine

I

Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

balance, enjoy the chunky shift of the six-speed manual and tactile response of the brakes and steering.

Dabs of oppo were implied.

Unfortunately, despite the glamorous promise of evo’s glossy pages, I live in the same real world as you, and the 86’s final journeys were as mundane as can be. Service station, supermarket, school run.

One of the 86’s last trips was to deliver me to the airport for my flight to the Australian launch of the Mazda MX-5. As you can read on page 98, Mazda does not consider

the 86 and MX-5 rivals, but I’m convinced there will be plenty of cross-shopping between the two lightweight, rear-drive, low-powered and competitively priced sports cars. Mazda is quick to cite the obvious difference that only one is a roadster, but I’m of the opinion that will matter to only a few in the market for a sub-$40K fun-to-drive car that’s not a hot hatch.

First impressions of the Mazda revealed a few differences beyond the body style. The Toyota has the more tactile brakes and steering and sits much flatter during

December 2014 4641 166 $0 7.8

cornering, braking and acceleration.

The Mazda counters with an impossibly sweet gear shift and an easier to modulate clutch pedal.

Neither engine is a power house, but the Mazda’s shift and clutch make it easier to keep the modestly endowed 1.5-litre four-cylinder on the boil at lower speed.

So which would I pick for the next six months or more? As a bald guy I’m not drawn to convertibles and I prefer the 86’s more immediate chassis response, but it’s a close run thing. L Jesse Taylor

Ferrari 458 Italia

Ferrari 458 Italia Simon George hates traffic more than his 458 does THE LAST FEW MONTHS have seen me spending more time ensconced in the 458’s cosy cabin than ever before, partly because my commute includes a scandalous 50km section of an 80km/h motorway. Sitting stationary there, watching the water temp rise, I can’t shake off a slightly nervous feeling that the 458 will overheat.

It never has, of course – the huge fans always kick in bang on 98 degrees – so I can only put it down to the first Ferrari I owned: a 308 GTS QV that would often tick and hum in heavy traffic before the inevitable happened.

I’m often asked how long we’ll

T

keep the 458 on the 6th Gear Experience fleet. A year or so ago I’d have said not much longer. However, I see the same pattern developing with this Italian supercar as with others I’ve run in the past: once 80k-100k kays have been cracked, they ‘settle down’, giving little extra trouble than those with half the mileage. Of course, most owners will bail out long before, understandably nervous of resale values.

Finally this month, one more thing I’ve noticed about the 458. As most supercar owners will admit, the occasional negative hand gesture or malicious comment goes with the territory, but surprisingly the Italia gets little of this. In fact, if it’s

positive attention in spades you require, I’d say it rates a close second to a V12 Aston Martin. Go figure. L Simon George (@6gearexperience)

Date acquired Total km Km this month Costs this month L/100km this month

May 2011 116,697 2242 $0 20.2

www.evomag.com.au 137

Knowledge

Ratings

Database

Thrill-free zone 3 Tepid 33 Interesting 333 Seriously good 3333 A truly great car 33333

Superminis / Hot Hatches Best of the Rest

Our Choice

BMW’s M135i feels like a bargain at $70K, and it’s rear-wheel drive too, of course. At less than half the money, the Ford Fiesta ST (left) is an absolute riot, as is the mental Mercedes A45 AMG. Benz’s latest weapon packs 265kW from just 2.0 litres.

Price

Engine cyl/cc

kW/rpm

Nm/rpm

Weight

kW/tonne

0-100km/h

Top speed

L/100km

Volkswagen Golf R. A flagship Golf to get really excited about, the new R offers immense pace and a truly engaging driving experience in a compromise-free package with class and quality aplenty. Cake both possessed and consumed.

$25,200 $39,150 $42,500 $59,900 $46,100 $68,400 $29,990 $38,990 $25,990 $38,290 ‘09-’11 $39,490 $49,900 $74,900 $40,500 $49,200 $52,600 $56,900 n/a $29,990 $29,290 ’09-’13 $42,640 $47,140 $27,990 $37,490 $23,990 $27,790 $41,990 ’09-’13 ’12-’13 ’10-’13 '05-'09 '06-'09 ’02-’04 ’88-’92 ’82-’84 ’08-’12

4/1368 4/1742 4/1390 4/1984 4/1997 6/2979 4/1598 4/1368 4/1596 4/1999 5/2522 4/2261 4/1991 4/1991 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1598 4/1618 4/1998 4/1998 4/1998 4/1390 4/1998 4/1586 4/1390 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 4/1984 6/3189 6/3189 4/1781 4/1781 5/2521

125/5500 173/5500 136/6200 206/5100 160/5000 235/5800 115/6000 118/5750 134/6000 184/5500 257/6500 190/5500 155/5500 265/6000 135/5500 155/6000 155/6000 160/6000 147/6000 147/5800 147/6000 147/7100 195/5500 195/5500 132/6200 147/5100 100/6900 132/6200 162/4700 155/5300 173/5500 188/6000 147/5100 184/6300 177/6250 100/6100 83/5800 169/5000

250/2500 340/1900 250/2000 380/1800 310/1350 450/1300 240/1400 230/3000 240/1600 360/1750 460/2300 380/3000 350/1200 450/2250 240/1600 280/2000 280/2000 280/2000 250/2400 275/1700 250/1750 215/5400 360/3000 360/3000 250/2000 280/1700 160/4400 250/2000 350/1500 280/1700 300/2200 330/2500 280/1800 320/2500 320/2800 168/4600 148/3500 320/1500

1145kg 1320kg 1190kg 1455kg 1345kg 1425kg 1165kg 1035kg 1197kg 1362kg 1467kg 1385kg 1445kg 1480kg 1140kg 1130kg 1165kg 1140kg 1293kg 1133kg 1204kg 1281kg 1375kg 1375kg 1253kg 1460kg 1060kg 1189kg 1354kg 1360kg 1318kg 1476kg 1336kg 1510kg 1477kg 1111kg 840kg 1469kg

109 179 155 142 119 165 99 114 112 135 175 137 108 179 118 137 133 140 114 130 122 115 142 142 105 101 94 111 120 114 179 127 110 122 120 93 99 113

7.5 6.8 7.0 4.9 6.4 5.1 7.2 7.4 6.9 6.4 5.9 6.5 6.6 4.5 7.2 6.5 6.5 6.3 7.8 6.8 6.7 7.2 6.0 6.0 7.3 7.3 8.7 7.0 6.5 6.9 6.5 5.9 6.7 5.8 6.4 8.0 8.1 6.7

219 240 227 250 250 250 214 210 220 248 262 250 240 270 228 238 240 241 216 230 230 227 250 250 224 240 195 228 246 238 248 250 233 250 248 200 180 240

6.0 7.6 5.9 6.9 6.6 8.0 6.7 6.5 6.2 9.9 6.6 6.9 5.8 6.9 7.1 7.1 6.9 5.9 8.2 8.2 8.2 6.2 7.7 6.5 6.1 7.2 7.7 8.1 8.7 10.7 11.5 9.8 7.8 8.7

Car Alfa Romeo Mito Alfa Romeo Giulietta Cloverleaf Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport Audi S3 BMW 125i BMW M135i Citroën DS3 Dsport Fiat 500 Abarth Esseesse Ford Fiesta ST Ford Focus ST Ford Focus RS500 Mazda 3 MPS Mercedes-Benz A250 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG Mini Cooper S Mini John Cooper Works Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Mini John Cooper Works GP Nissan Juke Nismo Peugeot 208 GTi Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup Renaultsport Mégane 265 Cup Renaultsport Mégane 265 Trophee Skoda Fabia vRS Skoda Octavia vRS Suzuki Swift Sport VW Polo GTI VW Golf GTI (MkVII) VW Golf GTI (MkVI) VW Golf GTI Edition 35 VW Golf R (MkVI) VW Golf GTI (MkV) VW Golf R32 (MkV) VW Golf R32 (MkIV) VW Golf GTI 16v (MkII) VW Golf GTI (MkI) Volvo C30 T5 R-Design

evo rating + Great MultiAir engine, impressive ride - Not as feisty as we hoped + Shows signs of deep talent… - …but should be more exciting + Audi’s Mini rival is an accomplished thing - But not a hugely fun one + Very fast, very effective, very… err, quality - The VW Golf R is a touch more exciting + Performance, price, running costs - Dull four-pot soundtrack + Great fun, storming engine, playful chassis - Not a looker + First fun Citroën in ages - Petrolheads might find it too ‘designed’ + Tough but cute looks - Price buys lots of hotter hatches + Chassis, price, punchy performance - Firm ride but little else + Cracking hot hatch. Good value, too - There’s a bit of torque-steer + Huge performance, highly capable fwd chassis - It could be the last RS… + Quick, eager and very good value - Not on the radar of most buyers + Mercedes builds a proper hot hatch - But denies it a manual gearbox + Fastest, most powerful hatch ever made - Very firm ride + New engine, Mini quality - Lacks old car’s direct front end + A seriously rapid Mini - Occasionally just a little unruly + The usual raucous Mini JCW experience - But with a questionable ‘helmet’ roof… + Brazenly hyperactive - Too much for some roads and some tastes. + More than the sum of its parts - Juke is coming to Oz, but maybe not the Nismo version + Supple suspension an playful chassis - Some ergonomic issues + Faster, more refined, easier to drive - We miss the revvy atmo engine and manual ’box + The hot Clio at its best - Why the long face? + Standard RS Mégane gets same power as Trophy; chassis still superb - Not a lot + Hot Mégane gets more power and fwd Ring record - A pricey upgrade + Well priced, well made, with great engine and DSG ‘box - Dull steering + Drives like a GTI, a bit cheaper and more practical - Interior quality doesn't match VW + The Swift’s still a great pocket rocket - But it’s lost a little adjustability + Modern-day MkI Golf GTI gets twin-clutch DSG - It’s a little bit bland + More refined and faster than the MkVI - Still doesn't thrill like a Megane + Still a very accomplished hot hatch - Not as fun as a Megane RS + MkVI GTI gets the power it craves - Expensive compared to the standard car + Great engine, tremendous pace and poise - High price, ACC only optional + Character and ability: the original GTI is back - Lacking firepower? + Traction’s great and you’ll love the soundtrack - We’d still have a GTI + Charismatic - Boomy engine can be tiresome + Arguably the best all-round Golf GTI ever - We’d be splitting hairs + The car that started it all - Tricky to find an unmolested one + Good-looking, desirable Volvo - Lacks edge of best hatches

33342 33422 33334 33334 33332 33332 33322 33332 33334 33334 33342 33342 33332 33334 33334 33332 33332 33332 33332 33332 33334 33333 33333 33332 33342 33332 33334 33342 33332 33332 33334 33334 33333 33332 33332 33333 33332 33342

Sedans /wagons / 4x4s Our Choice

Best of the Rest

Mercedes-Benz E63 S. The facelifted E63 S looks better and, with a 430kW, 800Nm version of AMG’s twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8, it goes even harder than before. It’ll nail 100km/h in 4.2 seconds, cruise in comfort or tear up a mountain pass. And it sounds terrific.

Best big sedan ever made.

Aston Martin Rapide Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro Audi S4 Audi RS4 Avant (Mk3) Audi RS4 (Mk2) Audi RS4 Avant (Mk2) Audi RS4 (Mk1) Audi RS2 Audi RS6 Audi RS6 Audi RS6 Avant Audi RS6 Avant Audi S6 Audi S7 Audi S8 Audi SQ5

138

$371,300 $61,700 $120,400 $149,400 '06-'08 ’07-’08 ’00-’02 ’94-’95 $225,000 '08-'10 '08-'10 ’02-’04 $168,900 $179,900 n/a $89,400

www.evomag.com.au

12/5935 4/1984 6/2995 8/4163 8/4163 8/4163 6/2671 5/2226 8/3993 10/4991 10/4991 8/4172 8/3993 8/3993 8/3993 6/2967

350/6000 155/4300 245/5500 331/8250 309/7800 309/7800 280/6100 235/6500 412/5700 426/6250 427/6250 331/5700 309/5000 309/5000 383/5800 230/3900

600/5000 350/1500 440/2900 430/4000 430/5500 430/5500 440/2500 410/3000 700/1750 650/1500 650/1500 560/1950 550/1400 550/1400 650/1700 650/1450

1950kg 1530kg 1705kg 1795kg 1650kg 1710kg 1620kg 1595kg 1935kg 1985kg 2025kg 1865kg 1885kg 1945kg 1975kg 1880kg

179 101 144 184 194 183 163 150 213 218 214 180 164 159 194 122

Audi’s RS6 Avant runs the E63 S close and is the practical choice.

Twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 has great throttle response and eightspeed auto is brilliant. Want something smaller? Try Merc’s C63 sedan or wagon (and coupe). Last of the line 507 Edition models have arrived as a swansong to the atmo 6.2-litre V8.

5.2 6.5 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.9 4.9 5.0 3.9 4.5 4.6 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.2 5.2

306 246 250 250 250 250 274 262 305 250 250 250 250 250 250 250

14.9 6.8 8.1 10.7 13.5 13.5 16.6 15.7 9.8 13.9 14.0 14.6 9.6 9.6 10.2 6.8

+ Performance, soundtrack, looks - Rear room is absurb. Brakes lack bite + A good match for its German foes - No longer any naturally aspirated options + Seriously rapid, sounds good - Too subtle for some, RS4 overshadows it + Looks, value, quality, noise, balance - Harsh ride, unnatural steering + A leap on for fast Audis, superb engine - Busy under braking + Screaming V8 - Everyone thinking you’re married with kids + Effortless pace - Lacks finesse. + Storming performance (thanks to Porsche) - Try finding one + Sounds great, stunning acceleration and grip - Slightly inert steering + Looks and drives better than estate version - M5 still looks tempting + The world’s most powerful wagon - Power isn’t everything + Amazing V8 rumble, point-to-point ability - Numb steering + The ultimate Q-car - A little too Q? + Looks and drives better than S6 it’s based on - Costs a bomb more + Quicker and much more economical than before - But still underwhelming to drive + Performance, economy, comfort - Steering lacks feel

33334 33342 33342 33332 33333 33333 33332 33342 33334 33334 33332 33332 33332 33342 33332 33342

Database Entries in italics are for cars no longer on sale.

Weight is the car’s kerb weight as quoted by the manufacturer. kW/tonne is the power-to-weight ratio based on manufacturer’s kerb weight. 0-100km/h figures in bold are independently recorded, all other performance figures are manufacturers’ claims. L/100km is the official ADR81/02 combined cycle figure or international equivalent.

Key

POC K ET buying guide Renaultsport Mégane Years 2004-2009 Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo Power 169kW @ 5500rpm Torque 310Nm @ 3000rpm 0-100km/h 6.5sec Top speed 237km/h (spec is for 230 F1 Team R26)

0-100km/h

Top speed

800/2000 1020/1750 350/1250 400/1500 400/3900 440/3750 400/1500 350/1250 400/1200 680/1500 520/6100 500/3800 400/4750 340/4500 740/2000 600/1750 680/1500 631/4150 631/4150 300/1750 533/2000 565/1950 570/2200 530/4400 550/4600 570/4600 740/200 360/5200 450/3500 575/2000 680/2500 625/2500 500/4500 505/5200 490/4750 510/4750 600/5000 610/5200 510/4000 800/1750 630/5200 700/2650 530/3000 800/2000 1000/2000 700/1700 700/1750 760/2000 700/2750 407/3500 373/2750 500/3500 520/3500 700/2250 800/2250 515/3500 700/2250 340/1750 625/2000 700/1750 625/2000 780/1500 720/3500 407/4000 363/3200 500/2800

2475kg 2585kg 1455kg 1520kg 1605kg 1580kg 1535kg 1610kg 1700kg 1870kg 1755kg 1795kg 1653kg 1431kg 2190kg 2190kg 2305kg 1983kg 1983kg 1581kg 1694kg 1805kg 1822kg 1745kg 1792kg 1764kg 1800kg 1765kg 1695kg 1800kg 1912kg 1795kg 2700kg 1714kg 1990kg 1990kg 1730kg 1730kg 1635kg 1845kg 1840kg 1835kg 1642kg 2120kg 2260kg 1870kg 2345kg 2475kg 2580kg 1590kg 1365kg 1770kg 1920kg 1970kg 1995kg 2085kg 2170kg 1670kg 2590kg 2360kg 2330kg 2435kg 2650kg 1515kg 1270kg 1684kg

166 146 124 148 193 285 147 112 132 220 289 223 209 200 128 137 177 175 175 94 159 172 184 155 177 193 239 133 147 192 211 209 124 181 157 166 194 216 164 233 280 271 219 192 203 210 232 220 190 185 205 226 228 254 276 202 231 144 200 144 189 235 181 200 220 153

4.6 5.3 5.9 5.5 4.9 4.4 5.8 6.3 5.9 4.4 4.7 5.5 6.1 6.1 5.4 5.4 4.7 4.8 4.8 7.6 5.0 4.9 4.9 5.5 5.0 4.9 4.4 6.2 5.9 4.9 4.6 4.9 7.8 4.7 5.4 5.0 4.4 4.2 5.2 4.2 4.5 4.7 5.7 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.8 5.4 5.5 4.7 5.0 5.6 4.5 4.2 3.8 5.7 4.7 7.6 6.2 6.9 5.4 4.9 5.9 5.2 5.3 4.9

322 296 210 250 250 290 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 251 250 250 250 250 250 238 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 300 250 210 270 280 287 250 280 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 210 210 250 241 285 288 303 306 261 278 217 225 217 225 250 240 255 248 250

L/100km

kW/tonne

460/6000 377/4200 180/5000 225/5800 309/8300 331/8300 225/5800 180/5000 225/5800 423/6000 373/7750 294/6600 250/6900 210/6500 280/4000 300/5500 408/6000 347/6100 347/6100 149/6000 270/5250 310/5500 335/5750 270/5600 317/6000 340/6000 430/5250 235/7000 250/6500 346/6000 404/6500 375/6000 335/6800 311/6600 316/7000 331/7000 336/6800 373/6800 269/5750 430/5550 378/6800 350/6100 260/5500 400/5500 450/4750 386/5250 386/5250 400/5500 350/6100 217/6500 206/6500 294/6500 316/6700 368/6000 405/6000 309/6500 368/6000 177/5500 375/6000 250/3500 375/6000 420/5250 338/5350 221/6000 206/6000 257/5700

Weight

12/5998 8/6752 4/1997 6/2979 8/3999 8/4361 6/2979 4/1997 6/2979 8/4395 10/4999 8/4941 6/3795 6/3453 6/2993 8/4395 8/4395 8/6410 8/6410 4/1999 6/3983 6/3983 8/4951 8/5967 8/6162 8/6162 8/6162 6/3696 6/2995 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 12/5167 8/4969 8/4691 8/4691 8/6208 8/6208 8/5439 8/5461 8/6208 8/5439 8/5439 8/5461 12/5980 8/5461 8/5461 8/5461 8/5439 4/1998 4/1997 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 8/4806 4/1999 8/5000 8/4367 8/5000 12/6592 12/6749 4/2457 4/2212 6/2953

Nm/rpm

Engine cyl/cc

$374,634 $662,857 $65,900 $91,400 '08-'11 '11-'12 '05-'11 $98,200 $115,600 $229,145 ’04-’10 ’99-’03 ’92-’96 ’86-’88 $147,000 $150,400 $190,900 $56,000 $66,000 $44,990 $46,235 $64,390 $70,790 $45,490 $60,990 $76,285 $92,990 $97,900 $95,295 $189,545 $222,545 $319,645 ’86-’89 $126,300 $250,000 $298,800 $154,900 $169,407 ’04-’08 $249,900 '06-'09 ’03-’06 ’98-’02 $392,400 $498,700 $263,000 $179,400 $216,730 '04-'12 $56,990 '00-'01 $287,100 $318,300 $382,400 $443,600 $150,400 $222,100 $61,395 $161,000 n/a ’09-’12 $645,000 $855,000 $59,990 ’98-’99 $99,950

Car Bentley Continental Flying Spur Bentley Mulsanne BMW 328i BMW 335i BMW M3 (E90) BMW M3 CRT (E90) BMW 335i M Sport (E90) BMW 528i BMW 535i BMW M5 (F10M) BMW M5 (E60) BMW M5 (E39) BMW M5 (E34) BMW M5 (E28) BMW X5 M50d BMW X6 xDrive50i BMW X6M Chrysler 300C SRT8 Core Chrysler 300C SRT8 Ford Mondeo 2.0 Eco Boost Titanium Ford Falcon XR6T FPV F6 FPV GT Holden Commodore SSV HSV Clubsport HSV Clubsport R8 SV HSV GTS Infiniti M37S Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 Supercharged Jaguar XFR Jaguar XFR-S Jaguar XJ Supersport Lamborghini LM002 Lexus IS-F Maserati Quattroporte S Maserati Q'porte Sport GTS Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Mitsubishi Evo X Mitsubishi Evo VI Mäkinen Edition Porsche Panamera S Porsche Panamera GTS Porsche Panamera Turbo Porsche Panamera Turbo S Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Cayenne Turbo Range Rover Evoque Coupe Si4 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged Range Rover SDV8 Range Rover V8 Supercharged Rolls-Royce Ghost Rolls-Royce Phantom Subaru WRX STI Subaru Impreza 22B Volvo S60 Polestar

kW/rpm

Price

Sedans /wagons / 4x4s Continued

16.6 16.9 6.3 7.2 12.4 12.7 9.6 6.8 8.4 9.9 14.8 13.9 16.5 7.5 12.5 13.9 13.0 13.0 8.0 12.0 12.3 13.6 11.5 10.2 9.8 12.2 9.6 11.4 15.7 15.7 12.0 12.0 11.9 10.0 14.3 12.9 12.1 10.6 14.3 10.0 11.8 13.8 15.9 10.8 12.5 10.7 11.5 11.5 10.7 11.5 8.7 14.9 8.7 14.9 13.6 14.8 10.5 11.2 10.2

evo rating + Performance, wonderful interior - Have you seen petrol prices? + Drives like a modern Bentley should - Shame it doesn’t look like one too + New-age four-pot 328i is great all-rounder - We miss the six-cylinder soundtrack + Great engine, fine handling, good value - Steering confuses weight with feel + Every bit as good as the M3 coupe - No carbon roof + Sedan chassis + weight savings + GTS engine = best E90 M3 - Just 67 were made + Stunning drivetrain, controlled chassis - Looks a bit steady + Four-pot 528 is downsizing near its best - You’ll miss the straight-six sound effects + New 5-series impresses… - But only with all the chassis options ticked + Twin-turbocharging suits all-new M5 well - Can feel heavy at times + Screaming V10, great chassis - SMG gearbox feels old-tech + Magnificent V8-engined super sedan - We’d be nit-picking + The Godfather of super sedans - The family can come too + Look what it started - Understated looks + Triple turbo has heaps of shove - Do you really need that in an SUV? + Stunningly good to drive - Will you want to be seen arriving? + Fast and with physics-defying handling - But it definitely lacks the M factor + Stripper model offers incredible value - Is it too bare? + Refined and very fast - Still not a proper sports sedan + Terrific chassis, sweet engine - Interior feels dated next to Mazda 6 + Performance car bargain - Its 2016 demise weighs heavily on buyer's minds + Jet-like thrust from turbo six - Chassis barely contains the power + Fabulous supercharged V8 - Styling isn't subtle + Great value and strong performance - Generic styling + Carry over engine, imporved refinement - Lacks equipment next to SSV + SV engine option and lightweight wheels - Styling isn't subtle + Monster grunt from supercharged Chev LSA V8 - Supercar scare, anyone? + Stands out from the crowd - Not as involving as some rivals + Fast, comfortable, refined - Bland engine, poor economy compared to diesel V6 + Brilliant blend of pace and refinement - Doesn’t sound as special as it is + Strong engine, superb auto gearbox, supple susension - Styling is a bit overt + Superb handling, monster performance - Opinion-dividing looks + Craziest 4x4 ever, Countach V12 - Craziest 4x4 ever… + Shockingly good Lexus - The M3’s available as a (second hand) four-door too + Finally, a QP with more power - Grille is a bit Hannibal Lecter + The most stylish sedan in the world - Slightly wooden brakes, unforgiving ride + Monstrous pace and extremely engaging - M3’s just a little better… + Harder-edged and faster than regular C63 - Rear suspension a touch firm + Furiously fast, commendably discreet - Overshadowed by M3 and RS4 + Engine is a monster but chassis is a match for it - Seats could be more supportive + Brilliant engine, indulgent chassis - Vague steering, speed limits + M5-humbling grunt, cosseting ride - Speed limits + Dragster disguised as a limo - Tyre bills + Massive torque, massively reduced emissions - Massive car + God’s own supersedan - Unholy price and thirst + Monster performance - Not as desirable as a (more expensive) Bentley or Aston + Great engine, surprisingly good dynamics - $180K almost buys a Boxster and an ML350… + It exists; epic soundtrack - Ancient chassis, silly price + Thuggishness, anti-style statement - It’s a bit silly + Evo gets twin-clutch transmission - Not as exciting as it used to be + Our favourite Evo - Subtle it is not + Great cabin and typically fine Porsche chassis - Only a mother could love its looks + Sharper chassis; more urgent and vocal V8 - A BMW M5 is $90K less… + Fast, refined and dynamically sound - It still leaves us cold + Pace, excellent ergonomics - Steering feel, ride + Dynamically the best SUV on sale - At two tons, it’s still no sports car + Greener, faster, better - Odd rear styling, numb steering + Striking looks, sporting dynamics - Hefty price, and petrol version is auto-only + Thumpingly fast and hugely comfortable - It’s no Cayenne in the corners + Lighter, more capable, even more luxurious - Diesel V6 model feels more alert + Fast, comfortable, luxurious - Big, heavy, thirsty + More sporting, more affordable Rolls-Royce - But it still costs $650K + Rolls reinvented for the 21st Century - The roads are barely big enough + Still a point-to-point weapon - Merc's A45 AMG is close on price + On paper, the ultimate - On the road, too uncompromising + Capable of very swift, smooth progress - Could be a bit more fun

WHY WOULD YOU?

Because after a lukewarm start, the original Mégane RS developed into one of the hottest – and most rewarding – of hatches.

WHAT TO PAY

Regular 225s (165kW) start at $7K, but we’d pay a few grand extra for a Trophy, Cup, 225 F1 Team or 230 F1 Team R26 (169kW).

33332 33332 33334 33334 33333 33333 33332 33332 33322 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33332 33332 33342 33332 33332 33332 33332 33334 33332 33334 33332 33334 33334 33342 33322 33334 33334 33334 33332 33334 33334 33332 33333 33333 33332 33334 33332 33332 33342 33334 33334 33334 33334 33322 33342 33342 33333 33332 33332 33342 33342 33334 33334 33332 33342 33332 33342 33332 33332 33334 33332 33332

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

It’s critical that the cambelt is changed at 100,000km or five years, whichever is first, so ensure this has been done. A slight cough at idle could indicate blocked injectors. Front wheel hub bearings are prone to wear – listen for clonking noises or a reluctance for the steering to self-centre. Check the condition of the keycard – replacements aren’t cheap.

www.evomag.com.au

139

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

GET CLOSER TO THE ACTION with evo on your tablet THE THRILL OF DRIVING

BMW BAT

STUNNING 3.0 CSL HOMMAGE R JUST BUILD IT!

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

McLAREN v PORSC

Sensational 675LT takes on b brilliant 911 GT3 RS INSIDE ICON DRIVING MAZ AZDA'S SCREAMING 787B HOT HATCH SHOOT OUT HOW H GOOD IS HONDA A S TYPE R? TWIN TEST FERRARII CALIFORNIA v ASTON VANTAGE

Search

evo australia t li

Database

Sports Cars / Convertibles

Knowledge

Our Choice

Best of the Rest

Audi R8 Spyder. The Spyder boasts supercar looks, presence and performance, yet you really could drive one every day. And while the V10-engined car makes the more spine-tingling noise, the lighter and even more agile V8 version gets our vote.

kW/rpm

Nm/rpm

Weight

kW/tonne

0-100km/h

Top speed

L/100km

$260,000 $280,600 $431,561 $380,500 n/a $102,800 n/a $146,000 n/a $308,400 $395,800 $449,500 $79,900 $119,900 '06-'09 ’98-’02 $112,900 $173,450 ’00-’03 n/a $69,990 $84,990 $89,990 n/a n/a $108,990 n/a $409,888 $138,645 $171,045 $201,945 $213,000 $233,000 $299,000 $67,990 $79,990 $328,000 $338,000 $47,280 $118,595 $154,690 '07-'08 $304,145 $381,145 $486,645 n/a $97,500 $254,000 $76,500 $101,500 $126,500 $266,200 n/a

Missed an issue?

313/7000 321/7300 380/6500 380/6500 380/6500 200/6000 265/5400 245/5500 331/8250 316/7900 386/8000 373/6000 135/5000 250/5900 252/7900 236/7400 225/5800 309/8300 294/6600 78/6000 85/6000 127/7200 127/7200 104/6900 134/7300 177/8500 191/7500 412/7500 250/6500 280/6500 364/6500 283/6500 375/6000 404/6000 100/6800 162/6800 324/7000 331/7000 118/7000 225/6500 310/6800 295/5750 320/5250 395/5500 420/6800 155/6000 60/5300 270/6300 245/7000 195/6700 232/6700 295/7400 300/7300

470/5750 490/5000 570/5750 620/5500 570/5750 350/2500 465/1650 440/2900 430/4000 430/4500 530/6500 660/1700 270/1250 500/1500 365/4900 350/3250 500/1300 400/3900 500/3800 129/5000 155/4150 177/6000 177/6000 163/5790 194/6100 206/6300 271/6200 755/4750 450/3500 460/3500 625/2500 515/3500 625/2500 680/2500 160/4400 250/4600 490/4750 510/4750 188/5000 370/3500 540/4500 520/3750 700/1800 800/2000 650/4750 280/2000 140/3250 490/3400 363/5200 280/4500 360/4500 440/5600 420/4200

1710kg 1690kg 1760kg 1815kg 1810kg 1455kg 1510kg 1875kg 1920kg 1660kg 1720kg 2470kg 1470kg 1505kg 1410kg 1375kg 1735kg 1810kg 1585kg 540kg 675kg 675kg 700kg 520kg 535kg 675kg 565kg 1729kg 1597kg 1614kg 1665kg 1621kg 1725kg 1725kg 876kg 924kg 1980kg 1980kg 1173kg 1465kg 1690kg 1495kg 1785kg 1785kg 1695kg 1185kg 525kg 1100kg 1554kg 1310kg 1320kg 1465kg 1515kg

183 190 216 210 210 187 225 178 235 259 183 151 92 166 178 171 130 171 185 144 126 188 181 200 250 262 338 238 157 173 219 175 217 234 114 175 164 167 101 154 183 197 179 221 248 131 114 245 158 149 178 201 198

4.9 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.3 5.6 4.4 5.4 4.9 4.8 3.8 5.0 6.9 4.8 5.0 5.4 5.8 5.3 4.7 6.8 6.0 4.9 5.0 4.9 4.8 3.4 3.2 3.6 5.3 4.9 4.3 5.6 4.8 4.4 6.5 4.6 5.5 5.2 7.6 5.6 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.3 3.8 6.9 6.0 4.5 5.8 5.8 5.1 4.7 4.8

290 305 306 295 305 250 280 250 250 300 311 301 232 250 250 250 250 250 250 177 190 208 208 193 209 240 250 315 260 275 300 250 250 300 204 234 283 285 213 250 250 280 250 250 317 235 185 250 250 264 279 301 302

13.8 12.9 16.4 14.3 15.5 8.2 9.1 8.5 10.7 14.4 14.9 10.9 6.8 9.0 12.1 11.1 8.8 12.7 14.5 6.2 8.2 8.2 7.7 10.5 9.0 9.1 11.1 11.2 12.3 12.3 6.3 7.5 15.4 14.5 8.1 8.3 8.5 12.2 9.4 10.1 13.3 7.1 12.1 11.2 8.2 8.8 9.7 11.2

Engine cyl/cc

Price

Car Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster Aston Martin Vantage S Roadster Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster Aston Martin DB9 Volante Aston Martin DBS Volante Audi TTS Roadster Audi TT RS Roadster Audi S5 Cabriolet Audi RS5 Cabriolet Audi R8 Spyder V8 Audi R8 Spyder V10 Bentley Continental GTC V8 BMW Z4 sDrive 20i (Mk2) BMW Z4 sDrive 35i (Mk2) BMW Z4 M Roadster BMW M Roadster BMW 335i BMW M3 Convertible (E93) BMW Z8 Caterham Seven Classic Caterham Seven Roadsport SV 120 Caterham Seven Roadsport SV 175 Caterham Seven CSR 175 Caterham Seven Supersport Caterham Seven Supersport R Caterham Seven 485 Caterham Seven CSR 260 Superlight Ferrari California T Jaguar F-Type V6 Jaguar F-Type V6 S Jaguar F-Type V8 S Jaguar XK 5.0 Jaguar XKR Jaguar XKR-S Lotus Elise 1.6 Lotus Elise S Maserati GranCabrio Maserati GranCabrio Sport Mazda MX-5 2.0 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG Black Mercedes-Benz SL500 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Mini John Cooper Works Convertible Morgan 3 Wheeler Morgan Plus 8 Nissan 370Z Roadster Porsche Boxster (Mk3) Porsche Boxster S (Mk3) Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabrio (991) Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabrio (997)

8/4735 8/4735 12/5935 12/5935 12/5935 4/1984 5/2480 6/2995 8/4163 8/4163 10/5204 8/3933 4/1997 6/2979 6/3246 6/3246 6/2979 8/3999 8/4941 4/1397 4/1596 4/1999 4/1999 4/1595 4/1999 4/1999 4/2261 8/3855 6/2995 6/2995 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 4/1598 4/1798 8/4691 8/4691 4/1999 6/3498 8/5461 8/5439 8/4663 8/5461 8/6208 4/1598 2/1990 8/4799 6/3696 6/2706 6/3436 6/3800 6/3800

The thrill of driving

The thrill of driving

$50K SUBARU WRX STi

Fastest cars.Greatest drives

The mk3 Porsche Boxster S is a brilliant all-rounder, while the Lotus Exige S Roadster counters with a more focused driving experience. Jaguar’s F-type also impresses in both V6 S (left) and V8 S forms. Mazda’s MX-5 is best for budget rear-drive fun, but for the ultimate thrills, get a Caterham 620R or Ariel Atom.

FUN FAST AND MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EVER

Nissan GT-R

A U S T R

A U S T R A L I A

The thrill of driving

The thrill of drivin ng g

New Lambo

The thrill of driving

FERRARI F40 across the Sw ss Alps

LOCK NG HORNS W TH THE 449kW BABY BULL

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

NEW MAZDA MX 5

A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

33334 33334 33334 33334 33332 33332 33342 33332 33342 33333 33333 33332 33342 33342 33334 33342 33332 33332 33322 33342 33334 33334 33334 33333 33334 33334 33334 33334 33332 33334 33332 33332 33332 33334 33333 33333 33334 33334 33334 33342 33342 33342 33332 33334 33333 33332 33334 33332 33332 33333 33333 33334 33334

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

Fourth generation oadster gets rad cal looks and 100kg diet

THE 2014 CAR OFYEAR

DRIVEN

FERRARI, McLAREN, PORSCHE

HURACÁN FORCE

UNLEASHING FOUR GENERAT ONS OF GODZ LLA

evo rating + Sportiest, coolest drop-top Aston in years - Lacks real teeth + Sounds amazing, looks even better - Still not the best drop-top in its class + As good as the coupe, with amplified V12 rumble - Just a smidgen shakier + Consummate cruiser and capable when pushed - Roof-up wind noise + A feelgood car pa r excellence - It’s a bit of a heavyweight + Effortlessly quick - Long-term appeal open to question; not cheap either + Terrific engine… - …is the best thing about it + Gets the S4’s trick supercharged engine - Bordering on dull + Pace, looks, interior, naturally aspirated V8 - Not the last word in fun or involvement + Dynamically outstanding, sounds terrific - V10 sounds even better + Looks and sounds sensational - It’s the most expensive Audi ever + Still arguably the world’s best topless GT - Still no sports car + The Z4 has grown up… - …and got fat + As above, with more power - Not as much fun as it used to be + Exhilarating and characterful, that engine - Stiff suspension + Fresh-air M3, that motor, hunky looks - M Coupe drives better + Looks good, great to drive, fantastic engine - A bit shaky + M DCT transmission, pace, slick roof - Extra weight blunts the edge + M5-powered super-sportster - M5’s more fun to drive + The Caterham experience starts here - It’s pretty raw + New Ford-engined model is just great - Bigger drivers need SV model + The Caterham for everyday use - Loses intensity of R300 + Focused dynamics, more than enough performance - The usual Caterham downsides + One of the best Caterhams - You can build it yourself + The best road-and-track Seven yet - Impractical, noisy, uncomfortable + Hits 100km/h in 3.4sec and feels even faster - Will shock those coming out of a Boxster + Brilliant for high days, holidays and trackdays - Wet Wednesdays + A brilliant GT with an impressive turbo engine - doesn't engage like other Ferraris + Supercharged V6 sounds great - lots of expensive options + The sweet spot of the F-Type range - most supercars have more boot space + V8 punches hard but chassis doesn't sparkle - Starting to get pricey + Basic XK gets extra power… - …but loses some of its GT refinement + Gains Jag’s fantastic new V8 - Loses sporting ground to its main foes + Loud and mad; most exciting Jag in years - It’s also the most expensive in years + New 1.6 Elise is light and fantastic - Smaller engine could put some off + New supercharged Elise boasts epic grip and pace - Pricey) options + As good to drive as it is to look at - Lacks the grunt of some rivals + Looks, performance, cruising ability - Brakes could be sharper + Handles brilliantly again - Less than macho image + Best non-AMG SLK yet - Still no Boxster-beater + AMG SLK is quicker and more economical than ever - Should be sharper, though + AMG gets serious - Dull-witted 7G-Tronic auto box, uneven dynamics + Wafty performance, beautifully engineered - Lacks ultimate sports car feel + Monster performance, lighter than before - Still heavy, steering lacks consistency + Loses none of the coupe’s talents - But (understandably) loses the gullwing doors + A manlier Mini cabrio. As hardcore as the hatch… - …which is still better + Quirky, characterful, brilliant - Unnatural brake feel; you’d better not be shy + Hilarious mix of old looks and new mechanicals-Refinementisdefinitelyold-school + The Zed’s old-school character remains intact - Its purposeful looks don’t + Goes & looks better; cleanest Boxster ever - Steering now electric to help cut consumption + Boxster steps out of 911’s shadow - But gets 911’s less appealing new steering + All-new open 911 drives just like the coupe - Which means the same artificialsteering + The best 911 drop-top you can buy - Lacks glamour of an R8 Spyder

FORD MUSTANG S XTH GEN PONY CAR GOES STOPS AND HANDLES IT'S A PROPER DRIVER'S CAR

WHO HO M MA AKES THE WORLD'S ?

BEST SUPERCAR?

A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

10 BRILLIANT CARS ONE WINNER

20 CAR MEGA ST!

Driving the best ever...

Back issues of evo available

708kW LaFERRARI DRIVEN

M-POWER STRIKES BACK

The Ferrari

Hottest Hatches!

SEVEN DECADES OF THE PR ANCING HORSE IN ONE ASTONISHING CAR

M y 20 4

UNLEASHING FERRARI'S F12

EAGLE GT The p ettiest car in the wor d

We nearly c ash the 545kW supe car

JAG F TYPE COUPE Watch out Cayman

9 95

J ne 2 14 $9 95

NZ 9 95

11 9

7722 2

155 00

Issue 11

Plus

478kW McLAREN 650S S deways in he min P1

PORSCHE TARGA Ret o 911 driven M235i v M3 V8 New hero or used icon?

2 9

7 2202

THE THRILL OF DRIVI

Fanging the fat fla ed legend

7 2202

1 5000

A gu t 2 14 $9 95

RING SPECIAL Racing the N24

412kW CALIFORNIA T

AMG S63 COUPE

Fer ari's fi st tu bo since the F40

The ultimate GT

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

72202

5 9

155000

77 202

T GE LEAS

D

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

NS

ASTON V12 v 9 1 TURBO S

MEGANE RS275

Old chool cool or turbo tech fest?

The hottest e er hatch

Oc o er 014 $9 5

BMW M4 v 911 v GT R The toughest test

1 5000

9

72202

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS

$14.95

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

contact@evomag.com.au

Z06 v GT3

F1V P1

9

Issue 19

Ma ch 2 15 $9 95

N $9 5

9 7 2202

55000

eb ua y 2 15 $9 95

T ACK CAR OF THE YEAR

ven ncred ble ars wh ch is fa tes ?

NZ 9 5

377kW CAMARO Z/28

Unleash ng Amer ca s GT3 r val

Issue 20

20

9

8

77 202

15 000

9

7 2202

BMW M5 STILL KING?

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

Super sed n war!

441kW M5 akes on the bea ts f om AMG Po sche Audi and J guar

9

772202

FELIX BAUMGARTNER

CARBON BRAKES

RALLY LEGENDS

Plus the Bathu st 12 Hour

Are they worth i ?

G oup B is sti l a i e

Issue 21

N $9 5

21 9

1550 0

77 202

DR VEN AMG C63

HOT HATCHES

GT3 RALLY CAR

Atmo legend goes turbo

22 page mega test

9 1 acer gets dirty

Ap il 0 5

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

FIRST DRIVE

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

Issue 22

7 2202

Wo d's sexiest sedan

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

SUPERCAR TRACK ATTACK

AUDI R8 V10 AT LE MANS

LAMBO O AVENTADOR SV & PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

A

U

S

T

R

A

L

I

A

C63VM3 Road and track battle 375kW AMG versus BMW's hero

FI R EB A L L !

New Ferrari 488 GTB. Is faster better?

PLU LUS

1 5000

ASTON RAPIDE

Style and substance

F RST DR VES

A

Driving Porsche's forgotten front and mid engined masterpieces

Z $ 95

22 9

1 5000

9 5

DR VEN AUDI TTS

Celebr ting AMG's Aust alian sto y

BATHURST IN THE AMG GT S

A

Porsche Cayman GT4. Sell your kids.

449kW V10 PLUS TAKES SUPERCAR ESTABLISHMENT HEAD ON

STAR POWER AMG H STORY

55000

Issue 18

WHO NEEDS A 911?

ALL NEW

AUDI R8

Corvette shock! How America built a genuine Porsche rival

N $9 5

17

MERCEDES AMG GT V N SSAN GT R V PORSCHE 911 TURBO V BMW 8 V ASTON MARTIN N430

J nu ry 2 15 $9 5

TOYOTA 86 Entry level evo icon

485kW hot hatch

De em er 2 14 $9 5

NZ 9 95

AMG GT

McLAREN MEGANE RS275

Is hybrid rea ly the future?

9 95

MEGA TEST!

SCIENCE OR SOUL? The fastest hypercar meets the most pure Best ever hot hatch?

D i ing Aud 's 24 hour champions

MI I JCW

ou Sold

911 GT2 RS v BENZ SLS BLACK

FERRARI FF

PLUS T E HISTORY OF JOHN COOPER WORKS AND THE HOTTEST EVER M NIS

A

A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

New AMG bea

Bat le of the ul imate widow makers

JAGUAR XE Br tain's 3 Series ival

BMW i8 v R8 v 911

Issue 16

+RZ 0HUFHGHV· N: $0* *7 GHIHDWV LWV ÀH

incl postage and handling

HSV GTS MALOO 430kW V8 in a ute

LE MANS & N24 LEGENDS

55000

Issue 15

IT L APS THE RING IN 7 20!

JAG F TYPE R v NISSAN GT R 404kW uper coupes do bat le

A DECADE OF HYPERCAR PROGRESS

Undriveable or unbelievable?

Nov mbe 20 4

6

BLUE OVAL SUPERCAR PACKS 450kW TWIN TURBO V6

A U S T R A L I A

KOENIGSEGG ONE:1 ON THE ROAD IN THE 1000kW MEGA CAR

Z $9 5

ST T NNI NEW FORD GT

PRANCING HORSE'S BRUTAL 772kW LaFERRARI BASED TRACK WEAPON

440km/h

TARGET 911

NZ 9 95

Issue 14

FERRARI 488 GTB & M GT4 PORSCHE CAYMAN N

9 95

ENZO v LAFERRARI

McL AREN

Mercedes AMG unleashes ts stunning 375kW GT to take on Porsche’s icon Se t mber 0 4

NZ 9 95

4 9

Issue 13

G

HOLY FXX K!

13 9

PORSCHE

THE ULTIMATE GODZILLA UNLEASHED ACROSS EUROPE LE MANS SPA NURBURGRING

N $9 5

PLUS PV GT F er ari 4 8 Sp cia e ors he Cayman GTS

55000

Issue 12

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

Ju y 2 14 $9 95

PORSCHE 911 GROUP 4

918 P1

NISMO GT-R

FORGET THE HYPERCARS IS BMW S 317kW M4 THE MOST IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR?

NZ 9 5

M y 20 5

FERRARI CALIFORNIA

TESLA P85D

MERCEDES AMG GT

American exp ess de i ers

515kW s lent supercar

375kW twin tu bo hero

Issue 23

9 95

J ne 2 15 $9 95

Z $ 95

NZ 9 95

24

23 9

7722 2

1550 0

9

7 2202

MAGNUS WALKER 911

AUDI R8 LMS

COSWORTH 86

Unlea hing the Urban Outlaw

D iving he GT3 legend

200kW Toyota coupe

ul 20 5

Issue 24

9 95

NZ $ 95

25 9

1 5000

7722 2

ARIEL NOMAD

GOLF R WAGON

BENTLEY GT3

Unleashing the l fe si e RC car

Al the car you need

D iving the posh racer

1550 0

ug st 015 $9 5

Z $ 95

26 9

Issue 25

77 202

LE MANS ROAD TRIP

ALFA GIUL A

CIVIC TYPE R

458 Speciale & 9 1 GT3 to Fr n e

taly's 375kW M3 fighter

Tu bo and ter ific?

15 000

Issue 26

www.evomag.com.au

141

Database

Coupes / GTs

Knowledge

Best of the Rest

Our Choice

The new Cayman S is right up there with its 911 bigger brother – put simply, it’s sensational. The Lotus Exige S (left) is a proper road racer for $120K and our joint 2012 Car of the Year.

Audi’s R8 is another gem, especially in supercar-rivalling V10 Plus form. And, of course, there’s always the Nissan GT-R…

Price

Engine cyl/cc

kW/rpm

Nm/rpm

Weight

kW/tonne

0-100km/h

Top speed

L/100km

Porsche 911 GT3. PDK, electric steering, a new engine with zero racing pedigree… Yes, we were nervous about the new GT3 before its arrival. Thankfully, it’s still fully deserving of the badge, although you’ll now need a healthy disregard for your licence to feel it truly come alive.

$231,000 $251,700 $386,391 $349,500 n/a $75,050 $98,400 $139,400 $135,400 $161,400 $279,500 $366,900 $408,200 ’10-’12 $370,000 $408,870 $450,000 ’10-’12 $108,700 $155,100 '10-'11 ’00-’07 ’05-’07 ’03-’04 '06-'09 ’98-’03 $292,500 $38,490 $31,990 $83,500 $189,000 $209,000 $299,000 $119,990 $123,990 $145,990 $288,800 $308,800 $364,900 $157,900 '12 '06-'09 '07-'09 $422,800 $69,500 $172,000 ’99-’02 $58,990 $139,900 ’11-’13 ’11-’13 ’11-’13 '06-'09 $206,500 $243,100 $222,200 $258,800 $294,100 '08-'11 '08-'11 ’11-’12 ’04-’08 ’02-’05 ’98-’01 ’94-’97 ’09-’11 ‘10-’11 '11-'12 ‘07-’09 '07-'09 ’03-’05 ’03-’05 ’99 ’95 ’93-’95 $37,150 $29,990 n/a $47,990

8/4735 8/4735 12/5935 12/5935 12/5935 4/1984 4/1984 5/2480 6/2995 8/4163 8/4163 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 8/3993 12/5998 12/5998 12/5998 6/2979 8/3999 8/4361 6/3246 6/3246 6/3246 6/3246 6/3246 6/2993 4/1497 4/1591 6/3696 8/5000 8/5000 8/5000 6/3456 6/3456 6/3456 8/4244 8/4691 8/4691 8/6208 8/6208 8/6208 8/6208 8/5461 6/3696 6/3799 6/2568 4/1598 6/3436 6/2893 6/3436 6/3436 6/3387 6/3436 6/3799 6/3436 6/3799 6/3799 6/3614 6/3799 6/3799 6/3824 6/3596 6/3387 6/3600 6/3797 6/3797 6/3996 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3746 4/2990 4/1998 4/1998 4/1984 4/1984

313/7000 321/7300 380/6500 380/6500 380/6500 155/4300 200/6000 250/5400 245/5500 331/8250 316/7900 386/8000 404/8000 412/8000 373/6000 423/6000 460/6000 463/6000 225/5800 309/8300 331/8300 252/7900 338/7900 265/7900 252/7900 236/7400 412/6000 99/6600 136/5500 235/7000 283/6500 375/6000 405/6000 257/7000 206/6400 257/7000 302/7100 338/7000 338/7000 336/6800 380/6800 354/6800 373/6800 400/5500 245/7000 404/6400 206/6800 147/5500 239/7400 195/7200 235/7200 243/7400 217/6250 257/7400 295/7400 257/7400 295/7400 350/8250 254/6500 283/6500 300/7300 261/6600 235/6800 221/6800 200/6100 320/7600 331/7900 368/8250 305/7600 305/7600 280/7400 280/7400 265/7200 221/6500 176/6200 147/7000 147/7000 155/5300 188/6000

470/5750 490/5000 570/5750 620/5500 570/5750 350/1600 320/2500 450/1600 440/2900 430/4000 430/4500 530/6500 540/6500 540/6500 660/1700 700/1700 800/2000 800/1700 400/1300 400/3900 440/3750 365/4900 269/5000 370/4900 365/4900 350/3250 680/1500 172/1000 265/1500 360/5200 515/3500 625/2500 680/2500 400/4500 342/4700 400/4500 460/4750 520/4750 520/4750 600/5000 620/5200 630/5000 630/5250 800/2000 363/5200 632/3200 392/4400 275/1700 370/4500 300/4400 370/4750 370/4750 340/4200 390/5600 440/5600 390/5600 440/5600 440/6250 390/4400 420/4400 420/4200 400/4600 370/4250 350/4600 330/5000 430/6250 430/6750 460/5750 405/5500 405/5500 385/5000 385/5000 370/5000 355/5400 305/4100 205/6600 205/6600 280/1700 330/2500

1630kg 1610kg 1680kg 1785kg 1695kg 1295kg 1395kg 1450kg 1675kg 1715kg 1560kg 1620kg 1570kg 1520kg 2295kg 2320kg 2320kg 2240kg 1525kg 1580kg 1530kg 1495kg 1495kg 1385kg 1420kg 1375kg 1790kg 1198kg 1313kg 1706kg 1585kg 1678kg 1678kg 1176kg 1382kg 1430kg 1780kg 1880kg 1770kg 1730kg 1710kg 1755kg 1760kg 2135kg 1520kg 1740kg 1560kg 1421kg 1320kg 1330kg 1350kg 1295kg 1415kg 1380kg 1395kg 1430kg 1445kg 1430kg 1415kg 1425kg 1420kg 1420kg 1405kg 1320kg 1370kg 1395kg 1370kg 1435kg 1395kg 1375kg 1380kg 1330kg 1350kg 1270kg 1335kg 1216kg 1257kg 1373kg 1351kg

192 199 230 216 228 128 145 175 148 183 201 242 262 275 165 185 192 210 150 148 220 172 172 194 180 178 130 83 106 140 182 227 245 224 151 183 161 183 190 197 226 207 215 197 163 235 134 105 184 148 177 190 163 181 214 183 207 242 183 202 215 183 163 172 157 233 295 274 222 225 202 213 202 179 136 120 119 114 146

4.9 4.5 4.2 4.6 4.3 6.1 5.2 4.3 4.9 4.5 4.6 3.9 3.8 3.6 4.8 4.5 4.2 3.9 5.5 4.8 4.4 5.2 5.1 4.9 5.0 5.4 4.2 9.0 8.4 5.9 5.5 4.8 4.4 4.0 5.1 4.8 5.2 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.6 4.2 4.5 5.4 2.7 4.7 7.6 5.0 5.8 5.2 5.0 5.5 4.8 4.5 4.9 4.5 3.5 4.9 4.7 4.6 4.7 5.1 5.2 5.3 4.1 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.8 5.0 6.5 7.6 7.6 6.9 6.0

290 305 305 295 295 245 250 250 250 250 302 316 317 320 303 318 325 329 250 250 305 257 250 259 250 250 250 200 214 250 250 250 300 274 262 286 285 298 301 250 300 250 300 250 250 320 265 231 283 265 277 282 275 289 304 285 299 315 290 302 306 293 285 280 267 312 310 310 310 310 306 306 302 277 254 226 226 240 250

13.8 12.9 16.4 14.3 16.3 7.1 7.7 8.5 8.1 10.8 14.2 13.9 14.9 13.9 10.6 14.5 14.5 16.3 8.4 12.4 12.7 11.9 11.9 11.9 12.1 11.2 9.9 5.0 6.8 10.5 11.2 12.3 12.3 10.1 9.3 9.9 14.3 15.5 14.4 12.1 12.2 14.2 15.3 10.6 10.5 11.8 14.1 6.7 8.8 30.1 29.7 9.7 10.6 9.0 9.5 9.3 9.9 12.4 10.3 10.6 10.6 11.5 11.1 10.1 11.1 12.6 13.2 13.8 13.0 13.0 12.9 12.9 13.0 12.4 10.3 7.8 7.8 7.4 8.1

Car Aston Martin V8 Vantage (4.7) Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Aston Martin V12 Vantage Aston Martin DB9 Aston Martin DBS Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Audi TTS Audi TT RS Audi S5 Audi RS5 Audi R8 V8 Audi R8 V10 Audi R8 V10 Plus Audi R8 GT Bentley Continental GT V8 Bentley Continental GT Bentley Continental GT Speed Bentley Continental Supersports BMW 335i M Sport BMW M3 (E92) BMW M3 GTS (E92) BMW M3 (E46) BMW M3 CS (E46) BMW M3 CSL (E46) BMW Z4 M Coupe BMW M Coupe BMW M6 Honda CR-Z Hyundai Veloster Turbo Infiniti G37S Coupe Jaguar XK 5.0 Jaguar XKR Jaguar XKR-S Lotus Exige S (V6) Lotus Evora Lotus Evora S Maserati GranTurismo Maserati GranTurismo Sport Maserati GT MC Stradale Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG Nissan 370Z Nissan GT-R (MY13) Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Peugeot RCZ 1.6 Porsche Cayman S (Mk3) Porsche Cayman (Mk2) Porsche Cayman S (Mk2) Porsche Cayman R Porsche Cayman S (Mk1) Porsche 911 Carrera (991) Porsche 911 Carrera S (991) Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (991) Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (991) Porsche 911 GT3 (991) Porsche 911 Carrera (997.2) Porsche 911 Carrera S (997.2) Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (997.2) Porsche 911 Carrera S (997.1) Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (996) Porsche 911 Carrera (996 3.4) Porsche 911 Carrera (993) Porsche 911 GT3 (997.2) Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997.2) Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997.2) Porsche 911 GT3 (997.1) Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997.1) Porsche 911 GT3 (996.2) Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996.2) Porsche 911 GT3 (996.1) Porsche 911 RS (993) Porsche 968 Club Sport Subaru BRZ Toyota 86 VW Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI VW Scirocco R

Ratings 142

evo rating + 2012 upgrades keep the V8 Vantage on song - Starting to feel a little dated, though + Keener engine, V12 Vantage looks - Slightly sluggish auto only + The best series production car that Aston Martin makes - Erm, a tad thirsty? + Better than the old DB9 in every respect - Automatic gearbox could be quicker + Stupendous engine, gearbox, brakes - Pricey. Can bite the unwary + Front-driver loses nothing to quattro TTs - Steers like a computer game + Usefully quicker TT; great drivetrain - Still steers like a computer game + Sublime 5-cylinder turbo engine - Rest of package can’t quite match it + Supercharged V6 makes S5 cleaner and faster - Pricey once you add options + Brilliant engine and improved chassis - Still not as exciting as you’d hope + Finally, a true 911 alternative - Exclusivity comes at a price + Real supercar feel - We still prefer the V8 + More power and aggression, less weight - Firm ride may be too much for some + Everything we love about the R8 - Not as hardcore as we wanted + A proper drivers’ Bentley with decent economy - W12 suddenly seems pointless + 325km/h in utter comfort - Weight, thirst + 330km/h in utter comfort - Feels nose-heavy in slow corners + A thoroughly impressive car… - …rather than a fun and involving one + Eager engine, exploitable chassis - Slightly unadventurous styling + Fends off all of its talented new rivals - …except the cheaper 1-series M + Highly exclusive, most focused M-car ever - Good luck trying to find one + One of the best BMWs ever - Slightly artificial steering feel + CSL dynamics without CSL price - Looks like the standard car + Stripped-down road-race M3 - Standard brakes barely adequate + A real drivers’ car - You’ve got to be prepared to get stuck in + Quick and characterful - Lacks finesse + Great engine and economy, excellent build - Numb steering, unsettled B-road ride + The first hybrid with sporting intent - No match for a good diesel hot hatch + The usual Hyundai value, with added fun - Styling might be too quirky for some + Softer 370Z delivers sharp-driving swing at the Germans - Bland looks + Fine car for the likes of us - Jag buyers may not like the harder edge + Fast and incredibly rewarding Jag - The kids will have to stay at home + The most exciting XKR ever - It’s nearly $300,000 + Breathtaking road-racer; our joint 2012 Car of the Year - Doubts over Lotus’s future + Sublime ride and handling. Our 2009 car of the year - Pricey options + A faster and better Evora - But one which spars with the Porsche 911… + Striking, accomplished GT - Doesn’t spike the pulse like an Aston or 911 + The best everyday GranTurismo yet - Starting to get long in the tooth? + Brilliant blend of road racer and GT - No rear seats + Mercedes makes a proper two-door M3 rival - C63 saloon looks better + The C63 turned up to 11 - Too heavy, not as fiery as Black Series cars of old + Power, control, build quality - Lacks ultimate involvement + AMG goes Porsche-hunting - Dull-witted gearshift spoils the party + Presence, pace, monster engine - Stiff ride, stiff competition + Quicker, leaner, keener than 350Z - Not quite a Cayman-killer + GT-R is quicker and better than ever - Suspension is too firm for Australian roads + Big, brutal, and great fun - Very firm ride + Distinctive looks, highly capable handling - Could be a bit more exciting + The Cayman comes of age - Erm… + Extra power, just as involving - Still lacks the desirability of other Porsches + Still want that 911? - Yeah, us too + Total handling excellence - Styling additions not to all tastes + Pure and rewarding - If they’d just move the engine back a bit… + 911 becomes cleaner and cleverer - But some of its character’s gone AWOL + As above, but with supercar pace - Electric steering robs it of some tactility + A touch more engaging than 2wd 991 - Still stand-offish compared to 997 + The best 991-generation Carrera - Choose your spec carefully + Our 2013 eCOTY. Brilliant - Some purists will moan about the lack of manual + Faster and greener than the mk1 997 - Lost a little of the 911 magic + Poise, precision, blinding pace - Feels a bit clinical + Fitting finale for the 997 generation - Absolutely nothing + evo Car of the Year 2004; like a junior GT3 - Tech overload? + Second best 996 only to the GT3 - Very little + evo Car of the Year 1998; beautifully polished - Some like a bit of rough + More character than 996 - Harder work at speed + Even better than the car it replaced - Give us a minute… + Our 2010 car of the year - Looks and noise are slightly OTT + The ultimate modern 911, and our 2011 Car of the Year - Unforgiving on-road ride + Runner-up evo Car of the Year 2006 - Ferrari 599 GTBs + evo Car of the Year 2007 - A chunk more money than the brilliant GT3 + evo Car of the Year 2003 - Chassis is a bit too track-focused for some roads + Track-biased version of above - Limited supply + Our Car of the Year 1999 - Porsche didn’t build enough + Barking engine note, gearchange - Not quite hardcore enough + One of the all-time greats - Lots have been driven very hard + Fine chassis, great steering - Weak engine, not the slide-happy car they promised + More fun than its cousin (above) - Same lack of torque, poor interior quality + Golf GTI price and performance - Interior lacks flair + Great engine, grown-up dynamics - Perhaps a little too grown-up for some

33332 33334 33333 33333 33334 33332 33332 33332 33332 33342 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33332 33332 33332 33334 33333 33333 33334 33333 33333 33334 33332 33332 33342 33332 33342 33332 33334 33334 33333 33333 33333 33332 33333 33334 33333 33334 33334 33334 33332 33334 33333 33332 33332 33333 33334 33334 33333 33334 33334 33334 33334 33333 33333 33334 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33333 33332 33332 33332 33332

Thrill-free zone 3 Tepid 33 Interesting 333 Seriously good 3333 A truly great car 33333

www.evomag.com.au

Database

Supercars

Knowledge

Best of the Rest

Our Choice

Ferrari 458 Speciale. The regular 458 Italia is amazing enough in itself – in fact it used to occupy this very space – but the Speciale follows in the tradition of the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia and makes the car it is based on even more, well, special. The supercar to buy.

Price

Engine cyl/cc

kW/rpm

Nm/rpm

Weight

kW/tonne

0-100km/h

Top speed

L/100km

$472,840 ’10-’12 ’78-’81 n/a n/a n/a ’91-’95 n/a $525,772 $588,806 $550,000 '04-'10 '04-'10 '07-'10 ’99-’04 ’03-’04 ’97-’99 $691,100 '06-'12 '10-'12 '11-'12 ’02-’06 ’97-’02 $625,000 '04-'11 ’02-’04 ’96-’97 ’87-’92 ’84-’85 ’04-’06 ’92-’94 $409,500 $455,000 n/a n/a ’06-’08 '07-'08 $761,500 $795,000 ’01-’06 '06-'11 '09-'11 ’99-’00 ’00-’02 ’88-’91 '10-12 n/a n/a ’94-’98 '09-'10 $467,965 $639,000 ’04-’07 n/a n/a ’01-’05 ’05-’06 '09-'10 ’09-’13 ’10-’13 ’10-’13 '06-'09 ’00-’06 ’04-’06 ’95-’98 ’96-’99 ’04-’06 ’87-’90

12/5935 12/7312 6/3500 16/7993 16/7993 16/7993 12/3500 8/6162 8/4499 8/4499 8/4499 8/4308 8/4308 8/4308 8/3586 8/3586 8/3496 12/6262 12/5999 12/5999 12/5999 12/5748 12/5474 12/6262 12/5748 12/5998 12/4698 8/2936 8/2855 8/5409 6/3498 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/5204 10/4961 10/4961 12/6498 12/6498 12/6192 12/6496 12/6946 12/5992 12/5992 12/5167 10/4805 8/3799 8/3799 12/6064 12/5980 8/6208 8/6208 8/5439 12/5980 12/7291 12/7291 12/7291 12/7291 6/3800 6/3800 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 6/3600 10/5733 6/2850

421/6750 559/6000 204/6500 736/6000 736/6000 882/6400 412/8000 476/6500 419/9000 419/9000 445/9000 360/8500 360/8500 375/8500 294/8500 312/8500 279/8250 545/8250 456/7600 456/7600 493/8250 379/7250 357/7000 486/8000 397/7250 485/7800 383/8500 351/7000 295/7000 410/6500 404/7200 405/8000 412/8000 419/8000 419/8000 383/8000 390/8000 515/8250 515/8250 427/7500 471/8000 493/8000 423/7300 405/7100 339/7000 412/8700 459/7500 459/7500 461/7500 493/5400 420/6800 464/7400 460/6500 537/5800 567/6300 410/5500 443/6150 499/6200 368/6000 390/6250 456/6500 353/6000 309/6000 355/5700 300/5750 321/5750 450/8000 331/6500

620/5500 750/7600 330/5000 1250/2200 1250/2200 1500/3000 618/3750 819/3800 540/6000 540/6000 540/6000 465/5250 465/5250 470/5250 373/4750 373/4750 363/6000 690/6000 608/5600 608/5600 620/6500 589/5250 569/5000 683/6000 588/5250 657/5500 471/6500 577/4000 496/3800 678/3750 644/4500 540/6500 540/6500 540/6500 540/6500 510/4500 510/4250 690/5500 690/5500 650/5400 660/6000 660/6500 630/5500 620/5500 500/5200 480/7000 600/3000 600/3000 617/4000 1000/2200 650/4750 635/5500 780/3250 1000/2250 780/4500 750/4100 760/4000 780/4000 650/1950 700/2100 700/2250 680/2100 560/2700 640/3500 540/4500 540/4500 590/5750 500/5000

1739kg 1740kg 1303kg 1950kg 1990kg 1838kg 1566kg 1528kg 1485kg 1430kg 1395kg 1449kg 1520kg 1350kg 1390kg 1280kg 1350kg 1630kg 1688kg 1688kg 1605kg 1730kg 1716kg 1880kg 1840kg 1365kg 1229kg 1100kg 1160kg 1538kg 1470kg 1380kg 1410kg 1340kg 1485kg 1520kg 1420kg 1575kg 1625kg 1650kg 1665kg 1565kg 1490kg 1625kg 1447kg 1480kg 1434kg 1474kg 1137kg 1876kg 1620kg 1550kg 1768kg 1350kg 1210kg 1250kg 1230kg 1400kg 1570kg 1585kg 1370kg 1585kg 1540kg 1440kg 1500kg 1215kg 1380kg 1450kg

246 326 161 389 380 488 267 316 286 278 320 253 243 282 215 248 210 339 274 274 311 222 219 259 219 361 316 328 261 263 280 298 298 318 286 255 278 331 321 262 287 320 292 255 238 282 324 318 418 267 250 299 284 404 470 337 370 361 238 253 338 226 203 253 206 253 332 232

4.1 3.7 5.9 2.5 2.7 2.5 4.2 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.0 4.0 4.1 3.6 4.5 4.1 4.7 3.1 3.7 3.7 3.4 4.2 4.4 3.7 4.0 3.7 3.7 4.1 4.9 3.9 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.4 3.9 4.0 3.8 2.9 3.0 4.0 3.8 3.3 4.4 3.9 4.9 3.7 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.5 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.1 3.5 3.7 4.2 4.0 4.3 4.4 3.9 3.7

295 354 262 407 407 415 342 330 325 320 325 315 311 320 295 300 295 340 330 330 335 325 320 335 320 350 325 324 305 330 343 320 325 325 324 315 315 350 350 332 340 337 338 335 298 325 333 329 387 320 317 315 334 360 349 317 345 349 312 315 330 310 304 319 290 295 330 300

14.4 24.5 24.1 24.9 23.1 15.0 13.3 11.8 13.3 15.2 15.2 15.7 16.6 16.9 15.0 17.9 17.5 22.9 22.9 15.4 20.5 13.3 13.7 13.7 13.8 17.0 17.2 17.2 21.4 20.6 20.6 11.7 11.7 14.9 14.4 13.3 13.7 14.5 11.5 11.4 11.9 12.8 13.5 12.9 15.7 -

Car Aston Martin Vanquish (Mk2) Aston Martin One-77 BMW M1 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Bugatti EB110 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Ferrari 458 Italia Ferrari 458 Spider Ferrari 458 Speciale Ferrari F430 Ferrari F430 Spider Ferrari 430 Scuderia Ferrari 360 Modena Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale Ferrari F355 F1 Berlinetta Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE Ferrari 599 GTO Ferrari 575M Fiorano Handling Pack Ferrari 550 Maranello Ferrari FF Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1 Ferrari Enzo Ferrari F50 Ferrari F40 Ferrari 288GTO Ford GT Jaguar XJ220 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera Lamborghini LP570-4 Performante Lamborghini Gallardo Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster Lamborghini Murciélago Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Lamborighini Murciélago LP670-4 SV Lamborghini Diablo GT Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 Lamborghini Countach QV Lexus LFA/LFA Nürburgring McLaren MP4-12C McLaren 12C Spider McLaren F1 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Pagani Huayra Pagani Zonda 760RS Pagani Zonda C12S Pagani Zonda F Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster Porsche 911 Turbo (997.2) Porsche 911 Turbo S (997.2) Porsche 911 GT2 RS (997.2) Porsche 911 Turbo (997.1) Porsche 911 Turbo (996) Porsche 911 GT2 (996) Porsche 911 Turbo (993) Porsche 911 GT2 (993) Porsche Carrera GT Porsche 959

PA S T master The 206kW P1 was the ultimate original-shape Impreza. John Barker drove the prototype

144

Porsche’s 918 Spyder (left) pips the McLaren P1 on the road, and vice versa on the track. (Is the LaFerrari better still? We’ll let you know when we get one together with its hybrid rivals.)

Meanwhile, Pagani’s Huayra was our joint 2012 Car of the Year and Lamborghini’s Aventador offers true supercar drama.

www.evomag.com.au

evo rating + A much better car than the DBS it succeeds - Shame it looks little different, then + The engine, the looks, the drama - Gearbox hates manoeuvring; only 77 were made + Early supercar icon - A bit under-endowed these days + Superbly engineered 4wd quad-turbo rocket - Er, lacks luggage space? + Warp speed and ferocious noise sans-roof - Ridiculous brolly/roof thing + The world’s fastest supercar - Limited to 415km/h for us mere mortals + Superbly engineered 4wd quad-turbo rocket - It just fizzled out + Huge pace and character - Take plenty of brave pills if there’s rain + An astounding achievement, looks fantastic - There’ll never be a manual + A 458 that sounds and feels more organic - Er, 5km/h slower? + The most exciting car available for sale in Australia - Just about perfect, so nothing + Just brilliant - Didn’t you read the plus point? + Berlinetta dynamics, 8000rpm with the roof down - Looks? + Successful F1 technology transplant - Likes to shout about it + Worthy successor to 355 - Not quite as involving as it should be + Totally exhilarating road-racer. It’s loud - It’s very, very loud + Looks terrific, sounds even better - Are you kidding? + 545kW isn’t too much power for the road - Not as dramatic as an Aventador + evo Car of the Year 2006 - Banks are getting harder to rob + As above, but with a bit more edge - Can be a little too edgy in the wet + One of the truly great Ferraris - Erm, the air con isn’t very good + Fiorano pack makes 575 truly great - It should have been standard + Everything - Nothing + Four seats and 4WD, but a proper Ferrari - Looks divide opinion + Awesomely capable grand tourer - See above + Intoxicating, exploitable - Cabin detailing falls short of Zonda or F1 + The best drivers’ Ferrari - Lines lack tension + The shape that launched a thousand posters - Er… + Painfully beautiful, rarer than the F40 - You are joking? + Our 2005 Car of the Year - JC had one. Reckoned it didn’t handle… + Britain’s greatest supercar… - …until McLaren built the F1 + The mad rear-driven Lambo is back! - Gallardo not feeling as fresh as the 458 + Still a missile from A to B - Starting to show its age + A reminder of how great the Gallardo is - LP560-4 does as good a job + It’s a Superleggera Spyder… - …that’s not actually that super-light + On a full-bore start it spins all four wheels. Cool - Slightly clunky e-gear + Lighter, more agile - Grabby carbon brakes, clunky e-gear + Most important new Lambo since the Countach - Erm… expensive? + Sensational engine and styling - A wee bit on the thirsty side + Gorgeous, capable and incredibly friendly - V12 feels stressed + Compelling old-school supercar - You’d better be on your toes + A supercar in its truest, wildest sense - Be prepared for stares + Briefly the world’s fastest production car - They made only 80 + Best-built, best-looking Diablo of all - People’s perceptions + Still the definitive supercar - Visibility, pract- oh hell, who cares? + Absurd and compelling supercar - Badge and price don’t quite match + Staggering performance, refinement - Lacks design flair + No discernible dynamic compromises - Requires commitment to come alive + Still the most single-minded supercar ever - There’ll never be another + Bonkers looks, bonkers speed - Bonkers price + Great engine and chassis (gullwing doors too!) - Slightly tardy gearbox + The most thrilling car to wear the pointed star - Can intimidate + Zonda-pace, 575-style drivability - Dreadful brake feel + Our joint 2012 Car of the Year - Engine isn’t as nape-prickling as the Zonda’s + The most extreme Zonda ever - The last Zonda ever (probably) + evo Car of the Year 2001 - Harry’s sold his long-termer + Everything an Italian supercar ought to be - Choose interior carefully + The best Zonda ever - Doesn't come up in the classifieds often + The Turbo at the very top of its game - The GT3’s cheaper… + As above, with more power - The GT3’s even cheaper… + More powerful than a Carrera GT. Handles, too - Erm… + Monster cornering ability - A bit woolly on its standard settings + evo Car of the year 2000; the 911 for all seasons - We can’t find any reasons + Later revisions made it even more of a star - Care still required + Stupendous all-weather supercar - It doesn’t rain enough + Hairy-arsed homologation special - Harry won’t buy one + Probably the greatest modern supercar - Can bite + Tech showcase, still a great drive - Limited choice of colours?

Subaru Impreza P1 The first thing that strikes me is how smooth and refined the engine is. It revs to 8000rpm, charging on through the red paint with a frantic, enthusiastic bark that contrasts sharply with its bassy, mellifluous low-speed throb.

The P1 dishes up clean, precise and drama-free cornering, and its demeanour doesn’t change when the heavens open.

It feels tight and responsive, exploitable but not risky.

Prodrive fits its short shift, which gives the lever a deliciously crisp and positive action. In fact, this car feels like a package of perfectly complementary parts that have been honed and lapped together to create a deeply satisfying whole.

33334 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33334 33342 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33332 33333 33332 33334 33334 33334 33332 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33332 33333 33333 33332 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33333 33334

RILL THE TH

VIN OF DRI

G

THE THRILL OF DRIVING

SUPERCAR TRACK ATTACK

g com au Printed in Australia

THE TH RILL

A

U

S

FIREBA

A

AUDI R8 V10 OF DRIV IN

G

U

rari LL! Fer r? er bette . Is fast 488 GTB

S

BMW

T

R

A

L

I

A

STUNNING 3.0 CSL HOMM JUST BUILD IT! AGE R

he f Porsc drives o + First

Roa

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

's 911 G

FOR ME 12 months Australia $75 SAVE $44.40 24 months Australia $139 SAVE $99.80

FOR A FRIEND 12 months Australia $75 SAVE $44.40 24 months Australia $139 SAVE $99.80

MY DETAILS

FRIEND’S DETAILS

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms

Name

Name

Address

Address

State

State

Postcode

Postcode

Ph (H)

Ph (H)

Email

Email

PAYMENT OPTIONS

MY DETAILS

I would like to subscribe to evo Australia for: 1 year (12 issues for $75.00, SAVE $44.40) 2 years (24 issues for $139.00, SAVE $99.80)

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms

Enclosed is a cheque/money order for AUD$ Magshop Visa

MasterCard

American Express

Name Address payable to

State Diners Club

Postcode Ph (H) Email

Signature

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Card expiry date:

/

Please tick this box if you do not wish to receive any marketing material from Motoring Media Network or third parties.

Send your completed coupon to: Magshop GPO Box 5252 Sydney NSW 2001

I would like to subscribe to evo Australia for: 1 year (12 issues for $75.00, SAVE $44.40) 2 years (24 issues for $139.00, SAVE $99.80)

Enclosed is a cheque/money order for AUD$ Magshop Visa

MasterCard

American Express

payable to Diners Club

or

Order online: www.bit.ly/evosubs Follow the links and enter promo code M1401EVO

Call now on: 136 116 Email: magshop@magshop.com.au TERMS & CONDITIONS *All credit card payments will be charged in $AUD and will appear on your statement as Bauer Media Group. You may cancel your subscription at any time and we will refund monies for all remaining issues.

Signature Card expiry date:

/

Please tick this box if you do not wish to receive any marketing material from Motoring Media Network or third parties.

Artofspeed

Pontiac GTO hood tach

by R IC H A R D L A N E PORSCHE PUTS IT DEAD CENTRE, BENTLEY at ti m e s tu r n s i t u p si d e d ow n a n d Pa g a n i h a s b e e n k n ow n to e m b e d i t w i t h i n t h e s te e r i n g w h e e l b os s .

Yet almost all tachometers share one common and perhaps obvious principle: they don’t form part of a car’s exterior.

For the 1967 GTO, newly available with a 6549cc V8 and 265kW, Pontiac had other ideas. By then the ‘Goat’ was a fast-selling hit. A machine cleverly marketed as a drag-strip warrior, it celebrated partnerships with popular suppliers such as Hurst (for the floor-mounted four-speed shifter) and championed ram-air intakes, a wide track, big displacement and as little weight as was reasonably possible.

Pontiac, nevertheless, hadn’t conquered the rev counter. Where to house it without sacrificing aesthetics or the clock with which it competed for dashboard real estate? Back then the ability to observe and act upon the number of times your crankshaft revolved every minute was regarded in the same way as monitoring boost pressure is today. Nice – and fashionable to some – but non-essential. On early GTO models, where a tach was optional, the driver was even obliged to set their own redline using a central stud! It was, simply, an afterthought. A trinket.

P

Pontiac initially opted for the far right binnacle of a traditional cluster, which was a mistake. ‘‘The instruments are all well-placed and legible, except for the tacho, which is terrible,’’ was the verdict from Car and Driver in 1964. ‘‘It’s too far to the right to be glanced at during a hard run.’’

One solution was to bolt a pod onto the steering column – a common aftermarket addition – but this would tarnish the handsomely paredback interior while forcing the driver to look down too far (not a very good idea in something so shockingly potent but appallingly under-tyred).

Pontiac’s idiosyncratic and arguably even less practical answer was part no. 6468453, which was a hood-mounted tach costing $63.19. Pop-riveted on and standing approximately three inches tall, its backlit dial showed a redline starting at 5200rpm and optimistically running to 8000rpm.

A prototypal head-up display predating digital examples by decades, this tach was flamboyant and flawed, chiefly because it was susceptible to being knocked out of calibration if the hood was slammed shut. To other drivers it appeared merely as an alien lump a few inches from the GTO’s either twin (non-functional) or single (genuine) air intake. But to the owners who squinted so hard to read them? A masterpiece. L

N E XT M O N T H Aston Martin Vantage GT12 driven ON SALE MONDAY OCTOBER 5

146

www.evomag.com.au

N Audi R8 N Nissan Juke R N Audi RS2 N F-type AWD v 911 C4 GTS